“They meant to help us, Miranda,” Hannah said, afraid that the danger she had brought to Coven’s Grove would be lain at Dominic’s feet. “I should have listened to Dominic earlier. Perhaps all this could have been avoided if I had.”
“No.” Dominic turned to face her. “You were right to doubt. What I told you was beyond farfetched.”
“I thought we were done with the blame game stuff,” Monica lisped, as Troy continued to examine the redhead’s missing teeth like a vet checking a horse’s gums. The room went quiet. Dominic didn’t take his dark eyes off of Hannah. The regret in his expression was plain to see.
Hannah wished they could talk without everyone being right there. She wanted to comfort him, comfort herself. She wanted to apologize for doubting him.
“So, what happens now?” Alix asked. The tattooed girl sat in one of the chairs next to the sectional. She frowned in worry. The poor girl had to have been torn as to what to do. Not being a part of the coven put her in awkward situation, but maybe this was the shove she needed to make a decision.
“We call the police,” Miranda finally stated.
“What?!” Dominic’s crew and Alix replied at the same time. Everyone stared at Miranda as if she were crazy.
“People have died,” the matriarch continued. “We have to say something, or we risk greater trouble down the road.”
“Uh... I killed most of those people,” Hannah divulged. Saying it aloud made her feel numb all over again.
“The incident didn’t happen on Coven’s Grove,” Dominic said calmly. “Not to mention we were in the middle of nowhere. The likelihood of the bodies being discovered is pretty slim.” He glanced at Nancy on that last part, but she didn’t seem to be tuned in.
“Bodies are always found, Dominic,” Nathan said softly.
“You’re talking about leaving people out there to rot,” Miranda said. Her jaw clenched in anger as she glared at Dominic and Nathan. “I’m not too keen on drawing attention from the authorities, but there’s a moral line we are about to cross here.”
“I don’t like the thought of not telling the police,” Dominic replied. “I don’t much like the idea of leaving one of my friends out there either, but some of my people have warrants on them, and this situation could send them away for a long time.”
Nathan squirmed a bit on the couch, but said nothing.
Miranda sighed. “What happens when Dongle Gas & Oil report that some of their people are dead?”
Dominic shook his head. “I don’t think they will. Not at that location at least. An illegal drill site, employees armed with automatic weapons, murder of a known activist. I don’t think they’re going anywhere near this deal.”
Rhea stepped up beside Miranda and touched her shoulder. “We could give them a proper burial.”
Miranda pondered Rhea’s words. She stood in contemplation for what seemed an eternity before she finally spoke, “No. If we avoid the problem, we avoid it completely. I don’t want anyone going out there.”
Alix raised her brows. “So, we’re not telling the police?”
Miranda and Dominic looked across the room at each other in silence. What passed between them was a mystery, but it was safe to say some level of agreement had been met. “No, we’re not telling the police,”
An invisible weight fell from Hannah’s shoulders. Despite her reservations of remaining silent about the events of this evening, she was glad of the decision. That didn’t change the fact that part of her still wanted to turn herself in, just to unload the guilt of what she’d done. Those guys were trying to kill you and everyone else, she thought in her defense. Just deal with what you’ve done.
Alix brushed a lock of her purple and black hair away from her eyes. “Hate to be a nag and all,” she said with a smirk. “But you still haven’t answered my question. What do we do now?”
Miranda placed her hands on her hips. “We wait until—”
The deep chime of the doorbell echoed down the hallway into the main room, bringing a jarring halt to the group’s conversation.
No one moved a muscle.
“You expectin’ somebody?” Nathan asked, breaking the frozen scene like a hammer striking a chisel.
Miranda looked at Hannah, and jabbed a finger at Dominic’s crew. “Get them to the basement!” She then turned to Rhea and said—in front of God and everybody—“Prepare an invisibility potion for all of them!”
“Well, that was subtle,” Hannah murmured.
Monica cocked her head, which made her look even more like a chipmunk with all of the gause Troy had stuffed into her mouth. “Did she just say ‘invisibility potion’?” The words were slurred, but understandable.
The doorbell rang again.
“Now, people!” Miranda commanded.
The room exploded into action. Hannah helped Monica off the sofa, as Nancy and Dominic helped Nathan.
“What the hell are we supposed to do?!” Alix asked, on the verge of panic. Troy stood calmly next to her.
“Start making dinner,” Miranda said over her shoulder as she stomped toward the front door. “For three of us.”
Alix blinked in consternation. Troy took hold of the woman’s shoulders, and led her to the kitchen.
Hannah ushered the group down the second hallway, taking them to the rear of the house. The door to the basement was actually in the hall, just before the sunroom. She jerked on the handle, swinging the door wide, and then pointed to the stairs. “Everybody down!”
Nancy, Dominic and Nathan limped down the dark stairwell ahead of Hannah and Monica. Hannah switched on the light and closed the door behind her. The stairs were sandblasted stone, so no eerie creaking was to be had as a result from the group’s labored descent. The basement itself was still a work in progress. Exposed framing and unfinished walls accented the building supplies that were stacked in random places around the giant room. The area spanned almost the entire dimensions of the mansion’s foundation, and would eventually become a series of storage rooms; another job slated for their already overworked carpenter.
“This is rather posh,” Monica mumbled through the stuffing in her mouth.
“It’s going to be,” Hannah replied. She helped Monica sit on one of the pallets of flagstone that would be used for the flooring.
“Where’s your friend, Rhea?” Nathan asked as he too was sat down on a pallet of stone. “Isn’t she suppose to turn us invisible?” The smirk on his face, and the tone of his voice, expressed his disbelief more clearly than if he’d just come out and said it.
“Yeah,” Monica slurred. She wiggled her fingers in the air. “Hocus-pocus.”
Nathan chuckled, but Dominic and Nancy remained silent. Dominic leaned against the wall, curiosity touching his raised brow, while Nancy stood rigid, eyeing Hannah with caution.
“She’ll be along,” Hannah said, not in the mood to explain.
“C’mon, that’s it?” Monica’s garbled speech got better as she continued to goad. “Isn’t she getting her magic cape or something?”
“Witch’s hat,” Nathan corrected.
Monica bent over, giggling. Nathan held his side as laughter racked his body.
“Enough,” Dominic cut in. “In case you’ve forgotten, we’re supposed to be hiding.”
“Sorry,” Nathan wheezed. “It’s the stress.”
Hannah rolled her eyes. “Whatever.” They would find out soon enough that the joke was on them.
“Dominic, can we talk?” Hannah didn’t wait for a reply as she walked through the unfinished framework toward the back of the room. She continued stepping through the debris until she thought there was enough distance from the others for a bit of privacy. Her mind raced with what she was about to say, and what might be going on upstairs. Too many bad things had already happened today, and the stress of it was getting to her. She needed to unburden herself, and to clear the air with Dominic. She needed to tell him the truth.
When she turned to face Dominic, he was standing righ
t next to her. He was so close she could feel his heart beating. His hands gently touched the sides of her face before he drew her into a deep kiss.
The tingling from the touch of his fingertips was nothing compared to the heated charge from his full lips and probing tongue. Hannah melted into him, devouring his touch as he devoured hers. The heat of his body pressing against hers traveled down to her core, and stroked her inner flame. She wanted him dearly, but now wasn’t the time. She reluctantly pulled away, breathless.
“I have to tell you something,” Hannah confessed as she caught her breath. “Something that’s going to change how you see me.”
Dominic’s chest heaved, and his dark eyes were filled with desire. He stepped closer, forcing Hannah to back against the wall. “Tell me.”
Hannah could feel his heartbeat again, it pounded like a jackhammer. She swallowed the lump in her throat, and her building passion along with it. “You saw what I did out in the woods... with the trees, and those men.”
Dominic nodded, his intense gaze never leaving hers. Several dreads fell in front of his face, giving him a hauntingly sexy look.
Hannah tore her gaze away from his before she became so distracted she couldn’t say what needed to be said. “I have...power. I can do things that can’t be explained in the rational world. For the lack of a better word, I’m a witch.”
Silence.
The drumming of her heart transformed from passion to fear as she waited for his response. She didn’t think she could handle the rejection if her confession drove him away, but she just couldn’t go on without him knowing the truth. The silent scrutiny was torturous, but she knew he had to work through this on his own; he had to accept her without influence. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be real. Moisture stung her eyes in anticipation of the inevitable heartbreak that was about to happen.
“Do you think that’s going to change the way I feel about you?” Dominic finally asked.
“I don’t know...yes,” Hannah mumbled in defeat. Then, a spark of hope suddenly came to her. “Wait, how do you feel about me?”
Dominic chuckled. “Damn, isn’t it obvious?”
Hannah nibbled on her lower lip. “I’m not too confident when it comes to relationships.” She looked up at him. “I don’t always see what’s right in front of me.”
“Then let me help clear things up.” He leaned in and kissed her again. His warm body pressed against her once more, pinning her to the wall.
She couldn’t help but yield to him. His passion was genuine and infectious. Hannah fell into the touch, letting it eclipse all of her worries and fears.
Then, too soon, Dominic pulled away.
“You’ve got some issues,” he began. “But so do I. We can work this stuff out together, no matter how strange.”
Tears of joy blurred Hannah’s vision. His words banished her doubts as effectively as his kiss heated her veins. She laughed, giddy with the buzz of a new start to their relationship. She smiled at him like an idiot. “Smooth.”
Dominic laughed with her, shaking his head. “Not really, just lucky.”
“If you lovebirds are finished…” Monica called. “We’ve got company.”
Hannah and Dominic both looked from their secluded corner to see Rhea descending the stairs. They hurried back to the others, leaving their conversation for another time.
Hannah helped Rhea set up the components for the invisibility potion. “What’s going on up there?”
“Police,” Rhea answered. “They want to search the mansion.”
“What the hell?!” Hannah asked in disbelief. “Why?”
Rhea set out six empty beakers on top of a stack of sheetrock. “I don’t know. Couldn’t risk getting close enough to hear everything.”
“Do they have a search warrant?” Nathan asked.
“Again, I don’t know,” Rhea said, irritation creeping into her voice. “Hannah, help me mix.”
Hannah obliged. The main ingredients, galangal, anise, and lemongrass, had to be mashed into a fine powder, then mixed with a base elixir that was derived from the grove’s mystic stream.
Monica snickered. “Do you guys have a black cat, too?”
Hannah ignored the comment. They had to hurry. The potion would take a few minutes to work once swallowed, and who knew how much time they had.
“Joking aside, we do need to find some cover,” Nathan said, as he eyed the many different piles of building material.
“Stay calm,” Dominic said, as he watched Hannah and Rhea toil away. “We have time.”
“Time for what?” Monica blurted through her cotton-stuffed mouth. She gestured at the mixing bowl. “Some kinda magic potion?!”
Dominic smiled at the redhead. “I suppose.”
“C’mon, man. Don’t tell me you’re that far gone—”
“You obviously didn’t see what happened out in the forest,” Dominic interrupted.
“I didn’t see anything either, Dominic,” Nathan chimed in. “Maybe you’ve lost a little too much blood. We need to find a place to hide or—”
“I saw it.” This time it was Nancy who interrupted. “Clear as day, I saw it. We wait until they’re finished.”
Hannah could feel the tension raise. She wasn’t sure who would snap first, but it wouldn’t be long now. Normal people never responded well to seeing magic. She redoubled her efforts. Rhea chanted a few words as Hannah mixed.
The creaking of floorboards overhead warned of people approaching.
“That’s it,” Monica stated. “I’m hidin’.” She got up, and started toward the back of the room.
“Done!” Hannah held aloft a vial in triumph.
Monica paused to glare at the bubbling, blue liquid.
With a satisfied grin Hannah asked, “Who’s first?”
No one moved.
“Fine,” Hannah said with an exasperated sigh. She chugged the beaker to no ill effect. “See, it’s not poison.”
Rhea hurriedly passed one out to everyone, and then drank one of her own. Dominic and Nancy, with some hesitation, were the first of their crew to drink.
“This is ridiculous,” Monica moaned. “I’m not drinkin’ that shit.”
Nathan looked at Dominic and then Nancy. He shrugged his shoulders, and downed his potion. “Now, can we hide?”
“Idiot,” Monica stomped back over to Nathan, and smacked him on the back of the head. “You have no idea what you just drank.”
Nathan held up his hands in defense. “We can trust them—”
Hannah pulled up her shirt.
“Holy shit!” Nancy pointed at Hannah. “It’s working!”
Hannah’s midsection had completely disappeared, which was no surprise as the heaviest concentration of the potion sat in her stomach. The process was rapidly expanding down her hips and up to her shoulders. The potion had taken effect much more quickly than she’d anticipated. Finally, something goes my way. “You guys will need to take your clothes off.”
Nathan gawked. “I don’t freakin’ believe it.”
Monica didn’t say anything; she just stared in wide-eyed disbelief.
Rhea stripped out of her clothes to reveal a similar lack of torso. Dominic and Nancy started taking their clothes off as well, showing signs of transparency.
“Fuck this,” Monica finally blurted. She dropped the potion, and bolted for the stairs.
Hannah dove for the vial without thinking. She flew through the air, and landed flat on her stomach. She managed to catch the falling beaker before it hit the floor, but the air in her lungs rushed out on impact. She rolled over, desperately trying to catch her breath.
Rhea’s disembodied head and arms intercepted Monica at the foot of the stairs. The panicked redhead didn’t even try to dodge the attack. Rhea’s floating fist connected with Monica’s jaw, and she went down like a wet sack of grain.
Dominic’s now floating head came into view. He looked down at Hannah’s discarded pants. “Hannah, are you okay?”
Hannah nodded, u
nable to speak.
“Hannah?” Dominic asked, as he continued to scan the floor.
Realization dawned. He couldn’t see her. She had turned completely invisible. Hannah held up the vial, and wheezed, “Here.”
Dominic focused in on the beaker, and his head floated over.
“Give,” Hannah croaked. “To Monica.”
“Okay.” Dominic’s mostly invisible arm reached out and took the vial. Just as he did, the door upstairs opened with a low creaking sound.
“Hello?” a man’s voice called down.
Rhea dragged the unconscious Monica away from the stairs, and began ripping her clothes off. Dominic rushed over and poured the bubbling concoction down Monica’s throat.
They weren’t going to make it.
Hannah hauled herself from the floor, and staggered toward the back of the basement.
The shuffle of feet on the landing upstairs intensified. “Hey! This is the police. Come out with your hands up!”
“Easy, Bud,” another man’s voice said. This one sounded a little older, and much more calm. “Ms. Baris said no one was here but the three of them. Let’s not go blowing holes in everything.”
“Something moved down there, detective,” Bud said, with an edge. “Didn’t you hear it?”
“I’m not sayin’ be reckless, just keep cool.”
That was the last thing Hannah heard before she was out of earshot. She continued to the very back of the room, and leaned against the wall. Her breath was coming easier now, but it still felt as if she’d run a fifty-yard sprint.
The others had completely disappeared. Only Monica’s naked form would give away the fact that Miranda had lied to the police, and screw them all.
Shiny, black shoes slowly came down the steps. The familiar dark blue uniform of a police officer followed. “If someone’s down there, you need to come out with your hands where I can see ’em.” Bud was a brawny fellow with the typical buzz-cut hairstyle. He was on full alert, gun drawn at the ready.
Hannah glanced at a small, tin bucket filled with sheetrock nails. It was sitting on a stepstool, not two feet from her. She had to time this right... and not get shot.
Hannah (The Coven's Grove Chronicles #2) Page 11