by fox, angie
“I know you will.”
I handed one of the beers to Pyper and followed her out of the room.
We slipped into the adjoining room, and instead of sitting on the chairs lining the wall, Pyper walked to the middle of the room and sank to the floor.
I joined her and watched as she downed half her beer.
“Better?” I asked.
She shook her head. “Not really.”
“Roy is gone. That dagger of Kane’s is magical. He won’t be coming back.”
She nodded. “I know.” Glancing up at me, she pierced me with a flat stare. “I wasn’t afraid of him, you know. Roy, I mean.”
I jerked back slightly at her remark. “Really? I was.”
“No you weren’t. You were worried about everyone, but you weren’t afraid of him. Not this time.”
She was right. I’d been afraid for her, afraid of anything she was feeling, but with Kane and Lucien there, I hadn’t been frightened by Roy. Only concerned with how best to get rid of him. Luckily Kane had found his opening. “Okay, but I did have a minor anxiety attack when he first showed up. Any ideas on how that happened?”
She grimaced. “I didn’t know he was a ghost at first, you know.”
I frowned, confused.
“Julius. You didn’t either.”
“Damn,” I said under my breath. “You’re right. I didn’t. Why didn’t you say something?”
Her face got even brighter red. “I was going to. Later.”
“Later? Later than what? How long have you two known each other, really?”
She hesitated and stared at her hands. “You know since Ian’s been gone, I’ve gotten into hunting ghosts as a hobby. Well, he showed up at an investigation about a month ago. And then at the two after that.”
“He moves around?” That was unusual for ghosts. Mostly they haunted specific places.
“He was a witch.”
“So?”
She shrugged. “The rules are different for him. He can pop in and out of wherever he wants to, but his time is limited. He only has so much energy, you know.”
I wanted to ask about the relationship they’d obviously started, but I didn’t know how to broach it. Instead I asked, “And what about Roy? Do you have any idea why he showed up here tonight? Or what happened with the time warp?”
“I…oh, damn. Julius said he wanted to have just one dance from his own time. But seeing as it’s Halloween and forces are, I don’t know, different I suppose, his spell didn’t quite work the way he intended. We were just supposed to slip into the twenties for one song and then back, but then that bastard Roy showed up and leeched his energy. It wasn’t supposed to affect anyone else. I’m so sorry, Jade. It was an accident.”
I heard what she said, and though it was unnerving she seemed to be having a romantic interlude with a ghost, who was I to judge? I’d had one once with a ghost who’d invaded my dreams. At the moment, I was more concerned with the evil spirit I’d thought we’d sent to Hell over a year ago. “Any idea where Roy came from?”
“No.” Her answer was final, leaving no room for doubt she was telling the truth. She took a long swig of her beer and flopped backward on the floor, staring up at the ceiling. “No idea at all.”
“I do,” a male voice said from our left.
I jerked and caught sight of Julius’s outline. He was only an apparition hovering just above the floor.
Pyper rose from her position on the floor and faced him, her head tilted to one side. “You’re back.”
“Sort of. But not for long.”
I took in his long pants, suspenders, and sports coat. If I didn’t know he was a product of the twenties, I might assume he was a hipster. He was certainly cute enough, if he wasn’t a spirit, that was.
“I felt that other spirit a couple of weeks ago when you were investigating one of the big hotels. I didn’t think about it much, because being a witch, spirits are attracted to my energy and try to feed off it. That’s what this Roy did. I deal with it by shutting myself down, making my energy unavailable to them, and they usually go away. Except he happened to catch me off guard tonight. As soon as I realized he was here, I cut off my lingering magic, and that’s what caused us to get stuck back in time. My apologies to everyone.”
That would explain why I hadn’t been able to feel many emotions. Julius’s odd ghost magic had suppressed them, all except his and Pyper’s, which were running really close to the surface. It was also why I couldn’t feel his magic. Or it could just be because he’s a ghost. Hard to say. “So he’s been hanging around you lately, and because he saw an opening, he tried to take Kane’s soul? Or someone else’s so he could live again?”
Julius nodded. “Yes. Considering his fascination with Pyper, I suspect he’d been watching her for some time. But because of whatever y’all did to him last year, he didn’t have the resources to get to her. And, well, now he’s nothing.”
Pyper climbed to her feet and walked over to where Julius was floating. The way they looked at each other made me feel as if I was intruding, but I had more questions.
“If Roy was in another dimension or in Hell, could he have still latched on to you?”
He nodded. “Yes. When I’m strong, spirits can and do try to infiltrate my energy. It’s a burden, but usually I deal with it better. My apologies, Mrs. Rouquette. It won’t happen again.”
I had experience with attracting unsavory beings while not being able to control my magic as well as I’d hoped. And considering he was a ghost and not completely in control of his fate, I had some sympathy for him. Being a witch never got easier. “No apology needed, Julius. Sorry we thought it was you causing all the problems. I had no idea Roy was on the loose. Thank you for watching over Pyper. If our paths cross again, please consider us friends.”
He bowed. “It will be my pleasure.”
I smiled and waved as I left, giving them some privacy.
When I got back to the party, Pyper’s client was on stage introducing his new band. Kane was standing near the bar, nursing a beer.
“Hey, highlander,” I said, walking up behind Kane.
He turned and his sour expression vanished, replaced by one of concern. “Hey, pretty witch. How’s Pyper?”
“She’s just fine.”
“You sure about that?” He glanced over my shoulder toward the side door.
“I’m positive. She’s taking a moment to…ah…relax. I’m sure she’ll be along in a few minutes.” I ran my hand lightly down his chest, ready for some quality time with my man. “Care for a spin on the dance floor?”
His lips turned up into a slow smile. “Only if the devil comes out to play.”
“Be careful what you wish for,” I said, wrapping my arms around his neck. “You don’t want to be classified as a sinner, do you?”
His heated gaze traveled the length of my body. “I think I’ll risk it.”
Then he pulled me to the dance floor, and the only thing left on my mind was Kane and that damned kilt. I placed my hands on his hips, curling my fingers into the rough fabric. “Think you might be willing to wear this once a week?”
His heated gaze dropped to my exposed cleavage. “If you wear that, I’m game.”
“Deal,” I said breathlessly. “Halloween, every Friday night.”
His gaze met mine, and we both laughed.
“Well, maybe not Halloween, but kilts and corsets,” I amended.
“You got it.” He clutched me to him, pressing his hard body into mine. “Now kiss me.”
And when our lips touched, a spark of magic zipped from me to him, sealing the deal.
New York Times bestselling author Deanna Chase is a native Californian. After spending five years traveling in an RV, she and her husband moved into an adorable cottage in a small town outside of New Orleans. After about six months, Deanna was convinced their 1907 home was haunted. Late at night as she penned Haunted on Bourbon Street, she often heard footsteps throughout the old house. Luckily, the
spirit appears to be harmless, as he/she has never done more than make a little noise and possibly smoke a few cigars. However, if the ghost ever shows up in a dream, you'll be the first to hear of it. Smudge stick anyone?
When she isn't writing, she is often goofing off with her husband in New Orleans, playing with her two shih tzu dogs, and making glass beads. For more information and updates on newest releases visit her website at www.deannachase.com or sign up here: http://ymlp.com/xgmsbhuygmgb.
Links to the entire Jade Calhoun Series:
Amz:
Haunted on Bourbon Street: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005EHRSUY/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=B005EHRSUY&link_code=as3&tag=deanchas-20
Witches of Bourbon Street: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007898TE0?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B007898TE0&linkCode=xm2&tag=deanchas-20
Demons of Bourbon Street: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009E7YZ38?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B009E7YZ38&linkCode=xm2&tag=deanchas-20
Angels of Bourbon Street: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D3B1FRA?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B00D3B1FRA&linkCode=xm2&tag=deanchas-20
Shadows of Bourbon Street: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JCZRL0Q?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B00JCZRL0Q&linkCode=xm2&tag=deanchas-20
Charmed and Dangerous
A Halloween LaVeau story
by Rose Pressey
Chapter 1
Dressing as a witch for Halloween seemed like such a cliché considering that I was an actual witch. What made it even worse was the fact that my name was Halloween LaVeau and I was the leader of the Underworld.
Forgoing pointy hats and warts, my best friend Annabelle Preston had convinced me to dress up as Little Red Riding Hood. Or, as I referred to my costume, a children’s Little Red Riding Hood. I was constantly pulling at my skirt to make sure it was hiding the skin that I wanted it to cover. The long red cape with hood was pretty cool though.
When I’d asked Annabelle why Little Red Riding Hood, she’d pointed out that it was on sale for thirty percent off. Not one to turn down a bargain, I’d grabbed the tiny costume sized to fit a toddler and marched to the register to pay for my purchase.
Annabelle had decided to dress as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. She had a little basket with a toy Toto inside. Our costumes would not instill fear in anyone. People thought we were sisters with the same blonde hair, and I was glad that Annabelle hadn’t suggested that we dress as twins.
It had been slim pickings at the costume shop because Annabelle and I had waited until the last minute. I was lucky I’d found the costume that I had, because I refused to go dressed as a giant cheeseburger, complete with lettuce and pickles.
Now that we’d decided on costumes, we were headed for the Bubbling Cauldron. That was the happening spot for all the witches in Enchantment Pointe. I hadn’t wanted to attend the Halloween party at the club, but my mother had insisted.
Yes, my mother. As a grown woman, I still had to listen to Annette LaVeau. Most of the time I could get by with ignoring her suggestions, but tonight’s festivities was not one of those occasions. I knew she would be heartbroken if her only child, the newly appointed leader of the Underworld, didn’t attend the shindig.
It wasn’t as if I had asked to be appointed as the leader. That had been chosen for me when I’d discovered an old spellbook in the house my great-great-aunt Maddy had left me. Apparently, whoever was the owner of the book was the leader. Lucky me. To make matters worse, there was always someone who was trying to get the book. But tonight I hoped to put all of that stress behind me and just have fun.
My new boyfriend Nicolas Marcos would be at the club tonight too, along with his half-brother Liam Rankin. Nicolas was the coven leader for Enchantment Pointe, so it would be expected that he’d be there. Liam was the coven leader for New Orleans, and he never liked to miss a party. Both men were seriously hot.
We changed into our costumes and headed out the door for the Bubbling Cauldron. I was still tugging at the skirt when I climbed into Annabelle’s car.
“I feel a little ridiculous,” I said as I slid into the passenger seat.
“Don’t worry about it,” she said as she fastened her seatbelt. She had placed Toto in the back seat. “We all feel a little ridiculous on Halloween. That’s part of the fun.’
“I’m not so sure about that, but if you say so.” I clicked my seatbelt into place.
We made the short drive to downtown Enchantment Pointe. The town ran along the river. A stone wall was the only barrier between the water and the edge of historic downtown. Specialty shops and boutiques lined the old streets. I had hoped we’d get lucky and find a parking space near the club, but unfortunately we had to park in the lot adjacent to the bar. It was an unusually chilly evening for Louisiana, and this costume wasn’t helping keep away the chills.
The green neon sign blinked, bathing the sidewalk in a soft glow and guiding us toward the club’s front door. After Annabelle showed her identification, we stepped into the bar. I liked to think they only didn’t ask for mine because the guy at the door knew me. Sure, I was more than a few years past twenty-one, but I liked to hope that I still looked young.
Neon lights lit up the bar to our right and twirling lights guided us toward the dance floor. As I inched my way toward the middle of the room, I realized this was as crowded as I’d ever seen the Bubbling Cauldron. There were a ton of witch costumes, so I was glad that I’d decided to go with something different. Although most of the costumes I saw were a lot scarier than mine. There were vampires, ghosts, and several zombies, not to mention a few costumes that I had no idea what they were supposed to be.
The famous black cauldron was in the middle of the dance floor. Bubbles floated toward the ceiling. Normally the bubbles were multi-colored, but tonight the bubbles were all orange. Black and orange balloons decorated each table. Streamers and paper pom-poms adorned the ceiling.
“How will we find the guys?” Annabelle yelled over the music. Michael Jackson’s Thriller was bouncing off the walls. Annabelle’s boyfriend and one-time bodyguard Jon Santos was supposed to meet us too.
“Let’s see if they’re already here.” I danced my way across the floor, mostly because that was the fastest way to make it to the other side. Besides, I always liked this song.
Now that I was here, maybe I was glad that I’d been talked into joining the party. It would do me good to get out for a while and not worry about the Book of Mystics. The pulse of the music made my anxiety melt away.
As I stood there looking out over the crowd, breath tickled the side of my neck. I looked to my left. A man was dressed as Dracula, complete with fake blood around his mouth. At least I hoped it was fake.
“I vant to suck your blood.” He exposed his fake fangs.
Annabelle grabbed my arm. “She’s got the wrong type of blood.” She pulled me across the dance floor to the other side away from Dracula.
I laughed. “Thanks. What a creep.”
Looking out over the crowd, I still hadn’t spotted Nicolas or Liam. My anxiety increased just thinking about the half-brothers. In such a short time, we’d been through a lot together.
I recognized a few people in the crowd. Misty Middleton, the former leader of the Enchantment Pointe Coven, was dancing with a tall blond dressed as a gladiator. She was wearing a long black dress and a giant black witch’s hat. Her shiny long dark hair flowed from under the hat.
Stepping behind a large man dressed in a Batman costume, I hoped that Misty didn’t see me tonight. I figured she still had hard feelings toward me since I’d removed her from the coven leader position.
Someone was waving through the crowd. All I saw was the hands over the top of people’s heads. Finally, my mother broke through the crowd, still waving at me. She was dressed as Wonder Woman, complete with black wig. Her natural color was dark, but she’d recently cut it into a stylish bob. My mother had picked out the costume months ago. Halloween was her favorite time of y
ear. Hence why my name was Halloween.
“Halloween, you look great,” she yelled over the music.
I wrapped my arms around her. “So do you.”
As I hugged her, I noticed the man standing behind her. He smiled when he spotted my stare. He was dressed as Superman. Superman with gray hair and lines crinkling the corners of his eyes. He had a square cut jaw, wide mouth, and large clear blue eyes. His presence explained why she’d wanted to be Wonder Woman. I eyed him up and down.
When my mother noticed me looking his way, she said, “Halloween, this is Wade Spencer.”
He held out his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
His grasp was a little too firm around my hand.
I peered up at him for a moment, and then said, “Likewise.” I was a little overprotective of my mother.
Someone touched my arm and I yanked it away. “Look, Dracula, you’re going to be drinking your own blood if you touch me again.”
As I turned around, Nicolas stepped back with his hands in the air. I reached out and hugged him. “Sorry, I thought you were some creep.”
His rich laughter tickled my ear. “I hope I’m not some creep.”
“Who are you supposed to be?” I asked.
He stepped back and motioned with his hands. “Isn’t it obvious?”
I looked him up and down, studying his black slacks and black button-down shirt. He wore the New Orleans Coven medallion around his neck. “I get it. You’re dressed as yourself.”
He chuckled. “No, I’m Liam.”
With hair as dark and thick like devil’s velvet and piercing blue eyes, it was an easy costume for him. The half-brothers looked a lot alike. I peered around, but didn’t see Liam.
“Liam is picking up Jon. I guess they’ll be here soon,” Nicolas said as if reading my mind.
Somebody’s Watching Me by Rockwell spilled from the speakers at the front of the dance floor. The song choice was ironic because it did feel as if someone was watching me. It was probably the Dracula creep again.