by Amy Boyles
Roman's face hardened. "I was thinking I was going to catch my mother's killer."
I was such an idiot. I cupped my face in my hands and pressed into him. "I'm sorry. You're right."
He wrapped me up. "No. You have every reason to be mad at me. I've only just met you. I'm not trying to get myself killed."
I sniffled. "Promise?"
"Pretty much."
I swatted him again. He chuckled and kissed the top of my head. "I'll promise you one thing, darlin'."
"What's that?"
"I won't get myself killed on purpose."
"That's comforting."
He pulled me into the cup of his body. "I thought so, too."
"Just please promise me that if you're going to do something like that again, you'll take me with you."
"It could be dangerous," he said.
"I hope it is," I replied.
He laughed. Roman tipped my chin toward him and kissed me deeply. I sighed, melting into his grasp.
"So," he said when we parted, "Clothar said that you're my mate?"
I nodded. "Yeah. But he was still going to kill you until he realized who I am. He loves my clothes. Has been ordering them online and wearing them."
Roman quirked a brow. "Really?"
"Yep."
He chuckled. "But he was still going to kill me?"
I glanced down and toed the floor. "Yeah. He said I have growing up to do."
He rocked back in laughter.
My face flushed with embarrassment. "What's so funny?"
Roman shook his head. "He probably just said that about killing me. Fairies are like that. They like to play games, tease people."
I shook my head. "I don't know. I don't think he liked the look of me. Wasn't that the whole test? To see if they approved of me?"
"They're fairies. They make up the rules as they go along." He kissed the top of my head. "The important thing is that he agreed you're my mate. And I do too."
My whole body flushed a deep crimson at that. I didn't know what to say, though I totally agreed. I loved Roman and wanted to be with him mind, body and spirit. Though I was still pretty shy on the body part.
I finished cleaning up the kitchen, and we headed back to the living room, hand in hand. Eliza approached us.
"Roman, there's something I want to talk to you about."
"What's that?"
Eliza wrung her hands so hard I was worried she'd rub off the skin. "You've got no leads on whoever killed Wanda LaRue."
"And?"
She dipped her head. Iron-gray tendrils curtained her face. "I can help."
"How's that?"
"Take me to see Boo. Let me talk to him, see if I can get him to remember anything else."
Roman shook his head. "I don't know. You never trusted him."
Eliza clutched his sleeve. She looked up at him, her dark eyes pleading. "Please. He's the only person we know that has information."
Roman patted her hand. "I'll see what I can do."
"Will he want to see me?" she asked.
"I don't know. But I'll ask."
Our guests left. Roman gave me a quick kiss on the head good-bye, and he left with his aunt.
I turned to my sisters. "What are y'all about to do?"
Reid smiled. "We're gonna chat with some witches online. Want to join us?"
"Yeah," Sera said. "Since we're chained to the house, it's our only contact with the outside world."
I rolled my eyes. "I'm sure Chasity could get rid of those cuffs if you asked her."
Sera slid a finger down her straight, perfect nose. "And risk seeing Pearbottom again? No thanks." She linked an arm around mine and tugged me over to Reid. "Come on. Let's go meet some witches. It'll be fun."
"Sure," I said, sarcastically. "Sounds like a great way to spend the night."
Reid fired up her laptop, and we gathered around. Chasity had stayed in the living room talking with Grandma, so it was just the three of us—like every good time I'd ever had in my life. It always started with me and my sisters.
I nibbled the edge of my pinkie finger and spat out a shard of nail. "I've been thinking about this whole murder thing."
Reid rolled her eyes. "Again? What about it?"
"Well, okay. Let's lay out what we've got. We've got a dead woman who was going to spill the beans on who killed Roman's family."
"That's obvious," Sera said.
"Hmm," Reid murmured. "This is interesting."
"What I'm talking about?" I said.
"No. The message on the board."
I scoffed. "Listen—and the dead woman in question wanted us to save her daughter from some kind of coma, one that was magically induced. But by who?"
"I think the correct term is whom," Reid corrected.
"You're just a little girl from the South. Leave the grammar to me, please."
She mumbled something incoherent in reply.
"Exactly," I said. "Anyway. Chasity doesn't know who did it to her."
"Did you ask her?" Sera said.
"Yes. She doesn't know."
"Maybe she'll remember if you ask her again," Reid said.
I scrunched my fists in frustration. "She doesn't know who did it. Oh my gosh. Will you two stop arguing and listen for five minutes?"
Blank stares answered me.
"Okay," I said slowly, waiting for one of them to blurt something out. When they didn't, I continued. "So the person who poisoned Chasity may have been blackmailing Wanda LaRue. They may have also been the same person who helped LaRue escape and then killed her."
Sera tugged at the ends of her hair. "Why would the person blackmailing Wanda have also been the same person who freed her? That doesn't make sense."
I thought about that for a minute. "What if LaRue didn't know it was the same person?" I considered that, disregarding it because LaRue knew that I wasn't Milly when I met her. If someone had come to her with a simple glamour, I'm pretty sure LaRue would've seen right through it.
"So maybe that's not right. What if LaRue knew it was the same person, but she struck a deal with them? Or, they told her they'd forgiven her and were going to set her loose because she'd done something for them. Either way, LaRue trusted whoever it was and they had access to be able to reach her—to get into witch prison freely. So it had to be someone on the inside."
"Holy crap," Reid said.
Sera dragged her gaze from me and focused on our baby sister. "What is it?"
"There's a message on here for Chasity."
"Who's it from?" Sera asked.
"From one of the witches. She's a seer, she says."
"So, like, she can see the future?" I said.
Reid nodded. "Yep."
"What's it say?"
Reid chewed her lip for a moment and then said, "It says to watch out. That whoever killed her mother is coming after her next."
"So they're going to try to kill her?" I said.
Reid nodded. "The message says someone wants Chasity dead."
SEVENTEEN
"Chasity knows something," I said. "She knows something important about the murders of Roman's family."
"Did you ask her?" Sera said.
"It was the first thing we did. But she claims she couldn't help us."
Sera frowned. "Is someone jumping to conclusions?"
I shrugged. "Why else would they want her dead?"
Sera ran her fingers through her hair. "If someone wants to harm her, we have to tell her."
I nodded. "Yeah. We need to tell Grandma, too, because they might be coming here. We need to increase our defenses." I paused. "Has anyone heard from Nan? Has she seen anything?"
"Not that I know of," Reid said.
I left the bedroom and went to the living room. I found Chasity and my grandmother deep in conversation. I told them what had just happened.
"Has Nan reported anything back about someone coming to the house?"
Grandma thought about it for a minute. "Well, no. I don't believe so."
"Should we call her?" I said.
"You can," Grandma said, "but she might appreciate a visit more."
"So you want me to go over there?"
Grandma rocked her head from side to side. "You don't have to, but I remember a time when I was waiting to get a call from a the previous monkey king about a band of pancake-eating pirates—"
I raised my hands in surrender. I did not, repeat did not, want to hear about a band of pancake-eating pirates. "Okay, I'll go. Should be back in a jiff."
"Dylan, I am not familiar with this jiff you speak of."
I paused. "A jiff. Short for jiffy."
Grandma patted her hands together. "I don't know about these jiffs and jaffs."
"There aren't any jaffs." I felt pressure build up behind my eyes as my frustration level skyrocketed to cataclysmic. "It's only a jiff. Listen, I'm gonna go. I'll see you later."
I left. Jeez Louise. Talk about annoying. I hopped in my car. My phone buzzed from my back pocket. I pulled it out and read a text from Jenny Butts.
You need me to work the store tomorrow?
Crap. Lately it seemed working my store was my last priority. I loved my store, adored making clothes, but it appeared more and more that magic and magical things were getting in the way of spending my time there.
I replied to Jenny that yes, I did need her, and drove off.
I pulled up outside Wanda LaRue's house. It was dark. I couldn't tell if Nan was in the bushes or not, but I figured she had to be. The woman hadn't left in days. There was no telling what she was living on—beetles and worms?
Ugh. I almost threw up thinking about it.
I got out of the car and crept toward the sidewalk. "Nan," I whispered. "You here?"
Nothing.
I peered over a stack of bushes. "Nan. Where are you?"
An arm shot out of a hedge and dragged me to the ground. I landed with a loud thump. "Ow," I screeched.
"Shhh," Nan said. "Stay very quiet."
I rubbed an assortment of pebbles and dirt from my palms. "What's going on?"
Nan sat next to me, her legs folded into a pretzel. The camouflage paint she'd smeared over her face glistened in the moonlight.
"There hasn't been any activity at the house tonight."
"No?"
Nan shook her head. "Not a thing."
I handed her a candy bar I'd snatched from the kitchen. "Here's a snack."
She took it, peeled back the wrapper and started eating. "Thank you," she mumbled, her mouth full of chocolate.
"Do you want to go home? Get some rest?"
"No, Dylan, I'm battle strong. Ready to fight at any moment. I could go three weeks without sleep."
"Pretty sure that's impossible."
She peered through the bushes as she slowly chewed. "I've done it before. Could do it again."
I shook my head. As I was trying to figure out a way to get her some rest, a car rolled up and parked.
Nan grabbed my hand. "Someone's here."
I held my breath as I waited for whoever was in the vehicle to approach.
My heart hammered and sweat slicked my palms. The door opened and quietly shut. The figure slipped out. The hedge blocked my view. I didn't want to peel back the bush, because that would give our position away, but I'd lost sight of whoever was in that vehicle.
Footsteps approached. They stopped. Where were they? I couldn't tell.
"Dylan, I thought I left you at home."
I lifted my head and saw Roman leaning over the bush, staring at me as if I'd done something wrong.
"I came to check on Nan. She was all alone. I wanted to make sure she was okay."
"I could survive in a forest of gummy bears," Nan said.
"I think she may have stayed out here too long," I said to Roman. I frowned. "What are you doing here?"
"Same thing. You need to get home. Stay there where it's safe."
"We saw something on a witch forum."
Even in the moonlight I could see when Roman rolled his eyes. "This must be good. A witch forum? Since when did you start hanging out with other witches?"
"Since…well, since…well, I'm not. It's my sisters. Chasity told them about this forum thingy, and they're making friends with witches all over the world. Anyway, one of them said that she'd seen a vision that someone wanted to harm Chasity, so I came here to check."
Roman rubbed his eyes. "And you believed witches in a forum? Did you stop to think that maybe it was one of them who wanted to flush us out? Get her or you or someone else out in the open and then harm them?"
I frowned. "Well, no. I mean, these are supposed to be her friends. I don't think they would do that."
"So you're saying they're one hundred percent vetted to be good people."
I shrugged. "I guess. I mean, I don't know." As the moment stretched, I started to get angry. "Listen, I only came out here to check on Nan and make sure everything was okay. I don't need a lecture from you, Mr. Smarty Pants. I'm out here trying to help. What are you doing?"
Roman chuckled.
"What in tarnation is so darned funny?"
He rubbed his chin. "You. You're so cute when you're angry."
That did it. Blood rolled in my body. "I don't need you to tell me when I'm cute."
"But you are," he said. "Your dimple starts peeking out."
"What dimple?" I said.
His finger grazed my cheek. "That one there."
"I don't have a dimple," I argued.
"Yes, you do, but it only comes out when you're angry."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Nan popped out of the bush, grabbed each of us by the collar and yanked us to the ground. "They're coming," she whispered.
"Who?" I said.
But she didn't answer. A car turned down the street. It rolled over the asphalt slowly, as if it were trying to find the right house. I held my breath. If Nan was right, this could be it. We'd know who the killer was.
The car hummed past us. Well, there went that idea. Not the one we were waiting for.
"Well, I guess—"
Roman clamped a hand over my mouth.
The car had stopped. White lights burned on the tail as it was geared into reverse. It rolled back to the house and swung into a slot on our side of the street. The car shut down.
The dead engine clicked. It was the only sound on the street. The driver waited for what seemed like the other side of eternity before I finally heard the door creak open.
Hard-bottomed shoes crunched over the road. Whoever it was, they moved slowly, as if watching and waiting. The person crossed over the walkway and headed straight for the front door.
It was a man—that's about all I could tell. It had rained earlier, and he wore a raincoat with the collar jacked up around his face. He pressed a hand to the knob. The door sprang open, and he stepped inside.
I threw Roman and Nan a should-we-run-inside-and-see-who-it-is look?
Both of them shook their heads. I could hear their voices inside my head telling me to wait—we needed to see what happened first.
We heard the man shuffle around inside as if he were looking for something…or someone. I watched the house with such an intensity I was sure my eyes would pop out of my head. A flash of light popped. At the same time I heard a zap, as if the man had struck an object with magic.
Quick footsteps thumped toward us. The door opened, and he dashed out. But he still took the time to shut the door behind him. It was when he whirled around to grab the knob that I got a good, true look at his face.
He crossed back to the car, fired up the engine and left.
The three of us sat in silence for a minute.
Roman slapped his knee. "Let's go see what the inside looks like."
I nodded dumbly. "Okay."
"I'll stay here, guard the fort," Nan said.
Roman pulled me to standing. My knees wobbled.
"You okay?" he said.
I nodded, but I was not okay.
My body trembled next to his. He squeezed me to him and whispered in my ear, "It's okay, darlin'. I'm here."
I bobbed my head up and down. I was still wordless.
"Come on. Let's see the damage."
Roman took my hand and led me inside. He pulled out a flashlight and scoped the living room. "Nothing here."
We slowly swept through the house, one room at a time. With each step my heart rate accelerated.
We hit the dining room, the kitchen, each of the bathrooms and the master bedroom. All of them were clean. Not one inch or hint that the intruder had touched one thing in them.
We finally reached the last room—Chasity's. The fake Chasity would be in there.
The door had been left slightly open. Roman pushed it, the hinges whining as the bottom lip swept over the carpet. He washed the light over the room, focusing on the bed. Let's face it, we knew what we were going to find.
The fake Chasity made of a cookie sheet and salt and pepper shakers, the one constructed to look like flesh and bone, had been blown to smithereens. All that remained was a black smudge. Half of the bed was gone too, destroyed from the blast.
"Well, I guess it was a good idea to leave a fake body there," Roman said.
"Yeah," I murmured.
He brought one hand to his hip and thumped the fingers against his belt. "That was interesting."
"Yeah," I said. "Most interesting thing I've seen in ages."
He scrubbed a hand over his cheek stubble. "Who woulda thought it?"
"Yeah."
He glanced at me. Worry covered his face. I'm pretty sure my expression was an exact reflection of his. "You don't have anything to say?"
I shrugged. My body was numb. "What can I say?" I paused, looked Roman straight in the eye and held his gaze before saying, "We just watched Jonathan Pearbottom kill Chasity."
EIGHTEEN
"You saw Pearbottom do what?" Sera gasped.
I tightened my grip on the hot cup of coffee she'd made me. "You heard me right."
It was later that night. I couldn't sleep, understandably, so I woke her to talk.
She pulled her robe up around her neck. "Whoa. That is absolutely crazy."
"I know. So do you think he's turned to the dark side?"
Sera cocked her head. A slash of chocolate bangs cut across her eyes. She tucked the strand back into place behind her ear. "If he was ever on our side to begin with. He's so squirrelly. Not one I'd trust with my lunch money, if you know what I mean."