by Rose Pressey
Chapter Thirty-Five
I choked on my wine.
“Who murdered her?” I asked when I’d recovered.
He stared at me. “We don’t know. It was rumored that her sister killed her.”
I swallowed hard, then asked, “For the book?”
He nodded. “Yes, for the book.”
And now she was coming for me? This couldn’t end well. And I thought I had problems before. If what he said was true, I had a lot more to worry about than a few botched spells.
“Have you always lived in New Orleans?” I’d play the same question game with Liam as I had with Nicolas.
“No, I lived in Bayou L’Ourse,” he offered casually.
My eyes narrowed. “So you are both from the same town? You know each other well, don’t you?”
“No.” He didn’t meet my stare.
“You are both from the same town, currently live in New Orleans and show up on my doorstep within hours of each other, but you don’t know each other?”
“I didn’t say we don’t know each other,” he said.
“Yes, you did. When I first met you all.” I pointed my fork at him.
“I may have crossed paths with Nicolas at the coven meetings.”
My heart rate increased. “Wait. Why would a vampire be at the coven meetings?”
“Didn’t he tell you? He’s a witch too,” Liam replied as if this was common knowledge.
“He didn’t tell me,” I said softly.
Why had Nicolas left out that detail about his life?
“So if you didn’t ask me out just because of Nicolas, then why did you ask me out?” I cast a glance his way.
He smiled. “I asked you out because I think you’re a fascinating person. With a name like Halloween how could you not be?”
I tried to hide my smile. “Having a name like Halloween isn’t easy.”
“You certainly make it seem easy.” He grinned then took another drink from his glass.
“Why does Nicolas tell me that you’re dangerous, then you warn me that Nicolas is dangerous?”
“I can assure you I am not dangerous.” He placed his hand on mine. “I’m a sucker for a pretty face though.”
“Flattery will get you nowhere, Mr. Rankin.” I pointed with my fork.
“It’s not flattery, Hallie. It’s a fact.” He took a drink of wine.
“That doesn’t really answer my question though. Why should I be afraid of Nicolas?” I wouldn’t take my eyes off him until he answered.
He leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table. “I’m just not sure he has your best interest at heart.”
“But you do?” I asked with a raised brow.
“Absolutely.” He took another bite from his plate.
I’d taken the last bite of my tiramisu when I felt eyes on me. The ghosts had entered the restaurant. This was not good. How had they gotten in? If they could come in here, then I would probably no longer be able to keep them out of the manor. I had to find a way to protect myself from them. With scowls on their faces, they looked like they were completely pissed off. This was no longer about being reanimated. This was now more about revenge against me.
“Do you see them?” I asked with a tilt of my head.
Liam looked toward the restaurant’s entrance. “You mean the gang of ghosts over there?”
“Yeah. They want me to reanimate them.” I blew the hair out of my eyes.
He shrugged. “So do it.”
“What? Are you crazy? I don’t want the one I’ve got. Why would I want to add more to my list?” I loudly whispered.
He finished his last bite. “Did you tell them to go away?”
“Of course I did,” I said.
“I’m not sure there’s anything else you can do then,” he said.
“Can you please get me out of here? And without the ghosts seeing us?”
“Come on.” He grabbed my hand and I couldn’t deny that this touch felt fantastic. “We’ll go out the back door.”
“I don’t think we’re supposed to do that,” I warned, glancing over my shoulder.
“We aren’t supposed to do a lot of things, but sometimes it’s necessary.” He pulled on my hand.
I hid my smile. Liam was definitely the bad boy type. And that was a bad thing for me. With some dirty looks from the chef, we slipped through the kitchen and out the back door into the alleyway. We made it around the side of the building and Liam peeked around the corner.
“Are they there?” I whispered.
“No.” He shook his head. “The coast is clear.”
Running from ghosts was getting the better of me. Something had to be done.
“I’m so sorry, but I think I need to get home so I can find a spell that will protect me from the ghosts.”
“If you say so,” he said. “I still think it wouldn’t do any harm to help them.”
“I’ll make my own decisions, thank you very much.”
Before I had a chance to step forward, he grabbed my hand again and swung me into the circle of his chest. His arms held me in a tight embrace. Then he pressed his lips against mine. My heart raced. This was crazy… kisses from both men. Liam’s lips moved across mine with a sense of urgency. I reluctantly pushed at his hard chest and backed away him away.
“We need to go,” I said softly.
The warmth of his lips lingered on my mouth. Liam nodded and helped me into the car.
During the ride home Liam tried to keep the conversation light. I knew he sensed my tension. He asked about the process of running a bed-and-breakfast and about my mother’s business. I was thankful for the easygoing chat.
Nicolas’ car wasn’t there when we’d returned to the manor. My heart sank a little. I was so torn as to what to do.
Liam held the door open for me. “Do you want me to help you with the spell?”
I shook my head. “I think I have to do this on my own.”
He brushed my cheek with his hand. “Let me know if you need help.”
I nodded. Liam walked up the stairs. When he turned the corner, I slipped into the kitchen. I’d been through the spell books and hadn’t seen anything to keep the ghosts away. I was sure Aunt Maddy had a protection spell though. It would have to do.
I pulled the book from the shelf, then collected the ingredients that I needed.
After performing the spell, I headed upstairs. It had been a long day. Tomorrow I had to begin preparing for the Halloween Ball. There was only a day until the party. I should have told them that there wasn’t enough time, but I had been so thrilled that they’d asked that I couldn’t possibly have said no. How pathetic was I? I’d show them how to really throw a party though. It would be the party of the century.