Twice the Witch: A Beechwood Harbor Magic Mystery (Beechwood Harbor Magic Mysteries Book 2)

by Garrett,Danielle

  Katerina shrugged her silvery shoulders. “It helped in some ways. After I disappeared, I ended up back at the beach where you found me. Only, this time, I knew that no one could see or hear me.” She paused to collect herself. “Anyways, I wandered around for a few hours and more and more memories came back. I can see it all now. Without your help, I don’t think that would have happened.”

  “So, you remember who killed you?”

  She gave a slow nod. “It was Sully, the bodyguard that Lou hired after the fight with Bobby.”

  I swallowed hard, wondering if in the end it had been worth it for her to remember. Who would want to sit with the memory of their murderer on their mind forever? My heart twinged all over for the poor girl who had never had a chance to get her life back together again. I could only hope that now she could move on with her new life as a ghost and find some peace along the way.

  “I thought he liked me. I guess I was desperate and feeling bad about myself after the break up with Bobby. Sully was nice to me and talked to me like I was…I don’t know…special.”

  “I get that,” I replied softly, reminded of my own ex. It had been the exact same way with Gabriel. He’d made me feel important and unique. I’d been blinded by those emotions and hadn’t realized that he’d been dabbling with dark magic right in front of me.

  “When Sully found out that Jess and I were stealing from people, he approached me and asked to get in on the deal. He had some plan about us running away together. It sounded so exciting to me! I’ve never been anywhere. Anyways, I was going to do it. But then…”

  “What made you change your mind?”

  She hesitated, dropping her eyes to the floor before whispering, “Bobby.”

  “Bobby?”

  She gave a slow, miserable nod. “I ran into him at the grocery store and he was so sweet and nice. He apologized for everything and told me he was lost without me and that he could change. We started seeing each other, but I made him keep it a secret because I knew that no one would approve. I stopped talking to my mother and even Paisley, my best friend, all because I wanted to be with Bobby. I even gave him one of the expensive watches that Sully wanted.”

  I nodded, thinking of the timepiece I’d left on the floor in Bobby’s kitchen. It would be considered evidence now. I wondered what Bobby would do with it when it was returned to him after Sully’s trial. Would he wear it and remember Katerina?

  Katerina sighed and I turned my attention back toward her. “When Sully and I met up, I told him that couldn’t give him the watches. I’d given the one to Bobby. I told him I was sorry, but he didn’t listen. Instead he got really mad at me and started screaming all kinds of terrible things. It was almost like he turned into a completely different person! I was so scared. I tried to leave, to get back to the parking lot at the beginning of the hiking trail, but he stopped me and slapped me. I screamed for help and that’s when he—” her voice broke off and she buried her face in her hands. “I was so stupid, Holly! I should have never gone hiking with him. What was I thinking?”

  I longed to be able to wrap my arm around her thin shoulders and offer her some gesture of comfort but there was nothing I could do. “Katerina, no, you weren’t stupid. You were—are—a sweet, trusting person. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

  She scoffed. “Except that it got me killed!”

  Well, there was that.

  “If you ask me, I’d rather be a nice, trusting person than a bitter, cynic with no capacity to trust.” My own words stopped me in my tracks and Adam’s smiling face popped into my head, making my heart ache. I’d been so busy worrying about the past, that I was letting it steal from my present, and possibly my future. I was scared to trust Adam and even my own feelings because of Gabriel. I silently vowed to fix that as soon as I was sure that Katerina would be okay.

  “I guess you’re right. But I can’t imagine haunting this earth forever, carrying around these regrets.”

  I nodded. “I understand. Maybe there’s a way—”

  I stopped speaking as Katerina’s silvery body started to glow right before my eyes. It looked as though a golden light had been turned on under her ghostly skin.

  “Holly? What’s happening?” she cried, lifting her arms out in front of her to see the spread of soft light.

  I shook my head. “I—I don’t know.” I jumped up from the stair I’d been sitting on. “Posy! Posy, help!”

  Posy descended from the ceiling, a cross look on her face as she settled in front of me. “What’s going on, young lady? You do know it’s nearing midnight? Some of the others are trying to sleep!”

  I pointed behind her—careful not to put my hand through her—and she turned around. “Oh my! Katerina?”

  Katerina floated up from her place on the stairs and the light grew brighter. “What’s happening to me? Posy, what’s going on?”

  Posy smiled. “You’re being called to the Otherworld, dear. Do you want to go?”

  “The Otherworld?” Katerina’s eyes went wider as they darted from Posy to me and then back again.

  “You don’t have to stay here, dear. It would appear that your soul is at peace now, and you’re free to leave this world if you want to.”

  “What if I don’t? I’m scared!”

  I glanced at Posy who gave her a small smile. “Then you’ll remain here. Permanently.”

  Katerina sucked in a small gasp. “What should I do? Holly?”

  “Don’t be scared, Katerina. It’s okay.”

  Posy nodded her agreement. “It’s your choice, dear. We can’t make it for you.”

  Katerina’s eyes closed and after a moment, a beautiful smile crossed her face. The fear had vanished.

  And then, she was gone too.

  She’d gone to the other side.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  “Holly? Is everything all right?”

  I smiled up at Adam as he started down the stairs. He was wearing a white t-shirt and a pair of black basketball shorts. His hair went every which way and I’d never wanted to be in his arms more than I did right at that moment. “Katerina crossed over to the Otherworld.”

  He stopped mid-step and glanced around. “She did?”

  I nodded. “Her murderer is in police custody.”

  “Oh. Man, I fall asleep for an hour and miss everything.” He finished coming down the stairs and paused at the bottom to run a hand through his mussed hair. “Are you okay?”

  I stepped into him and he wrapped his strong arms around me. I released a long sigh and relaxed against his chest. It had never felt so right. “I am now.”

  He dropped a quick kiss to my forehead and I smiled. “Good. Now that I’m awake, you want to have a midnight snack and tell me all about it?”

  I laughed against his solid chest. “Actually, I was thinking we could take that walk.”

  He glanced down at me, surprise etched on his face. “Really?”

  “Yeah.”

  “All right. Let me go change. Meet you in the kitchen in five?”

  “Sounds perfect.”

  Adam jogged back up the stairs, taking them two at a time, and I went to my room to change into something warmer as well. Boots was snoozing on the end of the bed and I scratched his ears absently as I rounded the bed to dig up a sweater from the pile of laundry on the other side. It was clean but I hadn’t had a chance to fold it and put it away. Another thing that there wasn’t a spell for. Curses.

  The orange tabby peered up at me and I smiled at his squinted look as his eyes adjusted to the soft light from the bedside lamp. “You wanna go for a walk?” I asked. He buried his face under a chubby paw and I laughed under my breath. “Guess that’s a no.”

  Five minutes later, I left Boots to his nap and went to meet Adam in the kitchen. He’d changed into a black sweatshirt and a pair of jeans. “Ready? I packed a snack.”

  I laughed as he held up a bag containing two peanut butter sandwiches. “Of course you did.”

  He opened the do
or and let me go first, down the small flight of steps to the backyard, and then we took off toward the tree line at the back of the property. Once we were past the ring of light surrounding the house from the electric lanterns on the porch, I sent an orb of blue light up into the sky a foot above our heads and it followed along as we crossed into the woods.

  “Nice night,” Adam said, a hint of anxiety in his voice.

  I grinned at him and took his hand. “It is.”

  “Tell me about Katerina.”

  “We can talk about that tomorrow,” I replied casually, knowing that bringing up Nick wasn’t a good way to start this conversation, and it would be impossible to explain the events of the night without mentioning him. “Tonight, let’s just talk about us.”

  Adam chuckled. “I think that’s the kind of talk that’s supposed to send guys running for their lives, right?”

  I laughed. “Maybe normal guys. But you’re far from normal.”

  “Thanks…I think.”

  I grinned up at him and stepped in a little closer once we maneuvered around a tree stump. “Trust me it’s a very good thing.”

  “All right.” He slipped an arm around me as we came to a well-worn path with less tree roots and rocks to avoid. We fell into an easy cadence and for a few minutes we walked in silence, enjoying the nighttime sounds of the forest. A small brook was nearby, the sound of trickling water adding to the crickets and frogs singing their songs.

  “Holly?”

  “Hm?”

  “You know I’m crazy about you, right?”

  Warmth tingled along my skin and I nodded, looking up into his dark eyes as they glittered under the faint light. “I do.”

  We stopped walking and he kissed me softly. His hand cupped the side of my face and he held my gaze for a long minute after we gently broke apart. “You seem different tonight. What’s on your mind?”

  “Before Katerina crossed over, we were talking about relationships, and I was reminded that there are things I’ve been wanting to share with you. Details about my past. I’ve been twisting around, trying to figure out what’s going on between you and me and wondering where it would go and what would happen. I’ve been driving myself crazy.”

  Adam chuckled. “Why, gorgeous? What’s got you so worried? I’m not going anywhere. I’ve been going crazy thinking you’re trying to get out of this whole thing without hurting my feelings or something.”

  I dropped my eyes to his chest for a moment, tracing the embroidered logo on the breast of the sweatshirt, silently working out how to start my story.

  Adam tipped my chin up with the tips of his fingers. “You can tell me anything, Holly. I won’t tell another soul.”

  “I know.” I dragged in a slow breath. “It’s just hard to know where to begin.”

  “Okay. Well, let’s walk a little. Maybe it will come to you.”

  We started back down the path, the sound of water getting louder as we neared the small brook. When we came to a stop beside it, the blue light from the orb overhead cast a magical glow over the water, and Adam and I took a seat on a large fallen log.

  “Back when I lived in the San Francisco Haven, I was dating a guy named Gabriel. He was my first serious relationship. I’d always been too busy with academy to do much dating before then. I was young and naïve. He flattered me and made me feel different than anyone else. See, I’m a Boldt, and the Boldt witches have a certain reputation in the supernatural world. Mostly among other witches and wizards. The Boldt women are known for their extraordinary power and as with any kind of power, some people fear it, and try to ruin it or take it away. For the most part, it was just nasty rumors and gossip to deal with. People were always trying to attach a Boldt to dark magic and prove once and for all that Boldt witches were dangerous. I dealt with the stigma my whole life but it just made me work harder to prove myself. I was usually content off on my own, working on magic and keeping my nose clean.”

  I paused and drew in another slow breath, trying to calm my fluttering heart. “That all changed when my parents died. Or rather, when they were killed.”

  Adam cursed under his breath. “Holly, I didn’t know. I’m so sorry. What happened?”

  “They were on a trip for their anniversary and left me with my aunt, Bethany. I loved staying with her and we worked on potions and magic spells all day. She wasn’t as strict as my parents were about what I learned and she would let me read advanced books. Things that were way outside my grade level.” I smiled faintly at the memories, but the familiar pang in my chest snuffed it out. “Anyways, one day, she came to me and told me that something terrible had happened. SPA agents were in the kitchen and they told me the story. My mother had been attacked by another witch who was afraid of my mother simply because of her name. My father stepped in to defend her and they both ended up—” Tears slipped past my lashes and I held my breath to stifle a sob from breaking loose.

  Adam wrapped me in his arms and kissed my forehead. “I’m so sorry, Holly. I can’t even imagine what that must have been like.”

  I nodded against him, trying to put myself back together again. It had been so long ago, but it still had the power to break me down as though it had happened yesterday. The memories of that afternoon and the weeks that followed would forever be etched in my mind. I was reminded of Katerina and how it must have been something similar when she recalled her memories and would have to go on with those final moments of her life echoing in her mind for the rest of time. I was once again relieved that she’d moved on.

  Adam and I sat together for a long time in silence, staring out at the brook as I gathered myself enough to continue the story. When I wiped the last of the tears from my eyes, I gave a slight shake to my shoulders. “When I was older, and seeing Gabriel, I was finally happy again and I guess because of that feeling, I was able—or, willing—to look past his flaws. But in the end, the entire relationship was a lie. He was actually working with a crew of dark wizards and witches that were planning to overthrow the SPA. They believed that witches and wizards, as the most powerful supernaturals, deserved to reign over the paranormal world. They didn’t want to hide from humans anymore. They wanted to control them.”

  “Woah.”

  I nodded. “When the SPA came for Gabriel, I was arrested too. Because of my last name, it was an automatic assumption that I had not only known about their plans, but that I was an active participant. That a Boldt had finally gone rogue.”

  “That’s such crap!” Adam growled. “If I ever meet this guy….”

  I smiled softly, flattered by the anger on my behalf. I set a hand on his arm. “There’s more to the story. Gabriel went to an SPA prison but has popped back into my life on two occasions. Once, when I had to testify against him, and then a second time, where he hired someone to blackmail me into helping him escape from prison. That last encounter was the catalyst for my exile from the Seattle Haven and the reason I’m even here. My SPA agent sent me here to keep me out of trouble.”

  Adam scratched his jaw. “Stars. Holl, I had no idea about any of this.”

  “I know,” I replied, my voice barely above a whisper. “It’s not that I didn’t trust you before, it’s just that with our relationship moving into new territory, it kind of freaked me out all over again, and I was questioning everything. It feels like my life is enough of a mess without throwing someone else into the mix.”

  Adam laughed at that and shook his head. “Come on, gorgeous. You think I can’t handle it? I got some skeletons in my own closet.”

  I eyed him and he let out a howling, wolfish laugh. “Not literal skeletons. Yeesh, Holly, have a little faith.”

  I pushed him playfully. “I know. Just giving you a hard time.”

  He pulled me close again and stared down into my eyes. “Thank you for telling me everything. I’m sure it wasn’t easy but I’m glad you did.”

  “I’m not trying to run away from you, Adam.”

  “Good.”

  He kissed me again and
it was unlike any other we’d shared.

  It was hard to trust and let myself fall, but if I ever wanted to fully heal from the damage Gabriel had done, I had to take down the last of my walls.

  And for Adam, it was worth it.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  THE FOLLOWING DAY, Posy gathered the entire household at lunch time—much to Lacey’s chagrin—for a meeting in the sitting room. It vaguely reminded me of the meeting we’d held a month and a half ago when Evangeline had first come to join us in the manor. This time, she was sitting on the couch next to Lacey, while Adam and I sat together on the loveseat. She kept her eyes down, looking at her folded hands, and refused to make eye contact with me or Adam.

  I still hadn’t forgiven her for raiding my potions cupboard, but I was still floating in a blissful cloud after my night with Adam and wasn’t going to get into it right there in front of everyone.

  “As some of you know, Katerina is no longer with us,” Posy began, sweeping her eyes around the room to make sure she had our attention. “Last night, Holly and I witnessed her crossing over to the Otherworld where she will be at peace.”

  Evangeline glanced up, her eyes wide.

  Posy nodded. “Holly and Nick Rivers solved her murder and the man responsible for her untimely death has been taken into police custody.”

  Lacey sighed like she was bored and Posy shot her a glare. Lacey rolled her eyes. “What? I’m sure it was all very tragic, but for some of us, these are prime sleeping hours, and it kind of seems like I could have been filled in later.”

  Adam and I exchanged a glance as Evangeline shifted nervously in her seat. “I’m sorry, Lacey, but it was actually my request that we all gather this morning.”

  “Technically, it’s afternoon,” Adam chimed in.

  I rolled my eyes. Some things never change.

  Evangeline pushed off the couch and took the center of the room. Lacey straightened in her seat, suddenly very interested in the meeting now that her idol was taking the floor. “I have something to tell you all.”