by Amy Boyles
“What’s that?” Axel said.
One corner of Rock’s mouth coiled into a devilish smile. “Why did Carl turn our brother Arnold into a bat?”
EIGHTEEN
“Princess said that Arnold was changed into bat because he owed money—like a million dollars type of money,” I said to Axel.
Axel scrubbed a hand down his face. He glanced at Princess, who’d flown back into the room once Rock had left.
“That man wasn’t Arnold. At least, I don’t think so,” Princess said when she appeared from the storage closet. “Of course, he didn’t smell like bat. But I don’t guess that bat stink would stay on someone after they’ve stopped being a bat for a while.”
Now Axel raked his fingers through his hair. “So Carl turned Arnold into a bat using a spell that didn’t completely work; then Carl sold the bat to the Sensational Singers, who in turn sold him to Donovan. Then eventually we come back to Carl, who was hired to kill Donovan.”
“Yep” I said, wiping a pretend line of sweat off my forehead. “Hard to keep it all straight.”
“But we still don’t know who Arnold is,” Princess said.
I flashed a look to Axel. “Have you thought more about the curse on Princess?”
Axel nodded. “I have.”
“And?” I said.
“It’s not good,” Axel said. “The more I research, the more I think Arnold still needs something from Princess in order to complete the transformation. He probably didn’t realize that when he turned her, but came to see it as time went on.”
“That’s what Donovan thinks too.”
“Keep her with you,” Axel said. “Until Arnold makes his move, there’s nothing we can do. We can’t change her back without him, and he can’t stop the curse until he shows himself.”
“Stop the curse?” I said.
Axel threaded his fingers together. “It’s possible that there’s a time clock on this. If Arnold doesn’t bite Princess before time is up, then he’ll revert to the bat. If he does it before then Princess will be stuck looking like she is. It’s a risk I’m not willing to bet on. We know Arnold is here, but who is he?”
I glanced from Princess to Axel. “I think there’s one thing we need to do.”
“What’s that?” Axel said.
“We need to take Princess out among people. Let her see the townsfolk.”
“They can’t see her,” he said. “It’s too risky, puts her in danger.”
I nodded. “Until she pinpoints Arnold, we’re stuck. Axel, Arnold may be responsible for Carl’s death. The night of the murder we only saw who was in the circle, but what if someone outside the circle killed Carl?”
Axel paused. He glanced at Princess. “Do you want to go out?”
“You know how us werewolves are. We love seeing and being seen. We’re flashy.”
Axel chuckled. “When you put it that way, it’s a plan. But where?”
I smiled. “Isn’t a new hot spot opening tonight?”
“Wicked Witch,” he said.
I clicked my tongue. “Then that’s where we need to go.”
He rose and stretched. “I have been promising to take you out.”
I elbowed him in the ribs. “You’ve been promising to take me out of town.”
He slid a hand around my waist. “As soon as I can. How about we start with a dance club?”
I smiled. “Sounds perfect.”
Axel left a few minutes later, and I grabbed Hugo and Princess. I dropped the bat into my purse.
“I don’t know why I’m hiding you. It’s not as if vampires walk around in daylight.”
Princess craned her head out of the bag. “Didn’t you know?”
I grabbed the keys and stepped outside, locking the door behind me. “Know what?”
“That whole thing about vampires not being able to run around during the day is a lie.”
I dropped the keys to the ground. “What?”
“They can walk around just like you and me,” Princess said. “That’s what makes them so deadly.”
NINETEEN
“So were Arnold’s brothers vampires?” I said to Princess when we got back to the house.
“I don’t think so,” she said. “He told me that when he became of age Arnold was offered the choice of becoming a vampire. It’s not for everyone,” she said. “But he chose the life.”
“You don’t know for sure.”
“I didn’t get the sense from Rock that he was.”
“Can you tell if someone is?”
She paused. “I think so if I had to focus on it. I concentrated on that Rock guy, but nothing came to me.”
“We’re going to need that sense of focus tonight,” I said, placing her in a cage and leaving her in my room. “Get some rest. You’ll need it.”
I went downstairs. Betty was nowhere to be found. She was probably off running the town. I found Donovan in the kitchen heating up some lunch.
“Did you know that vampires can walk around during the day?” I said.
“Ah!” He threw up his hands. My uncle whirled around and shot me a scathing look. “Do they also specialize in scaring people?”
“Sorry,” I said meekly. “I thought you heard me.”
“No, I didn’t, but I’m about to eat a slice of this Chess pie Betty made. Want some?”
“You got some coffee to go with it?”
“You know it.”
I nestled down at the table with Donovan and half a pie. “Are you going to plate it?”
“Nah. I say we eat it from the dish.”
Sounded good to me. I grabbed a fork from him and dug in.
Warm wonderful goodness melted on my tongue and slid down my throat. “Wow. My grandmother can really cook.”
“So could your mom,” he said.
I smiled. “I’m sorry to say I didn’t inherit that from her, though I do have a penchant for sweets.” I pulled a bag of jelly beans from my pocket and plopped a few in the black coffee. “These make just about anything taste better.”
He watched as a few disappeared beneath the dark surface. “I can believe that.”
I shrugged. “I like sugar.”
He patted his round stomach. “You won’t hear me giving you a hard time. You can see I’m already digging in and taking no prisoners when it comes to this pie.”
I finished chewing another bite. “Me too.” I forked another mouthful and stopped before biting into it. “Uncle Donovan, what happened with your powers…there’s something that bothers me about it.”
He nodded. “You wonder if the same thing will happen to you. Will you lose your magic?”
“Yes, I do.”
He wiped his hands and leaned back in the chair. “It’s a reasonable thing to question, especially since you and I have very similar gifts. But I have no reason to think that’ll happen to you. Besides, you’re much younger than me. If it were to occur, it wouldn’t be for years.”
I ate another mouthful, instantly regretting the calorie count I was adding to my daily total.
“It also tends to happen more to men than women,” he said. “I’ve never known a woman who lost her magic, though I’ve known a man or two.”
“Oh,” was all I could think of to say.
Donovan chewed another bite. Stillness settled over the room, but there was still the hum of tension to it. “Is there one more thing you’re wondering?”
I wavered, unsure if I should tiptoe around the subject or just dive in like I was fishing for catfish in a pond.
Catfish won.
“Will you stay when this is over?” I said.
He shook his head. “No, the store is yours, Pepper. I won’t stay. I’ve had too much fun enjoying my retirement. Granted, I’ve been on the run, but once this is all cleared up, I’ll be on my way traveling the world, going from one magical town to another.”
I squeezed his hand. “That sounds like a wonderful plan. But you’d come back here, right?”
“At least as
long as my power lives, I will. Don’t forget, you’ve got to be a witch or wizard to find this place. I’ll tour the world as long as I can, and when I can’t anymore, I’ll move to Florida and enjoy the beach.”
I finished up my last bite and grabbed the empty dish. “Thanks, Uncle Donovan.”
He smiled. “Anytime, Pepper. I’m here to talk whenever you need me.”
“I appreciate that.”
I washed everything up and went to my room to take a nap before the night’s festivities. When I reached the bedroom, I found Princess out of her cage.
I shot Mattie a worried look. The cat as usual lay curled up on the window seat.
“Where’d Princess go?”
“She heard your cousins come in and called for them to get her out.”
“Those two must’ve been sneaky. I didn’t hear anything from downstairs,” I said.
“They were as loud as they usually are,” Mattie said.
“That doesn’t make any sense.”
“I wasn’t trying to make it make sense,” she said.
I left my room and found the three of them in Cordelia’s. Amelia flashed a huge smile when she saw me.
“Y’all are going to Wicked Witch tonight?” she said. “I’ve been dying to go there.”
“It just opened,” Cordelia said. “How can you be dying to go someplace that’s as fresh as the panties on your tush?”
Amelia gave Cordelia a good long stare. “I’ve been watching the construction for weeks. It just looks so cool.” She clapped her hands and smiled brightly at me. “Can I go with y’all?”
“I don’t know,” I said hesitantly.
Amelia grabbed Cordelia’s arm. “She’ll come, too. It’ll be so fun.”
“It’s not that I don’t want y’all to go. It’s more that I’m worried it’s going to be dangerous. We’re trying to track down a vampire. I mean, the guy attacked one person that we know of. There’s no telling what else he’s capable of.”
“Maybe attacking another person?” Cordelia said, threading her fingers through her long blonde locks.
I shook my head at her sarcasm. “I don’t want it to be one of y’all.”
“I don’t even want to go.” She thumbed toward Amelia. “She’s the one dying to dance under strobe lights.”
“It’ll be so much fun,” Amelia cooed.
Princess fluttered up to me. “I don’t see why they can’t go. It would be fun and besides, what’s the worst that could happen?”
I grimaced. “I hate it when people say that because there’s always a worst that could happen and it usually does.”
Amelia linked her arm around mine. “But we’ll be together. That’s what’s important. The sweet tea witches at the Wicked Witch. Sounds like a party.”
“Sounds like something,” Cordelia said drily.
A knock sounded from the door. I opened it to find Betty holding a bowl of that porridge from this morning.
She smiled widely. “Got you all together, I see. Now, who’s ready to try on this miracle mask?”
I gulped. It looked like there was no way to get out of this now.
So thirty minutes and a facial later, I got ready for the night out at Wicked Witch. I wore a brown dress that was perfect for fall and favored my complexion, silver hoop earrings and boots. I threw on a pleather jacket, pulled back my hair and felt ready to go out on the town.
When I met up with Cordelia and Amelia downstairs, they looked as ready as I did.
Axel picked up his dates a little bit later. “I didn’t know I was lucky enough to have three ladies to escort tonight.”
I elbowed his ribs. “Don’t consider yourself too lucky.”
He wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “Trust me. You’re the only one I want to be with.”
I tipped my head up at him and smiled. “You know why I like you so much?”
“Why’s that?” he said, opening the door.
“Because you always know exactly what to say.”
I slid inside the car. Axel leaned over. “Thanks. It’s a gift I’ve worked hard to perfect. It takes a lot of talent to say the right thing all the time.”
I rolled my eyes. He flashed me a cheeky grin before shutting the door.
Amelia’s eyes widened like saucers when we arrived at Wicked Witch. “This place is even more awesome than I thought.”
I had to admit she was right. Orbs of different colored light floated around the building while iridescent bubbles bobbed around the crowd. Every once in a while one would pop, releasing a sprinkle of magic that made the recipient smile so wide I thought surely their mouths must hurt.
But I didn’t see anyone complaining.
I tipped my mouth into Axel’s ear. “This place is packed.”
He shot me a seductive smile. “The better to catch a vampire. There’s so much blood pumping through the veins of this crowd, a vampire couldn’t stay away from this unless they were celibate.”
I blinked. “Celibate against drinking blood?”
His warm fingers threaded through mine. “That’s exactly right.”
“Is that even a thing?”
He winked at me. “It is now.”
He led me past the line all the way to the front door. Amelia chattered hard to Cordelia, who looked slightly more bored than she normally did, though that’s not saying too much.
“Evening, Dusty,” Axel said to the doorman.
“Hello, Mr. Reign,” Dusty said. “I’ve got your booth all ready.”
“Thank you.”
We followed Dusty. Music thumped from the speakers. The inside was dark, almost cave-like. More orbs of light floated around, and there were even more bubbles, too.
Dusty led us all the way to the back into a circular booth. We slid in, and I turned to Axel.
“How’d you get such good seats?”
Axel’s gaze followed the crowd. “Dusty’s an old friend. I’ve had this booth reserved for weeks.”
I cocked a brow. “As a surprise?”
He brushed a strand of hair from my eyes. “Is it a nice one?”
I smiled. “It sure is. Too bad we have to work it.”
He nodded toward my purse. “Speaking of, let’s put her where she can see, but folks won’t necessarily realize what she is.”
I scooped Princess from my purse and attached her to the wall behind us.
“Can you see okay, Princess?”
“I can see everything. Look at the people dancing. What I wouldn’t give for a pair of legs.”
I patted her head. “Soon. You’ll be back to your normal self soon enough.”
Amelia drummed her fingers on the table. “Well, I’m gonna go dance. Cordelia, you coming with me?”
“If I have to.”
Amelia yanked our cousin from the booth. “You have to.”
They bounded off to the dance floor, and I turned to Axel, who slid a hand over my shoulders. I settled back into the curve of his chest and felt the rise and fall of his breathing.
I scanned the crowd. “So. Who’re you looking at?”
He whispered in my ear. Well, he didn’t exactly whisper because the music volume was turned up to louder-than-heck, which meant when he spoke to me, Axel’s volume was almost the same.
“That couple to the left of the front door.”
They were impossible to miss. She was about five-ten with long black hair to the waist. He was six-five easy with blond hair and a dark, pointy beard—the kind the cool kids grow. He also reminded me of the description that Princess had given of Arnold from her dream.
I turned to her. “Does that look like Arnold?”
The bat turned toward the figure. “Not quite but you know a bat’s eyesight isn’t all that great.”
“Hmm,” I said to Axel. “Those two look like they’ve known each other awhile,” I said.
“Vampires have a way of making a person think they’ve been together their entire lives.”
I batted my lashes at him. “You
mean kinda like how you feel about me?”
I didn’t know why I said it. Maybe I was feeling daring. Maybe I was being a glutton for punishment. I mean, I figured Axel would throw up his hands and run screaming in the opposite direction from me.
But he didn’t. He stroked my hair. “How’d you know?”
I laughed nervously. “Really, I was kidding.”
His breath tickled my ear. “I’m not.”
I swallowed a knot the size of Arkansas. I could keep lying to myself by believing that I was the only one who thought the connection between us was magical. Clearly there was something super special tying the two of us together because Axel felt it, too.
He grabbed my hand. “Want to get a closer look at our new friends?”
I smiled brightly. “I thought you’d never ask.”
I grabbed Princess and placed her in my purse. Then I followed Axel across the dance floor, entwining my body with his, letting him pull me to him and spin me away. My dress fluttered around my knees, sending cool air flowing over my legs.
“Hey,” Axel said to the man when we were close, “you look exactly like an old friend of mine named Briggs.”
The man shook his head. “I don’t know him. We’re in town for the club opening. A friend of mine is co-owner.”
Axel chatted with the guy, and I turned my body toward him, trying to help Princess get a good look. She shuffled around. I glanced down and saw her little head poking out.
After a few minutes we drifted back to the booth. I settled Princess on the seat beside us.
“Well?” Axel said.
She shook her head. “I don’t think that’s him.” She sighed. “Y’all, would I even know Arnold if I saw him? I mean if he was a snake and bit me on the tail, I still might not realize that it’s him.”
I stroked her head. “I know you can do it. You’ve got to have confidence.”
“My confidence evaporated when I let that bloodsucker take a bite out of me.”
I patted her head. “It’s okay.”
For a moment the thrum of the music was the only sound filling our booth.