Halo Effect

by Annabel Chase

  I glared at the owl. “I’ve given birth. Don’t judge my bladder.” I began peeling petals off the flowers and dropped them into the bowl.

  “It says to use your dominant hand,” Daniel said, reading my handwritten notes from class.

  “That rules out either of his,” Gareth said.

  “Be nice, please,” I said. I closed my eyes and tried to focus on my breathing.

  Help! I’m trapped!

  What now? I glanced over to see Sedgwick’s claw stuck in the bowl of melted marshmallows. “I need everybody out, please. I can’t concentrate.” At this point, the only one not disturbing me was Diana. The thought struck a chord of fear in me. “Is Diana asleep?”

  “Last I checked,” Gareth said.

  “How long ago was that?” I asked.

  The vampire ghost tapped his chin, mulling it over. “Right after you put her down.”

  I shot to my feet.

  “Emma, what’s wrong?” Daniel asked.

  “There’s no need to panic,” Gareth said. “She’s barely had time to nap.”

  My palms began to sweat as an image of the burning village flashed in my mind. “I don’t care. I need to check on her.”

  “I’ll go straight through the ceiling to her bedroom.” Gareth drifted upward.

  I raced from the office and up the staircase to her room. Diana was wide awake and playing with the toys in her crib. I immediately slumped against the wall.

  “Emma, what’s the problem?” Daniel entered the nursery behind me.

  “There’s no problem,” I said. “I just…had a moment.” Between the dream about my father and the parade of strangers outside my house, I was feeling more fearful than usual.

  Gareth cooed at Diana. “I’m her vanny, Emma. You needn’t worry. The bairn is precious to me. I won’t let anything happen to her.”

  “If you keep leaving the window wide open, she’s going to be precious to someone else.” I crossed the room and shut the window.

  That’s so I can come and go freely, Sedgwick said. He landed on the edge of the crib, his claws still sticky with marshmallow.

  Then come and go via a different room. From now on, the only entrance and exit for this room is the door.

  Daniel kissed the top of her head. “I’ll keep her busy now that she’s awake. You go finish your homework.”

  “Thank you.” I planted a noisy kiss on Diana’s cheek. “Nobody follow me. I need silence.”

  “Diva,” Gareth grumbled.

  “I heard that!” I called over my shoulder.

  “I didn’t,” Daniel said.

  I hurried downstairs and returned to the bowl of flower petals. I quickly reviewed my notes and stuck my dominant hand in the bowl. I closed my eyes and concentrated on the texture of the petals as they brushed against my skin. I tried to imagine what kind of energy these flowers produced.

  Something pricked my skin and I withdrew my hand with a start. I peered into the bowl with renewed interest. Was that magical energy I felt?

  I closed my eyes and slid my hand through the silky petals once more. I focused all my attention on the remnants of the flower. In this moment, nothing else mattered. A humming sound began to buzz in my ears.

  A powerful sensation emanated from the petals—one I recognized.

  Love.

  After dinner, I sat in an Adirondack chair on the front porch, watching Gareth show flashcards of household objects to Diana.

  “She’s a genius,” Gareth said with a note of pride.

  “I don’t know. I think that’s typical for her age.”

  He turned to glower at me. “Stop trying to undermine her achievements.”

  “I’m being realistic. She’s special because she’s our child and we love her, not because she can do things other kids her age can’t. That’s why it’s called unconditional love.”

  Gareth shook his head in dismay. “You’ll see. Diana will make your sorceress powers look like the Happy Meal version of magic.”

  I squinted at him. “I have no idea what that means and neither do you. You’ve never even been to a McDonald’s.”

  He raised his chin a fraction. “McDonald is a Scottish name.”

  “So what? You don’t gain knowledge of it through ethnic osmosis.”

  An Elf Express jalopy screeched to a halt in front of the house.

  “A flower delivery?” Gareth queried.

  “I doubt it. I think we’ve met our quota for the year.”

  I observed the elf with a curious eye as he fled the vehicle and ran to the bottom of the porch steps.

  “Is everything okay?” I asked.

  The elf hunched over in an effort to catch his breath. “No,” he said. His shoulders heaved.

  “Take your time,” I said.

  “Can’t,” he said, breathing heavily. “Lord…”

  “Lord?” My gaze flicked to the jalopy with the Elf Express logo painted on the side. “Have Jehovah’s Witnesses outsourced their door-to-door educational services?”

  The elf shook his head and straightened. “Lord Gilder needs you.” He exhaled loudly. “Now.”

  That seemed ominous.

  I cast a wary glance at the vampire ghost. “Gareth, would you mind looking after Diana?”

  Gareth’s pale face brightened like a new moon. “Does a vampire have fangs?”

  “Go easy on the flashcards. She can’t even read yet.”

  “Says you,” Gareth scoffed.

  “Thank you,” I told the elf. “I’ll head over now.”

  The elf staggered back to his jalopy, his energy spent but his mission complete.

  I raced to Sigmund in the driveway and drove across town at a higher rate of speed than Sheriff Astrid would appreciate. I couldn’t imagine what kind of emergency would necessitate Lord Gilder sending a messenger to fetch me, but I knew it had to be serious.

  I parked directly in front of the impressive house and nearly fell out of the car in my haste. The first thing I noticed wasn’t the meticulous landscaping or the new rosebush that was clearly influenced by the flower festival’s Mediterranean theme. It was the fact that the front door was wide open.

  I didn’t bother to knock. I bolted through the doorway and called to the vampire.

  “In here,” he bellowed.

  I hurried to the parlor room and was astonished to see Dr. Hall tied to one of the white Roman columns. Lord Gilder paced in front of her with his hands clasped behind his back and lines of concern rippling across his pale brow.

  The vampire appeared relieved to see me. “Thank you for coming so quickly.”

  “Whoa.” I splayed my hands. “Whatever you’re into as a couple, you can count me out.”

  “It isn’t what it looks like,” he said.

  “He thinks I’m off my rocker,” Dr. Hall said, eerily calm under the circumstances.

  “Because you are,” he shot back.

  “I’m a therapist. I think I would know. Do you think they would give me a degree from Vampire University if I wasn’t qualified?”

  He stopped pacing and faced me. “She tried to bite someone. I mean really bite someone. I managed to extract her before she did any real damage.”

  “He had it coming,” Dr. Hall said. “I would’ve been doing everyone a favor. I appreciate your role as a defense attorney, Emma, but sometimes the scales of justice are abundantly clear.”

  I didn’t know what Lord Gilder expected me to do. “Why not call the sheriff?” I asked.

  He looked at me askance. “Because I don’t want her to be arrested, of course. I thought you might be able to handle the situation quietly, without official intervention.”

  “We can start by untying her,” I said.

  He stroked his chin. “I’m not sure it’s safe.”

  “I told you I’m fine,” Dr. Hall said. “I’m not unhinged. I only wanted to help.”

  “By draining the life from someone?” Lord Gilder said, aghast.

  I knew from previous conversatio
ns with Dr. Hall that she had a horrible history involving torture and I didn’t want her restraints to trigger any long-buried post-traumatic stress. That would make a bad situation even worse.

  “I’m going to untie her,” I said. “If you’re not on board with that, then I suggest you go into another room.” His house was more than big enough to avoid any interaction if that was his preference.

  The vampire’s expression grew pinched. “No, I’ll stay.”

  I used a spell to loosen the knots and Dr. Hall slipped out of the restraints.

  She stared wide-eyed at her paramour as she flexed her sore wrists. “I can’t believe you did this to me.”

  “I only did it out of concern for you, my dearest. Obviously I want no harm to come to you.”

  “Sit down and tell me what happened,” I said.

  “I told you…” Lord Gilder began.

  I shot him a silencing look. “Not you, vansplainer. I’m interested in Dr. Hall’s side of the story now.”

  She smiled at him. “Be a dear and bring me some O negative, would you? I’m famished.”

  She was being remarkably calm, not at all the reaction I would’ve expected from Dr. Hall. Then again, her behavior had been off all week and this was further proof.

  “Take me through what happened,” I said.

  “I have a client whose name I can’t divulge because of confidentiality,” Dr. Hall said.

  “Since when do you follow the rules?” I asked.

  “You nearly murdered her husband,” Lord Gilder said as he returned to the parlor room with a bottle of blood. “I hardly think there’s any point in protecting her identity. To be honest, I’m surprised they haven’t reported you to the sheriff themselves.”

  Dr. Hall accepted the bottle and used her fangs to tear off the lid. “They won’t,” she said. “Because if they did, then they’d have to explain why I acted the way I did and he certainly doesn’t want that.”

  “Did he attack you?” I asked.

  “No, he was in the waiting area like he always is,” she said. “He accompanies her everywhere. She’s basically his emotional prisoner.”

  “Did she tell you that in therapy?” I asked.

  “Not in so many words. She would make comments here and there that suggested he was overbearing.”

  “He can’t be that bad if he supports her going to therapy, can he?” I asked. “I would think someone like that wouldn’t want to risk her revealing their secrets to a professional.”

  She chugged the bottle of blood until it was empty. “Thank you, sweetheart. That hit the spot.” She handed the empty bottle to Lord Gilder. “Would you be kind enough to put this in the recycling? The earth is our most precious resource.”

  He reluctantly took the bottle and left the room.

  “What prompted the attack?” I asked. “You’re not going to drain the blood from someone because he’s overbearing.”

  “During this visit, she told me he cheated on her,” Dr. Hall said. “I’d suspected as much, but I was relieved she finally confirmed it. It was a real breakthrough in her therapy.”

  “Which you then destroyed when you flew out of there in a rage and attacked her husband.”

  “I wasn’t in a rage at all,” she said. “It was a calm and calculated move. I left the office with my client, knowing he’d be waiting for her and seized the opportunity to take out the trash, so to speak.”

  “Since when does cheating justify violence?”

  “You haven’t listened to her talk about him. She worships him like he’s the second coming of Zeus and he threw that love away like it meant nothing.” She gave an adamant shake of her head. “Not on my watch. It’s my duty to act for the greater good and I consider my actions to be a public service.”

  Since when did Dr. Hall feel so strongly about acting for the good of the community? This is the vampire who argued that garbage patches in the ocean were perfectly fine because nobody cared about marine life except as their next meal.

  “I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere.” I gave her a firm look before heading to the kitchen to speak to Lord Gilder.

  I found the vampire slouched over the counter. He was clearly distressed. He glanced up when I entered and I glimpsed the hint of a sad smile.

  “This isn’t the only instance of unusual behavior, you know. She’s been acting strangely all week,” he said.

  I joined him at the counter. “I noticed it during my therapy session, but I wasn’t sure what to think.”

  “And now?”

  I blew out a breath. “If it’s any consolation, she’s not the only one impacted by this.”

  His brow lifted. “Then it’s a spell?”

  “I think so. I’ve been poking around trying to figure it out, but I didn’t have a sense of urgency until now.”

  He rubbed his hands over his face, appearing stressed. “She acted like she was some kind of vampire superhero, meting out justice.”

  “A good Samaritan gone too far,” I said.

  “The fact that she thinks she was doing the right thing is concerning. What’s next? Tearing out the jugular of someone she sees jaywalking?”

  “That’s why you tied her up?” I asked.

  “At first it was pure panic. I’d come to see her at the office—sometimes I pop in and we have a drink together before her next client. I opened the door and saw her with her fangs in his neck. I had no idea what was happening. His wife was sobbing and saying it was her fault for telling Catherine about the cheating.”

  “Did Dr. Hall stop when she saw you?”

  “No. I managed to pull her away and carry her out. I drove back here and tied her up here before she did something she’d regret.”

  It was one thing to have a positive change in personality, but Dr. Hall’s desire to do good had turned very, very bad.

  “Have her cancel her appointments for the rest of the week,” I said.

  He nodded. “I think that’s wise.”

  “Do you think she’ll stay here with you—without the use of force?”

  “I’m sure I can persuade her, even if I have to bribe her with my special case of vintage blood in the cellar. She’s been wanting to crack open a bottle forever.”

  “Do whatever you have to do,” I said. “Just keep her under close watch.”

  “You’ll figure this out, won’t you, Emma?”

  My chest tightened at the sight of Lord Gilder’s hopeful expression.

  “I’ll do my best,” I said.

  His fanged smile radiated relief. “You always do.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  On my way home from Lord Gilder’s house, I passed the town square where a small crowd was gathered. I pulled into the nearest parking spot and wrenched the brochure from Franco out of my pocket. Sure enough, the time on the clock tower matched the start time of the tour, which started and ended at the base of the infamous statue.

  I slid on a pair of sunglasses and reached into the back seat for a wide-brimmed hat. It wasn’t the best disguise in the world, but it would do in a pinch.

  The moment I stepped out of the car, I heard my name. It seemed my disguise needed a little work.

  I swiveled around to see Ember and Raoul on the pavement.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked.

  “Just wanted to do some shopping now since we’ll be heading home tomorrow night. Raoul said he smelled you over here, but I almost didn’t recognize you.” She angled her head toward the small gathering of paranormals. “What’s going on?”

  “It’s a tour,” a passing elf interrupted. “I’m on my way over to join them now.”

  “So am I,” I said.

  “Raoul wants to know if it’s a ghost tour,” Ember said.

  “No, this one is about the curse,” the elf said. He continued toward the statue.

  Ember shot me a quizzical look. “And you’re taking it? Is this a kind of self-esteem booster?”

  I cringed at the thought. “No, of course not.
I just want to make sure it’s accurate since I wasn’t consulted about it.”

  Ember looked at Raoul. “We should tag along.”

  Panic spread to my limbs. “You don’t have to feel obligated to take it,” I said quickly. I was embarrassed enough as it was.

  “Obligated shmobligated,” Ember said dismissively. “This is a priority.”

  Raoul grabbed my hand with his paw and dragged me over to the group.

  Britta climbed onto the base of the statue and called for everyone’s attention. She was out of uniform and wearing a Spellbound T-shirt that read—where paranormal is the new normal.

  “This tour really is about me,” I murmured.

  “Hey, everybody. Welcome to the official tour, the only one that focuses on the sorceress who broke the town curse, our own Emma Hart.” The Valkyrie pointed at the statue. “This monument behind me is to honor Emma and her husband, Daniel Starr, for their contributions to Spellbound.”

  The elf beside me cocked her head. “What are they doing? And why is she holding a…?”

  “It’s not what you think,” I interjected. “It’s a unicorn horn.”

  Ember stifled a laugh.

  I narrowed my eyes at her. “What? It is.”

  “Sorry, I’m laughing at what Raoul said.”

  I turned my stern gaze to the raccoon, who blinked back at me with an innocent expression.

  “We have a lot of ground to cover, so we should get started,” Britta said.

  She jumped down from the base and crossed the road. Glancing ahead, I realized she was headed toward Paws and Claws.

  The Valkyrie gestured to the building. “This is the place where the sorceress first met her familiar, an owl called Candlewick.”

  “Sedgwick,” I said and quickly shut my mouth. I didn’t want to give myself away before the tour even began.

  “Right. Sedgwick.” Britta laughed awkwardly. “Maybe you should give the tour, Hat Lady.”

  After a brief stop in the shop where participants were able to pet a few animals, we crossed the road away from the square to the grounds of the academy.

  “This is the Arabella St. Simon Academy where Emma first learned magic,” Britta said. “Locals call it ASS Academy, but there’s a new High Priestess and she’s not exactly cool with that.”