The Curse that Bites

by Kennedy Layne

  The Curse that Bites

  A Hex on Me Mystery

  Book Four

  KENNEDY LAYNE

  THE CURSE THAT BITES

  Copyright © 2019 by Kennedy Layne

  Kindle Edition

  eBook ISBN: 978-1-943420-85-8

  Print ISBN: 978-1-943420-86-5

  Cover Designer: Sweet ’N Spicy Designs

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  Dedication

  Jeffrey & Cole—This year’s Halloween outdoor decorations will finally include a vampire…it’s going to be epic!

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  About the Book

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  About Curse Me Under the Mistletoe

  Books by Kennedy Layne

  About the Author

  A cloud of bats is whipping up an exciting whodunit in the latest installment in the Hex on Me Mysteries by USA Today Bestselling Author Kennedy Layne…

  Lou and the gang become stranded when their brand-new RV breaks down in the middle of Podunk, USA. They soon realize that their arrival in this tiny town might not be by happenstance. Their situation becomes exceptionally dire when Lou has another premonition of murder…this time, the victim is one of their very own group!

  A garlic necklace might be an appropriate accessory to bring along for this evening’s entertainment, as this tale promises to be as wickedly sharp as the tip on the end of a wooden stake!

  Chapter One

  The first snowfall of the winter season was always so serene. Not the meager flurries that left the illusion of a slight dusting on the ground, but the real, heavy snowfall that blanketed a good six to eight inches over the landscape as far as the eye could see. That type of cover was accompanied by a quiet peace associated with a sudden stillness of nature that only moments before seemed to rage with the ravages of fall. That particular type of splendor wasn’t revered enough these days.

  “Maybe it’s because we’re stranded in the middle of nowhere during a snowstorm with the temperature well below freezing,” Orwin muttered in frustration from underneath the hood of our brand-new RV. It was a wonder he could see anything through those black-rimmed glasses of his that were now spotted with melting snowflakes. Granted, the luxury camper had been previously owned by a movie production company for a short while, but it was still new enough that the odometer showed almost nothing but the miles we had put on her ourselves. We shouldn’t have had to worry about being stranded in the mountains of West Virginia. “I can’t find a thing wrong with this engine, Lou.”

  That’s what I had been afraid of, especially since the tranquility of these mountains had a threatening undertone that was palpable in the surrounding forest. The serenity I had enjoyed so much now seemed to be nothing more than a thin façade.

  What—or who—was taking cover in the nearby woods?

  “There doesn’t seem to be a house around for miles,” I hazarded a guess, carefully scanning the lower portion of the mountain below us for any sign of chimney smoke. I wasn’t referring to a supernatural vision of any sort, either, but it was hard to see a long distance through the falling snow. “Well, it’s not like we have a choice. Go ahead and cast a spell to get us moving along. I don’t want to sit here and burn up what’s left of our thirty-five gallon propane fuel supply for the two heaters. That could leave us in a real pickle. The magical fix should last us long enough to reach the next small town where we can have a mechanic take a look at it. I’m going to take a little walk around. I won’t go too far.”

  I didn’t give Orwin a chance to argue with me. We’d been traveling for the last two weeks in search of an elusive medium who could contact our ancestors. It was a bit extreme, but my current predicament wasn’t the run-of-the-mill witchcraft dilemma one would expect of a young witch fresh from teaching my third year at a mid-level college. Everyone in our small group had been a bit on edge lately, and no amount of chocolate or coffee had helped lighten the mood in the last two weeks. I should know, considering I had probably ingested a bit more than my fair share of caffeine these past few days.

  There was a reason that our nerves were frayed more than usual, and it all led back to Ammeline Letty Romilda, the infamous Lich Queen. We’d all previously believed that she’d been nothing but an urban legend. If we had been tempted to believe at all, it had been just another long line of stories to keep children in line throughout the many covens across the world—a wicked witch who had somehow harnessed enough dark energy to make herself immortal. It was necromancy in its most evil and malevolent form. It had made great fodder for campfire stories.

  Unfortunately, Ammeline’s existence had been no myth, much to our vexation.

  I should know, because I’d met her foul presence face to face. Evil incarnate was the only description that fit the Lich Queen. It radiated from her very core. The result of that confrontation had left me hexed in the most terrible fashion, which was the reason I needed to speak with my ancestors. Maybe they had the answers I sought to make myself whole once again.

  My name?

  Tempest Darcinean Lilura.

  Quite a mouthful, but then again, so were all the other names of my elders and their progeny.

  I just so happened to be a descendent of a family line that was connected to the original Salem witch coven, which I’d happily walked away from at the tender age of eighteen. Considering the position I now found myself in, that had probably been the wisest decision I’d made in my twenty-eight years of life. There was no need to focus on the past, though, when the present was bestowing us with so many wonderful new complications.

  I focused on my surroundings, trying to discern why the elements around me were so unnaturally muted. The trees and wildlife of the wilderness should have been causing a balanced hum of energy with the passing of the storm. It would have sounded similar to a guitar string after having been plucked, yet it was like nature didn’t have a voice here. All I could pick up was a muffled vibration, similar to when one used their fingers to plug their ears.

  Something in these snow-covered woods was smothering the natural energy mechanisms of Mother Nature.

  It didn’t help that it was becoming difficult to tell if it was still daytime. The snowstorm had blocked out much of the sky with its eternal grey presence, allowing big fluffy flakes to slowly drift down from above as the initial force of the storm ebbed away. Maybe two inches had already fallen, but it was enough to cause hazardous conditions on roads that remained unplowed. It wouldn’t be long before the wind picked up and made it hard to see our hands in front of our faces.

  Miss Lilura, are you searching for something in particular? It’s quite cold out here. We could be back in the RV enjoying a warm spot of cream and curled up next to the electric heater while Mr. Cornelia gets the main drive system under the bonnet back up and running.

  That English accent
had come from Pearl Pippa Allifair, our resident familiar. She was a sleek white feline who had a thing for etiquette and categorically refused to call me Lou, like everyone else had learned to do. Everyone else consisted of Orwin Cornelia, Piper Allifair, and Knox Emeric. Fortunately, or rather unfortunately, we all had our own reasons to search for Ammeline. I was just glad to have them by my side, because I wasn’t sure what I’d do without them if we succeeded in finding our mutual evil antagonist.

  That’s a nice sentiment, dear hexed one, but you’ll not find Ammeline out here in the cold. She’s most likely in some faraway frightful cave, dancing sans clothes around the flickering flames of a roaring fire while repeatedly chanting some arcane incantations that invoke the most heinous sort of dark magic. Not a sight that I would want to see, dear hexed one. Goodness, no!

  Pearl could also read our thoughts, which didn’t lend us too much privacy. I’d gotten pretty used to her abilities, though, seeing as Orwin had a similar gift. Piper was our healer, and Knox…well, Knox’s run-in with Ammeline had left him with the most onerous form of lycanthropy.

  Our resident werewolf is not just any ol’ werewolf, Miss Lilura. The much larger proportions of Mr. Emeric’s massive frame comes from the Canis Lupus Occidentalis, originating from the McKenzie Valley variety. Very impressive, if I do say so myself.

  “Don’t you feel that?” I asked softly, not wanting to discuss Knox at the moment.

  Pearl seemed to have cultivated the idea in her head that there was more to my friendship with Knox than there actually was in reality.

  There wasn’t.

  The truth was simple, really. We had both been cursed with dreadful hexes that resulted in our mutual goal—finding the source of Ammeline Letty Romilda’s immortality and destroying it. There was nothing more to our relationship than our one specific agenda.

  One thinks thou doth protest too much, I believe.

  Not wanting to get sidetracked for the millionth time, I cautiously surveyed our surroundings. If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear someone was watching us through the trees.

  “We’re not alone,” I murmured, tensing when I couldn’t detect a location from which someone’s stare weighed heavily on my senses.

  Pearl was capable of invisibility, which was her current state. I could sense when she was by my side and hear her thoughts. At the moment, she remained silent as she took heed of my warning. She was most likely scouring the tree line with her own exceptional sight. I held my breath in hopes that she would be able to pinpoint the area that I couldn’t seem to detect in the grey shadows.

  A quick look back at the RV didn’t reveal much, but Orwin must still be casting an incantation on the large diesel motor of the Volvo 780 chassis the RV was built on. I had to wonder what was taking him so long. Piper was safely inside the luxury home on wheels, and Knox hadn’t been but a few miles behind us. It shouldn’t be long until the purr of his engine cut through the peculiar stillness. His arrival would also bolster our defenses and provide a supernatural sight and sound detection capability far superior to Pearl’s.

  Fear, Miss Lilura. That’s what I sense, and it’s causing my fur to stand on edge. May I suggest we head back to the RV now? There’s always safety in numbers, and we are currently down a team member.

  I would have given Pearl a questioning glance in regard to the rather stark adjective she’d chosen to describe the vibe of this mountain, but she still remained invisible to the naked eye. Instead, I took her opinion under advisement. After all, I appeared to any potential adversary to be standing out here all by myself.

  Was fear the underlying tenor of the dense forest?

  A gust of bitter cold wind wove its way through the foliage as if to supply me with an answer. I’d made sure I had the proper winter gear on before stepping out of the RV to help Orwin, but there was no keeping the piercing draft from hitting my face full on. I tried to adjust my scarf, but it was of barely of any use.

  A warning from the mother, perhaps?

  “Go on back with the others,” I suggested quietly to Pearl before glancing down the snow-covered, winding road. The falling flakes caught my attention until I was once again looking at the smothered road. What was it about the ground that kept drawing my attention? “Make sure Orwin doesn’t need Piper’s help in casting that incantation. He should have gotten the drive motor running by now.”

  Both Orwin and Piper were pros when it came to casting spells, so I didn’t expect to be stranded out in the wilderness for very long. Worst case scenario, the RV had its generator. We could survive for several days on the fuel we had on-hand. It wasn’t like we’d freeze to death, but I certainly didn’t want to be stuck on the side of a mountain with the potential of us being hit by a snowplow. I didn’t survive a hex only to be pushed into a ravine by an oversized shovel truck.

  Are you finally showing your sense of humor, dear hexed one?

  I’ll admit to having been a bit testy this past year, but who wouldn’t be after being hexed by a Lich Queen? Pearl had made it her mission to get me to lighten up a bit, telling knock-knock jokes at the most inopportune times. I couldn’t tell if she had moved the pendulum one way or the other.

  Leaders must lead by example, Miss Lilura.

  “Yeah, yeah,” I muttered, hoping for a change in subject. I lifted my gaze off the blanket of snow on the mountain road toward where there should have been some sign of life. Specifically, headlights from Knox’s Land Rover. I didn’t like staring into such a grey blank void. “Would you ask Piper to call Knox? Hopefully, she can get cell phone service out here. Knox was still in line at the gas station at the base of the mountain when we pulled out, but he couldn’t have been more than a couple of minutes behind us. The good news is that we are topped off on all our fuel tanks, including the propane for the heaters.”

  My sweet Piper was speaking with our resident werewolf when I left the warmth of the RV. He should be joining us momentarily. In the meantime, may I suggest we both walk back to where Mr. Cornelia is working on the engine before he decides our current troubles are all due to the Machiavellian machinations of little green men?

  “In Orwin’s defense, this area does seem to have a higher rate of alien abduction claims.” I should know, considering I listened to Orwin ramble on about some of the stories he’d researched on the drive from Minnesota to West Virginia. I now knew way too much about aliens and where they liked to stick their probes. “Maybe that’s how our medium was abducted. It sure would explain why she left her college and the area before we had a chance to meet her.”

  You really shouldn’t feed into the wizard’s conspiracy theories, dear hexed one. It’s not healthy for either of you.

  I turned against the wind, seeking a bit of respite now that I knew Knox should be reaching us soon. With darkness beginning to settle in, it wasn’t like I’d find the cause of my uneasiness anyway. It was best to get the RV up and running as quickly as possible, seeing as we still had another forty-minute drive to reach the year-round all-service campground we’d chosen to spend the night.

  “Fine,” I relented with a sigh, the warmth of my breath visible as it hit the cold air. “Let’s go see what is keeping Orwin from casting that spell. He should have—”

  Oh, dear! Here we go again.

  My vision suddenly became somewhat blurred, effectively causing me to stop midstride. The hex that plagued me was about to make a grand entrance unique to my curse, and there wasn’t a thing I could do to stop the vision from happening. Due to a familiar’s ability to connect with the thoughts of other witches and warlocks, Pearl was linked to the ghastly images inside my mind and doomed to perceive my deadly message herself.

  I might prefer an alien abduction to these unsettling premonitions, dear hexed one. Hold on to your hat. This one promises to be a doozy!

  Chapter Two

  I dreaded these visions more than anything in the world. You see, Ammeline Letty Romilda had cursed me with premonitions of murders yet to happen. So
metimes the team and I were able to make it to a destination in time to save the victim, and other times we arrived after the fact, only allowing us the ability to bring their killer to justice.

  I have a feeling it will be the latter of the two this time around, dear hexed one. We’re in the middle of a snowstorm. There is not much that can be done while we’re stuck on a high mountain pass.

  It was a good thing I had been able to move off to the shoulder just in case Knox came barreling up the road a bit too fast in these weather conditions. I purposefully fell to my knees in the soft snow, not caring that my jeans would get soaking wet. There was no telling how strong the vision would be, and I certainly didn’t want to fall and slip down some steep ravine.

  One minute I was watching the snow fall in front of me and then next…well, I was inside a log cabin with rays of light shining in from a window shrouded in old, faded yellow curtains. Dust particles floated in the beams as if in slow motion. There was a beautiful river rock hearth without the typical blazing fire, no pictures on the wall, and sparse furniture. It was as if the special getaway home had been abandoned many years ago. There was even a large cobweb in the corner. I was somehow able to turn myself around to face the front door just in time for it to bang open and reveal one of my worst nightmares.

  The victims in my premonitions had always been in regard to a stranger, leaving me and the others to try and locate the scene of the crime. We usually inserted ourselves into the lives of the victim’s family and friends to help them find closure or to protect the potential victim.

  Well, we weren’t going to have to travel too far this time around.

  The individual in my vision who was bleeding from the neck was none other than a member of our own team. Our very own wizard—Orwin Cornelia.

  His black-rimmed glasses were a bit askew as he tried to stem the lone gush of blood escaping from his grip. The panic in his brown eyes was unmistakable, and there wasn’t a thing I could do to reassure him that all would be okay as I was all but sucked out of the vision and brought back to the present.