Southern Belles and Spells Matchmaker Mysteries

by Amy Boyles

  I scoffed. “If they had to deal with his vampire friends, they wouldn’t think so.”

  “Oh no?”

  I shook my head. “No. Peek, one of his deputies, is horrible. Just the rudest.” I narrowed my eyes as an idea formed in my head. “Maybe I should pretend I know who Peek’s soul mate is and then set him up with a lizard.”

  Blaire laughed. “Too funny. I would kill to see that.”

  “Me too,” I admitted. “But anyway, I’m not here to discuss Thorne.”

  “I didn’t think so. What’s up?”

  “Well, I have a magic question for you.”

  Blaire refilled her coffee cup and then mine. “Shoot.”

  “If you wanted to look back in something’s memory, say an animal, which witch would know how to do that?”

  She cocked her chin as she thought. “You mean in town.”

  “Right.”

  “Well,” she said slowly, “let me think about that. The sort of magic you’re requiring isn’t exactly run-of-the-mill. You’d need a witch with experience, someone who knows exactly what they’re doing.”

  “That’s what I’ve been told. I’m not capable, and I need to find someone with discretion who is.”

  Blaire snapped her fingers. “I know who can do it, but you might not like it.”

  “I’ll take anyone I can at this point.”

  “The Rush twins.”

  I groaned. “Can’t you think of anyone else besides them?”

  “Afraid not. They won’t tell anyone what you wanted, and they’re just slimy enough to have worked that sort of spell in the past. I said you wouldn’t like it, but it’s the best option I can think of.”

  I sighed into my steaming cup of gingerbread coffee. “Okay. I guess I’ll talk to them.”

  “In the meantime,” Blaire said, “maybe we could have a girls’ night sometime soon.”

  I nodded enthusiastically. “I would love that. Maybe after all this craziness surrounding Frankie’s death calms down.”

  And my mother is no longer a suspect.

  Blaire smiled. “That would be great.”

  I left Blaire’s and hopped into my car.

  “Did you find someone?” Eugene asked.

  I’d left him tucked under the seat because first of all, I didn’t want to wear a skull with a live cockroach around my neck.

  Secondly, I didn’t want to wear a skull with a live cockroach around my neck.

  I had strong feelings about this.

  Since Witch Memorabilia, the store that the Rush twins ran, was just down the street, I grabbed Eugene, stuffed him in my purse and strode down the sidewalk.

  When I entered the store, I found both twins behind the counter. The store was filled with figurines of witches, castles, dragons, Merlins, anything that had to do with magic. The stuff was all made in China and heavily overpriced, but tourists didn’t generally care about that.

  The twins took one look at me and then shot each other loaded glances.

  “Good to see y’all too,” I murmured.

  Sweet, a lithe blonde woman, greeted me first. “Charming, are you here to ask us about a possibly illegal spell, something completely unethical like you did last time?”

  She said it without any inflection, like a murderous child in a Stephen King book. She gave me the willies big-time.

  “Um, well actually…”

  “I say she is,” Sawyer said. He had the same color hair but his was spiked on top. “I say Charming is here to get our expert opinions in some sort of magical dealing that isn’t likely talked about much. Aren’t you, Charming? I was just telling Sweet that today was going to be extra interesting. My horoscope said so, and since my horoscope is also Sweet’s, these things tend to happen to both of us. Isn’t that right, sister?”

  Sweet nodded. “That’s right.” She blinked at me. I don’t know why, but the sheer act of Sweet’s expressionless face blinking made me want to take a shower.

  Since these two were on to me, there was no point trying to hide my intentions.

  “Okay, I need to know how to get a memory out of this.” I dropped Eugene on the table with a thud. “Not the skull, but the cockroach inside it.”

  Sweet and Sawyer exchanged another look. Then Sweet bent down to take a look at the cockroach. “Isn’t he cute? Where did you find him?”

  “In Frankie Firewalker’s bushes, that’s where. I think this little guy may know who killed her.”

  Sawyer stared at the cockroach with disdain. “Please do not mind my sister. She has an affinity for insects that I find rather repulsive. But, in a case like today, her love, if I dare say the word, for such repulsive insects comes in handy.”

  Sweet smiled. “You are just in luck, Charming. Sawyer and I have been playing around with a memory extracting spell for ages. It only works on animals. Not sure if it’ll work on insects and it’s deadly to humans. So on that front it’s a no-go.”

  Sawyer grabbed a box from under the counter and settled it on top. “This should help.”

  I frowned. “Is the magic in there?”

  “No,” he said flatly. “But cockroaches eat cardboard. Let’s give him a meal and then work some magic.”

  Without hesitation Sweet lifted the creature onto the cardboard. “There now, little guy. Let’s get you fed and then see what’s inside you.”

  A few minutes later and Sawyer had put the BE RIGHT BACK sign on the front door and locked it. All the lights were out and the twins stood in front of an empty KFC bucket for chicken that had seen better days—like the ones before it became grease stained.

  “Like I said,” Sweet explained. “This spell usually works on animals. Not sure if it’ll take to this guy, but we can try.”

  “That’s all we can do,” Sawyer said as he dropped powders in the KFC bucket.

  “Are you seriously using that as a cauldron?” I said.

  He nodded. “It’s better if you mix the potion in a container that the animal, or in this case, cockroach, will eat.”

  Whatever.

  Sweet and Sawyer dropped eggshells and feathers, fur and eyeballs into the KFC bucket. They chanted low. Sweet stirred the potion until black smoke curled up from the bowl.

  “It’s ready,” Sweet announced. She pulled a dropper from a bottle and sucked up some of the liquid.

  I pushed forward the box with the cockroach inside. She let a few tears of liquid fall onto the creature’s back.

  “Tell Charming what she wants to know.” Sweet winked at me. “You’re on.”

  I cleared my throat and stared into what I figured were the insect’s eyes. “Who left Frankie the dead flowers on her doorstep?”

  The cockroach’s antennas fanned the air. I wasn’t sure what was supposed to happen next. I shot Sweet and Sawyer a confused look.

  Before either of them had a chance to answer, the insect shot from the box. It dashed across the counter toward me.

  I withered away.

  “Put your hand back on the table,” Sawyer said.

  I shot him a panicked look. “What?”

  “You want to know who did it; the cockroach will tell you. Put your hand back down.” Sawyer shook his head at Sweet as if to say amateurs. “That’s the only way you’ll know the truth.”

  I slowly eased my hand back onto the cool surface. I shuddered as the roach approached me, feelers swinging up and down. Ever so slowly it padded up my hand, which made me want to barf, and up my arm until it rested on my shoulder.

  “Please don’t tell me it’s going to climb any higher,” I squeaked.

  “It might and it might not,” Sweet said. “But it won’t hurt you.”

  I wasn’t afraid of being hurt; I feared having the thing climb inside my ear, get stuck and never come out.

  The roach moved on, crawling up my neck and stopping right outside my ear.

  It took every bit of willpower inside me not to scream. Seriously. I wanted to die—or kill it. Probably kill it.

  That was wha
t I wanted.

  I shuddered as a tiny voice filled my ear. The roach said the name of the person who had left the bouquet.

  Then it crawled back down my neck and arm, off my hand and straight into Sweet’s open palm.

  Sawyer snapped his fingers, and the lights flared to life. “So. Did you find out the name?”

  “Yes.” I grabbed a tissue from a box and wiped down every inch of bare skin the roach had touched. “I did.”

  “Can I keep him?” Sweet petted the insect. “I’ll give him a good home.”

  “Keep him. I’ve learned all I need to know.”

  I couldn’t get out of the shop fast enough. As soon as Eugene and I stood on the sidewalk, I inhaled a deep gulp of air and released it slowly, doing everything I could not to hyperventilate.

  “Well?” Eugene said. “What was the name?”

  “Um. No one.”

  “But you told them back there that you got what you wanted.”

  “I lied. I couldn’t stand being in there with that roach any longer. I had to get out.”

  I took long strides toward my car, trying to work out the knot of nerves in my stomach. Once inside, I rested my head on the steering wheel for a moment.

  “Are you okay?” Eugene asked.

  I inhaled sharply. “Yes. I’m fine. Absolutely fine.”

  After starting the engine, I sat there for a minute longer, staring at nothing, the whole time wondering why in the world my mother had left a dead bouquet of flowers for Frankie Firewalker and did that indeed mean that Mama had killed the woman?

  Chapter 19

  I simply couldn’t believe it. Mama had left the roses on Frankie’s door. She’d left them, and that meant she had quite possibly killed Frankie.

  My stomach pretzeled. What was I supposed to do? Confront her? Go back and squash the cockroach who’d told me? Tell Thorne?

  No. Don’t tell Thorne. That was rule number one, obviously. So that left me with…ignore it.

  I cringed. That was even worse. But on top of that, Eugene wouldn’t stop talking. The skull had a voice, and it didn’t intend on ever keeping its mouth shut again.

  “And then when Frankie came here, I knew something big was going to happen. If she’d let me have a voice, I could have warned her but I didn’t. There was no way.”

  He paused. “You know, I don’t think that even once did Frankie consider letting me talk. She was very selfish, in case you didn’t notice.”

  He droned on while I considered options. What about Rose? Could I tell her? What would she say? For as kooky as my great-aunt was, she could, on the rare occasion, dole out sage advice. Perhaps that’s what I needed to do.

  I sniffed my armpit. I also needed a shower. I’d been running around in last night’s dress with no shower. Yeah. Back to the house for some cleaning up and then to find Rose and discuss options.

  Best idea ever.

  I arrived home to an empty magical house. I deposited Eugene in the living room and headed upstairs. The hot water felt amazing as it sluiced down my body, hitting all the nooks and crannies that needed freshening.

  The house had a bathrobe and slippers waiting for me when I exited into the steaming bathroom. I’d finished toweling my hair when the doorbell rang.

  I waited to see if anyone would answer, but apparently I was still the only person home. With the last bits of water dripping onto my shoulders, I padded downstairs and opened the front door—in my bathrobe.

  Thorne stood on the other side, fully dressed, while I stood on my side, completely naked except for a silvery robe that I was pretty sure was made of silk.

  This was not a thick terry-cloth robe that hid things. This robe was meant to accentuate, not hide certain physical traits, like when a cool wind blew right down the V at my chest.

  Thorne’s eyes widened in surprise when he saw me, and at the same time I felt completely naked even though technically I wasn’t.

  “Hey,” I said, averting my eyes in shame. I felt like Thorne’s gaze was scraping over every square inch of my body even if it wasn’t.

  “Hey. I just wanted to make sure you got home safely.”

  I lifted my gaze to meet his. “Oh? Peek didn’t tell you that he dropped me off?”

  “He’s been busy.”

  “No surprise there.”

  He scowled. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “It means you could’ve picked a better deputy to take me home than that one.”

  “Peek? He’s great.”

  I shot a quiverful of arrows from my eyes. “He’s not great. At least not to me. Maybe to someone else—another vampire, for instance. But to me he’s horrible. Really terrible. Like an evil wart on your skin that won’t go away.”

  “I’ll remember that,” he said flatly.

  I nodded. “It would probably be best that you do.”

  Thorne nodded.

  We stared at each other. Water from my wet hair dripped onto my shoulders. “Do you want to come in?”

  “No, I shouldn’t. I have a full day.”

  “Yet you’re here.” I studied him, trying to figure out the emotions that crossed his face.

  “Look, I caught you at a bad time.”

  He turned to leave, and I don’t know what made me do it. I don’t know what took possession of my body, but I reached out for him and grabbed his arm.

  “Wait…”

  Thorne’s gaze met mine, and a shock wave fissured all the way to my knees, making them quake. My body trembled. The look of intensity on his face made my heart rate jack way, way up.

  Then, as if we needed no more excuses, as if the pressure that was building up inside both of us finally hit its apex, Thorne moved to me and I reached for him.

  The next thing I knew his fingers slid through my wet hair while I coiled my arms around his neck. Thorne bent down. I tipped my body up, and our lips finally met.

  My nerve endings exploded as if a fireworks display had launched itself in my body. The kiss was like nothing I’d ever experienced before. I’d kissed boys. I’d even kissed men.

  But I’d never kissed a vampire.

  His mouth was warm, and it moved over mine sensually, tugging at my bottom lip. I immediately lost myself in the moment.

  A moan caught in my throat. My entire body throbbed as the kiss deepened. This was the good night kiss I’d wanted. Not some friendly peck on the lips but a real kiss fueled by passion and full of desire.

  Y’all, this kiss was so full of desire I thought I might burst.

  My fingers threaded through his long locks, and boy, were they soft. Thorne must condition his hair pretty often. But there was no time to notice that.

  His hands slid up and down my waist, coming dangerously close to my breasts, but Thorne was a gentleman. He wasn’t someone who would touch things he wasn’t allowed to touch.

  I let him drink from me and I tasted him and it was absolute heaven, worth waiting for. My body sang. Every cell leaped for joy that we were finally experiencing the kiss I’d waited weeks for.

  I don’t know how late it was when we came up for air. All I know is that one moment we were intensely locked together and the next, we were slowly breaking apart.

  It was the saddest moment of my life.

  Then Thorne’s beautiful face loomed over me. He took my hand from his shoulder and kissed the inside of my palm.

  He smiled. Really smiled. Not a smirk and not one of those lip-coiling things he did when he was amused. No, this smile was sincere.

  Butterflies tornadoed in my stomach.

  “So,” I said.

  “So,” he replied. “I see you made it safely home.”

  I laughed. My gaze darted to the floor. “Yep.”

  Wow. Now that we’d kissed, I had no idea what to say. My tongue was all knotted and stuff. Maybe we never should have kissed. Maybe it killed my edge when it came to our conversations.

  “I, uh, have some work to do. People to talk to. Is your mother around?”

&n
bsp; My eyes narrowed. “That’s really why you’re here, isn’t it? To talk to her.”

  His jaw clenched. “No. I came by to see about you. Like I said. The idea of talking to your mother just occurred to me.”

  “We kiss and you think about my mother?”

  “You’re twisting my words.”

  I pulled my hand from his. “I’m not twisting anything. That’s literally what just happened. We kissed—a heck of one, too, I would like to add. Then you start asking about Mama. Literally. I’m not making that up.”

  “I just thought I’d see—”

  “Maybe you should just see about her later.”

  I glared at him. Thorne studied me. “Do you want to keep fighting or would you rather kiss some more?”

  My breath hitched. “Well, um.”

  Was that a trick question? Was he trying to catch me off guard?

  Before I had a chance to think of an appropriate response, Thorne cupped my face and our lips met again. This time it was less passionate, more tender. I felt my heart open and myself soften to him.

  All the pent-up frustration that had balled itself up inside me released, and I sighed into the kiss, letting myself go.

  After a minute or so—I mean, who could count when it came to hunky vampire kisses—Thorne gently released me.

  “I’ll call you later,” he said firmly. “Glad you’re okay.”

  Then before either of us could launch an argument assault-style at each other, Thorne disappeared from the doorway, using his vampire speed to get the heck out of Dodge—or my house, as it were.

  I stood stunned for a moment, staring outside. A moment later Mama appeared in the doorway.

  “Charming, what on earth are you doing standing half-naked for the whole town to see?”

  “Kissing a vampire?”

  She eyed me. “Oh, well. In that case, I approve.” Mama angled her head to peer right and left of the house. “Where’d he go?”

  I waved my hand lightly, feeling a bit woozy from all the kissing. “He disappeared. He may have turned into a bat.”