Catalpa's Curse

by Terri Reid

  Hazel pushed herself out of her chair and moved to Cat’s other side. “Yeah, me too,” she said. “Although I agree with Cat. You guys are really sweet.”

  “Sweet has nothing to do with it,” Joseph growled. “This is dangerous. Cat could get hurt, she could get killed.”

  Hazel nodded. “But she could also save him,” she replied softly, meeting Joseph’s eyes. “I know how that feels, risking your life for the person you love.”

  Joseph closed his eyes in frustration and shook his head. Finally, he looked at Hazel, begging for understanding. “But it’s not the same,” he tried weakly.

  She chuckled sadly and stepped forward to kiss him tenderly. “Nice try, big guy,” she whispered. Then she turned to Cat. “What can we do to help?”

  “Some of that demon-out salve would be awesome,” she teased, then she hugged her sisters. “I promise that I’ll send out an SOS if anything happens.”

  “Wait a minute,” Henry said, turning and walking towards the stairs. “I just want to grab a few things from my apartment.”

  “What?” all three sisters asked.

  Henry paused half-way down the steps and looked back over his shoulder. “I’m going with you,” he said.

  “I didn’t invite you,” Cat replied.

  Henry smiled and shrugged. “No, I guess you didn’t,” he said, hurrying down the steps and jogging across the yard toward the barn.

  “He’s going anyway, I guess,” Rowan said, biting back a smile.

  Cat turned to Rowan. “You think this is funny, don’t you?” she asked.

  “No,” Rowan sighed. “I think it’s sweet and caring and quite lovely. Isn’t he just…”

  “A pain in the arse,” Cat replied.

  “I’ll get my things once we get into town,” Joseph said. “And I’ll follow you and Henry in your car.”

  “Wait! What?” Cat asked. “When did this turn into a sleepover?”

  Joseph grinned at Cat. “Um, just now.”

  “Should we come too?” Hazel asked.

  Cat shook her head. “No, you two need to be here with Mom,” she insisted. “In case the demon tries again.”

  Rowan nodded. “You’re right,” she said. “But I have to admit that I’ll sleep easier knowing you have reinforcements right there with you.”

  “I have reinforcements,” Cat said with frustration. “Ellis will be there.”

  “Yeah, because we’ve known Ellis for so long,” Hazel inserted. “And he’s not mysterious or anything at all.”

  “Ellis is trustworthy,” Cat said.

  “Have you looked?” Rowan asked.

  “No!” Cat exclaimed. “I would never…”

  “You did for Henry,” Rowan reminded her.

  “Henry was unconscious,” Cat argued.

  Hazel shrugged. “I could hit Ellis over the head with something and knock him out,” she offered. “It wouldn’t hurt…much.”

  “That’s it,” Cat roared in frustration. “I’m leaving now!”

  She pushed past Joseph and hurried down the steps to her car. Henry ran from the barn with a backpack flung over his back. “Great timing,” he called, reaching the passenger side door as she opened the driver’s side.

  She glared at him, and he choked a little. “Right, good,” he muttered. “I’ll just hop on in.”

  She got in, slamming her door, and in a moment, she was pulling down the driveway with Joseph right behind her.

  “I really hope they have a nice time,” Hazel said, trying to keep from laughing. Then she turned to her sister. “So, do you want me to order dessert?”

  Chapter Thirty-three

  Finias pulled the bedroom door closed behind him. Donovan had finally fallen asleep, succumbing to the trauma his body had gone through, and Finias felt it was safe to leave him for a little while. He slipped to the staircase and slowly descended to the first floor. He stopped when he reached the lobby and closed his eyes, allowing his sixth sense to detect the barrier Cat had created in the B&B to hide all the activity on the second floor. He could sense the invisible boundary, moving fluidly between the first and second floors and wrapping itself around the kitchen. He smiled and nodded. “Very well done,” he whispered an inflection of pride in his voice.

  He moved to the kitchen doorway, where he paused to watch Katie pull a pan of brioche out of the oven. He waited until she safely placed it on the counter before he spoke.

  “That looks and smells delicious,” he said.

  Katie jumped, and her hand flew to her chest. “Oh, my goodness,” she exclaimed. “You startled me.”

  “I apologize,” he replied, knowing that normally she would have been able to hear him approach. “I tend to walk very quietly.”

  She took a deep breath and nodded. “I’ll say,” she agreed. “You didn’t even hit the squeaky floor boards in the dining room.” She shook her head dismissively and smiled at him. “What can I do for you?”

  “Well, I was only coming down for a couple of herb tea bags,” he said. “But the wonderful smells coming from the kitchen drew me in.”

  Her smile widened. “Well, that is a part of breakfast,” she replied, pleased with his compliment. “I’m making French toast with brioche.”

  “Well, that truly is a decadent breakfast,” he said. “I can hardly wait until morning.” He nodded his head slightly. “Well, I’m going to just grab those tea bags from the counter in the dining room and get back to my room. Have a nice evening, Katie.”

  “You too, Ellis,” she replied. “And just let me know if there is anything else you need.”

  His smiled back at her. “Thank you,” he said. “You are a very gracious hostess.”

  He turned and walked out of the kitchen, pausing when he was out of sight, to make sure she returned to her cooking. In a few moments, he could hear the clatter of pans on the counter.

  Good, he thought, she doesn’t suspect anything.

  He hurried to the lobby and stopped at the front door. It was an old oak door with leaded glass in the center. Knowing how old the house was, he quickly inspected the door for signs of protection. Closing his eyes, he used his second sight to locate the markings. He smiled and lifted his hand to touch the faded markings that glowed with light around the leaded window. “Someone has tried to sand you from off the surface of the wood,” he said softly. “That’s probably how the demon was able to enter.”

  Pulling a small knife out of his pocket, he reached up and deepened the carved runes around the window and added a few more in inconspicuous spots on the doorframe. He stepped back and closed his eyes once again, viewing them with second sight. The runes glowed brightly with golden-white light. “Better,” he whispered. “Much better.”

  Then he moved to the staircase and sat on the steps, angling his knife to the underside of the banister. With a few quick strokes, he added a few more runes on the underside of the bannister.

  That ought to offer a little more protection, he thought.

  Then, taking the stairs two at a time, he hurried back to the second floor to prepare for the evening ahead of him and his guest. He had a strong feeling that this was going to be a very interesting night.

  Chapter Thirty-four

  “I don’t want you here,” Cat said, her voice clipped as she drove into Whitewater with Henry in the passenger seat.

  Henry shrugged easily and glanced over at her set jaw. “Yeah, I can see that,” he replied.

  She quickly glanced over at him, then returned her focus on the country road ahead of her. “So?” she asked.

  “So,” he replied slowly, dragging the word out. “I’m sorry, but I couldn’t, in good conscience, allow you to go there by yourself.”

  “Allow me?” she asked, her words clipped.

  He sighed. “I didn’t mean it that way,” he quickly apologized. “What I meant is that we are all in an unusual situation, to say the least. We know, because of my ancestor’s grimoire, that we all play a part. Together. So, we need to prot
ect each other, defend each other, and potentially become a nuisance to each other.” He stopped and smiled at her. “Because so much depends on all of us making it through this together.”

  “It’s not because I’m a woman?” she asked, still not thawing.

  He paused for a long moment, rubbing his hand over his chin as he decided how to answer. “Did you come to the hospital to help me after I’d been shot because I was a man?” he asked.

  She quickly glanced over at him again, the surprise registering in her face, and shook her head. “Of course not,” she said.

  “No, you did it because I was in trouble, and you could help,” he replied. “You are one of the most competent people—not women—I know. You have extraordinary abilities, not to mention your raw intelligence. If I were in trouble, you would be one of the first people I’d think to call.”

  She exhaled slowly, and her hands relaxed on the wheel. “Then why did you insist on coming tonight?” she asked, her voice filled with confusion.

  “Because you could be walking into a dangerous situation and I want to be your backup,” he said simply.

  “Ellis will be…” she began.

  “We don’t know Ellis,” he interrupted. “He might be great, but we don’t know that. It’s too great a risk…”

  “To trust me,” Cat finished for him.

  “No,” he replied adamantly. “To take a chance that our intuition is correct. I like the guy. I actually trust the guy. But we’ve been fooled before. Hell, Donovan fooled us today. We are too close, the stakes are too high, and the demon wants to win too badly for us to let pride and insecurities break us up.”

  She glanced over at him again, but this time, there was a flash of humor in her eyes. “No, Henry, why don’t you tell me what you really think,” she teased.

  He chuckled softly. “Perhaps I got a bit carried away just then,” he admitted.

  She shook her head. “No. No, you didn’t,” she replied. “You’re right. I was a little wrapped up in pride and insecurities.” She paused for a moment as a frightening thought came to mind. “Do you think the demon can read our minds?”

  “No, I don’t,” Henry said. “I think he can put thoughts there and make suggestions. But I think rather than reading our minds, he thinks he’s an expert on human nature. He believes he knows what makes us tick.”

  “But you don’t think he’s got us figured out?” she asked.

  Henry shook his head. “No, because he has no concept of love, family, loyalty, and courage,” he said softly. “That’s his weakness. He thinks we have the same motivations he does, power, control, and hate. And that’s why we’re going to win.”

  Cat nodded slowly as she drove past the sign welcoming them to Whitewater. “We have to win,” she whispered. “There’s no other choice.”

  “Exactly,” Henry agreed. “Which is why we’re going to win.”

  She smiled at him. “I like your attitude, professor,” she said.

  “Set up the parameters of the outcome before you start,” he replied. “And you will achieve the requisite goals and consequences.”

  “What?” she asked with a soft chuckle.

  “Have faith, Cat,” he replied. “Just have faith.”

  Chapter Thirty-five

  Agnes poured tea into a delicate bone-china cup and carried it over to the kitchen table where Hazel sat, holding her head in her hands.

  “Here, drink this,” Agnes encouraged. “It will make you feel better.”

  Hazel looked up, her face slightly ashen, and nodded. “Thanks,” she murmured, taking the cup and sipping the tea. “What the heck is wrong with me? I have a cast-iron stomach.”

  “Pregnancy will do that to you,” Agnes replied sympathetically. “Pregnancy and a dozen deep-fried cheese curds.”

  Rowan hurried into the room with a small, dark vial in her hand. “Here this is ginger essential oil,” she said, unscrewing the lid and placing the opened bottle on the table next to Hazel. “Just breathe it in; it should help with nausea.”

  Hazel put down her tea cup and picked up the vial, inhaling slowly, closing her eyes as the pungent aroma filled her sinuses. She exhaled slowly, then inhaled again, and felt the queasiness she’d been experiencing dissipate. With a sigh of relief, she put the vial down and picked up the cup. “Better,” she breathed, taking another sip of the calming tea. “Much better. Thank you.”

  Agnes and Rowan sat down on either side of Hazel, relieved to see the color returning to her cheeks. Hazel took another sip of the tea and then shook her head. “This shouldn’t be happening to me,” she announced.

  “What shouldn’t?” Agnes asked.

  “Sickness,” Hazel replied. “That only happens in normal pregnancies.”

  Rowan put her hand on her sister’s arm. “Um, Hazel, this is a normal pregnancy,” she explained, biting back a smile.

  Hazel shook her head. “No, it’s not,” she argued. “I mean, we didn’t, you know… We didn’t…”

  Rowan nodded. “Right, you didn’t follow the normal biological process of conception, but what you had was more like in vitro fertilization, combined with magic,” she explained. “Even though your body was in flex, for lack of a better term, it was still all there, just particulated.”

  “Like beam me up, Scotty?” Agnes asked.

  Rowan smiled. “Exactly,” she said, then she turned to Hazel. “And those particulates helped us mesh your DNA to Joseph’s, to combat his genetic disease.”

  “And here’s where you get to the part where you and Henry were a little loose with your magic,” Hazel said, placing a hand over the slight swell of her abdomen.

  “Yeah, well, of course, this is the one time in your life where you actually listen to what I told you to do,” Rowan countered. “So, when the spell asked for two to become one so life could be renewed…”

  Hazel nodded. “Yeah, we all know what happened next,” she interrupted. “Surprise!”

  Agnes studied her daughters for a moment and then shook her head. “No, not a surprise,” she finally said. “A fulfillment.”

  “What?” both Hazel and Rowan asked.

  “Remember when we read the letter from the grimoire, and it mentioned the three, but parenthetically added a fourth?” she asked. “That fourth soul, a baby, was meant to be in the circle. That fourth soul is vital to our success.”

  Hazel placed both hands protectively over her belly. “I am not putting this baby at risk,” she stated adamantly. “This child is not a sacrifice.”

  “Of course not,” Agnes replied softly. “This child is a gift, a miracle. But not an accident or a mistake. There is a purpose here that perhaps we don’t understand, but we need to accept.”

  Hazel’s eyes filled with moisture, and she met her mother’s eyes. “I’ve always thought this baby was a miracle,” she said softly. “A part of our destiny.”

  Rowan wiped away a stray tear sliding down her cheek and smiled at her sister. “You can thank me any time now,” she teased.

  Hazel reached over and embraced her sister. “Thank you,” she whispered, her voice tight with emotion.

  Rowan hugged her sister back and waited for a few moments until she could speak. “I will protect your child with my life,” she said softly. “We all will.”

  Hazel leaned back and met her sister’s eyes. “I always knew you would.”

  Chapter Thirty-six

  Cat bit back a chuckle when she saw Ellis’ eyes momentarily widen in surprise when he saw that she had two companions with her as she ascended the stairs to the second floor of the Bed and Breakfast. She had to give him credit, he schooled his features into calm composure quickly and added a smile of greeting.

  “Well, what a surprise,” he said, with just a slight hint of irony.

  Joseph shrugged and grinned. “I bet you’re just thrilled,” he said.

  “The more the merrier,” Finias replied, stepping back into the hallway as they reached the top of the stairs.

  “I
do apologize,” Henry said. “But we insisted that Cat bring us along.” He turned and smiled at her. “Actually, we didn’t give her a choice. We came along.”

  “I hope you don’t mind,” Cat said apologetically. “They were…”

  “Just concerned about you,” Finias finished. “No. I don’t mind at all. There are three bedrooms on the second floor. The third one has a small sitting room and two twin beds.” He looked at Joseph and Henry. “I believe you will be comfortable in that room.”

  “How close is it to the room Cat and Donovan will be in?” Joseph asked.

  Finias smiled. “It’s across the hall from that room and down the hall from my room.”

  “Okay, that works,” Joseph replied. He turned to Henry. “Why don’t you get settled in to our digs while I run to my apartment and pick up a few things.”

  Then, without waiting for Henry to respond, he turned and quietly walked down the stairs and out the front door.

  “Not much on polite, small talk, is he?” Finias asked.

  “He’s pretty much a straight-to-the-point kind of guy,” Cat replied. “How’s Donovan doing?”

  “The last I checked he was sleeping comfortably,” he said. “But that was about fifteen minutes ago. We could all check on him…”

  “If it’s alright with you,” Cat interrupted. “I’d rather just check on him myself. If I need anything, I’ll be sure to let you know.”

  She nodded to both men, then walked past them to the room she’d been in earlier that night.

  “That was rather abrupt,” Henry said.

  Finias nodded as he watched Cat enter the room and close the door behind herself. “Yes, it was,” he agreed slowly. “She won’t do anything…”

  “Stupid?” Henry asked with a wry smile.

  “Well, I was going to say impulsive,” Finias replied.

  Henry shook her head. “No, Cat seems to be the most level-headed of all the sisters,” he said. “And Donovan has hurt her before. She won’t be too eager to trust him.”