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Ghost of Himself

Page 16

by Pandora Pine


  “Oh, you’re one of those guys, aren’t you?” Cope narrowed his eyes.

  “One of what guys?” Jude was praying for patience here.

  “Don’t try to act all innocent now.” Cope ran his hand along the dashboard of the muscle car before rubbing his thumb along the tips of his fingers. “Not a grain of dust. This car is your baby. You treat it better than anything, right? You probably kiss it at night before getting out of it.” Cope did just that, tapping the dash. “You’re a good little Martha, aren’t you?” He made kissy noises at the car.

  Jude turned the key in the ignition and pulled out into the street. “Put your seatbelt on.”

  Cope started to laugh. “I’m right, aren’t I?” He tapped the dash again before buckling his seat belt.

  “Stop hitting my car,” Jude half growled.

  “Oh, sorry.” Cope brushed a hand over it lovingly before kissing it.

  “That does it!” Jude pulled the car over. “Get out! If you’re going to treat Betsy like that, you can walk.”

  “What?” Cope felt his mouth drop open. “You were just the one throwing a fit because some maniac is on his way to hunt me down from only fuck knows where and now, you’re ordering me out of the car because I kissed it?”

  Jude’s lips quirked into a quick smile. “Jesus Christ, no!” He checked the mirror before he pulled back out into traffic. “Of course, I’m not one of those assholes who named his car and loves on it like a dumbass.” Jude hadn’t kissed his car in ten years. It was after a narrow escape in Memphis. The car deserved a kiss after that near-miss. He rolled his eyes. “But seriously, don’t slam the door.” He leveled a serious look at Copeland. “Madam Aurora’s shop, right?”

  Cope grinned at Jude. “Who says you don’t have a touch of the sight?”

  “I knew we weren’t only going for ice cream and nachos, so we could sit at home stuffing our faces, waiting for this prick to find you. I know you better than that. I see how hard you’re fighting for this new life, Cope. The last thing you’re going to do is roll over and let this dumb fuck take it from you. Madam Aurora is a friend of ours. She helped Ten and Hunter with some issues in the past. She and her partner at the shop, Callum Churchill, are the best witches in town.”

  “I was reading about Callum. His ten times great-grandmother was a victim of the Salem Witch Trials.” Cope sounded impressed.

  Jude nodded. “Abigail Churchill. Nice lady.”

  Cope’s head swung around like it was on a swivel. “What do you mean nice lady? You met her?”

  Jude nodded. “Some of her spirit sisters were haunting The Black Cat Inn. It’s a newly renovated B&B out on Witch Hill Road. Abigail appeared to us to give us advanced warning that there was trouble brewing.” He grimaced. “No pun intended.”

  “You could see her too?” Cope wore a look that said he was wondering how in hell that was possible.

  “Yeah, she’s very powerful. Callum wrote a book about her.” Jude was enjoying keeping the psychic-witch in suspense like this.

  “Nobody’s Witch. It’s one of the things on my witch list today.” Cope pulled out his phone and started tapping away.

  “Don’t you mean your wish list?” Jude found himself smiling at Cope. He was enjoying spending time with him far more than he should have been.

  “No, sir. I’ve got quite a few items on my witch list. It’s been so long since I’ve practiced that my skills are rusty. I need a bit of a tune-up.”

  “Madam Aurora is going to love meeting you.” Jude parked the car. “Callum will love meeting you more.” He rolled his eyes as he got out of the car. Thankfully Cope couldn’t see that. Jude didn’t even know why he did that. Why did it matter if Callum liked Copeland?

  Jude heard Cope gasp behind him as they walked into the shop. He couldn’t help smiling. Jude had a feeling this would be Copeland’s reaction to the shop. It had been his too the first time he’d walked in here, only for a far different reason.

  “Jude!” Madam Aurora hurried toward them. “You should have called ahead to say you were bringing a celebrity to the shop.” She slapped his arm playfully. “Callum! Get out here!”

  “For the love of the goddess, Aurora, what are you yelling about?” Callum Churchill walked out into the main part of the store. His top lip curled into a sneer. “Oh, it’s you, Byrne. Surely Aurora wasn’t yelling about you.”

  “No, I believe she was yelling about me.” Cope waved. “I’m Copeland Forbes. Jude brought me here today because I’m in need of a little help and I was hoping you two might be the people to come see.”

  Callum’s mouth dropped open. “Aurora, why didn’t you tell me that the most famous thing to come out of New Orleans since Harry Connick Jr. was standing in our store?” Callum took Cope’s arm. “What is it that you’re in need of, Mr. Forbes?”

  “I should have realized I was going to need boots.” Jude rolled his eyes at Aurora.

  The legacy seer chuckled. “If you’re not careful, you might end up leaving my store without the most precious thing you came in here with.” Aurora’s prediction sounded pretty dire.

  Just as the words flew out of her mouth, Callum laughed from somewhere deeper in the store.

  “What can you tell me about him, Aurora.” Jude’s tone was sincere.

  She arched an elegant eyebrow at him. “There must really be something up with you, hot pants, for you to be coming to me.”

  “You knew who Cope was the second you set your eyes on him. Does that mean you also know why he’s been out of the business for the last two years?”

  “Yes, I know what happened with Deacon Boudreaux and that Copeland’s been in hiding for the last few years to keep that little bastard from finishing what he started.”

  “While he was in seclusion, someone else with an axe to grind found him and started attacking him psychically. Cope landed on Ten and Ronan’s doorstep the other night half-dead and begging for my help.”

  Aurora’s demeanor changed as if she were now seeing Jude in an entirely different light. “Well butter my buns and call me a biscuit. Jude, I had no idea you were a healer.”

  Jude was stunned for a moment by the ease with which Aurora seemed to read him. He held his angry accusation back for a moment, thankfully. Aurora wasn’t reading him, she was reading Copeland. “Tricky, Aurora, very tricky.” He managed a smile for the witch.

  “You can’t blame a girl for trying. We’ve all spent months trying to get closer to you, Jude, and it turns out all we needed to do was show up half-dead on Tennyson’s doorstep.” Her bright smile darkened. “If you let your witch prejudice hurt that boy…”

  Her words were like a dagger to Jude’s heart. “You’ve all been telling me to let the anger and hatred toward my father’s killer go, Aurora. Or, at least let my bitterness toward all others who call themselves witches go. I’ve been working on that. Cope is proof that I’ve succeeded. This time yesterday morning he couldn’t walk and now look at him.” Jude turned his attention to Cope who was laughing over something Callum said. The warlock was carrying a shopping basket which was nearly filled to the brim.

  “Are you going to let Callum carry Copeland’s stuff like that?” Aurora teased.

  Jude turned back to Aurora. “I am because I need your help more than I need to prove to Copeland that I’m some kind of He-Man.”

  “You need my help?” She sounded intrigued.

  “Dempsey had his scrying bowl out today. We saw the asshole who’s hurting Cope packing his suitcase in some generic hotel room and pulling it off the bed. Under it was a takeout menu from Cope’s favorite restaurant back in New Orleans.”

  “I assume Dempsey had the proper protection on the bowl so that whoever this person was couldn’t have known you all were peeking in on him.”

  Jude nodded. “Copeland mentioned something about the spell he used being the Fort Knox of protection charms.”

  “I expected no less from him. That news disturbs me more though.” Aurora’s blue eyes dar
kened.

  “He knows all the tricks we have up our sleeves, doesn’t he?” Jude could tell he’d hit the nail on the head from the look on Aurora’s face after the last word left his mouth.

  “Yes. It wouldn’t surprise me if he’d repeated that exact show in every hotel room he’s checked out of since his journey toward Copeland began.”

  “How do I keep him safe? Dempsey’s got wards on the house and a protection spell on Cope so that this bastard can’t try the psychic attacks again, but short of wrapping him in Kevlar, how can I protect him, Aurora?” Jude could feel his heart starting to speed up. It was pounding against his ribcage. It wasn’t like him to feel anxious, but there was a lot riding on her answer.

  Aurora closed her eyes. “This man wants what was never meant to be his. Anger and revenge mix to form a deadly cocktail. He feels justified in his pain that Copeland’s life will pay the debt he feels he’s owed. Two days, Jude. He will arrive in two days.” Her eyes snapped back open.

  They had forty-eight hours to prepare.

  27

  Copeland

  While Cope had been crossing items off his witch list with Callum, he couldn’t help but notice the serious discussion going on between Jude and Madam Aurora. Every now and then, Cope had casually taken his attention away from the chatty warlock to check on the conversation between the two. At one point, Aurora’s eyes were shut, which could have meant Jude was sorely trying her patience. Cope was of the opinion that it meant she was reading something for him.

  The conversation had been long over by the time he’d made his way back to the part of the store they were both standing in. After paying for his purchases, they’d gone to the grocery store. When they’d gotten home, Jude had silently put away their purchases before retreating upstairs.

  Jude had been mum, so far, about the conversation, but that was about to change, if Cope had anything to say about it. He was standing outside Jude’s closed bedroom door. He couldn’t hear anything going on inside the room, not the sound of Jude on the phone with anyone or of the television.

  Before he could chicken out, he raised his hand to knock.

  “Come in,” Jude called.

  Cope opened the door to find Jude sitting in a navy arm chair positioned near the foot of his bed. The entire room was done in shades of blue, making him feel like he was on a deep-sea dive. The rest of the house was tastefully decorated, but this room was a disaster.

  “It’s not a very inviting space, is it?” Jude asked, seeming to read his mind.

  “Let me guess, it’s to encourage lovers to hit the road?”

  Jude nodded.

  Cope fisted his hands on his hips, grimacing at the awful room. “Well, if you meant what you said to Onyx earlier this morning about retiring from competitive fucking, then I’d say this room was due for a makeover.”

  Jude’s eyes bugged out and he started to laugh. “Competitive fucking?”

  “From all the stories I’ve heard, spending the night with you sure as hell sounded like a contact sport to me.” Cope couldn’t help laughing too. Shit, if half the stories Callum told him were to be believed then he sure hoped Jude suited up and got tested regularly.

  “Don’t believe half of what you hear, especially if the stories are coming from the boy-witch. I turned him down way back when and he’s a little bitter about that.”

  Cope had wondered if that had been the case. “Why? He’s handsome enough. If that skinny, pony-tailed look is the sort you go for.”

  “He’s family. At least he is to Ten and Ronan.” Jude sighed, as if he were contemplating telling the rest of the story. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had a family. The last thing I was going to do was let one night with Callum fuck that up. I’m not the settling down type, Cope. I couldn’t give the little witch what he so obviously wants. It wouldn’t have been fair to have let him believe that it was possible even for one night.”

  “Wow, that’s not the answer I was expecting.” Cope hated to admit it, even to himself, but he was expecting Jude to tell him that Callum wasn’t handsome enough or stacked enough to enter the field of competition.

  “What? Were you expecting some kind of shallow asshole answer?”

  “Maybe. Shit, Jude, I’m sorry.” That was as close as Cope was getting to admitting the actual truth.

  “From the stories I’ve heard about you, you’re not exactly a choir boy either. The men I took home with me knew the score. One night only. No return engagements. If they even looked like they might not be okay with that, then I walked away. My right hand and Netflix would be my companion for the night. I never led anyone on and I never once misrepresented myself. I always wore protection and got tested once a month.”

  “I don’t recall asking about your status.” That came out with a bit more queen than Cope had wanted. He felt a bit exposed with the P.I. seeming to read him with ease.

  “I could see the question in your eyes.” Jude smirked at him, his hazel eyes glowing, as if lit from within.

  “You could?” Okay that was just plain bizarre.

  Jude laughed. “Well, maybe on your face would be a more accurate answer. You looked like you were going to sit on the edge of the bed, then you grimaced and stayed on your feet. I assumed you were wondering what kind of petri dish your sainted ass would be sitting on. I washed it before I brought you home with me. It’s clean aside from the nights I slept in it while you were here.”

  Now he felt like an ass. Cope sat on the edge of the bed.

  “What did you come in here to talk about. I can’t imagine it was to interview me about my retirement from competitive fucking.” Jude’s golden eyes twinkled.

  Cope had almost forgotten why he had knocked on Jude’s door in the first place. “Aurora. I saw you talking to her.”

  Jude nodded. “I was going to tell you about that.” The look on his face went from playful to dead serious in a heartbeat.

  “That doesn’t look good.” Cope had a feeling Aurora had been reading something for Jude, probably to do with him.

  “It is, but it isn’t. If that makes sense.” Jude leaned forward, balancing his elbows on his knees.

  Cope shook his head no. He remained silent, knowing Jude was going to explain it to him.

  “I told Aurora about what’s gone on with you since the psychic attacks started up. She’d known your history up until the time you’d gone into hiding, but nothing since. I filled her in on what happened this morning with Dempsey. She thinks that whoever this person is has been a step ahead of us, which we knew, but she went further by saying he’s been putting that little show on at every hotel he’s stopped at so far. We just happened to be watching this time.”

  “Whoever this is assumed we’d be spying on him? I suppose that’s par for the course when the person you’re hunting is a psychic and a witch.” Cope paused. He seemed to be studying Jude. “There’s more.”

  “There is. I said that my only focus right now was keeping you safe and then I asked her if there was anything else she could see about this whole thing.”

  “There was.”

  Jude nodded. “Aurora said this person was after something that was never meant to be his. Anger and revenge form a deadly cocktail and he feels this treatment of you is justified. The last thing she told me is that he’ll be here in two days.”

  Cope nodded. It never crossed his mind to ask Aurora to read him while he’d been in the store. He guessed he knew why now. Jude had done it for him.

  “I’ve been sitting up here for the last hour trying to figure out a way to protect you from this man and aside from going out and buying an arsenal of guns and ammo, I’m at a loss.” Jude looked up at Cope.

  “Not every war can be fought with guns and bullets, Jude. I’m not saying that as some kind of left-wing pacifist. I’m saying it as a witch.” Cope took a second to marshal his thoughts. “This guy could have the power to jam guns with a spell or make the ammo explode in the clip and then what?”

  �
�Then I’m shit out of luck since my Patronus is in the shop.” Jude’s lips curled into a grin.

  Cope started to laugh. “What the hell would your Patronus be?”

  “I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours?” Jude’s fiery eyes were glittering again.

  “That’s easy. Mine would be something ferocious like a white tiger or a panther.”

  “I can see that.” Jude nodded. “I’d hate to go up against you in a fight.”

  “Stop stalling. You promised to tell me.” Not that Cope wasn’t enjoying the playful banter, but he wanted to hear what Jude’s animal would be.

  “Mine would be a narwhal.” Jude blushed.

  “A what?”

  Jude’s lips twisted into a frown. “You know, the whale with the twisted ivory horn. It’s the unicorn of the sea.” Jude held his arm up to demonstrate the horn.

  “Jesus Christ, you’re serious.” Cope bit his lower lip to keep from laughing. Jude would be adorable fighting evil with his horny whale. Not that he was going to risk his life by saying that out loud.

  “I watch way too much Discovery Channel when I’m home alone.” Jude grinned. “But enough about me. You bought out like half of Madam Aurora’s store. Tell me there’s something in the metric ton of bags I helped carry in that is going to help keep you safe or fight this prick when he gets here.”

  “I think there is, I just need some time to go through it.” There was so much stuff that Callum kept piling in his shopping basket that he wasn’t even sure what half of it was.

  “Tell me what you need from me.” Jude’s eyes held only a sincere desire to help.

  “A couple hours of peace and quiet followed by hot wings, nachos, and ice cream.” Cope started to laugh. “Shit, I made it sound like all I think you’re good for is taking care of me.”

  “Hey, that’s what I said I was here for. If you need me to feed you while you work, that’s what I’ll do.”

  “I’ll fill you in with what I learn over dinner.” Cope stood up. “I can’t thank you enough for everything that you’ve done for me, Jude. How can I ever repay you?”

 

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