“You can take that however you want, but just remember I’m a very powerful man, used to getting my way, and I’m not afraid to use whatever means I must to make that happen,” Deacon said, then turned and slowly strolled out of the room.
As soon as he was out of the room, there was a burst of chatter, everyone talking at once. Annabelle raised her hands in the air. “Everyone, calm down,” she said, and silence fell over the room.
Her dad stepped forward then. “I take full responsibility for bringing Deacon into the coven. I let my pride get the better of me, and for that I’m sorry. Thanks to the spell he put on me things are still a little bit fuzzy, but Annabelle and Joslin have everything under control.”
There were mummers from the group, but then one man spoke up. “We’ve been working with them for weeks; they’ve got the situation under control,” he said, then gathered his family close to him. “The best thing we can do is to go back to our lives and wait for them to let us know when they need our help.”
“Is he really using black magic or is it you?” one woman asked from the back of the crowd.
“I have never used black magic; I used a spell to give my husband a piece of my life force because he was mortally wounded, and it was the only way to save him. Deacon used a follower spell on my dad, maintained it for months to get a spot on the council,” Annabelle said. “The investigation will show that I used that spell out of love and nothing more whereas Deacon was only out for his own personal gain.”
There was more murmuring, then the group began to break up. Each person swearing loyalty to Annabelle and her family as they left. Joslin felt like they’d won the first battle, gotten the truth about Deacon out to the people who really needed to hear it. But she knew that they had a long way to go before it was all over; still, knowing that they had more than just their chosen few on their side now, made it that much easier to walk out of the meeting hall that night.
***Jake***
By the time they got back to the house, Jake could tell that everyone was exhausted. Everything was going according to plan, but there was little satisfaction in what they’d accomplished tonight. They’d pushed Deacon to his limit, but he’d backed down at the last minute, kept it together. It would have been much simpler if he’d lost it and struck out at them right then with the council watching; now they’d have to wait for him to make his move.
They headed to the kitchen, everyone silent, lost in their own thoughts. When they’d all sat down at the big table with a cup of coffee in front of them, Jake said, “I want to take Joslin back to the ranch in Fairplay. I think it’s the safest place for her.”
Justin nodded his head. “Annabelle and I agree; we’ll go with you.”
“I don’t know if I like that idea. I think you might be safer here with your family and friends,” William said, a frown on his face.
Joslin reached out and put her hand on her father’s arm. “I know it’s hard for you to trust our safety to someone else, but Jake will protect me; he’ll take care of me.”
“And we need you here; we have no idea what Deacon will do now, but someone has to stay here and keep the people calm,” Jake said.
Her father looked at her, then over at Jake, and then back at her again. “It feels like you’ve grown up and I’ve missed it. You’ve become a young woman, and I didn’t even notice. If you trust Jake, then so do I,” then he looked Jake squarely in the eye. “I’m trusting you with my daughter, young man, and she’s pretty special to me. I expect you to keep her safe and bring her back to me.”
Jake looked at Joslin, and for a second, she was sure that she saw love in his eyes. “I plan to fulfill that expectation, sir. I’ll protect her with my life. But I think you should know that Joslin is perfectly capable of defending herself. I’ve seen that with my own eyes.”
It wasn’t until they were all in the car on the way to the airport that they began to discuss what to do next. Going back to Fairplay had always been the plan, they all knew that it would be much easier to defend themselves there. Not only would they have the shifters who had pledged to help them, but Deacon couldn’t spy on them; a strange face in such a small town wouldn’t go unnoticed.
“What are we going to do now? Go back and sit around and wait for Deacon to show up?” Joslin asked.
“I think we need a way of flushing Deacon out, of forcing him to make a move. As far as I can see it, he only has a few choices. Walk away and let the whole thing go, which we know he won’t do. He could go after one of us, but that might be risky,” Justin said, “He could also go after one of you two, use that as leverage against your father.”
“That’s what I was thinking; in his shoes, that’s what I’d do. Kidnap one or both of you and force William to permanently give up his seat on the council in exchange for your freedom. He can’t use magic against him anymore, Annabelle saw to that, and it might be difficult to kill one of us.”
“There’s no way he’s going to walk away; did you see his eyes, he’s evil,” Annabelle said, shivering “He didn’t use to be like that. I mean he was always ambitious, but this is like a sickness inside him.”
“I think that’s what happens when you mess with black magic; it darkens your soul,” Joslin said, then added, “Corrupts you from the inside out.”
They were all silent, thinking about her words. “Evil or not, we have to stop Deacon,” Annabelle finally said.
“When I’m hunting, I always try to flush my prey out; maybe that’s what we need to do with Deacon. He’s surely hiding right now, licking his wounds and planning his next move. But if we give him a situation that’s too good to resist, he’ll come to us when and where we want him,” Justin said.
“And how do you plan to do that?” Jake asked, not liking the look in his brother’s eyes. “I know that look; you’ve got something stupid in mind.”
“Not stupid, just a little crazy,” Justin said, then launched into his plan.
***Joslin***
“There’s no way in hell I’m going to let you use Joslin as bait,” Jake roared when Justin suggested it.
“Just a second; that’s not up to you,” Joslin said, earning a dirty look from Jake. “Let’s hear what he has to say.”
Justin outlined his plan, which didn’t sound all that bad to her. “I think it might work, and if we get the kind of evidence you think we will, it shouldn’t be difficult to convince the council to banish Deacon,” she said, earning another dirty look from Jake, but he didn’t say a word.
She knew that it was taking everything inside him to let her make the decision on her own; she could see it in his eyes. But he sat silently while she and Justin discussed the details, only speaking up when he had a useful contribution. By the time they got to the airport, they had a concrete plan that would not only trap Deacon but eliminate him from their lives forever.
The first step involved a change of plans for Annabelle and Justin, who purchased two one-way tickets to Europe then bid a tearful farewell to Jake and Joslin. As they walked away from them, Joslin couldn’t help but notice the man who followed them; she’d seen him twice before.
It wasn’t unexpected; they’d known that Deacon would probably have them followed, but it was still a strange feeling to know that someone was watching every step they made. “Do you think he bought it?” Joslin asked when they were finally seated at their gate.
“He’s here with us so I’d say so,” Jake whispered in her ear. “I guarantee you Deacon won’t check any farther than that; he’ll just assume they went away on their honeymoon. Won’t it be a nice surprise when he finds them in Fairplay.” Then unable to help himself, he kissed her neck, making her giggle.
“Jake, stop that,” she said, pushing him away. “There are people everywhere, including our little friend.”
“I’m just staying in character; you know, the husband who can’t keep his hands off his new wife? Want to go find a quiet corner and make out? That would really give our friend a thrill,” he suggested, a
lecherous look on his face.
“Now you’ve lost it,” Joslin said, laughing. “Just sit here and behave yourself; I should get a text from Annabelle in a few minutes letting us know that they got there okay.”
“Has she done the locomotion spell or whatever before?”
“Yeah, but it’s much harder if you bring someone with you, especially someone who isn’t a witch,” Joslin said, a little worried.
But only a second later, her phone made a chirping noise that told her it was her sister. “They made it fine, but the horses are a little spooked. Annabelle says that they’ll send someone to pick us up at the airport,” she reported with a big smile. “I hope it’s Penny.”
Jake groaned. “She’ll want to be in the middle of all this, and she’ll want to be in charge,” he said, “Sometimes I get tired of being the baby in the family.”
“You’re hardly a baby, Jake,” Joslin said, running her hands up and down his chest suggestively, but then she became serious. “You are always telling me that I need to realize just how strong and capable I am; I think sometimes you need to remember that about yourself. You may be the youngest in the family, but that doesn’t mean that you’re not strong and capable. Justin believes in you, and so do I.”
“Now I just have to convince Penny of that,” he said, rolling his eyes.
“That shouldn’t be hard; just be yourself,” Joslin said, then kissed him.
Chapter 18
***Jake***
When the plane landed in Denver, the man who had followed them through the airport got off with them and followed them to baggage claim. He was still behind them when they walked out of the terminal to passenger pickup. He put on a big show of looking for someone, got his phone out several times and checked it. But the entire time his eyes kept straying to Jake and Joslin, who were standing patiently on the sidewalk waiting for their ride.
His parents pulled up a few minutes later, and while they were putting their luggage into the back of the truck, Jake saw the man headed in the direction of the shuttle buses. When he got on one from the car rental company, he knew that they’d be seeing his face in Fairplay before too long.
It took most of the three-hour drive into the mountains for them to catch his parents up on everything that had been happening. “Okay, so I’m caught up with what’s happened so far; what I’d like to know is what you plan to do now,” his mother said. “Annabelle and Justin have been holed up in the big barn all afternoon waiting for you two to get here. Why all the secrecy?”
“We want Deacon to think that they’re in Europe, a little insurance in case we need it,” Jake explained.
“That still doesn’t answer your mother’s question,” his father said, clearly unhappy to be out of the loop.
“We’re almost home; I promise we’ll explain everything when we get there. Justin wants us to wait until everyone is together.”
“Well, everyone is at the ranch waiting for us, so I guess I can wait a little longer,” his mother said, clearly annoyed.
Only a few minutes later they pulled up in front of the ranch house; instead of going inside, they headed straight for the big barn. When they got inside, they found Annabelle and Justin as well as the shifters who’d pledged to stand by them against Deacon. They’d all been chatting quietly when they walked into the barn but as soon as they saw Jake and Joslin, silence fell over the room.
“Good to see that you’ve made it finally. What took so long?” Justin said, then hugged them both.
“In case you’d forgotten, we had to play bait,” Jake said, pushing his brother away playfully.
“And how did that go?”
“Perfectly. Last time I saw our friend, he was headed for an airport shuttle to the car rental place,” Jake said, then asked, “How’s it going here?”
“We’ve got everyone up to speed; I think we’re ready to explain the plan,” Justin said, then raised his voice and said, “If everyone will take a seat, we’ll explain what we need you to do.”
Jake assumed that Justin would do all the explaining, but instead, he turned to Jake and said, “Jake will bring you up to speed and then I’ll answer any questions you might have.”
He was a bit shocked and speechless for a second, but then Joslin squeezed his hand, and he stepped forward. “Since the meeting with the council and our marriage,” he turned and looked at Joslin, “Deacon has gotten desperate. We figure he only has a few options and one of them is to come after one of us.”
There was some murmuring in the room, but Jake held up his hand. “We’ve decided to give him that opportunity, set up a trap for him, one he won’t be able to resist. With your help, we’ll spread the word around town that Joslin and I are going to get away for a few weeks to spend some time up in the high country at the cabin in the high pasture. Deacon won’t be able to resist coming after us; he’ll think we’re all alone up there, that it’s the perfect opportunity to either eliminate me or get control of Joslin.”
There was more murmuring, and raised voices, and he could hear someone say, “Not in my territory.”
Jake picked up on it and ran with it. “That’s exactly why we’ve lured him here; with your help, we have the advantage. We’re hoping that with your help we can push him into a corner, make him use black magic, and then the council of witches will banish him once and for all.”
“But how can we be sure that he’s going to show up here?” one man asked.
“He had us followed home; that’s why Annabelle and Justin will be hiding until we know that Deacon is on his way to us,” Jake explained, then gave them a description of both the men. “He was alone the last time we saw him, but that doesn’t mean he still is. You all know what Deacon looks like, so if by some chance he’s spotted in town, we need to know that.”
Justin had been silent but now spoke up. “We need you all to remember that this is a dangerous man; don’t approach him, don’t try to talk to him. I know it might be hard, but save your strength for protecting Joslin and Jake; this man is out for blood, and he won’t care whose it is.”
By the time they left, Annabelle and Justin safely ensconced in the bedroom in the loft of the barn, Jake felt as confident as he’d ever felt. “We’ve got everything in place; now it’s up to Deacon,” he said as they walked to the ranch house. “Tomorrow we’ll get up early and go to town, start buying supplies for our trip; that ought to get some talk started.”
***Joslin***
Joslin had never been one to turn down new clothes, so when Jake suggested that she might need some new ones, she happily accompanied him into the western wear store in town. When they left an hour later, both weighted down with packages, she was grinning from ear to ear.
“That was fun. Can we do it again?” she asked, stretching up on her tip-toes to give him a kiss.
“I’m not sure that there’s anything left to buy in town. But we do need groceries; that might be fun.”
Joslin pretended to pout. “That’s no fun.”
“But it will keep us alive,” Jake said, bending down to give her kiss.
A few minutes later they got out of the truck in front of the little grocery store. “This is going to be easier than I thought it would be. Deacon must not have checked this guy out very well; he’s making it way too easy for us,” Jake said, looking quickly over his shoulder.
The man who’d been following them got out of his car and headed into the grocery store, sending little glances their way as he went by. Jake grabbed Joslin and kissed her, ignoring the man as he walked by them. “It’s getting harder and harder not to look at him when he walks by like that. Does he really think we haven’t noticed him?”
Joslin fell into step next to Jake. “Deacon isn’t exactly known for his management skills, but that’s good for us.”
After nearly an hour of making a big fuss in the grocery store, they emerged with two full carts of food, and the man. He was trailing behind them, a single bag of groceries in his hand, his phone pressed up
against his ear. They’d made it clear to anyone within hearing distance where they were going, and it was clear that he was sharing the information with Deacon.
That afternoon, they headed for the cabin, their two pack horses loaded down heavily with gear and supplies. It would be a slow trip to the cabin, but Jake wanted it to look as real as possible. And it was good thinking on his part because as they left the ranch, they saw the man parked back in the trees, a set of binoculars up to his eyes.
Now all they had to do was get to the cabin and wait for Deacon to show up. There was no doubt in their minds that he’d be showing up, that he wouldn’t be able to resist the opportunity he’d given them. They’d posted lookouts all over town so that the minute Deacon showed up, they’d know. Then the shifters would all move into position, silently waiting until they were needed.
It took them two days to get to the cabin, and during that time they didn’t hear a word from anyone in Fairplay. Joslin could tell that Jake was beginning to get worried. “What if he uses a locomotion spell like Annabelle and Justin did? He could suddenly appear, and we wouldn’t be ready,” he said, looking around the woods that surrounded the cabin.
“I don’t think he can do that; when you use a spell like that, you have to know where you’re going. You have to be able to visualize the place or have a specific location; he has neither of those, only a vague idea of where we are,” Joslin explained.
Jake nodded his head, “And if he used a spell like you did to find him, all he would be able to see is the cabin and the woods around it.”
“Exactly, that’s why he’ll have to come to us the old-fashioned way,” Joslin said, jumping down from her horse and beginning to unload. “He’s probably not that far behind us; we should get unpacked and get ready. I need to cast a few protection spells; he’ll get through them, but with a warning spell, too we’ll have advance notice when he gets here.”
Fairplay Shifters Boxset Page 23
