by Candi Fox
First, she had better call her date from last night. She dialed the number, but it went to voicemail after the second ring. Most likely he sent it to voicemail. Harley left a message saying she was sorry work called her away and she looked forward to hearing from him. Not much else she could do.
Quickly descending the stairs, she headed to the dining room. The large kitchen table was laden with food and would be served family style. The ranch hands always joined them for meals. Harley often helped in the kitchen. She loved to cook.
Aiden was carrying food in. He looked freshly showered as well. If anyone thought his green hair was out of place they didn’t show it.
The ranch hands started arriving and everyone helped carry in the food. Mrs. Reyes had outdone herself today. The table was laden with scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, ham, gravy, several kinds of fruit, steak, biscuits, sweet corn cakes, fried potatoes, and llapingachos. They were mashed potato and cheesecakes. A recipe that had been handed down in the Reyes family for generations.
One thing was certain, Harley was a curvy girl and wasn’t shy around food. Though her figure closely resembled Marilyn Monroe, Harley had always thought she was too curvy.
Her husband David, had referred to her weight often when he was in a foul mood. This did little to help Harley’s self-esteem. Carmella and Hector Reyes had done a lot to bolster Harley’s self-esteem. Latin men liked their women to be curvier than many Americans.
Breakfast was always a happy affair at the ranch, one she would get around to naming eventually. She loved interacting with the men and women who helped her run the ranch.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
A little over an hour later, Harley was headed to the barn. Hector had seen to keeping Aiden busy. He would be spending the day helping with a new load of horses and riding fence line. Magic might keep the fence line clean, but real hands still had to mend it.
Harley headed to Star’s stall. Star was an eight-year-old appaloosa mustang that Harley had rescued a few years ago. It had taken months to gain her trust. Now they were best friends.
Star was a beautiful bay, blanket appaloosa. On her tail and rear, her spots made the shape of an angel with its wings spread out. It was one of Harley’s favorite things to photograph. She had hundreds of photos of the angel.
Harley saw it as a sign that Star and she were meant to be. She also had a beautiful white star on her forehead, which is where she got her name.
She enjoyed a long ride on Star before returning to the house and going to her den. Lunch time came and went. Harley was in the den surrounded by dozens of thick tomes.
Most of them were decades old, some were older than that. She had started collecting them when she was 16. Harley worked all summer to buy her first paranormal book.
Not the modern kind you could find at Amazon or any other store. These were the kinds you spent hours researching online, and going to every used bookstore you could find.
Long before Harley had begun to study witchcraft, she was drawn to all things paranormal. She joined her first coven when she was 18.
Late in the afternoon, she heard a knock on the door. Mrs. Reyes came in carrying a tray.
“You have to eat something. You cannot stay locked in here all day without some nourishment.”
Harley smiled brightly at her. She would be lost without this woman. The tray she left was piled high with food. Slow roasted beef on homemade thick cut white bread, vegetable soup, fruit, and a large slice of apple pie.
Mrs. Reyes had even brought her a large glass of sweet tea with lemon and a small pitcher for refills.
By the time, she took a break the sun had already set. She stood up stretching, trying to get the kink out of her neck.
Heading toward the kitchen with the empty tray she saw that the table had already been cleared. She had missed dinner, good thing Mrs. Reyes had given her extra food for lunch.
Aiden was sitting at the small table in the kitchen talking to Hector.
“You look tired, Aiden.”
He looked up a smile flitting across his face. “It’s been a long time since I put in a long day of physical work.”
“I bet.”
Hector excused himself leaving the two of them alone.
“Did you have a productive day?”
“I spent it working, just not outside.”
“It felt good to be outside. I actually grew up in the country on a small farm.”
“Really? Where at?”
“In Northern Texas. Just my mom and me. My dad took off when I was five.”
“That must have been tough. Did you know you were a jester before the shift?”
He shook his head. “No. The change came over me during the middle of the night. I woke up with this bright green hair and glowing eyes. My mom was so good about it. She had seen the news and didn’t freak out.
“She stood by me when the students in school started picking on me. She went to court with me when I accidentally used my powers on some bullies. I didn’t kill them, but I did injure them.
“My mom was my rock.”
“How old were you when it happened?”
“The court or the shift.”
“The shift.”
“I was 12.”
“You are only 22?”
“Yeah, is that a problem?”
“No, not at all. I just thought you were a few years older.”
He shook his head in agreement. “Most people do. So, you gonna let me stay another night or are you giving me the boot?”
“I guess you can stay another night. Is Luc really worried about Zoe?”
“Luc, now is it? Yes, he is. Zoe is a loose cannon.”
“He insisted I call him Luc. Is that a problem?”
“No, not at all. Tell me more about you. After all, I’m staying in your house. I should know something about you.”
“I’m a hereditary witch. Only, I didn’t know that until the shift. I practiced witchcraft before the shift, only not to the effect that I have now.
“My husband died six years ago, changing my life in more ways than I could ever imagine. His parents helped me pick up the pieces.
“A year later I decided to move back to my hometown and open up a witch agency. I worked with a few agencies in New York, so I knew I liked the work.
“There was nothing in the area. It took about a year for the agency to take off. Now I travel from Dallas to Tulsa on a regular basis working cases.”
“Tell me about your husband? Did you get married young? I mean you only look a couple of years older than I am.”
Harley laughed. She didn’t mean too, but she just couldn’t help herself.
“I’m 35.”
“No way.”
“Yes, way. To answer your first question, I got married when I was in college. I received a scholarship for Columbia University.
“I met David my freshman year. He was an upperclassman, a junior. We dated all through my freshman year and over summer break he asked me to marry him.
“We got married during the summer break between my sophomore and junior year. It was like a fairy tale. My parents were low-middle income farmers from White Horse, Oklahoma.
“He was from a wealthy family. I was scared to death on our first meeting. There were so many snobs at Columbia. I felt like a backwoods hick. I just knew they would hate me. They didn’t. They loved me.”
“It does sound like a fairytale.”
Harley was sure she had heard the bitterness in his voice.
“Seems like you landed on your feet.” He said looking around.
“Most of what David left me is still in escrow and will be for years to come. He hated that I was a witch. From the moment, the shift happened he loathed me.
“His family didn’t believe in divorce or he would have left me that day. Instead, he stayed and made me pay for being born supernatural.
“If it wasn’t for his family helping me out I would have left the marriage penniless. David made sure the
funds would be tied up for years if anything ever happened to him.
“Yes, I was very fortunate to have his family. That money came with a price. A price I paid every day. Most of what you see here is because of my blood, sweat, and tears.
“All of those, I have paid literally.” By the time, Harley finished her voice was shaking in anger. How dare he assume she lived on easy street? Even if she did, who was he to make her feel like she didn’t deserve it?
Harley stood up. “I’m going to bed. I’ll see you in the morning.”
She didn’t wait for a response. She left and headed up to her bedroom. Once there she locked her doors and flounced onto her bed.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Surprisingly enough Harley slept well. She was up early to help Mrs. Reyes with the cooking. It would help take her mind off the last couple of days.
She would need to head into the office today and fill out a report on the college students and the gargoyle. She was surprised that Lieutenant Meyers hadn’t been ringing her phone off the hook.
She would also need to go back to the site and clean up the protective circle she had used. Harley wondered if she should take the jester with her. She was pissed off at Aiden, yet he could prove to be useful if Zoe showed up during clean up time.
Lieutenant Meyers would need to be told some version of the truth. Harley was unsure what that would be. The best thing to do would be to tell him the truth. At least some of the truth. She didn’t want him going all gung ho on Luc and his vampires.
After breakfast, Harley told Aiden she would need to go back to Luc’s property. First, she would need to go into the office.
White Horse was a small town. Population about 750. Harley’s offices were on old Main Street. She had purchased what used to be an old-time grocer and set up headquarters.
Right now, she had three partners, four junior witches, and six other staff members. White Horse had always been known for its acceptance of pagan, poly, and paranormal lifestyles.
It was kind of the “scourge” area. Considering that Oklahoma was the buckle of the Bible belt.
Aiden spent about fifteen minutes wandering around the office building before he came into her office. She was on the phone with Lieutenant Meyers.
“Harley, we received the preliminary reports back on the victims. It doesn’t look like they were killed by the gargoyle.
“The bite and claw marks are not a match for the body we later recovered. By the way, where the hell have you been?”
“I’ve been busy, sorry. I didn’t mean to disappear. I had a little healing to do after my gargoyle encounter.”
“Are you ok?” Harley could hear the concern in his voice.
“Yes, I’m fine now. I plan on going back down to the site today for cleanup. I will do some more research. Can you get the bite and claw measurements for me?”
“Can do. I will have them to you within the hour. Be careful down there. Do you want backup?”
“No, I don’t need any backup. If I think I do, once I get down there, I will make sure and call.”
Aiden caught the tail end of the conversation. “Problems?”
“Nothing I can’t handle. Are you ready to go?”
“Sure. You have a lovely place here. People seem pretty friendly too.”
“I try to hire the best people I can find. I’ve just lucked out that they are also amazing human beings.”
“You surround yourself with goodie goodies?”
“I surround myself with a variety of people. I don’t judge them by what others think. I judge them by my own experience with them.
“Everyone deserves to be known for who they are, not for who someone tells me they are.”
“Interesting. Is that why you allowed me to come with you or were you afraid of Luc?”
“I’m not afraid of Luc. I might have been a bit worried about Zoe. If she came after me, she would have no qualms about hurting anyone close to me.”
“What makes you think you can trust Luc?”
“I don’t. I just knew that Zoe was more the wild card. I don’t know any of you well enough to trust you.”
She heard Aiden laugh. It was the first real laugh she had heard out of him. It was contagious. She couldn’t help but join in.
He was still laughing. “What?”
“That’s the first time I have heard a real laugh out of you.”
“What, that laugh I gave Zoe wasn’t real?”
“Oh, it was real, a real weapon. I think you know what I mean.”
“Yeah, I do.”
The rest of the drive was enjoyable. The banter between the two of them light and easy. She found herself smiling a lot and even enjoying his company.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Harley was surprised to see that her circle was mostly untouched. It looked like anyone that came back had used the doorway she had marked. Finally, some respect from the police department.
She got her bag out and walked to the circle. Aiden followed close behind her. Stopping a few yards from the circle.
“Do you mind staying out here? I need to do a bit more looking around for evidence.”
“Not a problem. I’ll stand here and keep an eye out.”
“Thanks.”
Harley took out the powered potion she had made yesterday and sprinkled it inside the circle. A low fog rolled in unexpectedly to surround the circle.
The fog was particularly heavy in the middle where Harley stood. She relaxed allowing her eyes to go out of focus. She was about to see the last moments of the college student’s life. Or at least she hoped she would be.
The spell was a risky one, and it didn’t always work. The elements had to be just right. They also had to align with certain planetary functions or the spell wouldn’t work. It’s why she just couldn’t go out and use it to solve every crime that happened.
The air shimmered turning from day to night. Suddenly Harley saw the group of college students come out of the woods and toward the clearing. They were laughing and making a lot of noise.
Good thing they were trying to be quiet, she thought. As they drew closer, Harley could see that two of them were carrying bottles of alcohol and one was stumbling. Looks like they were having a lot of fun.
A dark shadow passed over them. Harley would guess they set off Luc’s wards ten to fifteen minutes ago. The ward was possibly on a delay. She made a mental note to ask him later.
One of the girls shrieked and pointed at the gargoyle as it flew overhead. The group ducked and ran back into the trees. She saw one of the young men get on the cell phone. She could hear him calling 911.
The sound of police sirens startled her. It’s not something she expected to hear. Two vehicles pulled up to the area. Several men in uniform got out.
Harley didn’t recognize any of them. Each one was wearing an officer’s cap pulled down low enough she couldn’t really see their faces. They called to the students. After looking around to make sure the gargoyle wasn’t close, the students came out from under the trees.
What happened next made Harley gasp. The uniformed men descended on the group of college students. Feeding off them and then ripping them to shreds.
They left the bodies getting back in their cars. Once they had pulled several yards away, one of them cast a spell to erase their tracks, and they disappeared into the tree line.
Harley hadn’t even noticed the road that led to the clearing through the trees until this morning. She had met the paranormal group farther out and trekked into the trees.
She wondered if one of them had cast a spell to obscure the land so that at first glance, you wouldn’t see the road.
There were bits and pieces of college student scattered around her. Harley had almost ended the spell when she saw the gargoyle fly in. It swooped the bodies several times before landing, smelling the bodies and lapping up the rest of the blood.
Harley had seen enough, she felt a little green around the gills. She ended the spell, a little unsteady
on her feet. She was surprised to find Aiden standing next to her.
She was about to ask him why he was there when he spoke first.
“Are you alright? It was too foggy for me to see you. When you didn’t come out right away and didn’t answer me, I came in here.”
He came up behind Harley and steadied her.
“I, I just need a minute.”
He held on to her in silence. Steadying her, but giving her space.
“Did you see anything?”
“No, I don’t have witch sight like some other paranormals do.”
“Good.”
“Why is it good?”
“Because, if you would have seen anything I would have compromised an ongoing police case. The gargoyle did not kill the college students.”
“Ok, what do we need to do?”
Harley looked at him, she had expected him to be angry. He didn’t look angry. He looked concerned.
“I need to call Lieutenant Meyers and let him know that we need to chat. I’ll probably have to go into headquarters. I can drop you somewhere unless you want to hang in the outer office.”
“Doesn’t sound like much fun. Drop me off at an internet café, and I’ll play video games until you get done.”
“Deal.”
Harley called the Lieutenant and as she suspected he wanted her to come in. He also had the results of the tests on the bite and claw marks. Harley was certain they would fit with what she had seen in the spell vision.
Aiden helped her to the vehicle and then surprisingly offered to drive. She gratefully sank into the passenger seat after giving him directions.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Instead of dropping Aiden off somewhere she let him take the car, telling him she would give him a call when she needed to be picked up. He almost got out of the car, before realizing she needed to get his phone number.
What’s the worst that could happen? She would have to file a stolen vehicle report. She could deal with that. Not that she wanted it to happen. If it did, it did. This was more of a test in Harley’s mind. She had let Aiden into her life; she needed to know if she could trust him, or if she should send him packing.
