“I don’t think they’re like that.” I opted for honesty. “They’re not telling us everything, but we’re not telling them everything either. Raven pointed that out, and I really hate that she was right. They’re not lying to cover for nefarious deeds. They’re just trying to protect their family.”
Kade nodded as he rubbed his strong chin. “Okay. What did you learn from them?”
“Their mothers are mostly kitchen witches, which means they pour their magic into food. We’ve been invited for dinner, by the way, and supposedly they’re the best cooks in all the land. I think we should take them up on it.”
The shift threw Kade for a loop. “Seriously? You want to eat dinner with them.”
I shrugged. “They invited, and it seems important to them. It’s not important to us, so I don’t see the problem.”
He sighed. “Fine. We’ll eat dinner with them. They’d better not try to poison us, though.”
“I think you’re missing the point.” I tugged on my limited patience. “They don’t care about us. They’re mildly curious about what we can do, but they’re looking for a killer. They’re no different than we are.”
“They have a great-aunt who wears borderline pornographic leggings and carries a shotgun.”
“And we have a cross-dressing dwarf masquerading as the bearded lady. He carries an ax and beheads creatures great and small. We have a pixie who carries around shrinking dust so she can turn evil humans into voodoo dolls, which she then sells. We have another pixie who can control the weather when she has PMS. We have a lamia running around with a clown who wears leather chaps. Who are we to point fingers?”
Kade inadvertently cringed. “Well, when you put it like that ... .”
I smiled. “They’re a family. That’s the one thing I took away from our conversation. They love each other. They also irritate each other. I have no doubt they would die for each other. They’re very much like us.”
His lips curved as he carefully ordered my hair and leaned forward to give me a soft kiss. “Okay. I get it. I’m being ridiculous. I’m sorry.”
“You’re not being ridiculous,” I countered without hesitation. “You’re being protective, which is your job. They won’t hurt us.”
Kade appeared marginally placated. “You read people well, so I’ll take your word for it.”
“That’s probably best.”
He grinned as he tugged on the waistband of my shorts and pulled me to him. “If you’re cold, I can warm you up.”
Now it was my turn to arch an eyebrow. “I thought you already warmed me up this morning.”
“I did, but ... I don’t feel done.”
“Ah, well, I do prefer a job be finished right.”
“We’re on the same page there.”
IT WAS WELL BEFORE lunch when we emerged from our trailer, and I didn’t miss the wolf whistles Luke lobbed in our direction from the kitchen area as everyone gathered around the table.
“What’s going on?” I asked, instantly alert as I zipped my hoodie. It was warmer, but not so warm that I wanted to embrace the weather without backup. “Has something happened?”
Raven’s expression was derisive. “Why do you assume something is wrong?”
“Because ... well, because you’re all grouped together and it’s not lunchtime yet.”
Raven snorted. “Perhaps you were inside playing reindeer games with your boyfriend for longer than you imagined.”
I refused to let her get to me. “It’s still two hours until lunch.”
“If she can remember the time you’re not doing it right, stud,” Raven said to Kade, who merely rolled his eyes and poured some iced tea from the pitcher on the table. “We’re not gathering for lunch or because something is wrong. We’re gathering to watch.”
“Watch what?” I was beyond confused. “What are we supposed to be watching?”
Raven’s finger straightened as she pointed toward the downtown area. There, in the middle of Main Street, a bus waited as a steady line of passengers disembarked.
“Oh, well, huh.” I straightened as I watched, oddly fascinated by the parade of women flooding the downtown streets. “I knew they were coming today. They look interesting.”
The women were in every shape and size imaginable. Some wore street clothes, others cloaks. Some even boasted conical hats as they tugged their suitcases off the bus.
Kade chuckled as he moved behind me and rested his hands on my shoulders, giving them a light rub as he watched. “That’s an understatement. Look at how they’re dressed. Some of them are actually wearing witch hats, although they look more fashionable than the ones you can get at the Halloween store.”
“I think that’s a deliberate choice,” I noted.
Kade tugged me back against him and pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “Funnily enough, I’m not as nervous about facing off with witches again so soon after the last time after seeing them.”
“These are not the witches you have to worry about,” Raven offered. “These are ... wannabes.” She lifted her nose to the air, making me wonder if she was scenting the tourists from afar. “I don’t sense any real power emanating from them.”
I was dubious. “You can’t scent power from that far away.”
“I can do anything I set my mind to,” Raven challenged.
“You can’t do that.” I was almost certain that was true. “They’re too far away.”
“I have a sense about these things,” Raven persisted.
“You just don’t want to deal with them, so you’re assuming they’re not magical. We don’t know either way what they are.”
Raven wasn’t the type to concede, even if she was wrong. “I’m telling you that they’re completely boring and ordinary. We don’t have to worry about them. The only ones we have to worry about are the Winchesters.”
“And the murderer, right?” I challenged.
Raven let loose a long-suffering sigh. “Well, of course we have to worry about the murderer. That’s the head of security’s job, though. Of course, he’ll need to stop taking hour-long mid-morning naps if he expects to solve that particular case.”
Kade didn’t look ashamed in the least to be called out by Raven. “Why don’t you go back to spanking your yipping clown and not worry about the rest of us?” he suggested, causing me to bite the inside of my cheek.
“Send in the clowns!” Luke sang in a deep voice. “Then send them away again because they’re weird.”
“Oh, your wit astounds me,” Raven drawled, her gaze withering as it landed on Luke. They had something of a tempestuous relationship. Luke was naturally drawn to the people he could irritate most, and Raven didn’t have much of a sense of humor. “You’d better start running now, dog.”
“I’m a wolf,” Luke shot back. “Get it right.”
“What’s the difference?”
“How would you like it if people got you confused with an eel? Although ... you’re slippery enough to actually be an eel. Perhaps you would like that.”
“Listen here ... .”
I stepped between them and held up my hands to urge silence. “Hey, we can’t do this here.” I was deathly serious. “We’re right on the edge of the downtown area,” I reminded them. “People can see what we’re doing, monitor how we’re interacting. There are witches around — real witches — who recognize magic. You can’t fly off the handle here like you usually do.”
“Then you should tell your buddy to take a step back,” Raven suggested.
“Luke, leave Raven alone.” I was serious. “If you want to torture her, wait until our next stop.”
Luke looked put out. “Oh, you’re absolutely no fun.”
“It’s a total bummer, I know, but we need to be careful,” I stressed. “This isn’t a normal job.”
“Poet is right,” Kade said. “Everyone needs to be on their best behavior.”
“Oh, that’s easy for you to say,” Luke shot back. “You have Poet to entertain you. What do I have?�
�
“A tour bus full of people,” I replied, pointing toward town. “Come on. I’ll go down there with you so we can check out the tourists up close and personal. That will entertain you for a bit.” And allow me time to think about our situation, I silently added. My discussion with the Winchesters left me believing one thing with absolute certainty: A killer was on the loose, and there was every chance he or she was nowhere near done.
KADE DECIDED TO STAY behind and monitor things at the fairgrounds, which left me to talk Luke from the ledge. I figured it was a purposeful choice on Kade’s part. Luke often rubbed him the wrong way, and it was best if I handled Luke during these instances.
“Your boyfriend is a putz,” Luke announced as we selected a spot on a bench and watched the tourists giddily make their way through town. “Like a complete and total putz.”
“I happen to like him.”
“You only like him because he’s hot,” Luke argued, a pout in full effect. “That’ll wear off eventually.”
I very much doubted it would. “I like him for more than his looks.”
“Sex stuff doesn’t count. That will wear off, too.”
I slid him a sidelong look. “What’s really bugging you?” I could read Luke better than most, and it was obvious he was struggling. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”
“No. I ... .” He snapped his mouth shut when two girls strolled past. They were young — in their teens — and they seemed giddy as they whispered excitedly and gestured toward store windows.
“Look at that,” one of them squealed. “It’s an actual magic shop.”
“And it’s called Hypnotic,” the other girl giggled. “We should totally go inside.”
I focused my full attention on Luke. He looked morose. It made me wonder if I’d been neglecting him, which was something I desperately tried not to do. Still, Kade had garnered the lion’s share of my attention the past few weeks — for obvious reasons, of course. That didn’t mean Luke deserved to be neglected.
“Kaley Burrows and Lizzy Dobbs,” I announced, causing Luke to snap his head in my direction. “They’re sixteen ... at least I think.” I cocked my head to the side as I tried to pick up on their surface thoughts. It was a game Luke and I used to play when we were not much older than them.
Luke was already with Mystic Caravan when I’d joined. Max picked me up on the streets of Detroit — which was weird, because we were about to return to that area for the first time since that trip — and he was calm and collected, never raising his voice, even though I tried to pick his pocket. He knew right away I was magical, and he offered me a place with the circus.
I didn’t have to say yes. He made that clear. I could’ve gone on my way and continued living on the streets. There was something about him, though, that gave me pause. I was a street-smart kid with nothing to hold on to, and he offered me everything. I never looked back.
My first few weeks with the circus were uncomfortable. I worried I would never make friends. Luke immediately took me under his wing, and we bonded, and the psychic game was one of the first we ever played.
Remembering that, Luke’s lips curved as he watched the teens. “Are they thinking about boys?”
I wrinkled my nose and frowned. “I don’t know. I think they’re so excited to be here that all they can think about is the witch stuff. They’re very scattered.”
“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with having fun.”
“No,” I agreed, linking my fingers and resting them on my stomach as another group of women moved past us. This group was made up of three women, and they looked to be in their early twenties. They also looked to be bored and blasé about everything they saw. They were unhappy with their current environment, which I found interesting.
“What do you have?” Luke asked eagerly, lighting up at my expression.
“Madison Connor, Emily Wilde and Jamie Blake,” I replied, extending my magic as the women walked away from us. “They’re ... not happy with their lot in life.”
Luke rolled his eyes. “Even I could read that, and I don’t have a psychic bone in my body.”
I chuckled, genuinely amused. “They’re true witches,” I explained. “They think they’re the only ones here serious about their craft, and they’re annoyed that they’re not being taken seriously because of their ages.”
“They look as if they’ve smelled something awful,” Luke noted. “I mean ... have you ever seen people that unhappy before?”
I had, but for entirely different reasons. “They’re educated. They’ve read a lot.” The trio was moving too far away for me to continue picking up stray thoughts. “They think the police officer standing in front of the station is really hot.”
Luke cocked an eyebrow. “Terry?”
I shook my head. I picked up a stray vision from Emily’s head and it was obvious who she’d caught sight of. “Landon. He’s standing there, looking very GQ, and now they want to get arrested so he’ll cuff them.”
Luke chuckled. “Do it again. We haven’t played this game in ages.”
My heart rolled at the serious expression on his face. “I’m sorry I haven’t been spending enough time with you. I didn’t mean for it to happen. The cross-country trip came at the absolute worst time and ... and ... .” I wasn’t sure how to finish without agitating him.
“And you’re worried about Kade,” Luke finished, matter-of-fact. “I see it written all over your face when you look at him. But whatever happened between you last night appears to have eased the tension a bit.”
“He’s afraid,” I explained. “The magic frightens him, and he’s terrified he’s going to somehow lose control and hurt me in his sleep. I’m trying to help him through it. I don’t mean to neglect you in the process.”
“I’m a big boy,” he reminded me. “I know how to take care of myself.”
“That doesn’t mean we don’t still take care of each other when it’s necessary. If you need me ... .”
“I’m always going to need you.” Luke flashed a wan smile. “I just feel ... lonely.”
I understood. It was hard on him. He often had trouble connecting with people, and if we were in a rural area there were usually few opportunities for him to meet someone because people were forced to go underground with their homosexuality more often.
“We’ll go out in Detroit,” I promised. “We’ll find someone good for you.”
His smile was fleeting. “We’ll see if you have time.”
I grabbed his wrist and squeezed. “I’ll have time. I promise.”
He heaved a sigh and nodded. “Okay. Let’s go back to the game. I like it.”
I nodded and smiled as two older women – they had to be in their late-sixties or early-seventies – strolled past.
“Shirley Peters and Adele Wood,” I whispered as the women cackled amongst themselves. “They’re just excited to be on an adventure.” I rested my head on Luke’s shoulder and grinned. “They’re wondering if there’s a senior center nearby to find dates.”
“Shut up.” Luke was clearly tickled as he slid his arm around my shoulders. “They’re here to get some loving?”
“Apparently so.”
“I think that’s awesome. We should help them.”
I gave in to his whims without complaint. “I don’t see why that can’t be arranged.”
11
Eleven
The hour with Luke was well spent, and I’d felt better when we returned to the fairgrounds. Once there, I decided to point my assistant Melissa toward my tent to take over prep work — she was a fortune teller, too, but we were working on designing a booth just for her — and she didn’t complain when I dumped the task on her diminutive shoulders. She was still recovering from a rather terrifying incident on the West Coast, one in which she was possessed and used as a weapon, so she remained leery about spending too much time out in the open.
Kade and Luke were busy with their own tasks, so I decided now was the perfect time to take a wal
k in the woods. To my surprise, Raven fell into step with me as I left the safety of the dreamcatcher.
“What are you doing?” I asked, confused.
“The same thing you are.”
“And what am I doing?”
“Making sure there’s nothing dangerous in the woods.”
While I wouldn’t have been so simplistic in my response, she wasn’t wrong. “I just want to make sure,” I said after a moment. “The woods are thick ... and Tillie surprised us that first day by getting close without us sensing her presence.”
“She’s a witch,” Raven reminded me, her eyes keen as they scanned the trees. “She got close without detection because she wanted to.”
“Yes, but it’s our job to make sure that doesn’t happen,” I argued. “We’re supposed to be able to protect ourselves — and those we work with. We would’ve failed if Tillie had decided she wanted to attack.”
“I think you’re in a mood,” Raven countered, her eyes busy as we picked our way through the woods. It was early in the season, but I was guessing Michigan had a warmer spring than normal given how lush things looked.
“I don’t see how telling the truth equates to me being in a mood,” I grumbled, scuffing my shoe against the ground as we continued.
“What truth are you talking about?” Raven’s tone told me she was in the mood for a fight.
“We’re supposed to protect the others.”
“From what? An old lady in a combat helmet and leggings? She wasn’t a threat.”
“She could’ve been.”
“But she wasn’t.” Raven stared at me for a long beat before exhaling heavily and resuming her pace. “If she’d been evil we would’ve felt it.”
“I think you’re giving us more credit than we deserve.”
“And I think you’re looking for a reason to feel sorry for yourself,” Raven shot back. “It’s not your fault that Kade is feeling off his game. Given what happened in Eureka, it’s going to take him some time to find his footing. Don’t you remember the first time you realized you possessed magic?”
Freaky Witches (A Mystic Caravan Mystery Book 7) Page 10
