by Cassandra
The church grounds were almost empty now and the Aquiel had made it across the street. He picked up speed now that Pastor Norman followed him.
Fortunately for the pastor, the Aquiel could only move at human speed while he possessed a human body. Since the demon was on foot, Pastor Norman knew he couldn’t get too much of a lead on him.
At least he hoped not.
The Aquiel rounded a corner, still whistling that horrible tune to himself. Quite abruptly, he broke into a run.
The man swore under his breath and said a quick prayer afterward. Cursing on a Sunday wasn’t the smartest thing to do, especially while in the presence of a demon.
Evidently hearing the offensive word, the Aquiel grinned at him. “That’s more like it,” the demon called in a mocking voice. He never broke stride as he ran.
Pastor Norman scowled as he gave chase. There was nothing worse than being taunted by a demon on the Sabbath. Nevertheless, his anger began to subside once he noticed where the creature was headed.
The ice cream parlor. But not simply any ice cream parlor. He was going to Betty’s.
Evil and stupid. That’s a combination I can work with, the pastor thought to himself. He kept his expression neutral, however. He didn’t want the demon to know that he approved of the destination.
Betty’s Ice Cream Parlor was blessed and magically protected. A filthy demon like an Aquiel would quickly learn a few hard lessons if he attempted to step into the shop.
Pastor Norman laughed in spite of his irritation. Maybe God had answered his prayers after all. Soon, this Aquiel would no longer be a problem.
The creature stopped in front of the ice cream parlor’s door and favored his pursuer with one final grin. He pushed the door open and stepped in. The doorbell chimed behind him.
“What the?” Pastor Norman came to an abrupt halt. His eyes grew wide. He was unable to believe what he had seen. There was no way the Aquiel should have been able to enter Betty’s Ice Cream Parlor.
No. Way.
Flabbergasted, Pastor Norman approached the shop on shaky legs. He paused immediately outside the door and pinched himself as he wondered if the demon had somehow put a glamor on him. Yes, maybe the demon had impaired his vision. He spun in a circle to check the rest of his surroundings to ensure that he really stood in front of Betty’s Ice Cream Parlor.
He did.
Confused, he pushed the door open and stepped inside the shop. The cool, air-conditioned environment of the ice cream parlor disguised the natural chill the demon had brought along with it.
Unsuspecting customers sat around the tables with their children. They enjoyed their frozen treats, completely oblivious to the fact that a demon was in their midst.
Pastor Norman stared at the back of the Aquiel’s head. He was more puzzled than he had ever been in his life. Muddled with that confusion was anger. He knew there was no chance for him to kill the creature with so many witnesses present.
Judging from the way the Aquiel smiled, the demon was well aware of that.
Chapter Four
“Here we are!” Ethel announced as she parked the car.
Jessica looked up from her phone. She was disappointed that her friends still hadn’t responded to her text, but she slid the device into her pocket. They had stopped in front of a large yet cozy looking home that she had never been to before.
“Come on, then.” Ethel opened her door and hopped out of the car.
Babysitting and old ladies’ knitting circles, she thought irritably. If this is what my life as a witch will be, then maybe I’d better stay a mundane after all.
The old lady pressed the doorbell. She turned and glared at her granddaughter when she saw she was still in the car.
With a sigh, Jessica unfastened her seatbelt and exited the vehicle. She knew she had no choice.
She plodded up the porch steps as the door opened.
“Ethel, you ol’ bat! About time you got here!”
Jessica peered past her grandmother at an old lady whom she recognized. Betty.
“Oh, hush you!” Ethel pushed past her and entered the house. “You know good and well I haven’t missed anything yet.”
Betty turned her gaze to Jessica. “Your grandma likes being fashionably late, that’s all.” She clapped her hands together before she grabbed the girl’s face unexpectedly. “So nice to see you again, darling! We’re always fond of young blood around here. It does old witches good.” She winked and several ladies behind her cackled.
Jessica forced a laugh. She did her best to ignore her burning cheeks. Betty had pinched them so hard it that brought tears to her eyes.
Their hostess extended her arm. “Come on in, honey. Don’t be shy.”
“Thank you.” She followed her grandmother wearily into the house. To her surprise, the old ladies were not sitting in the living room with knitting supplies spread out as far as the eye could see. Like Grandma, they were all dressed rather elegantly. Gone were their old house dresses, wool sweaters, and orthopedic shoes. Instead, they were decked out in dress suits, crisp blazers, and sparkling jewelry. They all looked like they were either on their way to church or off to some fancy dinner party.
Ethel put a hand on Jessica’s shoulder. “The rest of you remember my granddaughter, Jessica, right?”
“Of course, we do.” The little old lady who grinned at her was Sharyl, Jessica thought. Or Sharon. No, Sharyl was right.
Before she knew it, all the women took turns to hug her and pinch her cheeks and nose. Her whole face stung by the time they were done. She vowed to herself that the next time she was faced with the prospect of being around Grandma Ethel’s knitting circle, she would do whatever she could to avoid it. Otherwise, the women would pinch her face until she was as wrinkled as they were.
Ethel glanced around the house. “Late as usual, I see.”
“Aren’t you the one to talk,” Sharyl exclaimed.
Right at that moment, there was a knock on the door.
One of the old women crooned, “Ohh, Ethel, you talked him right up!”
Jessica was a little surprised to see the old ladies all flip their hair and straighten their clothes. A wave of apprehension went through her and she suddenly felt quite certain that this would definitely not be an afternoon of knitting after all.
Sharyl pulled out a tiny hand mirror to apply a fresh coat of lipstick.
What the heck is going on here?
There was another knock on the door, harder this time.
“Hurry up, girls. He’s waiting. Is everyone ready?” Betty gave the room a quick once-over.
It was at that moment that Jessica realized Betty looked considerably younger than she had when she first answered the door. In fact, all the women looked younger.
She stepped closer to her grandma, about to ask whether the women used magic spells to make themselves look younger and if so, why. When she looked at Ethel, however, she gasped instead.
Startled, she almost had to rub her eyes. For a brief moment, she could have sworn Grandma Ethel was her mom.
Like the other ladies, she looked decades younger than usual.
There definitely had to be some kind of magic at play.
“G-Grandma?” she stuttered.
“Shh,” Ethel hissed.
Jessica stared at her, utterly speechless. In return, she could have sworn her grandmother gave her the faintest wink.
When Betty approached the door, several of the women made noises that sounded disturbingly similar to the squeals of schoolgirls staring at Instagram pictures of their favorite teen heartthrobs.
“All right, calm down, girls,” Ethel hissed across the room.
Oh, God, please don’t let this be weird, Jessica thought. She had no idea what to expect. Her mind conjured a variety of images and all of them made her increasingly uncomfortable. She was sure she would never forgive Ethel if this turned out to be some kind of Grandma’s Gone Wild party.
“Ohh, there he is!” a woman screeched.
&
nbsp; Jessica had never heard an older woman make that kind of sound before. She gritted her teeth and honestly felt like she wanted nothing more than to flee the scene and hide from whatever was about to happen.
She heard Betty’s high-pitched voice welcoming the visitor. Two sets of footsteps made their way into the living room where the women waited excitedly. Based on their behavior, she had already gathered that a man was obviously involved. What she hadn’t expected was for him to be young.
The man who walked in beside Betty barely looked older than Chad. He was in his early thirties, perhaps. He was handsome with thick and silky-looking dark hair, a chiseled face, deep brown eyes, and a slender but muscular build.
He was not at all what Jessica had expected. She had fully anticipated a man at least Pastor Norman’s age. Then again, she supposed that was the reason that all the women had magicked themselves into middle age.
“Good afternoon, ladies!” he called in a warm voice. He beamed a million-dollar smile around the room.
The women, swooning, all muttered greetings in response. The young man began to talk to each woman individually and exchange friendly banter and compliments as he worked his way around the room.
“Lovely hat, you have there, Sharyl! Ahh, Susan—it always brightens my day to see you. You know that, right? Gertrude! How’s it going? It’s a pleasure to see you again. And hello there, Miss Mabel. That dress sure brings out your eyes. Come on over here, Joanna. Don’t be shy. Where’s my hug? Tori! Long time, no see. We’re going to have to do something about that now, aren’t we?”
On and on it went, the women obviously entranced by the attention.
“Ahh, Ethel.” A surprisingly intimate tone seeped into his voice. Jessica raised an eyebrow. The radiant smile that eased across the man’s face was very different from the ones he’d given the other ladies. He stretched his arms out slowly.
She glanced sideways at her grandmother. Ethel’s lips were firmly pressed together, but her expression hinted at something Jessica had never seen before and couldn’t place. After a moment’s hesitation, the old lady stepped forward and gave the young man a hug.
One her granddaughter thought might have lasted a beat too long.
“Just look at you.” The man’s eyes roamed over Grandma Ethel from head to toe. “That is a lovely outfit, if I may say so. But then again, you always managed to make me feel underdressed, even when you wore ratty old house clothes.” He laughed.
Ethel waved a hand at him. “Oh, hush up. You ought to know those smooth little lines aren’t enough to butter this old girl up.”
The man laughed again and turned his gaze on Jessica. She was thoroughly surprised to see the way his eyes lit up when they landed on her. He smiled slickly. “My, my, my. What a beauty. I know this lovely young lady simply has to be Jessica. Am I right?”
She nodded and cast a sideways glance at her grandmother. A moment too late, she realized the man had extended a hand to her. She took it, expecting a handshake. He surprised her by kissing the back of her hand instead.
He gazed tenderly at her. “A pleasure to meet you, Jessica. I’m Maximus—or Max for short. I’m—”
Ethel coughed.
“I’m the head of Seventh Coven,” he finished after the interruption.
Jessica squirmed and sensed that something was clearly amiss. Max was a charmer, all right. But there was something about him—something about his mannerisms and the way he spoke—that seemed a little off.
“Oh. Er… Nice to meet you,” she forced herself to say.
He bowed his head. “I only wish we were meeting under better circumstances. Regardless, I’ve heard so many things about you, Jessica. Good things, of course.”
She simply smiled back because she honestly had no idea what else to say.
Jessica became aware that the other ladies now whispered amongst themselves. Once again, she wondered what was going on. Why was Max the guest of honor here?
The man shifted his gaze back to her grandmother. “I assume you know why I’m here?”
Ethel nodded. “Apart from charming every lady you come across, as usual? I believe so.”
Max smirked and once again, a strange feeling came over Jessica. She didn’t know if she was imagining things or not but felt certain some sort of silent exchange passed between him and the old lady.
But how? And why?
“All right. What do you say, Ethel? Will you come back to the coven?” Max asked. He looked expectantly at her.
“I…” Ethel began and then froze. “Will I what?”
He raised an eyebrow and glanced briefly around the room at the other ladies before he turned back to her. “I thought you said you knew why I was here?”
Grandma Ethel glowered. Jessica knew her grandmother, and at that moment, she could feel a tirade coming. And whoever this Max guy was, he seemed far too pleasant to be on the receiving end of something like that.
When the old lady spoke, her voice had a short and clipped tone. “I thought you were here about the trouble we’ve had. Those rogue witches.”
“Rogue witches?” Max exclaimed. He smirked again, clearly amused. “You’re joking, right?” He glanced at the other women.
Ethel placed a hand on her hip. “Does it look like I’m laughing?”
He tilted his head curiously. “Oh, come on, Ethel.” He lowered his voice slightly. “Honestly. You, of all people, can’t handle a few rogue witches? That doesn’t sound like the Ethel Libbons I love!”
Love? Jessica thought. Another uncomfortable squirm went through her belly. This man was less than half her grandmother’s age. He looked younger than her own parents. She no longer wondered why Grandma Ethel had de-aged herself, but she was still uneasy about the whole situation.
Did Max have any idea how old her grandmother was? Did he know how old the rest of these ladies really were beneath the youth-magic?
Her thoughts were brought to a halt when she noticed the way her grandmother had shifted her feet. She took a step to one side to create some distance between herself and her grandma. She knew that Ethel wouldn’t appreciate being spoken to like that by someone Max’s age and didn’t want to be in the line of fire.
To her utter astonishment, Grandma Ethel remained quiet and grew unnaturally still. That suspicious redness that looked an awful lot like blushing had returned to her cheeks.
What in the world was going on?
The old lady cleared her throat, straightened to her full height, and exuded a strong air of dignity. “Maximus, why would you want me back in the coven? What good would that do?”
Jessica knew her grandmother well enough to know that she was blatantly changing the subject. She was retreating to territory she was more comfortable discussing—or arguing about, rather.
“Because, Ethel,” he responded, “demon attacks aren’t only happening here. They’re happening elsewhere. Everywhere. Their reach is growing wider. And with something of this magnitude? There’s simply no other way to put it. We need you.”
A long and heavy silence fell over the room and Jessica was forced to acknowledge once again how well-respected her grandmother obviously was within the witch community. She thought back to the list of “pros” and “cons” she had started on her phone and decided that her grandmother’s name definitely belonged on the side of “pros.” Even if Jessica turned out to be a lousy witch, her relationship to Ethel Libbons was probably enough to garner some respect. On the flip side, she wouldn’t want to bring shame to her grandmother’s powerful name by being a dud of a witch.
Perhaps her relationship to Ethel was really a con in disguise.
“Max, I’m sorry, but I think you’re wasting your breath. You and everyone else know I have no interest in going back to the coven. I’m old and I’ve paid my dues. I simply want to be left in peace. You, of all people, should know that. I have… I have other things to be concerned about. While you and the coven are off doing whatever it is you’re doing, I need to deal with what�
��s going on close to home.”
Another long silence settled over the room.
Jessica shifted on her feet and the motion momentarily caught Max’s eye and snapped him out of whatever thoughts he had. Most likely, he tried and failed to produce a counter-argument. He gave a slight bow. “I understand, Ms. Ethel. But please, know that the offer still stands. If you ever want to come back to the coven, you’ll be received with open arms. You’ll be appreciated. You’ll be needed. Wanted.”
He smiled at Jessica and the other women in the room. “Until next time, ladies.” With that, he spun to the door. “Oh.” He paused to look over his shoulder. “Chad will return soon to help if you’re wondering.”
Chapter Five
The house broke out in a flutter of voices the moment Max stepped out the door. The ladies all spoke at once. Their voices were so shrill and they spoke so quickly that they all blended together. Jessica couldn’t make out a single word they said. She only knew that Grandma Ethel was suspiciously quiet.
She touched the old lady on the shoulder. “Grandma, who was that?”
“Weren’t you listening, girl? He’s the coven leader.” She was conspicuously aware that Ethel hadn’t met her eyes when she answered the question.
“Grandma, come on. You’re hiding something. I know it.” She narrowed her eyes, but Ethel still wouldn’t meet her gaze. “It was like you two knew each other…” Her voice faltered. She was unable to utter the specific word that had surfaced in her mind because it made her want to grimace. Or possibly vomit.
Intimately. They knew each other intimately. That was the word. It was like her grandmother and Max knew each other intimately.
“Oh, they know each other, all right,” Sharyl chimed in and shuffled toward them with a smirk on her face.
Jessica cringed at the suggestive tone in the woman’s voice.
Grandma Ethel spun around and held up her finger warningly as she glared in the other woman’s direction. “Sharyl.”
“Max is her ex-husband.” Sharyl blurted it out before Ethel could stop her. “Her first husband, actually.”
