“I am.” Though I couldn’t explain the circumstances, not when I didn’t understand them myself. “I’m having a strong sense of deja vu, but it’s not limited to a single moment. So far, it’s been the whole day.”
Begonia placed a cool hand against my forehead. “Do you think you’re coming down with something? Maybe you should see the healer.”
I inhaled deeply. Time for the big reveal. As Gareth would be quick to point out, sharing the news in my dream was not the same as sharing it in real life.
“As a matter of fact, I saw the healer this morning,” I said.
Sophie scrutinized me. “What did he say? Is it a head cold? I think something’s going around because Avery was completely congested yesterday. She sounded even whinier than usual.”
“It isn’t because I’m feeling unwell,” I began. “Well, that’s not strictly true. I’ve been throwing up a lot more than normal, but that’s to be expected when you’re expecting.”
It took a few beats for the information to register. Laurel was the first to comprehend. She fixed her thick, darkly lined eyes on me. “You’re having a baby?”
Begonia hopped up and down on the cushion. “Wait, what? You’re having a baby?” she shrieked.
Arms twisted and wrapped around me until I couldn’t see past the tangle of limbs. “Thank you,” came my muffled reply.
Millie pulled back first. “Could the pregnancy have anything to do with your weird head?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “I’m not aware that deja vu is a common symptom.”
“Isn’t pregnancy brain a thing?” Laurel asked. “I’m sure I’ve read something about hormones flooding the system and impacting brain functionality.”
“Now you sound like Sedgwick,” I said. Suddenly everybody and their owl was a pregnancy expert.
Millie shoved the Limpet doll in my face. “Maybe the new High Priestess is sidelining you before you can cause her any trouble. She’s just the type to pull a stunt like that.”
“By making me loopy?” I asked.
“Sure,” Millie said. “It’s a distraction so you can’t focus on toppling her regime. That’s your thing. Toppling.”
“I don’t know that I want to topple anything,” I said.
Millie gave me a pointed look. “See? Her plan is already working.”
“If you want to be the Voice of the Coven,” I said, “you’re going to have to find a way to tolerate her.”
“I don’t have a chance,” Millie said. “She’ll choose someone older, not an academy student.”
“Maybe not,” I replied. “She might decide she wants to mold someone young into the position. Like a mentee.”
Millie wrinkled her nose. “I don’t think I want to be molded by Limpet. Those bangs are reason alone to steer clear of her influence.”
I laughed. “Well, for what it’s worth, I think you’d be great. We all know you have a voice and you’re not afraid to use it.” A quality I admired about Millie, even when it was used against me.
Millie’s face reddened. “Thanks, Emma. That means a lot coming from you.”
“While I’m here,” I said, “I have a research question I thought you all might be able to help me with. I’d like to know more about angel-sorceress hybrids, now that I’ll be spawning one.”
At the mention of research, Laurel lit up like a goth Christmas tree. “The town library has excellent books on hybrids.”
Sophie blinked away tears. “I can’t believe you’re going to have a little Emma or Daniel. This is the best news ever.”
“What if the baby has wings?” Begonia asked. She gasped and clamped a hand over her mouth. “What if it flies away and you can’t catch it?”
“A baby is not a balloon,” I replied. “I’ll figure out what to do when the time comes. I’m sure Gareth will develop a baby preparedness course that everyone will be required to take before being left alone with him or her.”
Sophie held up a hand. “I volunteer to babysit. I’ll do whatever Gareth wants.”
“Okay, let’s be reasonable,” I said. “Gareth will want everyone to wash themselves in bleach and wear a hazmat suit before entering the house.”
“I don’t know what that is,” Sophie said, “but I’ll do it.”
I smiled. “You’re a good friend, Sophie Gale.”
“This baby has the potential to be fascinating,” Laurel said, more to herself.
“Maybe after the infant stage,” I said. “Not sure how fascinating a sleeping and crying baby is otherwise.”
Laurel’s eyes shone with excitement. “But a hybrid like this. Think of the possibilities.”
“You have that evil scientist glint in your eye,” Millie said warily.
“I’m not planning to run experiments,” Laurel huffed. “But this child has the potential to be incredibly powerful. With ancient power like Emma’s and Daniel’s running through the baby’s veins, the possibilities are endless.”
“I think that’s without a doubt,” Begonia said, “even if she only takes after one parent.”
“She?” Millie queried.
“The baby has to be a girl,” Begonia said, “so she can come here and watch movies with us.”
“No boys allowed,” Laurel confirmed with a nod.
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” I said. “Right now, I feel like my life is a hamster wheel and I want to get off. I need to get past this stage before I can give any thought to gender.” Not that I minded either way. I had no preference.
“Is there anything we can get for you?” Begonia asked. “A potion we can make?”
“No, thanks,” I said. “I just hope I wake up tomorrow feeling more like myself. This day has been so odd.”
“Who else knows about the baby?” Sophie asked.
“Not too many, although word is spreading rapidly,” I said. “By sundown, it’ll probably be the whole town. I’m heading over to see Lucy after this. I suspect she’s heard by now, and she’ll be insulted if I don’t tell her directly.” The fairy was one of my closest friends and I didn’t want to disappoint her. I knew how thrilled she’d be for us.
“By sundown, we’ll be in the Spotted Owl, singing our lungs out,” Millie said.
“You’ll still come, won’t you?” Sophie asked. “You might feel better to be out in a social setting.”
I tried to remember whether the Spotted Owl had been in my dream last night. My mind was fuzzy with details until I was in the moment.
“How’d your meeting with Limpet go?” Laurel asked. “I’d like to be included in future meetings. I have definite opinions on the curriculum.”
“She seems open to feedback,” I said. “Although I think the whole purpose of today’s meeting was to take the measure of me, to be honest. Not sure what she managed to learn.”
“I’m not actually upset about the overhaul,” Begonia said. “We know Lady Weatherby was undervaluing us. Who knows what else is wrong with the current program? We’ve been too isolated to know any better.”
“That’s a good attitude,” I said. “I certainly don’t know what other covens are doing, but I know what newcomers might need, so I guess I have that angle covered.” And I still had the Blue Ribbon academy packet to review. That would give me a broader perspective.
“At least she’s interested in listening to a variety of voices,” Laurel said. “It’s a positive step. I expected her to do everything on her own and force the changes on us.”
Millie held up the Limpet doll in front of her face. “Give me time, my pretty,” she said, in a high-pitched impression that sounded nothing at all like the High Priestess. “I shall make my real intentions clear soon enough. World domination.” Millie tacked on an evil laugh for good measure.
Laurel grabbed the doll and chucked it across the room. “I’m beginning to regret our decision to make that.”
“Don’t be hasty,” Millie said. “If she’s causing Emma’s deja vu, it may come in handy yet.”
C
hapter Eleven
As I approached the Mayor’s Mansion, part of me hoped something else would happen—that Lucy wouldn’t be available or she wouldn’t have heard my news. Anything to make me feel like this day was veering back toward normal.
I stepped into her office and held my breath.
“Emma!” Lucy barreled toward me, and my heart sank.
“Let me guess,” I said. “You’ve heard the news.”
Lucy enveloped me in a hug. “I’m as thrilled as if the baby were my own.” She laughed. “But I’m so glad it’s you and not me. I like being petite. I’d prefer to stay that way.” When I didn’t respond, she released me. “You know I’m kidding, right? You won’t lose your figure…I don’t think.” She laughed awkwardly. “No promises. I’m not your fairy godmother, though I wouldn’t mind the title. Hint, hint.”
“To be honest, I haven’t given my figure much thought.” My body certainly wasn’t the priority today. It was my mind.
She examined me. “What’s the matter? This is happy news, right?”
“The happiest,” I replied. That much was true.
“Good, because I’m dying to host the baby shower. You tell Gareth that one is all me.” There was a hard edge to her voice.
“You’ve been doing quick research on human world customs.”
“The moment I heard the news, I got busy,” Lucy said. “There’s this magical place called Pinterest with so many ideas. I became obsessed.”
I laughed. “Don’t fall down that rabbit hole. You’ll have to call in a deputy mayor to take over.”
Lucy reeled back. “Never. This is the best job in the world.” She blew a stray hair out of her eye. “But I do love ogling the themed events on there. You should see the cupcakes.”
“Well, we have plenty of time between now and the birth to plan,” I said.
Lucy flapped her wings. “I’ll have my assistant create a pregnancy calendar for you. Color coded!”
I covered my face with my hand. “I already have Gareth with a plan of attack. I think I have all the color coding I’ll ever need.”
She fluttered around me. “You don’t look a day pregnant. You look fabulous.” She cringed. “That didn’t come out right. Pregnant women are beautiful. You’ll be glowing or glistening or whatever it is they do.”
“Right now I’m kind of freaking out,” I admitted.
Lucy draped an arm around me. “Why? Are you not feeling ready for such a big step? You’ll be a great mom.”
I waved her off. “No, it’s not that.” I took a moment to calm myself. Whatever was happening, I’d work through it. Everything was fine. “I have a lot going on and I think I’m more stressed than I realize.” I told her about my new case.
“Smuggling is a serious crime,” Lucy said. “You must feel a lot of pressure if you think Percy is innocent. He could go away for a long time with a charge like that.”
“That’s true,” I said. Most of my cases here had been for lesser offenses. Not that any of them had been easy for me. I hadn’t been a criminal defense attorney in the human world. In fact, I’d been completely out of my depth in every possible way when I’d arrived in Spellbound. And Percy’s situation was dire; therefore, it was even more imperative that I did the legwork necessary to set him free. My heart pounded just thinking about it. “It could be the weight of responsibility.”
“Whether your client is innocent or guilty, I’d like to know where the angel dust came from,” Lucy said. “I can’t have serious criminal activity happening right under my nose. That’ll make me look ineffective.”
“And Astrid, too,” I added. They were both capable women in positions of authority, which meant there was always someone waiting to criticize and tear them down.
Lucy fluttered over to the oversized window behind her desk and gazed outside. “Angel dust. Does Daniel know? That would have to be unsettling to hear. In a way, we’ve been fortunate to be isolated from the awfulness of the world for such a long time. We tend to forget the horrors that others are capable of.”
I crossed the room to stand next to her. With its manicured green lawn and blossoming trees, the mansion grounds were as picturesque as always. “The world is still a beautiful place, though. I try to remember that, without darkness, there’d be no light.”
Lucy glanced at me with a half smile. “Is your maternal wisdom settling in already? You should at least give birth before you get any wiser.”
I laughed. “I feel better just standing here with you. I have hope for Percy. I’m certainly going to do my best to help him. He’s a decent faun and I don’t want to see him locked up for a crime he didn’t commit.” Not only that, but it would mean that the real smuggler is still out there, operating in Spellbound. Nobody would want that.
“I’d like to be kept abreast of anything you find out,” Lucy said. “I’ll do whatever I can to help. I don’t want some major criminal operating right under my nose, not while I’m the mayor of this town.”
I blew her a kiss. “You’re the best, Lucy.”
She gave me a coy smile. “I really am, aren’t I?”
I finally reached home, trying to drum up the energy to change and head over to the Spotted Owl later. I couldn’t wait for this day to be over, just so I could move on. The world seemed slightly out of focus, like if I squinted hard enough I’d be able to see things more clearly.
“Good afternoon, Emma.” A chill traveled down my spine as Darcy Minor came into view on her magical bicycle.
“Hey, Darcy, I have a strange question,” I said. “We didn’t run into each other here yesterday, did we?”
Darcy hovered at the end of my driveway. “No, why?”
“No reason,” I said. As I opened my mouth to share my big news, I remembered the flicker of envy and sadness in her eyes when Dream Emma told her about the baby. I decided to keep the news to myself. The harpies would hear soon enough. Between the six Minors, they were pretty plugged in to Spellbound gossip.
“Aren’t you going to tell her about the baby?” Gareth asked from his place on the front porch.
I ignored him and remained focused on Darcy. “How’s the innkeeper business?”
Darcy pulled a face. “It would be better if residents would stop dying in inconvenient places.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Did you hear about the elf?”
“Amos Parker?” I queried. “He was up there in years. There was nothing unusual about it.”
“That’s a relief to hear because there’s been all sorts of unusual activity lately,” Darcy said. “I’m about to give up my midnight flights for a while until things settle down.”
“And the entire town thanks you for it,” Gareth said. “The less we see of ugly bird women, the better off we are.”
“What kind of unusual activity?” I asked.
“Lights where there shouldn’t be any,” Darcy said. “Far too much movement for the middle of the night. Grandmother is threatening to make a run with me tonight to scope out the situation. Aunt Phoebe said to let her know if there are hot males so she can join me next time.”
“Maybe it’s a pagan ritual?” I suggested.
Darcy fingered her pearl necklace. “None that I’m aware of this time of year.”
“You should ask”—I nearly said the sheriff, until I recalled Gareth’s comment from my dream. “You should ask Alex Ricci to have the wolves perform a sweep of the area. He’s very nice. I bet he’d do it.”
“That’s an excellent idea,” Darcy replied. “Shifters are ideal for tracking.”
“They are,” Gareth agreed. “I was thinking the same.”
“Alex is the dark-haired, good-looking one, right?” Darcy asked.
I laughed. “You just described half the werewolves in town.”
Darcy looked at me askance. “Then you and I have different definitions of good-looking.”
Okay then. “I should get a move on,” I said. “I’m heading to the Spotted Owl toni
ght for karaoke. You should come. There’s a good chance Alex will be there.” I couldn’t remember from my dream, but shifters tended to congregate at that particular pub.
“I’m not a fan of karaoke,” Darcy said, twisting her pearls in a loop. “I prefer real music.”
“Then don’t ever come to harp therapy,” I warned. “Or you’ll be sorely disappointed.”
Darcy’s bicycle moved forward. “Duly noted,” she said, and sped off toward the Harpy’s Nest.
The moment I entered the Spotted Owl, last night’s dream came flooding back. The place had been packed and Millie had used a spell that drew Marjory Limpet’s attention.
Ugh. Sure enough, the High Priestess was seated in a booth with the heads of the werewolf pack and vampire coven. An upper echelon pow-wow.
“Did we really need to come for karaoke?” Sophie asked. She used me as a shield between the makeshift stage and her.
“Singing isn’t a requirement to be here,” I said. “There are enough eager faces in the crowd.” I even spotted a few sirens, including Alison, Gareth’s former fiancée. She waved when she noticed me.
“I’m not worried about singing,” Sophie said. “I’m worried about the Her Royal Highness Limpet watching me.”
In the booth, Lorenzo Mancini and Lord Gilder seemed to be hanging on Marjory’s every word. What were they discussing and why do it in the pub for all to see? Knowing them, it was some sort of intimidation tactic, but I had no idea what they were up to. I wondered whether Marjory would become a member of the town council the way Lady Weatherby had been. Gods, I hoped not.
“She’s definitely evil,” Millie said. “Nobody wears that much pink and green without malicious intent.”
“I don’t think you can judge her moral compass by her clothes,” Begonia said. “Lady Weatherby always looked elegant, but that didn’t mean anything in the end, did it?”
“And Mayor Knightsbridge was always impeccably dressed,” Sophie added.
Millie held up a finger. “Exactly my point. Evil.” She surveyed the interior. “This place is so busy tonight that it’ll be impossible to get a drink.”
Wands Upon A Time (Spellbound Ever After Paranormal Cozy Mystery Book 3) Page 11
