“Is that Lorna?” Landon asked after a beat.
I nodded, confused. There was nothing in this area to set on fire. Also, Lorna didn’t appear to be communicating with the birds. Instead, she sat beneath them, staring into nothing.
“What is she doing?” Landon whispered. “Is she gathering those birds to attack?”
That was a good question. “I don’t know.”
“So ... why are they gathering?”
“I have no idea.” I was flummoxed. “I think we should watch her a bit longer.”
“Maybe we should try to talk to her.”
I flicked my eyes to the birds again and shook my head. It wasn’t that I feared them — well, not exactly — but they made me leery. “Let’s just watch for now. We don’t have a reason to question her yet.”
Landon didn’t look convinced, but he acquiesced. “Okay, but if those birds attack I’m going to be really ticked off.”
“Better birds than sharks.”
Eleven
I was lost in a dream. I realized that right away, but my heart still pounded. The landscape I found myself in was stark. It was Hemlock Cove ... only altered.
The downtown was dark, red clouds filling the sky. The street lamps were operating, but they cast an eerie pink glow, bordering on magenta.
“Landon?”
I knew it was futile to call his name. It was my dream. The odds of him being there were slim. I was doomed to disappointment ... and yet I wanted him anyway.
“What are you doing here?” The voice that ruthlessly questioned me didn’t belong to the man who I knew was actually sleeping in bed beside me in the real world. When I swiveled, I found Lorna watching me.
She sat on the same bench I’d seen her on earlier, her expression grave. Behind her, black birds perched on a fence that didn’t exist in real life. All of them watched me with predatory eyes, looking as if they wanted to peck me to death and then tear off strips of my flesh. Of course, that could’ve just been more horror-movie knowledge influencing me.
“What are you doing here?” I shot back, doing my best to appear bold. This Lorna was a figment of my imagination, but I didn’t want to appear meek.
“I asked you first.”
“Yeah, well ... I asked you second.”
There was no amusement in her gaze. “You shouldn’t be here, Bay. You’re separate from what’s going to happen. This doesn’t concern you.”
“What doesn’t concern me?” I was frustrated. “Did you kill Adam?” It was a ridiculous question given the fact that I was caught in a dream, but still I wanted to know.
“No. Did you?”
“Of course not. I tried to save him.”
“I wanted to save him, too. I tried. I ... really tried.” For the first time since she appeared she showed a hint of real emotion. If I had to give a name to what I saw, it was forlornness. She was legitimately sad. “Still, it’s too late to save him now. If you persist in this, you’ll only put yourself at risk. Is that what you want?”
“I never want it. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t occasionally happen.”
“You should stay out of this.”
Another voice joined the fray. “You really should.”
I jolted at the new player and frowned when I saw the three ghosts I’d released earlier in the day standing in the middle of the road. I could see through them. The weird lights made them look evil, but I knew that wasn’t the case.
“I’m sorry for what I did to you.” I meant it. “I didn’t realize I’d summoned you.”
“That hardly matters now,” the brunette said. “What’s in the past is beyond changing. All you can do now is keep your future safe.”
“Do you have any advice on how to do that?”
“Watch the birds.”
“Watch the birds?” That seemed like a silly statement and yet I understood, deep to my bones, what she said. “The birds are the key, aren’t they?”
She nodded. “Yes, but you can’t control them. You can only wait for them to tell you where to look.”
I pursed my lips as I shifted my gaze back to the crows. Suddenly, they and the fence they perched on were closer. “I really wish they wouldn’t look at me that way.”
“They’re not malevolent,” the brunette warned. “They’re animals. They don’t hate. It’s the person who controls them who gives them their purpose.”
I turned back to Lorna. “That’s you, right?”
“Why are you focused on the birds?” she complained. “The birds aren’t important. What’s important is you minding your own business.” There was an edge to her tone, and it was sharp enough that it caused several of the birds to rustle their feathers and caw.
“I’m not trying to hurt you,” I explained to Lorna. “I only want to know the truth. Did you kill Adam?”
“How many times must I answer that question?” Her eyes filled with fire at the moment the crows started moving. They were moving in my direction. “Don’t stick your nose in something you don’t understand. This is none of your concern. You need to stay out of it.”
As the last sentence escaped her mouth, the birds attacked. Instinctively, I covered my head and began to run. Dream logic is a funny thing. Even as I zigged and zagged to escape them, the crows were ahead of me at each turn.
I shrieked — something I was convinced I would never do in real life — and dropped to my knees as I tried to protect my face from the beaks. “Leave me alone!”
THE WORDS LEPT FROM my lips as I bolted to a sitting position on my bed. I couldn’t stop from shaking my head and smacking at my hair to make sure no birds had followed me from the dream.
“Bay, look at me.” Landon was firm as he grabbed my shoulders and forced me to stop freaking out. “You’re okay. It was just a dream.”
His voice was enough to soothe me. When I saw his features, though, I was so relieved I threw my arms around his neck. “I was looking for you.”
“Yeah?” He stroked the back of my hair. “Well, you found me. I’m never very far away.”
That was true. He was always close when I really needed him.
“What did you dream about?” he asked quietly, his voice laced with concern. “Tell me.”
“I ... it was weird.”
“I want to know anyway. Unless it was a sex dream about someone other than me. If that’s the case, keep it to yourself.”
I laughed. “I only have sex dreams about you ... and the dude who plays Thor. Sometimes you’re even in the dream together.”
“That is disturbing.” He readjusted to keep me close and lay back against the pillows. “I still want to hear about the dream.”
I told him, feeling a bit foolish. When I finished, he seemed more confused than I was. “What does that mean?”
“I have no idea.”
“Is Lorna a killer?”
“Don’t know. It’s not as if she was really in my head.”
“No, but you’re intuitive. If you had that dream, there must be a reason.”
I could think of a few. “The birds. It must’ve been the birds.”
“That was not normal bird behavior,” he agreed, his hands moving to the base of my neck so he could rub at the tension there. “I can’t help but think you had this dream for a reason.”
“Maybe it was simply all the ice cream I ate reacting with all the bacon you ate.”
“Maybe. Or maybe it was something more.”
“Like what?” I was genuinely interested in his answer.
“I don’t know, Bay. What I do know, without a shadow of a doubt, is that I love you. I won’t let the birds or anything else get you.”
I smiled in the darkness as I rested my head on his shoulder. “I never had a doubt in my mind that you would.”
WHEN BREAKFAST rolled around I was feeling much better. I showered, changed into capris and a T-shirt, and walked with Landon to the inn. We entered through the back door and found Aunt Tillie in the middle of a screaming match with my m
other.
“You’re not the boss of me!” Aunt Tillie’s hands landed on her hips. “I’m the boss of you. I’m older. There’s a pecking order in this family and I’m at the top.”
“Uh-oh.” Landon grimaced as he regarded my tempestuous great-aunt. She was dressed to impress today, a pair of Wonder Woman leggings offsetting a military coat. She was the queen of clash ... and the purple and green cape only made things worse.
“There is a pecking order in this family,” Mom agreed, her tone brutally pleasant. “I’m on top. You’re somewhere below ... on the same level with Bay, Clove and Thistle. Do you want to know why?”
“Because you’re getting way too big for your britches,” Aunt Tillie replied without hesitation. “That’s why.”
“No, because you often act like a child ... just like them.”
“Hey.” I was offended by the remark. “I’m rubber and you’re glue,” I started.
Mom extended a finger in my direction but kept her eyes on Aunt Tillie. “Don’t add to this madness, Bay. I’m not kidding. I’m not in the mood.”
That was obvious to pretty much everyone. “Why are you even fighting?” I asked after a beat, hoping to smooth things over. “It’s too early for yelling.”
“It’s never too early for yelling,” Aunt Tillie countered, her gaze withering. “Have I taught you nothing?”
“Speaking of people who are in trouble.” Mom turned her eyes to me. “It’s come to my attention that you were with Aunt Tillie when she selected this lovely ensemble. Would you like to explain yourself?”
Oh, well, now I was on the hot seat. I didn’t like that one little bit. “When were we discussing people who were in trouble?”
“That’s a regular conversation when Aunt Tillie is around,” she replied blandly. “Explain about the outfit.”
“How am I supposed to explain that outfit? Besides, I was only with her when she had the cape made. The rest is out of my control.”
Mom didn’t look convinced. “She said you helped her select all of it.”
“And you believe her?” I gestured toward the leggings. “Like I would pair red and yellow with camouflage. Get real.”
Landon, clearly bored with the conversation, craned his neck. “Where is Peg?”
“She’s in the dining room entertaining all the witches,” Mom replied. “She’s a big hit.”
“We’re still getting bacon for breakfast, right?”
Mom rolled her eyes, but nodded. “We are. You know, if bacon ever makes it on the illegal substances list you’ll have to go to rehab.”
“It will be totally worth it.” Landon started toward the kitchen, not letting go of my hand. “Come on, Bay. I want to meet these other witches. Is Hazel the Horrible out there?”
Mom glared. “I see you’ve been getting an earful. I wonder who from.” Her eyes were glittery slits when they landed on me.
“Hey, I just told him why Aunt Tillie disliked her. I didn’t say anything about my personal preferences.”
“That’s true,” Landon noted. “Bay is a good girl.” He squeezed my hand. “Now I want to meet the evil witch.”
Mom made a disgusted sound deep in her throat. “You’ll all be the death of me. Is that what you want?”
“Better you than me,” Aunt Tillie replied, skating around Mom and hurrying to catch up with Landon and me. “I’ll protect you from Hazel, Landon. Stick close to me.”
He winked at her. “Always.”
THE DINING ROOM THRUMMED WHEN we entered. Landon immediately followed the sound of snorting, leaving me to greet women I hadn’t seen in more than a decade.
“Who’s a good girl?” Landon crooned, dropping to the floor.
“You really need to get him a pet,” Aunt Tillie muttered, shaking her head.
“I’ve been thinking about it. What sort of pet doesn’t require a lot of attention and will let Landon pet it for five hours straight?”
“Other than the attention part, you just described yourself.”
I scowled. “You’re bugging me.”
“That’s what I do.”
I pasted a bright smile on my face when I settled next to Chief Terry. He looked overwhelmed by the sheer number of women at the table. He sent me a welcoming smile and then frowned at Landon.
“Can’t you make him stop doing that?”
Landon was making kissing noises for Peg’s benefit.
“Not so far,” I replied ruefully, pouring myself a cup of coffee. “I wish he would kiss me that way; alas, I don’t rate as high as the pig.”
“Don’t be jealous, Bay,” Landon chided. “I have room in my heart for both of you.”
I shook my head and focused on the woman staring at me from the other side of the table. I recognized her, of course. I’d managed to avoid her for the better part of the day yesterday. Apparently my luck wasn’t going to hold. “Hello, Hazel.”
“Bay.” The smile she shot me was full of sunshine. “It’s good to see you. I was beginning to wonder if you were avoiding me.”
“Avoiding you? No. I don’t live in the inn.”
“Oh, no?” Hazel’s eyebrows drew together. “I was under the impression you lived here.”
“I live in the guesthouse on the property, but it’s a decent walk, and we were out late at the festival last night.”
“Yes, I think I saw you.” Her eyes drifted to Landon. “Your friend was dragging you into the kissing booth and you were complaining about bacon in his teeth.”
“That’s a regular occurrence for them,” Aunt Tillie replied as she sat at the head of the table. “Why are you so interested in Bay anyway?”
“I’ll have you know that I’m an interesting person,” I countered.
“She totally is,” Landon offered from his spot on the floor. “She’s the most interesting person I know, isn’t she?” He smiled indulgently at Peg as the pig wiggled her butt. “She’s awesome.”
“I’ve always been interested in Bay,” Hazel replied. “She’s an interesting girl. As for you, Mr. ... I’m sorry, I didn’t get your name.”
“Landon Michaels,” I supplied. “We live together.”
“I figured that out myself,” Hazel noted. “How did the two of you meet?”
Oh, well, that was an interesting story. “Um ... .” I trailed off, uncertain, and found the brunette I’d seen with Masterson the night before eyeing me curiously from the other side of the table. She didn’t look impressed with what she saw.
“I’m an FBI agent,” Landon volunteered. “I met Bay when I was undercover and she was working on an article.” He was purposely vague. “We hit it off and have been together ever since.”
“Not the entire time,” Aunt Tillie muttered, referring to a brief period after Landon learned I was a witch. He said he needed time to think. It was enough to break my heart, but in hindsight he wasn’t gone all that long.
“Thank you for bringing that up,” Landon muttered, his gaze dark. “I don’t think we hear that story nearly enough.”
“There’s a story?” Hazel brightened considerably. “I love stories.”
“It’s not a story for you,” Aunt Tillie chastised. “It’s only a story for me.”
“It shouldn’t be a story for anyone,” Landon groused. He’d apparently lost interest in Peg, because he was sliding into the chair next to me and pouring coffee. “I hate that story.”
I patted his knee under the table. “She’s just trying to irritate you. Let it go.”
“Well, either way, you make a strikingly handsome couple,” Hazel offered. “It’s obvious you’re happy, which is exactly what I always wanted for you. When you were a child, I saw a hint of darkness in you that I wasn’t always comfortable with. You still have the darkness, but you seem to have mastered it.”
Landon frowned as he cupped his hands around his mug of coffee. “Bay isn’t dark.”
“I didn’t mean her hair or anything,” Hazel said with a laugh.
“And darkness isn’
t always bad,” the brunette added with an annoying chortle. “Oh, I’m Evie, by the way. Actually Evanora, but I go by Evie.”
I frowned. “Like after the witch in The Wizard of Oz?”
She nodded. “Exactly!”
“Was your mother a fan?”
“Oh, no. I chose the name myself. My old name was boring. This one fits me better. As for darkness, like I said, it’s not always bad.”
“And I really didn’t mean anything bad by it,” Hazel stressed.
“I know what you meant and she isn’t dark.” Landon was firm. “Everything inside of her is goodness and light.”
“Except for when she’s crabby in the morning,” Aunt Tillie added, causing Landon to nod.
“Except then,” he agreed. “Once she’s had her morning dose of coffee, she’s fine.”
Hazel was clearly taken aback by his vehemence. “I wasn’t trying to upset you. You mustn’t think that. I just ... Bay was always an interesting child. She had a lot of power, but didn’t use it. She spent all her time running around with her cousins rather than studying.”
“And now she spends all of her time running around with this one.” Aunt Tillie jerked her thumb in Landon’s direction. “Bay isn’t interested in studying. Never has been.”
I wanted to argue the point. The problem was, it was true. Aunt Tillie tried to give us magical lessons as kids. She insisted it was crucial. We always bowed out because we had more important things to do ... and Aunt Tillie was often tyrannical when it came to serving as a tutor. Now, given what I’d done to the ghosts, I couldn’t help wondering if that was a mistake.
As if reading my mind, Landon leaned closer. “You’re perfect the way you are. Don’t listen to either of them.”
He was so earnest I couldn’t stop myself from smiling. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome ... and it’s true.”
“Knock that off,” Aunt Tillie warned, jabbing at us with a crooked finger. “You have sex in your eyes and I don’t like seeing it when I’m about to have breakfast. Stop being gross.”
Wicked Witches of the Midwest Mystery Box Set Page 69
