Wicked Witches of the Midwest Mystery Box Set

by Amanda M. Lee

  “Because you’re addicted to me,” I replied, my eyes never leaving Clove. She looked a nervous wreck.

  “I am addicted to you,” Landon confirmed, grinning. “That was a really good answer.”

  “Yeah, yeah. We’ll play your special bacon game later. Right now, I want to focus on this.”

  “I’ll make you sizzle with desire,” he whispered, using his most seductive voice.

  Honestly, my nerves were so heightened that it didn’t do a thing for me. “Sure. I’ll roll around and pretend I’m sizzling. Whatever you want.”

  Landon’s smile slipped. “You’re not playing the game right.”

  “That’s because this isn’t a game.” I lost my temper and glared at him. “This is my cousin, who is pregnant and afraid. She’s been called out in front of everyone, and it’s not okay.”

  Landon’s expression was hard to read as he looked me up and down. “Are Clove’s nerves making you act crazy again? I mean ... I get it. For some reason, her pregnancy is causing her emotions to fly out of control. That’s normal. What I don’t get is how she’s influencing you and Thistle.”

  Well, if I didn’t want to strangle him before ... . Slowly, deliberately, I tracked my gaze to Aunt Tillie. The look on her face was a mixture of triumph and annoyance.

  “I knew it!” She jabbed a finger in my direction. “I knew you were holding something else back.”

  Landon’s expression fell. “Oh, crap. I thought all the secrets were out in the open.”

  “Not quite.” I pressed the heel of my hand to my forehead and applied as much pressure as possible to ward off the oncoming headache. There had to be a way to shut this down ... or maybe that was just wishful thinking. “Aunt Tillie, we have everything under control. This isn’t a big deal.”

  “No big deal! Your cousin is controlling your mind.”

  “Not our minds,” I shot back. “She’s controlling our emotions. There’s a big difference.”

  “In what world?”

  “In this one.” I was determined to hold it together even though I could sense several interested parties turning their attention from the ritual to our argument. “We need to delay this until later. I need to focus on Clove. She’s afraid.”

  Sympathy pooled off Landon as he rested his hand on my shoulder. Instead of being amused this time, he was grim. “If you want me to collect her, I will.”

  “I ... .”

  “Collect her,” Aunt Tillie ordered. “While you’re up there, flash your badge and scream ‘witch’ a couple of times for good measure. That should go over swimmingly.”

  Landon glared. “You make me so tired.”

  “Right back at you.”

  I ran my tongue over my lips and debated my options. “Let’s just wait it out. She might not do anything.”

  “What do you think she’s going to do?” Landon asked.

  “I don’t ... .” I really had no idea. It was Clove’s fear fueling me. I hadn’t considered it at the start — I was still getting used to our new reality — but once Landon suggested it, I realized that’s what we were dealing with. The knowledge didn’t put me at ease.

  “I don’t know. I just want to watch.”

  “Okay.” He moved his hand to the back of my neck and rubbed. “She’ll be okay.”

  My mind recognized that was true. Hazel would have to be an idiot to hurt Clove in the middle of such a huge group ... and with Aunt Tillie ready to strike out at her. Clove’s emotions were a minefield, though, and she couldn’t control them. That meant I couldn’t control them either. “I’m sure it will be fine.”

  Concern etched lines in Landon’s face but he didn’t say anything because Hazel was speaking again.

  “Our lives revolve around various things, including resurgence,” she offered. “We find our power in the rolling fields ... and the twinkling stars ... and the intertwining roots of our past and present. We are more than one thing. We are many things ... and yet the source of our power comes down to the same thing: love.”

  At the last word, her expression softened and she dropped to her knees in front of Clove.

  “The Winchesters will welcome a new life soon,” she explained, her hands going to either side of Clove’s belly.

  “Oh, well, I don’t like that.” Aunt Tillie moved to storm across the clearing, but Landon snagged her by the back of the cape before she could get away from us.

  “You stay here.” He tugged her until she was settled in at his right, making sure he could grab her again should she decide to make a scene. “I want to see what happens ... and I don’t want you making things worse.”

  Aunt Tillie made a protesting sound with her tongue. “I don’t make things worse. Not ever.”

  “Yeah, right.”

  I tuned out their banter and focused on Clove, who was unnaturally pale. I could see her hands shaking from here.

  “This baby is the future of the Winchester clan,” Hazel intoned. “The pecking order of the family will change. This baby will be the first of the new breed, the alpha.”

  Something niggled in the back of my brain and I frowned. “I didn’t think about that,” I muttered.

  Landon was obviously curious. “What?”

  “Clove’s baby will be the new leader.”

  Landon frowned. “Why? Because she’s the first one having a baby?”

  “Yes.”

  “Isn’t that assuming the three of you have only one baby each? What happens if you have three babies, Clove has three babies and Thistle has three babies? Will that mean three different circles?”

  That was also something I hadn’t thought about. “I don’t know that I want three babies.”

  “We had three babies in the future.”

  “Yes, but that wasn’t the real future.” I scorched Aunt Tillie with a dark look. “I blame you for this. He’s obsessed with those kids we saw in the future, and even though I’ve told him they’re not real he won’t listen.”

  “Who says they’re not real?” Aunt Tillie challenged.

  “Common sense. There’s no way I would ever name a kid Sumac. It’s simply not going to happen.”

  “The names might not be real, but that doesn’t mean the kids won’t be.”

  “Ugh.” I pinched the bridge of my nose. “I can’t even ... .”

  “I like the name Sage,” Landon offered. “I think it’s cute. Sage Michaels.”

  “Sage Winchester,” Aunt Tillie corrected. “I don’t know why you people insist on trying to change tradition.”

  “Oh, it’s going to happen.” Landon was firm. “Do you want to know why? I’ll tell you.”

  I shut out what he was saying. I couldn’t focus on it. Instead, I lifted my eyes to the sky as the telltale sound of birds assailed my ears. It was dark enough that I couldn’t see them ... but I recognized they were coming.

  “We need to get inside,” I murmured, my full attention on the screeching as it started drowning out the rest of the conversation. They were growing closer at a fantastic rate. “We need to get inside right now.”

  “What?” Landon looked confused as he turned his eyes to me. “I’m arguing with Aunt Tillie. I’ll get to you in a moment.”

  “Whatever. Take your argument inside.” I gave them a solid push.

  “What are you freaking out about?” Landon demanded.

  “Can’t you hear it?” I jabbed my finger toward the sky. “The birds are coming.”

  All the annoyance drained from Landon’s face as he abandoned his argument with Aunt Tillie. “Get inside,” he ordered, moving to grab me. “I’ll get everyone else out of here. You need to run.”

  “I’m not going anywhere without Clove.” I was firm as I stormed toward my cousin.

  Hazel’s expression was full of befuddlement as she turned to look at me. “What’s going on, Bay? Nothing bad is happening here. I hope you know that.”

  I ignored her and grabbed Clove’s arm. “Things are about to get very bad here. In fact ... .” Bef
ore I could lay out the problem, someone started screaming.

  “Harbingers! We’re under attack!”

  I had no idea who uttered the words but it didn’t matter. They were enough to send the gathered witches screaming ... and running.

  On impulse, I closed the distance to Clove and covered her to protect from what was about to come. Thanks to the panicking women, there was no way we would be able to take cover before the birds reached us.

  Thistle, clearly having the same idea, appeared on the other side of Clove. “We need to throw up a shield spell,” she said grimly. “We haven’t done that since that time we were kids and Aunt Tillie kept launching water balloons at us. This is a little direr.”

  She wasn’t wrong. “I ... .” When I lifted my head I found Landon joining us. “Get inside,” I ordered. “You won’t be a target as long as you’re away from us.”

  “Shut up, Bay.” He was firm. “We’re doing this together. You can’t get rid of me, so don’t even try.”

  “What are we going to do?” Tears filled Clove’s eyes, making my throat ache.

  “We’re going to ... .” I wasn’t sure at first, my mind a blank. Then I had an idea … and I was absolutely certain what we should do. “Hold on.” I closed my eyes and extended my magic, the voice in my head bellowing in a deafening tone.

  The birds arrived at the same moment as the ghosts I called. The undead spirits shimmered an unnatural color, almost green, and formed a circle around us. I didn’t recognize any of the faces, but it didn’t matter. This time I called to the freshly dead on purpose. They were to act as a shield and I would release them the moment I could. As far as I could tell, that was our only option.

  Aunt Tillie beamed when she glanced around the circle, pushing between Thistle and Clove so she could add her magic to the mix. “This is awesome.”

  “What is that?” Landon’s mouth opened as he glanced around, his eyes wide. “Are those ... ?” He didn’t finish the question. Apparently he couldn’t.

  “You can see them?”

  He nodded, his hand moving to grip mine. “What are they doing?”

  “Protecting us.”

  “Will it work?”

  “We’re about to find out.”

  He moved his arm over my head as the birds zeroed in on us. I heard the other witches screaming as they fled. I had no idea if they were under physical attack or simply freaking out. There was nothing I could do for them, so I focused on the problem at hand.

  “Stay close,” I instructed. “This could get hairy. I ... .”

  The birds struck the ghosts and drowned out the rest of what I was going to say. Even though I was convinced I’d done everything I could, there was a chance they could fly through the ethereal circle. Instead they bounced off the ghosts, as if repelled by some unseen wall. As they pinged back, the birds spiraled out of the square and back toward the sky.

  “How is that happening?” Aunt Tillie asked, obviously confused.

  “One guess,” Thistle said grimly, inclining her chin toward the space behind us.

  There, our mothers stood in a line, their hands clasped. They chanted at the birds as they attacked, never once ducking or moving to protect themselves.

  “We need to pool our magic,” Aunt Tillie ordered. “We can take them all down if we work together.”

  That made sense, but I wasn’t sure we could carry it out. “Let’s do this. I’m sick to death of these birds.”

  “We all are,” Landon agreed, his eyes still on the ghosts. He looked absolutely entranced. “This is amazing, Bay.”

  “No, what’s amazing is what is still to come. Hold it together. This is going to be loud and bright.”

  “I’m with you.” He moved his eyes to me. “Forever. Do your thing. I’ll be right here.”

  And, because he was, I managed to tamp down my anxiety and release enough magic to cause a small explosion of feathers. It was going to work. It had to.

  Twenty-Two

  The magic of five witches — and one determined FBI agent — turned out to be the stuff of legends. When funneled through Aunt Tillie, who was apparently not a big bird fan, the energy we created was enough that the ghosts went on a tear and started shredding through the birds. We didn’t kill them, mind you, but despite being controlled by another, the birds still cared more about self-preservation than they did attacking us.

  Once we finished and the birds had fled, Landon made a big show of wiping his brow. “Whew. That was something, huh?”

  Mom shot him a fond look. “It was,” she agreed. “It was definitely something.”

  I rubbed my forehead and wondered if I would end up with a magic hangover before remembering Clove. When I turned my attention to her, she looked fine, serene even. “Are you okay?”

  She nodded without hesitation. “I am. I knew the second we all joined together that those birds were toast.”

  I smiled because I could feel the confidence coursing through her. Apparently this empathic thing she had going for her covered more than just negative emotions. “We’re pretty tough,” I agreed, blowing out a sigh.

  “I think we’re the only tough ones,” Thistle noted, her gaze dark as it moved around the now empty town square. “Everyone else scattered, leaving us to clean up the mess.”

  “What did you expect?” Aunt Tillie challenged. “I know you all look at Hazel as if she’s some wonderful witch, but she’s a big nothing. She wants to be queen, but everybody knows I’m the queen.”

  “You’re not the one who controlled the ghosts,” Landon pointed out. “That was Bay. I think she’s queen for the day, especially since the ghosts scared off the birds.”

  Speaking of that ... . I glanced around to make sure none of the ghosts remained. I’d freed them the moment the birds dispersed because I didn’t want them to undergo even one extra moment of emotional torture. It looked as if they’d all scattered the moment I released them.

  “I aimed the spell,” Aunt Tillie argued.

  “Bay supplied the power.” Landon refused to back down. “She gets to be the queen today. My big, bacon-y queen.”

  I shook my head. I could practically see the image dancing through his mind, and it was filthy. “Yes, I’m the queen. It doesn’t really matter who controlled the spell. What matters is that we’re okay ... and these birds are getting out of control.”

  “It’s Lorna.” Aunt Tillie was certain. “We need to take her out.”

  I balked. “We can’t take her out without proof.”

  “What more proof do you need? Her mother was a dark witch. People around her keep dying. Let’s smite her and call it a day. The wedding is tomorrow. We need to get this out of the way before Clove walks down the aisle. It’s happening during the sunset solstice ceremony for a reason. We’re only going to get one shot at making the ritual perfect.”

  At my core, I understood that, but I wasn’t going to sacrifice Lorna just because Aunt Tillie had a hankering. That’s not the way I operated. “We’ll have time to figure it out in the morning. As for tonight, I think we’d all do better with a good night’s sleep.”

  “I agree.” Mom bobbed her head, her expression leaving little room for debate. “We’ll regroup in the morning.”

  “That sounds like a plan.” Thistle turned her gaze toward the end of town where the converted barn she shared with Marcus was located. “I’m heading home. I’ll talk to you guys tomorrow.” She made to start out, but Clove cleared her throat. “What?”

  “You’re not spending the night at your place. You’re spending it at the Dandridge with me. It’s already been decided.”

  I stilled. Uh-oh. “Wait ... .”

  “Oh, yes.” Clove was adamant as she nodded emphatically. “You, too. You both agreed to spend the night before my wedding with me. We’re going to make chocolate martinis and reminisce ... and talk about the future. I can’t have any alcohol, but I can still watch you two get tipsy.”

  Landon slanted his eyes toward me. “You’re sp
ending the night with Clove?”

  I’d forgotten about it. It didn’t seem like such a hardship when she first raised the idea. Now, though ... . “I’m sorry.” I couldn’t back out. It wouldn’t be fair to Clove. She asked very little of us. “I know we had plans, but I promised.”

  “No, no, no.” Landon’s handsome face twisted into an exaggerated pout. “You promised me bacon games.”

  “I know, but ... I promised Clove first.”

  “Ugh!” Landon glared at Clove. “How does Sam feel about having to share in a sleepover? I’m sure he would prefer Thistle and Bay spend the night in their respective beds.”

  Clove was having none of it. “He’s booked at the Dragonfly,” she said, referring to the inn our fathers owned. “This has been planned for weeks. We’re not supposed to spend the night together before the wedding. It’s bad luck.”

  “We were just attacked by a flock of angry birds,” Landon pointed out. “I think that’s our bad luck for the night.”

  “I don’t care.” Clove folded her arms over her chest. “I want to spend the night with Bay and Thistle like we used to. This will be our last chance to ... do anything that doesn’t involve toting around a baby. I’m going to be left out after that.”

  My heart went out to her. In truth, no matter how hard we tried to include her, our lives were about to inexplicably change. There was no getting around that. “Clove is right.” I was firm when I pinned Landon with a quelling look. “We’re spending the night together. I’ll make it up to you tomorrow night ... after she’s left on her honeymoon and we’re both drunk because this bird disaster is behind us.”

  He didn’t look convinced. “This sucks. I don’t want to sleep alone.”

  “Maybe Aunt Tillie will loan you Peg.”

  I meant it as a joke, but he brightened considerably. “Yeah.” He swiveled to Aunt Tillie. “Can I have Peg?”

  She nodded. “Sure. I would hate for you to cry or something because you can’t be alone. I’ll loan her to you so we don’t have to watch you fall apart. A grown man crying over sleeping alone is pathetic.”