Spellbinding Starters

by Annabel Chase

  “Just The Wizard of Oz,” Laurel said.

  “That’s a classic,” I told her. “But I’ve got a whole slew of movies I think you’ll enjoy.” I looked at Begonia. “Conjure up a movie called The Craft.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Now that I’d made good on my promise to finish Mumford’s case and find Gareth’s murderer, I felt ready to start going through Gareth’s disco vampire cave in the basement.

  As I unhooked the disco ball from the ceiling, I caught sight of someone in a black suit. I whipped out my wand, ready to use the Shield spell. Unfortunately for me, I misjudged the distance between the wand and the disco ball. The wand smacked hard against the shiny ball and went flying from my fingertips. It clattered onto the floor.

  “You are a wee bit clumsy, aren’t you?” a voice asked.

  The figure came into focus and I realized with a start that he was not entirely solid. “Who are you and what are you doing in my house?”

  He chuckled politely. “I think you’ll find this is technically my house.” He sighed and looked around the room. “Or was.”

  I squinted. “Gareth?”

  He spread his arms wide. “In the flesh.” His brow wrinkled. “Or not.” He made an exaggerated effort to touch my arm, but his hand kept gliding through me.

  Fabulous. After all I’d been through, now I had a vampire ghost to contend with. “Where have you been?” I demanded. “You could have saved me a whole lot of trouble if you’d shown up sooner.”

  “Processing my death took ages,” he said, with an exaggerated roll of his eyes. “You wouldn’t believe the bureaucracy.”

  “Trust me. I’m from the human world. I believe it.” I inclined my head. “So why are you back? Your murder has been solved. Shouldn’t you be going into the light or something?” Or maybe somewhere less pleasant, given that he was damned. I had no clue. I just knew that I wasn’t in the market for a dead, or undead, roommate.

  “Excellent work with figuring it out, by the way,” Gareth said. “I do appreciate your efforts on my behalf.”

  “No problem.” I placed a hand on my hip. “So why are you here?”

  His shoulders sagged. “They wouldn’t let me through because I was from Spellbound. They said the true death was not enough to break the curse.”

  I’d need to pass that tidbit along to Daniel, save him the trouble of suicide. “Then shouldn’t there be ghosts all over town?”

  “There probably are,” he said. “But only certain witches can see ghosts. Everybody knows that.”

  Well, if I wasn’t sure whether I was a witch before, I was certainly convinced now.

  “So the coven can see ghosts?” No one had mentioned that before.

  “No, I don’t believe so. It must be a special trait of the coven you’re descended from.”

  Was there a way to genetically mutate myself? I wasn’t interested in communicating with ghosts on a regular basis. Or any basis.

  “Why couldn’t I see ghosts before?” It was one thing to discover I was a witch, but I would think I’d know if I had some kind of spiritual awareness. In the human world, I was one of the least spiritual people I knew. I couldn’t even do yoga without giggling.

  “I suspect you triggered your witchy powers once you crossed the border into Spellbound,” he replied.

  “My witchy powers don’t seem very potent,” I said. “Unless it involves torturing Lady Weatherby.”

  A faint smile played upon his lips. “You’re wreaking havoc over at the ASS Academy?”

  “In small doses,” I admitted.

  He laughed. “Excellent. I shall look forward to your daily reports.” He frowned. “Speaking of doses, I notice you have a bit of trouble in the sleep department.”

  “My life story,” I said. “My grandparents said I was a difficult sleeper from the time I was born. They blamed my mother. Apparently she held me to get me to sleep instead of putting me down in the crib.” The idea of being held by my mother was so appealing, I nearly burst into tears at the thought.

  “Hasn’t anyone recommended a sleep potion?” Gareth asked. “You have a coven of witches at your disposal. Use them.”

  “I haven’t told anyone about my sleep issues.” I didn’t want to come across as a whiner, not while I was still getting to know everyone.

  “Then you need to start opening up to your witch friends,” he said. “No one can help you if they don’t know there’s a problem.”

  Great. My roommate intended to double as my armchair therapist. Just what I needed to ease my anxiety.

  “Can’t you go hang out at the country club or something?” I asked. “It will feel weird to have you haunting my house. I don’t even know you.”

  That wasn’t strictly true. Throughout my investigation into his murder, I got a sense of the kind of person—vampire—Gareth was. I liked him. I just never expected to be sharing close quarters with him.

  “It seems I can move freely about the town,” he said. “But this is my home base, just as it is yours.”

  “Can you manipulate objects at all?” I queried. I was already imagining the fun we could have on the golf course at the expense of his vampire buddies.

  “I’m not certain,” he said. “They don’t exactly give you a rule book on the way out.”

  “Sounds like there was plenty of red tape. Maybe a rule book wouldn’t be such a burden to add.”

  “Oh, there’s my Magpie,” he exclaimed.

  The cat came running over to him, meowing and purring. Gareth kneeled down to greet him.

  “He can see you?” I asked. It was a touching reunion, despite the lack of…touching.

  “All cats are part witch,” he said. “Everybody knows that.” He looked up at me and I noticed tears glistening in his eyes. “Thank you for taking care of him. Most people wouldn’t have been willing to take on a cat like Magpie. I’m fully aware he isn’t the most sociable creature.”

  Or the most attractive. “He’s not too excited about Sedgwick moving in,” I admitted.

  Gareth blinked. “Who’s Sedgwick?”

  “My owl,” I said. “All witches here have owls. Everybody knows that.” I smiled.

  “I always sent my letter by elf,” he said. “Elf Express is a very reliable company.”

  “I’ll make a note of it.”

  “So what do you intend to do with my disco ball?” he asked.

  “One of your friends asked for it.”

  “Samson?”

  “How did you know?”

  He punched a fist into his palm. “I knew he had his eye on it. ‘Oh no,’ he would say, ‘it’s as tacky as a succubus in church.’”

  I set the disco ball onto the floor and moved on to the closet.

  “Great balls of fire, Gareth,” I said. “You were a clothes hoarder.” The further I worked my way into the back of his closet, the more clothes I found. I pulled out a pair of black leather trousers. “When did you ever wear these?”

  He shrugged. “I went through a club phase.”

  “Are there even clubs here?” I asked.

  “Of course. There’s a good one over by Shamrock Casino. You should go sometime. Loosen up those knotty muscles of yours. You walk like a tin soldier.”

  I glanced at him over my shoulder. “I’m loose.”

  “Like a broomstick.”

  “Hey,” I objected. “Cut me some slack. New girl in town, remember?” I continued to rummage through sweaters and tweed jackets. Lots of tweed. I yanked a hanger from the closet. “Was this from your academic phase?”

  Gareth grimaced. “Burn that one. It’s hideous.”

  A flash of pink on the shelf caught my eye. “Hang on.” I reached up and removed the item from the closet. “Isn’t this Alison’s pink cardigan?”

  At least he had the decency to look sheepish.

  “She’s been looking for this.”

  “I figured. She used to wear it all the time. I knew it was a risk to take it.”

  I held t
he cardigan against me. It was pretty, with shiny sequins along the trim. “Does it smell like her? Is that why you kept it?” I understood all about affection for familiar scents.

  He wrinkled his nose. “What kind of oddball do you take me for?”

  I blinked. “Did you just want a keepsake? Something to remember your time together?” If not for sentimental reasons, then why bother?

  He heaved a dramatic sigh and stared longingly at the cardigan. “I took it because I like sparkly things and it fit me perfectly. Are you happy now? You’ve discovered my secret.”

  I glanced from Gareth back to the cardigan in my hand. “You were a cross-dresser?”

  “Not really, just the occasional item.” He paused. “But I am gay.” He splayed his hands. “There I said it. After all these centuries, I’ve finally come out of the coffin.”

  I gave him my best slow clap. “Yes, very brave of you, waiting until your true death.”

  “I beg your pardon,” he said. “This is a momentous event.”

  I continued rifling through the closet, creating piles for donation. “I’ll take your word for it.”

  “This is outrageous,” he said. “I’ve never told anyone my secret. Not Alison. Not the other vampires. Not even Magpie.”

  “Oh, I’m sure Magpie knew.” Cats knew everything. I was pretty sure that, deep down, Alison knew, too. That was probably at the heart of why they fought all the time. They loved each other, but not in the way they needed to in order to continue as a couple.

  Gareth began to glide around the room, the ghostly version of pacing. “I should have come out to someone else. You’re clearly the wrong person.”

  I held up a colorfully striped shirt. “Do you want me to throw you a gay pride parade? Because we definitely have the necessary outfits.”

  “You’re impossible,” he huffed.

  “Everything about my life is impossible, and yet here we are.” I tossed the garish shirt into the ‘donate’ pile, walked away from my gay dead/undead roommate, and headed upstairs to the kitchen to make a tuna sandwich.

  Chapter Twenty

  After a long day of sorting and organizing, I was ready to stop for the day. I’d only paused briefly to feed Magpie and argue with Gareth over whether beige was the right color for the foyer. He was pushing for canary yellow.

  “You seem to be under the mistaken impression that you get a vote,” I said. “One corporeal being equals one vote.”

  “You said you want it brighter in here,” he argued.

  “Brighter, not blinding,” I replied.

  Incoming, Sedgwick said, swooping into the living room. I was in the process of finding a better home for my blue and yellow pot and decided to try the huge mantel.

  Are you announcing yourself or someone else? I asked.

  Daniel appeared in the doorway. “That’s a good place for it.”

  I stepped back to admire the pot. “It is, isn’t it? Thanks.”

  “I wanted to come by and see how you’re feeling,” he said. “I heard you took Mumford out with one spell.”

  I nodded. “And Lady Weatherby has invited me back to school, starting tomorrow.”

  “That’s great news.” He advanced toward me. “I hope that…”

  I held up a hand. “Be careful what you say,” I warned him. “I have a new roommate.”

  Gareth appeared behind Daniel, his arms folded. “I think you’ll find I’m a very old roommate.”

  “Whatever,” I said.

  Daniel’s brow furrowed. “Who are you talking to?”

  “Gareth. He’s the roommate.”

  Daniel’s blue eyes widened. “Gareth is here?” He looked to the left and right of me, but, of course, saw nothing.

  “Technically, his ghost is here,” I said.

  “Tell him I’ve always loved his style,” Gareth said.

  “I’ll tell him no such thing,” I said hotly.

  Daniel squinted. “What does he want you to tell me?”

  “That he looks scorching in those tight pants,” Gareth said, eyeing Daniel’s muscled body appreciatively. I knew exactly what he was doing because I’d already done it.

  A hand flew to my hip. “Hundreds of years in the coffin and now you’re going hell for leather?”

  “What are you talking about?” Daniel queried.

  “Never mind.” I looked at Gareth. “Can we please have privacy? If we’re going to live together, you need to respect my boundaries.”

  Gareth huffed. “Fine. I’ll go see what Magpie is up to.”

  “Probably licking his balls,” I said. “Between that and stalking my owl, he doesn’t seem to do much else.”

  “Is he gone?” Daniel asked.

  “Yes. Sorry about that. It’s going to take some getting used to.” Like everything else in Spellbound.

  “Did you always have the ability to see ghosts?” he asked.

  “No. Thankfully, I was a ghost virgin until Gareth.” I already suffered from anxiety. Seeing ghosts my whole life probably would have tipped me over into catatonic territory.

  “Too bad he didn’t show up in time to name his murderer,” Daniel said. “Could have saved you from a tussle with a goblin.”

  I pretended to crack my knuckles. “Goblin takedown. Just another day for a newbie witch.”

  “Are you busy?” he asked.

  “Nope. I am officially off duty.”

  “Perfect. I’d like you to come with me,” he said, and held out his hand.

  I stared at his open palm and my insides quivered. “Wherever we’re going, can we get there on four wheels?” I’d even settle for two. The thought of flying made me queasy.

  He gave me a rueful smile. “Afraid not. These are your best bet.” He extended his white wings and gently flapped them. “You’re a witch, remember? Sooner or later, you’ll need to get comfortable in the air.”

  I doubted it was either possible or necessary, but now wasn’t the time to argue.

  “I really need to find the magic potion equivalent of Xanax,” I said. Add it to my ever-growing list.

  My hand slipped into his and we left the house together. “Maybe I should think about adding a widow’s walk like the harpies have.”

  He grimaced. “We’re having a perfectly nice moment. Please don’t ruin it with mention of the harpies.” He stopped walking. “Are you ready?”

  “There’s really no dignified way of doing this,” I said, and looped my arms around his neck. He lifted me off the ground and vaulted into the air. His wings caught the wind and we flew skyward until we cleared the rooftops.

  “Dignity is overrated,” he said. “You should try to open your eyes. You’re missing the beautiful scenery.”

  I pried open one eye and glanced below. He was right. It was truly a picture postcard town. I saw the clock tower as we passed overhead, as well as the church steeple. We continued on, and I realized we were headed toward the place we’d met. Swan Lake.

  The hills rose higher and so did we, until finally we reached the highest peak. It was the clifftop where I’d first seen him, ready to jump.

  His wings flapped more slowly and he sailed down to the precipice, setting me gently on my feet.

  “This is a little high for me,” I said, edging backward. I didn’t dare look at the water below. My heart was pounding and my palms were sweaty.

  “Bear with me a moment,” he said. “Don’t worry. If you fall, you already know I can catch you.”

  I took a careful step forward. “Why did you want to bring me here?”

  “For one thing, we’re about to witness a gorgeous sunset.”

  I gazed at the streaks of orange, red, and gold racing across the sky. It was simply stunning.

  “And for another thing?”

  “To thank you,” he said. “You were right about me.” His expression clouded over. “I was suicidal that day. If I’m being honest, I’ve been suicidal for years.”

  “Why would you jump?” I asked. “Like you said, you ha
ve wings. You could have flown at any point before hitting the water.”

  “It’s like cutting your wrists the wrong way,” he said. “It was more of a cry for help.” He stared down at the lake. “I was so tired of looking at this single body of water. Tired of the town square and the same bookstore and the same damn residents, day in and day out.”

  “Are you allowed to say ‘damn’?”

  He arched a blond eyebrow. “Kinda missing the point.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said. I knew it couldn’t be easy. Not for any of them.

  “But then you came,” he said. “And you were different. And you looked at the town and you were amazed. Your entire world was turned upside down, but did you crawl into a hole and hide? Did you wallow in self-pity?”

  Maybe a little bit.

  “Did you act like a fool and sleep with everything that moved?”

  I held up a finger. “Um, no. That’s not really my style…”

  He gripped me by the shoulders. “You’ve lost everything and yet you still found the strength within yourself to get on with your life. And even more, to help others.”

  My face reddened. I wasn’t accustomed to compliments, certainly not from someone like Daniel.

  I wasn’t sure what he wanted me to say. “Thank you?”

  He pointed me toward the lake. “The last time I came here, this water looked dark and deep. Like a final resting place. I was ready to bring Alison and let her sing me to a watery grave. Now do you know what I see?”

  “A place to kayak?”

  “I see beauty. I see nature at its best. I see the potential for goodness where none existed before.”

  I peered into the shimmering water. “I see fish.”

  He grabbed my hand and pulled me toward him with enthusiasm. “I’m turning over a new leaf, Emma. All thanks to you. I’m going to start being present in the community, instead of resenting everyone. I’m going to redeem myself for my previous, hurtful behavior. From here on in, I’m swearing off the opposite sex.”

  “So you’re only going to date men?”

  “What?” He blinked. “No. I’m going to devote myself to the greater good. Even if that means volunteering for Darcy’s annoying projects.”