“You could’ve tracked me down right away and told me,” Cooper hissed.
“To what end? What would you have done if I’d told you?”
“I don’t know.” Cooper held out his hands. “Maybe I would’ve called Boone so he could track the guy down and get him behind bars. The news media is making him out to be incompetent for losing Carl in the first place. Arresting Carl would’ve gone a long way to fixing his reputation. You probably don’t care about that, though.”
Hannah stilled. “I didn’t know that.”
“Did you think the news reporters were just ignoring the situation?”
“No, but ... .” Hannah’s stomach twisted. “I honestly didn’t think about it. I was trying to figure out why he was warning me. I was also wondering if what he said was true about taking over Carl because he was a bad guy. I didn’t consider the rest of it.”
Cooper didn’t immediately respond. Because he was uncomfortable, Tyler dug into his food. For her part, Hannah simply sat and stared at her boyfriend, waiting for him to give her a lecture. After almost thirty seconds, Cooper shook his head and let out a sigh.
“How about, from now on, if a demon pays you a visit — even if it’s just for conversation — you tell me about it right away?” he said finally.
Hannah waited for him to continue. When he didn’t, she nodded. “Okay. That seems fair.”
“Great.”
Tyler glanced between them. “Is that it?” he prodded.
“That’s it.” Cooper opened his container. “She’s obviously okay.”
“But ... you would normally thump your chest and go caveman,” Tyler insisted. “You’re acting like you’re fine with it.”
“I’m not fine with it. I feel sick about it. I’m not her father, though. I can’t force her to do what she doesn’t want to do.”
Hannah’s stomach gave a little heave. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I should’ve told you. I just ... I was an idiot.”
Cooper briefly pressed his eyes shut and then managed a genuine smile. “You’re not an idiot. You’re amazing. I just don’t want to lose you.”
“You won’t.”
“This situation is the sort of thing I never thought I would have to deal with. I’m not your boss, though.”
“I’ll try not to frighten you that way again.”
His smile widened. “We both know that you can’t follow through on that. We live in a very odd world. You’re the queen in it. We’ll figure it out.”
Hannah reached over and squeezed his hand. “I won’t do the demon thing again. I really wasn’t thinking.”
“It’s okay.” He lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to her palm. “Everything is going to be okay. One way or another, we’ll make sure of it ... together.”
Hannah nodded. “I’m still sorry.”
“Don’t be. You’re the best person I know. You don’t need to be sorry. Bettina said you should follow your instincts. Who am I to argue with a centuries-old witch who knows a lot more about this than I do?”
“She might not be as smart as she pretends to be. You don’t know.”
“She still knows more than us.” He inclined his head toward her food container. “Eat your dinner while it’s still warm. Then we’ll head up to bed early. I think we both could use the sleep. This day has been nuts from the start.”
“That sounds like a plan.”
“And you guys are back to being gushy and in love,” Tyler lamented, shaking his head. “This has been a bit of a disappointment. I expected fireworks.”
Cooper winked at Hannah. “Oh, there will be fireworks, and I guarantee they’re going to be amazing.”
TRUE TO HIS WORD, COOPER DIDN’T GIVE Hannah grief when they retired upstairs. Instead, he gently brushed her hair away from her face before leaning in to kiss her. Then things turned downright sultry, to the point where Hannah happily passed out from sheer exhaustion shortly before ten o’clock.
She expected oblivion but got another dream.
“Where were you this afternoon?” a familiar voice asked, causing Hannah to snap up her head. She couldn’t see through the gloom, but she could hear relatively well, and she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was hearing Stormy’s voice ... which meant it was Amelia talking.
“It’s been some time since I’ve been on this side,” a male voice replied, his tone droll. “I wanted to take a look around. Things have really changed.”
“Yes, nobody drinks the blood of their enemies these days,” Amelia agreed dryly.
“I was talking more about the fact that everybody has motorized vehicles and pays more money than I used to spend on a year’s worth of food on a single coffee.”
Amelia made a snorting sound. “Oh, that. Yes, well ... you know how it goes. Life spins forward. Technology always mushrooms. What feels like a minute to us as we sleep turns into centuries. Despite how annoying they are, humans can do quite a bit when they have centuries to grapple with technology.”
“I like those motorcycle things,” the man said. His voice was also familiar, and Hannah cocked her head to ascertain if her instincts were true and the demon wearing Carl Morse’s face was in the dream with Amelia. Honestly, it was the only thing that made sense.
“You don’t need a motorcycle,” Amelia insisted. “That’s a distraction. We’re here for a specific reason.”
“No, you’re here for a specific reason,” the demon countered. “I’m not your errand boy. I’m here for my own purposes.”
“Since I’m the one who facilitated your return, that’s not even remotely true.” Amelia was stern. “I told you when I allowed you to cross over that you would have to work with me. That’s the trade-off. I don’t care what you do on your personal time, but if you want to stay here — get a chance at riding a motorcycle in the future — then you’re going to have to get it together and focus on me.”
“Oh, you sound no different than you did back then.” Carl made a tsking sound and Hannah could practically imagine him shaking his head somewhere in the gloom. “You’ve always been a bossy little thing. That persona likely fits in this world better than it did in the last one.”
“I don’t care what others think of me,” Amelia said coldly.
“Oh, who do you think you’re fooling with that?” Carl made a snorting sound. “You forget I saw you back then, how you acted, what you did to your family. You were always too big for your britches. Even centuries of slumber can’t change that.”
“Is this really the conversation we need to be having?” Amelia snapped. “I didn’t come here to listen to your take on my life. I have a purpose. Your one and only job is helping me with that purpose.”
“And what about after?” the demon queried. “Am I allowed to head out on my own after we’re finished?”
“I already told you that we’d talk about it when that time comes.”
“I don’t want to talk. I want guarantees.”
There was a beat of silence and then Amelia spoke. “If you want to leave after we’re finished, that’s certainly your prerogative. We can talk about it then.”
Hannah didn’t miss the fact that it wasn’t an agreement. Amelia was trying to use words as a distraction. She wasn’t about to give the demon what he wanted, though, which was probably why the demon had come to visit Hannah in the first place. He knew that.
“We’ll talk about it after,” Carl said finally. “I hope you know I won’t forget the promises you’ve made.”
“I would never expect you to.”
“Then we have an agreement.”
“Don’t we always?”
7
Seven
Hannah woke well rested and yet muddled. Even after she’d slid into a more comfortable dream — one where Cooper had taken her on a naughty picnic in front of a delightful lake waterfall — she’d spent half her time trying to sort out what had happened, and more importantly what it meant, when Amelia and Carl decided to sit down for a conversation.
> She wasn’t having much lunch.
“What’s up, Buttercup?” Cooper teased when he realized she was awake, his eyes bright and clear. That told Hannah he’d been awake for a decent chunk of time.
“How long have you been up?” she asked as she rubbed her cheek, confusion etched across her face.
He laughed. “About twenty minutes.” He leaned in and nipped a kiss at the end of her nose. “Have I mentioned how much I enjoy waking up with you?”
Hannah didn’t manage a smile. “And why is that?”
“Because you’re warm, cuddly, and don’t have a clue where you are.”
Hannah’s forehead creased. “I know where I am.”
“Physically, yes. Mentally, it always takes you a few minutes to catch up. I happen to like that. It’s one of the few times of the day where I don’t feel as if you’re revving three miles in front of me.”
Her frown only grew more pronounced. “What do you mean?”
“It’s nothing bad,” he reassured her. “You’re always thinking, though. Of late ... we’re both always thinking. Mornings are one of the few times I can get a few minutes with unguarded Hannah.”
“Huh.” She ran her index finger down his cheek, delighting in the way his morning stubble felt. “That’s kind of a profound thought for so early in the morning.”
“Your beauty always has me thinking deep thoughts when I watch you sleep.”
“Do you do that often?”
He shrugged, noncommittal. “I guess it depends on if you think it’s weird or not.”
“It’s weird. I mean ... I’ve seen my hair after a night spent in your arms. It’s hardly beautiful.”
“I wish you could see what I see.”
“That might be really weird.” She gasped as he tickled her, lightly laughing as she snuggled closer. “You’re feeling playful this morning.”
“I had a good dream,” he admitted as he smoothed her hair. It was even bigger than normal this morning, and that was saying something. “We went on a picnic to this lake I know. It has one of those gentle waterfalls. Abigail took me there not long after I joined the team at Casper Creek. She said it was the sort of place that could drown out all the thoughts in my head, and she turned out to be right.”
Hannah stared at him. Hard. “Is there a big weeping willow tree on one side with the remnants of a rope swing that kids obviously tied there years ago and ultimately forgot about?”
Cooper stilled. “How can you know that?”
“I ... um ... .” Suddenly, she was uncomfortable answering.
“Tell me,” he prodded. “It’s okay.”
“I had the same dream,” she admitted. “It was after another dream, but I was worked up after the first dream and somehow I ended up in the picnic dream. It was amazing.”
He held her gaze for a long beat. “Do you think we shared the same dream?”
“It sounds like it.” She had no idea what to make of the phenomenon. “I’ve never been to that place. You have, though. During the dream, I remember thinking how clear the images were, like I was watching them on a 4K television or something. I think that’s because that place is etched in your brain.”
“I’ve always loved it,” Cooper admitted. “I haven’t been back since Abigail died. For some reason — and it seems stupid in hindsight — I didn’t want to go back because I worried I would spend all my time thinking about her and that would make the lake sad.”
“I get it.” Hannah’s heart rolled at his earnest expression. “I would probably think the same thing if I were you. It looks like a really nice place.”
Cooper slid down so they were eye to eye. “Do you want to go there with me?”
“Absolutely.” The smile Hannah flashed was warm and open. “Not until after this is over with, though.”
Something akin to disappointment flashed across Cooper’s face. “Oh.”
“I want to spend time with you,” she reassured him, linking her fingers with his. “You have no idea how awesome a day at a beautiful lake with a waterfall sounds. I don’t want to risk bringing trouble there, though. That’s obviously your happy place.”
That nudged a grin out of him. “I hate to break it to you, baby, but you’re my happy place. Taking you to the lake would undoubtedly be an awesome excursion. As long as I have you, though, I’m always happy.”
“That’s a little schmaltzy.”
“Apparently you bring it out in me.” He pressed his lips against hers for a soft kiss. “I love you, Hannah.”
The words never failed to make her feel warm and gooey. “Before you, before I came here, I’d convinced myself that I was never going to find love,” she admitted, her fingers light as they brushed over his brow. “I didn’t think I deserved it.”
He frowned. “Why would you say something like that?”
“Because it’s the truth. I thought that I was an absolute idiot with Michael. He treated me poorly. I believed his lies. I sabotaged my own future to make him feel like a bigger man, and in hindsight, I know only an idiot would do what I did.”
He worked his jaw, unsure how he was supposed to respond. There was nothing he hated more than hearing Hannah talk about her former fiancé. He couldn’t help but wonder what would’ve happened if she’d somehow made the wrong decision and married Michael Dawson. In addition to her being unhappy — which was something he never wanted — he knew that she would also be living a life far away from him. The prospect was too much.
“I think things happen the way they’re supposed to happen.” He chose his words carefully as he rubbed his hands up and down her slim back. “I don’t ever want you to hurt.” He was sincere as he stared into her eyes. “I’m not sorry you went through the pain you did back then, though. If you hadn’t gone through that, you wouldn’t have ended up here. You belong here.”
Hannah grinned. “With you?”
“Yes.”
“I happen to agree.” This time she was the one who initiated the kiss. “You are my absolute favorite person in the world. Have I ever told you that?”
“No, but it’s always nice to hear. I feel the same way about you.”
They held each other’s gazes for a long time, almost a full minute, and then Hannah sobered. “I hate to ruin our morning, but I had another dream before the picnic one.”
Cooper froze next to her. “Do I even want to know?”
“No, but I think you have to hear about it.”
“Okay, lay it on me.” He was resigned. “If it’s going to be painful, though, I might need coffee to absorb it.”
Her lips quirked. “It won’t be that bad. It’s more interesting than terrifying. At least I think it is.” She launched into the tale of the dream, leaving nothing out. It didn’t take long because the dream had been short. When she was finished, Cooper was perplexed.
“Do you think it was real?” he asked.
“I think it felt real ... just as real as the dream I had about Boone.”
“What do you think it means?”
“I think it means that Amelia called the demon to serve as a lackey of sorts, although that’s not much of a surprise. We suspected that. I don’t think the demon is all that keen on doing her dirty work, though.”
“I don’t know that I think that makes him an ally, baby.”
“Oh, I’m not saying I trust him.” Hannah was grave. “I think he would kill me just as soon as look at me. I could practically see that when we were face to face. He doesn’t want to help.”
“He doesn’t want to help Amelia either, though,” Cooper surmised.
“Right.” She bobbed her head. “I know that ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend’ thing is a dangerous way to look at things. I would never embrace that sort of thinking. I do believe, at least in this particular case, the enemy of my enemy can be helpful. We might be able to use him.”
“How?”
“I don’t know. It’s something I need to think about.”
Cooper flicked his eyes
to the clock on the nightstand. “I’m not sure how much time you’re going to have to do that. Boone will be out here in thirty minutes with breakfast. He texted, which is what woke me up. He’s bringing Lindsey.”
Hannah was taken aback. “You’re kidding.” She was genuinely fond of Boone’s teenaged daughter. The girl was rowdy and fun to be around ... and her crush on Cooper tickled Hannah’s funny bone. Since Angel had been taken over by Bettina, though, Lindsey had made it her mission to stay away from Casper Creek. She didn’t want to think about the ancient witch taking over her friend ... and Hannah couldn’t blame her. The situation had given her more than a few bad moments.
“I told Boone about Carl showing up here.” Cooper’s eyes were serious as he regarded Hannah, practically daring her to give him grief about it. “He needed to know and I didn’t want to create a situation where you could be in trouble if one of the other guests saw Carl and you talking and reported it.”
Hannah nodded slowly. “I get it. I’m not angry.”
“Well, that’s good, because I’m not apologizing.” He refused to break eye contact. “Boone might give you a lecture when he gets up here. He’s also excited at the prospect that Carl might return. He says he’s going to be in street clothes hanging around, basically serving as an undercover agent most of the day should Carl decide he wants to have another talk with you.”
“Why would he do that?” Hannah was genuinely curious. “That doesn’t sound like something that’s very smart.”
“We have no way of knowing how smart he is. We just know he’s manipulative.”
“Right, but ... .” Hannah trailed off. From Boone’s perspective, she could understand why he was so keen to hang around Casper Creek. He had no leads. They were dealing with a demon, not a human. Boone needed help, which meant Cooper would move heaven and earth to give it to him.
“He wants Lindsey with him because she’s been so depressed over the Angel situation,” Cooper continued, barely stopping for a breath. “I thought it sounded like a good idea. We can help him a bit with Lindsey, maybe talk to her, make her laugh.”
All the Pretty Witches (A Hannah Hickok Witchy Mystery Book 6) Page 7
