“That woman over there is completely wrapped up in her own stuff,” Hannah countered. “The kid is good at entertaining himself because he’s used to it.”
“I hate children,” Carl said on a scowl. “I don’t like the way they smile.”
“Well, then don’t hang out with kids. Oh, and just for the record, if you go near that kid I’m going to fry you where you stand.”
“Good to know.” Carl kicked back in his seat and extended his legs. “You know you’re in trouble, right?”
It wasn’t the smoothest of opening lines, but Hannah had to give him credit for getting directly to the point. “I’ve been in trouble multiple times since I landed in this area. You’re going to have to be more specific.”
“Bettina and Amelia. They both want you on their side.”
“And whose side are you on?”
“I’m on my own side.”
“You might have your own interests at heart, but you’re working with Amelia.”
He didn’t deny the charge. “What makes you say that?”
“Because I ... saw you together.”
“You saw us? When was that?”
Hannah had no intention of explaining her dream ability. “It doesn’t matter.” Her tone was brusque. “I know that you’ve been meeting with her. Where is she, by the way?”
“Not far.”
“Well, if you want me to trust you, providing me with her location would be a big step in the right direction.”
Carl rolled his eyes. “I don’t know where she is at this exact moment. I do know where she’ll be this evening, though. That’s what’s important.”
“Oh, yeah?” Hannah folded her arms across her chest. “And where is she going to be?”
“The spot where her mother died.”
Hannah hesitated and then barreled forward. “And why will she be there?”
“Because she wants to open the door.”
“Why?”
“Because she thinks she’ll be able to call more soldiers for her cause. She realizes that as long as Bettina has you, she’s outgunned. Of course, Bettina realizes that she can be twice as powerful if she has you by her side and will try to press that advantage. She’s smart enough to wait to make her move. It will happen, though.”
“I’m not worried about Bettina,” Hannah countered. “She’s honestly low on my priority list. I am, however, worried about Amelia. How many creatures could she call over if she manages to open the door?”
“Enough to make your life difficult. You’re powerful enough that I have to wonder if you’re capable of fighting them off. She’ll keep calling them long enough to keep you distracted, though. Then she’ll go after Bettina.”
“Maybe that’s not such a bad thing,” Hannah argued. “We could get lucky and they’ll take each other out.”
“That won’t happen.”
“How can you be sure?”
“Because I raised them. Nobody knows them better. Given what I know, the things I’ve seen them do, I know that means Amelia will win.”
Hannah’s mouth dropped open and all the oxygen whooshed out of her lungs. It took her a few seconds to regroup. “You raised them? But ... how?” Even as the question escaped, realization dawned. “You’re not a demon. You’re Clement Creed.”
He beamed at her, delighted. “I see you’ve been doing your homework.”
“I know the story,” Hannah confirmed, her mind and heart racing. “You raised them with Josette, who was essentially banished from New Orleans. She was a witch. Your daughters were powerful.”
“They were also spoiled,” Clement confirmed. “They got whatever they wanted.”
“You raised them.”
“Oh, don’t think I raised them to be like that.” He vehemently shook his head. “I wanted them to be proper wives. I raised them to be demure and subservient. They were neither.”
Hannah frowned. “You raised them to be demure and subservient? How ... awesome for you.”
Clement’s eye roll was extreme. “Oh, don’t give me your modern woman crap. I don’t need to hear about it. I’m a man who likes old-fashioned values.”
“Which is probably why you belong in the past,” Hannah noted. “That’s a discussion for another time, though. How are you here? If you’re not a demon ... .”
“Who said I wasn’t a demon?” Clement cast her an amused sidelong look. “Whatever you’re thinking, I can guarantee you’re wrong. We don’t have time to screw around, though. I’m going to tell you why I’m here rather than make you guess.”
“Oh, well, I’m all atwitter.”
Clement ignored the sarcasm. “I knew when I raised them the girls were going to be trouble,” he started. “They were spoiled. Josette taught them magic from a young age and they proceeded to use it on anyone and everyone they possibly could.
“They were never normal children,” he continued. “I didn’t realize why at the time. I kept trying to teach them ... to find something human in them.”
“What did you try to teach them?” Hannah was honestly curious. “You didn’t think of them as children either. You just said as much. To you they were nothing more than commodities.”
“That’s the way things worked back then,” Clement explained. “Boys inherited. They were taught a trade. They were coveted.”
“And girls were what?”
“Bargaining chips.”
Hannah’s stomach twisted. “You are a disgusting piece of filth. I honestly can’t believe I’m even having this conversation with you.”
“I can’t believe you are either,” Clement said. “It doesn’t matter, though. My time is over. My girls killed me when they grew bored of playing house.”
Hannah nodded and blew out a sigh. “The rumors said you were carrying on sexual relationships with both of them. Did they kill you because of that?”
“They killed me because I started another family with a woman in town.”
“Yes, I heard you procreated everywhere.”
“I was a rich man with property,” he said dryly. “I was allowed to procreate wherever I wanted. It was my right.”
“That’s a bunch of crap.” Hannah was beside herself. “Have you ever considered that your daughters ended up the way they did because the things you taught them were so contrary to the things that Josette taught them?”
“Josette was a witch.”
“She was a woman with magic,” Hannah corrected. “You twisted that into something ugly.”
“It was something ugly. She was ugly. I was ugly, too. How do you think I ended up here? I sold my soul for riches and ended up serving a different master.”
Hannah straightened in her spot. “Who have you been serving?”
“There’s a hierarchy of demons. I started low and worked my way up. When the gate between worlds opened and I realized Bettina and Amelia were going through it, I could’ve stayed behind. I didn’t want to risk my status, though. That meant I had to follow … although Amelia is convinced it’s her magic that brought me through days after she crossed over. She’s wrong, although I haven’t bothered correcting her for obvious reasons.” He leaned close and stared directly into Hannah’s eyes. “They have to go back.”
“That’s the plan,” Hannah confirmed. “I still don’t know why you’re here.”
“I can’t go back until they go back.”
“But ... don’t you want to stay here? I mean, this is the superior plane, right?”
Clement snorted. “I actually enjoy my lot in life. Living with my daughters was hell ... and I do mean hell. I’ll willingly tell you all about it. Not here, though.”
“Then where?”
“We have to return to where it all began.”
“Casper Creek.”
“That is not a name I’m familiar with. Amelia will be there in a few hours, though. We have to join with my other daughter to take her out.”
“And then?”
“And then I will talk Bettina into willing
ly returning with me.”
“What if she doesn’t want to go?”
“Then you will have to help me. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Amelia is the current threat. If she’s allowed to bring more demons over, she’ll ruin your life … and mine.”
“This is all about your life, though, right? You don’t really care about me.”
“No. You’re a child of my blood but there are many of you now. All I care about is getting back to where I’m supposed to be. For that to happen, both of my daughters need to be defeated ... and the souls they displaced returned to their bodies. After that, you’re on your own.”
“Fine.” Hannah wasn’t exactly comfortable with the offer, but she didn’t have a lot of options. “We’ll work together to defeat your daughters.”
“Amelia first. You can’t take out Bettina until Amelia has been returned to the ground. We need her magic.”
“I’ve got it.” And, because she did, Hannah found herself filled with hope for the first time in days. “We’ll take out Amelia first. I won’t turn my back on Bettina. I’ll make sure you get back to where you’re supposed to be. I’ll be the freaking hero.”
Clement snorted. “You have an ego like my daughters.”
“There’s no need to insult me.”
“You have the heart of an angel, though,” he added. “That’s the one thing they never had.”
It was as close to a compliment as he could manage, Hannah recognized. It didn’t exactly make her warm all over, but she felt better about him all the same. “We need the other members of my team if we’re going to do this. We have to go in as a group.”
“I know. That’s another thing my daughters never understood. I’m glad you do.”
“Yeah, well ... let’s head back. My team is going to want to hear the whole story, and they’re not going to be pleasant about whatever you have to tell them.”
“I would expect nothing less.”
17
Seventeen
Hannah led Clement directly into the saloon upon returning to Casper Creek. He seemed amused by what he saw ... until he came face-to-face with Cooper. Then he had the grace to at least check his ego at the swinging doors.
“It’s you again.”
Cooper’s eyes were narrow slits of distaste. “Yes, it’s me.” He held Clement’s gaze a beat longer and then focused on Hannah. “I’m really mad.”
Since she was expecting the response, Hannah merely shrugged. “I know. I’m sorry. We need him, though.”
Cooper folded his arms over his chest. “Do you think I’m angry you brought him here?”
Hannah was taken aback. “Um ... yes. He tried to hurt you.”
Clement made a protesting sound. “I didn’t try to hurt him. Why would you say that?”
“I saw you.” Hannah found her fury about the previous incident returning in a tidal wave. “He was on the ground and you were trying to kiss him or something.”
“Kiss me?” Cooper looked horrified at the prospect. “You left that part out of your re-telling.”
“He was leaning over you, his mouth directly above yours,” Hannah explained. “If that’s not a kiss, I don’t know what it is.”
“I wasn’t trying to kiss him.” Clement screwed up his face into something akin to disgust. “I don’t go in for men.”
“Then what were you trying to do?” Boone challenged from his spot next to the bar. Once Hannah had called to tell everybody what was going on, the workers made sure to clear out the town relatively quickly. It was a dead zone, only members of their team remaining, and none of them looked happy about Hannah’s unilateral decision to bring a demon into their midst.
“I was trying to see what he knows,” Clement replied, unruffled by the dark glares he was earning. “I was simply trying to look into his head. There was no kissing involved.”
“Were you going to hurt him?” Hannah pressed. “I mean ... you had him on the ground. He was weak for a bit when first waking up.”
“I was not weak,” Cooper snapped. “I was just ... getting my bearings.”
Hannah shot him an incredulous look. “There’s a reason I insisted you stay quiet for the rest of the afternoon.”
“Yes, you’re a worrywart.” Cooper’s eyes flashed. “I was not weak. I don’t want this guy thinking I’m weak.”
“Oh.” Realization washed over Hannah. “Of course you’re not weak. You were just ... um ... drained.”
“How is that better?”
“It just is.”
Boone cleared his throat to draw everybody’s attention to him. Even though he was non-magical, that didn’t mean he was going to cede control of the conversation. “While this is a fascinating conversation, you guys can pretend to fight and make up later. We need to talk about the threat at hand. Cooper said that demons were coming. Other than this demon I mean.” He jerked his thumb at Clement.
“He’s still upset about what happened in the house the other night,” Clement surmised. “If it makes you feel better, it wasn’t personal. I didn’t know who you were. I thought Amelia sent you.”
Hannah’s forehead creased. “Why would Amelia send someone to hurt you?”
“Why do my children do anything?” Clement was blasé. “You seem to think that we were close. We weren’t. I only stayed on the mountain with them because I was afraid to run away. I knew they would find me if I tried, so I stayed. It wasn’t exactly pleasant.”
Hannah eyed him dubiously. “See, all the lore from that time says you moved between houses. You would live with Bettina for a week and then with her sister.”
“Yes, because one of the only things they could agree on was that they didn’t trust me. I think your understanding of what happened back then is skewed.”
“Then maybe you should enlighten me.”
Cooper moved closer to Hannah. He wasn’t exactly happy with the fact that she’d taken off chasing a demon alone, but it wasn’t something they could dwell on now. Boone was right. It was an argument for another time ... and they would talk about it. He wouldn’t let something this big slide. They were living together, for crying out loud. That meant they were building a life together. That meant they decided on plans of attack together, whether Hannah preferred indulging her reckless impulses or not.
“Is that important?” he asked. “I mean ... do we need to understand their history?”
“I think we do.” Hannah’s eyes were determined when they locked with his. “Their family is at the center of all of this. That includes Josette.”
Clement let loose a colorful curse under his breath. “Do we have to talk about Josette? I get a pain in my chest when the subject comes up.”
“That’s probably heart issues,” Hannah replied, not missing a beat. “My understanding is that Carl wasn’t the most active guy. He’s probably not used to his body being traipsed from one end of the town to the next … and murdering store clerks. Speaking of that, will you return him to his life when you’re finished?”
“I already told you he’s a bad guy,” Clement noted. “Why do you care?”
“Because it’s not for you to judge.” Hannah was firm on that. “I want Carl returned to his life. He can deal with the fallout of what you did, but you can’t kill him. The same goes for Angel. I want Bettina to return her body the second this is over with.”
“Then you’re going to have to take that up with her,” Clement insisted. “She’s never listened to me. Even when she was a small child, she thought she was above me.”
“That’s because you were a misogynist who wanted to sell us to random men,” Bettina announced as she appeared in the doorway. She didn’t even bother looking at the others amassed in the saloon. Her attention was only for her father. “What are you doing here?”
“It’s good to see you, too, daughter,” Clement drawled. He looked wary but his ego was too large to admit that. “I like your new form better than the one your sister picked. This one is ... fresher. It makes you
look innocent.”
The predatory look in Clement’s eyes had Hannah’s stomach twisting. “Angel will be getting her life back,” Hannah insisted. “Once that happens, she’s never going to have anything to do with you guys again.”
“Of course Angel is going to get her life back,” Bettina said as she strode into the room. “I have no intention of stealing her life. We’ve been over this.”
“We have,” Hannah agreed. “As for stealing her life, what do you think you’re doing right now?”
“Borrowing her vessel.”
“Oh, whatever.” Hannah was sick of the ancient witch. She was over pretending to be cordial. She wanted everything out in the open. It was time to make a plan and end this. “Whatever you two need to say to one another, now is the time to say it. We don’t have time for any nonsense.”
“There’s very little to say,” Bettina countered. “He’s been dead a very long time to me. I am curious how you managed to come back, though.” Her eyes were narrow slits of disgust. “Amelia brought you back, didn’t she? That’s just like her to bring back the thing we both hate and use him as a weapon.”
“Oh, I missed you, too,” Clement drawled. “These centuries I’ve had to live without you have been torture. Oh, no, they haven’t. They’ve been pure bliss.”
Sensing trouble, Hannah held up her hands to cut short their argument. “Nobody needs your petty bickering,” she said. “It’s not important. Clement says that he’s a demon.”
“Which of course means that you automatically trust him,” Jackie drawled, speaking for the first time. She looked positively furious about the turn of events.
Hannah kept her tone measured as she regarded the coven leader. “He’s a demon who wants to return to his plane,” she explained. “Apparently this plane isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”
“It’s a lot more fun on the other side,” Clement confirmed. “Nobody drinks from the skulls of their enemies over here. I mean ... what’s that about?”
Cooper made a disgusted face. “What’s with you and the way you talk? There’s no way some of these sayings were common back then.”
All the Pretty Witches (A Hannah Hickok Witchy Mystery Book 6) Page 17
