by Patti Larsen
I let him have his little subterfuge. He'd earned it.
As for my dad, he was totally fine. More than fine. He seemed extra powerful too, like Sassafras, though he didn't talk about his return to Demonicon at all. The cool part? He was around more often. I guess he got used to being with us on a regular basis. I often came down to breakfast to find him having coffee with Mom.
Pretty awesome. Turned out he no longer needed help to cross over. My demon energy, now fused with his new effigy, fed him more than enough power to link to our plane so he could come and go as he pleased and stay for longer periods.
As much as I was thrilled to have my real dad back, if he and Mom didn’t stop with the long stares, sighs and giggles I’d likely die of embarrassment.
Speaking of Dad’s statue, the diamond-like material it was made of seemed pretty much indestructible. The crystal and steel combination was not only strong, it was flexible. I caught Sass and Dad gleefully testing it one night like a pair of bad kids, using power to lob large objects at it. After I got over screaming at the two of them for being total idiots, I calmed enough to observe there wasn't a scratch on it from the attention.
After Mom took a turn tearing them both a new one, they stopped.
At least, they told us they stopped.
I had to admit, it looked pretty cool, his effigy, all sparkly like that. I couldn't help but wonder though why Dad felt so different and if the crystal's addition to his statue had made any further changes beyond the obvious.
I was happy to see Quaid back living with the Vegas, about as happy as they were. They greeted him with open arms and hearts that first night, Louisa covering his face in kisses and patting his arm like he was about to leave her again while Martin beamed in pride.
Uncle Frank checked in, a little cranky Gram visited me and was still avoiding him. There wasn't much I could do or say about that so I did my best to stay out of his way until he left again.
Sunny, on the other hand, seemed to be spending more and more time with us. She was even teaching Mom how to cook fine cuisine, though often I found myself smiling and nodding around a bite of something I would have preferred to spit out.
Nights of popcorn dinners followed.
I couldn't help but worry about Mia and what was happening with the Dumont family. But at least I knew the girl I called my friend still lived inside the chameleon and seemed to be digging her way out again.
The Dumonts and Ameline had naturally vanished after their failed attack. And we had as yet to hear a word from the Council or the other coven, so far so good. The Chosen were also gone, chased out of town by my family. I hoped we'd seen the last of them, finally.
Celeste tried to kick up a stink about Dad's return to power only to have the entire coven turn against her for the second time. She hadn't gone through with her threat to go to the Council, at least, but Mom was on the edge, no longer willing to put up with the woman just for the sake of keeping her close. I knew one more transgression and the horse-faced witch was history.
Couldn't wait.
We had as yet to hear back from Pender Tremere or any of the other Enforcers he said were on his side. Mom did a great job hiding her worry, but she refused to talk about it so I knew she was just doing her coven leader thing to keep it from me.
Mom's fears for Gram seemed to have faded though, especially after what happened outside the hotel. She finally admitted Gram was perfectly capable of taking care of herself, but still insisted Uncle Frank keep looking.
The whole best friend thing with Sassy was actually a huge light in my life. He'd changed, but for the better. Still his snarky self, he was also kinder, deeper, his power always present as if he was worried putting it away would mean he'd lose it again. I was so happy to have him home, it was like he'd never been in human form at all.
I even let him sleep on my bed again.
Like he gave me a choice.
I was lucky to have one furry friend around. Galleytrot had happily gone back to hanging out with Liam, dozing away his days in the magic cavern under town hall. Funny, it seemed when I went looking for Quaid and even Sassy at times, I'd find them all crowded together in the archive with Liam, reading.
Nerds. Snortle.
Life was good, better than it had been in a long time. I had my dad back, my boyfriend, my demon cat.
So why did it feel like I was forgetting something? Someone?
It would come to me.
###
Like what you read? Find more at
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And now, for a sneak peek at the exciting eighth book
of the Hayle Coven Novels
Full Circle
***
Chapter One
I squinched up my nose at the layer of makeup on my eyelids and tried to decide if it made me look pretty or like I worked a corner. It was a quick decision to whip out a cleanser cloth and attack the offending glitter with gusto.
It wasn't helping I had an audience. Alternating giggles came from behind me, my little sister Meira peeking around me to grin at my reflection, her softly red skin and amber eyes a startling contrast to the furry silver Persian sitting in her lap. His gaze matched hers, though I sensed much more sarcasm and disdain from him.
“The rubbed raw look is very in I hear.” Classic Sassafras. It wouldn't do me any good to snark back. He was the master and I bowed to that. Besides, I was way too nervous to really pay much attention.
I was finally going on my first real date with Quaid. It seemed so long in coming, and while we were officially boyfriend and girlfriend, a fact that still freaked me out a little and made me sigh with happiness when I thought no one was looking, the circumstances of the last year and a half hadn't really lent themselves to us finding time for a real, old-fashioned date.
He hadn't wasted time asking. Pretty much as soon as the smoke settled around Sassy's recovery from near death and Dad's successful return to the demon plane, my hottie of a girl’s dream in black leather officially asked.
Like I was going to say no. But I did pause, if just for a second, to torment him a little. It worked too. I saw the tension around his eyes, the way his mouth puckered slightly. Naturally I accepted, but felt he deserved just a teeny bit of punishment for abandoning me for his revenge pursuit of the Moromonds. Not to mention his faked engagement to the creepy Ameline Benoit.
Eyes fresh again, I sighed and reached for the mascara tube. A thin layer later, topped with a swish of lip gloss over my mouth and I was my usual boring self.
“You look beautiful.” Meira slid from her seat on the toilet and hugged me around my waist while Sassafras jumped up to the counter top and observed himself in the mirror. Vain cat. I turned and hugged my sister.
“Thanks, Meems.” I glanced over my shoulder at myself and shrugged. “I'm the girl he fell in love with,” I said. “So I guess I'll do.”
I met Sassy's gaze in the mirror and grinned when he winked.
When Meira let me go, I turned back and fluffed my hair. That at least I'd gotten right. I'd always just worn it straight, the thick brownness of it a bit of a nuisance. But I'd finally figured out how to use a flat iron and copied my best friend Alison's trick of curling the ends with the thing without making too much of a mess. I kind of liked how it bounced, shining in the bathroom light.
Speaking of Alison... my heart sagged a bit, happiness of the evening fading. She'd come back to Wilding Springs in the middle of our last mess, wanting to talk to me. With Dad dying and Sassy in human form, I'd been too distracted to do anything about her.
By the time I remembered and tried to call her, days later, she'd already gone back to New York. Or wasn't answering her phone because she was mad at me. Either scenarios were likely, though I checked her house several times and it was empty.
Now that her mother's evil little maid, Rosetta, had left, the remains of the Chosen of the Light gone with he
r, the big house stood vacant and dark.
I almost called Angela, but left Alison's mom out of it. The woman had turned nice after Mom tampered with her, clearing her of the Dumont's thrall, but if Alison was mad at me I was sure her mother would be on her side.
“Where are you going?” Meira tilted her head to the side.
“I don't know.” I stroked Sassy's soft fur. “Quaid said it was a surprise.” Frankly, I'd really had enough surprises to last everyone else on the planet's lifetimes, but I figured I owed it to him for the little punishment act I put him through.
“How original.” Sassafras hopped down from the counter, thick tail flicking at me. “Be home by midnight.”
Smartass cat.
“Are you going to kiss him?” Meira giggled, both hands over her mouth.
Awkward. “Yes.” Big surprise there. That made her giggle harder.
“A lot?” Her amber eyes flew wide.
“Yes.” I reached out and tickled her before hugging her. “A lot.”
I scooted her out of the bathroom, hands on her shoulders.
“Syd and Quaid sitting in a tree...” she bounced away before I could grab her, scurrying after Sassy who waited for her in the dark hall. They skipped to her room, both singing. “...K-I-S-S-I-N-G!”
Oh. My. Swearword. Still, I was giggling myself when I closed my bedroom door behind me.
I leaned against it, heart beating a little fast for the short walk I'd taken. No freaking way was I nervous. Not of a silly date with Quaid. Delicious, dark and chocolatey Quaid. My demon purred her happiness.
I found myself blushing for good reason as my mind drifted and actually jumped away from the door with a little shriek of guilt when someone knocked on the other side. I pulled it open quickly, staring at my mother who waited there, a gentle, loving smile on her face.
She was just too much of a pro to say she told me so. Hadn't this been her idea all along? I wanted it to grate, but it didn't for some reason. I was just too happy. Impulse pushed me forward to hug her.
Mom hugged me back, something as soft as Sassafras pressed between us. I pulled back, frowning at the sweater in her hands. She extended it to me. The fluffy angora felt like a pile of cool mist quickly warming to my body temperature.
“I know,” she said when I met her eyes, “it’s old-fashioned. No one wears angora anymore. But I wore this sweater the night your father took me on our first date and he seemed to appreciate it.”
Blushing again, this time from the wicked gleam in her eyes.
“Mom!” I so did not want to go there, not even for a second. Not while I was thinking about Quaid.
Ew. Just. Ew.
She patted the deep navy blue sweater. “He'll love it,” she winked. “I promise.”
If I didn't get a hold on my embarrassment, I might as well let my demon turn my skin permanently red.
Mom kissed my cheek with a smile. “I'm so happy for you, Syd,” she said before turning away and leaving me there.
I closed the door again, hands locked on the sweater. I looked over on my bed at the dark jeans and T-shirt I'd been planning to wear and found myself grinning.
Angora, huh?
I was early, surprisingly. It left me enough time to try Alison's phone one more time. It went right to voicemail. Again.
“Hey, Al. Just me. I'm really sorry, please don't be mad. I'm out tonight, but I can meet you at Johnny's tomorrow? If you're still in town. Or maybe I could come to New York and see you? Okay, well... I miss you.” I really did. My throat tightened as I clutched the phone. I hadn't realized how much I missed her. But despite her breakdown, her issues and her struggles of the last year or so, she was still my first real friend outside the family, and I wanted very much to reconnect with her.
I threw off a fast text and an email, just in case, thinking badgering her couldn't hurt. If she saw how much I wanted to talk to her maybe she'd relent and call back. It was my only hope, really, outside of calling her mom which I was now close to doing.
I made an agreement with myself—if Alison didn't get in touch by tomorrow, I'd call Angela. That decision made, I felt better.
I was half way down the stairs when I heard someone knock at the kitchen door. My heart began to race, pulse making me a little dizzy as I ran the rest of the way through the house to answer.
So not like Quaid to knock. He usually came to the back yard, his steady, familiar presence calling to me the moment he crossed the property line. But I figured he was just trying to make things all official.
I reached for the door knob, a huge smile on my face. Finally. At last. Something was going right in my life. How cool was that?
The moment my hand touched the handle, I felt Quaid enter the back yard, just like always. His presence at the other end of the house made my head whip around, smile fading. If it wasn’t him on the other side of the kitchen door, who was? I pulled it open on reflex, to find three black robed Enforcers looming in the darkness.
They didn’t wait for me to stand aside, but muscled their way in. The leader, a woman with familiar features if not a face I knew personally, took a stand in the middle of the kitchen, body shimmering with blue power as the wards of the house tried to repel her.
“We’ve come for Miriam Hayle,” she said. “Your leader is under arrest.”
***
About the Author
Everything you need to know about me is in this one statement: I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was a little girl, and now I’m doing it. How cool is that, being able to follow your dream and make it reality? I’ve tried everything from university to college, graduating the second with a journalism diploma (I sucked at telling real stories), was in an all-girl improv troupe for five glorious years (if you’ve never tried it, I highly recommend making things up as you go along as often as possible). I’ve even been in a Celtic girl band (some of our stuff is on YouTube!) and was an independent film maker. My life has been one creative thing after another—all leading me here, to writing books for a living.
Now with multiple series in happy publication, I live on beautiful and magical Prince Edward Island (I know you’ve heard of Anne of Green Gables) with my very patient husband and six massive cats.
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