We talked of life with Ida and Charles, Calis and his worries over the fae and pixie problems, before I mentioned hiring Leslie Jones. “She’s quite wonderful at the Junction. Stephanie said it’s exactly what Leslie needed after her husband’s death, and by the way, he died in the forest between Ari’s place and here. If I can give her more hours, I will, but right now, I think she’s happy with those she’s working.”
“You may be right, Leslie took her husband’s death very hard.” Devin tucked me tight to his body and said, “You’ve done a good thing by hiring her, Luna.”
We walked the beach for a time, watching the moon as it slowly made its journey across the night sky. The golden reflection bounced off the water and gave us just enough light to make progress over the sand. We turned back, drove home and into the lot in time to see a figure disappear past the edge of Faerie Cake Junction.
My breath caught in my throat as I gasped. “D-did you see that?”
“Sure did. Stay in the car,” Devin ordered as he shut the motor down and left me alone in the front seat.
I clicked the door locks, waiting in fear that something horrible would happen to him while I sat safe and sound. A few moments later, Devin crossed the grounds and I breathed a sigh of relief when he got back to the car.
“Whoever was prowling is gone now. You’ll be safe and secure tonight anyway, because I plan to stay with you.” His sheepish smile gave me a chuckle.
“As if you hadn’t planned that all along, Devin Radford,” I admonished with a laugh.
He put his hands up and said, “True enough. I’ve been away from you way too long. Let’s go inside. Riddles is likely yowling his brains out.”
Lights blazed after we entered the building and I’d flipped electrical switches as we walked through the door and up the stairs. Devin said he’d check the shop and left me to deal with a noisy, unhappy sounding cat. Riddles unhappiness was likely due to being closed into the loft and not left to roam the shops.
We met again at the bottom of the stairs as I let Riddles scoot out into the night. Worried, I asked, “Everything okay in there?”
With a nod, Devin closed the door and held me close. “Nothing’s amiss. All is well, Luna.” His eyes sparkled as he asked, “Would you like to have your way with me, or what?”
Laughing, I yanked him by the hand and we ran up the stairs.
Later, while Devin slept deeply, I donned a robe and barefoot, I shuffled from the loft to the first floor. Peering out the window of the rear door, I noted Riddles had plunked himself on the doorstep, awaiting entrance. When I greeted him, he offered a look of disdain that I took as silent complaint about being kept waiting.
Snickering, I watched the beasty scamper toward the loft. I swung the door to close it when a quick flicker of light caught my eye. Statue-like, I stared into the darkness beyond, hoping I’d imagined it, when the light flicked again. The season for fireflies had long since ended, which left me to wonder if tricksters were up to no good again, or if someone was out there in search of something?
I stepped back, opened the hall closet and pulled a pair of gardening shoes from inside it. It would be folly to go out barefoot, though I didn’t take a second to consider the folly of going out at all. Call me foolish, unprepared, a marble short of a full bag, or whatever. I simply had to know what, or who, was poking around on my land in the dark.
In stealth mode, I snuck along the path with nothing but soft moonlight as illumination to show the way. Upon reaching the end of the brick-cobbled path, I hesitated. The path now led to the woods, a step or two away…and into the dark. Sounds of branches snapping and brush rustling up ahead chilled me, tensed my nerves and gave me the heebie-jeebies. Raging nerves urged me to flee, and I decided to follow the warning and return to the house when wings fluttered softly near my face.
“Run, you must, now. Go, you should,” the faerie ordered with urgency in her lilting voice.
I’d taken a backward step as she loomed close to my face, when she was abruptly whisked aside. I leaned back when, beyond the light, a tall figure loomed before of me. He stretched out a hand as I turned to escape and grabbed a fistful of my hair, bringing me to an immediate halt. The rubber-soles of my shoes skidded on the paved walk and my scalp screamed in pain as I slipped sideways.
Afraid for my life, I balanced awkwardly as would a marionette on tangled strings. Pain shot through my head – the stranger held on tight. When I tried to scream, I heard him say, “Don’t make a sound, or I’ll break your neck. Understand?”
Momentarily awed by the threat, a realization struck me, the voice held a familiar ring.
“Just let the hell go,” I ground out between clenched teeth.
As suddenly as he’d grabbed my hair, he took hold of my collar and hauled me onto the shadowy path at the edge of the wooded path. While I struggled against his strength as he held tight to my hair and collar – I could feel strands wrenched from my scalp. I shoved at his hands and arms without gaining an inch, though, now I faced him as awkwardly as before. My head tilted to the side, my robe hung open haphazardly, and my naked body was there for show and tell. Thankfully, it was dark and I hoped he couldn’t see too well.
“I said, let go,” I hissed.
The hand he had entwined in my hair loosened, but he still held on. He’d let go of my collar long enough for me to yank my robe closed. Without a word, I stood as calm as I could and took in my surroundings. I dashed glances from side to side hoping to see a faerie or pixie lingering nearby. No such luck, though I was sure Devin might awaken and come in search of me, since I’d left the doors open and a cool draft would make its way into the loft.
“You’ve become a liability, Luna Devere. The cops have been all over the farm, searching for me everywhere. I’ve had luck enough to stay hidden from them, though how long that will last is unknown at this point.” He tightened his grip on my hair and shook me like a rag doll.
Tears of pain ran down my face. When I grabbed his hand to pry his fingers open, he slapped me hard enough that my head bobbled back and forth a bit and my skin stung.
“What do you want?” I asked.
“I wanted what Carlos had. Now I’ll never get it because you and that Arianna whacko have put a stop to it. I should have known she couldn’t be fooled, even though Carlos and I look a lot alike. She was too smart for her own good.”
“Is that why you killed her?” I whispered.
“It is, and it’s also why I’m going to kill you. The man in your house can’t save you, Devere, nobody can.”
Over his shoulder, I caught a glimmer of light, an enormous shadow, darker than any darkness in the wood. Then I heard a playful voice “Here you are, we meet again.”
He stiffened, eased his grip, and turned toward the pixie. “It’s been a while, where have you been?” he asked.
Stunned, I waited. Later, I’d wonder why I wasn’t smart enough to run away as fast as my feet would carry me, but I was astonished to see the pixie appear at the man’s feet. Though the pixie had sounded playful, was he really? I wondered and shook with fear.
I was certain the pixie would let his wrath fly at any second. Why did I know this? I didn’t have a clue and couldn’t have cared less. I simply knew this trickster liked me and had taken my side in this.
A swath of light glowed as he illuminated the path, his small feet shuffling in a soft whisper. The pixie ignored me completely and said, “I’ve waited for you for some time, now. You’ve been up to no good.”
“Leave now,” my attacker grunted.
“Let Luna be. She has no share in this affair. Mind your manners and set her free.” His slanted pixie eyes blazed, the colors flashing from iridescent blue, to gold, and then to fiery red.
My heart pounded as I watched the two of them square off. The small creature hadn’t struck me as particularly powerful, but I tended to underestimate faeries and pixies and the power they had. While he watched the small fellow, the stranger disengaged his fing
ers from my hair and laughed.
“You can’t save her, neither can her lover. I shall kill her as I killed Arianna Gentile, and you shan’t do a thing about it.” He’d spoke with such confidence, that I began to move away, one tiny step at a time, fearful that he meant what he said. Who would save me? If I turned to run away, would I be struck down from behind? Did he have magic on his side? Did he have the ability to disappear once he’d killed me?
Whispers spread through the trees, clinging to every branch, draping each tree with musical sounds and the blur of faeries reached my line of sight.
“Come forth,” the blue faerie urged.
I looked around in fear that she spoke to me. No way could I begin to go up against this enigma who’d dragged me into the woods. A rustle blew in on a breeze followed by fluttering that turned to a hum of wings flapping in unison. To my left, so many faeries gathered, I lost count of them all. To my right, pixies stood shoulder to shoulder, hip to hip, their expressions intense. Surrounded by fae, I found it impossible to move. With a deep breath, I stood amidst them and waited.
The stranger I knew as Carlos, gave a cold laugh, his eyes fierce in the light that had spread its glow ever wider. “I shall have my way. You will all be banished from this land, and I will own it all,” he said assuredly.
Footsteps sounded on the path. I glanced over my shoulder and found Calis off to my side and one step behind.
With his gaze fixed on Carlos, Calis said with certainty, “You shall never change this place.” His eyes went from blue to black and in a flash of light, Carlos was frozen to the spot where he stood, his arm raised to ward off what he must have known was coming.
Amazed by what had just happened, I held my breath and watched faeries lift Carlos’ form and disappear into the night with it. The leader of the pixie group gave me a bow, and was gone in a twinkle as were the other pixies.
Alone with Calis, who I thought smelled of smoking brimstone for some reason, I said, “Thanks for the save. I thought for sure that I’d be killed. Did he really think he could take over this land and its inhabitants?”
With a nod, Calis said, “He’s quite dangerous and wily – and that’s on a good day. He’d been around for some time, but I couldn’t catch him. As for saving you, that’s what I was sent to do.”
Surprised, I uttered, “I thought you were here to prevent a war?”
“There is no war, I lied,” he said with a half grin. “Go home, live with your man, and be happy, Luna. You, and all those who live around you, will be watched over to ensure this never happens again. I was too late to save Arianna, and I was determined not to let what happened to her become your fate as well. I failed her, and for that, I’m sorry.”
“Ari honestly believed she wasn’t harming the faeries, you know, and she knew she was being watched,” I said as I shivered from the cold, and tugged my robe closer to my body.
“I understand, and it was unfair to think Arianna was draining them without their permission.” Calis glanced around. “This will be our last meeting, you won’t see me again. The faeries will continue to visit – as will the pixies, I’m sure. Take care, and promise me that you’ll be good to these creatures, Luna.”
The instant he issued the words, I nodded. “You have my word, Calis.” I crossed my heart with two fingers and held them up.
He smiled and walked into the darkness, his steps growing softer until they were gone completely.
On a sigh, I rubbed my scalp and hurried indoors. My gardening shoes left at the back door, I tiptoed into the loft, disrobed and slouched beneath the covers when Devin murmured, “You were gone a long time. I missed you.”
“I had the urge for something sweet, so I came back to bed to be with you.”
Sleepily, he said, “We’re getting married tomorrow.”
I snuggled into his arms and smiled as I glanced at the clock. It already was tomorrow and nearly time to make cupcakes for Faerie Cake Junction.
About the Author
(click to visit the J.M. Griffin Amazon page)
With her books sold worldwide, J.M. Griffin is one of today's most popular women sleuth’s authors.
Best known for her Vinnie Esposito series, J.M. has set the series in Rhode Island, the smallest state in the USA, and brings to life a colorful cast of characters. Every novel has a blend of humor, mystery, and romance. Her latest novel in the series, Season for Murder, is the fifth book featuring Vinnie Esposito and her usual cast of pals and bad guys. Her new venture, The Deadly Bakery Series, also takes place in Rhode Island, and features a Scot, a bread maker, and lots of interesting characters who help figure out who-done-it.
Stepping away from Rhode Island's scenery, J.M. set Faerie Cake Dead on the coast of Maine. Filled with humor, faeries, sweet cupcakes, murder and a yummy hero, the villain is someone you’ll least expect.
J.M.'s release, Murder on Spyglass Lane, takes place on the west coast of Florida in the Sarasota area. This cozy mystery has a unique and hilarious blend of characters, a sexy hero, and a psychic heroine.
Tangled to Death was a mystery inspired by J.M.’s favorite art style, Zentangle. She set the story in New Hampshire with an unexpected corpse in the first scene. Wit and fun fill the pages of this novel.
J.M., her husband, and two mysterious cats reside in a rural village in western Rhode Island, where life is anything but mundane.
Catch J.M. on her blog: http://mycozymysteries.blogspot.com
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Faerie Dust Dead (The Luna Devere Series Book 2) Page 13
