Contents
Also by Nicole Coverdale
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
About the Author
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
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Once Upon a Hallow’s Eve
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Copyright © 2018 by Nicole Coverdale
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Editing provided by M.M Wedin
Cover art Copyright © Drop Dead Designs
Interior formatting by We Got You Covered Book Design
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This book is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or other unauthorized use of the material or artwork here in is prohibited without the express written permission of the author.
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First printing: October 31, 2018
Printed in the United States of America
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Paperback ISBN: 978-1-5136-4761-6
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www.nicolercoverdale12.com
Dedicated to my favorite fairytales growing up.
You gave me hope, inspiration, and of course,
made me believe in happily ever after.
“Jade!”
Josslyn Morgan growled, stepping on her tip toes, and glancing over the heads in front of her. “Excuse me,” she said, pushing her way through the crowd. “Jade!” she shouted again, gasping, as an elbow struck her in the midsection. Jesus! This place is a freaking madhouse! “Jade!”
“Hey, Lady! There’s a line!”
“For you… yes. For me… no,” Josslyn said, ducking, barely missing the drink flying her way. “Jade!” She shoved her way through the rest of the crowd, zigzagging through the dozens of people crowded in the newly opened bar, and burst free of the crowd, leaning against the bar. “Holy crap! This place is insane!” Josslyn cried, breathing a sigh of relief, and staring at her younger sister. “How did you do it?” she asked, shouting over the music blaring through the bar. “It’s only been four months!”
“I kept busy,” Jade said, setting a beer in front of Josslyn. “Here. You look like you need this.”
“Damn right I do!” Josslyn cried, bringing the beer to her lips. She sighed, the harsh liquid washing down her throat. “It’s hell trying to get through that door. The line’s backed up all the way to the street. Congratulations, Jade! You’re the hottest, new thing in this city.”
“Well, not me. But the bar certainly is,” Jade said, glancing across the bar at the people standing about. She smiled as she watched them dancing, laughing, and glanced at the door where more people were crowding in. “Damn. I can’t believe it’s been four months already.” She sighed, thinking of everything she’d been able to accomplish. The construction of the building, the endless phone calls she’d had to make, not to mention the permits she’d had to acquire. Even the small kitchen behind her, and hiring all the wait staff. It had been a lot of work, but it had been worth it. “Has it really been that long?”
“Jade!”
She laughed at the look Josslyn gave her. “Josslyn! Do you really think I’m that dense? Of course I know how long it’s been. Trust me.” How could she forget? After all, it had only been four months ago they’d found out that they were witches, that they had magical powers, and of course the fact that they had another sister.
“Hey, Lady! Can I get another beer down here?”
The shout sounded from the other end of the bar, and Jade smiled, nodding at the man staring at her. “Sure thing! Coming right up.” She grabbed the glass from above her head and pulled the tap. “Can you believe we haven’t seen any of those creepy, ugly, hideous things in four months?” she asked, passing the beer down to the man.
“Are you complaining?”
“Of course not!” Jade cried. “But, it does worry me. Especially after what Mom and Satan said. You know, about the spell I cast.”
“Which one? As I recall, we cast quite a few of them.”
“Josslyn! You know which one I’m talking about. You know… the one that brought you back to life?”
“Of course I remember,” Josslyn said, shuddering. She rubbed her hands up and down her arms, suddenly chilled. “I still think about it.”
“What was it like?” Jade asked, grabbing a pitcher from under the counter and filling it with beer. “Where were you?”
“Nowhere,” Josslyn said, taking another sip from her beer. “I think I was somewhere in between. You know, that place between heaven and hell. What do they call it?”
“Purgatory?”
“Hmm. Maybe. There was this white light, and I started walking toward it until suddenly a whirl of wind surrounded me, pulling me back. Next thing I knew, I was standing next to you.”
“I’m sorry you had to go through that, Joss,” Jade whispered, squeezing her sister’s hand.
“It is what it is,” Josslyn said, softly. “And you did what you had to do, Jade. But you can’t keep obsessing over it. Who knows if or when it will happen. Hell, it could be years before anything happens! We’re not going to live forever, Jade.”
“I know,” Jade said, softly, setting the pitcher on the counter and handing it off to a young woman. She took the bills that were handed to her and opened the cash register next to her. “But I hate the not knowing.”
“Then stop thinking about it!”
“I can’t! It’s all I think about. Plus, it’s who I am.”
“I know. You always worry,” Josslyn said, rolling her eyes. “Moron.”
“Moron? Did you just call me a moron?” Jade scowled at her, grabbing the towel lying next to her and tossing it at her older sister.
“Hey!”
“I’ll have you know my worrying is what saved our butts four months ago!”
Josslyn chuckled, tossing the towel back at Jade. “Man, you’re easy to tease!”
“Just you wait, Joss. One of these days you’ll be the one worrying.”
“Doubtful,” Josslyn said as Jade started mixing a drink for a young woman at the counter. “But I do feel bad,” she said, glancing around the crowded bar once more.
“About what?”
“Turning down your business offer.”
“I didn’t say you had to accept it, Joss. I’m a big girl, I can handle hearing the word no every now and then.” She poured the drink into the martini glass, then turned to pour a couple glasses of wine for the women next in line. “Plus, it means I don’t have to share the profits.”
Josslyn laughed. “I suppose that is true. But I hate that I left you with so much to do!”
“It wasn’t that much, “Jade said, slamming the cash register shut. The chef shouted behind her, and she quickly grabbed the burgers he set in the window, passing them to the waitress as she rushed up to the bar. “I just did a little painting, a little hammering, made some phone calls. It
also helped that Sky had a few connections too.”
“Were they magical?”
“Actually, no. It turns out Sky has a lot of friends in this world,” Jade said, softly. “I guess he’s good to have around.”
“You still don’t trust Sky? After all he’s done for us?”
“It’s not that I don’t trust him, he’s just such a mystery to us still. He knows all about us, but we know nothing about him. Like, where did he come from? How did he die? Why of all people, did the Gods choose him to be an angel?”
“Maybe that’s something you’ll have to ask him about.”
“Maybe,” Jade said, sighing. “But right now, I’m more concerned about you.”
“Me? Why?”
“Because for the last four months, ever since Tyler left, you’ve been curled up in a blanket, binge watching Netflix and balling your eyes out.”
“Don’t judge me!”
“I’m not, but I thought you understood why Tyler had to leave. I mean, you are the one who told him to go find Brandon.”
“That doesn’t mean that I don’t miss him,” Josslyn said, finishing her beer and slamming the bottle on the counter. “We may have not been together long, but he was so nice. He was easy to talk to, plus he did kind of help save our lives you know. And he was so good in bed…” Josslyn sighed. “I miss sex.”
“Josslyn!”
“What? I’m only human,” Josslyn said, grinning, as she snatched the beer from Jade’s hand. “But I also know that I can’t spend the rest of my life moping, so I came here. Now instead of crying my sorrows away, I’m going to drink!”
“You do realize what you’re doing isn’t healthy, right?”
“Of course, but it is a lot of fun!”
“You are going to drive me crazy,” Jade said, wincing as the child inside of her moved. She rubbed her stomach. “Just like the little human inside of me is going to drive me crazy. Damn, I miss drinking!”
“You only have another five months to go.”
“That seems like an eternity!” Jade cried. “Between the puking, the headaches, and the constantly needing to eat, not to mention how often I have to pee. I’m ready to be done being pregnant. Plus, I feel like a freaking whale!”
“Jade, will you give yourself a break?” Josslyn asked, rolling her eyes. “You’re pregnant! You’re allowed to be emotional. To feel like you’re feeling. And puking, peeing, and eating last I knew was perfectly normal during pregnancy.” She smiled, leaning in close and laying a hand on Jade’s belly. “I bet it’s so cute! Do you think it’s a boy or a girl?”
“I’m not sure.”
“When are you going to find out?”
“I’m not sure I’m going to,” Jade said, slapping Josslyn’s hand away. “And will you get your damned hand off of me! I swear, one more person feels the need to touch my belly and I will cut their damned hand off!”
“Now there’s the Jade I know.”
“Damn right.”
“Did I hear you say you’re not going to find out what gender the kid is?” Julie asked, breaking free from the crowd and leaning on the bar next to Josslyn. “Jade, are you crazy? We have to know what it is! How can we decorate the nursery without knowing if it’s a boy or a girl?”
“Oh please, there are plenty of neutral colors!” Jade cried, mixing up a Strawberry Daiquiri, and handing it to the older woman standing at the bar. “Yellow. Green. Even blue is neutral these days. Plus, hasn’t every generation of the Morgan line given birth to girls? What’s to say this one won’t be a girl too? Or haven’t you noticed that there have been no men born into this line ever since it started?”
“Oh, we’ve noticed.”
“I guess that’s true.”
“Yes, it is. So, let’s stop talking about it. I hate being the center of attention. Julie, how was your day?”
“Boring!” Julie cried, taking the glass of wine Jade handed her and taking a sip. “Ooh! Now this is exactly what I needed! You do know how to pick them, Jade.”
“It’s a talent,” Jade said, laughing. “So, class was boring?”
“So boring!” Julie cried. “Sometimes I don’t even know why I went back. I hate sitting there, listening to some professor babble on and on. No wonder Josslyn was kicked out three times.” She feigned a yawn.
“Hey!”
“Sorry Joss.” Julie patted her on the back. “I’m just ready for something exciting to happen! At least four months ago, we had some entertainment.”
“Don’t you dare say what I think you’re saying.”
“I miss kicking some demon ass!”
“Julie!” Jade glanced over her shoulder, breathing a sigh of relief when no one paid any attention to them. “Would you keep your voice down? I do not need a bad reputation!”
“Please, everyone knows you in this city. They would come to your bar no matter what.”
“You’re overexaggerating.”
“No, I’m not,” Julie said. “But don’t you miss it, Jade? Even a little bit? Getting to use your powers? Helping others? Feeling powerful?” She smiled, nodding to the dark-haired man staring at her from the other side of the bar. “He’s kind of cute.”
“Or he could have heard your insane babble,” Jade muttered.
“Oh please! Even if he did, who knows what I was talking about? As far as he knows, I could be talking about my own personal demons.”
“You should still be careful.”
“And you should stop being so damned paranoid!”
“Exactly what I’ve been trying to tell her,” Josslyn said, taking another sip from her beer. “Did you know she’s been obsessing over that spell?”
“Of course I do, it’s all she ever talks about.”
“Hey guys!” Jasmine bounced up to the counter, sitting in the stool on the other side of Josslyn and laying her head down on the counter, yawning. “Man, am I tired!”
“Law school wearing you out, Sis?” Josslyn asked. She frowned as she touched Jasmine’s hair. “And what did you do to your hair?”
“I dyed it.”
“Well, no shit,” Josslyn said, rolling her eyes. “You certainly weren’t born with pink hair now, were you?” she asked, eying the pink streaks in Jasmine’s golden, blonde hair. “But why? You have gorgeous hair!”
“Because I want to stop hearing how much I look like Mom!” Jasmine cried, shaking the strands from Josslyn’s grip. “It’s like, no matter where I go, someone is staring at me. Telling me how much I look like her. I don’t want to be her. I want to be me!”
“Well, Mom did have a lot of friends in this city,” Jade said, handing a beer to another customer and taking the cash that was handed to her. “But it suits you, Jas. I like it.”
“So do I.”
“I bet you’ll be a real hit with the boys now,” Julie said, elbowing Jasmine, as the lights went out in the bar. “Ah, Jade? Did we just lose power?”
“Did you seriously ask me if we lost power? On our very first night?” Jade snorted. “Of course we didn’t lose power! The band’s about to start.”
“Band? What band?”
“You’re telling me you didn’t see the posters outside? Around the city? Even the ad in the newspaper?”
“No. Who do you have playing?”
Jade grinned, suddenly thankful for the darkness. Oh, Joss is going to freak when she finds out who’s playing!
The opening lines to AC/DC’s Highway to Hell belted through the air, and she leaned in close. “Poison.”
“What?” Josslyn’s head jerked up. “No way! I love Poison!”
“I know you do.”
“Holy crap! This has just turned into the best night, ever! Come on, Julie! Let’s go!” Josslyn grabbed Julie by the hand, dragging her off across the bar.
“And then there were two.” Jade finished mixing the drink, and poured it into the glass, shoving it toward Jasmine. “Here, drink this. It might wake you up a little.”
“I doubt it,” Jasmine
said, picking the glass up and taking a sip. “What is it?”
“A mojito.”
“It’s really good!” She sighed. “But right now, the only thing I want to do is go home, and sleep. I am so tired, Jade! All I do is listen, role play, and cram so much information in my head until I feel like it’s about to explode. I just want to sleep! Is that too much to ask for?”
“For you, yes,” Jade said. “But it’ll be worth it in the end.”
“Ah, yes. The promotion.”
“It was a hell of a promotion,” Jade said, leaning back and watching as the crowd fanned off toward the stage. Whoo! Maybe I can get a little break from mixing drinks now? Behind her, she heard the door swing open. A couple of crew members from the kitchen heading toward the stage. “But I am curious about something, Jasmine.”
“What’s that?”
“What did you tell Lilah about the house that disappeared?”
“You’re asking me that, now?” Jasmine asked, taking another sip from her drink. “Jade, it’s been months!”
“And I’ve had a lot on my mind,” Jade told her. “You know, with being pregnant, getting this place up and running, oh and let’s not forget about fixing up the house after it was nearly destroyed in our battle with Satan.”
“Okay. Okay. I get it.”
“So what did you tell her?”
“The truth.”
“What!”
“Well, not the whole truth,” Jasmine said, raising her head. “Jade, I’m not an idiot.”
“I never said you were.”
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