CHARMEDIMSUREFINAL_edited_Eleanor

by rose@rosepressey. com

  “We need to bust in that damn shop and ask the old woman why the hell she gave it to you.”

  I nodded. Liam was right. The only way was to confront her.

  “There’s just one little problem with that though,” I said.

  Nicolas looked at me. “What’s that?”

  “All of the stores are closed because everyone is freaking out about the lack of power.”

  Nicolas hit the steering wheel with his fist. “Damn. I forgot about that.”

  “Well, we have to at least drive by there and check.” I didn’t think it would do any good but if it would make the guys feel better I supposed we could try.

  Within a few minutes, Nicolas had pulled the car up into front of the shop. To my surprise, the neon light flashed open in the window and the place looked like it was open for business.

  “I guess when you hand out curses you need to stay open for business.”

  We all hurried out of the car and to the shop’s entrance. Liam opened the door for me, but I was reluctant to step inside this time. Regardless, I forced myself.

  The place was quiet of course, no music or customers. That didn’t surprise me since everyone was home. A short gray-haired woman peeked her head out from the door that led from the back of the shop. She stared at us as if she wanted us to go away. The woman held a broom in her hands. It was for sweeping, not flying.

  “May I help you?” she asked in a weak voice.

  “I need to speak with the other woman who works here. She has blonde hair.” I motioned toward my head as if that would give her a good visual.

  The woman stepped out from the back and inched toward us. “There is no one else here but me.”

  “Do you know when she will be back?” Liam asked.

  The woman moved the broom back in forth in front of her, sweeping the nonexistent dirt. “You don’t understand. There is no one like that who works here. I am the only one. I own this shop.”

  Fear raced through me. If she was the only one then who was the woman who had given me the necklace?

  “Are you sure?” Nicolas asked.

  She shook her head. “I have been here for several years. I work the shop all by myself.”

  I stepped closer to her. “Do you know who I am?”

  Her eyes widened. I hoped that I hadn’t scared her with that question. She shook her head but didn’t answer.

  “I am Halloween LaVeau. I am the leader of the Underworld.”

  She waved her finger at me. “Oh, you are Hallie? I saw you once when you were very young.”

  “Are you aware that the magic has stopped in Enchantment Pointe?”

  She stared for a moment and then shook her head. “No, I wasn’t aware of that. What is happening?”

  “Is this not affecting you?” Nicolas asked.

  “I still have my magic,” she said.

  That was odd. Why did she still have it? Because this was where the necklace had come from?

  “You’re sure you don’t know this woman?” I asked.

  She frowned. “I’m sorry, no.”

  I pulled the necklace from my pocket. I wanted to get rid of the thing.

  She stepped back when she saw it and held the broom up as protection. “Don’t bring that near me.”

  “Have you seen this before?” I asked.

  “I know what it means, yes,” she said.

  “Did it come from your shop?” Liam asked.

  “No, nothing like that is in my shop. I would never carry anything like that.” Her voice shook.

  I stepped closer with my hand extended, showing off the necklace. “Do you know where someone would get something like that?”

  Fear flickered in her eyes. She waved her hands. “No, no. Please take it away. I am sorry if the town can’t do magic, but I had nothing to do with it.”

  She seemed a bit paranoid about being in the mere presence of the necklace. I stuffed the thing back in my pocket and a look of relief fell over her face.

  “Thanks for the info,” I said.

  Panic still flashed in her eyes. “Good luck.”

  Yeah, I would need it. Her words seemed more like a warning than well wishes. The three of us filed out the shop and got back into the car. Now I had to find yet another person. I would have to add her to my list.

  “We have to get rid of the necklace,” Liam said from the backseat.

  I blew the hair out of my eyes. “Any bright ideas about how to do that?”

  “Well, to get rid of the hex attached to it you will have to give it back to the person who gave it to you.” He pointed toward the offending necklace.

  “Why did I know you were going to say something like that?” I said.

  How the heck was I supposed to find someone I didn’t even know?

  Liam rubbed his chin. “In the meantime there is something that might help. It could possibly give the witches their powers back for a short time.”

  “What is it? I’ll do anything.”

  He quirked an eyebrow.

  I placed my hands on my hips. “Okay, not anything, but… oh, just tell me.”

  He crossed his arms in front of his chest. “We bind the item and then bury it with the spell.”

  I nodded. “Okay, I’m game. That sounds easy enough.”

  It was probably too good to be true though. I had no choice but to try it. If it didn’t work I hadn’t lost anything and if it did maybe it would help us find everyone.

  We traveled the rest of the distance to the manor in silence. I went over everything in my head, but still had no answers.

  “Do I need the book?” I asked when we pulled up to the manor.

  Liam opened the door. “No, it’s just a simple spell to bind the item.”

  Yeah, I’d done the spell before, but I wouldn’t call any spell simple. Not for me at least. The Book of Mystics had become like a safety net for me. In my mind I always questioned whether I needed the book even if I knew the spell by heart.

  “I just need to make sure the book is still there, since Uncle Fitz was looking for it,” I said as I walked up the front steps.

  “We’ll meet you in the back yard,” Nicolas said.

  I nodded and then rushed up the stairs to check on the book. One of these days those stairs would be the death of me. That was if a wicked witch, demon, or some other evil thing didn’t get me first.

  I peeked into Uncle’s Fitz’s room and he wasn’t there. But all of his belongings were still there. I made my way to my room and opened the trunk. To my relief the book was still where I’d left it. I locked the trunk again and then my bedroom door. Someone would have to break the door down to get the book.

  After checking the parlor, library room and kitchen for Uncle Fitz I went out the back door to meet up with Nicolas and Liam. They were standing at the edge of the property near the river. A breeze wafted into the room, carrying the scent of damp soil and burnt leaves. Drooping branches from the tall oak trees shaded the back lawn, and beyond that, the river lay a few hundred feet away. A raven took flight from the treetop, drifting across the sky in rhythm with the water below. The flap of its wings and caws floated across the air. I looked down, watching the river run steadily past. Beneath one of the oak trees sat a small family cemetery enclosed by a black wrought-iron fence.

  Nicolas had retrieved the shovel from the shed. He began digging a hole in the ground. It didn’t need to be very deep.

  “The book was still there, by the way,” I said.

  “Good, now we need to locate Fitz,” Liam said.

  If Uncle Fitz wanted the book then he’d have to show up soon.

  Once Nicolas was finished with the hole, we joined hands. We called to the elements of earth, air, fire, and water and then recited the words. “Bind that which does harm.” We repeated the words until the wind whipped around us like a mini-tornado. We were safe from the powers though.

  Finally, when the wind died down we stopped the spell. I just hoped that it worked. I didn’t have the hear
t to remind the guys that they had no powers and the spell wouldn’t work with them. They’d probably remember soon enough. They were too wrapped up in the moment.

  I released their hands and then Nicolas placed the necklace in the ground. He grabbed the shovel and began dumping the earth over it.

  “How will we remember where we buried it?” I asked.

  “I picked this spot because it’s beside the tree,” Liam said.

  “Trust me, the thing probably won’t stay buried for long. We don’t have much time.”

  There was never enough time. Nicolas placed the last of the dirt over the necklace and patted down the loose dirt with the back of the shovel. “Now let’s see if that works.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “I know what we can do to see if the spell is working,” I said.

  “What’s that?” Nicolas asked.

  “We can do a spell to find the woman who gave us the necklace. Remember the last spell led us to Charlie.”

  “Yeah, but considering you now have a jinxed necklace that didn’t turn out so well,” Liam reminded me.

  “But we did find her. I just have to make sure not to take anything from her if we find her.”

  “Well, you’re right, we have to find her regardless, so let’s give it a try,” Nicolas said.

  Liam nodded, but he didn’t look completely convinced.

  “Would the spell help me find the others too?” I asked.

  He shrugged. “We could give it a try, but remember the powers will still be limited, if they work at all.”

  It was odd, but my powers didn’t seem all that limited. It was as if the longer I had the book, the better I became. I didn’t want to take anything for granted though. I never knew when I might have the powers ripped away from me.

  We went back inside the kitchen.

  “You guys wait here for me while I go get the book.”

  If I had to travel up these stairs many more times today I might have to get a lung transplant. I passed by Uncle Fitz’s room again. The door was closed. I was sure that I had left the door open. I twisted the knob and eased the door open. I peered around the room, but everything was just how it was before. This time I really did close the door behind me and left to get the book. I pulled the key from my pocket. I thought I heard footsteps behind me so I whipped around.

  No one was there. Charlie’s door was closed just as I’d left it. I opened the door and then the trunk. With the book under my arm I raced once again back downstairs. The entire time I was moving down the stairs it felt as if someone was behind me. That was beginning to give me the creeps. Chill bumps broke out on my arms. Every time I glanced over my shoulder no one was back there. I was thankful for that. I was just letting my nerves play tricks on my mind. It wasn’t surprising with all that was going on in Enchantment Pointe.

  The book was still securely in my arms when I reached the kitchen. The men looked up at me when I stepped into the room. It was shocking how much they looked alike. They were so different in many ways though. I just couldn’t imagine life without them now. No matter how bizarre the circumstances of how we’d met I was thankful they were with me.

  I placed the book down on the counter. “I hope it gives me the spell this time too.”

  Liam and Nicolas peered down at the book. We waited in silence for the book to make a move. It didn’t take long before the cover opened and then the pages started to flip. How would the spell reveal the answer to our question this time? Would it be in the clouds like last time or something completely different?

  The wind whipped around the kitchen as the pages moved. Again the wind didn’t harm us. The first time I’d tried this everything in the kitchen had moved like it was in a hurricane. Yes, things were definitely improving for me. I wasn’t sure how it had happened, but I was just going to take the gift at the moment and not question it. I needed the powers right now more than ever.

  The book finally stopped on a page. Liam and Nicolas leaned in close. Without saying a word each one moved around the kitchen and gathered the items. I got my spellcasting bowl and placed it on the counter. Liam and Nicolas placed the ingredients on the counter in front of me.

  “I hope your powers have returned a little,” I said as I sprinkled the items into the dish.

  I would know if their powers were back because I would feel the increased energy in the room. Then again, maybe I wouldn’t. I hadn’t realized when Nicolas’ powers had vanished.

  After placing all the items in the dish, I held hands with Liam and Nicolas. I looked down at the page and recited the words. They did the same. We called to the elements of the earth, air, fire, and water, then recited the words. “Show me the source of the evil. Bring it out once and for all.”

  Liam and Nicolas spoke the words with me and I felt a tiny spark of increased energy. Maybe binding the necklace had worked after all. Liam was right though, it wouldn’t last long. Now if I could just find the woman from the occult shop.

  Once the wind stopped and we’d finished the spell, we waited for a message to appear. The pages of the book didn’t move. There was no special light show or wind any more. It had only been a few seconds, but that was more than enough time for me to start worrying that the spell hadn’t worked.

  I looked at Nicolas. “Do you think it worked?”

  He nodded. “Give it a couple minutes before we give up.”

  I was being impatient, but I had people to find and magic to restore. The book wasn’t helping me much right now.

  I walked over to the window to look up at the sky.

  “What are you doing?” Liam asked.

  I leaned close to the glass. “Last time we got the message in the clouds. The book flew across the room and landed by the door. That was what drew our attention to the sky.”

  “Impressive.” Liam inched closer.

  I peered out the window, but no message in this clouds appeared this time. I’d given up hope that any communication would come. Binding the necklace was supposed to make my powers better, not worse. I released a deep breath and leaned against the door.

  “Now what?” I asked.

  My phone rang, drawing my attention away from the problem for a moment. I was thankful for the distraction. I pulled the phone from my pocket and looked at the screen. The number wasn’t familiar.

  I picked up the phone with a shaky hand. “Hello?”

  “Halloween LaVeau?” the deep voice asked.

  I didn’t recognize the man’s voice. Liam and Nicolas focused their full attention on me. I knew they were wondering if this call would be bad news.

  I steadied myself. “This is Halloween LaVeau.”

  “I’m glad that I got a hold of you,” he said.

  “Well, I can’t say the same thing until I know who you are and what you want.”

  “This is Dave McCoy of the Baton Rouge Coven,” he said.

  “Sorry I didn’t recognize your voice. I think we have a bit of a bad connection. I hadn’t expected to hear from you so soon, but I hope it’s good news.”

  “You said to call if I found out anything.”

  “What have you got for me?” Patience was not one of my qualities.

  Liam and Nicolas continued to study my every move.

  He paused, and then said, “I don’t know if this is relevant or not, but I thought you should know.”

  “I’ll take any lead I can get right now.” It was better than nothing.

  “I heard this through a friend, but the person is reliable, so I believe her,” he said.

  “Sure, what’s the news?” I asked.

  “There is a witch here who has been angry with the coven. I knew she was upset, but I hadn’t thought much about it. She’s the type of person who is always complaining, you know?”

  I sighed. “Sure. I know the type.”

  “She wanted to be a board member, but her qualifications just weren’t there,” he said.

  I perked up a little when he said she wanted to be a board me
mber.

  He continued, “And apparently she contacted you, but you ignored you.”

  I found that hard to believe. I hadn’t been contacted by anyone.

  “What is her name?” I asked.

  “Her name is Chelsey.”

  “No one by that name has been in touch with me. I haven’t been contacted by anyone. Well, only the ones who have come here to try to take the book.”

  “I wouldn’t think much of what she says. Like I told you, she is irrational at times and says a lot of things that turn out not to be true. Nonetheless, I thought I would share this information with you.”

  Could Chelsey be Charlie? If so then why had she disappeared? And why had she pretended to be someone else?

  “Where can I find her?” I asked.

  “I heard she has family in Enchantment Pointe. An aunt or something. Maybe she went there. Then again, with the way she acts, she could have taken off for the beach or New York City. Maybe she decided to leave the country.”

  She sounded a little unstable from the way he talked.

  “What does she look like?” I asked. “In case I have seen or see her in the near future.”

  “She has long dark curly hair and brown eyes,” Dave said.

  That description could have matched Charlie.

  “She has a tattoo on her wrist with the word ‘witch’ on it.”

  I hadn’t seen a tattoo on Charlie’s wrist, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t there.

  “Where is her family in Enchantment Pointe? Do you know where they live?”

  “No, I don’t know, but I could probably make a few more calls for you and see if I can find out.”

  “That would be great.” At least that offered a little bit of hope.

  Based on the intense scrutiny I received from Nicolas and Liam, I knew they were dying to find out what I’d learned. They’d had their eyes on me the whole time.

  “Oh, there was one thing I knew about Chelsey,” he said.

  “What’s that?” I asked, hoping it would be something useful to help me find her.

  “Her aunt owns an occult shop in Enchantment Pointe.”

  It was as if the wind had been knocked out of me. Another piece to the puzzle, but how did it fit? It was my job to find out.