“There. That’s done. Let’s get Tabby home now.”
Chapter Eleven
LOGAN
The four of us, Elizabeth, Tabitha, and Serena and I, all drove home to Serena’s house. Tabitha appeared so exhausted from the ordeal that as soon as we got to their house, Elizabeth and Serena took her right upstairs to bed. She still felt faint from the blood draw, but otherwise she was in pretty good shape. I had planned to leave and head home, but Elizabeth had specifically asked me to stay.
“Can you, Logan? I think we have something to talk about.” She reached out and touched my arm as she asked, something she rarely did. Elizabeth wasn’t one for such rare moments of vulnerability. My answer came out simple and immediate.
“Of course. I’ll wait in the living room.”
While they were upstairs, I ran the recent events over in my mind. While those shape-shifting dogs were certainly not of this world, my jury was still out on who sent them. I didn’t want to jump to the obvious conclusion that Christophe had returned again, but if not him, then who else? And didn’t I see him fall into that forsaken pit from hell with my very own eyes back at the St. Patrick’s Day Party? How in the name of all that is holy could he come back from that? And if that couldn’t stop him, would anything? Would Serena and I spend the rest of our lives looking over our shoulders for the next time he decided to blow into town? It sounded like the exact kind of life Serena’s mother had tried so hard not to live, and the exact one my own mother swore not to. My head swam with questions and not one blessed answer when Serena and Elizabeth came back downstairs and into the living room where I sat. Serena curled comfortably next to me and Elizabeth took a seat in the easy chair across from us.
She spoke first. “It seems clear to me, we have a new problem.”
I jumped right in. “Do you think Christophe’s behind it?”
Elizabeth appeared to weigh her words. She looked at Serena first, then looked down. It seemed as though she was considering whether to choose her words carefully or cushion her answer. She chose not to. “Yes. I do.”
Serena sucked in her breath and leaned in to me heavily. I draped an arm across her shoulders and scooted her bodily closer to me. “It’ll be okay, Serena.” I whispered into her velvety hair. “I’ll make it okay, I swear.” I turned to Elizabeth, and asked, “What makes you so sure it’s him? I mean, didn’t we destroy him back at the barn?”
“I can’t tell you how he got out. I can tell you why I think it’s him.”
“It was the blood.” Serena interrupted. She got up from beside me and began pacing. “You’re so sure they were Christophe’s underlings because they were after Tabitha’s blood, right?” She turned to Elizabeth for confirmation.
Elizabeth silently nodded.
Serena turned to look at me. “They didn’t get me last time, Logan, so they went after Tabitha. They went after my baby sister.” She said the last few words in a choked whisper.
I looked at Elizabeth over Serena’s head.
You know, we may have to call in the troops on this one again. I said this to Elizabeth in mindspeak, not wanting to upset Serena even more than she already was.
Elizabeth responded the same way. I know. While upstairs, I communicated with a few ‘old friends’. We’re expecting company by tomorrow night.
Wow. I can’t believe we’re here again.
I know. And somehow the stakes seem so much higher now.
That’s because they are, Elizabeth. Now, besides your family, there’s me and my mom, Sully and Jade, and even Skylar. Plus we’re even more spread out with me, Sully and Skylar living in the other house. How are we going to protect everyone now? I asked Elizabeth in my head. It had begun to sound so impossible to me, even unspoken.
I know it sounds impossible, Logan, but it’s not. We can do it. We just have to coordinate with each other and make sure we are in contact.
Communication is the key. As long as we stay in constant contact with one another, we’ll stay on top of it. If you think about it, that’s really all that went wrong last time. The right hand didn’t know what the left hand was doing.
Until the end, when it counted, right? That came from Serena. She finally realized we were mindspeaking with each other and jumped into the conversation.
Right, Serena, said Elizabeth.
So, we’ll have company tomorrow, then?
Elizabeth nodded.
To my surprise, Serena smiled. Even in the face of this distressing news, her smile still had the power to change my whole view of the situation. Maybe it wasn’t as bad as it seemed. I smiled back. Man, she should really bottle that thing.
Elizabeth, though, seemed puzzled by her change in demeanor.
Serena, what in the world can you find to smile about?
I know I shouldn’t be happy, but I get to see my wonderful friends again. Given the circumstances, I think that’s plenty enough reason to smile, don’t you?
Yep, I thought. Given the circumstances, and what I knew about that amazing bunch of women, I thought that was a darn fine reason to smile.
Chapter Twelve
LOGAN
I’d lost all track of time when I finally arrived home. I knew it had to be late and that’s why I was so surprised when I opened the door and found Skylar sitting on the raggedy sofa, waiting up for me.
“Hey, Skylar.” I said, tossing my keys on the coffee table in front of him and falling down onto the cushion. “Man, am I beat.”
“You look it. I never thought you’d ever have a bad night with my sister.”
I laughed.
“Nope. Never happened.” But I figured Skylar had a right to know what had been going on, so I told him. He listened stoically, interrupted a few times with questions, but for the most part just sat and listened to me tell the fantastic story.
“I can’t believe that. What’s going to happen?”
I stretched and got up from the couch.
“Well, it seems like the fun around here is just getting geared up again. Elizabeth has called in the cavalry and they’re all on the way. I’m gonna get some shut-eye. You should think about doing the same thing. Looks like tomorrow will be a pretty long day.” I headed up the stairs to bed. I heard Skylar follow after me not long after. And I could hear Sully snoring away in his room as well. I felt better with everyone tucked all snug in their beds. I needed to make a couple of calls, though, before I felt perfectly at ease.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Mom. You still up?”
“Logan! Elizabeth called earlier. She told me everything. Are you all right? Where are you? Are the boys there too?”
“I’m at my place. I’m fine. I just turned in. Skylar’s here and if I held the phone to the wall, you could hear Sully sawing logs in the next room.”
My mom laughed and said, “Oh honey, that sounds so normal. It makes me feel so much better. I love hearing your voice. It’s been so long since I’ve seen you.”
“Well, that’s not all my fault, Mom. You’ve been wining and dining with this new guy almost every night. How’s that going, anyway? He treating you right?”
“What a thing to ask a mother, Logan. Yes, he treats me just fine, son. And you didn’t ask, but I’ll answer anyway; I am having a wonderful time. Does it bother you, honey?”
I hadn’t thought about it until the very moment she asked. I knew she loved my dad very much, but I also knew she wasn’t the one who died. She’s a pretty great lady and if this guy made her happy, that’s all that mattered to me. She deserved it. She was really pretty when she smiled.
“No, Mom, it doesn’t bother me. Everybody should have someone who makes them smile.”
“Oh, honey.” My mom sounded hoarse. “You make me smile every day.”
“Come on, mom. Don’t go mushy on me.”
“That’s what moms do, Logan. But we can change the subject. Elizabeth told me we have friends arriving soon?”
“Yeah. She called in the troops.”
; “I let her know she could count on me for whatever she needed. I went through this once before. I’ll be ready again.” She meant when Jade got kidnapped. My mom sounded fierce and my heart swelled with pride. I guess I knew where I got my strength and determination. I said as much to her.
“Oh no, I can’t take all the credit. Most of it belongs to your dad, Logan.” she said firmly. “He was the strongest man I knew. When things seemed at their worst, he could look at me and calm me with just a glance. He never went to pieces over anything, just assessed the situation with the precision of a military strategist. And with you kids, he was like a gentle giant. There is so much of your father in you.” Even over the phone I could hear her smiling. I could even picture that silly “that’s my boy” grin she has. “That’s where most of your strength and determination comes from. And I suspect, the parts of you that Serena loves, those are the best parts of your father, too.”
“Well, I think I got some good stuff from you too, mom. But speaking of Serena, I want to check on her and Tabitha before I go to sleep. Tabitha really went through it tonight.”
“I’m sure she did. And you are sweet to call them. I’ll let you go, darling. I guess we’ll see you in the morning. I’ll tell your sister you called. Goodnight, son. I love you.”
“G‘night, Mom. Love you, too.”
I rang off and immediately keyed in Serena’s number. She answered after two rings.
“Hey, It’s me. I just wanted to check on you and say good night. How’s Tabitha?”
“She’s fine. Sleeping like a baby. Today wiped her out. Me too.” I felt better just hearing Serena’s sweet voice.
“I won’t keep you. It’ll be a long day tomorrow.” I realized I was tired too.
“Don’t I know it. Just the thought of it keeps me yawning. I’m just so exhausted.”
“Go to sleep. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“I am. We all are. Thank you for tonight, Logan. I never thanked you.”
“You never have to. Good night Serena. Sleep tight.” I pictured her snuggling into the covers and wished feverishly that I was there with her.
“Good night, Logan. Dream of me.”
“I always do.”
I hung up and crawled into bed, beat but satisfied. I knew where my family was, my friends, and my beautiful Serena. For this reason, I knew I would doze easily and well. Knowing everyone I loved was safe allowed my weary eyes to close and as I sank into my soft, welcoming pillow, I fell into a deep and restful sleep.
Chapter Thirteen
LILY
Since Elizabeth and Serena were expecting guests today, Elizabeth and I agreed that I would open the flower shop alone and work by myself all day. I had done it before. It wasn’t easy, but it could be done. We had prepped all the orders the day before, so mostly I had to just make sure the blooms looked fresh, and the ribbons and bows all matched, and the correct cards were on the right arrangements. As expected, the morning went smoothly.
I worked steadily on arrangements for the next day when I heard the little bell over the door jingle. I wasn’t expecting anyone and we usually didn’t get walk-ins in the late afternoon. I put my scissors down and took off my work gloves.
“Be right there!” I called out. I pushed the arrangement items aside and made sure the flowers were still in water, then I went around the corner to the front of the store.
“Hi.” It was Declan. He smiled warmly at me and came forward as though to hug me. I held back for a split second. It unnerved me that he had shown up unannounced. He had done that once or twice, and I had casually mentioned I wasn’t that fond of it. He didn’t seem to be taking the hint. I considered saying something, but he looked so happy to see me, I chose not to. Instead, I stepped into his hug and returned it. As his arms wrapped around me, and I remembered what it was like to be held by a handsome man, I was glad he stopped by. “Declan. What a nice surprise. I’m glad you’re here.”
“Are you?” he asked. “For a moment there, I thought I may have overstepped.” He looked concerned and I felt immediately contrite. I thought I had covered well, but apparently not quickly enough. He had seen my hesitation.
“Oh, no Declan. I’m just preoccupied. We have a lot of orders for today.” I deliberately tried to change the subject. “Now, tell me; what brings you this way?”
“Well, you do, Lily.” Declan actually blushed. “I had such a great time last week, I hoped I could get you to agree to another date. How about it? Free tonight?”
I wanted to say yes immediately. But, I knew our coven sisters were going to begin arriving today and throughout the next few days. Actually, I wasn’t sure when I would next be available. I hoped Declan wouldn’t think I’d been deliberately avoiding him.
“Declan, I’m sorry, I’m not. I have family arriving tonight and this week, for a family reunion of sorts. Can I get a rain check?”
Declan’s face fell as I began to speak, but as I mentioned the rain check I thought I saw a spark of hope flash across it.
“Of course, Lily. We can get together after your family leaves. So, a family reunion, huh?” I nodded. “Those can be fun. Have you seen them in a while?”
“Not for a little while. Most are dear, sweet friends that are like family. I’m really very excited to see them.”
“Well, you have a wonderful time with them, Lily. I should let you get back to work. It’s always so nice to see you. I’ll look forward to getting together with you soon. Perhaps, I’ll stop by and say hello?”
“Oh, I would like that, Declan, very much. Let me walk you out.”
I walked Declan to the door and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He grasped my hand warmly with both of his.
“You take care, Lily Daniels. I’ve got my eye on you.” Then he winked, which seemed completely out of character for what I knew about him, dropped my hand, and walked out the door.
I stood there for a few minutes, staring after the closed door, until the phone rang. The jangle of the ring jolted me and I lunged for the phone on the third ring. It was Elizabeth.
“Hey. Are we that busy?”
“No, I, um, I’d just been saying goodbye to Declan. He stopped by.”
“Really? Were you expecting him?”
“Not at all. He just came by to ask me out again.”
“When are you going?”
“Well, I’m not. Not anytime soon anyway. With all the coven sisters arriving soon, I told him I had family coming into town and we were having a family reunion. With the shop and their visit and this new business with Tabitha, where will I find time for socializing? Besides, he acted a bit odd today.”
“Odd? Odd how?”
“I don’t know. It’s the same thing again, just something I can’t put my finger on. Sometimes, I feel like I’m in a type of trance when I’m near him. Just before you called, I was staring out the door like a zombie. Ugh. Enough about this, what’s going on there? How are the girls?”
“Tabitha is fine, but Serena is a bundle of nerves. She’s actually making me nuts. I called Logan and he’s going to leave work early and take her for a drive or something. And I hope Prudence is one of the first coven sisters to arrive. She always had such a calming effect on Serena.”
I agreed with her. Between Prudence and Logan, they both had ways of soothing Serena when she got wound up tight as a top. As all of us had had to face at one time or another, our way of life wasn’t an easy one.
“Today’s orders are all out and tomorrow’s are prepped. Since everything is done, and the afternoon is slowing down, I may close the shop early. Jade and I will be over as soon as I get dinner done.”
“Oh, no you don’t. Dinner is over here tonight. It’s about time we did a big family night together. I won’t take no for an answer.”
I laughed. One of our big overstuffed dinner nights sounded like heaven. Jade and I eating alone at our dining room table meant for six could seem a little sad. And when she went out with Sully, which was often, I ate
alone. A lot.
“You got it. We’ll see you later.”
“All right. Bring a pretty centerpiece home. See you then.”
I hung up the phone and went back to work. The afternoon moved forward as quickly as the morning did, and before I knew it, I had finished all the prep work. I decided I would close the shop early and I locked the front door and turned the OPEN sign to the CLOSED side and drew the shades.
As soon as I turned back to the counter, I knew something seemed different. I no longer stood in the center of Free Spirit Flowers, my boutique flower shop. It seemed to no longer exist. I looked around warily, and I could see that the stalks of beautiful blooms in their vases I had so recently been arranging had also changed. In their place were ugly, snarling flowers with live heads, bobbing and leaning toward me with tiny rows of snapping teeth. Quickly I backed up out of their reach, and straight into the outstretched arms of thick, ropy vines that appeared out of nowhere, snaking their way around the frame of the front door, and down and around the freezer case where we kept the delicate flowers and roses.
I tried to cast a spell to keep them at bay but found my powers had been compromised. When had that happened? The vines slithered around my waist and arms and began to tighten. I grabbed the closest one to me and yanked it hard, loosening myself from its leafy clutches. I ducked underneath it and whirled around toward to the counter. Several stalks I had cut earlier, intending to bunch and tie, lay on the counter. As soon as I got close, the stalks transformed into a pile of writhing serpents, some of them dropping to the floor and slithering away. I screamed and ran around to the back of the shop. Why did I have no powers? How long had that been the case? I had to get control of this situation before it got control of me. About to mindcall for help, I heard his voice.
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