Halona swiftly walked across the street to Mystic Tides. As she entered, she waved to everyone. “Hi, just here for a second, gotta get back.”
She chose the stone of health, a red garnet, and selected the flat-shaped setting.
Returning, she smiled as she handed the woman the stone.
“Miss, this is for you. The garnet will help break the curse on your health. It will help promote rapid healing and regeneration. I chose this shape so you can wear it on the chain you have. I have to tell you, though, as long as you keep the one you have next to you, this garnet can’t be effective.”
The woman’s eyes got wide “Why are you doing this for me?”
Halona pressed her lips together. “I just want you well.”
The woman’s friend reached out to shake Halona’s hand.
“Thank you so very much.”
“You’re very welcome. Good luck.”
As the women left, Halona overheard the friend convince her to immediately replace the stone on her necklace.
Jenn shook her head. “You saved another. Hope they heed the warning.”
“Me too.” Halona let out a deep breath. “Let’s call it a day.”
“Sounds good. Have a great weekend!”
“You too, goodnight.”
Halona locked the door and turned out the lights. She had just called for Scamp to come to her when the hair on the back of her neck stood up. When Scamp let out a soft growl, she felt a shiver. She looked over and noticed a man outside looking at the flyer in the window. She couldn’t make out anything about him. The way he wore the cap, the brim covered most of his face. He reached for the doorknob. When his arm flung back, Halona knew her wards were in place and working as they should. She continued to watch as he glanced back over at the announcement before walking away. She held Scamp close as she whispered, “The bracelet?” and then they dashed upstairs to the apartment.
Chapter 8
Sunday Morning
Scamp ran ahead and hopped from bush to bush, tree to tree, as if to make certain he’d claimed every inch of the property. Halona yelled out, “Scamp, I’m going to tell Aunt Grey we should keep you in the shop as an emergency extinguisher.” Scamp looked up at her and then proceeded to run to the next bush.
“This is an amazing place,” Drake said as they came upon Halona’s childhood property.
The estate was away from the Main Street activity. The home sat on elevated land, and beautiful massive boulders separated the shore from the property. The property stretched far and eventually met up with a town road. Even from the shore, one could see the tall dogwoods and the majestic southern red oaks that graced the acreage. The house had of an array of windows, and porches and patios encompassed it.
The setting had two distinctive vibes, two distinct looks, like two sides of a pristine coin. There was the raw ocean on one side and a primeval forest on the other.
They stood a moment and took notice of the pond’s beauty, surrounded by its Carolina willows and the river birch. Drake placed a box of items on a table by the door and leaned his guitar next to them. Halona took his hand and led him to the dock at the edge of the pond. They looked down upon the ripples and then sat to remove their shoes. Halona had dipped her toes in the water when something nipped at her; she pulled her foot back, though it was only the frigid temperature. She fought the urge but soon found herself dangling her legs in the cool water.
“I haven’t spent a Sunday here since my parents passed. This is where I first learned of a special ability.”
Drake’s eyes went wide. “Really, what is that?”
She nudged his shoulder. “Before I tell you, I have to confess something. My cousins and I… well, some people pretend to be witches, but we’re the real deal.”
Drake said, “I already figured that out.”
“How?”
He laughed. “Moss told me. He has the ability to recognize powers.”
“Oh. Did he happen to say anything else?”
“Only what I already know, that you’re gorgeous. Now, what’s that ability?”
She bit her lip. “I can breathe underwater.”
Drake’s head tilted back as he raised his brows.
“Wow, really! How in the world did you discover that?”
Halona laughed. “I was six years old, and my dad and I went out in a small boat. We were feeding ducks, and there was one distant from the others. When the lone duck wouldn’t approach, I jumped in the water and swam over to him. He was entwined in a piece of grass under the water. So I went underwater, and I untied him.”
“You were awfully little to know to do all that.”
“I think my dad was concerned because he came in to help. We were both under the water breathing perfectly natural. We smiled at each other, practically laughing. We knew then that I had his ability and that we shared something pretty amazing.”
She laughed. “When we surfaced, I cried out, ‘Daddy, I did it!”
“Wow. Now that’s a memory I bet no one else has.”
“It felt so useful to me. After that day, I joined my dad on as many outings as he would let me.”
“How long can you stay under?”
Halona winked. “As long as I want, as it turns out.”
Drake leaned over and swished his fingers in the water.
He glanced behind his shoulder. “I imagine that’s a great advantage with the family business.”
“Oh, it’s been a huge advantage, has for many generations. While my dad enjoyed going on outings with his father, as much as I did with him, he had often felt it an unfair advantage over our competitors. My mom helped him to see we should embrace what talents and advantages we are given in this life.”
Drake nodded. “Wise woman. Will you show me how you do it?”
Halona stood up quickly with a broad smile. “Yes, I’ll show you. Let’s go inside. I have some wet suits. I’m sure one will fit you. I have a tank you can use, if you want to go deep with me.”
Drake smiled, raising a brow as he stood up. “Oh, I do.”
As they entered the house, Scamp jumped on the settee in the sunroom. Halona made her way to a closet just off the room. She pulled out a black wet suit.
“Here, this should fit.”
She grabbed her own and stepped behind the modesty screen to change. When she stepped out, in a silver, sleeveless wet suit, Drake stopped to admire her form. As she was finishing zipping the front of her silver wet suit, Drake spoke.
“You’re breathtaking.”
Halona smiled, though she felt her face grow warm as she blushed.
“Interesting choice of words for what we’re about to do.”
“What’s this?” Drake asked as he gently ran his finger over the ink graphic of a heart interlaced with a Celtic trinity knot. “This is really pretty. I didn’t know you had a tattoo.”
“Yeah, we all have one, the same one, the girls and I. We got them one summer on a whim. It’s to remind us we all have three best friends and we will always be connected by love. Grey came up with the design.”
Halona glanced down at her shoulder. “They really wanted to do it to help me through that difficult time. At least that’s what I later came to learn, that it really wasn’t done on such a whim after all.”
“Nice.” Drake moved in closer, and he kissed her on the forehead. “Now you better zip that up, or we may never….” He took the zipper of her suit into his hand and pulled it up slowly. “I have to say, this is going against every fiber of my body. I so want to un-wrap you when we’re done.” He kissed her.
They held each other as close as the suits they now wore.
Releasing her, Drake smiled and then bit his lip. “Okay, let’s go. Time to come clean about our abilities.”
Drake put on his scuba mask and checked the tank. Halona threw her diver’s jacket over her suit, ran out the door, and dove into the pond, Drake following behind. They dunked on three, and as if merfolk, they swam and examined the bottom of the surface
as they collected debris that had gathered. They scooped up fish and held them out for each to see. They caught frogs and then released them. As they surfaced, they began laughing as they made their way to the edge.
“Amazing, just amazing to watch you,” Drake said as he removed his mask. “So can we try something? Let’s place items in the pond. I want to see if I can locate them for you. I have sonar sense.”
Halona gave a broad smile. “Wait here. I’ll be right back.”
She ran off laughing and went into the house, where she gathered some coins from a small treasure chest. She ran back to the pond.
“Okay, you need to go inside while I drop these in the water so you can’t see where they go.”
After a few minutes, Halona asked Drake to return. He made another quick check of the tank and plunged into the water. In an instant, he had sensed the location of the coins. She dove in to retrieve them, and soon, all fifty coins were brought back to land.
“That was great!” Halona smoothed her hair back as she waded out of the pond and dropped onto the dock. They sat a moment as they dangled their feet, each having picked up and held a stack of coins in their palms.
As they stared down into the proof of their new discovery, they shared a glance, and a smile, and a secret.
“So this coin, see how bent it is? Would it increase its value if I were to straighten it?”
Halona nodded. “Straighten it? It would, but how?”
Drake smiled. “With my hands?”
Halona felt herself get warm inside. “Hands?”
Drake concentrated on the coin for a moment and then began to manipulate the edges, curving the sides back down to create a flat disc.
“This comes in handy when we’re making sets for productions.”
Halona laughed. “That is great. Just think how you’ll be able to take an item we find and increase its value. And with your sonic ability, we can find treasures that much quicker.”
“So I could suit up and join you in adventures?” Drake asked
Halona nodded. “Yes.”
Drake smiled. “I would like nothing more. Well, okay, maybe one thing.”
He lay her down as he kissed her. “Unwrapping my present.” He brushed her cheek. “So bewitching. You really are a witch, aren’t you?”
She ran her fingers through his hair. “And you, with such seduction, you are no mere warlock.”
As the passion grew, Drake was soon slowly unzipping her wetsuit. As he did, he ran his fingers over her lips. She was sure they would feel rough from fingering the strings of his guitar, but they didn’t. Halona kissed a finger as it brushed by, as if to do so would free her to speak. She looked into his eyes as he focused on each of her breasts. Then, as if sensing her uneasiness, Drake, just as slowly, zipped it up. He gave her a tender kiss.
“Take as long as you need. I won’t go anywhere, unless you want me to.”
Halona sighed. “Drake, I want to tell you something.”
“Sure, what is it?”
She leaned into his arm. “Ten years ago, as you know, I lost the love of my life. My emotions died with him that day. But what I really want to tell you is that I haven’t felt any romantic love since, not until you came into my life. I really do care for you.”
Drake kissed her hand. “Halona, I feel so completely one with you. I’ll wait forever if I have to.”
She leaned her head on his shoulder, and he pulled her close as they watched the ripples in the water.
* * * *
“This is an incredible setup. I feel like a French chef about to make a masterpiece.”
Halona reached in a drawer and then placed a chef hat on Drake’s head as she laughed.
“How would you feel about tacos, chef?”
Drake laughed and turned to the refrigerator.
“Do we have the makings for a salad? I can start on that.”
“We should have everything we need.”
As Drake began to cut onions, he asked, “What did you think of Moss?”
Halona paused in her preparation. “I like him very much.”
Drake nodded. As he looked down at his feet, he saw Scamp sitting politely.
“Look who knows we’re about to eat.” Scamp perked his ears up, twirled, and then headed to the door. “Is it okay for him to go out by himself?” Drake asked
“Yeah, he knows not to go near the pond without me,” Halona said.
Drake opened the door, and as he looked out, he said, “Beautiful sky tonight. Might be a little chilly, but would you like to eat under the stars?”
“I would love to. Would you start a fire?”
Drake replied, “Sure.”
Halona tossed a pack of matches to Drake as she laughed.
“Too bad Grey’s not here. She could start it with her extremities.”
Drake’s mouth dropped wide-open. “What, really?”
“I didn’t ever tell you, did I? That’s why we have so many extinguishers. That’s her ability. She is usually quite careful, although on occasion… if she sneezes for instance, it can go haywire.”
Drake laughed. “So she is one person who really needs to stay home when she’s not feeling well.”
Halona laughed. “Definitely. Beck can freeze her fire though.” She shook her hair around. “Only one I’ve ever seen who can even remotely go up against her. I always knew she’d meet her match.” Halona stopped and smiled. “No pun intended.”
“What about Sydney and Bethany?”
“Syd has the ability to move objects. Makes picking up the shop a breeze.” Halona leaned her head to one side. “She also has the power of persuasion. She can plant an idea in your mind and make you believe it’s your own. Not to worry, she would never use it on family.” Halona glanced down. “Though I did just accuse her of it.” She then smiled tenderly. “And Beth, she really can heal. Oh, how she tried with me. She wanted desperately to heal me.”
Drake nodded. “Some incredible family you have.”
“Yeah, makes for fun times. Does Moss have ability?”
Drake tilted his head back as he took a deep breath. “You mean besides making me feel guilty?” He laughed and continued, “Yes, he has truth sense. It makes it hard for anyone to take advantage of us; it sure helps with our business deals. He can also sense powers.” He winked at Halona.
Halona walked to the cabinet and began to set out the plates for the dinner. “Could you take these out? I’ll bring dinner out in a second.”
Drake said, “Sure. I better go get that fire going too,” and as he walked to the back of the house, he called out for Scamp. “Hey, boy, we’re coming to join you.”
Halona soon joined Drake. As they sat quietly enjoying their meal, each allowed the evening to envelope them. They watched the crackle of the fire, as it, and the colors of the night sky, reflected off the pond. Once the meal was finished, Drake got up from his seat, gathered the dishes, and leaned over and kissed her.
“What do you say I grab some blankets and bring some wine?”
Halona smiled. “I’d like that.”
She marveled as the light still glistened, ever so slightly, over the pond. She now fully understood the allure of the property.
* * * *
It was a starlit night, with a soft breeze in the air. Halona sat in her favorite chair on the patio and flipped through an antiques magazine. Drake sat on the ottoman while he strummed his guitar and made notations in his journal.
“So what do you think of these lyrics I’m working on?” Drake asked as he handed the journal to Halona.
She reached for the book but felt a slight electric surge in her fingertips, so she allowed the book to slip through her grasp.
She tried to smile. “Too much wine I guess.”
“I will pour you more, take advantage I will.” He raised his brow as he poured each another glass of wine. “I need to find those lyrics their tune anyway.”
Halona tilted her head. “Sorry, can I see the journal after al
l?”
“Sure, here you go.” He handed her the journal.
Halona took the journal and read Drake’s lyrics.
“They’re beautiful, Drake. They will make a wonderful song.”
She continued to glance through a few blank pages until she came to a written page and read to herself. Allow to love and to be loved.
She bit her lower lip and then handed the journal back.
“Thanks. Will you play me my song?”
Drake winked. “Sure.”
And he did.
****
The next morning, Halona went to work at Mystic Tides while Drake returned to the pavilion. Over the next two days, they continued to meet in the evenings as they continued to learn even more about each other and continued to love.
Chapter 9
Tuesday Afternoon
Tuesday had arrived, the final day to prepare for the town of Blansett’s blood moon festival. Down at the pavilion, at the end of the rehearsals, Drake approached Moss.
“Want to have a drink?”
“Sounds good. Let me just put this away.” Moss walked off, carrying a cauldron.
They walked up Main Street, where they entered Poisons and Potions. As they did, they encountered the enormous backlit mirror hung over the monumental bar. Placed within the shelving was a grouping of apothecary bottles, decanters, and beakers, as well as those that resembled perfume atomizers. The multi-level establishment had cozy fireplaces throughout. Substantial and polished woodwork made for a handsome setting. Barrels served as tables, in several sections, which provided an intimate setting. Ornately carved booths were situated at the windows.
Drake and Moss chose a booth, with a window framing the ocean. The waitress came over quickly with a bowl of peanuts. She was in her early thirties with blonde hair, which she wore in a straight blunt cut. The bangs fell diagonally across one eye. As she placed the peanuts on their table, she addressed them with a wide smile.
“Well, hello, gentlemen. My name is Cam. Are you new to town?”
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