by Rose Pressey
“I thought that was what you wanted,” my mother said.
“I only did it because you brought her here,” I mumbled.
“What did you say?” my mother asked.
“Love you, Mom. That’s what I said.” I forced a smile.
Quite a while had passed and the wedding planner still hadn’t returned.
“What’s taking her so long?” I whispered.
“Maybe she really did get lost,” Annabelle said.
Monique had laughed about it, but I supposed it was possible. The place was big, but now that strange feeling came back over me. There had been an odd vibe in the air as soon as Monique had set foot in LaVeau Manor. Now I was really starting to worry.
I pushed to my feet. “I’m going to find her.”
My mother and Annabelle followed behind me. “We’re coming with you.”
The three of us moved down the hallway. I had a sick feeling in the bottom of my stomach. I wasn’t quite sure what I thought I’d find, but I just knew that it wouldn’t be good. When we reached the bathroom door it was closed.
I tapped on the door. “Is everything okay in there?”
There was no answer. That didn’t surprise me. I’d had a feeling that would happen. Now I just had to find out what was wrong. I hoped the door wasn’t locked.
“This is starting to freak me out,” Annabelle said.
“You and me both,” I whispered. I wrapped my hand around the knob. “We’re opening the door now.”
My stomach twisted into a knot. “I hope she’s okay,” I said as I pushed the door open slightly.
On first glance, I didn’t see her, so I opened the door further. Still there was nothing. Now I opened it all the way and stepped into the small bathroom.
“She’s not here,” I said.
“Where is she?” my mother asked, looking around.
It wasn’t like Monique could hide under the sink. There was no shower or tub in this half-bath. There was no place for her to hide.
“I bet she’s already back in the kitchen waiting for us,” Annabelle said in a cheery voice.
I wanted to believe that, but I still wasn’t convinced. We hurried back down the hallway and to the kitchen. Just as I suspected, Monique wasn’t there. This wasn’t good.
“We should check the rest of the house,” I said.
“We can split up,” my mother said. “I’ll check down here and you and Annabelle can check the second and third floors.”
We agreed and then went our separate ways. I hated the idea of this woman just roaming through the house. Why was she doing this? I supposed she could just want to take the tour, but she could have asked me first. Most people just didn’t walk around others’ homes without asking.
I was on the third floor when I heard voices downstairs. It sounded like Nicolas.
She’s not on the second floor. Annabelle sent a text.
She’s not here either, I responded.
Unless my mother had found her, then Monique wasn’t in the manor. I supposed she had left. Had something spooked her? Why else would she not say goodbye before taking off? I’d have to call her and ask what had happened. I hoped she was more reliable when it came to planning the wedding.
I made my way down the winding staircase. I got plenty of cardio workouts with all these stairs. The staircase was made with a deep rich wood with cravings in the banister. The top of the stairs at each landing had stained glass windows with a prism of colors. The floors were the same dark wood color as the staircase and the trim. The manor was opulent to say the least. I’d polished every inch of this place until it gleamed. I took pride in knowing I had made every inch of the manor even more beautiful than when I’d inherited it.
When I reached the bottom of the stairs, Nicolas was waiting for me. Nicolas had thick dark hair that I loved running my fingers through. His chiseled features and muscular body made me swoon. His piercing blue eyes were mesmerizing. Today he wore tan trousers and a black button down shirt that I’d bought him for his birthday. I smiled every time he wore it.
He wrapped me in his arms and planted a kiss on me. “Am I ever glad to see you.”
I looked up at his gorgeous blue eyes. “What’s wrong?”
He laughed. “You’ve got to get out of the habit of doing that. There’s nothing wrong. Can’t a guy be happy to see his fiancé?”
“A guy had better be glad to see his fiancé.” I laughed and kissed him again.
My mother waved her arms. “Okay, enough of that, you two. What about the missing wedding planner?”
Nicolas frowned. “There’s a missing wedding planner? What does it look like?”
“A wedding planner is a ‘she,’ not an ‘it.’”
Nicolas pinched his brow together. “You mean the wedding planner isn’t a book?”
“Not a book. She went to the bathroom, but now she’s gone. I got a strange vibe from her.”
“Hallie gets a strange vibe from everyone,” Annabelle said.
“Well, not everyone,” I said.
“Is there anything missing?” Nicolas asked.
I blew the hair out of my eyes and looked around. “My purse is right there.” I hurried over and pulled out my phone and wallet. My credit cards were all intact. “Looks like everything is here. What about you all?” I asked.
My mother and Annabelle nodded. “We have our belongings. I wouldn’t hire a criminal to come in here, Halloween. You know that.”
“I know, Mom. It’s not your fault.”
“Where did you find her?” Nicolas asked.
“She had an ad placed in the newspaper,” my mother said.
“Did you check any of her references?” Annabelle asked.
“Of course I did,” my mother said, sounding a bit offended. “She had a business card and everything.”
Chapter 2
“We just need to sit back and relax. Maybe have some dinner,” my mother said.
I thought about maybe more of a romantic dinner alone with Nicolas, but I couldn’t tell my mother to go away.
“Why don’t you whip up something delicious?” she said.
She was addicted to my newfound cooking skills thanks to my improved witchcraft. So of course I agreed to make the glazed chicken and rice that she loved so much.
“Who knew that Halle would be such a gourmet chef now?” Annabelle said.
My mother waved a hand. “Halloween always had it in her, it just took a while to show up. She always had a special skill.”
“No, Mom, the special skill comes from the book.” I touched the keys around my neck.
She flipped a lock of hair from her shoulder. “Oh, pish-posh, if that’s what you believe.”
Nicolas just laughed at her response. I went through the motions of the spell, reciting the words. The energy level seemed different still. The light show that usually appeared for my spells was diminished too. Once the spell was complete, instead of a delicious-looking meal, a big plume of smoke popped up from the oven.
My mother and Annabelle coughed and waved their arms, trying to fight back the smoke that was now taking over every inch of the kitchen. Panic took over. This was not supposed to happen. Was something wrong with the oven? When I looked over at my mother, her one remaining eyebrow was gone. I was speechless. Annabelle noticed that I was staring and quickly switched her attention to my mother as well. That was when Nicolas caught on to what had happened.
My mother met my gaze. “You’re looking at my eyebrow. There’s something wrong, isn’t there?”
I moved back a couple steps. “Okay, well, don’t panic, but your other eyebrow is now missing.”
“Don’t panic?” she screeched. “I have no eyebrows now. I’m going to look weird.” She waved her hand at me. “And don’t you dare say I already look weird.”
“You can just draw it on with that pencil thing like you do the other one,” Nicolas said, gesturing toward her face.
I shook my head and motioned for Nicolas to stop
talking. My mother glared at him. He wasn’t so much dream husband material at the moment.
“Okay, clearly you’re upset, but we have more important things to worry about… like why my spell didn’t work. What happened?” I picked up the blackened chicken and tossed it in the trash.
“Maybe it was a fluke.” Annabelle picked up a biscuit and tapped it on the counter. It sounded like she’d just hit the counter with a rock.
“My spell was terrible. This doesn’t happen now, remember?”
“I can’t believe the other one is missing,” my mother said as she pulled out a mirror from her purse and inspected her missing eyebrow.
What other spell could I do? Everyone stood around in silence, as if they didn’t know what to say or do. I tapped my fingers against the counter.
“I know, I can try my famous cupcake spell!” I pulled a bowl from the cabinet. “Then we’ll see that all of this was just a fluke. It’ll be over and my magic will be just as good as before. Plus, we’ll have delicious cupcakes to enjoy.”
They looked at me as if I’d lost my mind.
“Even before dinner?” my mother asked.
I knew what she was really thinking and I didn’t care if I didn’t fit into the wedding dress. After calling to the elements of air, fire, water, and earth, I waved my arms through the air. Blue and red lights swirled and popped from my fingertips. It was odd though… the energy seemed less than usual. I recited the words. “Batter and frosting, sprinkles and flavor. Make the pastry delight appear.” Another loud pop and then…
The cupcakes appeared. Buttercream frosting whipped to perfection with multicolored sprinkles. It seemed promising. Thank goodness all was back to normal. I released a big, deep breath and handed a cupcake to my mother and then to Annabelle.
When I turned to Nicolas, he didn’t move. He didn’t reach out to grab the cupcake. I didn’t even see him blink.
“Nicolas, what’s wrong?” I asked.
He didn’t answer and he didn’t look at me. He still didn’t blink. I reached out and touched him. His body felt hard as stone. I gasped and jumped back.
“What happened?” my mother asked.
Annabelle rushed over beside Nicolas. “He’s frozen just like a stone statue.” Annabelle poked him.
My mother coughed and spat the cupcake into the sink.
“Why are you eating cupcakes when Nicolas is a statue?” I asked.
“Sorry, but you know they’re my favorite and I felt like I was having a low sugar attack. Well, they used to be my favorite, but now they’re the worst things I’ve ever tasted. They’re the worst on the planet. Actually, I’d say that they’re disgusting.”
“Why, thank you, Mother, for the words of encouragement in my time of need.”
She blinked rapidly and said, “I’m sorry.”
She frowned when she turned her attention to Nicolas, which looked kind of funny considering she had no eyebrows. My mother poked Nicolas in the stomach. “Try not to panic. Everything will be fine.”
“Everything is not fine. Nicolas is now a statue standing in my kitchen and I can’t do magic anymore.” My screeching voice chased the cat out of the room.
My mother grabbed me by the arms and shook me. “Get a hold of yourself.”
I glared at her. “You almost shook the filling out of my tooth.”
“You were on the verge of having a nervous breakdown. I had to snap you out of it.”
“I am not having a nervous breakdown and I’m perfectly calm.”
“Actually, your voice has that squawking pitch to it now, so I’m pretty sure you’re losing your sh—er, marbles.” Annabelle glanced over at my mother.
My mother frowned at Annabelle, knowing she’d almost used “salty language,” as my mother called it.
I had no idea what to do next. Truthfully, the first thought that came to mind was to call Liam. He’d always been there for me when I needed him. He wasn’t the leader of the underworld though. I was, and it was solely my responsibility to figure this out. Maybe there was something in the spellbook that would help me get out of this mess. It was hard to think that would be the case when I didn’t even know how I’d gotten into this.
I picked up the phone.
“Who are you calling?” my mother asked.
“Liam,” I said, avoiding eye contact with her.
Chapter 3
Liam had said there was something he needed to tell me, but it was best if it wasn’t over the phone. Of course this made me even more nervous. It had to be bad news and I wasn’t sure if I could handle more bad news at the moment. I hadn’t told him what exactly was going on since he said he was on his way here anyway. I supposed we could break the bad news to each other at the same time.
“Stay here with Nicolas. I’m going up to get the spellbook,” I said.
My mother and Annabelle nodded, while keeping their attention focused on Nicolas. The whole time I ran through the house I was praying that there would be something in the book that would help me reverse this spell. Was it a spell? I didn’t know for sure, but what else could have happened?
Lately, I hadn’t even needed to use the book. Maybe I had been a little too confident, but still, I’d never expected anything this terrible to happen. The muscles in my legs were burning by the time I reached the top of the stairs. I thought my right lung was ready to collapse. Okay, maybe it wasn’t that bad, but still…
I kept the book locked away in my bedroom in a fireproof safe, with a combination lock and then another keyed lock. The keys I kept around my neck was for that lock. Plus, I always kept my bedroom door locked.
I raced down the hallway and came to my bedroom door, then froze. My bedroom door was wide open. What was going on now? I never left the door open. For a moment, I doubted myself, but I remembered locking it this morning. A sick feeling settled in my stomach. My pulse thumped loudly in my ears.
As I rushed into the room, a million thoughts ran through my mind. When I saw the closet door open as well, my panic went off the charts. I prayed that the book was still there. I reached the door and spotted the safe. It was open too. The book was gone.
I scanned the room for it, but the tome was nowhere in sight. My room had a wood canopy bed against the far wall in the middle of the room. It was covered with a beautiful white duvet and matching white curtains on the window. A mahogany wardrobe and nightstands were also in the room. Along with the bookshelves that went from floor to ceiling on the opposite wall. The window at the far end of the wall looked out over the back of the property and the river just beyond that. The surrounding trees and nearby graveyard were also visible.
Tossing back the duvet and throwing the pillows to the ground, I searched my bed for the book. Scooting down on the floor, I peered under the bed. Nothing. I yanked open drawers and checked the bathroom too. Honestly, I hadn’t expected to find it. The book was gone and I knew exactly who had taken it. I’d gone through so much in order to keep the book. Now that was all over.
Without the spellbook, I was no longer the leader of the Underworld.
A sadness like I’d never experienced burned through my body. It hurt me to the core. After all the times I’d thought I didn’t want to be the leader, now an emptiness settled in my soul that was indescribable. How had Monique gotten into the room? Much less gotten into that safe. I’d used that heavy steel box specifically with a guarantee that no one would ever be able to break into the thing. I’d better get my money back for this.
I had to find Monique immediately. Though I wasn’t sure what good tracking her down would be. She was no wedding planner. She knew what she’d come here for and it wasn’t to help plan my nuptials.
I almost tumbled down the steps, I’d run so fast.
“It’s gone,” I yelled out.
Annabelle and my mother raced out to the parlor just as I was coming toward the kitchen.
My mother looked like she might throw up. “What’s wrong, Halloween? You scared me.”
“The book is gone,” I said breathlessly.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“I mean the spellbook is gone.”
“That’s impossible,” Annabelle said. “You keep it in that safe. No one can get in that thing.”
“Someone did because the door is wide open.”
“Maybe you just forgot to close it,” my mother said.
I glared at her.
“Okay, so you never forget.”
“I didn’t think anyone could get into that thing,” Annabelle said.
I blew the hair out of my eyes. “I didn’t think so either. At least that was what they told me when I bought it.”
“Did you look everywhere for the book?” my mother asked.
I nodded. “It’s not there.”
“You’ve been known to misplace things,” she added.
“I know the wedding planner did it. You have to tell me everything you know about this woman,” I said.
My mother swayed a little, as if she might faint. Since my mother did this on a regular basis, I never knew if it was an actual medical emergency or just more of her dramatics.
Finally, she said, “I’ll find out all that I can.”
“How’s Nicolas?” I asked as I marched across the room.
Before anyone answered the doorbell rang. We all froze on the spot. Like I said, nothing good ever came of when someone rang that doorbell. The three of us ran toward the door. The whole time racing across the house, I hoped that it was Monique returning the book. Maybe she’d changed her mind. I knew there was a slim chance of that ever happening, but a girl could dream.
I grabbed the door and yanked it open. My mother and Annabelle were standing right behind me, practically clinging to my back to see who had arrived. Liam Rankin stood in front of us. As usual, he was as handsome as ever. He looked a lot like his brother with the same thick dark hair and handsome features. He had a mischievous crocked smile that always made me wonder what he was up too. There would always be a special place in my heart for Liam.
“Liam, am I ever glad to see you.” I grabbed his arm and pulled him into the foyer.
