A Halloween LaVeau Box Set Books 1-3: Forever Charmed, Charmed Again and Third Time's A Charm: A Witch Cozy Mystery Box Set - Books 1, 2, 3 (The Halloween LaVeau Series)

by Rose Pressey

  Movement caught my attention and I whipped around to find Nicolas standing in the doorway. His eyes widened and his mouth hung open. I’d never been more embarrassed in my whole life. This was even worse than the time I’d turned my date into a donkey. In my defense, he had been an ass. How would I explain this? There was no explanation… only the truth. I’d said I wouldn’t lie if I was caught. It was time for me to admit what I’d done. I wished I could crawl under the bed and stay there until they both went away. No, I’d gotten myself into this mess and it was time I owned up to it.

  I cleared my throat, then pushed forward with my words. “I’m sorry,” I said softly.

  Nicolas laughed. “It’s strange to hear myself talking.”

  I looked down. “Yeah, well, I have to go figure out how to get rid of this spell.”

  Nicolas had a strange look in his eyes. “You didn’t check the spell before you did this? Are you sure there’s a spell in the book you have?”

  I looked from Nicolas to Liam. “There’s another book of spells, isn’t there?”

  Finally, Liam nodded. “Why aren’t you trying to find all of the books? The other two are useless without the first one. Whoever owns the first one possesses the power.”

  “Lucky me,” I said drily.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Nicolas said. “I’m sure there is a spell in the first book.”

  There was only one problem that I didn’t want to tell them about yet—I hadn’t found the book that must have the counter-spell in it. I’d been so eager to try the appearance spell that I hadn’t looked for the counter-spell. Now I had to find the map and look for the book’s location. If that book wasn’t there then I was screwed. I’d made yet another stupid mistake.

  “Hallie, let me help you,” Nicolas pleaded.

  Not looking back at the men, I ran out of the room. I didn’t want them to know just how incompetent I really was. And they thought I was capable of running the Underworld? They seriously didn’t know me at all. Heck, I’d been voted most likely to cause a disaster in my high school yearbook. I ran down the stairs and bolted for my bedroom before Isabeau the human leech found me.

  Taking the map from its hiding spot, I unrolled it again, I laid it out on the bed. There was a big problem though. The last place marked on the map was outside. Oh, for heaven’s sake. Did Aunt Maddy really expect me to go outside and find something hidden when I had ghosts roaming around looking for me?

  I rolled the paper back up and hid it in the waistband of my pants. I locked my bedroom door and started down the hallway. The door to Isabeau’s room was open slightly. She must have thought I wasn’t home otherwise she would have been lurking around the house trying to follow me. I eased over to the door and peeked in. She was standing in the middle of the room, but she didn’t see me. Her arms were stretched up as she reached toward the sky.

  Isabeau was reciting words to a spell—at least that was what it sounded like she was doing. What kind of spell was she trying? Something told me it couldn’t be good. The words were mumbled, but Isabeau performing magic was probably one of the worst things possible. I decided to get out of there before she realized I was watching her—although technically she’d think that Nicolas was watching her. Which was probably worse. The last thing I needed was another attack.

  The map had listed the next item as being behind the manor. It had the spot marked next to the old oak tree. As I headed out the back door, I was stopped by a grip on my arm. I spun around with my fist in the air, ready to clobber whoever was attacking me.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Nicolas stood behind me. “Please, let me help you.”

  I studied his face as he stared. There was a restless energy about his movements. Did it have something to do with the vampire thing? A lock of hair fell forward on his head and I resisted pushing it back. He ran his tongue across his lips as he watched me. The urge to protect my neck came over me. A hunger flashed in his blue eyes.

  “I suppose that would be okay,” I said reluctantly.

  It didn’t appear as if I had a choice.

  “Where’s the book?” he asked.

  “The spell book that will make me look like me again?” I asked.

  He nodded. “Yeah, that’s the one.”

  “Well, I found this map. It led me to the book that explains what is expected of a leader of the Underworld.” The thought of me being the leader caused disbelief to come through in my tone. “The other mark was for outside. I’m praying that it’s the book that will fix this. If not, I’ll have a whole lot of explaining to do to the Coven.”

  “I can see where they’d want to know what is going on, yes.” The sides of his mouth curved slightly into a grin.

  “I supposed if I’m the leader of the Underworld I could just tell them to mind their own business.” The thought brought a smile to my face.

  Nicolas didn’t comment on my snub of the Coven as he walked beside me. We headed toward the tree.

  “Who hid these items all over the place?” he asked.

  I cast a sideways glance at him. “I don’t know what’s going on, so I couldn’t say for sure. My guess is my great-aunt did it, but why, I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me? Who was the leader before? It surely wasn’t my great-aunt, right?” I asked. She did have all those postcards from people around the world.

  “The leader was a powerful witch named Gina Rochester.” His voice cracked at the mention of her name.

  “Shouldn’t she have been in possession of the books?” I asked with curiosity.

  Nicolas nodded. “Yes, she should have been. Apparently, somehow your aunt got them. The Underworld has been looking for the books for a long time.”

  As we neared the tree, I said, “Because it needs a leader?” I asked as we neared the tree.

  “Yes,” Nicolas said softly.

  And that lucky person was me? The Underworld surely wouldn’t want me. Nicolas’ voice seemed different, more distant, as if his thoughts were a million miles away.

  “So where are we looking?” Nicolas asked.

  “The map pointed out the spot right here between these two roots. I guess it’s buried under there. At least I pray it is.”

  “Me too, because we have to get your appearance back to normal. Talking to myself is freaking me out.”

  I nodded. “That’s understandable. We need to dig it up? I think there’s a shovel in that shed.” I pointed across the yard.

  “Wait here. I’ll be right back,” Nicholas said as he turned and walked away.

  I leaned against the tree and watched his muscular body as he walked away. It certainly was a nice view. As I waited for Nicolas to find the shovel, I scanned the area. I felt eyes on me and I knew the ghosts were watching. Luckily, if they saw me, they’d think I was Nicolas. They wouldn’t confront him. At least I didn’t think they would.

  It only took a couple of seconds until I spotted the ghosts down by the river, unsuccessfully hiding behind a tree. The three of them stood together, staring at me. I pretended not to notice them. After all, a normal person might not see them, right? They obviously fell for it because they didn’t offer to come toward me. They were busy talking to each other, probably plotting on how to get me to change them back to the living.

  When I glanced back toward the shed, Nicolas had the shovel clasped in his hand. He didn’t appear to notice the ghosts watching him as he walked across the back yard. Would the ghosts think it was strange to see two of Nicolas? Maybe they’d think he was a twin. What must Nicolas think of me? Who was this crazy witch who had changed her appearance to look like him? Wait until Annabelle found out what I’d done.

  “Found it,” Nicolas said as he approached. “Where should I start?”

  “I think right there would be a good spot.” I pointed.

  I prayed that the map had been correct. I was preparing myself mentally if it hadn’t been.

  Once back at the tree, Nicolas stabbed the earth with the shovel and dumped the fresh
dirt in a pile nearby. The smell of musty earth tickled my nostrils. After several shovelfuls, another box came into view.

  “Right there,” I said as I pointed at the ground.

  Nicolas stood up and plunged the shovel into the ground. He knelt down and dug the rest of the dirt out with his hands. Nicolas reached down and pulled the box from the ground.

  “That’s it. It looks just like the other one I found,” I said breathlessly.

  “It’s locked,” he said.

  “The key I found is upstairs in my bedroom. I hid it,” I added bashfully. It seemed kind of ridiculous to hide it now that I said it out loud. But I couldn’t be too cautious.

  “You’re something else.” He chuckled. “How about I put the shovel away while you get the key?”

  I wanted to tell him that I could handle it from here. Having him hang around while I tried a spell from the book would make me nervous. That was if there really was a book in the box. I surely didn’t want him around if it didn’t contain a book.

  “That sounds good,” I said finally.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  After grabbing the key, I slowly lifted the lid of the box. A pent-up breath escaped my lips when I saw the book nestled between the velvet lining. It looked exactly like the others. To my relief the table of contents listed more spells. I scanned the list until I spotted the spell that I’d been looking for. Finally, I could be myself again. I clutched the book in my arms and carried it back to the kitchen. At least I didn’t have to worry about walking like Nicolas anymore. That had been hard work.

  Nicolas was standing in the kitchen when I entered. He was looking through Aunt Maddy’s herbs. When he turned around, he smiled. His expression quickly turned into a grimace when he saw his own reflection again.

  “I found the book,” I said, holding the book up.

  “That’s a relief,” he said. “I can help you with the spell.”

  “If it’s all the same, I’d rather do this myself, if you don’t mind.” I didn’t want to hurt his feelings.

  He stared for a beat, then nodded. “Okay, yeah. Let me know if you need anything.”

  When Nicolas had disappeared out of sight, I flipped through the pages until I had the correct spell. If this didn’t work I would be completely screwed. What would the Coven say about this mistake? They’d have to revise the ‘what not to do’ pamphlet.

  I pulled all the ingredients together, dumped them in the cauldron and recited the words faster than ever. This had to be some kind of record for fastest-performed spells. After I was finished and nothing had happened, panic set in.

  The click-clack of my shoes rang in my head as I ran to the bathroom down the hall. My stomach was twisted into a knot. I eased the door open and shut my eyes. Slowly, I opened them and said, “Oh, thank you. Thank you.”

  My own reflection stared back at me. Thank goodness that nightmare was over. One thing I’d noticed though: other witches weren’t calling to complain that I’d messed up their spells while performing mine. That was definitely not a coincidence.

  ***

  I woke the next morning to my phone ringing. Without opening my eyes, I fumbled for the phone on the nightstand.

  “Halloween, we have a serious problem.” My mother had never sounded so freaked out, even when I’d eliminated her eyebrows.

  I opened my eyes and sat up. “What’s wrong?”

  “The Coven wants to speak with you.” She rushed her words.

  Uh-oh. “What do they want?” I asked innocently.

  “I don’t know, why don’t you tell me?” she asked with resolve.

  “I have no idea.” I tried to keep my voice casual.

  “Halloween, your lying has never worked on me. Why don’t you tell me what’s been going on.” She had that tone I’d heard so many times when I was young. Why was I still hearing that tone as an adult?

  I wasn’t ready to have this conversation right now. This was something I needed to tell her in person. I threw my legs over the side of the bed and slid my feet into my slippers. Had the Coven told her the truth? Did the Coven know that I’d improved my magic by leaps and bounds?

  “I guess I’ve been messing up my spells more than usual,” I said.

  “Oh, Halloween. What are we going to do? They may make you stop the magic this time.” Disappointment sounded in my mother’s voice.

  I highly doubted that. I knew what they wanted to discuss, but how did they know that my magic had improved?

  “Don’t be surprised if you get a visit from the Coven,” my mother said.

  “What? You mean they’re coming here?” I sat up in bed.

  What would I tell them when they saw Isabeau? I knew they’d see her because she couldn’t mind her own business.

  “Do you need me to come over and talk with them when they arrive?” she asked.

  I threw the covers off and jumped up. “No, no. I’ll come by the store later, okay?”

  I didn’t want my mother to see Isabeau again either. The more she saw her, the more Isabeau would open her big mouth. For heaven’s sakes, this got crazier by the minute.

  “Listen, I have to make breakfast for my guests. I’ll call you soon,” I said while pulling clothing from my closet.

  “Please be careful, Halloween,” she said around a sigh.

  What was that supposed to mean?

  “I will,” I said and hurried off the phone.

  I’d just gotten dressed and locked my bedroom when the doorbell rang. Yeah, I still didn’t trust my guests not to take the book. My heart told me that I was supposed to trust Nicolas, but my mind said no. I wouldn’t let my guard down.

  The doorbell rang loudly through the house. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I made my way down the stairs. I never thought I’d say this, but I was hoping it was the ghosts at the door again and not a Coven member.

  When I peeked out the hole in the door, I knew I hadn’t gotten that lucky. It wasn’t a ghost and I recognized the woman on the other side of the door right away. Misty Middleton and I had gone to high school together and now she was queen supreme in the Coven. I had no choice but to answer the door. I knew she wouldn’t go away.

  The massive door squeaked as I opened it just a little. “Hi, Misty.”

  “I guess you know why I’m here.”

  “Would you like to come in?” I asked.

  I spotted the ghosts over her shoulder and wanted to get her inside before they approached.

  “Your spells have been going awfully smoothly lately.” She regarded me with a strange curiosity.

  I shrugged, pretending that it was no big deal. “I guess a little.”

  Misty had long, straight brown hair that was shiny like she’d finished it off with a clear coat. She wore a black skirt, a black blouse and black heels which made her tower over me. She was tall without them, but now she was the Empire State Building and I was a one-story cottage.

  “Please come into the parlor.” I gestured.

  “Thank you,” she said as she scoped out the foyer.

  What was she looking for? Misty followed me into the living room. Her heels clicked against the hardwood floor.

  “Can I get you something to drink?” I asked.

  I had to be a good hostess. I might be nervous, but that was no reason to be impolite.

  “No, I’m good. Thank you. This is such a beautiful home,” she said with a tight-lipped smile.

  I knew by her tone that she wished the small talk was over.

  “Thank you,” I said, wishing she’d get to the point of her visit.

  “It must get lonely staying here all alone?”

  I picked at the edge of the wingback chair. “Well, it’s okay. I don’t mind much.”

  Footsteps echoed from upstairs. I stopped and met her gaze. I could tell her about my bed-and-breakfast guests, but I really hoped Isabeau stayed upstairs. She was trouble and I didn’t trust her not to run her mouth about what had happened.

  Misty glanced up toward the ceil
ing, then looked at me for an answer.

  “I guess you’re aware that I’m running the place as a bed-and-breakfast?” I asked pushing the conversation along.

  “You have guests already?” she asked with shock.

  I’d let that comment slip. “Yes, as a matter of fact I do. I was just getting ready to make breakfast. You are out awfully early this morning.”

  She settled onto the deep red cushions of the chair and crossed her legs. “I do apologize for my timing, but I felt this was urgent.”

  She couldn’t wait to let me know she was on to me. I needed her to get to the point and then leave.

  “So what is so urgent that you needed to speak with me?” I wanted her to just cut to the chase.

  Her mouth curved into a smile. Whether it was a friendly or pitying gesture I wasn’t sure. “What are you doing differently?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Your spells don’t suck now,” she said frankly.

  Well, I had wanted her to get to the point.

  I shrugged, trying to act innocent. “I guess I’ve just been practicing and it’s finally paying off.”

  She studied my face for a few seconds. “That’s it?”

  “You know what they say, practice makes perfect.” I plastered the best fake smile on my face that I could muster. “Is that all that you wanted?”

  She walked around the room, taking in every detail. Misty ran her finger along the edge of books on the shelves, but remained quiet.

  Sweat beaded on my forehead and it wasn’t even hot in the room. Did she know about the spell books? She had to, right? That was something the Coven should definitely know about. But if she knew, then why didn’t she just come out and say so?

  “Well, whatever you’re doing you should keep it up. Your magic before was absolutely horrendous.”

  I stared at her. “Yes, I’m aware.”

  She folded her hands together and placed them her on her lap. “Halloween, I’m going to stop the charade right now. We know about the book.”