by Rose Pressey
“I’m really tired. I think I’ll just head off to bed.” I gestured over my shoulder.
He nodded. “I understand. It’s been a long day. I’ll walk you to your room.”
His voice even sounded different. This was not the Nicolas that I knew, but I followed him across the room anyway.
“Oh, wait. I left the spell book in the kitchen. I’ll be right back.” I held up my index finger indicating I needed a second.
Nicolas nodded. His silence was eerie. Once in the kitchen, I grabbed the book and hurried back across the house. When I stepped into the foyer, Nicolas wasn’t there. Had he already gone upstairs? He’d said he’d walk me to my room, but had he changed his mind? I looked up to the second floor landing, but didn’t see him there either. As I made my way up the staircase, a sound caught my attention. When I looked up, I spotted what I thought was a woman. What the hell? Who was in the house?
I rushed up the steep and winding stairs, trying not to trip and kill myself. The first thought that came to mind was that I had another ghost in the manor. Word had probably spread within the graveyards that I could reanimate the dead. How had the ghost gotten into the house though? I’d cast a spell to protect LaVeau Manor, although there was no guarantee that it had worked.
When I reached the second floor landing, I caught a glimpse of the figure again. The only thing visible was the back of her long off-white dress as she continued up to the third floor. Her gown reached all the way to the floor. I had to warn Nicolas that a ghost was coming his way, but she would probably reach him before I did.
“Stop,” I called out.
Would Liam hear me and come running? I didn’t want to startle him over something as simple as a ghost. The only harm she could cause was if I brought her back to life, right? And I had zero plans of doing that. It had caused nothing but problems when I’d done it accidentally. I sure wasn’t going to do it on purpose.
The ghost didn’t stop when I called out to her, but I hadn’t anticipated that she would. It had been worth a shot though. I rushed around the landing, down the hall, and up the third flight of stairs. My day had been strenuous already, and now I had even more cardio. I would need an oxygen tank by the time this day was over. When I finally reached the third floor landing, I stopped in my tracks. There was no female ghost in sight. In fact, there was no ghost at all. However, Nicolas was standing at his door. His back was facing me.
“Nicolas, are you all right?” I asked.
At the sound of my voice, he turned around. That same blank look filled his eyes. Something was definitely wrong with him. This wasn’t normal behavior.
He smiled that dazzling smile as if nothing was wrong, but that strange look in his eyes remained. He couldn’t hide that no matter how hard he tried. “I’m fine. Just thought I’d get some rest. You should do the same.”
“Did you see someone else up here just now?” I asked as I looked down the hallway.
He shook his head. “No, it’s just me.”
The ghost must have disappeared into another room. I’d have to check the empty rooms for her, but what if she’d gone into Liam’s room? I’d have to warn him that a ghost might be lurking in the manor.
“I thought I saw a woman in an ivory-colored dress come upstairs. I’m almost sure of it.” I sighed. “There may be another ghost in the house.”
As soon as I found her I’d order her to leave. Or better yet, first thing in the morning I’d find a spell to force her out of the house. She couldn’t hide out in here forever. I’d banished a demon; surely I could banish a ghost too.
“You’re tired. Maybe you were just seeing things.” He brushed my cheek with the back of his hand.
He was right of course. I was tired, but there was no way I’d imagined that, right?
Nicolas leaned down and placed his lips lightly against mine. The nagging feeling that something was wrong wouldn’t go away. Even his kiss didn’t feel the same. It didn’t feel as if Nicolas was there. It was like I was kissing a stranger. I stepped back and stared Nicolas directly in his eyes.
“I need to go to bed now,” I said, trying to act as if I didn’t suspect anything was wrong. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
He smiled, then stepped into his room and closed the door. I’d have to talk to Liam about Nicolas’ behavior and the strange look in his eyes. But first I’d check the empty rooms for the ghost, although she had probably disappeared to wherever ghosts go when they weren’t making themselves visible. They retreated to some kind of in-between world, I supposed.
Once at the end of the hallway, I opened the doors to the other rooms and poked my head inside. The ghost wasn’t there just as I’d suspected. The only other place left was in Liam’s room. As tempted as I was to peek in there, I’d have to wait until morning to talk to him about Nicolas and what I’d seen.
After placing the Book of Mystics in my room, and finding no ghost, I headed downstairs to search for her. Now I was playing a game of hide-and-seek with a ghost. When I reached the bottom of the stairs, Liam was just stepping out from the parlor. A glimmer sparked in his eyes and he looked genuinely surprised to see me.
The air seemed thicker in the room. It didn’t feel like only magic—there was something more. “I thought you were in bed already,” I said.
“I couldn’t sleep, but you need to get some rest.” He ran his hand through his thick dark hair.
Had the ghost kept him awake?
“I need to talk to you about a couple things.” I pointed toward the parlor. “Let’s go back and have a seat.”
He frowned. “Is everything okay?”
I looked over my shoulder toward the staircase. “I’m not sure.”
Liam followed me back into the parlor. I sat on the large red velvet chair in front of the stone fireplace. He eased down onto the matching chair across from me. The only light came from the kitchen, so the room was dim. Since the parlor was massive in size, I’d placed two chairs in front of the fireplace to create a more cozy setting. I’d tried to make the parlor more casual, a place where I could hang out and watch TV. LaVeau Manor was so big though, it was hard not to feel as every room was part of a museum.
Liam shifted in his chair. “If this is about me being your bodyguard… I can see if they can find someone else for the job.”
What was making him so anxious?
“No, no. It’s not that. I want you to have the job. I trust you.” I tried to reassure him with my eyes.
Had I just officially agreed to allow Liam to be around me all the time?
“What is it then?” His posture straightened and his muscles tensed.
“Did you notice anything strange about Nicolas tonight?” I searched his face for a reaction.
“More strange than usual?” he asked with a grin.
“I’m serious. Did you notice his eyes?” I waited for Liam’s answer, but as I searched his eyes, I noticed he looked a bit odd as well.
What was happening? For a split second it felt as if I was frozen, as if held captive by his gaze. Liam’s eyes glowed silver, then returned to bright blue. My lack of sleep was obviously catching up to me.
When Liam didn’t answer, I continued, “Nicolas’ behavior seems to have gotten worse as the night went on. There is a black, blank look in his eyes. I mean, he was quiet as soon as we left for New Orleans, but I think it got worse when we left the plantation.”
“I hadn’t really noticed, but I guess I wasn’t paying attention.” He frowned.
“Do you think it had something to do with the trip to New Orleans? Could Jacobson have placed a spell on Nicolas?” I asked.
Liam leaned forward and squeezed my hand. I sucked in a sharp breath. He must have noticed my reaction because he immediately released my hand.
Liam pushed to his feet and stood beside the fireplace. “It’s definitely possible that Jacobson did something. I wouldn’t put it past him, but we have no way of knowing what kind of spell he would have placed on Nicolas.”
He shook his head. “I told you he has a screw loose.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Then why is he the leader of the New Orleans Coven?”
He threw his hands up. “People love him. I guess he convinced them to look past his eccentricities.”
“Well, I’m not going to look past them.”
After a few moments of silence, Liam said, “I was close to Gina too. After my mother died, I lived with her sister, then after a time my father came for me. His new wife Gina, Nicolas’ mother, was like a mother to me as well.” Liam looked down at his black shoes.
“I had no idea,” I said softly.
Why had I been so stupid? The realization hit me that something didn’t add up.
“Witches live longer lives, but you’ve been around just as long as Nicolas.” My heart rate increased. There was only one explanation for what I was about to ask. “You’re a vampire too, aren’t you?”
For a moment he didn’t look up at me, then finally he met my stare. Fangs peeked out over his bottom lip. He nodded shyly.
“What the hell? Why didn’t you tell me? This is how you tell me by exposing your fangs?”
“I came downstairs because I was hungry.” He turned his head so I wouldn’t stare at his fangs.
“You came down to get blood,” I said.
“I thought you were in bed. I can only hide my fangs for so long. Sometimes they have a mind of their own.”
I snorted. “I just bet they do. So that’s why your eyes turned a different color just a second ago. I thought I was imagining things. Why do you both continue to be so evasive and not just tell me the truth?” I demanded.
I was more than a little frustrated with both of them.
“I didn’t keep this from you on purpose. There was never the right time to tell you.” Tenderness had slipped into his voice.
“Nicolas found the right time. You’ve been here as long as he has.” I waved my hand through the air.
“I realize that,” he said.
I ran my hand through my hair. “So that was what Jacobson meant when he said he shouldn’t have allowed vampires into the Coven.”
“Nicolas and I were both born witches before we were vampires. We have every right to be a part of the Coven.” Liam paced in front of the fireplace.
“Were you turned by the same vampires as Nicolas and Gina?” I asked.
He nodded. “Yes… but Nicolas killed the leader of the vampire clan soon after it happened.”
There was so much I didn’t know about both of them. I wasn’t positive that I wanted to know everything. For now, I’d let the subject go, but what other secrets were they keeping from me?
“Well, if Jacobson did something to Nicolas, he’ll be sorry.” I gestured wildly with my hand. “Wait. What can I do to him?”
Liam chuckled. “You’re the leader now. That’s something you’ll have to decide.” He held his hands up. “I have nothing to do with that.”
“How the heck am I supposed to know what to do?” I asked.
“That’s what the book is for. You need to consult the book.” He leaned against the mantel.
I released a slow breath. “Yes, the book. I need to read the book. But who has time when they’re fighting demons, demon witches, and traveling to New Orleans at all hours of the night?”
“So what else is wrong? You said the first problem was Nicolas. Is there another problem?” He crossed his arms in front of his chest.
I looked out across the room again. “Yes, I think there’s another ghost in the house.”
His mouth dipped into a frown. “Again? Did you put up a welcome sign out front?”
I scoffed. “Funny. No. I have no idea how she got in the manor.”
“She?” Liam quirked his eyebrow questioningly.
“Yes, a woman wearing a long ivory dress with big puffy sleeves. I didn’t see her face, just the dress as she made her way up the stairs. I thought she was following Nicolas. It was as if she was walking right after him. When I got to the third floor, Nicolas was standing at his door.”
“What did you do then?” Liam asked.
“I asked Nicolas if he’d seen the ghost, but he said he hadn’t. I checked the other rooms, but no one was there. You may want to be on the lookout for a female ghost. I plan on doing a spell in the morning to get rid of her.” That was my plan all right, but I was more uncertain about my spell casting than ever.
“Just be careful.” His expression grew serious.
What? He doubted my witchcraft skills still? I couldn’t win. How would I ever prove myself to everyone?
Chapter Five
When the loud thud woke me, I rubbed my eyes and rolled over on my side. The clock beside my bed read four a.m. I sat up in bed. Looking around the room, I half expected to see another ghost. The other ghost that I’d reanimated had appeared in my room in the middle of the night. I figured it was a ghost thing.
The only thing visible in the room at the moment was Pluto’s glowing green eyes. His black fur blended in with the darkness of the room. “Did you hear something?” I whispered to Pluto. He meowed as if answering yes. If he hadn’t been on the bed with me, I would have blamed him for the sound. He had a way of protesting in the middle of the night when he was unhappy about something. Most of the time, he purposely waited until I was fast asleep before running laps through the manor.
Pluto meowed loudly again as if he had read my mind. I hadn’t paid enough attention to him lately. His favorite fish treats would probably make him forgive me though.
Another loud bang sounded and I knew that it had come from downstairs. I contemplated ignoring the noise and covering my head with the pillow. Maybe whatever it was would go away.
But I had to know what was going on downstairs. After Nicolas’ weird behavior and seeing what I thought had been another ghost, ignoring the loud thud wasn’t an option. Slipping out of bed, I shoved my feet into my pink slippers and I headed down the staircase. It was probably nothing to worry about, right?
Once at the bottom of the staircase, I paused, listening for more noise. The rhythmic sound of that darn grandfather clock clicked in the background again. With a house that big it was no surprise that the slightest noise echoed off every wall. Just when I was ready to give up and go back to bed, the sound of footsteps caught my attention. Someone was walking in the library.
I tiptoed through the parlor and into the library. The woman in the ivory dress stood next to the tall bookshelves. I had hoped to see Nicolas or Liam, but no— it was the ghost. There was no denying that she was there. Her figure was translucent and a ring of white glowed around her. She had her back facing me. Was she perusing the many books lining the shelves? Her lace-covered dress looked like it was straight out of Gone with the Wind with a big hoop skirt underneath. Her dark brown hair was pulled up with rings of curls falling down on each side of her head. She didn’t turn to look at me as I moved across the floor. I didn’t think she’d even heard me. What would I say to her? Politely ask her to leave? Or demand that she get lost right away?
Who was I kidding? I knew I’d go with being polite. I really needed to toughen up and not be such a pushover.
“Who are you?” I asked.
It was the best happy-medium question that came to mind. To the point, but not too rude. Why was I worried about being rude to someone who had entered my home uninvited? I had issues.
Slowly the woman turned around. Thank goodness she hadn’t been some hideous monster. I would have run out of the house like Annabelle. The beautiful woman appeared to be in her fifties with big brown eyes and round cheeks. She didn’t seem startled by my appearance as she stared straight at me.
“Please forgive me for intruding, Ms. LaVeau.” She clasped her hands together and flashed a warm smile.
Whoa. She knew my name. That hardly seemed fair.
“I’
d feel more comfortable about your intrusion if you’d tell me who you are.” A flicker of apprehension coursed through me.
She glided closer toward me and I contemplated running. You’d think I’d be used to ghosts by now, but I never knew when one of them would be a bad one. After dealing with Isabeau recently, I’d become more wary. She had been totally bad… as in a demon bad.
“My name is Gina Rochester. I need you to reanimate me.”
Wait. I’d heard her name before, but where? After a couple seconds, it came flooding back to me. This was Nicolas’ mother. She had been the leader before me. My stomach flipped. She’d probably come back to tell me what a terrible job I was doing.
“You’re Nicolas’ mother. I didn’t expect for you to be dressed that way,” I said.
She smiled softly. “This was always my favorite dress.”
“Oh—” Was that all I could say? I sounded stupid.
“We don’t have a lot of time. Listen closely. I’ve come here to help him. Normally, I wouldn’t ask you to bring me back because there can be bad consequences, but in this situation I need to help him. He’s in danger.”
I knew the charges against Nicolas were serious, but I was the leader now. As far as I was concerned, he wasn’t in danger. There was no way I would allow anything bad to happen to him. She didn’t know me though, so she probably didn’t trust me.
“You want me to use the spell book to bring you back?” Why was I repeating what she’d just said? Of course that was what she wanted. The fact of the matter was I didn’t want to bring anyone back.
“My energy is fading, so I need you to do this soon. Since I’m newly passed, I’ll have to be here in spirit in order for this to work,” she said.
I wasn’t sure bringing her back was such a good idea… but this was Nicolas’ mother. Did I really want her haunting LaVeau Manor? I’d better just do as she asked. Besides, having her back to show me the ropes wouldn’t be such a bad thing, right? What if she took her position as the leader back? I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.
