by Rose Pressey
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“You don’t know who this person is. I need to go first and check them out. I’m your bodyguard, remember?” He crossed his arms in front of his chest.
Hmm. I guessed I had forgotten about why Liam was there. I wasn’t used to having a person following me around.
I released a heavy sigh and reluctantly shook my head. “Okay. But be polite in case it really is a guest.”
His mouth twisted to one side. He looked as if he wanted to laugh.
I scowled. “What? I could have a real guest. Maybe. Well, one of these days it’s bound to happen.”
Wait. If he thought this wasn’t a real guest, had he known that Catherin wasn’t a real guest too? Maybe I had just thought I’d been fooling him all this time.
Annabelle and I followed Liam through the library and into the foyer. Just as Annabelle had said, a man stood in the foyer. His back was to us as he looked into the other room. At least he wasn’t wearing clothing from another century. His chestnut-brown hair was cut short and he wore a dark blue suit.
“May I help you?” Liam asked in his best tough-guy voice, which wasn’t hard for him, by the way.
“I was called here,” the man said a professional clipped tone.
Uh oh. I’d heard that statement before. My stomach flipped and I thought I might be sick. He didn’t have to tell me. I knew already that I’d done it again. This man had to have been brought back by me. I had brought him back from the dead.
“What do you mean you were called here?” Liam asked.
I had a feeling Liam already knew the answer to that question. And right about now he was probably figuring out what magic I’d been performing.
“By the magic, of course.” The man smiled. “I have to say I am elated to be here too. So whoever did it, thank you.”
Liam looked at me.
“I guess I should explain from the beginning what happened,” I said.
Liam nodded. “It would probably help, yes.”
“Do you mind if I come in?” The man stared at Annabelle as he spoke.
Something about his eyes gave me the creeps. Then again, a lot gave me the creeps lately.
Chapter Fourteen
I hesitated, but eventually stepped to the side and allowed the man to enter the parlor.
“Would you like to have a seat?” I was becoming a regular hostess to mysterious strangers. Only I had a feeling there wasn’t much of a mystery as to where this man came from. I’d brought him back from the dead instead of sending Catherin away.
“Well, first of all, I’d like for someone to tell me where I am. I mean, I realize I’m not dead anymore. For that I am thankful, by the way. I was really tired of the haunting thing.” He plopped down on the sofa.
Annabelle let out a little gasp. “Another one,” she whispered.
She didn’t know the half of it.
I held my hand up. “Um. I’m the one responsible for bringing you here.”
Liam was staring me. I shrugged. What else could I do?
“Okay, but where am I?” he asked.
“This is LaVeau Manor. I own this place and run it as a bed-and-breakfast.” I waved my arm through the air.
“How quaint,” he said drily.
Great—another sarcastic ghost. I hadn’t dealt with enough of those lately.
I sat down opposite the man. “Where are you from?”
He eyed me up and down, then finally said, “I’m from New Orleans.”
I looked at Liam, then back at the man.
“Do you mind telling us your name?” I asked.
“Of course not. Why would I mind?” His tone held a mocking bite. It sounded as if he really did mind. “My name is Claude Hammond. I suppose you want to know more than that about me, huh?” He looked at all of us.
This had to be weird for Claude—three strangers standing around gawking at him. He’d been called here by me. It wasn’t as if he’d asked to be here. I really needed to stop casting the spell that was bringing the spirits back. Obviously, I lacked the skills needed to make it work.
“Well…” He waved his hand through the air. “I died in a tragic automobile accident ten years ago. I worked at a law firm. No wife and no children. That about sums it up.”
Didn’t he have some kind of connection to LaVeau Manor? Why him? It couldn’t have been a random selection.
“Do you have family in Enchantment Point?” I quirked a brow.
“No, not that I’m aware of,” he answered breezily.
Hmm. “And you’ve never been to LaVeau Manor?” I asked.
“Not until you brought me here.” His face split into a wide grin.
Liam and I exchanged a glance. He had to be thinking the same thing as me. This would be another mystery. Why had he been brought back? Was it something about the spell?
“Well, I’m sorry about bringing you here. I can help you get back,” I said.
He frowned. “Get back to where? New Orleans? That would be great. Thank you.”
“No, I could help you get back to the other side.” I gestured toward the front door as if that was the portal to the other side.
He scowled. “What the hell? Why would I want to go back there, for heaven’s sake? Look at this ugly suit they dressed me in. Would you want to spend eternity in this thing?”
I looked at his clothing and shrugged. As a matter of fact, no, I wouldn’t want to spend eternity in that, but that was neither here nor there. But he had to go back. As I said before, I didn’t want to be the one who brought these people back. That was not going to be my thing.
“Well, I can offer you a place to stay until you can get back to New Orleans. I’m not planning a trip there this evening,” I said.
Liam scowled. It might not seem like it, but I had a plan. I had a plan to make this darn spell thing work and send all these ghosts out of here. I prayed that the ghosts that had been stalking me outside didn’t return. They had been lurking around outside since I’d discovered I could reanimate the dead. I hadn’t seen them since for a while now, but I was positive they would be back. My collection of ghosts kept growing.
“So are you going to tell me who you are?” he asked with a smile.
“Oh, where are my manners?” I’d been a terrible hostess to my latest ghost guest. “My name is Hallie LaVeau. This is Liam Rankin. And my friend Annabelle Preston.” I gestured across the room.
“Pleased to meet you,” he said.
Annabelle and Liam returned the greeting with less than exuberant jubilee. I stood and gestured for Claude to follow me.
“I’ll be right back,” I said to Liam and Annabelle.
They were staring at me as if I’d lost my mind. I wanted to get Claude out of the room so that I could perform another spell and get rid of him. With the help of Liam, I’d be able to perform it correctly this time, right? I was obviously doing something wrong. Liam would be able to spot my mistake and point it out. Yeah, that was what I was telling myself.
“Come on, Claude. I can show you to your room. Would you like something to eat?” I asked.
“I’d love something. Do you have cupcakes?” he asked.
I froze with my foot on the bottom step. I spun around and looked at him. “Why do you ask for cupcakes?”
He held his hands up in surrender. “I didn’t know it was against the law. It’s my favorite. I thought I’d take a shot and ask. I haven’t had one in over ten years. Forgive me,” he said sarcastically. “Should I have asked for steak?”
I stared for a beat. “It just reminded me of someone else.” I looked him up and down as he frowned.
The last ghost had been a huge cupcake fan. Could he be Isabeau in disguise? That would certainly be a connection to LaVeau Manor. Yes, I definitely had to get rid of this man as soon as possible.
I led him to the second floor and down the hallway. Since Catherin was staying in the room across from me, I’d have to put Claude in the last room down the hall. Not tha
t he’d be staying for long if my plan went smoothly.
“You have a great home. Do you live here all alone or was that your husband down there?” he asked.
“Thank you. No, he’s not my husband. And yes, I do live here alone,” I said.
As I neared Catherin’s room, I noticed the door was wide open. When I peeked in, the clothing I’d given her to wear was on the bed. I scanned the room, hoping that I wouldn’t catch her walking around wearing no clothing. Technically, I shouldn’t be snooping around in the first place. So if I did catch an eyeful it would be my own fault.
The room was empty and the bathroom door was wide open too. Did I dare peek in there too? Where had she gone? I stepped through the room and over to the bathroom door.
“Catherin, are you in here?” I called out.
There was no answer.
“Do you usually snoop on your guests?” Claude asked.
I glanced over my shoulder and frowned. “No.”
Okay, I had been snooping on my guests a lot, but only because it had been necessary. It was pure necessity.
Upon closer inspection, I noticed the closet door was open. Where was the dress that Catherin had been wearing when she’d arrived? It wasn’t hanging in the closet and I didn’t see it anywhere else in the room either.
I let out a sigh. “I guess she stepped out for a while.” I tried to give a professional smile. It wasn’t easy though.
Had I sent Catherin back and replaced her with Claude? Was that even possible? Now that I thought of it, I knew that it was very much possible. I had a way of making the simplest spells the most complicated. I had created such a tangled web that I’d probably never escape.
After showing Claude to his room, I rushed back downstairs to figure out how to get rid of him. And with any luck, not bring Catherin or any other ghost back in the process.
Chapter Fifteen
Liam and Annabelle were waiting for me in the parlor and I knew I had some explaining to do.
“What are you going to do with him?” Annabelle whispered when I sat down.
I blew out a breath. “I’m going to do another spell and get him to go back where he came from.”
“Don’t you think you should figure out what went wrong with your last spell before you try another one?” Liam offered the sweetest of smiles.
“Well, yeah. I had planned on asking for your help.” I smiled sweetly.
“What did you have in mind?” He leaned back in the chair.
“I figured I can tell you what I did and you can let me know what I did wrong?” I asked with a quirked eyebrow.
“I don’t think that sounds like the best of plans. Perhaps you should consult the book,” Liam suggested.
“That’s what I did with this last spell and look what happened.” I tossed my hands up.
“Are you going to tell me why you were casting the spell in the first place? Not that it’s any of my business,” he added.
I hesitated, then said, “Catherin was a ghost that I accidentally brought back.”
He chuckled. “So you’ve established a pattern of bringing back the wrong ghosts.”
“Certainly not on purpose,” I said in my defense.
“The truth is…” I looked at Annabelle and Liam. They watched with wide eyes for what I was about to say.
“Nicolas’ mother came back here,” I said nonchalantly.
Liam almost fell out of his chair. “She what? She came back here?”
“She was here the morning I told you I saw the ghost in the cream-colored dress. Gina asked for me to bring her back. But by the time I got the book to do the spell, she was gone. But I did the spell anyway. That’s when Catherin appeared.” I snapped my fingers. “Just like that.”
“Where is Catherin?” Annabelle asked, looking around the room.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I think I might have sent her back when I brought Claude from the grave.”
The more I talked the worse it sounded.
Annabelle frowned. “She may have been a ghost previously, but I thought Catherin was nice.”
“I don’t know what to think. Catherin claimed to be my great-great-great aunt. But something seemed off.” I couldn’t deny the nagging thought that was settled in the back of my mind.
“Something seems off about this whole thing,” Liam said.
I had to agree with him on that one. I didn’t know who to trust and I didn’t know who was real anymore.
We sat in silence for a moment. Liam was probably thinking the worst. The doorbell rang again, disturbing the quiet in the room and sending my stomach into a nose dive. If another ghost was at the door and I’d brought the person back to life, then I’d probably cry.
“Do you think I have to answer that?” I asked.
Liam nodded. “Let me get it.”
Once again, Annabelle and I followed Liam to the door. Liam peeked out the hole, then didn’t hesitate to open the door. A tall muscular man with blond hair stepped into the foyer.
“How do you do?” he asked with a smile.
Liam shook his hand. Who was this man? At least it looked as if Liam knew him. I glanced over at Annabelle and her gaze was fixed on the good-looking blond. I waved my hand in front of her face. She finally snapped out of the trance.
“Hallie, this is Jon Santos.” Liam gestured toward the man.
Jon stuck his hand out toward me. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m honored to meet the new leader.”
I followed his gaze to Annabelle. Why was I not surprised that another gorgeous guy had shown up? Did all the good-looking men work for the Underworld? I knew he had to be connected in some way. What were the odds that he wasn’t involved? Gorgeous men didn’t just show up at my door. Sadly, I’d discovered that the hard way.
I shook his strong hand. “It’s nice to meet you too.” I looked from Liam back to Jon. “Who are you?”
“I was called in for backup.” He exchanged a look with Liam.
Annabelle stepped closer and cleared her throat. I took the hint. “This is my best friend Annabelle Preston.” I gestured with a tilt of my head.
“It’s a pleasure.” Annabelle batted her eyelashes.
Jon’s eyes sparkled as he placed his lips on Annabelle’s hand. Her face turned a deep shade of red. Liam and I might as well have been invisible.
“So you called for backup?” I asked Liam.
“Don’t you think I need it? I can’t handle both of you, not to mention all the ghosts you keep bringing back to life,” Liam said.
Jon finally looked away from Annabelle and quirked his brow at me. Yeah, he’d heard Liam correctly. The new leader was a screw-up. Deal with it, people.
“I figured Jon can escort Annabelle to her house since I know she doesn’t want to stay in your creepy manor, as she calls it.” Liam winked at Annabelle.
“Yeah, I guess that’s a good idea.” I looked Jon up and down. “But you’d better take care of my best friend. Got it?” I poked him in his hard chest with my index finger.
“Yes, ma’am. You have my word on it,” Jon said with a little salute.
“I’ll just get my bag,” Annabelle said as she ran across the room.
It looked as if there would be little chance of me convincing her to stay. Oh well, it was better if she wasn’t around this craziness anyway.
I hugged Annabelle. “I’ll call you later.”
Annabelle and Jon were chatting as they walked down the front steps and to his car. He opened the door and she climbed in, giggling the whole time. He must have told a very funny joke because Annabelle rarely giggled. Annabelle flipped her hand up in a little wave, then focused her attention back to the conversation with Jon.
“Well, it looks like they’re going to get along just fine,” Liam said.
“It appears that way.” I turned to Liam. “Why didn’t you tell me that you’d called for backup?”
Liam folded his arms in front of his chest. “You were too busy bringing ghosts back and di
dn’t give me a chance.”
“When are you going to let me live that down?” I asked.
“Probably not for a while.” Dimples appeared on his cheeks.
It was strange being alone with Liam. Well, besides the former ghost that was upstairs and the other one who was missing. My thoughts shifted to Nicolas. Where was he? Most importantly, was he okay? Liam must have read my thoughts.
He stepped closer and placed his hands on my arms. “We’ll get all of this worked out. Try not to worry about it, okay?”
I nodded. “It’s hard not to think about it.”
Liam rubbed my arms, sending a chill down my body. He leaned in closer and placed his warm lips against mine. A warm tingly sensation zipped through my body. I didn’t resist his kiss. It was hard not to succumb to his chemistry. The room began to spin as his tongue moved across mine. I pressed my body closer to his.
Finally, my thoughts broke through the fog and I pushed him away. “I should check on my guest,” I said without looking at Liam.
I dashed up the stairs and didn’t look back. When I got to the top of the stairs, I paused to catch my breath and listen. Would Liam come after me? On one hand, I wanted him to, and on the other, I didn’t want him to. I couldn’t possibly be any more confused. Would Nicolas be angry that I’d kissed Liam? Given their rocky past, I knew the answer to that question. What would be the consequences for Liam and Nicolas’ shaky relationship if I was in the middle? There was enough animosity between them without me adding to it.
Without checking on my guest, I retreated to my room. Now more than ever I needed time to be alone and think. Once inside my room, I locked the door out of habit, and pulled out the Book of Mystics. I would read that thing cover to cover if it would just give me the answers I was looking for and the answers I needed.
The next thing I knew, I’d fallen asleep, leaning back against the headboard with the Book of Mystics across my chest. Luckily, the book didn’t have my drool on the pages. I really needed to get more rest so that I wouldn’t fall asleep while sitting up so often.
After searching through the book, I still didn’t have the answers I needed. Sure, it had instructed me on how the covens and vampire clans worked, but it hadn’t told me what to do with a problem like the one I was dealing with now.
