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

She shook her head and spoke only with her eyes. Something held her attention. I followed the direction of her stare. When I turned around, I gasped at the huge creature standing in the corner of the room. So that was what the demon looked like. It was the most hideous thing I’d ever seen. My first instinct was to run, but I quickly remembered why I was there.

  The creature that I assumed could only be a demon responsible for this whole mess looked at us. Its eyes glowed red and it bared its yellowed fangs. The thing was a huge humanoid-like beast. This was what the vampires and witches had been a part of? They really were sick.

  I was shocked that I was able to somewhat keep my cool. There was only one way I was going to get rid of this thing. I’d have to destroy the necklaces with the symbols. If I could get rid of them while casting this spell, the demon would be banished.

  When Liam finally stumbled to his feet, I realized that he had necklace clutched tightly in his hand.

  I held my hand out to him. “Give me your hand.”

  “Hallie,” Nicolas said with a weak voice, “take this necklace.” Nicolas ripped the gold pendant from around his neck and threw it in the air.

  Liam reached and caught the necklace faster than a blink of an eye. Liam and I joined hands while I clutched the necklaces tightly. I recited the words for a banishing spell. “Element of Earth, I call to you to banish the evil forever. Element of Air, I call to you to push the spirit back, never to return. Element of Fire, I call to bind the evil to the fires of hell. Element of Water, I call to you for vision and force.”

  A shadow fell over the room. The darkness inched and snaked its way across the walls and ceiling. Liam and I grasped our hands tightly and continued to recite the spell. As the darkness grew, my hope faded. We were losing the battle. I’d given up hope, when a loud wail sounded from the demon. The dark cloud engulfing the room reversed and was sucked back into the belly of the beast.

  After a fury of twisting black flames, the demon collapsed into a pile of ashes. Instantly, the heaviness lifted from the room. Liam wasted little time running to Annabelle and releasing the rope from her hands.

  I raced over to Nicolas. “Are you okay?”

  He nodded. “Thanks to you all.” He exchanged a glance with Liam.

  “Annabelle, are you okay?” I asked.

  She nodded and offered a grin as Jon helped her up. “What took you so long?”

  And to think she’d just started to get over her fear of the paranormal. This would set her back ten years.

  Nicolas stumbled to his feet and grabbed my hands. “Thinking of you all this time was the only thing that kept me sane.”

  That was one of the sweetest things I’d ever heard.

  “Did you get the roses I sent? It took all the energy I had and it was the only spell I could push through. But I wanted you to know I was thinking of you.”

  “That was you?” My lips parted in surprise.

  “I’m sorry it wasn’t more. The spell they’d placed over me wouldn’t allow me to cast spells, but I did the best that I could.” Nicolas leaned down and in one swift movement covered my mouth with his own. I kissed him with all the pent-up stress from the last several days, allowing myself to be lost in the moment.

  “The roses were perfect,” I said softly.

  Nicolas placed a gentle kiss on my forehead. “I’m glad you liked them.”

  How long have you been here?” I asked, wiping a smudge of dirt from his cheek.

  “Too long,” he said, running his hand through his hair. “I’m glad I was finally able to rip that necklace off.”

  “That was the former vampire turned demon who turned you and your family. And that woman was pretending to be you,” I said, pointing at the witch across the room.

  Nicolas rubbed his wrists where the rope had been secured tightly. “I figured that out after a while. Jacobson and Sabrina brought me here.”

  “We came by here and found your wallet. You weren’t here then,” I said.

  “I was here the whole time with the leader of the New Orleans Clan of Vampires. Jacobson staked him.” A troubled look crossed his face, remembering the scene. “Jacobson and Sabrina cast a spell so that you all couldn’t see me. I called out to you, but I was completely invisible.” Nicolas stared at the witch who had slipped over by the door.

  That sent chills down my spine. “I’m so sorry that I couldn’t help you.”

  I didn’t want the witch to get away, so I motioned for Liam to grab her. But before he realized what I wanted, she’d slipped out the door and ran down the hallway.

  “I’ll try to catch her,” Liam said, as he dashed out of the room.

  Nicolas focused his attention on me again. “I guess you’d given up on me.”

  “No, we didn’t give up on you.” Seeing the flash of joy in his eyes made my insides dance.

  Nicolas glanced over at Liam as he spoke with Annabelle and Jon. I knew he was wondering what had happened between us since he’d left LaVeau Manor. My feelings were more confused than ever. Liam was so kind and gentle, but Nicolas was sweet and caring too. I needed to stay far away from both of them, but I knew myself well enough to know that I wouldn’t be able to pull that off.

  Helping everyone out of the house, we joined my mother where the Coven members were still casting the spell.

  I stepped up to my mother. “The demon is gone. It’s over now.”

  She whipped around. “Oh my goddess. I was so worried about you.”

  She wrapped her arms around me and squeezed tightly, then released me to grab Annabelle.

  “I don’t think I can handle you being the leader of the Underworld,” my mother said.

  That was a topic for another day. Right now I had to get everyone back to some sense of normalcy.

  “What happened in there?” Misty asked.

  “The demon was holding Nicolas, Annabelle and Jon. The demon had used the power from all the witches he recruited, but it had to be a slow and steady process. Once I destroyed the necklaces with the symbols, he could no longer fight us. He’s nothing more than a pile of ashes now,” I said with a sense of satisfaction.

  “Wow, that’s impressive,” Misty said.

  I couldn’t believe she’d actually complimented me. “Thank you,” I said with a proud smile.

  Movement from behind me caught my attention and I turned around. Liam was walking toward me. His expression was grim. I hoped he didn’t have more bad news.

  “Well, I guess my work here is done.” Liam looked down to avoid my stare.

  I looked around for Nicolas, hoping that he hadn’t vanished again. He stood at the bottom of the steps, pretending not to watch us.

  “What are you talking about?” I asked softly.

  Liam continued to focus his attention on his shoes, not meeting my stare. “You’re not in danger any more. Nicolas can be with you now,” Liam said.

  I was a little insulted that he just assumed that I wouldn’t want him around. But in fact, I didn’t know what I wanted. Nicolas was back in the picture, but as far as I was concerned he’d never been out of the picture.

  Without thinking, I blurted out, “I want you to be in charge of the New Orleans Coven.”

  “What?” he asked while looking me in the eyes.

  “Now that Jacobson isn’t in charge, I’ll need someone there. You are already a member of the Coven. Naturally, you’re the perfect person for the job,” I said, handing Liam the keys to the plantation. “I’m going to ask Nicolas to lead the New Orleans Clan.”

  With both men in New Orleans, maybe I could work through my thoughts.

  He glanced down at the keys, then back at me. “That would mean I’d be living in New Orleans.”

  I took his hand in mine and said, “We’ll have to be in contact every day though.”

  He smiled. “It doesn’t sound like you’re confident I can do the job if you think I’ll need guidance every day.”

  I shrugged. “Well, it’s not an easy job.”

  H
ow would Liam restore the New Orleans Coven? He would need my help, right?

  “No, I guess it isn’t. You’re right… I could use the help.” A broad grin split his face.

  “Does that mean you’ll take the job?” I smiled. “I could really use your help.”

  He leaned down and kissed my lips softly. Was Nicolas watching us? Of course he was. I felt his eyes on us.

  After a moment, Liam leaned back and said, “I’d be happy to help you, Ms. LaVeau.”

  He had the softest lips.

  Liam glanced over his shoulder at Nicolas. “I think a conversation with my brother is long overdue.”

  I nodded. “I think you’re right.”

  As Liam walked toward Nicolas, headlights caught my attention. Who could that be? No one other than Jacobson and Sabrina would know we were here. It was too late now. Their powers would be gone since the demon was finished. The only thing left for them to do was apologize.

  The fog still rolled across the ground, swirling around the wheels of the black car as it inched toward us, adding to the mystique of the scene. The car proceeded down the dirt driveway, finally coming to a stop next to the Enchantment Pointe Coven van. The car had black tinted windows, making it impossible to see who was inside. For all I knew, there could have been one or six people in there. Everyone turned their attention to the mysterious vehicle. I held my breath waiting for what was about to happen.

  After a few seconds, a man climbed out from the back seat and approached us. He was looking straight at me, so I knew this wasn’t a chance encounter. He probably wasn’t asking for directions. He wore a black suit with black tie. He looked like a movie star from the 50s, immaculately dressed and groomed.

  Once he’d stopped in front of me, he said, “My name is Giovanni St. Clair.”

  He held his hand out to me and I reluctantly shook it.

  “Um, hello,” I said, as I raised an eyebrow at him. “May I help you?”

  “Are you Halloween LaVeau?” he asked, looking me up and down.

  I wasn’t sure if I should answer that correctly. Now that I was the leader, it was bringing out all the crazies. Go figure, right?

  Finally, I nodded at him suspiciously. “Yes, I’m Hallie LaVeau. What can I do for you?”

  After just battling another demon I really wasn’t in the mood for pleasantries. At this point Liam and Nicolas had walked up behind me. Now I had two bodyguards. I wouldn’t lie, that felt good.

  “I hear you’re the leader of the Underworld now,” he said.

  “Yes, that’s correct,” I said. This guy needed to get to the point.

  He looked around. “Well, I’ll get to the point of my visit. I heard you relieved the New Orleans Coven leader of his duties.”

  “Yes, that’s right,” I said.

  “It wasn’t your job to do that. You see, I am next in line to be leader of the Underworld,” he said.

  Well, I hadn’t seen that one coming.

  THE END of Charmed Again.

  Please read on and enjoy Third Time’s A Charm…

  THIRD TIME’S A CHARM

  By Rose Pressey

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  About The Author

  Chapter One of Third Time’s A Charm, Book 3

  Being the leader of the Underworld had many challenges. I’d only just started to come to terms with my new status as the witch in charge when Giovanni St. Clair had showed up in the middle of the night and claimed that he was next in line for the position. He was a witch too, and according to him, I was holding the title illegally.

  Pinpricks of stars covered the night sky and the darkness added to the spookiness of the situation as we stood in front of the New Orleans Coven’s plantation. I felt trapped by the surrounding moss-covered oak trees and bayou just beyond the plantation’s boundaries.

  Of course with Giovanni’s ridiculous statement, I’d told him to get lost. Without proof, I wasn’t going to deal with him tonight.

  “I’ll come for the Book of Mystics soon.” He forced an insincere smile to his lips.

  I’d always been terrible at guessing people’s age, but I figured Giovanni was around thirty-five. He looked dapper in a black suit, a white shirt and a black tie. With one final glare in my direction, he climbed back into his black car and drove off into the night just as mysteriously as he’d come.

  Earlier in the evening I’d battled a demon and now I had to deal with a man who wanted my job. Just when I’d thought my night was taking a turn for the better… he’d shown up.

  Have you ever felt as if your life was spiraling out of control? Have you ever felt you were falling and there was no way to stop the fall and devastation that was about to happen? Yeah, that was the way I’d felt for the past couple of weeks. My best friend Annabelle Preston said I had a knack for the dramatic, but I seriously didn’t think this was an overreaction. I mean, I’d only recently been named leader of the Underworld and in that short time I had already fended off several people who also wanted the title.

  Who knew leading the Underworld was such a sought-after position. It came with a lot of responsibility. That was something that shouldn’t be taken lightly. I hadn’t even figured out what the leader of the Underworld was supposed to do. But I was determined to find out. I wouldn’t let someone just come in and steal this title from me. Not if the position wasn’t rightly theirs—but now, with Giovanni’s claim, I wasn’t quite sure. He’d been vague in his declaration and he hadn’t given me the opportunity to ask more questions.

  Claiming to be the leader of the Underworld was nothing new, but Giovanni alleged that he had proof. I had yet to see that evidence, but apparently he planned to show up at LaVeau Manor with the proof that he needed.

  I’d been in New Orleans with Nicolas, Liam, and my best friend Annabelle and her boyfriend-slash-bodyguard. She’d needed a bodyguard ever since one of the aforementioned demons had attacked and threatened her. I’d just fought off a demon with the help of the others. After the fight, I’d appointed Liam the New Orleans coven leader. He’d stayed behind at the New Orleans plantation, which was now his new home because of his coven leader status. I had to admit that I had mixed emotions about his staying behind, but Nicolas was a sweet man and when I was with him I felt swept away with excitement.

  Shock fused with anger caused knots to form in my stomach. This whole leader of the Underworld thing had been a headache, but I still wasn’t ready to relinquish the title. Of course I would if it rightly belonged to someone else, but I wouldn’t unless I absolutely had to. There was no way I’d take a stranger’s word for it.

  My name is Halloween LaVeau. I was once known around Enchantment Pointe as Worst Witch of the Year. But that had changed when I’d inherited my great-aunt Maddy LaVeau’s manor. I shared the place with her black cat Pluto. He wasn’t that impressed with my presence, although he was learning to tolerate me more with each fish snack I gave him. It was a creepy place and I hadn’t known what to do with the massive structure at first. Then one day it hit me: turn it i
nto a bed-and-breakfast.

  On the first night of my new business venture, a mysterious and gorgeous man had shown up at my front door. It had been a dark and stormy evening, like a scene right out of some cheesy Halloween movie.

  Then the next day, another gorgeous man had shown up at my front door and I’d known that it hadn’t been a coincidence. After all, I wasn’t at the top of the Best Bed-and-Breakfasts Ever list, so I knew the strangers were up to something right away. Little had I known that night that the men were actually brothers, and that they were witches and vampires.

  Now we were in the car headed back to LaVeau Manor. We’d been at a beautiful plantation which was the home of the New Orleans Coven. I’d had to dismiss the former leader for being involved with black magic and demons. The clouds slowly covered the moon as I stared out the window and up at the sky. Annabelle and Jon Santos sat in the backseat of the car. Jon was another detective with the Underworld. When I glanced back at them, they had shut their eyes and were holding hands. They made a good couple, but it was still early in their relationship. Not to mention, Annabelle wasn’t paranormal and normally wanted no part of it.

  Nicolas was behind the wheel. He and his gorgeous half-brother Liam looked alike with thick dark hair, deep blue eyes, high cheekbones and dazzling smiles. They had more than their share of masculinity and irresistible levels of charm.

  He smiled at me when I looked over at him. “How are you holding up? You must be exhausted.”

  “Me? I’m fine. You’re the one who should be exhausted. Being held by a demon can be a little draining, right?”

  I wished that we could forget what we’d seen and what had happened. All I wanted was a normal evening with Nicolas.

  My relationship with Nicolas had gotten off to a strange start. I’d had a tough time working out my feelings for the brothers, Nicolas Marcos and Liam Rankin. It was for the best that Liam stayed in New Orleans. He would be an hour away and that would put the needed distance between us. I wanted to see where things went with Nicolas.

  Before the men had arrived, I’d found this old book in the attic. As it turned out, the book allowed the person who owned it to become the leader of the Underworld. Yes, you guessed it… I was the lucky owner. A lot of people wanted to get their hands on this book.