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

  “Are you crazy?” I snapped.

  He looked offended that I would ask such a question, but he didn’t answer.

  “No, I didn’t bring you the book. What do you want?” I demanded.

  “I’ve come for the book of course.” His voice dripped with mockery.

  “Well, that’s not happening,” I said.

  “Why doesn’t he add a spell if that’s what he claims he can do?” Kelley said from over my shoulder.

  I looked back and everyone was standing behind me. Annabelle shrugged. Rebecca was proposing a risky situation. Was I willing to give it a try? What would I do if he really could add a spell? Would I have to give him the book?

  I reluctantly allowed Giovanni into my home. Of course I followed him as he stepped into the kitchen. I didn’t trust that he wouldn’t make a wrong move. The book was still on the counter. I stood nearby because I didn’t trust him not to grab it and run away. I’d hate to zap him with magic, but I would if I had to. I never liked using magic against anyone and I’d only do it if absolutely necessary.

  He smiled at the group of witches, then began reciting the words. He waved his hands and the wind whipped. I’d never seen anyone do magic that aggressively before. I was positive that he had no idea what he was doing.

  The wind wasn’t as strong as when I performed magic and I felt a little self-satisfied about that little fact. When the wind finally settled down, he opened his eyes and looked around the room.

  “Well, have a look, ladies.” He gestured with a grand sweep of his hand.

  I peered down at the book and sure enough, the spell that he’d just performed had been added to the pages. I was devastated. What would I do now? There was no way around it. He had added a spell and I had not. It looked like he had won this match. Giovanni met my gaze and my stomach turned when I saw the look of satisfaction on his face.

  Giovanni reached down and grabbed for the book. I snatched it up, but fell back onto the floor.

  “Not so fast,” I said as I sat on the floor.

  “The book is mine. I added the spell and you did not. There is no way around this now, Halloween LaVeau. So be a nice little witch and give me the book.” He wiggled his fingers.

  I looked around the room at the faces staring at me.

  “It does appear that it is his book now,” Rebecca said.

  The rest of the coven members nodded. Annabelle reached down and helped me to my feet. There was no way I would let him have the book without a fight. I needed time to confirm what he had said. I didn’t care what he’d added to the pages.

  Giovanni stepped forward and I moved back a few steps. Annabelle stood beside me, holding on to my arms as we moved together. He had us backed into a corner. There was nowhere else to go. There was nowhere to get away from him. Maybe if Annabelle moved across the room, I could toss to at her.

  In one swift movement, Annabelle reached down and grabbed the book. I let out a gasp as she ran out of the kitchen. Giovanni ran after her. He was tall and I was sure with his long legs he would close the distance between them in no time. The only advantage Annabelle had was that she was light on her feet. I scrambled up from the floor and took off out the kitchen door and through the house. I spotted Giovanni as he rounded the corner into the foyer.

  When I reached the foyer, the front door was wide open and Giovanni was running down the front steps. I sprinted out onto the porch and looked around. Annabelle was sprinting across the lawn, and then she disappeared into the woods. Who knew that she could run that fast?

  I ran as fast as my legs would carry me until I finally caught up with Giovanni. I needed something to stop him—something to slow him down so that he couldn’t get the book from Annabelle.

  I recited the words and pointed my hand toward his back. Giovanni hadn’t looked back and didn’t even know what hit him when I zapped him with my spell. Power zinged through the air. He collapsed onto the ground and I ran past him. It would take him a while before he could get up and catch up to us. But when I reached the line of trees, I knew that Annabelle had already made it to the other side. At least I hoped she had.

  She’d taken off with the book and that had my stomach in knots. She was vulnerable now. What if Giovanni or someone else caught up with her and figured out that she had the book? There was no telling what they would do to her. And she didn’t have magic powers to protect herself.

  There had to be a way to counteract what Giovanni had done. I had to find a spell that would stop any of his attempts to add spells to the book in the future. Plus, I needed a spell that would delete the words he’d added to the book. We didn’t need his poison on the pages. Where had he unleashed this power from? I couldn’t believe that he’d been able to achieve something as complicated as that.

  Chapter Nineteen

  When I turned around, Giovanni was stumbling up from the ground. He glared at me and I shot daggers at him with my eyes. His dirty looks would do nothing to me. But he wouldn’t be happy with me for zapping him with that spell.

  I marched back over to where he stood. He still seemed a bit dazed from the spell. “I suggest you leave my property now,” I demanded as I stood in front of him.

  His stare was relentless, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t about to back down. He stood with his fists clenched by his sides. I was waiting for him to unleash his magic on me, but he turned around and headed back toward his car. I followed him, but I wasn’t sure of what he was up to. I knew that this wasn’t over. He was probably going to try to find Annabelle.

  When he reached his car, he turned to me and said, “I will get that book.”

  I glared at him, but didn’t respond. The coven members were on the veranda, watching me. I was sure they’d watched the whole scene. Now I had to find Annabelle.

  He gunned his engine and peeled off down the driveway.

  “Is everything okay?” Kelley asked.

  “I don’t know where Annabelle is and I know he will go looking for her. She’s in a great deal of danger as long as she has the book.” I rushed my words.

  Rebecca tsked. “What a foolish girl.”

  “She was just trying to help me,” I said.

  “No matter what she was trying to do, it was foolish.” She tossed up her arms and turned around.

  The rest of the coven members turned and followed Rebecca back inside the manor. They whispered to each other as they walked, and I knew they were talking about me.

  Kelley looked at me with a pitying smile. “I’m sorry. What are you going to do now?”

  “I have to find her, but I don’t know where she is.” The anxiety was evident in my voice.

  I ran inside and Kelley followed me. When I rushed into the parlor, I grabbed Annabelle’s purse where she’d left it on the small table. I reached inside and found her cell phone. She hadn’t taken it with her. I stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do next. Where would Annabelle go? Maybe she would go to her home? Either way, I didn’t want to handle Giovanni alone.

  “Listen, Kelley, I have to go find Annabelle. I’m going to find Liam and Nicolas so they can help.” I grabbed my purse.

  “Can I go with you?” Kelley pleaded with her big brown eyes.

  I stopped and looked at her. How could I say no?

  “I figure you shouldn’t try to find them alone. Since you’re stressed and all.” She gave a half-hearted smile.

  I shrugged. “Yeah, I guess that would be okay.” The witches watched from the foyer. “Please for the love of all things witchy, don’t do any magic while I’m gone.”

  They nodded and gave little waves in unison. Yeah, I knew there would be spellcasting in the manor while I was gone. They could no more resist the call of magic than I could resist the call of a chocolate bar.

  “I figured I can look for my family when I get to town,” she said as she climbed into the passenger seat.

  “Did you have a lot of family in Enchantment Pointe?” I asked as I navigated out of the drive and down the street. />
  “I have a few family members. Like I said, my parents died before me.” She stared out the window.

  “Didn’t you want to stay with them on the other side?” I asked.

  “Well, it wasn’t as if I had a choice. I was brought here, remember?” She looked at me.

  “Oh yeah. Again, I am sorry about that,” I said, looking at the road again.

  We rode in silence for most of the way into Enchantment Pointe. Kelley asked a few questions about current events. It was refreshing to have a spirit who was nice for a change. Kelley stared out the window and absentmindedly played with her bangle bracelets. She turned the radio and found the oldies station, which now meant Eighties music like Duran Duran and Madonna.

  When I looked in the rearview mirror, I noticed a car was driving close behind mine. Was it Giovanni again? It didn’t look like his car, but I couldn’t be sure that he wasn’t in a different vehicle now.

  I sped up a little but the car sped up too. When I tapped the gas a little more, I noticed a noise coming from the back of the car and the steering wheel began acting strangely. Of all times for me to have car trouble. I had no choice but to pull over. I hoped whoever was following close was just in a hurry. If I pulled over, it would give the driver a chance to go around me.

  I steered the car to the side of the road and cut the engine. When I stepped out, Kelley jumped out too and followed me to the back of the car. The big problem was that the strange white car had also stopped and pulled up behind my car. My heart rate increased as the gray-haired man climbed out from behind the wheel and walked toward us.

  “Do you know that man?” Kelley asked.

  I shook my head. “No, I’ve never seen him.”

  The man approached the car. I hoped he wasn’t a killer.

  “I was trying to get close enough to tell you that there was a problem with your back wheel. I hope I didn’t scare you, but you sped up when I got close.”

  I looked down at the back of my car. Sure enough, the tire was almost flat. I groaned. What would I do now?

  “Thank you so much,” I said with a smile.

  “Do you need help?” he asked.

  I didn’t want to tell him that I was just going to fix the flat with a little magic.

  “No, I’ll be fine. Thank you.” I said.

  He nodded. “Take care,” he said as he walked back to his car.

  I watched as he drove off. He’d seemed honest and I knew that I was just being paranoid. It was probably a good thing he’d come along to help when he did, although I was lucky that I had magic to help me. I was sure someone had caused the flat tire—my guess was Giovanni. The stranger had probably caused Giovanni to abandon his attempt to confront me on this isolated road.

  “I’ll just fix it with a little magic, it’ll be a lot faster than if we’d let him help.” I stepped closer to the car and pushed the sleeves of my sweater up, as if I was about to get dirty.

  Kelley nodded. “Let me know if I can help.”

  I had to admit I’d never changed a tire. Now that I thought about it, fixing a flat was probably a skill I should have learned.

  I recited the words for a spell as Kelley stood beside me. This time there was no wind, no lights, no magic-charged air. When I looked down at the flat, it did nothing. I frowned.

  “That’s not what was supposed to happen,” I said.

  Now that the spell hadn’t worked, Kelley and I would have to figure out how to fix it on our own.

  “Maybe I can help,” she said. “Although my witchcraft is probably a little rusty. I haven’t used it in a while.”

  I guessed it was worth a shot. Kelley pointed her hands toward the tire, but before she had a chance to recite any words or do any magic, the tire instantly was fixed.

  I looked at her. “Did you do something?”

  She shook her head. “No, I hadn’t even started my magic.”

  As we headed back to the car, I glanced over at Kelley. I noticed the symbol sewn onto the bottom of her shirt right away. Why hadn’t I noticed it earlier? It was just like the symbol on the witches’ clothing.

  “What is that symbol on your shirt?” I asked as I started the car.

  She glanced down. “Oh, that’s a witch’s symbol. Just for good luck. I don’t remember how I heard about it, but I think it helps with spells.”

  I stared at her for a moment. “That’s odd. The coven members have that symbol.”

  She chuckled. “Well, it isn’t helping with their magic, huh?”

  I smiled. “No, I suppose it isn’t.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Annabelle lived in a beige-colored brick ranch in a small subdivision of newer homes. I drove up to Annabelle’s home and parked the car in the driveway. After rushing from behind the wheel, I hurried up to the door and pounded on it. When she didn’t answer, I went around to all the windows and peeked in. Nothing seemed out of place. Everything was neat, just as Annabelle always left it. Sunlight streamed through the opposite window and lit up the rooms. Her living room was on the left and the dining room on the right with the kitchen behind it.

  Going back to the door, I found the key that she’d given me in my purse and opened the door.

  “Annabelle, are you here?” I called out.

  I went from room to room, but she was nowhere in sight. There was a glass in the sink, but other than that the kitchen was spotless. The table had been cleaned off. I knew Annabelle’s routine was to clean up every morning. It looked as if she hadn’t been home since she’d left.

  “Looks like she’s not here,” Kelley said.

  “No, and I don’t think she’s been here either. I’m not sure where to look next, but maybe she went to find the guys too. We should head over there now,” I said.

  Kelley and I climbed back into the car and made our way over to the Bubbling Cauldron. Nicolas’ car was parked on the street in front of the bar.

  “Wow. This place was a grocery store when I was alive,” Kelley said as she walked beside me.

  “Yes, I guess a few things have changed, huh?” I asked.

  “Yeah, but they’ve made good improvements. They used to have a Pac Man game in there that I played every day after classes,” Kelley said.

  “They don’t really have those anymore. Although I’m sure there are some around. You can play it on your cell phone now.” I held up my phone.

  “Where’s the bag for your phone?” she asked.

  I snorted. “No bag for the cell phone needed either.”

  Her hair still had an amazing amount of Aqua Net and her bangs reached skyward at a height I’d previously thought gravity would never allow, so I wasn’t surprised that she still wondered about all things Eighties.

  I dialed Nicolas and Liam’s numbers, but neither answered my calls. It went straight to voicemail. Of course that upped my anxiety level even more.

  When we reached the door, Nicolas and Liam were coming out of the bar.

  “Why didn’t you guys answer your phones?” I asked exasperated.

  “It’s strange, but they wouldn’t work,” Nicolas said, holding up his phone. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think someone had placed a spell on them so that they won’t work.”

  “What’s going on?” Liam asked with a scowl on his face.

  “Annabelle is gone with the Book of Mystics,” I said.

  “What? What the hell happened?” Liam asked.

  Nicolas stepped closer to me and touched my arm. “Tell me what happened.”

  “Giovanni showed up and the coven ladies thought it would be a good idea to see if he could add a spell to the book,” I said. Liam shook his head and Nicolas frowned. “They thought it would solve the problem once and for all if he couldn’t add a spell.”

  “Let me guess, he added a spell,” Liam said.

  I frowned and shook my head. “Yes, that’s when I grabbed the book. He lunged for it, and Annabelle snatched it and took off into the woods.”

  “What did Giovanni do?” N
icolas asked.

  “He went after her, but I zapped him. He got mad and took off,” I said.

  “So you tried to call Annabelle, I guess?” Liam asked.

  I nodded. “She left her purse and phone at the manor. I went by her house, but she’s not there.”

  Nicolas and Liam exchanged a look.

  “What do we do now?” Kelley asked.

  Just then my cell phone rang. “Maybe that’s her,” I said as I answered.

  “I have the spellbook,” my mother said.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “How did you get the book? Where is Annabelle?” I asked in a panic.

  “She left the book with me. She’s not here. I can’t believe you let it get out of your sight. And it’s too late because the coven already knows,” my mother said.

  “I don’t care if they know, Mother,” I said angrily.

  “Well, don’t snap at me because you lost the book,” she said.

  “I’ll be there in two minutes,” I said. We were close enough to walk to my mother’s shop.

  “What happened?” Nicolas asked.

  “The book is at my mother’s, but apparently Annabelle isn’t there,” I said.

  As we were walking toward my mother’s shop, my phone rang again. I exchanged a look with Nicolas. When I answered, I was relieved to hear Annabelle’s voice. “Where are you?” I asked.

  “Did you get the book back?” she asked as she tried to catch her breath.

  “I’m on my way to get the book, but it sounds like you’ve been running. Is everything okay? Where are you?”

  “I can’t talk right now, but I have something important to tell you. I’ll meet you at…”

  The phone went dead.

  “Hello? Hello? Annabelle?” I said.

  There was no answer, so I immediately dialed her number again, but it went straight to her voicemail.

  “What is going on with the cell phones today?” I said as I hung up the phone.

  “What did Annabelle say?” Liam asked.

  “She said she wanted to meet me, but the phone went dead.”