“Do you think I should cancel?”
“Yes,” came Daniel’s reply from the hallway.
“Up to you.” Gareth gave me a sympathetic smile. “But you do look hot…for a girl.”
“Thanks, Gareth.” I pulled the hanger from the closet and went into the bathroom to change dresses. “I take back what I said about you.”
“What did you say?”
“Don’t worry,” I told him. “It was only in my head.”
Chapter 6
The wind chimes signaled the arrival of Demetrius. He was a respectable five minutes late.
“You should consider putting wards around the house,” Daniel said, as I left my bedroom.
“What are those?”
“Magical alarms. They can let you know when someone has stepped onto your property. You could also repel certain types of creatures. For example, if you didn’t want vampires to come here, you could have a spell performed to keep them from crossing the property line.”
“Like the town curse on a smaller scale,” I said.
“The opposite really,” he said. “It keeps them out rather than in.”
“I don’t think it’s a coincidence that he chose vampires for his example,” Gareth complained.
I ignored him. “I won’t be late. Keep a low profile.”
As I moved toward the stairs, Daniel’s fingers lightly touched my arm. “You look very pretty tonight. I hope he appreciates it.”
My heart seized. Why, oh why, did Daniel have to look at me like that? To talk to me like that? Why couldn’t he simply slap me on the back and say, ‘go get ‘em, tiger?’
“Thank you,” I mustered. I found myself fuming with each step I took. It wasn’t my fault Daniel had chosen a path of celibacy and redemption.
I cooled down and released a soft sigh. Under the circumstances, my feelings were irrelevant. I wouldn’t dream of getting between and angel and his halo.
I opened the front door and greeted my date. Unsurprisingly, his gaze went directly to my chest, but, to his credit, he immediately jerked his chin upward, as though aware of his faux pas.
“Good evening, Emma,” he said. “You are a vision tonight.”
“Thank you. You’re not so bad yourself.” He looked sexier than ever in snug dark denim and a short-sleeved, V-neck top that emphasized his arms and torso. He definitely knew how to show off the contours of his firm body.
“Demetrius always knew how to dress,” Gareth said, echoing my thoughts.
“Goodnight, Magpie,” I called sweetly.
“Faker,” Gareth hissed.
“That’s good of you to take care of that horrific creature,” Demetrius said.
I resisted the urge to laugh as we left the house. I could feel Gareth steaming behind us.
“Is this your car?” I asked. The jalopy in the driveway was the closest thing to a sports car I’d seen in Spellbound. Sleek and black with shiny wheels, it was only roomy enough for two.
“It is. Do you like it?” He opened the passenger door for me and I swooned a little. As much as I considered myself a feminist, I couldn’t deny that I liked people to do things for me and that included opening doors and pulling out chairs. To be honest, I didn’t care if it was a man or a woman, as long as I didn’t have to do it myself. I’d been taking care of myself for so long, I think I just liked the idea of someone else taking care of me for a change. Even in small doses.
With his car’s supercharged magical engine, we arrived in town within minutes. Not much time for conversation. He left the keys with the elf valet and escorted me inside the restaurant, his arm slung around my waist. A possessive gesture or an affectionate one, I wasn’t sure.
“Moonshine has live music,” he said. “I thought you might enjoy the atmosphere.”
He wasn’t kidding. The moment we stepped inside, it was like walking into a huge party. The place had a New Orleans vibe—festive and fun with appealing food.
Patrons called out greetings to Demetrius. He was a regular, it seemed.
The hostess didn’t bother to ask us how many in our party or if we had a reservation. She guided us straight to a cozy table smack dab in the middle of the busy dining area. I had no doubt it was because Demetrius liked to be on display.
“This place is fantastic,” I said, trying to make myself heard over the live music. “The band is great.” The music struck me as an interesting mix of rock and jazz.
“They’re called Look Mom, No Wings,” he said. “They play here a lot.”
I checked out the members of the band. “I don’t see any fairies.”
“There’s a brownie on sax, a satyr on drums, an elf on guitar, and an incubus is the lead singer.”
Same as in the human world, groupies clustered in front of the small stage, singing along to the lyrics.
“Would you mind if I ordered for us?” he asked. “I have a few favorites I’d like you to try.”
Normally, I wasn’t adventurous with food, but since most food and drink in Spellbound were new to me, it didn’t seem like a huge risk. “Sounds good.” I surveyed the room for a server until I noticed Demetrius tapping spots on the menu. “What are you doing?”
“It’s how we order here,” he said. “I tap the items on the menu and the kitchen receives the order.”
Wow. It was almost electronic—except magic.
Demetrius smoothed a napkin across his lap. “That’s done. Now I have a fun question for you,” he said. “If you could choose to be any species in Spellbound, which one would it be?”
“You mean instead of a witch?”
He nodded.
“Okay, I’ll bite.” Inwardly, I winced. Did I seriously just say ‘I’ll bite’ to a vampire? I needed my neck examined—my head! I needed my head examined.
“I think that’s my line,” he said with a gentle laugh.
My face was on fire. “I wouldn’t mind being a siren. I always wanted to have a nice singing voice.” Instead of the cat in heat sound I produced in the shower or the car.
“You just want to lure men to their doom,” he said.
The food and drinks appeared on the table out of nowhere and my stomach rumbled. I didn’t realize how hungry I was until now.
“Everything looks amazing,” I said.
I managed one drink and half the food on my plate when I saw a familiar head bobbing through the crowd. Thank goodness.
“If you’ll excuse me,” I said. “I need the restroom.”
“Of course.” Demetrius smiled and those fangs glimmered in the candlelight. They were pointy teeth, for crying out loud. Why were they so attractive?
Begonia waited alone in the restroom. I locked the door behind me to be on the safe side.
“You got my message?” I asked.
Begonia’s eyes popped at the sight of my enlarged chest. “Spell’s bells, Emma. I got the memo, but I wasn’t expecting them to be quite so big. You’re almost pornographic.”
She turned on the tap to drown out the sound of our voices.
“I’m not sure what I did wrong or how to reverse it,” I said. “I hadn’t even said the incantation when they burst onto the scene.”
Begonia chewed her lip. “I don’t think you did anything wrong.”
“How can you say that? Look at me.” I arched my back for emphasis, not that it was necessary.
“You can’t reverse it,” Begonia said, “but that’s because you didn’t do it.”
I didn’t understand. “Of course, I did. I was in the bathroom at home and…” My pulse began to race as the implications flashed through my mind. New clothes from Ready-to-Were suitable for a larger bust. I wouldn’t be able to run anymore without falling forward. Okay, truth be told I only ran in an emergency, but I liked to know the option was on the table.
Begonia shook her head. “I swear it wasn’t you, Emma. Whatever you did was a coincidence. This has Millie written all over it.”
That made no sense. “Millie? Why would she…?” Then it
hit me. In class the day I turned Millie into a hairball, she swore revenge.
“Did she make a voodoo doll of me?” I asked. I was introduced to the remedial witches’ voodoo dolls a few weeks ago. There was a secret underground lair where the younger witches congregated to spend time away from the rest of the coven. It was also equipped with the magical version of a television, for which I was eternally grateful.
“She must have,” Begonia said. “She didn’t share it with us, probably because she knew we’d stop her.”
“So what do we do?” I asked. “Beg Millie to reverse the spell?”
“Or find the voodoo doll and reverse it ourselves.”
“Should we go to the hideout?”
Begonia looked shocked. “You can’t go now. You’re on a date with Demetrius Hunt.” She said his name with the reverence normally reserved for celebrities. I guess in Spellbound, the only celebrities were the residents.
“But this is more important,” I said.
“At least wait until after the date,” she said. “I’ll meet you at your house. Send Sedgwick to let me know when you’re on the way.” She paused and gave me a sly look. “Unless you don’t think you’ll make it home tonight.”
“Gak,” I exclaimed. “Why does everyone say that? Yes, I am absolutely going home tonight.” I didn’t mention Daniel’s temporary visit.
“If I were in your shoes”—She stopped and glanced at my chest—“and in your boobs, I would absolutely not be going home tonight.”
“He is very sexy,” I admitted. “But if he’s immortal and we’re both trapped here for our entire lives…” I trailed off. On one level, the curse made dating seem like such a bad idea. I quickly shook it off. I refused to adopt the mindset of the more cynical residents.
“So how’s the date going?” Begonia asked. “Is he as dreamy as I think he is?”
“I’m having a good time.”
When Begonia glanced away for a split second, I knew she had something else to tell me. “I hate to ruin your fun, but you should know that Sheriff Hugo has issued a code clover for Daniel,” she said.
“What’s a code clover?” It sounded too adorable to be problematic.
“If you see him, alert the sheriff or his deputy immediately.”
Like an APB. Ugh.
“Is the sheriff telling people why?”
Begonia hesitated. “Because he considers Daniel to be a person of interest in Jolene’s murder.”
Not the news I wanted to hear, but not unexpected either. “Who told you that?”
“I was in Lady Weatherby’s office when the owl arrived. He contacted all of the council members.”
Great. Now everyone in town would be scouting for Daniel. I’d need to move quickly to help eliminate him as a suspect.
“This changes everything,” I said. “I hate to say it, but now I’m definitely going to have to cut my date short.”
“No, you can’t.” Begonia looked horrified. “What if he never asks again?”
“Then I guess he doesn’t like me enough,” I said. “Better to know now.”
“Are you going to tell him why?” Begonia asked.
Good question. “I’m not sure. He and Daniel seem to have a weird competitive vibe.”
“It’s not weird at all.” She held out her right hand. “Angel.” She held out her left hand. “Vampire. They’re natural frenemies.”
“Wait for me out front,” I said. “We’ll head to the hideout first.”
“Seriously? I thought you were eager to clear Daniel’s name.”
“I am, but I’m starting to get a backache.” I stretched my back gently, careful not to pull a muscle. “I won’t be able to do the legwork to help him if I can’t walk tomorrow.”
“Fair enough. How will we get there, though? I came here on foot.”
“Broomstick?” I hated the idea of air travel, but I was willing to suffer if it meant getting this over with quickly.
“It’s nighttime,” Begonia said. “I’m not authorized to fly a broomstick after sunset yet.”
More rules. “Okay, I’ll figure something out. Meet me outside in five minutes.” I sucked in a deep breath and checked myself in the mirror. “Wish me luck.”
“Luck,” Begonia said, and blew me a kiss.
I returned to the table, where Demetrius was chatting with the patrons at the table next to us. His gaze flickered back to me as I sat down.
“Everything good?” he asked, studying me. “You look unwell.”
“What if I told you that we could keep the date going a little while longer, but that it involves a favor?” I quivered inside. Asking for favors made me uncomfortable at the best of times.
He leaned forward and looked into my eyes. “You need only ask.”
A pleasant shiver ran down my spine. I didn’t know what kind of vampire mojo was at work, but whatever it was, it was working.
“Can we cut dinner short and drive to another location?” I swallowed hard. “With my friend, Begonia.”
A smile tugged at his lips. “You want me to accompany you and your girlfriend to an undisclosed location?”
That sounded much more risqué the way he said it. “I need to retrieve something,” I explained, “but it’s too far to go on foot and we’re not licensed to fly after dark.” Or at all, in my case.
“Sounds adventurous,” he said with a wink and tossed his napkin onto the table. “Let’s go.”
He didn’t seem the least bit bothered about skipping the rest of the meal.
“Thanks, Demetrius. I’m sorry to change the plan.”
“No worries. I like when things get shaken up around here. Spellbound can send you into a trance if you’re not careful.”
That was a relief—not the part about the trance—but the fact that he was willing to roll with the punches. Definitely a tick in the ‘pros’ column. Not that I was making a mental list. Fine, I was making a list, but I’d never write them down. The only problem with the mental list was that Sedgwick had unfettered access to it. I really needed a spell that blocked Sedgwick from my private thoughts. I’d need to ask someone about that.
Demetrius paid the bill and escorted me outside, where Begonia was waiting patiently.
“Ah yes, your pretty friend,” he said, flashing his fangs. Ever the show-off. “Hello again, Begonia.”
Begonia turned pink. I wondered if that obvious blood flow was a turn on for a vampire. “Hi,” she squeaked.
“Where’s this second location?” he asked.
“I’ll direct you,” Begonia said, finding her voice. “Where’s your car?”
At that moment, a valet pulled up with the black sports car.
“It only seats two,” I said, remembering the sleek interior.
His dark eyes traveled over the pair of us. “You’ll both fit if one of you sits on the other’s lap.” He seemed quite pleased with his suggestion.
“I’ll sit on your lap,” Begonia told me. “Your boobs will be like a springy cushion.”
“And if all goes well,” I said, “I’ll sit on your lap on the way back.”
Demetrius smiled. “And if all goes well for me, you’ll both sit on my lap…”
“Nice try,” I said, as the valet opened the passenger side door for us. Demetrius tipped him and slid into the driver’s seat.
I settled into the car and Begonia squeezed on top of me. I hoped the roads were smooth or this was going to be more uncomfortable than I anticipated.
“Don’t lean back so much,” I said. “You’re squishing me.”
Demetrius had the decency not to laugh. “Where to, ladies?”
“You have to promise not to look,” Begonia said.
“Sort of important when I’m the one driving,” Demetrius pointed out.
Begonia bit her lip. “Right. Well, you have to promise not to pay attention to the route and to never return there.”
“Vampire’s honor.” He held up his wrist and bit down with his fangs. Blood spurted and
he sucked it away.
I gulped at the sight. Why couldn’t he have been a Boy Scout? I was pretty sure their honor code didn’t involve blood.
Begonia nodded, satisfied. “Drive north. I’ll tell you when to turn off the main road.”
“You witches are bossy,” he said with a sexy smirk. “I like it.”
Who knew? A vampire with a submissive streak.
True to his word, Demetrius remained in the car while Begonia and I went to the secret lair. She placed her hands on the side of the hill and said the magic words to make the door appear.
The inside was spacious and inviting. I’d enjoyed several evenings here with the other girls, watching films from the human world and gorging on snacks from the Wish Market. It made me sad to think that Millie was so angry with me, she’d chosen to act out rather than talk it out with me. What I’d done to her was an accident. Everyone knew that. What she’d done to me was mean and deliberate.
“Should we check the basket?” I asked. The voodoo dolls were kept in a woven basket. I pulled out the one of Lady Weatherby with its little horned headdress. As tempting as it was to get back at her for tormenting me, I wasn’t willing to mess with a witch of her stature.
“No,” Begonia said. “Millie’s too smart to keep it with the other dolls. We’re in there too often.”
I placed the Weatherby doll back in the basket and joined Begonia in the hunt for my likeness. We checked under cushions and in cupboards. We scoured the nooks and crannies but came up empty-handed.
“You don’t think it’s in her house, do you?” I asked.
“No way,” Begonia said. “She’d be in serious trouble if anyone in her family found it. They would turn it over to the coven in a heartbeat. She wouldn’t risk it. The doll has to be here.”
“Her family likes to stick to the rules, huh?” I asked.
“They are overachievers. They’re mortified that Millie is in the remedial program.”
“But do they know she’s the star of the remedial program?” I asked.
Begonia laughed. “She really is. No, they don’t care. They just want her to pass all the tests so she can stop embarrassing them.”
Doom and Broom (Spellbound Paranormal Cozy Mystery Book 2) Page 6
