Witchin' USA

by Amanda M. Lee

“Tell me about your day.”

  I found my fingers moving toward Galen’s hair before I could stop myself. What the holy heck is up with that?

  Galen arched an eyebrow as he watched my hand, but he didn’t move to slap it away. He looked tired, as if the world was beating him down. I had sympathy for him, but it was nothing compared to what I was going through.

  Yup, I was in full-on “woe is me” mode. I didn’t like it, yet I couldn’t seem to stop it.

  “Well, it started with seeing a terrific case of bedhead and looks to be ending with some steaks and corn.” Galen grinned, the expression lighting up his handsome features. “Those are both the highlights, by the way. The lowlights are something else entirely.”

  “I’m almost afraid to ask,” Booker said, grabbing a beer from the cooler Lilac placed on the table and twisting the top. “What did the coroner say about Mark?”

  “That he had a lot of internal injuries and it looked as if he was either hit by a vehicle and left to die or fell a great distance and bounced off the ground.”

  I jerked my hand back from Galen’s hair, the reality of the day setting in as I inadvertently sobered. I much preferred the fake drunk feeling I labored under moments before, but even my brain couldn’t seem to do what I wanted for the time being. “So I killed him.”

  “No, you protected yourself.” Galen held out a hand and waited for Booker to pass him a beer. He took a long swig before continuing. “You did what you had to do.”

  “I don’t think that’s going to go over well with a judge,” I argued, swirling the remnants of the wine bottle as I considered my fate. “Gee, your honor, I accidentally threw a man through a window using powers I didn’t know I had. Surely you can see it was an accident. Have pity on me.”

  Galen’s lips curved. “You’re very dramatic. Has anyone ever told you that?”

  Lilac raised her hand. “I have.”

  “You have not,” I shot back, narrowing my eyes. “You’ve spent the entire afternoon trying to get me to be more dramatic.”

  “That’s because I like drama.” Lilac’s smile reflected a bit of smarm and a whole lot of charm. It was hard not to like her, even when she was being a total pain in the keister. “Why do you think I took one look at you and knew you were going to be my new BFF?”

  “Um … .”

  “What’s a BFF?” Galen asked. “It’s that, like, a … chick thing?”

  “That’s totally a chick thing,” Booker answered. “It means ‘best friends forever.’”

  “Oh, so it’s like a young chick thing.” Galen snorted, whatever flitted through his head clearly amusing him. “Okay. I’m caught up. Continue. What were we talking about?”

  “The fact that I can’t use magic as a defense in a court of law.”

  Galen tilted his head so he could give me a hard stare. “Says who?”

  “Says everyone. You might believe me, but that doesn’t mean I won’t be arrested, tried and sent to a prison where I have to make license plates for the rest of my days. Oh, geez. Maybe I should call my dad. I’m going to need a lawyer.”

  “I’m not dissuading you from calling your father if you want to talk to him, but you’re not going to be arrested,” Galen argued. “I’ve already sat down with the prosecutor. He knows what happened, and it’s being ruled self-defense.”

  I was understandably dumbfounded. “But … how?”

  “The prosecuting attorney is a shifter and the judge is a mage. Do you think this is the first time we’ve had a paranormal dust-up on this island that resulted in death?”

  Huh. I hadn’t even considered that. I drained the rest of the wine, rubbing my chin as I considered the implications. “But … I killed him. Shouldn’t I have to pay for that?”

  “He broke into your house and attacked you with an ax!” Galen exploded, causing me to jolt. “Stop being a martyr and look at things realistically. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “I … .” My mouth worked, but no sound came out as I blinked back tears.

  “You might want to take it easy on her,” Booker advised, his voice soft. “She’s dealt with a bevy of stuff today that would’ve floored just about anyone else. I don’t think yelling at her is the way to go.”

  “I’m sorry.” Galen rested a big hand on my shoulder. “I didn’t mean to yell and upset you. That wasn’t right or fair.” He shifted his eyes to Booker. “But I am going to yell at you. I think that’s both right and fair.”

  “Oh, yeah, I saw this coming.” Booker tipped his head back and downed half his beer. “Lay it on me.”

  “What were you thinking taking her to Durham farm?”

  A fraction of my senses returned and I poked Galen’s side to get his attention. “How did you know we went out there?”

  “Because I’m not an idiot, and because people tell me things,” Galen replied. “I thought that’s where you might be going when I stopped you, but I couldn’t be sure so I let you go. Now I wish I hadn’t.”

  “Booker remembered that Mark Santiago was working for Wesley a few months back,” Lilac interjected as she bathed the corn ears in butter before wrapping them in foil. “We wanted to ask Wesley if that arrangement was still ongoing.”

  “Even though … .” Galen broke off, briefly flicking his eyes in my direction.

  “See, that’s the thing,” Booker started, chagrined. “I thought Hadley knew that Wesley was her grandfather. Yeah, that came up while we were visiting. It never occurred to me that she didn’t know.”

  “She didn’t know who May was,” Galen argued. “How could she possibly know who Wesley was?”

  “Her life is like a soap opera,” Booker complained. “I can’t keep up with all the evil twists and dastardly turns. I didn’t put it together, and by the time I realized she didn’t know who he was it was too late.”

  “Wesley told her,” Lilac said. “He mentioned that he fired Mark because he caught him going through a chest that was left over from Wesley and May’s marriage. He said there was nothing in there of any value, but he had to fire Mark anyway.”

  “He doesn’t know what Mark was looking for,” Booker supplied. “At the time he thought Mark was looking to feed his drinking habit and wanted something to sell. There was nothing in the chest to sell, though.”

  “Huh.” Galen pressed the tip of his tongue to his upper lip as he absorbed the new information. “That’s extremely interesting. I probably would’ve thought the same thing. But now that Mark broke into the lighthouse … hmm.”

  “What do you think it all means?” Lilac asked, shifting the corn to the grill. “Do you think Hadley is still in trouble?”

  “I don’t think Mark went after her himself,” Galen replied. “He was too drunk all the time to have the motivation to do that. Someone recognized that in him and sent him after Hadley. The question is: Why?”

  “That’s the question?” I sputtered, my heartbeat ratcheting up a notch. “Shouldn’t the question be: Who is after me?”

  “We’ll solve that question, too.” Galen seemed too calm for my liking. “I swear we’ll figure it out. I don’t want you tying yourself in knots over this.”

  Oh, that was easier said than done. “How are we going to figure it out?”

  “The same way we figure anything else out. We’ll ask questions and kick over stones until we find the answers.”

  That sounded awfully simplistic. “And how do we start?”

  “With an awesome dinner.” Galen squeezed my shoulder before turning to Lilac. “When will dinner be ready? I’m starving.”

  “That makes two of us,” Booker added. “This has been one long and crazy day.”

  I wanted to argue, tell them we needed to focus on the obvious problem rather than steak and corn. The scent of grilling food was enough to cause my stomach to rumble, though, and I realized I hadn’t eaten since breakfast – and I was famished.

  “What about you, Hadley? Are you hungry?”

  Galen’s gaze was expectant, a
nd also filled with concern. He’d already done so much for me – the lip-covered boxer shorts and drugging notwithstanding – that I didn’t want to give him further cause to worry. “I could eat.”

  “Good. Everything will be okay. I promise.”

  “IS THAT ALL of them?”

  Galen helped me load the dishwasher after Lilac and Booker left, both of them conveniently dodging the cleanup as they offered haphazard waves and disappeared down the driveway. I shouldn’t have been bitter – Lilac cooked and Booker worked all day for free, after all – but I wasn’t in the best frame of mind, so I indulged in the pettiness for a few minutes.

  Then I realized I was being a complete and total jerk and put it away.

  “That’s all of them.” I offered up a smile to Galen. He looked as tired as I felt. “You didn’t have to help. You’ve already done enough for one day.”

  “Yeah? Well, doing a little more never hurt anyone.”

  I thought Galen would say his goodbyes and beat a hasty retreat, but he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the counter.

  “Is something wrong?” I self-consciously ran a hand over my hair. Other than the humidity causing it to increase in diameter, it seemed fine. “Have you changed your mind about arresting me?”

  “No, and stop worrying about that,” Galen ordered. “I was just thinking.”

  “About?”

  “About you.”

  My cheeks burned under his steady gaze, and I instinctively averted my eyes. “Why?”

  “Because you’ve really been through the wringer the past few days and you’re still standing,” Galen replied. “I don’t know many other people who would be able to do that. I’m impressed.”

  “I don’t see as I have much choice. I can either fall down – which I’ve done a few times when no one was looking – or get back up. I’m not big on the former, so I guess I have to stick with the latter.”

  “That’s a very pragmatic outlook.”

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re still struggling. It’s okay.”

  He kept saying things like that, things were going to be okay and such. I wanted to believe him, but I wasn’t sure I could. My life was changing at such a fantastic pace that I couldn’t help but wonder if it might never slow down until I crashed into a wall.

  “I don’t know what to think about all this,” I admitted. I didn’t know Galen well, yet he was easy to confide in. “I never imagined this stuff being real. I read books about paranormal creatures when I was a kid – I was a big fan of Stephen King – and now I find out I might be one and I don’t know what to do with the information.”

  “What do you want to do with the information?”

  “Smack you upside the head for asking dopey questions like that,” I replied, wrinkling my nose as Galen chuckled. “I don’t know. I didn’t know I had it in me to kill a man. It’s … terrifying.”

  “You have a lot more in you than that,” Galen countered. “You’re a witch. Magic isn’t one thing for you.”

  “I don’t know anything about being a witch. Am I supposed to buy one of those conical hats and fly around the island or something?”

  Galen snorted, genuine amusement sparking in his eyes. “Witches can’t fly.”

  “Can vampires fly?”

  “No.”

  “Can anything fly?”

  “You seem to be obsessed with flying.”

  “I always wanted to be Wonder Woman when I was a kid. She had an invisible plane. I thought that would be nifty.”

  “Some things fly, but they’re generally shifters,” Galen explained. “I don’t think now is the time to give you a crash course on paranormal history. We can ease into that eventually.”

  “Eventually? What are we going to do now?”

  Galen extended his hand, taking me by surprise. “I’m going to show you that you can do more than defend yourself against a man who was trying to kill you.”

  I stared at his outstretched hand a minute, uncertain. “This isn’t going to go to a kinky place, is it?”

  “Not tonight.”

  I blew out a sigh and took his hand, letting him lead me out of the house and down to the beach. The night air was warm, the remnants of the day snaking through the air as it kissed my skin and caused me to sigh.

  “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to this heat,” I lamented.

  “You will. One day you’ll wake up and realize you’ve already grabbed a bottle of water without realizing it.”

  “Will I ever stop caring about what the humidity does to my hair?”

  Galen shrugged. “That’s out of my realm of expertise. That would be something that Lilac could help you deal with. Aurora might be a good one on that front, too.”

  “Great. Do you think she’ll be naked when I ask her questions?”

  Galen squeezed my hand as he chuckled. “She’s always naked, so the odds are good.”

  “Isn’t that against the rules?” I asked, genuinely curious. “Doesn’t your Downtown Development Authority have issues with naked women wandering around the island?”

  “As long as they stay off the sidewalks and out of the cemetery at night, they’re good.”

  “Oh, well, what a relief.” I made a face when Galen stopped in front of the water, his expression expectant. “What are we doing out here? Are you going to throw me in the ocean? I’m not going to lie. If that’s your plan, I probably won’t like it.

  “I know I talked big about wanting to meet a shark shifter and everything, but I’m actually afraid of sharks,” I continued. “I think a shark attack is probably the worst way to go, and I’ve heard stories that sharks lurk closer to the beach after dark.”

  “You don’t have to worry about a shark attack around here.”

  “Aurora said she saw one the other day when she stopped by for her swim.”

  “That doesn’t mean it will attack you,” Galen said. “We’ve never had a shark attack around these parts.”

  “Good to know.” It actually was. “So what are we doing out here again?”

  “I’m going to show you something good about your magic,” Galen replied, releasing my hand and grabbing my shoulders so he could position me to face the incoming waves. “I want you to close your eyes.”

  “I thought you weren’t going to do anything kinky.”

  “I said I wasn’t going to do anything kinky tonight,” Galen clarified. “I stand by that. Close your eyes.”

  I was reluctant, but did as I was told, breathing through my nose as Galen ran his hands down my shoulders and over my arms, not stopping until he touched my wrists. He drew out my arms as far as they would go and lowered his mouth closer to my ear.

  “Think of something happy,” he instructed. “Think of something that always makes you smile. Don’t open your eyes until I tell you. I want you to clear your mind and think happy thoughts.”

  “Oh, we are going to fly, aren’t we?” I couldn’t hold back the snark. “We’re going to have some pixie dust sprinkled over us during our happy thoughts and we’ll fly away.”

  “Shh.” Galen’s mouth was so close to my exposed neck that I shuddered, and not because I was afraid. “Clear your mind, Hadley. Think of something happy. Think of something that makes you feel lighter.”

  It was difficult given his proximity, but I did as he asked, exhaling heavily as I leaned back against his chest. I wasn’t sure what to choose, ultimately opting for the time I’d won the spelling bee in sixth grade and my father actually showed up to see the show. He wasn’t much of a joiner in those days, so for him to go to a school event was a big deal. He told me he was proud of me that day. He told me I reminded him of my mother. That was one of the happiest moments I ever remembered.

  “Good,” Galen intoned, sliding closer. “Keep thinking your happy thought.” He linked the fingers on both hands with his. “Remember what it was like when all you could think about was how happy you were. Can you see it?”

  I nodded.r />
  “Good. Now open your eyes.”

  I wasn’t sure I heard him at first, but when I registered the order I did as he asked, gasping when I saw the waterspout lifting from the ocean. The water swirled at the base, climbing higher until it formed the countenance of a young girl – one I recognized from the mirror when I was in middle school.

  “What the … ?”

  “Calm yourself,” Galen ordered when the swirling water looked as if it might break apart. “If you get upset you’ll lose the thread.”

  “What thread?” My heart hammered a bit. “Am I doing that?”

  “You have a connection to this place, Hadley.” Galen’s voice was a soft caress. “You haven’t had a chance to explore that for yourself yet – which isn’t fair, and I’m sorry – but if you let yourself look beyond the terrible things that are happening right now you’ll find an entirely new world waiting for you to enjoy.”

  The girl in the swirl smiled, sliding her hand over her mouth as she giggled and batted her eyelashes in Galen’s direction.

  “Hey!” I was offended. “I was nowhere near that flirty when I was her age.”

  Galen chuckled, genuinely amused. “I wondered if that was you. How old were you?”

  “Eleven.”

  “You were cute.” Galen tightened his grip on my hands and pressed his body against mine. “Concentrate.”

  The only thing I could concentrate on was the masculine warmth wrapping itself around me. My heart pounded as I felt his beat against my back, his heat threatening to set me on fire. My mind spiraled, the waterspout swirling higher and wider before exploding, a torrent of seawater splashing over us.

  I sputtered as I wiped my face, the heady feeling from before returning. “That was fun!”

  “It was until the end,” Galen agreed, shoving his hair away from his face. “Do you feel better?”

  “I do.” I bobbed my head. “In fact, I feel as if … .” I lost my train of thought as I took a step forward and lost my footing, tumbling headfirst toward the sand as things spun and bounced inside my head.

  Galen caught me before I hit, swinging me up and cradling me close. “What’s wrong?” He looked terrified.

  I wanted to ease his pain, but I could feel unconsciousness stalking me. I didn’t know what to say, so I went with something stupid.