Love Spell: Book 2 of The Grimm Laws

by Youngblood, Jennifer

  “Don’t pay any attention to them.” Elle shook her head. “You know how guys are.” She leaned over and gave Rae a tight hug. Then she went over to Jack and clasped his hand in hers. “I’m so glad you’re doing well.”

  “We’ll talk soon about this crazy stuff that’s going on,” he said, a note of promise in his voice.

  “Yes,” she agreed fervently. “As soon as you’re able, we’ll plan a time to talk to Adele.”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  The Birthday Party

  Elle picked up the elaborate invitation and looked at it, even though she’d already read it a hundred times already. The paper was a creamy ivory with dainty flowers—daisies to be exact—that were embossed and dusted with a silver and blue ink that shimmered in the light. The writing was done in a stately calligraphy that was also silver. She smiled, remembering how the invitation had suddenly materialized on her dressing table this morning. Adele certainly had a flair for the dramatic. Along with the invitation, there was a large, rectangular box, wrapped in expensive silver metallic paper with a thick, white ribbon artfully tied around it.

  The invitation announced her seventeenth birthday party, which would take place at 8:00 p.m. that evening at The Chocolate Fountain. Eagerly, she’d torn off the wrapping of the box to find inside, the most beautiful sapphire-blue dress she’d ever seen. Also, there were diamond teardrop earrings and silver stilettos. She ran her finger over the dress, loving the luxurious feel of the fabric. There was a note from Adele.

  Dearest Elle,

  You are now officially seventeen years old, my dear. Tonight, we will celebrate the remarkable woman you have become, and I believe that a day like today deserves a special dress. This is a small token of my love and appreciation for you. Remember all of the things I’ve taught you. You are stronger than you think. Courage dispels the darkness. Remember that, and all will be well.

  Your loving aunt,

  Adele

  Elle frowned. The note held a sense of foreboding. Was something bad going to happen tonight? The last time Adele had spoken this cryptically to her, Jack’s accident had occurred. She placed the invitation on the dressing table and forced her mind onto other things. Worrying herself sick wasn’t going to help matters.

  The past few days had been a blur. Thankfully, Jack had been released from the hospital a couple of days ago. He seemed to be healing quickly. Rae was fawning over him to the point where she was nearly smothering him. She’d even suggested that it would be better for Jack to stay at her house while he recovered. Of course, Jack flatly refused, so Rae was relegated to the periphery where she tried to do as much for him as she could while trying to steer clear of Jack’s father, who was more ornery than ever. He seemed ticked over the fact that Jack was recovering and that he alone had taken responsibility for the accident, leaving no one else that Jack’s father could possibly sue.

  A healthy color had come back into Jack’s countenance, and his tongue was as sharp as ever. He was needling Rae to the point of exasperation, but deep down, Elle could tell that she enjoyed it. Jack had been pestering her about planning a time for them to meet with Adele, so she’d tried, but Adele had danced around the subject, promising her that she would sit down with them soon. Secretly, she was beginning to wonder if Adele ever really intended to come clean about everything, but there was no way she was going to tell Jack that.

  A smile curved her lips as her thoughts went to Rush. He was acting almost giddy, like he’d been given a new lease on life, and they’d spent nearly every moment of their free time together. Even Wisteria was being nice. Elle frowned. She still couldn’t figure out what had brought about the change. Things were good—too good. She didn’t want to be a pessimist, but she kept waiting for the shoe to drop.

  Time was speeding by so quickly that she could hardly keep track of it. In all of the hustle and bustle, she’d completely forgotten about her birthday … until she’d received the invitation and dress. In light of everything that was happening, she didn’t feel like celebrating her birthday, but Adele was determined to throw her a party nonetheless. And judging from the look of the invitation and dress, it was sure to be an extravagant event! She could only assume that Adele had sent invitations to Rush, Jack, and Rae as well. As long as they came, she didn’t care whether or not anyone else came. As if in answer to her question, her phone buzzed. She looked down to see a text from Rush.

  How’s my favorite birthday girl? Can’t wait 4 tonight! Love u!

  A bolt of warmth shot through her as she sat down in the chair and looked at her reflection in the mirror. Lately, the mirror had been just that—a mirror. She studied her reflection, wondering if the girl in the mirror had disappeared forever. She put a hand to the glass. “If you’re in there, you need to know that today is my birthday. I am seventeen years old, and tonight, I will put on this beautiful dress and do my best to forget about all of my problems. I will attempt to do something I haven’t done in a very long time—I will attempt to simply live and be happy.”

  * * *

  The party was held in the customer area of The Chocolate Fountain. It was everything Elle had expected it to be and more. She felt like she’d entered a whimsical world of fantasy when she stepped inside the front door. Adele had spotted large clusters of daises and trailing ribbon around the room. A dozen or more strands of white lights were draped across the ceiling, flanked with soft creamy fabric. In the center of the room was a large table, filled with food. On opposite sides of the table were two tall vases containing a mixture of multicolored daisies. The cake was three layers and embellished with intricate cascading daisies made from icing. It was truly breathtaking! A gigantic chocolate fountain graced the center of the table, and there were fresh strawberries and pineapples, along with everything else imaginable that could be dipped into chocolate. As if that weren’t enough, Adele had also made a large assortment of decadent truffles, brownies, and cookies.

  “What’s with all of the daisies?” Rae asked her.

  Elle shrugged. “I haven’t the slightest.”

  “Well, it’s certainly beautiful,” Rae breathed dreamily.

  Rush squeezed Elle’s hand. “Speaking of beautiful—you look beautiful,” he whispered, causing tiny shivers to ripple playfully down her neck. He closed his fingers over hers in a protective embrace.

  “Thank you,” she murmured, rewarding him with a brilliant smile. She felt beautiful tonight. Her new dress fit like a glove, and the shoes were the most comfortable stilettos she’d ever worn. And Rush looked so handsome in his white button-up dress shirt and black dress pants that he nearly took her breath away. The party would’ve been perfect had it not been for the handful of unexpected guests. She glanced over at Mrs. Porter, Principal Kingsley, and Edward who was looking very uncomfortable, like he wished he were anywhere but here. When they first walked through the door, Rush had gone tense beside her. “What’s he doing here?” he asked, giving Edward a dark look.

  “I don’t know. I had nothing to do with it,” she assured him. She didn’t want Edward here anymore than Rush did.

  Then things got really strange when Mrs. Porter and Principal Kingsley asked her to call them by their first names—Wisteria and Alexander. Weird!

  Elle could kind of understand why Wisteria had come, considering that she was Rush’s mom, but Alexander and Edward? She had no idea why they were here. After the party got underway, she found a moment to pull Adele aside and ask.

  Adele gave her a look of reproof. “Because I invited them, dear, that’s why. They are as much a part of this as you are.”

  “Part of what?” Elle asked, perplexed. “My birthday?” She shook her head. “It’s really awkward to have Edward here, considering all of the history between us.” She stopped when she saw Adele frown. There was a hint of exasperation in her eyes. “I don’t mean to be difficult,” she inserted quickly. “You’ve done so much for me … this party … my dress. It’s like a dream.” A wave of tenderness came over h
er as she looked at her eccentric aunt with her taffy-colored tight curls and kind eyes. She’d grown to be such a large part of her life. “What I’m trying to say is that I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me.” Tears moistened her eyes.

  Adele gave her a tender smile that caused the dimples on either side of her mouth to go deeper. She patted Elle on the hand. “You’re going to be just fine, dear. All will turn out well in the end. I can feel it in my bones.” She cast a sidelong glance at Edward. “Be kind to him, dear, I’m sure losing you to Rush has been a trifle difficult for him.” Then she gave Elle a tight hug and moved on to talk to the other guests, leaving Elle to ponder over her strange words.

  After a while, Elle found herself relaxing and enjoying the party. Always, the jokester, Jack had them in stitches, and Rush kept throwing her admiring glances that were causing her insides to melt. Every time his eyes met hers, she was struck by how intensely blue they were. His very touch sent bolts of energy racing through her veins, and she marveled at how lucky they were to have each other. She couldn’t imagine a life without him.

  Her gaze wandered around the room, taking it all in. She, Rush, Rae, and Jack were sitting together. Upbeat music was playing in the background. Adele, Wisteria, and Alexander were off in the corner, engaged in what looked to be a serious conversation. Edward was sitting by himself, looking at his phone. She briefly wondered if they should invite him to join them but then decided against it, thinking it would make things too uncomfortable for everyone. At the beginning of the party, Elle noticed that Rae made an effort to include Edward in the conversation, but when he didn’t show any interest whatsoever in reciprocating, she gave up. Elle had briefly spoken to him when he first arrived, thanking him for coming, but he’d responded in no uncertain terms that the only reason he was here was because his dad had made him come. Then his eyes had gone soft for an instant. “Happy birthday, Elle,” he said sincerely, giving her a wistful smile. She knew in that moment that she’d broken his heart, and it cut her to the quick. Edward had been good to her, and she still felt terrible for breaking up with him, but she couldn’t spend the rest of her life with someone because of guilt, not when she was in love with someone else.

  “I’m going to get something else to eat,” Rae said, standing.

  “I think I’ll join you,” Elle said.

  She was filling her plate with fruit when Rae stepped up to her and whispered. “It’s kind of odd, don’t you think?”

  “What?”

  She cut her eyes in Edward’s direction. “That he’s here with his dad and Mrs. Porter. Talk about awkward.”

  Elle nodded, glancing over at Edward who had his legs stretched out under the table. He was glued to the screen on his phone, oblivious to the party going on around him “That’s exactly what I told Adele.”

  “What did she say?”

  Before Elle could answer, the cuckoo clock began to chime loudly. The chimes were getting louder and faster as they continued. Elle flinched. Had it always sounded so loud and ominous? The clock was obviously in need of repair.

  Rae winced. “Geez, that thing’s loud. It’s gonna burst an ear drum!”

  Adele went into a flurry as she clasped her hands and announced that it was 10:00—time to blow out the candles and cut the cake. She gathered everyone around the cake and instructed Rae to light the candles.

  “I’m so glad that you could all join us on this joyous occasion as we celebrate Elle’s seventeenth birthday.” She looked intently at Elle. “May you have many more joyous birthdays to come.”

  “Thank you,” Elle said. She had the feeling that Adele was trying to convey something to her. Then she shrugged off the thought. She always felt that way around Adele.

  Adele led the group in singing happy birthday.

  “Make a wish,” Rush said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

  She looked up at him, thinking that for so long, he’d been her primary wish. And now he was here with her. She closed her eyes.

  * * *

  A gust of wind went through the room, snuffing out the candles in one swoop. The front door burst open. Wisteria let out a cry as Alexander stepped forward, his hand going to the gun that was tucked into the holster attached to his belt. “What’re you doing here?”

  Ruben stepped through the door with an attractive blonde on his arm.

  Wisteria pointed. “What’s she doing here?”

  Edward stumbled to his feet. “Mom? Why are you here?”

  Loreena gave Edward a bright smile. “Hello, Son,” she said breezily. “This is Ruben Forrest, the President of Knightly University.”

  “I wasn’t aware that the two of you knew each other,” Alexander said, a definite bite in his voice.

  Loreena laughed. “It’s funny how these things happen. I was in the grocery store, and we ran into each other … literally. Who knew my trip to Tower Heights would prove to be so interesting?” She flashed a cheery smile. “We heard there was a party in town, so we decided to join you,” she finished, casting an adoring glance at Ruben who was an inch shorter than she due to the six-inch heels she was wearing.

  A cruel smile curled Ruben’s lips. “It’s payback time, brother. And there’ll be no escaping this one.”

  “What?” Loreena’s jaw dropped as she turned to Ruben, a question in her eyes. “You’re Alexander’s brother?” She wrinkled her nose. “That’s a strange coincidence.”

  Edward looked confused. “What? Your brother? But that would make him …”

  “Your uncle,” Ruben inserted.

  Hesitancy crept into Edward’s eyes. “Dad, what’s going on here?”

  Alexander kept his eyes fixed on Ruben, readying himself for any sudden moves. “You need to leave … NOW!”

  Ruben laughed. “I’m not going anywhere.” He thrust out his chest. “And there’s nothing you and your little witch can do to stop me.”

  Wisteria stepped up beside Alexander. “Oh, I wouldn’t be too sure about that,” she said, fury lighting her eyes.

  Ruben let out a mirthless laugh. “Always the fireball. You know, if my brother had half the fire in him that you have then he might’ve been a halfway decent king. It’s too bad the cat has been declawed. If you’ll be a good girl and learn to keep your mouth shut, I just might consider keeping you around for my amusement after all of this is over.”

  Alexander’s face went black, and he swore under his breath. At the same time, Rush jumped up from his seat, his jaw clenching.

  “What did you just say to my mother?” Rush began walking toward Wisteria who glanced at him from the corner of her eye.

  “Stay back,” she warned.

  He ignored her and went to her side, catching hold of her arm. “Are you okay?” he asked, shooting Ruben a look that could kill.

  Ruben chuckled. “Always the brave hero, huh lad? You’re just as much of a fool as your father, boy,” he growled from deep within his barrel chest.

  “How do you know my father? My father’s dead.”

  “Really?” He made a tsking sound with his tongue. “You just can’t stop with the lies, can you, Alexander? You don’t have an ounce of integrity in you.” He looked at Rush. “I’m sorry to be the one to have to tell you, but Alexander—”

  “Shut up!” Wisteria yelled, cutting him off. “Shut your wretched mouth, or I’ll shut it for you!” She raised her hands and thrust them at Ruben.

  Nothing happened.

  Panic rippled over her features as she flung them at him again.

  Still nothing.

  “Well, that was pathetic,” Ruben sneered.

  Loreena took a step back, her face chalky white. “What’s going on here?” She looked at Ruben. “Who are you?”

  His eyes turned to black slits. “Someone who has waited a long time to get his due.”

  Gasps rippled around the room as Alexander pulled out his gun and aimed it at Ruben. “I asked you once politely, and now I’ll say it again. You need to leave—NOW!”

>   Jack’s eyes turned to saucers as Rae caught hold of Elle’s arm, digging in her fingernails. Adele was muttering something unintelligible under her breath while looking at the ceiling.

  Ruben let out a grating laugh that seemed to rattle the windows. “You have no idea what’s coming, do you?” His eyes turned to marbles. “That’s the beauty of it.” He motioned. “Put the gun down, Alexander.”

  “I don’t think so,” Alexander countered.

  In a swift movement, Ruben shot out his thick arms, grabbing Loreena in a chokehold. “Put down the gun or I’ll snap her neck!”

  “Please, no!” Loreena uttered, terror filling her eyes. Tears began spilling down her cheeks.

  A panicked look came over Edward. “Dad, do something!”

  “Let her go!” Alexander commanded.

  Loreena started weeping in gulps. “I don’t want to die!” she said hoarsely. “I don’t want to die!”

  “If you hurt her, I’ll put a bullet in you,” Alexander warned. “No matter how fast you think you are, a bullet is faster.”

  “You sure about that?” Ruben tightened his grip on her neck. Her eyes bulged, and she began making a choking sound.

  “Dad!” Edward cried, “he’s choking her!”

  Ruben loosened his grip momentarily as Loreena drew in a ragged breath. “Please,” she begged. “Let me go.”

  “Here’s how this is going to work,” Ruben growled. “You’re going to put down the gun, and I’ll let her go. We’ll fight like men and settle this once and for all. No one else gets hurt.” He looked Alexander in the eye. “What do you say, brother? Are you going to let this innocent woman die because you’re too much of a coward to fight me man-to-man?”

  “Don’t do it, Alexander,” Wisteria warned. “He’s lying!”

  Ruben tightened his grip on Loreena’s neck. She gurgled.