A Witch Too Hot

by Paula Lester

  Cas cocked her head. She knew that voice. When she turned, her instincts were verified as Dzovag Livings lumbered toward them, his jowls shaking with each step. He wore the same blue, tailored suit with an orange shirt and tie that he’d had on every time Cas had ever seen him. She braced herself for an attitude and angry words—he’d been anything but kind to her in the past. But he only nodded in her direction. “Excuse me, Ms. Lorne. I have business with Dewman, so I’ll have to cut your discussion short.”

  “By all means.” She was relieved not to have to continue dealing with the real estate broker’s clumsy advances. She watched the two men’s backs as they scurried away, heads bent together in conversation. Cas wondered what business dealings the two men had together. She knew Dzovag Livings to be a cutthroat developer. Was Dewman as shady?

  She didn’t have much time to wonder because as the two men exited the front door, Graham entered. Cas smiled and began to move toward him, but then she watched him stop and hold the door for someone behind him. A dark-haired woman in a low-cut, short red dress smiled at Graham as she swept past him. It was the woman she’d seen on the porch of the Orange Moon Campground’s lodge earlier. And, sure enough, Raydiant Feldspar entered the room right after her. Cas sighed a little in relief. Ray must be the beautiful woman’s date.

  But then Graham let the door go, turned toward the raven-haired beauty, and reached for her. The beautiful woman slipped her hand around his elbow, and the two walked into the party, arm-in-arm.

  Chapter 5

  Cas’ jaw dropped. What did Graham think he was doing? He had invited her to the shindig—where did he get off showing up with another woman?

  Her first instinct was to take off. Maybe she could find a back door and slip out before being humiliated by Graham and the gorgeous woman. But she forced her mouth closed and straightened up. She wasn’t going to be chased out of any event. By anyone.

  Time for a drink.

  Cas made her way to the bar and ordered a Merlot.

  “It’s our problem as much as theirs.”

  It was another familiar voice, and Cas glanced toward the speaker. Sure enough, it belonged to Crystal Springs’ grouchy Sheriff Lloyd, who stood a few feet down the bar. He hunched over a rocks glass and spoke to a uniformed officer.

  “There are so many shifters who are ignorant,” he continued. Cas stood to his right, so she could see the eerie scar that traveled over his eye, leaving it milky and unseeing before traveling up into his scalp where a two-inch bald spot surrounded it. He wore blue jeans, cowboy boots, and a blue and green Western-style shirt. “Ignorant and naïve. Ah, here comes the worst of ‘em now.”

  Graham approached the bar from the sheriff’s left. Had the sheriff meant Graham was the worst of the ignorant shifters? It didn’t appear that he’d heard Lloyd’s words. He stopped to shake the sheriff’s hand and clap his shoulder before continuing to stop in front of Cas.

  “Found you! I’m sorry I got caught up and couldn’t bring you. Glad you found the place okay.” He leveled a gorgeous smile, dimple and all, right at her, and Cas narrowed her eyes.

  Before she could say anything, the raven-haired woman from the campground appeared next to them, hitching the green leather purse up further on her shoulder.

  Graham beamed at the newcomer too. “Cas, this is my friend Lumen. We ran into each other in front of the lodge.”

  She shook the woman’s hand and said something appropriate, seething as Lumen bumped shoulders with Graham and smiled up at him. “Yeah, I’ve known this big lug most of my life,” she confirmed. “Has he taken you bowling yet?”

  Cas shook her head.

  “Oh, you have to get him to take you bowling.” She dissolved into laughter, using a hand on Graham’s arm to steady herself. “He’s a real hoot.”

  Graham rolled his eyes. “Not everybody can bowl a strike every single time, Lum.”

  “No, but most people manage to keep it out of the gutter at least once in a while. I’ve never seen you knock down a single pin!” She bent over, and her laugh sounded like tinkling bells. Graham laughed too, and Cas felt like the third wheel of a bicycle that had gotten along fine with two wheels for years.

  Auburn Moss, holding a microphone, spoke from the opposite end of the big room. “We’ve cleared an area here for dancing,” she announced. “Have fun!”

  The lights dimmed a bit and music began to play. Graham said, “Would you excuse us, Lum?” and held out a hand to Cas. “Care to dance?”

  Cas finished the rest of her wine in two gulps, set the glass on the bar, and accepted his hand, letting Graham lead her toward the dance floor. She was happy to leave Lumen behind. “So, I saw that Lumen came in with Ray Feldspar. I met him earlier today. Are they dating?

  Graham chuckled as he took her into his arms, leading her around the floor. She was thrilled to find he was light and smooth on his feet.

  “No,” he said. “They’re siblings. Ray and I have been friends since we were kids.”

  “Seems like you’re pretty close to his sister too.” It sounded bratty, but Cas was still irritated about seeing Lumen hold Graham’s arm like she belonged next to him.

  He studied her face for a long moment before giving her a small smile. “Hey,” he said, using a thumb to tilt her chin up so he could look her in the eye. “Yeah, I’ve known Lumen a long time. She’s my buddy’s kid sister. That’s it.”

  She pursed her lips, wondering whether to believe him.

  “Come on, let’s have some fun. I need to make up for being late and not escorting you here myself. After this dance, I’ll get you another glass of wine, and we can relax.”

  Cas’ shoulder muscles unbunched. “Okay, that sounds great.” She looked around at the other dancers. “It seems like there’s kind of an agenda to this party, though.”

  Graham nodded. “Dewman uses it to sell properties,” he agreed. “He invites all the fancy-schmancy people and those he knows have money or want to buy something. This year, he invited absolutely everyone to get a chance at convincing them to elect him siren.” He twirled her around. “Still, he serves good food and it’s a great place for you to meet people.”

  “How does the siren election work, anyway?” she asked after catching her breath. “Can anyone run?”

  “Well, theoretically, I guess. Although people don’t just throw their own hat in the race. Anyone who’s a witch in good standing in the community may nominate someone who’s also in good standing.”

  “Good standing?” The party was turning out to be fun after all. The wine had hit her and was just enough to give everything a pleasant haze. Graham was good at leading, and Cas could follow along without having to think very much. It was relaxing.

  “That’s where the rub is, actually. Crystal Springs has pretty exorbitant fees for being on the good standing list, so really, only wealthy folks or someone backed by a rich person can really run for siren.”

  “Desi’s running.” She gestured to the button on her dress.

  Graham nodded. “He has the money to be in good standing and plenty of rich friends to nominate him. He could win, too. He’s got the backing of a lot of people—well, women mostly.” He chuckled.

  “He did manage to let me know that women love him.” Cas laughed too.

  “There’s no accounting for taste,” Graham said.

  “What about you? Did you ever think of running for siren? It seems to me like you have good roots in this community too.” She paused and grinned. “And I have no doubt that Crystal Springs’ female community would rush to the poll to give you their votes.”

  A cloud passed over his face, and Graham shook his head. “Shifters can’t run for siren. Only witches can be representatives on the council.”

  “Oh? But they must make some decisions that impact shifters, right?”

  He nodded, his eyes darting around instead of meeting hers. “They do.”

  “It seems like shifters should have representation on the council, then.”
>
  Graham gave her a probing look but didn’t answer. Instead, he stopped dancing and grabbed her hand. “Hey, do you want to get something to eat? I’m starved.”

  There was something off about Graham’s reaction. It seemed clear he didn’t want to talk about his shifter roots or shifters’ involvement in the High Council. “Sure, I could eat.” She filed the information away, thinking maybe she could approach the topic another time and perhaps get more out of him.

  They headed back toward the bar. As they approached, shouting started, followed by the sound of crashing glass. The crowd thickened, and they had to squeeze between people. The cause quickly became obvious. Ray Feldspar and Sheriff Lloyd had squared off, fists raised.

  The sheriff’s face was the color of beets, and Cas wondered how many drinks he’d had. Ray’s shirt was mussed, as if they’d had already engaged in a shoving match. He stood with his back to the bar. Cas caught sight of Lumen pushing her way through the crowd toward her brother.

  Instead of throwing a punch, Lloyd launched himself at Ray, who crashed into a nearby table, sending several drinks flying. Lumen reached him just in time to get showered with a rain of alcohol and water.

  Graham rushed forward, getting between the men and putting one hand palm-up toward each of them. “Come on, guys. Let’s not do this.”

  Sheriff Lloyd’s face twisted into a snarl. “Get your buddy out of my sight, then, Noble. We don’t need people with his ideas carrying on right now.”

  Turning toward Ray, Graham took one of his arms. “Come on. Let’s go get some air.”

  Ray nodded, his eyes on Lloyd. “Yeah. Air. Good idea.”

  “That is a good idea,” Lumen agreed.

  Ray glanced at Lumen, seeming to realize for the first time his sister was there. “Sorry,” he said, reaching out toward her. “You okay? Did I bump into you?”

  She shook her head and wiped at her dress. “No, I just got drink splashed all over me.”

  Ray winced. “Sorry.”

  She looked down at herself. Her purse seemed to have gotten the worst of it—liquid was dripping from it. “It’s fine. Let’s just get out of here.”

  Graham’s eyes scanned the crowd. Cas stepped forward to his side. “Why don’t you go with your friend for a few minutes,” she said. “Make sure he’s okay.” She gestured toward a meat-carving station set up just past the bar. “How about we meet back there in fifteen minutes? I have to go to the ladies’ room anyway.”

  A grateful look covered his features. Graham squeezed her hand. “Thanks. See you in a few.”

  Graham, Ray, and Lumen moved off toward the front door of the lodge. They scooted around Sheriff Lloyd’s tall frame because he refused to budge.

  Cas watched them leave the lodge before turning away from the bar. Where was the ladies’ room? She glanced around. There had to be one on the main level, but as her eyes fell on the spiral staircase, she had a sudden urge to get away from the rest of the crowd for a few minutes. Maybe she’d find a bathroom upstairs. She began making her way toward the stairs, anticipating running her hands over the gorgeous carved wood railing.

  “Cas! How are you?”

  Turning around to see who’d called, Cas’ eyes scanned the crowd until a woman with sparkling bracelets up both arms stepped up. “Siren Shiloh,” she said. “I’m fine. How are you?”

  “Oh, fine, fine. I mean other than being seriously busy with tons of council work. Between the Founder’s Day shenanigans we’re still adjudicating, the Archsiren conclave we have to prepare for, and the siren election, the four of us left on the council really don’t know which way is up right now.” She chuckled and leaned in, speaking in a stage whisper. “Albert sleeps through most of it, so it’s really three of us doing most of the work.”

  Cas laughed. She’d seen the oldest siren snore and dream his way through meetings before, so she knew Siren Shiloh Newberry wasn’t exaggerating.

  “Well, it was nice seeing you. I’m on my way out. Only stopped in to make an appearance, you know.” Shiloh leaned in again. “I drew the short straw and had to come and represent the council.”

  “Bye-bye,” Cas said with a little wave, starting to turn back toward the staircase, but Shiloh’s cheerful voice stopped her.

  “Oh, I forgot. Come by the Courthouse tomorrow. We might have a mentor for you.”

  That was good news. No more unpredictable magical eruptions and no more succubus sucking energy out of her sounded wonderful. “I will. Thanks.”

  Shiloh nodded and waved as she walked away, her bracelets tinkling together.

  By the time she got upstairs and found a bathroom, Cas didn’t have a moment to spare. That wine had gone through her fast. It was a lovely bathroom, done in rustic décor, and she took her time enjoying the ambience.

  When she was done, she went into the hallway and glanced at her watch. There were a few minutes before she needed to meet Graham by the carving station. So, she decided to explore the second floor a bit. The level was deserted, and Cas wasn’t quite ready to throw herself back into the throng of people downstairs.

  Cas found a small library, sans books, complete with one of those rolling ladders that allowed you to get to the books near the ceiling. There were multiple suites where guests stayed when the lodge was a working ski hill. There was still some dust in the rooms on the second floor—Desi must not have focused on cleaning them for the party as much as he had the main level. Still, based on the few Cas peeked into, they were all beautiful, each decorated on various color and decoration themes.

  After she’d checked out a cul-de-sac room containing a small pool and hot tub, Cas decided she’d better head downstairs. Looking around, she saw a hallway that seemed to lead back to the spiral staircase. As she hurried along, she slipped and struggled to stay on her feet. She looked down to see a puddle. Her ballet shoes weren’t meant for stability on a wet floor.

  Cas took two more steps before she paused and spun back around. Why was there water on the floor? Her eyes traveled up to the ceiling. But she didn’t see a leak, and there wasn’t any discoloration of the white ceiling tiles. The place had been in disrepair, so it made sense some pipes would’ve gone to rot.

  She examined the puddle again. It was getting bigger. It was then she spotted the culprit. Tiny rivulets of water streamed from underneath a nearby closed door.

  Maybe a toilet was overflowing or something. Desi should be made aware of the problem before too much damage was done. She opened the door to reveal a storeroom. The musty smell of a room long shut off and ignored hit her nose. Metal shelves lined the walls. Cas took a small step but was forced to stop. She gasped, the sound reverberating off the near empty walls.

  A body blocked further entrance. It was sprawled, arms akimbo, several feet away from the door.

  Desi Dewman wasn’t going to care about any water damage. He was too dead for such concerns.

  Chapter 6

  Cas sat with Graham, waiting for Sheriff Lloyd and a few other officers to finish examining Desi Dewman. The Fall Fling crowd dwindled until only a handful of people remained. She hadn’t seen Echo all night and wondered if he knew about the death.

  Auburn Moss paced, wringing her hands and wiping her eyes, her straight perfect bangs now a damp, rat-nest-like mess.

  Across the room, Cas caught sight of a man moving between tables. But wait, did he have on flannel? Cas squinted as she peered across the room. Yeah, it was the flannel-shirt drunk from Mudtown. He was wobbling around, not in perfect control of his own legs, and finishing off half-empty drinks party-goers had abandoned. She shuddered at the thought of being so desperate for alcohol that consuming someone else’s dregs became acceptable. At least he’d found some shoes to put on.

  Auburn approached their table, another sob wrenching her body. “I can’t believe it,” she cried. “He’s really gone? What will I do without the man I love?”

  Cas raised her eyebrows and exchanged a glance with Graham. Auburn had been in love with Desi?
She wondered if his lead real estate agent was the woman Desi had his rendezvous with.

  “I’m sorry for your loss,” Cas said, but Auburn didn’t seem to hear. She turned and wandered off, wails erupting from her every few feet.

  Loud footfalls on the staircase caused Cas and Graham to turn in their chairs. Sheriff Lloyd pounded down the steps and made a beeline for them. The man’s face was a twisted scowl.

  Graham stood. “What do you think?”

  “Looks like foul play. He drowned.”

  Auburn, who had come closer to hear what Lloyd had to say, sobbed at the words.

  Cas drew her brows together. “How? I didn’t see anything in that room, and he was just lying on the floor.”

  Lloyd glanced at her but then directed his answer to Graham. “Drowned in a dry room. Obviously, the work of a water witch.” He said the last two words as though they tasted horrible. “Only thing that makes sense.”

  Cas knew the man wasn’t a great fan of witches for some reason, but it didn’t keep her from feeling furious at being dismissed like she hadn’t even spoken. Though Auburn was fussing, he’d heard her ask the question and chosen to answer as though Graham had.

  Eyes on the sheriff, she said, “I guess it makes sense. I stepped in a puddle in the hallway and saw the water trickling out of the room under the door. That’s what drew me to go in and check. I thought maybe a toilet was overflowing or something, and I wanted to tell someone about it so they could fix it.”

  Lloyd looked at her again. His milky right eye stared, unseeing, over her left shoulder while his left one fixed her in its glare. “And why did you just happen to be up there right then? The room Dewman was in is pretty out of the way. The party was down here, not up there. What’s your element, witch?”

  Auburn gasped and a hand flew to her mouth. She was finally silent as she waited, eyes huge, for the answer.

  Cas didn’t like the implication. No longer willing to be towered over by the disagreeable man, she rose from the chair. She resisted the urge to cross her arms. Coming off as defensive wouldn’t be a good idea. She forced one hand to rest on the table and put the other on her hip. “I don’t know, beyond being pretty sure it isn’t earth. It could be water. And I was up there because I really like this place.” She glanced around the lodge. “I was taking a break from the party and decided to look around. All the rooms are different, so I was checking them out.”