by Deanna Chase
“But I don’t have magic,” Bo said, fingering the dagger.
“Not yet. I imagine he was betting on you growing into your skills.”
Bo nodded. “Probably.”
And even if Bo never was able to use magic, that likely wouldn’t have mattered much to Emerson. He’d already been grooming the kid to be an indentured servant. Either way, he couldn’t lose. Until Avrilla and Sterling sent me to help. A small amount of pride welled in my chest at the thought I was the reason Bo was finally safe.
Bo turned to meet his mother’s bittersweet gaze. “Mom?”
“Yes?” She ran her hand over his head the way only mothers could.
“Why have you not visited me? I know Mia was trapped here. But couldn’t you have warned me or something? I mean, I know you’re, uh… dead, but if you’re here now…”
Her smile turned sad. “I was trapped in my shop. A controlling spell by Emerson, the same one that forced Mia to stay here. But then today, when Julius used the spell I gave him for protection, it brought me here… to you.”
My heart was going to crack in two. Her love was so fierce, so unending. She’d have done anything for her children and had. I held my hand out to Julius. He stepped up and slipped his fingers over mine, squeezing gently.
“Pyper?” Mia said.
I turned to give her my attention. She was still floating, almost completely transparent, and about to fade out for however long it took her to recharge. “Yes?”
“Will you give Bo a message for me?”
I started to nod, then stopped and waved toward him. “He’s right there.”
“I know. But he can’t hear me. My energy is too depleted.”
I studied everyone’s confused expressions and realized it was only me who could hear her. “I see. In that case, I can do one better than that. But there are ground rules.”
“For a message?” she asked.
“No. For how you’re going to deliver it.” I winked at Julius as he stifled a sigh. I knew what he was going to say: that just because I could do something didn’t mean I had to. But in this case, I did. Bo was my brother, and if I could give him this gift, the risks were worth it. “Okay, here’s the thing. I’ve recently learned that I can ‘host’ spirits in my body for short periods of time if I invite them.”
“What does that mean?” she asked.
“Exactly what it sounds like. I’m offering my body as a vessel for you to speak directly to Bo. If you want.”
Her eyes lit up, and she bobbed up and down as if she were jumping with excitement.
I grinned. “The rules are you can’t take up residence in my body. And when and if I ask you to leave, you leave. Got it?”
“Yes. Absolutely.”
“Good. Ready?”
“What do I need to do?” she asked.
“Not much. Just think about how much you want to talk to Bo. And when I say now, walk straight into my body.”
I turned to face my brother.
His eyes were huge. “You’re talking to her right now?”
“Yes. And in a second, you will be too.”
Avrilla tightened her hold on him, clutching almost desperately. I knew that that her time with us was limited too. At least the three of them would have this moment.
I took a deep, cleansing breath and closed my eyes. When I opened them, I said, “Now, Mia.”
She floated toward me, barely a whisper of an image. A stinging chill ran up my spine when we joined but was quickly replaced by a warmth I recognized as joy.
“Mom? Bo?” she said softly and moved toward them.
I retreated to that place in my mind where I sat on my metaphorical couch, looking down on them as they hugged and cried and held on to each other. Promises were made to visit Bo and to keep an eye out for him. And they all laughed when he stared at them in horror and asked, “You aren’t going to be watching all the time are you?”
Avrilla nodded and laughed. “All the time. Remember that and behave accordingly.”
“Gross, Mother,” Mia added and turned to Bo. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure she gives you your privacy. Just as long as you aren’t a douche.”
Shortly after, they all fell silent. Then Bo asked, “What am I going to do now?”
“Pyper will watch over you,” Avrilla said. “Listen to her. She has a good heart.”
At the mention of my name, that warmth spread over me again. Mia’s voice sounded in my head, On the first day of the season, Bo will find his strength, his courage, and his inner light. Be there to guide him.
“Wha…?” I started to ask, but stopped when I realized Mia had vanished right after she’d shared her vision with me. She’d seen Bo come into his own, and she’d asked that I help him.
Which meant Bo had magic. I wanted to share his sister’s words with him, but his pained expression stopped me. He wasn’t ready. Not now, and maybe not even until his powers manifested.
In the next minute I was sitting on the floor next to Bo, his mother and sister gone. “They’ll be back,” I said.
“You think so?” His voice cracked and his shoulders hunched as he stared at the floor.
“I know so.”
26
“How did you know Mia was here?” I asked Bo as we descended the steps to where Jade and Miss Kitty were waiting for us.
He stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Emerson has been renting this place from Otis for as long as I can remember. Twice a week for the past two years, part of my job was to make deliveries. Emerson told me they were fishing & hunting supplies for the club members, but I knew better. No one goes through that much ammo and bait. It had to be supplies for Mia to manufacture his drugs.”
Of course Emerson would put someone on the task who was an insider. And who better than a kid who ran gator tours? “Kind of risky since Mia was here.”
“I suppose he figured it didn’t matter if I did find out. But as it was, I only saw her twice, both times brief, and she disappeared right after. I chalked it up to hallucinating. But when you said she was alive…” He swallowed. “The memories came back to me while I was trying to get to sleep, and I just couldn’t wait. I’m sorry I caused so much trouble.”
I wrapped my arm around his shoulders and pulled him in. “You didn’t. There was going to be trouble no matter what went down.”
He nodded and fell silent as we reached Miss Kitty and Jade. They were both a little worse for the wear. Miss Kitty’s gold boots were caked with mud, and her gold belt was missing completely. Jade’s hair resembled a bird’s nest, sticking out in all directions. She had soot clinging to her skin, and her jeans had burn holes.
“I’d hate to see what the other guys look like,” I said, eyeing them.
Miss Kitty started laughing. “You’d enjoy the one walking like a duck. That chafing voodoo doll really did a number on him. I’d say it’s going to be a while before he can squeeze back into his leather riding pants.”
My eyebrows shot up. “You used the voodoo dolls on them?”
“Absolutely. A girl has to use the tools allotted to her. That vile one who shoved me in the mud and ruined my boots? Not even a doctor is going to be able to help him with his bacne.”
Jade nodded. “It was something out of a horror movie. I think I’d rather have been cursed with the crotch rot one.”
Miss Kitty snorted. “Oh no, dear. The jackhole who was blessed with that one actually threw himself in the bayou. Last I saw him he was trying to outswim a water moccasin.”
I shuddered.
She shrugged. “Life is hard in the bayou. Harder when you cross Miss Kitty.”
Jade laughed and I giggled.
She beamed at us, obviously pleased with herself.
“Where’s Kane?” I asked her.
“Making sure the rest of the bikers are detained. Julius?”
“Talking to the council. They’re sending a squad before local authorities get involved. It’s a pretty big embarrassment for them, letting such a
huge operation go undetected for so long.”
Jade’s lips thinned into a flat line. “They should be embarrassed. Let’s just hope they listen to Julius the next time he warns them of a problem.”
“And that they fix their security issues.” There was no excuse for Emerson’s escape. The council’s supernatural holding cells were supposed to be the equivalent of the highest-level maximum-security prisons.
She glanced at me, suspicion in her expression. “I hate to say it, but it sounds like an inside job.”
“Oh jeez. Don’t say that. All I want to do is go home and enjoy the Quarter for a while.”
She smiled. “And help your brother decorate his new room.”
“Decorate?” Bo grimaced. “Just a mattress is fine.”
I shook my head. “I think we can do better than that. You’ll need a new rug, curtains, a comforter, and a desk to start.”
He groaned. “It’s been less than twenty-four hours since she found out we’re siblings, and she’s already telling me what to do.”
I smiled up at him, my brilliant blue eyes mirrored in his. “I have some catching up to do.”
“I don’t need any more crap for the bed,” Bo complained from where he sat at his desk in what used to be my spare bedroom.
I shoved a pillow into the sham and tossed it against the headboard. “Of course you do. What if you’re sitting on the bed doing your homework? You’re going to want something to lean on.”
“I’ll sit here at the desk,” he muttered and went back to typing on his computer.
“Right.” I rolled my eyes and went to work on the second sham. “How’s school?”
“Fine.”
“And Madison?”
He spun around in the chair and narrowed his eyes at me. “How did you know about her?”
I gave him a sly smile. “I’m your sister. I know everything.”
“You think you do anyway.”
“You’ll see.” I smoothed the navy-and-brown comforter and was just about to fluff the throw pillows when a buzzer went off, indicating we had a visitor. Stella instantly went into attack mode, barking her head off in the other room.
“Saved, finally.” Bo moaned, but the smile tugging at his lips gave him away.
“You love me,” I said and strode out.
“Hale and Moxie are here,” Julius said, still standing near the intercom. “They’re on the way up.”
“Really? I thought they weren’t coming into town until the weekend.” I glanced around at my living room. The mocha couches looked nice, but Julius and Bo had left their breakfast plates, two glasses, and a mug on the coffee table along with a stack of comic books. And Bo’s grungy tennis shoes and smelly socks were strewn on the floor. I groaned. “My place used to be so tidy before I let you boys move in.”
“But you also had a leaky faucet, a squeaky bathroom door, and two windows that wouldn’t open. All fixed thanks to yours truly,” he said, his chest puffed up in male pride.
“All things I could’ve either had Kane fix or hired a handyman for half a day’s wages.”
“True, but then you wouldn’t have anyone to share your obsession with American Horror Story, give you shoulder rubs, or cook you dinner,” he added.
All things neither Kane or Jade were interested in doing. He had a point. It turned out Bo and I had the same taste in television shows. We’d already binge-watched the first two seasons of American Horror Story and had a date to start the next one this upcoming weekend. And Julius, goddess love him, he’d decided to take cooking lessons and had been delighting us both with fancy dinners ranging from duck tacos to crawfish potpies. And the shoulder rubs, well, that usually started behind closed doors after Bo had shut himself in his bedroom for the night. “Okay, you might have a point.”
I quickly gathered up the dirty dishes while Julius tossed Bo’s shoes and socks in his room. And by the time we both made it back into the living room, Moxie and Hale were already knocking on the door.
I pulled the door open and smiled at the pair we hadn’t seen since they’d driven off for parts unknown. They were both relaxed and smiling, Moxie in a sundress and Hale in jeans and a T-shirt.
Holding the door open, I waved them in. “Hey! This is a surprise.”
“Sorry to drop in on you like this, but it’s sort of urgent,” Moxie said, leaning in to give me a hug.
Foreboding settled over me. “What happened?”
“Oh!” Moxie shook her head and waved her arms. “Nothing life and death. Nobody’s been kidnapped or anything.”
“That’s good,” Bo said, leaning in the doorway of his bedroom.
“Bo!” Moxie crossed the room, her arms out. “I’m so glad to see you. Is Pyper taking good care of you? How’s school? Any girlfriends yet?”
“Moxie,” Hale said. “Leave the kid alone. He’s fine.” Hale offered me his hand, and when I took it, he added, “It’s nice to see you again, Pyper.” He glanced over my shoulder at Julius. “You too, man.”
Julius waved and uttered a greeting.
Bo shook his head in exasperation at Moxie, then hugged her. “I’m fine. Pyper’s a pain in the butt though. Julius does his best to keep her in line, but even he can’t stop her when she gets a bug up her—”
I cleared my throat. “I didn’t see you complaining when I managed to get your schedule changed so that you could take that music class you wanted.”
He clamped his mouth shut but couldn’t stop his amused smiled. “True. Sometimes you’re useful.”
“Gee, thanks.” I cast him an annoyed look, but when I turned back to Moxie, I was grinning. Sparring with my brother had turned into one of my favorite pastimes.
“Looks like y’all are settling in,” she said on a laugh as she bent to scoop Stella up. The shih tzu wagged her tail and went on an excessive licking spree, covering Moxie’s face in kisses.
“We’re doing okay,” I said. “Now, what can we help you with?”
“Right.” Moxie put Stella down on the floor.
The little dog immediately made a beeline for Bo. While she had an affinity for both me and Ida May—Stella loved playing with the ghost when she made surprise appearances—apparently the dog had decided Bo was her person. And as far as I was concerned, that was perfect. Both of them needed a lot of love and healing.
“Hale?” Moxie held her hand out.
The tall man rummaged around in a paper bag he was carrying and produced a plastic bag with a familiar-looking doll in it. He handed it to me and said, “I’ve been told you might know how to deactivate these.”
I grabbed the bag, inspected it, and let out a gasp of surprise. The tag read: Impotent Gentleman of Verona. “Where did you find this?”
“Buried between the sheets in our bed. At first we thought someone cursed us intentionally, but then we found the cat playing with two more. He was in the process of ripping the packaging open on one that causes premature hair loss.” She patted her hair and shuddered at the thought. “We were able to dispose of it before anyone was cursed. But this one… Ah, we’re pretty sure it’s why Hale can’t—”
“Oh man. This is not what I need to hear.” Bo disappeared back into his bedroom and slammed the door.
I stifled a laugh and tried to keep a straight face as I asked, “You think you’ve been hit with an ED curse?”
“Yes,” Moxie said, letting out an exaggerated sigh. “When Miss Kitty explained everything that went down with Emerson, she mentioned the voodoo dolls and her role in helping take down the motorcycle gang. So I knew you’d picked some up at the Swamp Witch. I just had no idea we’d find one in our bed.”
“Oh my,” I said, covering my mouth in embarrassed horror. “You don’t think we had anything to do with cursing you, do you? We would never… I mean, those were a joke purchase for Jade.”
“Gosh, no. Not at all. That cat of mine is mischievous to the core. If anyone is guilty, it’s him. We just need to figure out how to lift the curse. I mean, it’s bee
n weeks now since, um… Well, let’s just say we’ve been doing a lot of experimenting once I figured out Hale wasn’t having an affair on me.” She laughed uncomfortably but soldiered on. “That’s why we’d been fighting you know. I mean, Hale is a machine. Never had any issue with his—”
“Moxie,” Hale said, a slight edge in his tone. “Maybe they don’t need all the details?”
“Right. Anyway. Can you help us?”
I couldn’t stop myself. I chuckled. “Sure. I have just the thing. Follow me.”
“Hale too?” she asked.
I shook my head. “No, all we need is the doll.”
Moxie followed me into my bedroom where I retrieved my dagger and a shallow cardboard box I’d left in a pile from my recent online shopping spree. Her eyes went wide as I placed the doll, bag and all, inside the box and then pressed the tip of my dagger to the doll’s would-be heart.
“Ready?” I asked.
“Is this going to hurt Hale?” she leaned in and whispered, “Or any of his parts? I could probably live without, well, you know, but—”
“He’ll be fine. Better than fine. He won’t feel a thing. Trust me.”
She nodded but glanced over her shoulder toward the door.
“Here goes nothing,” I said, and sliced the head off the voodoo doll. His actual head, not his other one.
Nothing seemed to happen at first, but then Hale called from the other room, “Moxie!”
“Oh my gosh. He’s hurt.” She hurried back into the living room, her movements jerky and slightly panicked. “Are you okay?” Before he managed to say anything, she placed her hand right on his crotch and said, “Did the spell— Oh!”
He grinned down at her. “We’re back in business, baby.”
She squealed while he grabbed her by the wrist and tugged her toward the door.
“Tell Bo we said good-bye,” she said, waving as they disappeared into the hallway.
Julius stared after them for a moment, then burst out laughing. I put my arm through his, and with both of us chuckling, I led him to our bedroom for a little business of our own.
