Southern Spells

by Amy Boyles

  It was definitely worth asking Betty about. She had found Lane on the dating site, but where was he actually from? And was he affected by the curse? If he was, Axel and I had found him snooping near where Melbalean’s body was discovered. Was he returning to the crime scene for some reason? Or was it simply coincidence?

  So many questions.

  I left Mayor Potion’s house and walked home. I didn’t bump into Axel on a morning run, which almost made me a little sad. It was fine. I had lots of work to do. Besides, he said he’d be around because today was Melbalean’s funeral and that meant one thing—Rufus would be in town.

  My stomach pretzeled at the thought of that rock-star-looking guy slinking around town.

  I got home, patted Jennie the guard-vine and entered the house. Betty was sitting beside the fire, looking tired.

  “Are you okay?” I said.

  She smacked her lips. “Fine. Just a little tired today. I think those coppers put something in my water. Juiced me somehow.”

  I quirked a brow at how ridiculous I thought that was, but whatever. “You sure you don’t need to see a doctor?”

  She shook her head. “I know every potion there is, I don’t need to see a witch doctor.”

  “I meant a real one. You know, not a witch.”

  Betty dismissed me with a wave of her hand. “Bah. No.”

  I sank into a chair opposite her. “Did you know that the Longmires don’t live past thirty?”

  Betty laid her beady eyes on me. “Don’t tell your cousin.”

  I stifled a laugh. Clearly, she knew. “So Lane is related to other Longmires from around here?”

  “A cousin.” Betty’s eyes sparked. “So he was pretty bald, huh?”

  I nodded. “The bald spell worked, if that’s what you’re asking.”

  “Good. Now they can be twins.”

  I shook my head. “My guess is they’ll be avoiding each other like the plague in heat.”

  Betty stared at me. “Are you suggesting the plague is sexually active?”

  I cringed. “It wasn’t a very good comparison, was it?”

  She pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders. “Next time, I’d stick to white on rice or white on grits—makes more sense.”

  I went upstairs to get ready for the day. By the time I’d showered, eaten breakfast and checked on Amelia, who was not coming out of her room, by the way, it was about time to head to work.

  I shot Betty a look before leaving. “If you’re not any better when I get home, we’re going to find you a doctor—a normal one.”

  Betty frowned at me, but said nothing.

  I left the house and made it to Familiar Place in about five minutes. I saw my cousin Carmen, who owned the sweet shop and gave her a wave.

  “I’ve created new jelly bean flavors,” she called to me.

  My stomach rumbled from the thought. “I’ll check them out later.”

  Carmen smiled. “You’re going to love these—Lingering Lemon, Powerful Peach and Lasting Licorice.”

  “Oh, okay. I might skip the Lasting Licorice.”

  She laughed. “Stop on by.”

  I gave one last wave and headed inside the store. The animals slowly came to life. The kittens stretched and the puppies in the window yawned. The birds fluttered their wings and the lizards blinked.

  Yep. I even sold familiar lizards. I had yet to see a witch buy one, but it was bound to happen. Why else would Uncle Donovan have stocked them?

  I fed them and cleaned and refreshed all the water bowls. I glanced at the floor and noticed that the feedbag the chicken had come with sat in a corner. It looked like regular old seed, so I threw some into the bird dishes for the African grey and the other exotic birds I carried.

  I cleaned the counters and the windows and feeling a wave of satisfaction at the lemon scented, gleaming store, I brushed my hands and smiled, awaiting my first customer.

  Something black flashed outside the windows. I stopped and stared, trying to get a better look.

  I wasn’t able to see what it was until the door opened and the bell above tinkled the arrival of a new customer.

  He stood in the doorway, clad in black leather from head to foot. My heart thundered in my mouth as my gaze dragged from his thick ebony boots to his black jacket, fingers drenched in silver rings, long dark hair that was teased up and eyes rimmed in black liner.

  Rufus.

  He took a step forward. “I’ve been looking for you, Pepper Dunn.”

  FOURTEEN

  I knew this had been coming. Felt it in my marrow. Felt it all the way to the tiny cells in the pits of my lungs. I knew Rufus would be walking into my life.

  And as much as it scared me, the rockstar wannabe made me angry.

  Like he wanted me to be afraid. Wanted me to fear him.

  And y’all know what? That crap ain’t cool.

  I crossed my arms and tamped down the fear threatening to scramble up my throat. “You’ve been looking for me? That’s funny, ‘cause I haven’t been looking for you.”

  A slow smiled curved on his lips. “Last time we met, I said I needed you to come with me. That hasn’t changed.” His voice was thick, rich like butter. Like he used it to seduce people and then play vampire on them.

  Which was stupid because he wasn’t a vampire.

  Dude had some issues.

  “I’m not going anywhere with you,” I said smartly.

  He moved like a blur and in less than a second, he stood in front of me. All I could see were those dark eyes of his.

  I didn’t have time to be afraid or time to react. His hand shot out and wrapped around my arm.

  Now I had time to feel the fear.

  It sizzled up my spine as his dark eyes held mine. I gulped but the air stuck. It wouldn’t enter my lungs and it wouldn’t leave.

  “You will be mine,” he said.

  My brain hiccupped. It wouldn’t move forward or backward. It was like I was frozen in time and place, suspended on an invisible string. Rufus was the puppeteer and I was the marionette, dancing for his amusement.

  Boy, that really burned my biscuits.

  I tried to move, but couldn’t. All I could do was stare into the dark eyes and watch as Rufus smiled. A shiver pierced my heart.

  He tugged me forward. I couldn’t stop him.

  Suddenly the birds perched behind me squawked and cawed. The air kicked up as half a dozen wings surrounded us.

  Rufus lurched as the African grey clipped at his eyes. Rufus drew away, but the bird raked its talons over his face. He screamed. The rest of the birds descended, snapping at his arms, his shoulders. One little parakeet even fluttered around his legs.

  Rufus batted and clawed the air, trying to get them off him.

  “Witch,” he screamed. “Get your attack birds off me!”

  But I hadn’t done anything. I stepped away, letting them have at him. Y’all, you and I know that Rufus’s intentions weren’t anything golden and warm—they were dark and evil.

  Feathers filled the air. Rufus continued yelling as he darted toward the exit. His fingers scraped the door handle until he grabbed hold and threw it open.

  The birds blew back as if hit by a wind. Rufus darted from the building and the creatures shrank away. Rufus disappeared down the street. The parakeets, macaws and African greys squawked and chattered, turning around to look at me.

  I could feel their energy. It was like something had taken hold of them and they wanted blood. If they couldn’t have Rufus’s, then they wanted someone else’s.

  I backed up and flared out my arms. “Hold it right there. Y’all better think twice about even coming one step toward me with those sharp little talons of yours. Y’all even think about harming me and I’ll starve you. And I’m not trying to be cruel to animals, but it’s called self-preservation. I think Darwin wrote about it.”

  Heck, I had no idea who wrote about it, and I’m pretty darned sure it wasn’t Darwin, but it sounded official.

  They
continued flapping, but the earlier frenzy vanished. They drifted back slowly, going to perch on their rests.

  “What happened to y’all?” I said once they’d settled.

  The African grey’s feathers rose on its neck. “He was a vile, evil man. We had to stop him.”

  “But y’all’ve never acted that way before.”

  “You’ve never been attacked before,” one of the puppies said.

  “I’ll claw his eyes out,” a kitten said. “Get him back here.”

  “Okay, hold on there, Rover,” I said.

  The kitten clawed the wire cage. “I’m a cat, thank you very much. Not a dog. Do not call me by one of their names.”

  “Sorry.”

  I sank onto a stool. My hands trembled. I flexed my fingers, trying to stop the shaking. I was a bundle of nerves. Raw energy ripped through me. That had been close.

  Too close.

  And what the heck? Wasn’t someone supposed to be watching Rufus?

  The door banged open. Axel strode in, eyes blazing, shoulder muscles tight as if he’d been working out.

  His gaze dragged from the mess of feathers to me, and I apparently looked crumpled and worn, because in one, two, three long strides Axel was beside me, pulling me from the stool, wrapping his arms around me and pressing his lips to mine.

  Wait. What the heck?

  I wiggled from his grasp. “Just what the heck do you think you’re doing?”

  His blue eyes flashed confusion. “What do you mean? I’m kissing you. I was worried sick.”

  I fisted a hand on my hip. “Now you’re kissing me? We spend a whole night holding hands at a fair and you tell me you’re complicated, but you’re kissing me now?”

  He rubbed his neck. Dots of red bloomed on his cheeks. “One of the detectives radioed in that Rufus had been seen here.”

  Then it hit me. He was worried.

  Worried.

  About me.

  I threw my arms around his neck and pressed my lips to his. Who the heck cared about all the rest? Axel was worried about me.

  I guess I already knew that. I mean, it wasn’t exactly news to me, or anything. He’d said he’d look in on me. But the fact was, he was worried enough that it broke a barrier between us. Worried enough that he kissed me.

  And boy, was it hot.

  Yep. Hot right in the middle of a pet shop.

  Weird, right?

  We broke after a few seconds. I gulped some air and pressed away from his chest. “Wow. I didn’t know you felt that way.”

  He raked his fingers through his thick, wavy locks. “I guess when I heard about Rufus, it got the better of me.”

  I nodded. “I guess so.” I tossed him a bright smile full of teeth. “I can handle it.”

  Axel ran a finger along my jaw. “Good. Cause there’s a lot to handle.”

  I frowned. “When did this conversation suddenly go from G to R-rated?”

  He chuckled. “You’re misunderstanding what I’m saying,” he said in his light, Southern drawl. “That’s not where my mind went.”

  I shook my head. “Oh, me neither. My mind did not go anywhere bad. Not at all. We’re totally in this PG-13 movie together.”

  “Okay,” he said.

  Feeling like a geek for going over the deep end of the conversation, I decided to reel it in. “So that was Rufus. The birds stopped him. I don’t know what got into them, but they suddenly attacked. They saved me.”

  Axel’s jaw tightened. “It’s worse than I thought. I didn’t think he’d try anything during the daylight, but obviously, I was wrong. Listen, I think you should close up shop early if you can.” He glanced at his watch. “The funeral’s about to start any minute, and that along with the graveside service will probably last two hours. But after that, Rufus’ll be on the loose again.”

  I scoffed. “I can’t close at noon. The festival is still going on. There are folks in town who want a familiar. That’s business I’d be giving up. I can’t do it.”

  Axel sighed. “Okay. I’ve some things to do and I’ll return and spend the afternoon, but then I want you under Betty’s protection for the rest of the night. No way would Rufus try something on her turf.”

  I nodded dumbly as he brushed his lips across my forehead. Heat blazed across my skin where his mouth touched me. He left and I found myself surrounded by a floor full of feathers.

  I turned to the birds. “Well, looks like I’ve got some cleaning up to do.”

  Axel did return as he said. As the sun slinked toward late afternoon, he started pacing.

  “It’s going to be okay,” I said. “I’ll be fine. Rufus won’t get me.”

  He crossed his arms and gave me a smile that made a shiver rip down my spine—in a good way. “I know. I just want to get you home.”

  I glanced at the wall clock and said, “It’s ten minutes to closing. I think we can go.”

  I locked up the animals after bidding them goodbye and we started toward Betty’s. We reached the house a few minutes later.

  “Do you want to come in? I’m sure she’s prepared an amazing dinner. Sometimes on Mondays she makes chicken and dumplings. It’s pretty awesome.”

  He brushed a strand of hair from my cheek. “Wish I could, but I’ve got things to do. Be safe.”

  He gave me a quick peck on the lips and disappeared down the street. I barely had a chance to wave goodbye before he was out of sight.

  I marched inside and found Betty moving around slowly but surely. She did have dinner ready and it was chicken and dumplings. Axel didn’t know what he was missing out on.

  “You’ve been kissing,” Betty grumbled. “If I felt better, I’d take a switch to your bottom, but seeing as you’re an adult and I don’t feel that great, I’ll leave it.”

  I dropped my purse. “I thought I said if you didn’t feel better I was taking you to a doctor.”

  She waved the air dismissively. “Doctor, schmoctor. If I don’t feel better in the morning we’ll see one, but my guess is I should be fine by then.”

  Cordelia and Amelia appeared. Amelia’s hair was still short.

  “I’ve tried everything,” she said, pouring a glass of tea. “I can’t seem to get anything to stick. How am I supposed to see Lane like this?”

  Cordelia’s mouth curved into a sly smile. “You could always admit what happened.”

  Amelia’s jaw dropped. “Admit I had hair extensions? No way. Lane is the first guy I’ve liked in forever. I’m not going to risk my happiness over a bit of hair.”

  Betty and I exchanged a glance. Someone kicked me under the table. I’m guessing it was Betty. “What?” I whispered.

  “Tell her,” Betty said.

  I rolled my eyes. “Do I have to?”

  “Tell me what?” Amelia said, eyes wide with panic.

  I pushed the food around on my plate. “Lane’s lost his hair.”

  “No,” Amelia screamed.

  “I’m afraid it’s true. I saw him last night.”

  Amelia pointed at Betty. “You better fix him.”

  Betty shrugged. “I did fix him. Now you match.”

  She cackled like the Wicked Witch of the West.

  I clicked my tongue. “She does have a point. Lane might not care that you don’t have as much hair as he thought.”

  Amelia pushed back from the table. “No way. I’ve got to keep up my looks. At least until he leaves. I can’t lose all my hair.”

  Cordelia shook her glass until the ice clinked together. “Tell him you’ll grow it back.”

  Amelia sank her face into her hands. “It’s horrible. There’s no way I can see him again.”

  Betty folded her napkin on the table. “By tomorrow morning, when hopefully I’m feeling better, we’ll try again, see if I can get it to grow. I’ll fix Lane’s hair too. Don’t worry. You won’t have to date a baldy.”

  “Thank you,” Amelia said. “I’ve got enough to worry about without having to add my appearance to it.”

  We all stared at
her. “What else do you have to worry about?” I said.

  “Oh, you know—am I mysterious enough to Lane? Do I laugh like an idiot? Is a booger hanging out of my nose?”

  “Just don’t eat it,” Cordelia quipped.

  “Very funny,” Amelia said.

  Betty braced her hands on the table. “Girls, I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this, I really was, but it doesn’t look like I have a choice.”

  Amelia dabbed her mouth with her napkin. “About what?”

  “About tonight,” Betty said.

  I jabbed a dumpling with my fork. “What about tonight?”

  “It’s the full moon,” Cordelia said.

  For some reason, nothing was sinking in. “What about it?”

  Betty’s eyes hardened. “Girls, I was hoping I’d feel better. I was hoping I’d be able to do it on my own, because as y’all know, this town would fall on its rear end without me, but I don’t see another way around it.”

  “Isn’t there someone else?” Amelia said.

  “Like who?” Cordelia shot back. “No one else knows she does it.”

  “We know,” Amelia said.

  Cordelia smirked. “And we don’t say a word because she told us she’d hang us upside down naked in front of town hall if we told anyone.”

  I flattened my palms on the table. “What are y’all talking about?”

  Betty folded her hands. “Tonight, Pepper, you have the most important job in all of Magnolia Cove.”

  I shrugged. “I thought I already did by owning the familiar shop.”

  “It’s not as important as this,” Betty said.

  “Yeah,” Cordelia said, “the only reason we know is because she told us, but no one else does because that could put her life in danger.”

  I glanced at Betty. “Put your life in danger? How?”

  Betty leaned forward. “Tonight, you have the most important job in all of Magnolia Cove.”

  “As you’ve said. So what is it?”

  Betty’s eyes sharpened as she said, “Tonight you guard the werewolf. Make sure he doesn’t get loose because if you do, you’ll put the entire town in jeopardy.”

  FIFTEEN

  I rose. “What? We’re supposed to guard the werewolf? No way. No how. That thing almost bit my head off last time I saw it. There is no way on all of God’s green earth and then some that I’m going to guard a werewolf.”