Hell of a Witch (Crypt Witch Cozy Mystery Series Book 2)

by K. E. O'Connor

  I stepped back, surprised by this revelation. Why would Tilly get involved with a non-magical? What had that kiss meant? It sounded like more than a friendly peck on the lips if James was being honest.

  I went to say goodbye to James, but he was already walking away. I needed to speak to Tilly and see what she was playing at.

  I called Wiggles over from his investigation of the stones, and we began our walk back to the center of the village.

  He cocked his head as he peered up at me. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost. Did one of the spooks from the stones get you?”

  “No, not a ghost, but I have had a shock.” I still couldn’t believe it. “We need to go to Bite Me.”

  “Is it lunchtime already?”

  I checked the time. It was a little early, but I could eat something. “We need to find out what Tilly was doing kissing Nick the night he died.”

  “Whoa, that is serious. What’s she doing locking lips with a non-magical?”

  I had no clue. “That’s what we’re going to find out.”

  Chapter 9

  I powered along the lane and through the door of Bite Me. The enticing smell of melted cheese and freshly baked bread hit me and made my stomach gurgle.

  The restaurant still had its colored bunting strung across the usually more formal framed photos of scenes from around Willow Tree Falls, and the tables each had a vase of fresh flowers on them.

  The tables were filling up with early lunchtime diners. I spotted Tilly behind the counter, bagging up takeout orders.

  “You wait outside,” I said to Wiggles.

  He settled by the door. “So long as you feed me, I’ll stand guard.”

  I grabbed a seat inside and gestured Tilly over to me.

  She waved in acknowledgement and made a show of wiping the back of her hand on her forehead.

  I could see it was busy, but she would have to make time. I was determined to find out what she was doing with Nick the night he died.

  After waiting for about ten minutes and reading through the tasty sounding dishes on the menu five times, Tilly dashed over. “Sorry for the wait. It’s crazy busy here, which I suppose I shouldn’t complain about. What will it be?”

  “Five minutes of your time,” I said.

  She laughed. “The chance would be a fine thing. I haven’t had a break all morning. Heidi hasn’t shown up. I guess she’s sleeping off the after-effects of last night. I don’t suppose you fancy waiting on tables for a while?”

  “I will if we can chat first.”

  Tilly shook her head. “I’d love to, but I’ve got tables waiting and orders in the kitchen coming through all the time.”

  “I can wait.”

  Her expression became curious. “This sounds serious. Grab something to eat. Hopefully, it will get quieter in a bit, and we can talk.”

  I placed an order for two club sandwiches and watched with growing irritation as Tilly dashed around. There was no chance I’d be able to speak to her if customers kept coming in.

  Frank stirred inside me, sensing my growing annoyance.

  “You stay where you are,” I muttered quietly to him. “I don’t need you coming out and bothering Tilly.” The last time Frank and Tilly had met, he’d destroyed her dessert counter and had me passing out in a tray of puddings.

  That was one thing I could rely on when it came to Tilly; she knew how to handle Frank and was great at helping me get control of him.

  His power curled around my spine in a sticky wave of evilness as he ignored my instructions to leave things alone.

  “Cool your heels,” I said, tamping down on my own irritation; it was only making him worse. “There’s nothing to see here.”

  Tilly dashed over with the club sandwiches and dropped the plates. “You’ll have to give Wiggles his.”

  I caught hold of her hand. “I have to talk to you about Nick.”

  Her cheeks flared with color. “Who do you mean?”

  “You must have heard about what happened in our cemetery.” I glanced around to make sure no one was listening.

  “Of course. I don’t know anything, though.” She shook her hand out of my grasp. “Come and find me later. We can chat then if you like, but I won’t be of any help to you.”

  “She’s being disrespectful,” Frank muttered, as I watched Tilly race away.

  “She’s just busy.” At least, I hoped she was. I grabbed a plate and took it outside for Wiggles before returning to my seat.

  “We could teach her a lesson,” Frank said.

  “School’s out. No one needs to have a lesson today.”

  Frank had a bee in his bonnet about Tilly. The longer I sat there toying with my club sandwich and watching her work, the angrier he became. He must have been holding a grudge from the last time she’d knocked him down with her powers.

  “We can leave if you’re having trouble behaving yourself,” I muttered to him.

  “Not without teaching that witch a few lessons.”

  I twisted my head from side to side, trying to dislodge Frank’s energy as it curled up the back of my neck. It surprised me how quickly he’d gained control. I was at full strength after the solstice, but so was Frank, and he must have decided now was a good time to test his boundaries.

  I looked around the restaurant, busy with a mix of locals and non-magicals. It was a terrible time for Frank to make an appearance. When he did, he discarded all morals. Not that he had any good ones to begin with. He made me do whatever he wanted, whether that was gorging on desserts, destroying a restaurant, kissing a stranger, or ripping up somebody’s clothes. And those were the things he did for fun. When he was in a bad mood, things took a much darker slant.

  I stood to leave, abandoning my half-eaten club sandwich. Frank’s energy slammed me back against the wall, and I sucked in a breath. Damn, he really was strong.

  Tilly ran toward me, her mouth set in a thin line and her eyes wide. “Having trouble?”

  I nodded, not able to speak. She grabbed my arm and yanked me through the restaurant and into the kitchen. “This way. I can’t have you upsetting my diners.”

  “Thanks,” I choked out, ignoring the curious stares from other diners as Frank’s energy sent hot waves pounding through my body.

  Tilly pulled open a door and shoved me through the doorway. Before I had a chance to realize where I was, she slammed the door behind me. I was enveloped in darkness.

  “What is this?” Frank growled in my head.

  “Tilly is saving me. I think she just shoved us in the freezer.” I could see nothing. It was pitch black. The air swirled around me, kissing my skin with tiny, icy pecks. I imagined my breath shooting out of me like smoke.

  “How dare that witch do this to us?”

  “This is your fault,” I muttered. “If you hadn’t decided to get all macho in the restaurant, she’d have left us alone.”

  “She deserves to be punished.”

  “Tilly deserves nothing of the sort. You need to get over your problem with her.”

  “I need to destroy that witch.”

  I let out a long, slow breath. At least he was focused on Tilly and not Aurora for once. Tilly could handle herself, and after last night’s solstice, she’d be super juiced with energy. Still, even I didn’t appreciate being stuck in a freezer all because my demon was playing up.

  I focused on controlling Frank, taking slow deep breaths, and trying to force his hot energy back down my spine. He shifted down a few vertebrae, inching back as his power slowly uncoiled from around me.

  “That’s it. Calm down. We don’t need any trouble.”

  “We might not need it, but I desire it.” Frank’s energy surged up my spine, shooting up the back of my neck and covering my head. He had me. He was in control, and there was nothing I could do to stop him.

  An unwelcome laugh slipped from my lips as Frank turned my body slowly around, my arms stretched out as he sensed the room we were in.

  “Trapping a demon in a freez
er. It seems like such a cruel punishment,” he said. “Anyone would think Tilly doesn’t like me.”

  “I’m certain she doesn’t.” I was conscious of my own thoughts but no longer in control of my actions. Whenever Frank took control, I felt like I was having an out-of-body experience.

  “Let’s see how much she likes me when I destroy her restaurant and maybe her along with it.”

  “No! Not Tilly.” My heart raced as heat coursed through my arms and shot out of my fingers.

  “Yes, Tilly. It’s time this witch learned who is in charge.” Frank pressed my hands against the side of the freezer. Ice melted down the wall, puddling at my feet.

  I heard a thudding on the outside of the freezer. It sounded like scrabbling paws against metal. Wiggles must have sensed something was wrong and run through the restaurant to help me.

  “I’m almost out, my little hellhound,” Frank murmured. “These walls can’t keep me contained for long.”

  “If you destroy Bite Me, there’ll be no more treats,” I cautioned Frank.

  Frank’s hands wavered, but his energy kept pulsing out of me. “I would miss her desserts.”

  “If Tilly dies, so do her recipes.”

  “You make a convincing argument. I will spare her. Maybe some light torture?”

  “Or no torture at all? You should chill out and forget all about getting even with Tilly.” It was a long shot. When Frank got in a bad mood, he didn’t shake it off easily.

  The ice cold of the freezer vanished as steam swirled around me.

  “This might sting a little.” Frank plunged my hand through the wall. Although I could barely feel the pain now, it would hurt like hell later. My fingers curled around the crumbling brick, and Frank tossed pieces of metal and stone over my shoulder before wriggling me through the gap he’d made and into the kitchen.

  Wiggles raced around and stopped before he reached me. “Oh! Hi, Frank.”

  “Hellhound.”

  “Any chance Tempest can come back?”

  “Not at this moment.”

  Theodore, the chef at Bite Me, stared at Wiggles and me for a few seconds before dropping the chocolate cake he held and racing out the back door.

  “What’s going on?” Tilly slammed through the kitchen door. She skidded to a halt when she saw me out of the deep freeze.

  “You’d better run,” Frank growled.

  “Not a chance.” Tilly spun her hands in the air and conjured a fireball.

  Frank was in charge as he threw me to the ground.

  Tilly’s fireballs kept coming as Frank dodged and dived, laughing as he did so. Wiggles followed along behind me, his eyes full of concern.

  “I will burn you, demon,” Tilly yelled.

  For a second, I had control and rolled myself into a sitting position. “Tilly! Get Wiggles out of here.”

  Tilly flicked her wrist. Wiggles shot in the air and out through the door into the restaurant, the door slamming shut behind him.

  “Protecting our hellhound,” Frank said as he regained control, “a sensible thing to do.” He jumped over the counter and lunged at Tilly.

  She fell backward, her head hitting the wall.

  Frank reached out to grab her, but she ducked just in time. “Sorry about this, Tempest.” Tilly thrust her hands out and a jet of fire hit me in the stomach.

  Frank was resisting, but Tilly was strong. Her power forced me out of the kitchen and into the alleyway. I was slammed onto my back by the weight of Tilly’s spell, the smell of burning filling my nose and making me cough.

  I heard someone running toward me. My fear and Frank’s joy mingled together as Aurora raced along the alleyway, panic written across her face as she saw me on fire and splayed out on the ground.

  “Mine,” Frank roared.

  “No, you don’t.” I was never going to let Frank get his demon claws on my sister.

  “Run!” Tilly yelled as she appeared in the doorway. “Tempest is not in control.”

  Aurora blinked rapidly before turning on her heel and speeding away. She knew better than to stick around when Frank was in charge.

  Her movement only excited Frank, and he took chase.

  I felt the singeing blast of more of Tilly’s magic at my back, but it didn’t slow Frank. He had his sights set on his prize and wasn’t letting Aurora get away. I could do nothing but watch and hope he failed in his pursuit.

  I skidded around the corner, my breath shooting out of me. I looked both ways and set off as Aurora headed along the main street. It looked like she was going to Mom’s house. That was the best place for her. There’d always be someone who could help out when Frank got out of control.

  Although Aurora was fast, I was demon powered and was catching up with her.

  Wiggles appeared next to me, his little legs a blur as he tried to keep up. “Oh, he’s still in control.”

  “I am, hellhound. If you’d care to join in the chase of our prey, you would be most welcome.”

  “No, I’m good. I like Aurora.”

  “Mmmmmm. So do I.”

  My heart felt like it would burst out of my chest as Frank narrowed the gap. I wanted to shout Aurora a warning, but Frank made it impossible for me to speak.

  He couldn’t catch her. Aurora had her own powers but had always held back from learning the most powerful spells. She could never defeat a demon as strong as Frank.

  “Wiggles, left flank,” Tilly yelled from behind us.

  “Ignore the fire witch, my hellhound,” Frank said. “She is of no concern to us.”

  “I’m not your hellhound, buddy.” Wiggles dropped back a few steps and disappeared from view.

  “Now!” Tilly yelled.

  Wiggles jumped onto my back. His weight knocked me off balance, and I hit the ground. A second later, a powerful swirl of magic wrapped around my legs and held me in place.

  Frank roared as he tried to break free from these new magic constraints.

  “Sorry about this.” Wiggles lay across my back and sank his teeth into my shoulder.

  “You’ll pay for that, my hellhound.”

  Wiggles growled and grumbled but didn’t release his hold on me.

  Tilly’s spell slid up my legs, immobilizing me. She gasped as she reached my side. “Tempest, take some deep breaths and open your mouth as soon as you can.” She held a plate of strawberry tarts in one hand as the other was splayed, her magic continuing to pulse over me.

  “Release me, witch.” Frank’s energy shifted, and I felt him losing control as the combination of magic and the pain from Wiggles’ bite distracted him.

  “Keep going,” I managed to gasp.

  Frank growled. “I need to have Aurora.”

  I sucked in air, nodded at Tilly, and forced my mouth open.

  She shoved two whole strawberry tarts into my mouth so hard I almost choked. “Chew and swallow. These are Frank’s favorite tarts. The sugar will take the edge off his rage.”

  I nodded as I gobbled down the treats. Frank was a sucker for the sweet stuff, and these tarts were just enough to loosen his control.

  “More?” Tilly asked.

  I nodded again. “Fill me up.”

  She stuffed in another tart. “You can let go, Wiggles.”

  He detached his teeth from my shoulder, and I hissed in pain. “Sorry. Tilly made me do it.”

  “I figured we needed a double whammy approach with Frank, pain and pleasure mixed.”

  I licked strawberry glaze from my lips as Frank’s energy slid down my spine. “It worked.”

  Wiggles jumped off me and licked my cheek. “I didn’t want to bite you.”

  “I know. I’m not mad.” Although there wasn’t a part of me that didn’t hurt, it had been worth it to keep Aurora safe.

  Tilly released me from her magic and held out a hand. “Let’s get you up.”

  I grabbed her hand and stood slowly, suddenly conscious that we were being watched by a small crowd. “I’m fine. I just...” I didn’t know what to say to
cover up this mess.

  “She fainted,” Tilly said swiftly. “Happens to the best of us. The sugar from the tarts has her good as new.”

  I frowned. I did not want to be known as a fainter, but there were non-magicals watching, so I played along and pressed the back of my hand to my forehead.

  We walked slowly back to Bite Me, Tilly keeping a tight hold on me, her magic simmering beneath the surface as a warning to Frank.

  “I owe you one,” I said.

  “You owe me a lot more than one. How about you pay me back by waiting tables until Heidi shows up?”

  I wrinkled my nose. It wasn’t a terrible deal. “Okay, I can handle that.”

  As we reached the door to Bite Me, Frank’s energy bucked up my spine. I shoved away from Tilly as he growled in my head.

  “Knock me out,” I said to Tilly as Frank creeped over my head. “Quickly!”

  Tilly slammed me with a spell without hesitating, and I passed out.

  Chapter 10

  My head ached, and my throat felt parched as I blinked my eyes into focus. This was definitely not my bedroom.

  “Take it easy.” Tilly appeared next to the bed I was in.

  I ran my hands down my face, my thoughts a muddled mess of strawberry tarts and dog bites. “What happened?”

  “We knocked you on your butt.” Wiggles’ face appeared by the side of the bed.

  I groaned. “I think I destroyed a freezer.”

  “It’s toast,” Tilly said. “Don’t worry. The insurance will cover it. You seem to be making a habit of forcing me to knock you out.”

  “I’m trying not to. In my defense, you riled Frank up when you shoved me in the freezer. Maybe some warning next time?”

  “And risk giving Frank the heads-up?” Tilly shook her head. “I thought the cold environment might calm him down.”

  Wiggles nudged me with his nose. “You were out of control. On demon overload.”

  “I know. It’s been awhile since that has happened.”

  “Blame the solstice,” Tilly said. “We’re all hyped up with excess energy. It’s just a shame Frank is as well.”