Charmed and Dangerous: An Appalachian Magic Novel (Appalachian Magic Series Book 1)

by Debbie Herbert

  James had gone through this at her age.

  She wondered what he would make of her story. He didn’t seem shocked she was a witch. How much contact did he have over the years with her kind? Whatever happened, she would make this work. She drifted asleep, concentrating on the image of his face and the feel of his lips in her hair as he held her on top of the mountain.

  Their place.

  * * *

  The earth was cold and wet, but James was in flames of agony, the familiar landscape of his death. The shotgun wound in his back burned as hot as the distant fires. He was in hell. The smell of smoke and blood mingled with the sound of moans and screams. As he lay there, bleeding and weak, an ominous silence crept in as more of the fallen soldiers around him died. He wished the peace of death for himself. Instead of a gentle slip into unconsciousness, he heard soldiers on horseback enter the field and alight from their horses. They laughed and called out to one another as if arriving at a party.

  It’s a dream. But he couldn’t open his eyes and end it. He faked death, even knowing how it would end. The way it always ended. A Union soldier would single him out. In the twilight of the dreamscape, James saw the hate-filled eyes and mirthful smile seared forever in his brain.

  “We got us a live one here, boys.” The soldier reached over his body, and James lifted his dagger to strike.

  Then he was stumbling to the nearby woods. If he could just make it . . . the harder he tried to run, the farther away the darkness of the forest became. If he could get to the edge . . .

  The shotguns blasted and the force of the bullets drove his body forward. Now he crawled with determination. Death didn’t want him after all. Only a little farther.

  “James. You’re okay, you’re home in bed.” Carter’s hand on his shoulder finally roused him from the dream.

  He sat up and forced his mind to clear. Safe . . . he had come through intact. Strange. These dreams were occurring more often. It was such a long time ago, and when he looked back on the war and his youth, he felt like a different person entirely. No reason to keep replaying this.

  “The nightmares are becoming a habit,” Carter noted in concern.

  James ran his hands over his face and nodded agreement.

  Carter hesitated. “Maybe it’s all the unrest in the air. Have you noticed an increase in enemy activity? You had that fight a few weeks ago. Several times this past month, I sensed unfamiliar immortals in our area, but escaped without them picking up my scent.”

  “Callie and I came close to an encounter tonight. We managed to outrun it.”

  “Did you recognize the other immortal?”

  “Callie did. Says his name is Connors, the college Dean.”

  “Everything’s connected to that girl.” Carter’s face twisted in a scowl. “Mighty funny how all this started around the time she showed up.”

  “Give it a rest. None of it’s her fault.”

  “I’m not saying it’s necessarily her fault, but that girl is trouble.”

  “That girl’s name is Callie.” He returned his dad’s scowl. “She’s in danger, and I’m looking out for her.”

  Carter crossed his arms over his chest. “I knew it. What’s going on?”

  James hopped out of bed and pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. It felt like betraying Callie to talk about Lucas, but maybe he did need help. After all, Carter was centuries older than him and might have ideas on how to proceed. And from his first meeting with Callie, Carter picked up that something about her was unusual.

  “I met Callie’s father. He’s an immortal.” James watched Carter’s eyes widen in shock.

  “Her father? That’s impossible. Immortals can’t have children.”

  “That’s what I thought too. But think about it, Dad. Our species is changing. We now have female immortals, something unheard of until the last hundred years or so. There are pockets of immortals these days that have no desire to fight. So maybe it’s possible some can reproduce.”

  Carter shook his head. “No way. Her mom must have had another lover.”

  “I have to admit I wondered. If Callie was immortal, of course, I would have recognized that immediately.”

  “That proves her real father isn’t immortal.”

  “But suppose for a moment her dad truly is an immortal. Either Callie didn’t inherit those genes or—”

  “Or what?” Carter’s voice was filled with suspicion.

  “I didn’t want to tell you, but you were right when you warned me there was something unusual about her.”

  Carter shook his head, his face a contradictory mixture of anger and self-satisfaction. “She’s a witch isn’t she? That first day you brought her home and she shook my hand, I felt a kind of tingle at the contact.”

  James sighed. He dreaded telling his dad. “Yeah, she’s a witch, all right. And by all accounts, an extraordinarily talented one.”

  “Ditch her. I mean it, James. Get away from her before it’s too late.” His dad’s face was livid, the veins on his forehead ready to explode.

  “I understand how you feel about witches, but—”

  “Damn right. Curse them all to hell.”

  “Listen a minute. You have a right to be bitter after Angelique. But Callie’s diff—”

  “I told you to never mention that witch’s name to me. The thought of her still makes my skin crawl.”

  “It’s been over a hundred years ago. Are you going to let her ruin your life forever?”

  “Who says she ruined my life? When I need female companionship, I take what I need without long-term relationships. I advise you to do the same. Better yet, find another one of those new female immortals if you still believe in love. I doubt you’d keep foolish notions of everlasting love if you had to spend an eternity with one.”

  “You can’t help who you love.”

  Carter regarded him in silence, his mouth set in a grim line that James recognized as an attempt to control his temper. “What took you so long to find out? I sensed a certain energy in her at once.”

  “Give me a break. I’d never met one before. Any sparks between us, I attributed to lust on my part.”

  “Stay away from her. I don’t want you to go through the hell I went through with that witch whose name I will never speak.”

  “She would never betray me like Angel . . . like you-know-who.”

  “Don’t be a fool, son. A witch is a witch. They’re all poison.”

  “Now I’m the one getting angry. We should drop the subject.” He stormed away and then turned at the door. “I promise to remember your warnings if you’ll promise to at least consider Callie might be a decent person. No matter what she is or who her father may be. We can’t help our heritage and the mixed blessings and curses that come our way. It’s how we deal with our fate that’s important.”

  He left without waiting to hear Carter’s response.

  8

  Violet Dreams

  Callie awoke to a sharp rapping at the front door. Groggily, she checked the alarm clock. It didn’t take magical powers to know that no good news comes a-knocking at three-thirty a.m.

  She jumped out of bed, startling Grendel, who’d been curled asleep on her stomach. The kitten awoke instantly, arching his back, his tiny body set for flight. His eyes glowed like a miniature alien as he looked for the source of danger. Seeing nothing, he glared at her in reproach.

  “What’s all that racket?” Grandma Jo ran out of her bedroom and into the hallway wearing a satin red nightdress and wielding a baseball bat. Her short, spiked hair stuck up in all directions, and her night cream cast a slightly bluish tinge on her face.

  “Grandma Jo, really.” Callie couldn’t help but laugh. Any other grandma would have on a long flannel nightgown and sport pink sponge curlers.

  Mom’s bedroom door flung open and coincided with the ring tone on Callie’s cell phone.

  “Hold on, maybe the call’s from whoever’s at the door.” She ran back in her room to grab the phone. “
Who is it?”

  “Callie, it’s me at the door. Sorry to wake you but—”

  “Hold on.” Callie returned to the hallway where Grandma Jo and Mom hovered. “It’s James.”

  “At this time of morning? I’m going to give that young man a piece of my mind,” Grandma Jo sputtered, heading down the stairs.

  “What’s happened?” Mom asked with a voice high-pitched in concern.

  “Guess we’re all fixin’ to find out,” Callie said. She put the phone back to her ear. “We’ll be at the door in a sec.”

  The three of them rushed down the stairs. Grandma Jo reached the door first and threw it open. “You better have a good—”

  James stood in a ring of light on the front steps holding Sin. His dog whimpered in pain and trembled.

  “Sorry. It was stupid of me to come, but I couldn’t stand to watch Sin suffer anymore.” He cleared his throat. “The vet’s office doesn’t open until seven, and I’m afraid it’ll be too late by then.” His worried eyes sought out Ginnie. “I know you work at the shelter, so I thought you might know how to help him until I can get him to the vet.”

  “Of course I’ll help.” Mom pushed her way in front of Grandma Jo and Callie. “Mother, how about getting that old blanket out of the laundry room for me?” She waved in James and his dog.

  He hesitated. “You might want to keep him on the porch. He was throwing up earlier.”

  “I’ll take my chances. We need to set him up on the blanket in the den where it’s warmer.”

  Callie touched James shoulder in sympathy as he walked by.

  “I can’t believe I’m so worked up over a dog,” he said with a shake of his head.

  “He’s part of your family. You love him.” She looked at Sin. “Poor baby. If anyone can help, it’s Mom.” She leaned to whisper in James’s ear. “She has a special . . . gift with animals.”

  “Here’s your blanket.” Grandma Jo laid it out in the middle of the room. “I’m going back to bed.”

  “Yes ma’am. Sorry I woke you,” James said.

  Grandma Jo’s face softened. “Oh, that’s all right.” Her hand reached up to comb down the spikes in her hair. Her face froze as she felt the blue grease on her face. “Reckon I look a sight.”

  “No ma’am,” he said politely. “You look pretty awesome considering it’s the middle of the night.”

  Grandma Jo blushed. Callie had only seen her blush twice, and both times it was around James. Well, she could totally see why his handsome grin would make anyone at any age get a little flustered.

  James carefully placed Sin on the blanket. Mom bent over the beagle, examining his body with careful hands. She placed her ear close to Sin’s head and put a hand on his stomach.

  She raised her head. “It’s poison. The cloying, sweet smell is unmistakable. Once you smell it, you never forget.”

  “Are you sure? I don’t know why anyone would want to hurt him. He sticks close to the house, and we don’t have nearby neighbors.”

  Mom caught Callie’s eyes. “Go in the pantry and get me a bottle of fulvic acid and a bottle of arsenicum album. It’s all arranged alphabetically on the top shelf. Oh, and I’ll need a bowl filled with moon water.”

  James sat and held his head in his hands.

  Callie quickly gathered supplies and returned to the room where her mom gazed at James intently, stroking Sin’s body in a rhythmic pattern.

  “I know what you are.”

  He froze. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean I know you’re one of the immortals.”

  He sucked in his breath. “Did Callie tell you?”

  “No.”

  Callie tamped down her frustration. Some trust he had in her. “I wouldn’t betray your secret like that.”

  They both ignored her.

  “You live a dangerous life.” Mom continued the gentle stroking. “Promise me you won’t expose Callie to one of your death matches.”

  “Never.” James backtracked. “Not if I can help it anyway.”

  Mom nodded.

  Callie mentally shook herself. Now wasn’t the time for anger when James was upset. She turned to Mom. “How’s Sin holding up?”

  “Still hurting, although he’s letting me touch him. That’s always a good sign.” She opened the arsenicum bottle and removed two pellets. “Watch how I do this,” she told James. “Put the pellet under his tongue and then hold his mouth closed a few seconds so the medicine dissolves.”

  “Will this make him throw up more of the poison?” he asked.

  “No, it’s already been expelled. This is an old-folk remedy that’ll ease his stomach pain.” Mom let go of Sin’s mouth and placed the water bowl near his head. She opened the jar of fulvic acid and sprinkled a tablespoon into it. “This is a detoxifier with natural electrolytes. It’ll neutralize any remaining traces of poison. Sin’s dehydrated, so he should be thirsty.”

  Sin half raised up on shaky legs and took a few tentative licks of the water.

  “Good boy,” Mom said in a low, smooth voice. “Drink it all up.” She looked up at James. “For the next twenty-four hours, give him one arsenicum pellet every four hours. Keep his water bowl filled, and add a sprinkling of the fulvic acid from time to time. You can’t give him too much. It’s a completely safe antioxidant. Think of it as a mega-doggie vitamin.”

  “Is he going to be okay?” James asked hopefully.

  “Should be. But if you take him to see the vet, don’t mention my involvement. Doctors and veterinarians don’t exactly cotton to our folk healings. Now, I’m still not quite done. Let me gather a few more things, and I’ll be back to try a bit of Reiki energy healing to ease his stress.”

  His brow furrowed. “Reiki?”

  “A fancy, new-age term for old-fashioned tender loving care. I’ll gently massage him while sending him love and assurance in my touch and voice.”

  Alone in the room, James reached for Callie’s hand. “Your mom’s pretty amazing.”

  She nodded, surprised to find she agreed. “Mom’s a different person when it comes to animals. She knows her stuff and has no fear. I’ve seen her nurse back to health all kinds of animals, including wild ones. She can calm even the most frightened and aggressive.”

  Sin wobbled to James and laid his head in his lap.

  “I can tell he feels better already. Don’t you, boy?”

  Sin gave a slight twitch of his tail.

  Mom reentered with candles, oils, and crystals. She looked to Callie, a question in her eyes.

  “It’s okay, Mom. He knows we’re witches, so it’s cool to go ahead and do your thing.”

  “I hope you’ll be discreet about this,” Mom said. “We don’t want trouble with neighbors.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” James eyed the spell charms curiously. “I’ve never seen anything like this. And it’s not everyday someone my age witnesses something new.”

  “How did you know he was immortal, Mom?”

  “I’ve known almost from the very beginning,” she said, arranging three candles in front of Sin.

  “Why didn’t you say something? He only told me tonight.”

  “It’s always best to learn another’s secrets in your own way and in your own time.” Mom lit the candles and mixed a few oils in a silver bowl.

  “What are you doing?’ James was clearly fascinated at witnessing his first spell.

  “The black candle absorbs illness, while the red candle speeds healing. The brown one in the middle represents Sin. I’ll visualize pulling the illness from Sin and filling his body with healing light. That, combined with healing touch, Reiki, will relax him and ensure the medicine is effective.” Mom held up a hand. “I’ll need silence now to do my work.”

  She poured a few drops of lavender, rosemary, and thyme in the bowl and stirred the mixture three times, clockwise, with her index finger. She picked up an amethyst, a rose quartz, and an orange calcite crystal, and anointed them with the oil before circling the air above Sin three times.
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  “Mother, help us heal his pain,

  May no trace of toxin remain.

  Give my hands a healing touch,

  Help this dog James loves so much,

  As I will, so mote it be.”

  She gently stroked Sin’s body. Gradually, the dog stopped trembling. He yawned, heaved a loud sigh, and went to sleep.

  Mom snuffed out the candles while Callie gathered the tools. “Be back in a few minutes, James.”

  “Thank you, Mrs. Bradford.” He started to stand.

  “Stay and let Sin catch some more sleep before you go.” Mom left, taking her magic tools.

  “Amazing,” James said in a hushed voice.

  In the silence of the dawn’s first light, Sin snored in deep sleep.

  Callie sat on James’s lap and ran her fingers through his dark, wavy hair. “Hey, you okay now?” she whispered.

  He regarded her solemnly, the gold flecks in his eyes piercing. “When we’re alone together, like this, everything seems perfect.” His eyes wandered to her lips.

  Her breath caught as his mouth met hers. The pressure was gentle and undemanding . . . for about two seconds.

  His tongue licked her lower lip before invading her mouth. Callie readily deepened the kiss. She couldn’t get enough of James, had craved his closeness since she first ran into him on Lavender Mountain. She tightened her arms around his neck while his hands roamed her back, her hips, her stomach, hot against the nylon fabric of her pajamas. His hands crept farther up, past her ribs. A bolt of hot need swept through her when he touched her breasts.

  “No.” James set her aside and stood. “Your Mom and Grandma are too near.” His voice was husky, his breath harsh.

  Callie groaned. It was always something

  He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “Time to go.”

  He picked up Sin from the floor while Callie reluctantly gathered the dog medicine in a basket and followed him to the door. The air was frigid, so she grabbed an afghan and tucked it over Sin. Her heart tightened as she watched James gently load Sin in his car. That done, he waved and left.