by Rose Pressey
I started to speak, but then he planted another kiss on me. Of course his touch took my breath away. I longed for alone time with Nicolas without the craziness of spells, mysterious guests, and strange bats.
When he pulled away he whispered, “I insist.”
I smiled and said, “Where we going?”
He caressed my cheek. “How about dinner and the Bubbling Cauldron?”
That was the popular bar in town for all of the witches. It wasn’t my idea of a romantic evening, but if he wanted to go, I’d give it a shot.
I kissed him softly and then said, “Okay, I guess if you insist.”
He pushed the hair off my face. “We’ll have a great time.”
Just then the doorbell echoed through the manor again.
I shook my head. “More craziness, I guess.”
Nicolas and I moved toward the door. When I looked out, Liam was standing in front of the door. With his pinched brow and the scowl on his face, I knew something was wrong.
“It’s Liam,” I said as I opened the door. “I wasn’t expecting you.”
Liam stared right past me into the foyer. Obviously, there was something on his mind. I glanced over my shoulder, but wasn’t sure what he was looking for. Liam looked at Nicolas.
“Hey,” Nicolas said.
After stepping out of the way, I waved Liam inside.
Liam ran his hand through his hair. “I just can’t shake the feeling that something’s wrong. Where is that guy?”
“Which guy? The one staying here? Arthur?” I asked.
I supposed he could be referring to Ben, but I knew he meant Arthur. Speaking of Ben, where was he? I hadn’t heard a peep out of him since he’d arrived. Only that time in the kitchen when he’d been talking to Arthur.
“Yeah, the tall goofy-looking guy.” Liam placed his hands in his pockets.
Liam described everyone he didn’t like as goofy-looking. Whatever that meant.
“I don’t know. He’s kind of been in and out. He said he had errands in town.” I tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “But there is one thing I don’t like about him.”
“What’s that?” Liam and Nicolas asked at the same time.
“He took Annabelle out for lunch.”
Liam shook his head. “Why would she go out with him?”
I tossed my hands up. “He seemed to put her in a trance immediately.”
Nicolas said, “You mean like a real trance?”
“No, not exactly, but it seemed like it was that way. I don’t have any proof that he cast an actual spell on her. Liam, we were just going out to eat. Would you like to go with us?” I asked.
Nicolas waved his hands and shook his head behind Liam’s back.
“Sure, I could go for something to eat.” Liam smiled at Nicolas.
They’d always had a bit of a rivalry going. Even though things were much better now.
***
Nicholas, Liam, and I sat at a small table at the back of the diner. We’d just finished our food and had been discussing my current manor full of guests. We couldn’t come up with answers for what was going on at my place. The topic changed to the cloaked woman who had filled the restaurant with her magic. When we first arrived at the diner I’d gotten a chance to briefly speak with the owner. He’d said he didn’t have a clue if anyone might be aiming the spell at him.
“He might have an enemy,” Liam said.
I took another sip of my water and then said, “He didn’t think anyone would have a reason to cast a spell against him. But then again, do people ever really know if they have an enemy? Sometimes a person might be mad at you and you have no clue why or even that they’re upset.”
“I suppose if the spell was just a one-time thing then there was no harm done,” Nicholas said.
I pushed to my feet. ”I suppose. It’s just a little unsettling to know that someone was that upset.”
Liam and Nicolas followed me to the door. The restaurant wasn’t as crowded this evening, so I didn’t get as many stares.
After paying for the food, we headed over to the Bubbling Cauldron. The diner was just a short walk from the club, so we only had to go a short distance. I hadn’t exactly invited Liam to come with us dancing, but he ended up coming anyway. He’d kind of invited himself. It was fine with me if he came along. I supposed I would always have a soft spot in my heart for Liam.
When we stepped out the door, several quick flashes of light came from across the street.
“What was that?” I asked.
Nicolas looked around. “It almost seemed like a camera flash.”
“I don’t see anyone,” Liam said.
I brushed off the strange flashes of light and started off down the sidewalk. Nicolas and Liam walked beside me. We made it a few steps down the sidewalk when the squeaking noise returned. I looked up at the sky. The bat was behind us, moving at a rapid speed toward us.
“It’s that bat again. That thing is following me,” I yelled with panic in my voice.
“It can’t be following you,” Liam said.
“Oh, yeah? Then why do I keep seeing it everywhere I go?” I asked as I picked up my pace.
How was I going to get away from this thing? It was creepy and unsettling. Now I was practically running. Liam and Nicolas were still behind me, but I wasn’t going to wait around for them to catch up. They were on their own with that flying creature.
“Wait for me,” Nicolas yelled out.
The guys rushed up to me.
“What’s come over you?” Liam asked.
I glanced back. The bat was still back there, circling around.
“Are you kidding? It’s right there. The thing is clearly coming after me. You guys, I really think that this is something more than just a creature of the night. It has intelligent thoughts and I think it might be something more.”
“You think someone might be turning into a bat?” Nicolas said.
“Exactly,” I said.
The next thing I knew, the bat had looped around and was in front of us. It was just playing with us now.
“I think you’re right. This thing knows what its doing,” Liam said as he swatted toward the sky.
“There’s no way you’re going to be able to actually make contact with the thing. And I wouldn’t even want to,” I said.
I just wanted to get away from the thing. How would we outsmart the bat? That was one problem I never thought I’d have. I took off in an all-out run. This time I was going to get away. Another brick building was up ahead, so I managed to duck under the front door awing. Nicolas and Liam scooted in beside me. Being huddled together in such a small space with two gorgeous men wasn’t exactly a terrible thing.
“You move fast,” Liam said.
“When my life is in danger I have too.”
He laughed. “I suppose you have a point.”
Nicolas pulled me closer and wrapped his arm around me. “You’ll be fine.”
We watched silently from under the covered area, waiting for the creepy thing.
Just then the bat flew by. It had no idea we were there. We’d managed to get away from it by hiding.
After a few seconds, I whispered, “Do you think it’s safe to come out?”
“There’s only one way to find out,” Liam said as he motioned.
I eased out onto the sidewalk with Nicolas leading the way. I looked to my left and then to my right. Next I looked up at the sky. Nothing there. Thank goodness there was no bat in sight.
I let out a deep breath. “I think it’s gone for now. Let’s get to the club before it finds us again.”
“Don’t worry, Hallie, I won’t let the bat get you,” Nicolas said.
I appreciated his offer, but I wasn’t sure if the bat would stop. I wanted to know who was behind this and what the thing was up too.
As we continued on, I spotted something out of the corner of my eye. I thought for sure I’d seen the cloaked woman.
I pointed. “Up ahead I thought I
saw the woman who cast the spell at the café.”
“Where did she go?” Nicolas asked.
“I don’t know, but let’s see if we can find her.” I motioned for them to follow me as I raced down the sidewalk.
I was still on high alert for the bat, but I wanted to catch up with the woman too. When I reached the corner of the next building, I looked down the alleyway. She wasn’t there.
I sighed. “She could be anywhere. There are a lot of buildings. She could’ve went into one.”
Some of the buildings had apartments on the second floors of the businesses.
“There’s no way to find out,” Nicolas said.
“She’s sneaky.” I released a deep breath.
“We might as well go to the club,” Nicolas said.
When I turned around to leave, I happened to glance down and noticed the bottle. I reached down and picked it up.
“What’s that?” Liam asked.
I turned it over in my hands. “An empty potion bottle. But not just any empty potion bottle…”
“What do you mean?” Nicolas asked.
I looked at him and said, “This one came from my mother’s shop. I’d recognize the bottle anywhere.”
“The cloaked woman had to have had the bottle and dropped it," Liam said.
I shrugged. “It’s certainly possible, then again, anyone could’ve had the bottle. I’ll ask my mother about it. Maybe she’ll remember someone buying it.”
Sadly, the odds were unlikely that she would, but she might offer some kind of clue.
“I’ll have to call her later.” I shoved the bottle into my purse. “But for now, let’s get out of here.”
Standing there was giving me a bad vibe.
Finally, we reached the club. The neon sign flashed a steady rhythm guiding us to the front entrance. As usual, the place was crowded with people on the dance floor and squeezed in around the bar. Lights lit up the shelves of liquor bottles. They looked more like bottles of potions. A big black cauldron took up space in the middle of the dance floor. Bubbles floated from the cauldron to the top of the ceiling. Lights changed the colors of the bubbles from green to blue to red.
The three of us stood at the edge of the dance floor studying the crowd.
“It’s more crowded than I expected,” Nicolas said.
“That’s a good thing,” Liam said. Just then Nicolas’ phone rang. After answering, he looked at me and said. “One of the coven members has an issue. I’ll take the call outside and be right back.”
“Are you sure? Do you need me?” I asked.
He grinned. “It’s not a big deal. I’ll be right back.”
I watched as Nicolas walked away and then I glanced over at Liam. He was staring right at me. Now that we were alone the tension hovered thick in the air. A new song started. Not just any song, but one of my favorites. An oldie.
“Isn’t this that song you like from that Dirty Dancing movie?” Liam asked.
“How did you remember that?” I asked.
“I remember a lot of things.” He looked me in the eyes.
I didn’t know what to say.
Liam grabbed my hand. “Let’s dance.”
He didn’t give me a chance to say no before pulling me onto the dance floor. The song Cry to Me was from the sexy scene in the movie where Baby and Johnny share a steamy sexy dance. I refused to recreate the scene from the movie with him.
Liam approached me like a panther. His stare was locked on me as he pulled me to his body. My heart rate immediately went up. I was hyper aware of every part of his body pressed against mine. A jolt of sexual energy zinged from his body. He guided my body to the rhythm. We swayed with each other. Every move of his body was sexual. Or maybe that was just my thought.
His strong hands held me tight. With my face next to his neck. I inhaled his intoxicating spicy scent. It sent chills over my body. He dipped me and I swayed back into his arms. As he stared into my eyes, his hips grinded against my body. His face moved close to mine with his lips practically brushing against mine. Instantly I pulled away. What was I doing? It was as if I had fallen into a trance. When I glanced over I spotted Nicolas headed toward us. I left Liam on the dance floor.
“Is everything okay?” I asked Nicolas.
He studied my face, as if he knew something had happened. “Yes, someone had a question about a spell. It’s all good now.”
Liam brushed past. “I need fresh air.”
“What’s wrong with him?” Nicolas asked.
I shrugged. “I don’t know.”
Of course I knew what was wrong, and I had no idea what to do about it.
Nicolas touched my arm and yelled over the loud pulsing music, “Do you feel that?”
I nodded. “It’s strong.”
The thick magic around us hung in the air like a thick fog and it would be hard not to sense it. How could everyone around us not notice? They continued dancing, talking, and drinking, as if nothing odd surrounded them. Now it was up to me to figure out where this magic was coming from. I scanned the room quickly. It didn’t take long until I spotted her. It was the same cloaked figure from the café and we’d seen outside. She had to be the one responsible for the witchcraft, right? Obviously, she had missed the big sign on the door that said no magic allowed.
I didn’t want to take my eyes off her as I touched Nicolas’ arm. “It’s her. The one who did the spell at the cafe.”
I didn’t look over to see if Nicolas was watching her too. If I lost sight of her, she might slip away again.
“We have to follow her,” Nicolas said.
Didn’t anyone notice this woman in the long cloak? I felt the magic all the way across the room. Nicolas and I headed across the floor, but with the dance floor jam-packed, it was hard to make our way through. No one wanted to budge or move out of the way. Couldn’t they tell that this was urgent?
We’d made it halfway across the floor when the wind almost knocked us over. Whoever was under that cloak knew that I was coming after her. No one else had been affected by the wind. It had been directed specifically at Nicolas and me. In spite of the strong gust, I managed to remain upright. I thought for sure it would knock me over.
Finally, when the wind eased up, I pushed forward. I would try not to cast a spell until I was out of the Bubbling Cauldron, but if she kept sending wicked stuff my way, I’d have to break the rules. I guess I was just glad that she hadn’t cast a spell that had involved everyone. Chaos would have ensued and that was the last thing I needed right now.
Nicolas and I made it across the dance floor and over to the bar area. Despite my best efforts, I’d lost track of her.
“I knew this would happen,” I said.
“Maybe she went outside,” Nicolas said.
Honestly, I didn’t see how she could have gone anywhere other than out of the bar. The restrooms were at the back of the building. She wasn’t at the bar, so that meant she had to have exited. Since she had a head start on us, I doubted I’d be able to find her. Nevertheless, Nicolas and I raced out the door. Once on the sidewalk, of course I didn’t see her.
“She’s gone,” Nicolas said.
There was one thing she probably hadn’t counted on though. Since she’d been using her witchcraft, she’d left a magic trail. I sensed the leftover magic.
“We can follow her spell like breadcrumbs,” I said.
She wasn’t nearly as clever as she thought. Nicolas and I took off down the sidewalk like a couple of bloodhounds. As long as we followed the path of the magic I was confident we’d finally find the mysterious woman in the cloak. We continued down the sidewalk, but there was no sign of her. As long as I sensed the magic though, I would keep going.
“Do you still feel it?” I asked.
Nicolas nodded. “Yes, but it does seem a little different.”
I noticed that too, but I had no explanation for what was causing it. We turned the corner and I’d hoped to see her on the other street. The only thing in sight was
a possum that rushed out from behind a trash can. How far could she have gone? And how could she have moved so quickly? I didn’t think she’d that much of a head start on us.
As we moved down the street, I noticed that the magic was less and less. Nicolas and I exchanged a look.
“The trail is turning cold, isn’t it?” I asked.
He frowned. “Unfortunately, yes, I think it is.”
How could she have slipped away from us? I suppose she had used her magic to this point and stopped. She could have used magic to help conceal her movements for all I knew. I still sensed it a little though, so I figured I’d keep going just a little further. What could it harm at this point? We’d already come this far.
A few more steps and it had finally completely faded. We stopped on the sidewalk. That was when it hit me where I was. I looked to my left at my mother’s shop.
“We’re at Bewitching,” Nicolas said in shock.
He’d just realized it too. This was too eerie and I knew this wasn’t a coincidence. The witch had led us here on purpose. But why?
“Do you think she broke into my mother’s shop?” I asked.
“There’s no sign of entry here at the front door. Let’s look around back,” Nicolas said as he grasped my hand. We rushed to the back door.
“It doesn’t look as if anyone is around,” Nicolas said.
I released a deep breath and scanned the dark street. “I’ll call my mother and check in with her, although I hate to freak her out.”
“Let’s get back to the club,” Nicolas said.
When we reached the club again, Liam was waiting by the door.
“I thought I lost you all,” Liam said.
“Are you okay?” I touched his arm.
“I’m great.” He smiled.
Did he really mean that?
“I still haven’t gotten a chance to dance with you,” Nicolas said, taking my hand.
“Let’s grab a table first,” I said.
We made it across the dance floor, trying to find an empty table. I didn’t find a table, but I did find something else unexpected. Arthur was there talking to a woman. His presence immediately made me suspicious. Not that he couldn’t go out with someone other than Annabelle, but I was protective of her. Maybe if she found out Arthur was a jerk then she wouldn’t worry about him anymore. Of course it was totally wrong of me to think that—if Annabelle liked him, then I wanted her to be happy with him. I watched Arthur for several seconds before Nicolas realized I was staring at someone.
