by Rose Pressey
I let out a bloodcurdling scream and jumped. When I looked into the backseat, Cora was back there. She stared at me as if I was the crazy one.
“What are you doing here?” I demanded.
She looked at me innocently. “I just wanted to talk to you.”
“By hiding in the backseat of my car? How did you even get in here?” I was almost sure that I had locked the doors.
“I couldn’t find you and I got tired of walking around looking, so I just took a little break in your car.”
Absolutely nothing Cora said I believed, so this was no different. I knew she had something else on her mind other than just an innocent conversation.
“Why don’t you just tell me why you’re really here, Cora?” I asked.
She glared at me. “I have to ask you for my magic back. I can’t continue without it.”
I shook my head. “I’m sorry, I can’t do that until I find out what’s going on with the people who have accused you of killing them. It’s just too serious.”
Now that I thought about it, I wasn’t sure if it was safe to be in the same car with her, not to mention having her staying right across the hall from me. I was potentially living with a serial killer, and now she wanted her magic back. I had to humor her and keep her happy. I’d try not to get her any angrier. There was no way I could go to the police. They wouldn’t believe me, not after they were already suspicious of me. They wouldn’t believe me if I accused this cute little old lady of killing people.
“I just don’t understand why you had to do this.” She tried to sound sweet.
“Cora, can you tell me why you want your magic? Then maybe I can work something out.” I thumped my fingers against the steering wheel. It was a lie, but at least it would make her happy for now and get her out of my car.
She looked out the window and then back at me. “Okay, here’s my dilemma… I think someone is after me.”
I quirked an eyebrow.
She leaned forward. “You have to believe me. I never gave anything to those women.”
I sighed. “I don’t know what to believe.”
If she was telling the truth, then how come Jolene and the other women had said those things? Then again, maybe they were the ones lying. After all, I didn’t know them either.
“Well, I’ll definitely think about it, okay?” I gave her a little smile.
She narrowed her eyes. “I don’t think I believe you.”
I didn’t know what else to tell her. “I just have to think about it for a while. It’s not something that I can reverse right here anyway. I would have to concentrate on the spell.”
“So you’re just going to send me back out there with someone trying to kill me?” she asked, pointing toward the street.
I looked around again, but didn’t see anyone. “Who do you think is trying to kill you?” I asked.
She leaned back on the seat. “I don’t know.”
I gripped the steering wheel. “Then how do you know they’re trying to kill you?”
“I just know these things, okay?” she said with a smirk.
When I didn’t response, she sighed and then opened the door and got out. She slammed the door and I watched in the mirror as she went down the sidewalk. That was definitely a strange experience, but I didn’t expect any less from her. I was just glad the confrontation was over for now.
The phone rang and I jumped. I was a little on edge. It was Liam calling back.
“Why didn’t you tell me you had a celebrity interested in joining the coven?” I asked when I answered.
He paused. “I didn’t think it was anything serious. People want to join and then it fizzles out. How did you hear about this?”
“I’ve been invited to a party. I’m assuming Adrienne Ryan invited you too and you didn’t tell me?” I’m offended.
He laughed. “I wasn’t even sure I was going. Are you going?”
“Actually, I think I might. I’m curious.”
“If you’re going, then I’m going.” Laughter filled his voice.
“Are you bringing your date?” I asked.
He paused. “Are you?”
“I invited Nicolas,” I said, trying to sound casual. Of course he had to already know that I would invite Nicolas.
He was quiet for a moment longer and said, “I like to go stag.”
I kept looking in the rear view mirror to see if Cora had returned. “Changing the subject, but you’re never going to believe what Cora did.”
“Actually, I probably would believe it,” he said. “What did she do?”
“She was hiding in my car and wants me to give her magic back.”
“You’re not going to, are you?” he asked.
“Absolutely not.” I glanced in the mirror and caught movement. It wasn’t Cora. “It’s that guy again.” I hadn’t meant to say that out loud.
“Who are you talking about?” Liam asked.
“This guy was flirting with me earlier.”
“Where are you?” Liam sounded worried.
“I just left my mother’s shop,” I said.
“Where is Nicolas?”
“I know what you’re thinking. You want to call him, but don’t do that. I’m pulling away now.”
I started the car and pulled away from the curb. Phillip Merritt was still watching me as I drove away.
“What’s this guy’s name?” Liam asked.
“Why, are you going to hunt him down?” I laughed.
“Of course not,” Liam said. Based on the tone of his voice, I wasn’t convinced.
“His name is Phillip Merritt, and he claims he’s a member of the Enchantment Pointe Coven. I’ve never seen him before. I’m going to ask Nicolas about him.”
“Just be careful and let me know what you find out.”
“I guess I’ll see you soon,” I said.
“Looking forward to it,” he said.
***
It was later that day at the manor and I was at work in my office. I couldn’t say that the rest of my day had been uneventful .After arriving home, I’d taken the cloak out of the car and left it on the chair in the parlor. I went into the kitchen to feed Pluto, but minutes later when I came back to the parlor the cloak had disappeared. I hadn’t been able to find anyone in the house to question.
Luckily now the house had been silent. I enjoyed the peacefulness, but suddenly something stirred in the air. A raven cawed in the distance. A chill fell over the room and I figured that something was about to happen. I’d started to develop a sixth sense about these things. I was on edge now waiting for whatever was about to happen. I tried to take a calming deep breath, but it didn’t work.
The doorbell rang. I jumped, even though I had been expecting something to happen. I peeked out the window and spotted two women standing on the porch. I was pretty sure I recognized them as coven members. They both had brown hair cut just above their shoulders. I couldn’t remember their names. They rang the bell again, so I moved away from the window and over to the door. They were just starting to walk away when I opened the door.
“Ladies, don’t leave. I’m here,” I called out.
They whipped around when they heard me. Smiles immediately spread across their faces. I’d never seen any of the witches have that kind of reaction when they saw me. Usually they frowned, pointed, or ran the other way.
“Oh, Hallie, we’re glad you’re here,” the woman in the black dress said, hurrying back over to the door.
I frowned. “Is everything okay?”
They smiled and looked at me as if I was their best friend.
“Yes, we were just in the area and thought we’d stop by and say hello,” the woman wearing the gray sweater and black pants said.
The other one nodded. The huge smiles were still plastered on their faces as they stared at me.
“You’ll have to excuse me, but I don’t remember your names,” I said.
“We don’t expect you to remember. You’re so busy and all. I’m Joanna Ri
ce and this is Angela Coomer.”
“Well, thanks for stopping by.” I didn’t know what else to say.
“You’re such an inspiration with your magic being so great now.” Joanna clutched her chest. They didn’t take their eyes off me.
“Thanks, ladies, I really appreciate your kind words.” The conversation became more awkward by the minute.
“If you ever want to hang out or anything call us.” Angela held her hand up to her ear, mimicking a phone.
They’d never wanted to hang out with me before. I forced a smile. “Sure, I’ll call you. Thanks.”
They stared for a moment longer. A squeak echoed across the air. The women looked around, but they didn’t see what I saw, thank goodness. The bat was back. It circled in the distance. It didn’t act like any bat I’d ever seen.
“Okay, well, I guess we’ll go now,” Joanna said.
Finally, the women stepped off the porch and over to the car. They glanced back several times and smiled. Their behavior certainly was odd. Everyone was acting weird.
I was still standing at the door when Arthur popped up beside me. I jumped and clutched my chest. “What are you doing?”
“Did I scare you again? I’m terribly sorry.”
“You know what you are doing,” I said crossly.
A sly smile slid across his face. How could I have ever thought he was a nice guy?
“It seems you have a lot of admirers lately.”
“How would you know?” I asked.
He gestured with a tilt of his head. “They sure do like you now. That wasn’t always the case.”
“How do you know about me?” I asked.
He stared for a moment, and then finally said, “I’m just perceptive, I guess.” He strolled past me with that sly grin still on his face. When he was right in front of me he flashed a look my way. His eyes looked different, as if they had changed colors. They were much darker, almost black. I knew that wasn’t a good sign.
Arthur walked inside and left me standing on the porch. It felt as if I had no control over the situation.
Chapter 25
Casting a spell made me feel like Cinderella. All that was missing was the pumpkin. Cora was definitely not my fairy godmother though.
I made the dress of beautiful rose-colored silk. It was fitted in the waist with a full skirt and layers on the bottom. The top had a v-neckline, which showed just the right amount of cleavage. I added a necklace of sparkling fake diamonds. I didn’t want to be responsible for having the real thing hanging around my neck.
The night of the party had arrived. Nicolas would be there any minute. Nerves had settled in my stomach. I’d never been to anything like this before except high school prom, which had been a number of years ago now. Not long ago we’d had the Halloween Gala at LaVeau Manor. I’d gotten dressed up for that, but since I’d hosted the party, tonight would be completely different. I didn’t know what to expect. I was just thankful I would have Nicolas with me. I didn’t want to be alone.
The doorbell rang and I finished putting on my left earring and then the right. After grabbing my little clutch purse, I headed out into the hallway. I made sure to lock the bedroom door behind me and secured the key in my purse. Normally, I wore it around my neck, but that would’ve taken away from the dress tonight.
After making it downstairs without falling in my heels, I opened the door. Nicolas stood in front of me. He looked dashing in his black tuxedo.
“You look gorgeous,” he said with a flash of a smile.
Something sparked in his eyes and I hoped that it was love.
I adjusted Nicolas’ bowtie. “You know I love when you wear this tux.”
Nicolas kissed me and then asked, “Are you ready for this party?”
“No, but I guess we’ll go anyway.” I closed and locked the door behind us.
I hadn’t seen my guests for a while and had no idea where they were. Nicolas and I got into his car and then pulled out onto the street. The sun had set and darkness would surround us soon. I tried to ignore the strange vibe, but the feeling intensified by the minute.
Finally, I had to say something to Nicolas. I was just about to ask him when he said, “Do you sense that?”
“I was just ready to ask you the same question. I do sense it. It’s almost as if there’s magic following us.” I looked in the rearview mirror, but saw nothing.
It must just be my anxiety, I told myself. Could someone have attached magic to his car? That was certainly possible and a little unnerving.
Nicolas must have sensed my unease. Being the fantastic person that he was, he made sure to talk to me the entire trip. That helped keep my mind off the uneasiness.
We finally made it to New Orleans and found the mansion where the party was being held. The place was huge with a circle drive and bubbling fountain out front. There was a brick façade with two stories and even a porch on the top floor. People were valet-parking their cars.
“I’m glad we’re finally here,” the female voice said from the back seat.
I jumped and turned around in my seat. Cora was sitting in the back seat of the car. She smiled widely.
“What are you doing here?” I demanded.
“I came for the party,” she said with a smile.
“How did you get in here, Cora?” Nicolas asked.
“I’ve been right back here the whole time,” she said innocently.
I stared at her with my mouth open. “There is no way you’ve been back there this whole time. I would’ve noticed you before now.”
She shrugged her shoulders. “I’ve been here the whole time.”
Cora wore a deep blue dress with big pearl earrings dangling from her ears. Her makeup was a little too heavy-handed, with bright red lipstick.
I stared at her. “I think you have to be invited, Cora.”
“I was invited.” She smirked as she whipped out her invitation and flashed it at me.
“Let me see that,” I said, taking it from her hand. I inspected the invitation and then handed it to Nicolas.
He quirked an eyebrow. “I don’t trust her.”
“Do you think someone got this for her? Maybe it’s a fake invitation,” I said.
“It’s entirely possible,” he said.
Never mind that Cora was listening to our discussion and glaring at us. “I’m offended.” She placed her hand across her heart as if she might faint.
“Let’s go inside. If she wants to go, it’s all on her.” I opened the car door.
We got out of the car with Cora hurrying right behind us. The man took the keys to park the car with the others. When Nicolas and I made our way to the door, I handed the invitation to the woman standing at the entrance.
She immediately said, “Oh, yes, please come in. We’ve been waiting for you.”
I smiled at Nicolas. “This is exciting.”
Nicolas and I stepped into the foyer. Marble covered the floor and the ceiling soared all the way to the second floor. When I glanced back, Cora had disappeared. As much as I enjoyed not having her tagging along behind us, I remained suspicious of her presence.
We moved into the main room, which was huge with a crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The place was much bigger than LaVeauManor. The room was full of people, but I instantly recognized other coven members from the New Orleans Coven. I hadn’t seen Liam yet, but he’d said he would be there. I also hadn’t spotted Adrienne Ryan yet. She’d probably be fashionably late to her own party.
“I’ll get us a drink.” Nicolas gestured across the room.
I nodded and said, “White wine, please.”
Even though I was the leader of the Underworld, I still couldn’t help but feel awkward in this crowded room. Would I ever get over my lack of self-confidence?
There were a lot of celebrities at the party, so I attempted to act cool. I was probably doing the exact opposite of that though.
“Nicolas, isn’t that Rick Weatherly?” I asked.
He
looked at me as if he had no idea who I was talking about.
“Come on, you know him. He was in that movie, Tour Guide for the Dead.”
Nicolas shook his head. “Never saw it.”
“What? You’re totally missing out. We have to watch it some night.”
Nicolas grinned “Okay, if you say so.”
“You’ll love it.”
People were looking at the entryway to the other room, so I cast my gaze that way too. The celebrity hostess had made her entrance. Adrienne wore a long pale blue gown with a split that went all the way up the side of her leg. Speaking of legs, they went on forever. Her blonde hair cascaded down her back and her skin glowed under the soft lighting. I’d seen several of her movies and she’d been sensational in all of them.
Adrienne spotted me right away and rushed over. “Ms. LaVeau, I’m so glad that you came.” She clasped my hands in hers. “I’ve wanted to meet you for so long.”
I stared at her for a moment. “You wanted to meet me?”
She flashed her beautiful smile at me. “Of course, you’re the leader of the Underworld. It’s so amazing what you’ve done. You turned around your witchcraft and made it great. You’re fantastic with running the Underworld.”
I’d only found the Book of Mystics. I’d hardly call that fantastic. Nicolas came back over with our drinks and handed me my wine glass. I introduced them. Before we could continue the conversation, a group of people had gathered around us.
Adrienne waved her hand in a grand gesture. “This is the leader of the Underworld, Halloween LaVeau.”
“You can call me Hallie,” I said bashfully.
I wasn’t used to this kind of attention. Some people wouldn’t mind, but I wasn’t sure about it.
Someone caught my attention. When I looked at him, I knew right away that it was Arthur. He moved so quickly that I lost sight of him.
Nicolas noticed me staring. “Who is it?”
I took a sip of my wine. “I thought for sure I saw Arthur.” But he wouldn’t have been invited, right? What would he be doing here?
Nicolas touched my arm. “It was probably just someone who looked like him.”
Adrienne was still discussing witchcraft and I was lost in thought wondering if I’d really seen Arthur. That was when I spotted him again. This time I got a better look and I knew without a doubt that it was him.
