Charmed Again (Halloween LaVeau)

by Rose Pressey

  Liam looked at me. “Sorry. Why don’t you tell us where he’s at?”

  “Okay, but don’t look. He’s sitting toward the back of the room at a table in the corner. It’s to your right,” I gestured with a subtle tilt of my head.

  No matter how many times I said don’t look, they still looked. Luckily, it didn’t appear as if Jacobson had noticed us. The room was dim, but I’d recognize Jacobson anywhere. His tall, thin frame and long face didn’t stand out in a crowd, but the way he dressed sure was noticeable. Tonight he wore a red silk shirt and black pants. He looked as if he was headed back in time to a disco. Jacobson tilted his head back in laughter. Who was he talking to? I couldn’t see who was standing next to him because of the group of people on the dance floor blocking my view.

  “I wish those people would get out of the way so I could see who he is talking to,” I said.

  My mother waved her hands through the air and said, “Lift your feet without missing a beat. You’re blocking the view, now move for just a few.”

  The people standing in front of the table glanced around, confused. They’d obviously sensed the magic, but didn’t know where it had come from. I didn’t want my mother to get in trouble for disobeying the no-magic policy. I couldn’t blame the place for putting that sign out front. With this many witches in one place, the wand-waving could get a little out of hand. Lucky for us, the spell had worked because the two women and the man stepped over to the next table. They probably had no idea why they wanted to move, they just knew that they wanted to move.

  But I had a perfect view now thanks to my mother. And I didn’t like what I saw.

  “I don’t think you’re supposed to do magic in here, Mother. That’s why the sign was outside,” I said.

  “Desperate times call for desperate measures, right? I think a little magic just this one time won’t hurt.” She wiggled her penciled-on eyebrows.

  I shook my head, but didn’t argue. There was no use. She’d already done it now. “Well, just don’t do any more while we’re here, okay?”

  Sabrina Stratford was the person sitting across from her brother. She wasn’t such an outlandish dresser as her brother though. Sabrina wore a burgundy-colored wrap dress and matching heels. A little too matching for my taste, but that was neither here nor there right now. She could have been wearing pajamas and bunny slippers and I wouldn’t care. I just wanted to get to the bottom of the charges and be done with this.

  Sabrina took a sip from her wine glass, then continued chatting with her brother. They still hadn’t noticed that we were staring at them. But that soon changed.

  Sabrina took another sip, sat the glass down and turned to meet our stare. She looked me dead in the eyes and glared. Her evil stare shot across the room. If power had been behind it, I would have fallen out of my chair and onto the floor.

  Jacobson must have sensed the magic too because he looked over at us. He stared for a moment, then set his highball glass down and stood. He was definitely coming our way. I hoped this didn’t turn into a fight. I had to find out a way to stop this madness soon.

  If only I could figure out what the book said. According to what I’d read so far, I had to unlock the rules of the book one at a time. So if I needed to perform a certain spell to save Nicolas, I sure hadn’t discovered it yet. If I could bring Nicolas’ mother back, she could tell me what I should do. Heck, she could even have her old job back. I’d go back to being a bad witch just running a bed-and-breakfast. That was all I’d wanted to do in the first place. Who needed this headache?

  Jacobson weaved through the crowd, never taking his eyes off our table.

  “Oh, he’s coming our way,” Misty said in a shaky voice.

  She’d never dealt with anything like this before. The worst of her problems consisted of what food to serve at the monthly Coven meetings.

  “I’ll handle him,” Liam said as he pushed to his feet.

  I grabbed Liam’s arm. “Don’t let him drag you into a fight.”

  Jacobson approached the table with a fake smile on his face. “Imagine seeing you here.” He looked over at my mother and Misty and nodded.

  “I think we can say the same thing to you,” Liam said with a cool and clipped tone.

  “You’re a little far away from home, don’t you think?” I asked.

  “We were in the area. I’ve heard a lot of good things about Enchantment Pointe. I thought I’d give it a closer look-see.” Jacobson flashed his overly white teeth.

  “Cut the crap, Jacobson. What are you doing back in Enchantment Pointe?” Liam asked.

  Jacobson shot Liam a dirty look. “I told you why I’m here. There’s nothing more to it.”

  “We stopped by to see you, but no one was home. The door was open though,” I said.

  Okay, maybe I shouldn’t have told him, but I wanted him to know that he wasn’t the only sly one. Two could play that game.

  “I’m aware that you were in the home. I have cameras set up, you know.” He smirked.

  “Then you won’t mind telling me what you know about the markings on the wall in your place,” I said, folding my arms in front of my chest.

  “Oh that?” He feigned surprise. “That’s just a little part of the witchcraft we practice. Nothing to worry about.”

  I knew it was fruitless to even ask him what kind of witchcraft. I’d have to figure it out on my own. Whatever they were up to, I knew it wasn’t good. Tension hung in the air as he stared at us. Just then, Sabrina sashayed over. She didn’t speak as she fixed her stare on me. There was clearly hatred in her eyes. We needed to have a long conversation to get to the bottom of her accusations, but I didn’t know whether we should have that confrontation now or get out of there instead. If I knew the Stratfords though, and I was learning their personalities quickly, then I knew that they were itching for a confrontation. I refused to get into a barroom brawl.

  Before I had a chance to mentally debate it any longer, a strange vibe fell over me. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but I knew that I’d sensed it before. I looked to my mother and Misty, but they were too busy focusing their attention on Sabrina. Did they feel the strange vibe too? If they did, they didn’t mention it.

  “What are you doing here?” Sabrina asked as if highly insulted.

  It was nice that she’d finally spoken, but I didn’t like her first question. How dare she ask me why I was there?

  I shot her an evil stare. “Excuse me? I am the leader of the Underworld and I think I can stop in for a drink at the Bubbling Cauldron.”

  I added the part about being the leader because I knew that would make her angry. I wasn’t sure how I knew, I just knew. Probably from the malicious looks she’d been shooting my way. As far as I was concerned being the leader was hardly a perk, more like a burden.

  “You do know that witchcraft isn’t allowed in the bar,” she said in a snippy tone.

  “I’m fully aware of the bar policies, thank you,” I snapped.

  She smirked and was ready to make some pointless comeback when the strange vibe fell over me again. It glided at a steady pace across the room. The sensation wasn’t visible, but I felt it. It came toward me in a wave, picking up speed until it finally landed against me with a smash. The wind was sucked from my lungs and I let out a gasp. My mother rushed over and patted me on the back. Liam grabbed my arm.

  “Are you okay?” my mother asked.

  I nodded as I took a couple quick breaths. Jacobson and Sabrina had sly smiles on their faces. They knew what this was all about. The strange vibe had come from them, but I just didn’t know how or why at the moment. I wouldn’t stop until I figured out what they were doing. They were into some black magic and I had to prove it.

  Just then Sabrina and Jacobson moved a couple steps to the side, opening up a path. Across the bar, I spotted Nicolas. His glassy-eyed stare was fixed on me. The multi-colored lights from the giant bubbling cauldron pulsated behind him, changing from red, then blue to green. What was he doing there? My
stomach took a dive. I should be happy to see him, but something didn’t feel right. The look in his eyes was the same as when I’d last seen him. Whatever had a hold of him was attached tightly. I had to find out what was wrong with him and get rid of it before it was too late. When Jacobson saw Nicolas, I knew there would be a huge fight.

  I glanced over at Liam. He was staring straight at his brother. Liam looked as if he was ready to pounce on Jacobson if he made one move toward Nicolas.

  But to my surprise, Nicolas stood right between Jacobson and Sabrina. They smiled at each other as if they were the best of friends. Nicolas looked tired with dark circles ringing his eyes.

  “What is going on?” Liam asked.

  I couldn’t take my eyes off Nicolas’ face. “What are you doing here, Nicolas?”

  “Hallie. Liam.” Nicolas nodded. His greeting was polite, but formal.

  “Do you care to explain what is going on?” I asked, looking at Jacobson.

  “All is forgiven with Nicolas now. There is no need to go any further with an investigation. He’s decided to work closely with the New Orleans Coven. He’s the new vampire consultant.”

  I exchanged a glance with Liam. I didn’t believe this for two seconds. No way would Nicolas join Jacobson and Sabrina and try to help them. And there was no way Jacobson would forgive Nicolas for what he’d done.

  “Is this true, Nicolas?” I asked.

  “Yes, I feel it’s for the best. There are no hard feelings between us now. Plus, they need my help.” He offered a fake smile.

  “Nicolas, can I speak with you in private?” Liam asked, gesturing with a tilt of his head.

  Nicolas shook his head. “We were just on our way back to New Orleans. I’ll call you soon.”

  “This isn’t something that can wait,” Liam said sternly.

  “Nicolas, I really think we should speak about this first. I would at least like a chance to close out this investigation.” I searched his eyes.

  “There are no charges to investigate anymore. Like I said, everything is fine. Right, Sabrina?” Jacobson looked to his sister.

  “You can’t bring charges and then just decide that it’s over. The rules don’t work that way,” I said.

  Sure, I had no idea how the rules really worked, but they didn’t know that. Plus, I should be able to make up some of the rules as I went, right?

  Jacobson’s brow pulled in to an affronted frown. “There is nothing you can do about it.”

  Well, we’d see about that.

  I ignored Jacobson, and said, “Nicolas, we found your wallet in the abandoned house.”

  He shook his head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I didn’t lose my wallet.”

  Too bad I hadn’t brought it with me to prove it to him. He was lying to me now and I knew that wasn’t like Nicolas at all.

  That was when it hit me. This wasn’t Nicolas at all. The person in front of me was the imposter who had been in the New Orleans vampire bar. But why would they have someone pretend to be Nicolas? If this was a fake Nicolas, then where was the real Nicolas?

  Sabrina looped her arm through Nicolas’. “Come on, we need to get back to the plantation.”

  “I’ll call you,” Nicolas said as he turned around.

  I looked for some glimmer of the old Nicolas that I’d known, but I saw nothing in his eyes.

  “Stop,” I yelled as I watched the three of them walk away.

  I hurried around the table with Liam, Misty, and my mother following close behind. There was no way I would let Nicolas walk out of this bar with them. Not without knowing for sure if it was an imposter. Jacobson and Sabrina were up to no good.

  The bar had grown even more crowded and it was hard to run through the groups of people and keep up with Nicolas. When I got close enough that I thought I could stop him, I reached for his arm, but didn’t make contact. Instead I fell to the ground. Liam rushed over and helped me to my feet. When I looked up, they’d already made their way out the door.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Without saying a word, I rushed to the door. I wanted answers, and darn it, I was going to get them. Once I made it out into the night air, I looked up and down the sidewalk. The trio had vanished as if a tornado had dropped from the sky and sucked them right up.

  “Where did they go?” Misty asked from behind me.

  Liam and my mother stood next to me, looking just as frustrated as I felt.

  The sound of a cough caught my attention and I whipped around. A man was leaning against the brick building.

  He took a puff from his cigarette, then said, “Are you looking for the men and woman?”

  “Yes, did you see them?” I asked.

  “They used magic and vanished.” He snapped his fingers.

  “Seriously?” I asked, with my mouth hanging open.

  He stared at me for a moment, then said, “No. They jumped in a black car and sped away as if they’d just robbed a bank.”

  Leave it to me to run into a smart-ass at this most inopportune time. All I wanted was straight answers, not sarcastic remarks.

  “Did you see which way they went?” Liam asked. He probably sensed my frustration.

  “They went right, away from town.” The man pointed, then tossed his cigarette on the ground and stomped on it.

  “They’re headed to New Orleans, I guess,” I said.

  The man stared at me with his beady little eyes as he walked past. He disappeared into the Bubbling Cauldron without saying another word. He acted strangely for sure, but I figured he’d had a few too many beers. I wondered though… could he be someone giving us false information? I had no way to know, but enough about him anyway. I had to know what Jacobson and Sabrina had been doing in Enchantment Pointe. And if it was the real Nicolas, then how had they convinced him to tag along with them? Had they used some kind of witchcraft? Why wouldn’t Nicolas answer my questions? All good questions without answers.

  “I don’t think that was the real Nicolas,” I said, looking at Liam.

  He shook his head. “I think you might be right.”

  “What makes you think that?” I asked.

  “Whoever that was had a necklace around their neck. Nicolas never wears them,” he said.

  That was something that I hadn’t known about Nicolas. I’d have to find out why Nicolas had an aversion to necklaces. I thought back to when Nicolas and I had been dancing. One minute he hadn’t been wearing the necklace, then once he returned, he had had one on his neck. Was that when the real Nicolas had disappeared?

  After dropping off my mother and Misty, Liam and I headed back to LaVeau Manor. As we drove along, I studied the twinkling stars in the clear night sky.

  “I guess you weren’t expecting your life to take such a drastic turn,” Liam said as he navigated a turn.

  I leaned my head back against the seat. “Not exactly, no.”

  He cast a glance my way and said, “For whatever it’s worth, I know you’ll figure things out.”

  “I just wish I had more control.” I closed my eyes for a moment.

  “You need a good night’s sleep. You’ll be able to think more clearly in the morning,” Liam squeezed my hand.

  “I’d better come up with a plan soon,” I said.

  I realized when we pulled into the driveway of LaVeau Manor that a foreboding feeling fell over me instantly. This time, I didn’t have a sense of relief about being home. It was more like trepidation for what might be waiting for me inside. Where had Catherin vanished too and how would I get rid of Claude?

  Liam held the door open for me as we stepped inside the massive foyer. He closed the door behind us and turned to me. Pluto rushed over and weaved around my legs. He meowed loudly, letting me know that his food dish was empty and that he wanted the supply replenished immediately.

  “Well, I guess I’ll turn in for the night,” I said.

  My heart beat faster as Liam stared at me. His eyes were fixed on my lips. In one fluid movement, he was standing in fro
nt of me. My head was swimming as he pressed his body close to mine. I melted into his arms as his lips met mine. As his mouth covered mine hungrily, I was shocked by my own eager response to his kiss.

  My knees went weak and the only thing holding me up was Liam’s embrace. I knew I had to push him away. My thoughts were so muddled at the moment. I couldn’t allow myself to be swept up in the moment. But yet I couldn’t pull away from his kiss either.

  When the doorbell rang, it was like being saved by the bell. I wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing though. Liam pulled away from me and looked at the door. The bell ringing at LaVeau Manor meant trouble and he knew it. Sometimes that meant gorgeous men showing up, but that still equaled nothing but trouble.

  I raced over to the door and peeked out the little hole. The night was clear and the light out the veranda illuminated the men’s faces. The man from the bar stood on my doorstep. He wasn’t alone though.

  “It’s that strange man from the Bubbling Cauldron, the one who was smoking outside, and there’s another man with him,” I whispered.

  Liam hurried over and opened the door. It was funny how I thought things couldn’t get stranger, and yet they always did. This place was like the vortex for all things strange. And I was now queen of the weirdness.

  “What do you want?” Liam asked as he opened the door.

  I peeked around to get a better look at the men. They were peering over Liam’s shoulder at me. What did they want with me?

  “I’ve come to see Halloween LaVeau,” the man said in a professional tone.

  Obviously he meant business. He wore a gray suit that matched the sprinkles of gray in his otherwise dark hair. He had icy blue eyes and incredibly pale skin.

  “I’m afraid she’s not accepting visitors this evening,” Liam said, pushing the door closed.

  From the expression on this man’s face, he didn’t seem to care whether I was receiving guests or not. He didn’t look like the follow-the-rules type.

  The man stopped the door with his foot. “You’re Liam Rankin,” he said. “Aren’t you Nicolas Marcos’ brother?”