“Mommy,” Lady Weatherby cried, and ran toward Agnes. She threw her arms around the old witch, nearly knocking her over. The healer wisely took that as her cue to leave.
“It’s true then,” Agnes said, more to me. “I heard about the spell, but I didn’t quite believe it.” She disentangled herself from her daughter. “What brings you here, Jacinda Ruth?”
“Did you know I’m head of the coven now?” Lady Weatherby asked, bubbling with excitement.
“Yes, yes. I know all about it. Don’t you remember? I was there.”
Agnes moved into her room and Lady Weatherby skipped behind her, her headdress falling askew in the process. She looked…adorable.
“I don’t suppose you smuggled in any treats?” Agnes asked.
“No,” I replied firmly. I wasn’t going down that road again. I’d already puked once in her toilet. That was enough.
“I have treats,” Lady Weatherby replied, and pulled several pieces of colorful candy from her cloak pocket.
“These look nice,” Agnes said, accepting them.
“Do you like it in this place?” Lady Weatherby asked, twirling around so that her cloak billowed out like a bell.
“It’s adequate,” Agnes said.
“Do you resent me for not taking care of you?” Lady Weatherby asked. She began to fiddle with a few coins on the kitchenette counter.
“Resent is a big word for a little girl,” Agnes said.
“I know lots of big words,” Lady Weatherby said, lifting her chin. “I’m very smart.”
Agnes reached up and patted her head, avoiding the twisted antlers of her headdress. “Yes, you are. You get that from your mother.”
I felt like an intruder standing in the room with them. “Would you like me to wait outside?”
“No, you have to stay,” Lady Weatherby insisted. “They said you have to accompany me, remember?”
“What’s new and exciting in the coven, dear?” Agnes asked. “Why don’t you sit down and tell me everything?”
Her demeanor fascinated me. This was a different Agnes to the wily and mischievous witch I’d come to know.
Instead of sitting in a chair, Lady Weatherby hopped up and down on the edge of the bed. “I guess you know about Emma here. She’s not really one of ours, but we let her play with us.”
I winced.
“Now, now, dear.” Agnes mustered a smile. “We’ve accepted her, haven’t we?”
Lady Weatherby giggled. “She’s terrible at baking.”
“Hey,” I objected. “Cut me some slack. It’s all new to me.”
“Where are your friends, Mommy?” Lady Weatherby asked. “I’d like to meet them.”
“Not today, pet,” Agnes said. “Perhaps another time. I’d rather just talk to you. We haven’t seen each other in quite some time.”
Lady Weatherby beamed. “Do you want to play a game? You always have cards.”
“That I do.”
Agnes produced a deck of cards from her pocket and began to shuffle them. “Would you care to join us?”
“No, thank you,” I said. “I’m going to sneak down the hall and see if Estella is around.” Estella was a dwarf I’d met here when I’d come to see Agnes. “I’ll make sure no one sees me.”
I wandered around the care home for half an hour, talking to various residents, until Agnes found me in Estella’s room.
“She’s ready to go,” Agnes said. “She says she’s hungry and sleepy.”
“I’ll bet,” I said. “It’s been a busy day.”
Back in her mother’s room, Lady Weatherby bent forward and Agnes gently kissed her forehead.
“Take good care, pet,” Agnes said. “You’ll come to see me again soon, won’t you?”
“Of course,” Lady Weatherby replied. “You’re my mother. I miss you.”
Agnes tried to disguise her shock. “I miss you, too.”
“We should go,” I said, taking Lady Weatherby’s hand. “We need to get you something to eat.”
Her hand touched her stomach. “I would like a leg of lamb, if you don’t mind.”
Okay, I was expecting her to say ‘ice cream’ but whatever. “Sure. Let’s find you a leg of lamb.”
“That was always her favorite,” Agnes said. “With a sprinkle of rosemary.” She paused. “Do you think she’ll be back to see me, once the spell is reversed?” There was a hint of wistfulness in her voice.
“I hope so,” I said. “But you know your daughter better than anyone. She has a mind of her own.”
“And where do you think she gets it?” Agnes said proudly.
I smiled. “Have a good day, Agnes. Try to stay out of trouble.”
She leaned against the doorframe for support. “Terrible advice, Hart. Where’s the fun in that?”
Chapter 13
In the midst of all of the chaos, I’d forgotten that I’d agreed to host the vampire séance for Gareth and his friends. I wasn't sure about hosting at my house, but I knew that it was the only appropriate place for them to reunite since my office was too small and the library was too public.
Kassandra was the first to arrive. She was nothing like I expected. Her dark hair was streaked with blonde and she sported a tongue ring. A punk psychic.
"You must be Kassandra," I said. "Please come in. I'm Emma."
Kassandra stepped into the foyer and glanced around. "Such interesting vibes I'm getting. What a great house with old bones.”
"Thank you," I replied, although I wasn't certain that I could take credit for the great vibes since I’d only moved in a few months ago.
"Why is Gareth hiding downstairs?" Kassandra asked.
I laughed. "You can tell where he is? He's sulking. He wanted to be able to change his outfit for the reunion, but he hasn't figured out how to do that yet."
Kassandra smiled. “The life of a new ghost. Some things never change."
"Should I get him?"
Kassandra waved me off. “Let him sulk. We don't need him yet. Why don't you show me where I'll be performing?”
Performing was an interesting choice of words since, by all accounts, she was an actual psychic.
I showed her to the living room with its huge mantel and fireplace. She clapped her hands together and spun around.
"What a fabulous room." She walked over and pressed her open palms against the wall. “Oh, if these walls could talk."
"They’d tell you that your outfit is hideous," Gareth said. I turned to see him floating in the doorway, giving Kassandra the stink eye.
Kassandra inclined her head. "He's here now, isn't he?"
"You can't just see and hear him like I can?" I asked. I didn’t know why, but I expected Kassandra to be able to communicate with him in exactly the same way I did.
She shook her head. "It doesn't work like that for me. I need a focal point. Almost like a physical vessel to bring him through."
I suppose that explained her use of the word performance. Her method required effort.
"I don't like her hair," Gareth said, folding his arms like a disgruntled toddler. “Hair doesn’t need statement streaks.”
"You don't like anyone's hair," I shot back. In fact, one of Gareth’s favorite pastimes was criticizing the various states of my hair.
"I'd like to sit at the head of this table, if that's okay with you," Kassandra said. The long table previously resided in the dining room until my first poker night. After that, Gareth and I decided it was best to leave it in the living room for hosting purposes.
"Anything you want," I said. "The séance is for Gareth and his friends. I’m simply the hostess."
Kassandra placed a hand on my shoulder. "You're a good friend to him. Not everyone would be so welcoming."
I laughed. "I didn’t exactly have a choice. He lived here first."
"They're here," Gareth called. He disappeared from view, probably going to critique their outfits before they walked through the door. Typical Gareth.
I followed him to the front door
and, sure enough, five vampires stood on my front porch. Demetrius, Samson, Edgar, Dante, and Killian. Each was handsome in his own way, but Demetrius was the cream of the vampire crop. I stepped aside to let them pass.
"Come in," I said. "Gareth is excited to see you all again."
"And probably to talk our ears off about everything we've been doing wrong since his death," Samson said, prompting laughter from the others.
"No fair," Gareth complained. "They can't start taking the piss until Kassandra has worked her magic."
"Let's get started, shall we?" I said, guiding them into the living room. Kassandra sat at the head of the table, her hands clasped together.
“I’ll need something of Gareth’s,” she said. "Preferably something of sentimental value."
Edgar chuckled. "Good luck finding that."
"Hey," Gareth said. "I can be sentimental."
At that moment, Magpie breezed into the room. Surprisingly, he didn't seem remotely bothered by the crowd. Several vampires backed away slightly at the sight of him.
"Devil in darkness," Edgar said. "You haven't gotten rid of that beast yet?"
Magpie seemed to know that he was the center of the conversation. He jumped up onto the table and plopped down in the middle of it, licking his paws.
"He'll do," Kassandra said, and reached forward. Magpie seemed as surprised as anyone when she wrapped her arms around his hairless body and pulled him onto her lap.
“She can’t…” Gareth began, but my look shut him up.
“Let her do what she needs to do,” I told him.
"Everyone take a seat," Kassandra said. "This cat is vibrating with energy. He'll be a perfect conduit."
"A perfect conduit for evil," Samson muttered.
"Kettle meet pot," I said pointedly.
Samson fell silent.
Kassandra inhaled deeply and closed her eyes, stroking Magpie as she began to hum. I waited with baited breath for Magpie to sink his teeth into her arm, but he sat perfectly still, as though he sat on a woman's lap every day. Man, he was so annoying.
"I call you forth, Gareth," Kassandra said. "I call you forth to greet those who love you."
Gareth floated in the doorway. "I'm right here. She knows I'm right here, doesn't she?"
I shrugged. This was my first séance. What did I know?
Kassandra continued to hum until, without warning, she yanked one of Magpie’s few hairs from his body and threw it into the fire behind her. Magpie yowled in protest and tried to jump from her lap, but she held firm.
"What is that crackpot doing to my cat?" Gareth demanded. “It’s torture.”
Kassandra's eyes flew open and she focused on him. "That crackpot is making you visible for you and your friends."
Gareth nearly fell backward.
"Gareth?" Edgar squinted. "Great damnation, it is you."
Samson looked to Kassandra. "Can we touch him?"
“Now that sounds promising,” Gareth quipped.
Kassandra pursed her lips. “He’s not really solid, but for a short while, you’ll be able to see and hear each other. I urge you to make the most of it."
Magpie remained calm. Although I wasn't certain, I thought I even heard the soft sound of purring.
As Gareth floated over to the table for closer inspection, Demetrius broke into a broad grin. "You look fantastic for a ghost. The true death agrees with you.“
"And you look great as always, you lucky bastard," Gareth said with a toothy smile.
"So the other times I've been here…” Demetrius began. “Were you here then?"
I knew what Demetrius was referring to. He’d visited me on several occasions, including two kisses on the front porch.
"No worries, Dem,” Gareth said. "Your game is as good as ever."
The other vampires chuckled.
"On that note," Gareth said, "there’s something I need to get off my chest before we lose our connection.”
Oh wow. I didn't expect Gareth to use the séance for this reason, but I suppose it made sense.
"What is it?" Edgar asked. "Do you want us to deliver a message to Alison?" Alison had been Gareth’s former fiancée. They’d broken off the engagement about a year before his death, though.
"No, Emma has spoken to Alison on my behalf." Gareth cleared his throat. "I wasn't honest with all of you in the years we've known each other. In truth, I wasn't honest with myself. It was silly of me, living so many years with a secret."
"What secret?" Edgar prodded gently.
"It's time I came out of the coffin," Gareth said. "Gentlemen, you’re in the presence of a gay vampire."
I watched the reactions of the group, especially the Scripture-spouting Dante. I hoped for Gareth's sake that everyone was accepting.
Demetrius was the first one to speak. “Well, that explains the leather pants you used to own.”
“And the disco ball,” Edgar added.
“Ahem. I took ownership of the disco ball,” Samson said.
“Anything you care to tell us then, Samson?” Gareth asked, and everyone laughed again.
“I like the way the light reflects off of it,” Samson said. “It’s very atmospheric.”
“So I have an important question,” Demetrius said, his dark eyes solemn. “Which one of us has the best butt?”
Gareth smiled “That's an easy one. You know it's you, Dem.”
The chorus of laughter was music to my ears. Gareth’s big secret was finally out and I felt elated for him. I was grateful that I could help give him this chance to share that important piece of himself he’d kept hidden.
“You have an owl on your porch,” Demetrius said, peering out the window.
“No, Sedgwick is upstairs,” I replied.
Demetrius suppressed a smile. “It’s not your owl. This one doesn’t look like he’s cursing me under his breath.”
I opened the window and the owl deposited a note into my hand.
“I recognize the owl,” Killian said. “He belongs to Markos.”
I felt everyone’s eyes on me as I unrolled the message. It was a party invitation, to be held at the minotaur’s house.
“Care to share with the class?” Gareth prodded.
“He’s hosting a party,” I said. “That’s all.”
Gareth performed his version of a happy dance, floating around the room and wiggling his hips. “You’re in for a real treat. Markos’s parties are legendary.”
“So does everyone get invited?” I asked.
Edgar laughed. “Hardly. He likes to keep the odds in his favor, if you know what I mean.”
“Not that the guy needs any help,” Killian added. “Lucky bastard is a magnet for women.”
I gave Killian a sympathetic smile. I’d first met him at Pandora’s matchmaking office. He was a nice vampire struggling to find the right girl and settle down. Tale as old as time.
“If you’re invited, it’s because he’s interested,” Demetrius said, a bit disgruntled.
“You can’t know that for certain,” Samson said.
Demetrius met his gaze. “Yes, I do…because it’s exactly what I would do.”
I tucked the invitation in my pocket, feeling awkward. “Well, I don’t know that I have time for a party anyway. I’m pretty busy with the council’s problem and Russ’s case.”
Gareth crossed the room to stand beside me. “Take it from me, Emma. You only get one shot at life…” He hesitated. “Fine, some of us get two shots, but the point remains. Don’t use work as an excuse not to live your life. Trust me on that one.”
He whirled around and faced his guests. “So I want to hear all of the latest gossip from the golf course. Has anyone’s handicap improved? I don’t know how much longer we’ll be able to see each other.” He glanced at Kassandra, who shrugged.
“It’s always a crapshoot,” she said, stroking Magpie. She reminded me of the quintessential evil mastermind, sitting in the armchair with a hairless cat.
I slipped out of the room and
pulled out the invitation to read it again. Markos seemed like a good guy and everyone liked him. Not to mention he didn’t have the womanizing reputation of Daniel or Demetrius.
You should go, Princess Party Pooper, Sedgwick said, appearing on the banister.
“If I’m a party pooper, then why should I go?” I shot back. “Doesn’t that mean I’ll ruin it?”
You should go so that I get a night off, he replied. It’s a matter of complete self-interest.
“You’re the worst,” I said.
“Emma?”
I spun around. “Hey, Dem. Do you need something?”
“Just wanted to make sure you haven’t been experiencing any of the lawlessness around here that other residents have.”
“No,” I said. “My yard seems to have been spared from the parade of shifting shifters.”
He grinned and I saw the hint of his fangs. “Good to hear.”
As I turned to go upstairs, a thought occurred to me. “Demetrius, are you the one who warded my property?”
His brow lifted. “Am I the one who…No, I did not ward your property.”
Something in his expression suggested he was lying, so I tried again. “Demetrius, did you have someone else ward my property?”
He lowered his gaze, his usual swagger nowhere to be seen. “I may have asked a friend to do a protective spell.” His eyes met mine. “I hope you’re not upset.”
I held the banister to steady myself. Demetrius had the property warded to protect me, not Daniel. The vampire was more thoughtful than I gave him credit for.
“Thank you, Demetrius. I’m not upset. It was very kind of you to think of me.”
“I know you’re capable of taking care of yourself,” he said. “I hope you don’t take it the wrong way.”
My heart softened. “Not at all. It’s nice that you care.”
“I do,” he said, his dark eyes earnest. “I should get back to the others. I don’t want to miss too much of Gareth.”
“No, you really don’t. Goodnight, Dem.”
“Goodnight, Emma.”
I climbed the steps to my bedroom. From the comfort of my bed, I listened to the raucous sounds of the séance until I fell fast asleep.
Lucky Charm (Spellbound Paranormal Cozy Mystery Book 4) Page 11
