Celeste

by Dale Mayer

  Thank God they’d found the women. Too bad they didn’t remember anything.

  He still couldn’t logically understand why they’d been stashed in his storeroom, unless someone planned to move them out later during the celebration. And that might have worked. The storeroom was only a few feet from the emergency exit. Except this evening’s event would have been cancelled, if they hadn’t found the sisters. There was no way it would have gone on without them. They were an integral part of tonight.

  Whether they knew it or not.

  He ran his hands through his hair. Connor walked over, already dressed for the night ahead, overseeing the last of the arrangements. “Matt, go get changed.”

  “Right. Still haven’t done that.” He looked around, his mind still buzzing.

  “The first of the guests will be here soon. You’re not ready.”

  “I’ll go now. Check with Devon and Scott. They are coordinating the rest of the security.”

  “I’ll see to it. Go.” Connor pushed him toward the elevators. “Go.”

  And Matt went. His mind whirled, mentally compiling a list of the things that still needed to be done. This evening was important for a lot of reasons. His first event as the Head of the Center. He needed Celeste at his side. A pang of guilt hit him. He knew they’d had a shock tonight. It shouldn’t have happened in the first place. But it had, and he had to deal with the fallout. The women had reassured him several times that they were fine. And they might be.

  But he was not.

  Devon and Connor were on his side on this one.

  Tonight they were bringing this to an end. In as big a way as possible. There was a lot at stake. And the women had been kidnapped tonight on purpose. Whoever was doing this wanted to undermine his position. His power. Do away with the most powerful women on the planet and steal their inheritance.

  Good timing on their part.

  Well, he’d make sure whoever was doing this was ruined. Preferably tonight. And preferably as publicly as possible.

  Scott had set the traps. Mopsy had shifted his focus to the watching of the traps. Matt could only hope he was as good as Scott swore he was. There was a lot at stake.

  Inside his apartment, he stopped for a moment and swallowed down that pulse of panic when he realized that Celeste wasn’t here. It was quickly followed by the reminder that the sisters were together now, and would arrive together a little bit later.

  It was all about the big entrances, and all that power stuff.

  He stripped off his clothes, wished he had time for another shower. The ghost of a grin crossed his face. He’d love another shower like he’d had earlier with Celeste, but regretfully, he was alone, and time was of the essence.

  He quickly shaved and washed the soap off his chin. He dressed carefully, aware that this was a power session for him. He had to give that impression that he was in power on all levels. And that he planned to stay in power.

  His fingers slowed as he thought about that. The thing is, he was going to stay in power. Regardless of what anyone thought. He knew that. This was where he belonged. This is where he was going to stay.

  The pressure eased when he shrugged on his jacket, then walked out to meet the first guest.

  He couldn’t wait to see the reaction from his company when they saw the sisters here, whole, healthy, and together. As they would always stay. Scott had doubled up the available cameras, so that they could record everyone’s expressions as the women walked in.

  At least that way, they’d be able to search tomorrow to see who’d been shocked and dismayed to see them arrive.

  Not that he was looking for answers tomorrow.

  He was going to end this tonight.

  Chapter 26

  “Are you sure you’re feeling okay?” Celeste asked Genesis for what had to be the fifth time in the last hour.

  Genesis took her sister’s hand and squeezed it. “I’m better than okay. Stop worrying.”

  “Yeah, like that’s going to happen,” Celeste said. She waited a moment then said, “Are we ready?”

  “Hell, no,” Tori said with force. “But we have to do this.” She shuddered. “Why are the dresses so ugly?” she wailed.

  “I was thinking the same thing.” Morosely, Celeste stared at the stack of potato sack-looking dresses on the bed. The three so-called cloud dresses weren’t even close to the image she had in her mind from long ago.

  Genesis frowned. “Maybe they’ll look better when we’re wearing them.”

  “Not possible.” Tori glared at them. Then turned her back and walked away. “I just can’t do it. I’ll go in jeans before I go in this.”

  Celeste agreed. Why had she expected the dresses to work? Had she really thought they could pull a crappy dress out of a box and make it beautiful?

  So not happening.

  But she couldn’t let it go. She’d seen Granny make these. A memory she’d always held dear. There had to be a reason. Shuddering, she said, “I’ll go first.” And she picked up the dress that had her name on it. “Why did she feel she had to identify these?” she wondered out loud. “They’re equally ugly.”

  She stepped out of her pants, and pulled her shirt over her head. Taking a deep breath, she gently lowered the incredibly light material over her head, and let it settle in place on her shoulders.

  “I’ll say one thing—it’s so light, I feel like I’m wearing nothing.” She held her arms out and pivoted slightly. The dress had a handkerchief bottom, so it flared and twirled as she turned. She loved that. It just looked…she sighed. “Damn it’s still ugly.”

  The look on her sister’s faces brought tears to her eyes.

  “I’m so sorry,” she cried. “I thought these were special. I was sure they’d work.”

  Minkel sat on the bed, beside both Darbo and Silky. They beamed up at her encouragingly.

  “Sure,” she said resentfully. “You’re not going to be put on display tonight wearing a potato sack.”

  Jessie showed up just then. Now lime-green, instead of the bright-purple color she’d seen him in last. Celeste stared at him. “How is it your Polten spirit pet can change his colors, yet this dress can’t?”

  Genesis sat upright. “Do we know they can’t?” she asked cautiously. “Granny said these were cloud dresses. Power dresses of some kind.”

  “And we’re women of power,” Tori said excitedly. “Celeste, do something.”

  Celeste stared at Tori. “Like what?”

  “Anything that uses your abilities…”

  Genesis jumped to her feet. “Or focus energy on the dress. Like this…” and she reached out a tiny pulse of healing energy. But there was no change. Dismayed, she tried again. “Damn. I thought for sure that was the answer.”

  “And maybe it is.” Celeste stared down at the material that was cut too large for her body, and in a soft whisper, she said, “Dress tighten up.” And she zapped it with a little energy.

  Instantly, the dress clung to all the right places.

  “Whoa!” she cried out.

  “What did you do?” Tori cried out walking around her. “It fits like a second skin.”

  “Yeah, is that a good thing?” Celeste said. “I’m not sure I want anything quite so revealing.”

  With a whisper of sound, the dress relaxed on her bosom slightly, and draped across her chest, instead.

  “Oh boy,” Genesis said, awe on her face. “Is this really happening?”

  “I’m not sure,” Celeste said. “I want long, clinging sleeves to match.”

  Instantly, the material unrolled down to her wrists.

  The women stared at each other, then in a flurry of activity, the other two stripped down and were reaching for their own dresses. “That’s why the names. The dresses are tuned to our energy,” Tori said in a whisper, as the dress floated over her shoulders. “But the color is really ugly.”

  “No,” Celeste said with a quiet laugh. “It’s the absence of color not the color.”

  She close
d her eyes and envisioned a beautiful midnight-purplish blue with a shimmer. She opened her eyes and gasped. “Oh, my.”

  The sisters screamed. “Holy crap.”

  “So do we really have dresses that change shape, style, and color at our whim?” Genesis said in delight. “Is that really possible?”

  “And possibly be affected by our energy,” Tori warned. “If we get angry our dresses may change on us, too.”

  That was a sobering thought.

  They stared at each other, wondering at the possibilities.

  Tori stood in front of the full-length mirror and changed the color or her dress from flame-red, to deep-purple. “There’s so much choice,” she marveled.

  “Maybe too much, considering we don’t have any time.” Celeste whispered with quiet joy. “Oh, thank you, Granny.”

  “So let’s help each other right now, and we can try something different next time.” Celeste turned in a pirouette. “What about this?”

  “Schoolgirl, lacking self-confidence.” Tori said instantly. “Honestly, that first dress that clung was a power dress. Get the right color, do the hair, and you’re all set.”

  In a blink, Celeste turned the dress back to the one she’d started with. She winced. “It’s awfully revealing.”

  “And Matt is your mate. Don’t you want him to see you in that outfit?”

  Celeste flushed. “Oh, I do.”

  Then her face fell. “What about shoes?” she cried. “There’s no way we’re going to wear ballet slippers with this.”

  Genesis dove for the box. “Granny wouldn’t have let us down on that item.” She pulled out three ugly pairs of slippers from the box and shook her head.

  “If I’d seen these while cleaning up the cottage, I’d have tossed them.” She placed hers on her feet and ordered them into stilettos. With a laugh, she held out her foot and said, “Look.”

  “Oh, my God.” Tori grabbed hers and put them on. “We are going to knock them dead.”

  Celeste was a little slower to put on her shoes. “Does it come with the ability to walk in these suckers? ’Cause the last thing I need, is to fall in front of everyone.” But even as the words left her mouth she could feel the power surge up and down her legs.

  And she realized they really were power shoes. She stepped with confidence, and strode across the room her steps strong and sure. “Wow,” she said with delight. “Who knew something like this was even possible?”

  “I know,” Genesis said in a low, reverent whisper. “I hope by the time our daughters are fully grown, we know how to make these.”

  The mention of daughters brought tears to Celeste’s eyes. “I’d love nothing better.”

  “Me, too.” Tori danced, and laughed as her dress kept changing color to match her shoes. “I can’t decide.”

  “We’re out of time,” Genesis warned. “We still have to do hair and makeup.”

  That sobered them up, and they got down to the business of adding the finishing touches to their outfits.

  A half hour later, when the knock sounded on the door with Scott calling out to them, they were ready. With last glances at each other, they reached out, and grabbed each other’s hands.

  “We can do this,” Celeste said softly.

  Her sisters nodded.

  Genesis walked to the door and threw it open, to make sure they were ready. She smiled at Scott. “We’re here.”

  Scott’s gaze widened when he saw her, his mouth falling open. His shocked gaze travelled to the other two sisters, and he shook his head. “Good Lord. You three are going to shock everyone tonight.”

  “Good,” Celeste said archly, although inside she was still worried. “This town hasn’t seen us for who we really are until now.”

  Scott motioned for them to proceed him. “There won’t be any doubts after tonight, ladies. You are doing yourselves proud.”

  Celeste smiled up at the man she barely knew, but already liked and admired. “That’s why we’re a little nervous.”

  “Don’t be,” he said seriously. “You girls have got this.”

  On that note, Celeste smiled and nodded her head. He was right. They had this.

  *

  Matt couldn’t stop his gaze from assessing the guests as they walked in. This was really the social event of the year. He’d tried to downplay it for the girls’ sake, but he knew what was happening.

  It was all about power tonight.

  He shook hands and smiled, his gaze always assessing, the probe always working. He was going to be completely dead after tonight. It took a lot to keep that probe moving. Darbo had wanted to come tonight, but he’d put his foot down and said no. Now Darbo was helping Mopsy. Matt couldn’t imagine. But as Twitch and Storm appear to be a matched set now, he wondered if anything could surprise him anymore.

  “Good to see you, Steve.” He shook hands with the new Head of the Cantrell Paranormal Center. Cantrell was the closest city to them, and of course, the new head there was interested to see how things were done here.

  He smiled at Steve’s wife, Cynthia. A middle-aged couple, they wore their power like a comfortable mantle of longtime use and acceptance. He hoped he could consider them allies. He’d know after tonight. Matt moved on to greet three board members of the new business consortium that had moved into town. They were looking to build here. And Matt might even let them, if they were decent and honest. He had his doubts, but who knew. It was too early to tell at this point.

  He scanned the crowd again. There were a number of wealthy landowners and absentee businessmen who’d returned for the occasion. And then, at the doorway, standing and staring with that same haughty air that he always wore, stood Grandfather, his gaze a little sharper than Matt had seen lately. His sister, her husband, and several other family members stood supportively behind him. Including Chelsea. Matt studied her. She appeared subdued, with downcast eyes and a slump to her shoulders. As Mason’s wife, she could be grieving, or possibly hadn’t wanted to attend after the last dustup. She might even blame him for her husband’s death.

  He studied her, sending out the probe. It couldn’t find anything wrong. Satisfied, he turned to greet Grandfather.

  “Glad to see you’re feeling well enough to be here, tonight, Grandfather,” Matt said, reaching out to shake his hand.

  The old man stared at Matt’s hand, refusing to offer his own. So it was going to be that way, was it? Fine. Matt shoved his hand in his pocket, nodded politely at the rest of the group, and then deliberately turned and walked away. Only good manners dictated good manners in return.

  He heard Grandfather’s sister’s shocked gasp at the insult, but Matt had no patience for that type of drama crap. He walked over to see Scott waiting at the doorway. “Are they ready?”

  Scott nodded. “Are you?”

  Matt checked out the ballroom full of company. The atmosphere was social, but with an air of expectancy. And he could see why. He strode up to the front dais and held up a hand.

  Immediately, silence fell on the crowd.

  “Good evening, everyone. Thank you for coming.”

  In the back, someone muttered, “Did we have a choice?”

  Immediately, he went on the offensive. “Of course, you have a choice. This isn’t a game. Feel free to leave right now, if this isn’t where you want to be. I invited you here to share in a special celebration.”

  He ran a hard gaze around the room. Not a soul moved.

  “I didn’t think so. Let’s be clear. This is my Center. This is my house. If you have any doubts about my position, feel free to stand up now and say so.” He waved a hand in a negligible manner, but made sure that a wave of power rippled throughout the room. “And, of course, I’ll be happy to listen to who you feel is the best person to supplant me.”

  Once again, there was silence.

  “Before we move on to the real reason you’re here, there are a few things that need to be mentioned. These last several months have been brutal, as murder and mayhem have raged unaba
ted, turning our peaceful city into an unchecked nightmare. And it’s going to stop.” He paused. “Most of this has happened since Granny died.”

  A twitter ran through the room.

  Matt held up his hand, and instantly, power slammed to the back wall and bounced back to hover over the audience.

  The room hushed.

  “Let’s take a closer look at Granny. The woman that most of you mocked, laughed at, and in general made fun of while she lived, was very special. And in spite of all your horrible treatment of her, she did her damnedest to keep the woods, the town, everything you take for granted, safe for you all. I don’t expect you to understand the very nature of how she did that, or the extreme effort she went to, to keep it this way,” he stressed. “But I will be doing a full accounting, so that she and her life might be better understood.”

  Several people shifted uncomfortably in place.

  He nodded. “You all know who you are. What you’ve done. Be assured that Granny did, too. So speaking behind her back then smiling to her face didn’t hide your actions. She knew. And she helped each of you anyway.”

  Now that he had everyone’s attention, he walked across the podium. “Now, why am I bringing this all up when she’s gone you might ask? Because there is much about her that you do not know. And no,” he held up a hand again, as he caught sight of several odd looks on people’s faces, “this isn’t a wake for a woman dead for over a year, but it is a clearing of the air.” He smiled. “And a reminder, so that you don’t make the mistake again.”

  “Again?” Someone asked. “How would we do that when she’s gone?”

  “She’s gone, but her granddaughters are not,” he said smoothly. “And in their own way, each of these three woman are more special and more gifted than their granny.”

  The crowd parted as a path opened up, letting Scott through, as he led the three sisters in a row behind him. They walked, heads high, toward Matt.

  He’d have smiled if he could, but the women were so breathtaking he couldn’t breathe. He caught sight of Celeste, and his heart threatened to burst. God, she was unbelievable. Connor stepped up and offered his arm to Genesis, and led her at his side to stand beside Matt. Devon stepped up next and Tori slipped her hand through his. Carefully, she walked up to stand on the other side of Matt.