A Charmed Cauldron

by Rose Pressey

  “Where is she?” My mother peeked around me.

  “I don’t know, but we have to find her immediately,” I said.

  We hustled back over to the dance floor. When I scanned the club, I spotted Annabelle standing toward the back of the room talking to a dark-haired man. I’d never seen him before, but I immediately headed that way in case something bad was happening. He was a good-looking guy wearing a blue button-down shirt and tan trousers. His white and blue loafers were pretty snazzy. Annabelle smiled at the guy and he laughed at something she’d said. Immediately I sensed a bad vibe from him.

  I eyed the guy up and down until he finally realized that I was staring at him. He pinched his brow together and glared back at me. Then a second later he smiled. Nice try, shady guy, but I knew he wasn’t sincere.

  Annabelle turned around to see who he was looking at. “Hi, Hallie, how are you? I’m sorry if I didn’t catch up with you all, but I stopped to talk with my new friend.”

  Again I scrutinized him up and down. “Your new friend? And what’s your new friend’s name?”

  “His name is Jay,” she said in a bubbly voice. “Jay, this is my friend Hallie.”

  “Nice to meet you.” His voice sent a shiver down my spine.

  Jay didn’t offer his hand for a shake, which I was glad for small favors. I wasn’t going to stick around for small talk. He gave me the creeps. I didn’t want to be a lousy friend and keep Annabelle away from a guy she may be interested in but also didn’t want her hurt. I wasn’t sure why, but I wanted to get her far away from Jay. If that was his real name.

  “We really need to go, Annabelle,” I said.

  She looked at me as if she didn’t want leave. A couple seconds later and she nodded. “Sorry, Jay, but we have to go.”

  “Can I get your number?” Jay asked.

  I wasn’t in favor of that, but I couldn’t exactly say no. With any luck I’d be able to explain to Annabelle why I felt this way about Jay. Annabelle would want to know, and I wanted to know why. However, I didn’t have the answer at the moment. Though I would certainly try to find out soon.

  Annabelle pulled out her phone and took his number. She even gave him her digits, which I had hoped was the wrong number. I doubted that was the case. I wanted Annabelle to meet a great guy, but I didn’t think this was him. Maybe Jay would prove me wrong.

  I pulled on Annabelle’s arm. “Okay, we have to go now.”

  She batted her eyelashes and waved at Jay. Liam glared at him. My mother eyed Jay up and down before turning to leave. Annabelle watched Jay while walking backward until I made her look forward so she wouldn’t bump into anyone.

  “What’s so great about that guy?” I asked.

  “Oh, don’t you think he’s handsome?” Annabelle practically swooned.

  “He’s okay, but there’s something strange of him. The way he smiled… and the shoes.”

  “What’s wrong with his shoes? I thought they were cute.”

  “Maybe on someone else they would be cute, but on him… not so much.” I looked back to see if he was still watching us.

  He was gone, which was even stranger.

  “I don’t know why you don’t like him,” Annabelle said.

  “I just gave you a bunch of reasons and I’m sure I can think of more.”

  She rolled her eyes. “The ones you listed are plenty, thanks. What did you think about him, Liam?”

  Liam quirked an eyebrow but didn’t answer.

  “Okay, so no one liked him.” Annabelle looked at my mother. “What did you think of him?”

  She shook her head. “I’m with Hallie. Something seems off about him. I say erase that number from your phone.”

  I wanted to tell Annabelle to give Jay a shot, but I just couldn’t.

  “I don’t care what you all say. Maybe I’ll even call him,” Annabelle said.

  “No, don’t do that,” my mother said. “Just wait until he calls you.”

  My mother was probably thinking the same thing as me, hoping that Jay wouldn’t call Annabelle. Annabelle was pretty and sweet though, so I was sure he probably would.

  After saying goodbye to the bartender and security we spilled out onto the sidewalk again.

  “I just can’t believe that the person didn’t show up,” I said.

  Annabelle walked beside me. “Maybe something happened.”

  “Or more than likely it was just a wrong number,” I said.

  Liam quirked an eyebrow, letting me know that he wasn’t buying that excuse.

  Liam was on high alert still. Honestly, I was too. Just because the person hadn’t been inside didn’t mean they weren’t outside.

  “That was an incredibly boring night out. It was a complete yawn,” my mother said, pretending to yawn this time.

  As soon as she made the gesture I actually yawned. “I’m glad it was boring. It’s been a long day and I’m ready for bed.”

  “Bed already? I thought we could stay up and play board games,” Liam said around a chuckle.

  “Yeah, right,” I said.

  We strolled down the sidewalk toward the car. Maybe it was something in the air, but I had that same feeling again. As if someone was watching us. I hated to mention it to Liam. I didn’t want him to act even stranger than he already was.

  Apparently I didn’t need to mention it though.

  “Is it just me or do you feel as if someone is watching us?” Liam asked.

  “I wasn’t going to mention it, but yes, I do,” I said.

  “I felt it too,” my mother said.

  “It does feel strange,” Annabelle added.

  The four of us scanned the area, but the only people around were the ones coming out of the Bubbling Cauldron. They weren’t even looking our way.

  “I suppose it’s just the fact that someone asked me to meet them here. I think we’re just all on guard,” I said.

  When we reached the car Liam stood there looking around.

  “You have to unlock the car,” I said.

  “Right.” Liam pushed the key fob.

  Once in the car and buckled up Liam pulled away from the curb. When I glanced back I thought I saw the strange man. Just a trick of the eyes, I supposed.

  Chapter 14

  We arrived home without incident. No werewolves were hanging around, so the spell must have worked. Tomorrow I had to focus on getting to the bottom of this. My mother and Annabelle had already left. Liam was still there. We had been discussing the trip to the club and the werewolves. Liam seemed to think that there might be a connection. It could be a possibility, but I still wasn’t convinced that I hadn’t received the message by mistake or that someone wasn’t just playing a joke on me.

  I had made plans to go back to Mrs. Whitmore’s tomorrow and speak with Daniel. I would admit that sometimes I wondered if the werewolves were just beyond the edge of the property, waiting for the spell to fade so that they could return.

  I’d fixed coffee for Liam and me. I had decaf so that I could sleep, but Liam wanted the caffeine since he was driving back to New Orleans tonight. Should I ask him to stay? I didn’t want him to get the wrong impression. After all, Nicolas and I were having… well, whatever was going on with us. I wasn’t quite sure.

  I didn’t want Liam to drive back if he was too tired. At least things had settled down for the evening. As suspicious as Liam had been all evening, if things were still weird around here he would have insisted on staying around. Nevertheless, I felt like I had to ask him to stay.

  “You know, it’s getting late and you’re tired. You should just stay here tonight. Go back to New Orleans in the morning.” I took another sip of the warm liquid.

  He studied my face for a moment as if he was surprised that I had asked.

  “I have a lot to do there…” He still seemed as if he was trying to stay. “I don’t think Nicolas would like it if I stayed here alone with you.”

  Nicolas wasn’t here. It wasn’t as if Liam would be sleeping in the same room with m
e. I had many bedrooms here at the manor. That was the reason I ran it as a bed-and-breakfast.

  “I guess I should go,” he said as he finished the last of the coffee. “Plus, I just finished this coffee. I probably couldn’t sleep if I stayed.”

  What about the board games that Liam had suggested? I suppose he’d only been joking.

  “Walk me to the door?” he asked.

  “Of course.” I set my cup down and followed him to the kitchen door.

  I guessed I was a little sad that I would have to spend another night alone at the manor. Not that I hadn’t done it many times, but I’d gotten used to Nicolas being around. Now that he wasn’t here it was tough knowing that I was in this big place all alone. Especially since the werewolves were out there. There were just a lot of things on my mind.

  Liam and I walked through the house and stopped at the front door. As he reached for the door he paused. “I guess I didn’t think of this until now. You want me to stay because you don’t want to be here alone.”

  “No,” I said defensively. I was the leader, for heaven’s sake. I could take care of myself. Though that didn’t mean it wasn’t nice to have someone else around for the company. It was different when there were guests in the place.

  He watched my face for a reaction. “Okay, if you’re sure that’s not the reason.”

  “I was just worried about you,” I said.

  “I worry about you,” Liam said.

  He tilted his face as he stared at me. My heart sped up. Liam took my hand in his and stepped closer. Suddenly it was hard to breathe. Liam moved closer and leaned in, pressing his lips against mine.

  A second later Liam pushed me away. I almost tumbled backward. It was almost as if he’d just realized what was happening. I supposed I’d been a bit shocked for a moment too.

  “I’m sorry, Hallie, I didn’t mean to do that.”

  It wasn’t the first time he had kissed me, although it had been a while. What did this mean? If he stayed would it lead to more? Liam would never do that to his brother even if they’d had their moments.

  He rushed for the door and dashed outside. As I stood staring at the front door he rushed to his car and climbed inside. Within seconds I was watching the red taillights as he sped toward the road.

  I’d just gotten into my bedroom when my cell rang. I reached for the phone. Nicolas’ name was on the screen along with the picture of us together at a Christmas party. The twinkling lights from the tree behind us added a beautiful glow to the photo.

  It was as if he knew what had just happened. Did he know? Liam wouldn’t have called and immediately told him. I was just feeling guilty. There was no way I would tell Nicolas about what had happened. I didn’t want him to fight with Liam. Nothing else had happened, so there was no reason to tell him.

  “I’m surprised to hear from you tonight,” I said when I answered.

  Did I sound uncomfortable? He probably knew I was guilty of something.

  “I just now got a chance to call.” His voice sounded distant as if a million miles away.

  I wanted to ask him again what he was doing, but I figured he would give me the same answer—that he would tell me soon enough. I’d asked him if it had anything to do with the Underworld, but he insisted that it didn’t. I trusted him to tell me if it was something bad. If I learned otherwise I wasn’t sure I would ever be able to forgive him.

  “How are things in Enchantment Pointe?” he asked.

  Before I realized it I had released an audible sigh.

  “That bad? What’s happening?”

  I started telling Nicolas about everything that had happened.

  He was silent for a moment, but then said, “I need to come back.”

  I wouldn’t argue with that, but I said, “I have things under control.”

  I didn’t want him to think that I was a bad leader. His mother had been the leader so that meant I had big shoes to fill. Well, technically she had small feet, but I digressed. I didn’t want Nicolas to think that I couldn’t handle things. His voice sounded full of worry.

  “I have plans for tomorrow and I should find out more,” I said.

  “But I have to worry about you being safe tonight.”

  “Don’t worry, we placed a spell around the manor,” I said.

  “We?” Nicolas asked.

  “Yes, Liam and I placed the spell.”

  He paused. “Is he still there?” So Nicolas was suspicious.

  “No, he went back to New Orleans.” I hoped Nicolas believed me.

  “As long as you’re okay,” he said.

  “When are you coming back?” I asked.

  “As soon as I can get there,” he said.

  No doubt he was acting weird about this. I felt as if he knew something that he wasn’t sharing with me.

  “Are you sure you’re telling me everything?” I asked.

  “Don’t you trust me?”

  “Yes, but you’re not making it easy by being so secretive.”

  He sighed. “I know. I’ll see you soon.”

  I hoped that was true and that things hadn’t changed too much for us. As hard as I tried not to I still thought about Liam’s kiss. What did it mean? Why had he done it? Why had I let him?

  Chapter 15

  I guessed the stressful events of the past few days had caused my crazy dreams throughout the night. In one dream Nicolas and Liam were fighting. I supposed the kiss had still been on my mind when I drifted off to sleep. Also, I dreamt that Nicolas was fighting werewolves. Needless to say, it had been a restless evening. However, it became worse before sunrise.

  I’d finally dozed off from one of the crazy dreams when I woke to the sensation of someone watching me. When I sat up in bed I saw the silhouette of a man walk out the door and around the corner. He’d been in my bedroom. There was an intruder in the house… in my bedroom! Of course, this sent me into a complete panic. I couldn’t lie there under the covers and quiver, hoping that he went away. I had to get up and check this out. I was prepared for battle. Though it would be hard to do witchcraft while sleepy. The covens warned about witchcraft while not fully conscious.

  It would also be tough to do a spell while in my pajamas. Nevertheless, I got out of bed and raced over to the door. I paused because if he was waiting on the other side I wanted to be prepared. My heart thumped wildly. I didn’t want to dash out there and have him smack me over the head and carry my body out into the woods.

  Was this the werewolf that had been in the house? It had to be. I guessed the spell had broken before I’d thought it would. Maybe my magic wasn’t so great after all. I pushed my shoulders back, stood up straight, and then took in a deep breath. I released it, trying not to make a sound. All right. I was ready to do this.

  I peeked around the side of the doorway, expecting to come face to face with the man standing right there. But to my surprise, he wasn’t there. Where had he gone? Now I had to track him down in this huge house. I stepped out into the hallway, trying to be quiet. I didn’t want him to know that I was awake and looking for him.

  Exactly what were his intentions and why was he in the house? In my bedroom nonetheless. What kind of psycho crazy was I was dealing with? Now I really wished that Liam had stayed. I could use all the help I could get battling a crazed werewolf. I tiptoed down the hallway in the dark, hoping that I wouldn’t bump into the man around every corner I turned. I made it to the landing and had to decide.

  Should I go up or down? Where had he gone? I assumed down, but I couldn’t be sure. Maybe he was leaving the house. If he knew what was good for him he would get out of there as quickly as possible. If I got a hold of him and used my magic, he would be sorry. Fury raced through me. What kind of deranged lunatic went into someone’s house? He was just asking for trouble by doing that.

  I headed down the stairs, tiptoeing onto each tread. They squeaked with every step. I cringed, hoping that the guy wouldn’t hear the sound. He was probably waiting for me at the bottom of the steps, hid
ing around the corner. Finally, I made it to the bottom, and now I had to decide where to look first.

  Should I go into the library, parlor, or kitchen area? Which one would be first? Since the front door was obviously closed, I figured he’d gone back out the kitchen door. How was he getting in all the time when I had the doors locked? Not only had he gotten through the magic spell protecting the manor, but he’d gotten inside the house too. I needed to check the back door lock. Did he have a key or something? This was creepy. Then it crossed my mind that maybe this was a ghost. Maybe that was how he was getting in. But he seemed so real, completely solid. There was no way this was a ghost.

  Unfortunately, I didn’t even have my phone with me to use that as a little flashlight. I had no light to guide my way through the dark house. I needed to get some night lights or something. That, or an alarm system with motion detectors, since obviously a girl couldn’t rely on magic alone.

  I made my way through the parlor and managed not to bump into anything. Now I was at the kitchen door. I didn’t turn on the light yet, but I could see the glow from the moon out the back door. It was open… wide open, and that was how he was getting in. Yet I had no idea how he had unlocked it. I moved over to the door and peeked outside into the dark night.

  I saw nothing unusual—no werewolves and no naked man. That made me think maybe he was still in the house. Apparently when he came in he’d just left the back door open. I mean, hello, make yourself at home, why don’t you? I was surprised he wasn’t in the kitchen making a midnight snack. And then it hit me. Where was my cat? If the werewolf had left the door open, then the cat could have gotten out. If the werewolf let the cat out I would be so angry. Sure, the cat didn’t particularly like me all that much, but I loved him just the same.

  That was when I looked over and saw the cat sitting on top of the counter. Well, that was a relief.

  I walked over to the cat and whispered, “Is there a man inside the house?”

  As if the cat would really respond. However, he looked right at me and meowed, so maybe he was trying to tell me someone was in the house. Now I had to check every room to find this guy. When I did I was going to let him have it. I’d drag him out by his… oh, I hoped he was wearing clothing this time. How bad was it to wake up in the middle of the night with a naked stranger in my bedroom? I was completely freaking out. First, I decided to run into the dining room and check there. He probably wouldn’t be in there, but nonetheless, I would look just to be on the safe side. I had to check every room.