A Charmed Cauldron

by Rose Pressey

  Actually, she did have a point. Nonetheless, this was a topic for a different time.

  “What’s your name?” I asked the man who had been staring at me ever since I’d set foot in the room. I sensed that he didn’t like me much.

  After a few seconds of staring at me, he said, “Mark McCoy.”

  I wanted to know if he was a werewolf. I supposed I could come right out and ask.

  “I saw some werewolves here,” I said, trying to gauge their reaction. “Are you one of the werewolves?”

  Mark had a strange expression on his face. I didn’t imagine it either. He knew something and I intended on getting that information out of him.

  Chapter 31

  “We don’t know anything about any werewolves,” Mark blurted out.

  The only problem was that at the same time, Daniel said, “I’m sure one of them was just the werewolf you’re seeking. Maybe that werewolf clan leader was talking with him.”

  Yes, I supposed that could certainly be the case. I eyed them suspiciously. Mark was terrible at hiding his emotions. He shifted from one foot to the other and twisted his hands together. He was definitely hiding something. Daniel, on the other hand, was as cool as a cucumber.

  Liam coughed, letting me know that I should get to the original purpose of the visit. I’d been distracted by our werewolf friends. Now I had to ask Daniel about the photo. That was the pressing question of the moment.

  I pulled out my phone again and located the photo. Daniel eyed me suspiciously. Did he know what I was about to show him? I couldn’t wait to see the look on his face.

  I waved my phone in front of his face. “Does this look familiar?”

  Okay, I sounded a little smug. Maybe I should dial it back a notch. He might have a perfectly good reason for taking on a new identity.

  It took him several seconds to even blink as I stared at the phone. I supposed he’d thought I’d never figure this out. Never underestimate the power of a sassy witch. Daniel turned and walked over to the window. I hoped I didn’t have to force the answer out of him. I cast a pretty good spell that forced people to talk. The only issue was I had to have the exact wording right, so that required a bit of detail.

  Daniel didn’t turn to face us. He spoke though. “Okay, that picture is me.”

  “You have some explaining to do,” I said. “Why are you pretending to be someone else? And Mrs. Whitmore is covering for you? Are you really her grandson?”

  She exchanged a look with Daniel. “No, he’s not. Just a family friend. I told his grandmother I would help him.”

  “Fine,” I said with a wave of my hand. “Just tell me why.”

  “I needed to get away from a few people,” he said.

  This didn’t sound good.

  “So you thought you’d start a new life? Who are these people?” I asked.

  He turned to face us again. “I don’t know exactly who they are.”

  “Then how do you know they want to harm you?” I asked.

  “Because they tried to kill me. When that happened, I took off. I figure if they can’t find me then they won’t be able to kill me, right?”

  “Yes, I guess you have a point,” I said. “So who is looking for you?”

  “I didn’t realize anyone would be looking for me other than the people who wanted to kill me. I don’t have family. Any friends I have probably don’t realize I’m even gone.”

  Some friends. I guessed I could see his point though.

  “Did you contact the police?” he asked with a worried look.

  I shook my head. “No.”

  “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t.”

  “Don’t you think you should tell the police who is after you?” I asked.

  “Well, technically he doesn’t know who they are in order to tell the police,” Liam said.

  “Maybe I can help you find out who is trying to kill you?” I asked.

  He frowned. “Oh, no, I couldn’t ask you to do that. What if they tried to get you?”

  “You should let her help,” Mrs. Whitmore said. I glared at her. I knew she didn’t like me.

  “I’ll definitely let you know if there’s anything you can do. In the meantime, if I find those werewolves I’ll certainly let you know,” Daniel said.

  I studied his face for a moment and then looked at the others. They were watching me too.

  “Yeah, sure. I’ll be in touch,” I said.

  “Thanks,” he said.

  They didn’t see Liam and me to the door, so we showed ourselves out.

  “What do you think about that?” I asked as we got into the car.

  Liam started the car. “I don’t know if I believe him. Plus, that other guy is strange too. We should check them out more.”

  I leaned back in the seat. “I couldn’t agree more.”

  We pulled out of the driveway.

  “Do you get the sense someone is watching us?” I asked.

  “I guess I feel that way, but you always say that.”

  “Can I help it if I’m sensitive to those kinds of things?”

  “It was probably just Mrs. Whitmore staring from the window,” Liam said.

  “I suppose,” I said around a sigh.

  We pulled into the manor’s driveway and stopped in front.

  “The werewolf’s car is gone. I don’t see her clothing,” I said, looking around the yard.

  The witches’ cars were still parked in the driveway. I knew they wouldn’t want to leave until I returned. Liam and I got out of the car and headed up to the door. It swung open just as we made it halfway up the steps.

  We hadn’t discussed how much of this we were sharing with my mother. I supposed it was too late now. She was standing at the front door waiting with bated breath. If possible I’d like to spare her the part about Daniel feeling dangerous people were after him. It would only worry her. The witches were all gathered behind my mother, waiting for the news.

  My mother waved her hands, wanting us to hurry. “So what did you find out?”

  “We saw werewolves by the river,” I said.

  She scowled. “What were you all doing over there?”

  “We saw a werewolf, so we followed it down by the river. That’s where we saw more,” I said, as I stepped around her and into the parlor.

  “You’d better have more than that because that is a boring story.”

  Liam chuckled.

  I quirked an eyebrow.

  “We asked Daniel about the picture. He admitted that it was him and said he was just getting away,” I said.

  She eyed me up and down. “And you’re going to let him feed you that lie? Oh, no. We are going to get to the bottom of this.”

  Now I’d be forced to tell her everything just so that she wouldn’t call the police. Though I knew I would freak her out with the truth.

  “I see the werewolf leader is gone. I saw her run across Mrs. Whitmore’s lawn.”

  “She was naked,” Liam added.

  I glared at him.

  “Anyway, she was one of the werewolves by the river,” I said.

  “Fascinating,” my mother said dryly.

  “Okay, we’re out of here. Let us know if something else interesting happens,” the current coven leader said.

  “Thanks for the help everyone,” I said.

  They marched out the front door.

  “Good luck, Halloween,” my mother said.

  “Mother, you know I will get to the bottom of this, but I need you to let me handle it.”

  She scowled. “Fine.” She turned her attention to Liam. “I guess I’ll be going now. You kids have fun tonight.”

  What was that supposed to mean?

  We watched as my mother walked down the steps and got into her car. Now that she was gone it was just the two of us. Thomas hadn’t returned. I needed to have a serious talk with him about his familiar responsibilities. That was for another day though. The house had been so crowded today it was nice to have peace and quiet.

 
; “Would you like to get dinner?” Liam asked.

  “How about we just have dinner here? I’m exhausted and the thought of going out is just too much.”

  I supposed Liam would frown upon the idea of me changing into my jammies. Oh, what did he care? He knew I was a casual kind of girl. Though I supposed I could keep from changing until after dinner. It would be hard though.

  “That sounds like a great idea,” Liam said. “As long as dinner isn’t peanut butter sandwiches.”

  I frowned. “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “It’s just that you don’t exactly keep the pantry full around here.”

  “You should stop foraging it like a bear,” I said.

  He laughed. “Okay, fair enough.”

  “Follow me into the kitchen and we’ll see what I’ve got.”

  “This should be interesting,” he said as he trailed along behind me.

  Pluto strolled along beside us. He already knew what he was having for dinner. I was used to making dinner with Nicolas. Now it felt strange having Liam here in his place. I couldn’t force Nicolas to be here though. That was all his choice. Actually, now that I was in the kitchen I wasn’t sure if I really had anything to prepare. I hoped that I found something because Liam would make fun of me.

  “Problems?” Liam asked with a devilish grin.

  “No,” I said. “Just thinking.”

  I stood at the refrigerator and stared into the frosty box. Would Liam notice if I cast a little spell that produced delicious food? Yes, he would sense it. Now I had to admit that I had nothing. Frosted Flakes? Microwave popcorn? I seriously needed to make a trip to Publix. I felt Liam’s stare on me. As soon as I turned around he’d laugh. Okay, I had to get this over with. He was right. I never kept food here. Only when I knew I had bed-and-breakfast guests.

  I eased the door closed and turned to face him. Our eyes met and surprisingly he didn’t laugh. Not yet anyway. It also hit me right now that I was again alone with Liam. A flash of what had happened the last time we were alone ran through my mind. I couldn’t let that happen again. I was still engaged to Nicolas. At least I thought I was still engaged to him.

  “How about pizza?” I asked with a smile. “There’s a great place not too far that delivers out here.”

  He bit back a smile. “Only if I can have my half with pepperoni.”

  “How about all of the pizza with pepperoni, because that’s what I want too,” I said.

  “Perfect,” Liam said.

  I grabbed the phone to place the order. Liam was playing with the cat. He really was cute when he did that. I was always surprised that Liam hadn’t met a special someone by now. He was handsome, fun, and caring. What more could a person ask for in a partner?

  When I clicked off the call, I said, “It’ll be thirty minutes.”

  “What should we do in the meantime?” Liam asked.

  I shifted from one foot to the other. Now I felt nerves settling in. Liam and I usually always had some crazy adventure going on, so there was little downtime for anything.

  “We could bake cupcakes for dessert,” I said. After I said it I regretted it. Liam wouldn’t want to bake, for Pete’s sake. “I always have ingredients for cupcakes.” I felt the heat rush to my cheeks.

  He chuckled. “So you admit you don’t keep food?”

  I sighed. “Okay, I admit it. In my defense, I’m usually too busy for making elaborate dinners.”

  Liam stepped closer to me. My heart sped up. Oh, no. He was going to kiss me again. What would I do? I had to tell him no. One more step and Liam was in front of me.

  He wrapped his arms around me and hugged me. “Don’t worry about it, Hallie, you’re a great cook, with a little help from the magic, and you’re a terrific Underworld leader.”

  I didn’t break away from the hug. Sometimes it was nice to know that someone else cared. I had been totally stressed out since Nicolas was gone.

  The sound of footsteps caught my attention. When I peered around Liam’s shoulder I spotted Nicolas standing in the kitchen’s doorway. I immediately pushed Liam away. Nicolas’ face said it all. He was upset with catching us in an embrace. I couldn’t blame him because I would have thought the same thing if I’d walked into this situation.

  “Nicolas, you’re back,” I said as I rushed around Liam.

  How long had he been standing there? Liam and I hadn’t hugged for long.

  Nicolas turned and hurried out of the kitchen. Oh, no, he was mad. I raced after him, but he was much faster than me.

  “Will you slow down, please, so that I can talk to you? It isn’t what it looks like,” I said. “Liam just gave me a hug because I’ve been so stressed.”

  And there was the little kiss the other night, but I wouldn’t mention that. Nothing had happened.

  Liam brushed past me. “I’ll catch him.”

  Nicolas disappeared around the corner in the foyer. I assumed he was headed out the front door. He sure hadn’t stayed long.

  Liam went around the corner too. A few seconds later and I finally made it to the foyer. The front door was open. When I reached the door to see outside I spotted Liam and Nicolas on the ground, rolling around and attempting to punch each other. I couldn’t believe they were fighting. “Guys, stop that right now.” I should have known something like this would happen. One minute they were getting along and then next they fought. I supposed this was my fault though. Unfortunately, they weren’t listening to me. I had to put a stop to this right now.

  I raced down the steps and pulled on Liam’s shirt. The fabric easily slipped from my hand and I fell back onto my butt. Neither guy seemed to notice.

  “Don’t worry about me. I can get up on my own,” I said.

  They tumbled on the ground more. I hopped up and raced over to them again.

  “Stop it right now or I will never talk to either of you again.”

  They stopped and looked at me. Apparently that had worked. They let go of each other and stood.

  “Now, can’t we discuss this like adults?” I asked.

  Nicolas stared at me and then turned his attention to Liam. “There’s nothing to discuss.”

  He turned and headed for his car. I went after him, but he slipped inside before I reached the door.

  “Nicolas? Why are you acting this way?” It wasn’t like him not to give me a chance. “It was just a hug.”

  He started the car and backed up. I tossed my hands up. Nicolas pulled the car down the driveway. Why did I feel as if I’d never see him again?

  “I’ll go after him,” Liam said, pulling out his car keys.

  “Why, so you can fight again?” I asked.

  “We won’t fight this time. I promise.” He climbed behind the wheel of his BMW and closed the door.

  “Hello? Why is no one listening to me?”

  Now I was all alone at the manor. A car pulled down the driveway. The sign on the side of the car was for the pizza place. Oh great. Now I’d eat too many slices of pepperoni. The guy got out of the car and gave me a strange look. I supposed he wondered why I was standing outside.

  “I was hungry,” I said when he approached.

  He quirked an eyebrow and handed me the pizza. I handed him the cash and he hurried away to his car. I didn’t blame him for wanting to get away from this place. I walked up the steps with my large pizza. How sad and pathetic was I?

  As I chewed my bite of pizza a noise caught my attention. Had they returned? Thank goodness. I didn’t want to be alone. I put the slice down and headed out of the kitchen. Peering out the parlor window, I didn’t see a car. What had made the noise? I stepped into the foyer and opened the front door. I didn’t see a soul in sight. A shiver ran down my spine. I had a feeling that I wasn’t alone in the manor, but I wasn’t sure why I felt that way. Maybe just a gut feeling. A noise sounded again, and I knew it had come from somewhere in the house. The cat was beside me, so I didn’t think it was him.

  Why was the spell not working to keep the bad people
away? I eased back into the manor and peeked to the left and to the right. No one was in sight. They could be hiding anywhere in this place. I hated the thought that I had to recheck every room. This was getting out of hand. How had they gotten in after I’d gotten the security system? I supposed there was the time that the door had been open and unlocked.

  The smack on the back of the head took me off guard. I’d never seen it coming. Everything went black as I headed for the floor.

  ***

  The next thing I knew I opened my eyes. I wasn’t on the floor. I remembered being hit from behind. That was all I remembered until this point. Everything was still fuzzy and I couldn’t make out exactly what was happening around me. I groaned and tried to reach for my head. Something stopped me, and I couldn’t move my arm. Panic was taking over, but I had to remain calm if I wanted to make it out of this situation. Slowly things became clearer.

  I was in the library facing my desk. No one stood in front of me. Was I in the room alone? I was in one of the chairs near my desk. It was creepy to think that someone had picked me up and put me here while I’d been knocked out. I tried to stand, but I wasn’t able to move. What was going on here? Things became even more apparent now. I was sitting in a chair in the library and I couldn’t get up.

  My hands were tied. That was why I couldn’t move my arms. I wiggled my arms, trying to break free, but it was no use. They were tied tightly to the chair. If I got out of this and got hold of the person who did this to me they’d wish they’d never heard the name Halloween LaVeau.

  Okay, stay calm and think, Halloween. Which spell would I use to get out of this? Most likely the person had magical powers too, so I’d have to take that into consideration. Where was the person who had done this to me? Why weren’t they showing their face to me?

  “Who’s here?” I called out.

  Of course no one answered me. I knew they had to be somewhere nearby. I felt their presence. I was pretty sure the person was standing somewhere behind me.

  “Why don’t you show your face? Are you a coward?” I was so mad that I might actually be able to break free from the restraints just by the power of my anger. “How dare you do this to me,” I said.