Hell Hath No Fury

by Annabel Chase

  Rosalie’s brow creased. “You sound way too smart. No wonder you’re having trouble attracting men.”

  Corinne and I groaned in unison.

  I looked at Ava. “What do you think? Have you embraced your true nature?”

  Ava’s eyes sparkled. She seemed energized by the reversal spell. “I think I have.” Her gaze shifted to Adele. “Will you help me so that I don’t screw up again?”

  Adele reached out and clasped the girl’s hand. “It would be our pleasure, dear.”

  I faced the chief. “Will you call Sean and let him know that you’re better and you found the missing girl?” I asked. “I’ve had enough interaction with him this week to last the rest of the year.”

  The chief chuckled. “No problem.” He motioned to Ava. “We should get you home before your parents lose their minds.” He looked at me. “We’ll catch up later.”

  “I can drive you,” Corinne offered. “Your car’s still at your house.”

  “Mrs. Langley, Agent Fury will drive you home,” Adele said.

  The older woman didn’t seem bothered. “Which way is your car, dear?”

  “Down the hill near Davenport Park. Can you walk that far?” I asked.

  Mrs. Langley nodded. “It will feel good to walk on two legs.”

  I took her by the arm and guided her through the darkness. Princess Buttercup waited patiently by the car.

  “Oh, I love Great Danes,” the older woman said.

  I opened the door and let the hellhound jump into the back. Mrs. Langley sat in the passenger seat, humming softly. I got behind the wheel and sent a quick text before joining the road.

  When I pulled into Mrs. Langley’s driveway, Sally waited in front of the house. I parked and told Princess Buttercup to stay put.

  “Oh, the air’s turned chilly all of a sudden,” Mrs. Langley said, as she opened her door. “Oh, hello. I didn’t see you there.”

  “Mrs. Langley, I’d like you to meet my stepmom, Sally.”

  Mrs. Langley nodded. “A pleasure, Sally. Do you know I was a snake?”

  The vampire looked directly into the older woman’s eyes. “You will not remember anything that happened to you from the moment you became a snake. You will not remember that you had anything to do with the death of Eloise. You will not remember that supernaturals exist.”

  Mrs. Langley nodded absently. “I will not remember.”

  Sally smiled, showing her fangs. “Good luck to you.”

  Mrs. Langley seemed to come to her senses. She looked around her yard. “Hello, who are you? Why am I outside at night?”

  “I was lost and asked you for directions,” I said. “You were kind enough to help me.”

  “Oh, good.” Mrs. Langley smiled. “I like to be helpful.” She walked to the front door and let herself inside.

  Sally and I stood beside my car. “Thanks,” I said. “Sorry about the short notice.”

  “It’s no problem. How’s the chief?”

  “Pretty good, all things considered.” I opened the door and slid into the seat.

  “Do you need me to erase his memory too?” she asked.

  “That won’t be necessary,” I said. “The council has agreed to let him in on our secret.”

  Sally fixed me with an anxious look. “I like him, Eden. I really do, but have you forgotten that you’re immortal? That you’re dangerous?”

  I tightened my grip on the wheel. “I’m not dangerous to him.”

  “Maybe not deliberately, but you’re dangerous all the same.”

  “He’s the chief of police,” I said. “His job has its own dangers.”

  The vampire leaned against the car in frustration. “Eden, darling, I will never try to tell you how to live your life.”

  “No, that’s my father’s job.”

  She bit back a smile. “Indeed.”

  “I don’t want to think about my immortality on the best of days, so I certainly don’t want to ponder it in connection with the chief.”

  “Does anyone else know about you two?” Sally asked.

  There was no point in denying it. I could tell that she knew. “No family,” I said. “And I’d like to keep it that way. You want to talk about dangerous, that’s where the real problem is.”

  “I don’t disagree with you there.” Sally stared into the darkness. “I love you, Eden. I don’t want to see you hurt.”

  “Sawyer won’t hurt me.”

  “Not with his actions, no,” Sally said. “But his human nature is enough to cause you irreparable harm. He’ll only be young and handsome for so long and then what?”

  I laughed. “You think I’ll ditch him at the first sign of grey hair?”

  “No, of course not,” she said. “I only mean that there will come a point when it’s clear that one of you is aging and the other isn’t.”

  “So I’ll be the Paul Rudd in our relationship,” I said.

  “I don’t know who that is,” Sally said.

  “You should. He’s awesome.” I heaved a sigh. “Listen, Sawyer knows all about me and he accepts it. I can’t ask for more than that. The rest we’ll need to navigate as it comes. We only recently started dating. It might not last a year, let alone a lifetime. Look at my parents. They thought they’d be together for their lifetimes and the marriage didn’t even last a human lifetime.”

  “Beatrice’s loss was my gain,” Sally said.

  “They’re better off apart,” I said. “I agree with that.”

  Sally looked at me. “Do you really think it’s that fragile that you won’t last a year?”

  “No,” I admitted. Anyone who could digest the amount of crazy information I’d thrown at him and still want to get involved with me was unlikely to break up with me because I chewed with my mouth open or some other random habit. Not that I chewed with my mouth open. That was gross.

  “Just protect yourself,” Sally said. “That’s all I ask.”

  “I’ve been protecting myself my whole life,” I said. “It hasn’t really worked out for me. I think taking a chance with Sawyer is a step in the right direction.”

  Sally reached into the car and patted my shoulder. “I want to see you happy and so does your father. You deserve it.”

  “Then you’ll promise not to tell him about this,” I said.

  She hesitated. “You know I don’t like keeping secrets from your father. Secrets aren’t healthy for a relationship.”

  “Maybe not, but it’s the only way my relationship is going to survive. You know my family. They get wind of this and you’ll be erasing the chief’s memory next and shipping him back to Iowa.”

  “Is that where he’s from? I thought it was Idaho.”

  “That’s potatoes. He’s corn.”

  “Right.” Sally’s eyes glimmered in the moonlight. “I’ll keep your secret for now, Eden, but eventually you’ll have to come clean.”

  I knew she was right. I just wasn’t ready to face it yet. “I promise.”

  I put the car in reverse and backed out of the driveway quickly so she couldn’t see that my fingers were crossed. The relationship was too new to put it under my family’s magical microscope. They’d hex both of us before I could utter the word ‘boyfriend.’ I drove home, thinking about Ava. It was both encouraging and strange to see how she’d embraced her supernatural side. I was older and more experienced, yet I still struggled to come to terms with my identity on a daily basis. At some point, I needed to accept it. Maybe, like Ava, if I stopped fighting it, my life would improve.

  There was only one way to find out.

  Chapter Eighteen

  On Saturday morning, I stood in front of the barn with John Maclaren, carpenter of dreams. The doors were closed and the handles tied together with a wide red ribbon.

  “I thought we’d do this with a flourish,” John said. “Do you want to call your family so they can witness this miraculous event?”

  I raised my eyebrows. “Are you serious?”

  “Yeah, good point. I don�
�t need your mother making suggestive comments about wrapping me with ribbon so she can untie me.”

  I smirked. “You know her so well.”

  John gestured to the doors. “Should I have brought a pair of giant scissors?”

  “Nope. I can handle it.” I tugged one end of the ribbon and the knot relaxed.

  “Welcome to your new home, Eden.”

  I crossed the threshold and a wave of excitement threatened to overwhelm me. My new home. No more mattress in the attic. No more lack of privacy…Well, sort of.

  “John, it’s amazing. Thank you so much.” My gaze traveled around the barn, noting the many details I’d been unable to see throughout the renovation. There’d been too many tarps, drop cloths, beams, and tools everywhere, so this was the first time I was seeing the barn in its unblemished state. Wide-planked flooring. Exposed beams. Soaring ceilings. He’d even installed a stone fireplace that looked like it belonged in a Swiss chalet.

  “You’ve outdone yourself,” I said. “I had no idea this was such a diamond in the rough.”

  “Don’t stand here gawking in the great room,” John said. “Come and see the kitchen.”

  “That’s what we’re calling this space?” I asked.

  “You can’t call something this stunning the living room,” John said. “It deserves better.”

  He wasn’t wrong. I followed him to the back of the barn where I admired the custom wood cabinetry and soapstone countertops. Light, bright, and airy, just the way I envisioned it. I gasped at the sink.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “Nothing. I just realized that I’ve reached the age where I’m excited about an extra wide sink.”

  He chuckled. “You’re still a little young for that, but it’s a testament to your excellent taste.”

  “Aunt Thora is going to want to move in with me so she can commandeer my kitchen.” I wasn’t worthy of these appliances. I was going to have to take lessons from Rafael and earn my place here.

  “Plenty of room if you want that,” John said. “You’ve got the master bedroom plus two more.”

  I was so giddy, I felt like I could float upstairs.

  “Hello? Anybody home?” The sound of the chief’s voice lifted my spirits even higher.

  John and I returned to the great room to greet him.

  “This place is something else,” the chief said, scrutinizing the height of the ceiling.

  “It’s been the best project I’ve had in a long time,” John said. “I appreciate the opportunity.”

  “Let’s go upstairs,” I said. “I’d like to see my bedroom.”

  “I was going to suggest that,” the chief said with a wicked grin.

  I flashed him a menacing look as we climbed the open staircase to the next floor where the gallery landing overlooked the great room.

  “I can see Olivia and Ryan getting into trouble up here,” I said. I pictured them throwing their toys over the railing to the room below. Teddy bear overboard!

  “You wouldn’t have had anything like this in San Francisco, would you?” the chief asked.

  “Ha! Definitely not.” I stopped short when we reached the master bedroom. The room was magnificent with more exposed beams and plenty of natural sunlight through the large windows. “This place was worth the wait.” For the first time in a long time, I felt fortunate, even though I fully recognized I’d made a deal with the devil in order to live here. My parents each paid half of the renovation costs and I’d be paying rent, as well as living a stone’s throw away from them because the barn sat directly on the border between their two properties. Hopefully my new home wouldn’t come at too high a cost.

  “Do you have any furniture?” the chief asked.

  “That’s next on the list,” I said. “And I know a good place to start.”

  “I’m glad you’re happy with everything,” John said. “You deserve it, Eden.”

  “I’m going to miss seeing you around all the time,” I said. It felt like the end of an era.

  “I still live in Chipping Cheddar,” John said. “You’re welcome to come by whenever you feel like it.”

  The chief cleared his throat. “Well, I think she’ll be pretty busy furnishing this place and keeping up with her job. Lots of cyber crime happening out there. Online fraud is a constant battle.”

  I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing. Chief Fox’s mild display of jealous was more adorable than I would’ve expected.

  John shook my hand and then shook the chief’s. “I’ve got an appointment, but give me a call if you have questions about anything.”

  “Thank you so much. I know living here will be amazing.” I hoped.

  I listened as John made his way across the landing and back down the steps. Once I heard the click of the double doors, I squealed with delight.

  “This place is mine,” I sang, and performed a fairly uncoordinated happy dance to accompany my words.

  Chief Fox laughed. “Someone’s in a good mood.”

  “Can you blame me? You’re back to normal. I can move out of the attic and not worry about passing my mother in the hallway in the middle of the night in her lingerie. Everything’s coming up Eden.”

  He slid his arms around my waist. “You also helped a teen witch. You saved Mrs. Langley. You’ve had a busy week, Agent Fury.”

  “I’m glad Ava is going to work with the LeRoux witches,” I said. “She needs to learn how to practice magic responsibly.”

  “Wouldn’t it better to ask your family?” the chief asked. “They seem more powerful than the LeRoux family from what I could see.”

  “They are, but I try to keep them out of supernatural affairs,” I said. “They don’t always make smart choices.” That was putting it mildly.

  “They can’t be all bad,” he replied. “You turned out okay.”

  Despite them, not because of them. I needed to change the subject before I said too much. “What about Eloise’s cat, Mischief?” I asked. “Any luck finding her?”

  He shook his head. “Sean canvassed the neighborhood, but she hasn’t turned up.”

  Although I was disappointed, at least I’d seen her alive. She’d come back to the neighborhood eventually. “That reminds me. Sean gave me a ticket when I was searching for Ava.”

  His mouth twitched. “Yeah, I saw that. Don’t worry about paying it.”

  “I can’t ignore a ticket. It’ll go on my record.”

  “Not if the ticket never made it into the system, which it didn’t.” The chief kissed the tip of my nose. “I’m not letting him punish you for doing your job.”

  “I don’t want special favors,” I said. “That’s how we get into trouble.” I placed my hands on his cheeks and enjoyed the rough texture of his stubble against my skin. He clearly hadn’t shaved since turning back into a human.

  He curled his fingers around mine. “What’s wrong? A second ago, you were living your best life.”

  “Trust me, I am.” I sighed. “It’s just that when you were a fox, there was this moment where I thought maybe you were a secret shifter and I realized how much easier our lives would be if you were.”

  “Because we wouldn’t need to sneak around?”

  “Basically.”

  He released my hands. “Do the FBI regulations not apply if the chief of police is a supernatural? Somehow I doubt that.” He peered at me. “Are you sure you’re not disappointed that I’m a boring human after all?”

  “There’s nothing about you that’s disappointing or boring, Sawyer, except maybe the fact that you sound vaguely Canadian sometimes. I just wish it could be easier.”

  “Some things are worth the trouble though, right?” he asked. I detected a slightly hopeful tone and hated that he felt the need to question it.

  “One hundred percent,” I said. I edged into his arms and rested my cheek against his chest. “I wouldn’t change a thing about you.”

  “Ditto. Wings and flaming eyeballs and all. Say, there’s something I’ve bee
n meaning to ask you,” he said. “When I first turned into a fox, you said ‘they won’t get away with his.’” He inclined his head. “Who’d you mean by ‘they?’”

  I cleared my throat, struggling for a good answer. “My family likes to get into mischief and sometimes they cross the line.” Cheese and crackers, that had to be the lamest lie I’d ever told.

  “Why would they target me?” he asked.

  “I thought maybe they found out about us and wanted to teach me a lesson.”

  He pulled back slightly. “By turning the chief of police into a forest animal? That’s not what I would call mischief.”

  “Well, they weren’t the responsible party, so it’s all good,” I said, wishing this conversation would end. I didn’t want my family to know more about the chief and I didn’t want the chief to know more about my family. Sally’s words came flooding back to me—secrets aren’t healthy for a relationship. Maybe not, but sometimes they were necessary. Ignorance was safest when it came to the dark side of my family.

  The chief studied me. “Do I need to be concerned about your family—as the chief of police, I mean?”

  “No,” I said quickly. “They mostly inflict harm on each other.” Or me, depending on their moods. “They don’t like other people enough to get involved with them.”

  “Sounds like some people I know back in Iowa.”

  “I doubt that very much.”

  He kissed me firmly on the lips. “And while we’re on the subject, I don’t think you bring trouble because of your true nature, but I definitely think trying to hide it makes things worse.”

  I peered at him. “What are you talking about?”

  “Back when I was a fox in your attic…” He stopped and chuckled. “Never thought that was a sentence I’d utter. Anyway, when I was a fox, you said that you bring trouble wherever you go because of your true nature. It isn’t being a fury that’s problematic. It’s the fact that you resist who you are. It was true for Ava and it’s true for you.”

  “It’s sort of necessary given that I live in the human world,” I said. “Can you imagine how people would react if they knew the truth?”