Hexing with a Chance of Tornadoes: A Paranormal Women's Fiction Romance Novel (Grimm Cove Book 2)

by Mandy M. Roth

  “Yes,” said Brett. “Dana was pretty impressive with the vampires two nights ago too.”

  Stratton shrugged. “I don’t know. Sounds like we should have the girls stay to protect us and be less worried about putting them in a bubble.”

  Dana laughed. “I like you.”

  Stratton smiled at Dana in a suggestive manner.

  One Jeffrey didn’t like in the least.

  Jeffrey growled. “Mine.”

  Dana groaned. “No. I’m not.”

  “Yes, you are,” he returned.

  She tossed her hands in the air and began ranting about not needing or wanting a man in her life. That he was a complication she didn’t need and that he probably just wanted sex from her—nothing more.

  Jeffrey only caught part of the rest of it because he was too busy staring at her sexy backside as she stormed off—in the wrong direction once again.

  Stratton whistled, catching Jeffrey’s attention.

  Jeffrey glanced at him.

  He held up a cell phone and nodded to Dana as she continued to rant and rave about how all men were bottom-feeding mouth breathers. “I think this is hers, and there is no way in hell I’m getting close to her right now.”

  Lifting a hand, Jeffrey waited as Stratton tossed the phone to him. He caught it, and the minute he did, the phone rang. He nearly dropped the thing.

  “Dana,” he said as her phone rang again.

  She stopped shouting about men and spun around to face him. “What?”

  Poppy laughed and wiped her eyes. “They’re perfect for each other, Brett.”

  Brett licked his lips, as if trying to avoid laughing as well. “I think you might be right. She won’t take any of his crap.”

  Jeffrey held up the phone, which displayed a contact that read “Nonna” as the phone continued to ring. “You’ve got a call.”

  Her brow creased. “I don’t have service out here.”

  Jeffrey noticed that, technically, according to the bars on her phone, she still didn’t have any coverage. But the phone continued to ring all the same. Boldly, he answered it. “Hello?”

  “Are you the wolf?” asked a woman with an accent that sounded very Italian to him.

  He stiffened, his gaze colliding with Dana’s. “Yes. I’m the wolf.”

  “Is she harmed?” the woman asked, worry in her voice.

  “Your granddaughter is fine,” he said soothingly.

  Dana hurried to him, her hand out for the phone.

  “Hi, Wilma!” yelled Marcy, waving as she did, as if the woman could see her.

  Fifteen

  Dana

  I took the phone from Jeffrey and brought it to my ear. “Nonna?”

  She exhaled loudly, sounding relieved. “You’re okay? I was worried.”

  “How did you know I was in trouble?” I tensed.

  “I just knew,” said Nonna. “I know a lot of things, but you tend not to believe me.”

  “About that.” I sighed. “Nonna, are you really a witch? Like real magik and all of that?”

  “Yes. You’ve got some witch in you too, Dana,” said Nonna.

  I did my best to remain calm. “What else do I have in me?”

  She was quiet for a long while, and I knew I wasn’t going to like the answer she provided.

  “Nonna?”

  “I knew this day would come,” she whispered. “I feared it but knew it would come. The cards told me it was time to push you to return to Grimm Cove. That your wolf was there. But I knew the other was there too.”

  I swallowed hard. “Can you do me a favor and speak in clear terms? No riddles. And what do you mean by returned to Grimm Cove? I’d never been here before when you suggested I vacation in South Carolina.”

  A line of Italian curses came from Nonna as she asked for forgiveness for withholding the truth from me for so long.

  I grunted. “Now who needs soap in their mouth?”

  Nonna snorted. “I’m ninety. At my age, I can tell anyone anything I damn well please. I’ve logged my time and earned that right.”

  I rubbed my temple. “Nonna, please.”

  “Dana, you were born in Grimm Cove in secret and whisked off to New York—to me. It was the safest thing to do back then,” she said.

  “Safest? Why would I be in danger as a newborn? And why wouldn’t anyone tell me I was born here? My birth certificate says New York.”

  She snorted. “I know a gal who knows a gal. In other words, I know people who get things done.”

  And just like that, I pictured her heading a crime family. She was small but mighty.

  “Nonna,” I said decisively, noticing Poppy easing closer to me. “How old was I when my father died?”

  She grew quiet once more. “You weren’t even born. You came after.”

  My gaze snapped to Jeffrey. Had he been right about Abraham being my father? “How long after he died was I born? A month? Two months? Nine months?”

  “Yes,” said Nonna.

  I let my guard down. It was evident my father couldn’t be the man they all thought he was. It was just a coincidence he had a similar name.

  “Give or take a hundred years,” she added quickly, as if it might go unnoticed.

  “What?” I asked, paling.

  Jeffrey came straight to me, the shirt around his waist falling some, revealing hipbone.

  Marcy whistled loudly. “Hubba-hubba.”

  “Impressive,” said Poppy.

  Brett growled at him. “Stop putting on a show for my mate and her friends, Farkas.”

  “Like I meant to do it.” Jeffrey grunted and readjusted the shirt before reaching for me. “Legs, are you okay?”

  “Not really,” I said, holding the phone out a bit. “Nonna said my father died a hundred years before I was born—give or take.”

  “I know,” said Jeffrey before clearing his throat. “I can hear her side of the conversation. So can Brett. Shifter thing. I don’t know what Stratton is, so I don’t know if he heard it.”

  “I did,” said Stratton evenly, offering nothing more on what he was or wasn’t.

  I found myself reaching out with my free hand for Jeffrey, needing comfort.

  He grabbed my hand in his and drew me close.

  I brought the phone back to my ear. “Nonna, I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

  “You do,” said Nonna softly. “You just don’t want to believe it’s all true. There is an entire world of magik and the supernatural that your mother, your father, and I tried so hard to shield you from. I may not like him, but your father has always wanted you far from danger. He’s lived a long time. And in that time, he’s made a lot of enemies. If what my sources say is true, you met one of those enemies tonight—Dragos.”

  My mind raced to process what she was saying. In an instant, I thought about the night I’d seen my mother take on the rabid dog—that had looked a lot like a wolf. Before she’d done that, a mysterious man in a limo had pulled up and spoken with me, seeming concerned about my mother. As I focused more on that day, I realized where I’d heard Abraham’s voice before.

  It had been him—the man with the limo.

  He’d also been at my mother’s funeral, standing just outside of the church, looking in the open door at the service. He hadn’t looked like he was over a hundred. Sure, it had been twenty years since I’d seen him, but still. He didn’t look his age. In fact, he didn’t look any older than me.

  Someone had covered the full expense of my mother’s hospital stay and her memorial service. Poppy and I had done our best to find out who that mysterious benefactor was, but we’d come up empty.

  As my thoughts ran over my mother’s expenses being paid for, another thing came to mind. My college education, and how at first my acceptance to Yale hadn’t come with a full ride, but days later, I was granted a scholarship that more than covered all my needs.

  Nonna and my mother’s argument about too many strings being attached to my full ride made sense now.


  “He paid for Yale, didn’t he?” I asked, unsure I wanted to hear the answer.

  “Yes,” Nonna said, offering no more.

  “Is he also the one who paid for Mom’s funeral service and her hospital bills?” I asked.

  “Yes,” she said, hurt in her voice. “He is also the reason she died. Her feelings for him clouded her judgment when it came to other supernaturals, specifically vampires. Like her father, she found it in her heart to love a supernatural rather than destroy the ones who were beyond redemption.”

  “Grandpa was a hunter, as in slayer?” I asked.

  “Yes. Many men prefer to be called hunters. And when he met me, he said he knew I was meant to be with him,” she said. “I didn’t think it was possible for a hunter and a witch to make a life together, but we did. It was a good one until he died. But I still had your mother then. She was a blessing. But she took after his side more than mine. It was her calling to be a slayer. Her destiny.”

  I thought about how easy killing the vampires and the ghouls had come to me. And about how I had no remorse over the act.

  My blood ran cold. Was I a slayer too? “Nonna, do I take after his side too?”

  She sighed. “Dana, your mother was half witch and half slayer. Your father was born a hunter—or slayer, if you prefer the term—but was turned into a creature of the night. That means you’re—”

  I gasped, clutching Jeffrey’s hand tighter. “A quarter vampire, a quarter witch, and fifty percent slayer?”

  “I was going to say a force to be reckoned with, but yes, if you prefer to do the math,” said Nonna with a small laugh. “I’ll let you go now and talk to you soon. I just needed to know you were okay. When Ellie-Sue and Tuck appeared to tell me they’d heard of an impending attack on you, I worried. And when the ether whispered to us that Dragos was behind the attack, we were all concerned.”

  I pressed myself against Jeffrey. “Are you telling me you talked to Poppy’s dead grandparents?”

  “Yes. Ellie-Sue and I go way back,” said Nonna. “We met at a conference for witches when we were in our twenties. Over the years, we’ve helped one another whenever we could.”

  I just stood there, trying to let it all soak in. “Anything else I should know?”

  “Yes,” said Nonna.

  I tensed, and Jeffrey moved his hand to my low back and rubbed it in a supportive manner. “I’m afraid to ask.”

  “You should know the animal you were born with a connection to is a wolf,” said Nonna. “Just as your father has ties to wolves. And if I’m correct, you have a very special wolf standing there, wanting very much to hold you tightly but worried you’ll snap at him if he tries.”

  I looked up at Jeffrey.

  “She’s right,” said Jeffrey. “It was pointed out to me that you’re very capable of ripping parts off me, and I’m standing here in Stratton’s shirt. Hardly a cup or anything. Doesn’t offer much in the way of protection.”

  I grunted.

  Nonna laughed. “Tell him that I approve. And, Dana, I’m glad you’re finally settling down with a man. That you’ll have a family of your own. That you’ll have someone with you when I’m gone. You won’t be alone.”

  I stiffened. “Nonna, you’re not planning to join Ellie-Sue anytime soon, are you?”

  “I’m with her now,” said Nonna.

  I felt faint. “Is that how you got my phone to ring without service here? You’re dead and calling me from the other side?”

  “Impressive calling distance,” said Marcy.

  “What? No. I’m calling you from the turnpike,” said Nonna. “Peter is driving.”

  “I’m confused. You said you’re with Ellie-Sue,” I said. “I thought you meant you were dead.”

  “Oh, no. We’re about to stop for gas.”

  I thought harder on it. “Peter is driving? A car? He’s like a hundred.”

  “Hardly. He’s a couple of years younger than me. I’m a cradle robber like that,” she said proudly. “I think that means I’m a tiger.”

  Jeffrey snorted. “Cougar. She means cougar.”

  Nonna cleared her throat. “Rita and Lou say hi.”

  “They’re with you too?” I asked, wondering what was going on.

  She giggled softly, sounding so young. “Of course, they didn’t want to miss out on an adventure. We’re old. Not dead. George is here too. Chester as well. Not Shirley though. George and Chester bonded over how she treated them. We thought it best to avoid drama and leave her home.”

  “You’ve all managed to fit in one car?” I asked. “And fit Lou’s oxygen tank machine in?”

  “He has a portable one, Dana,” she said as if I was being dramatic. “And we fit perfectly in the center’s van.”

  I felt faint. “Peter is driving the van from the senior center?”

  Jeffrey pried the phone from my hands. “Nonna?” He laughed. “Yes. I know she’s not going to take kindly to me taking her phone. Thank you for your blessing. Yes. Of course I’ll take good care of her. Well, no. We haven’t discussed children yet. I sort of have to first convince her to go on a date with me. She keeps turning me down.”

  He tipped his head and locked gazes with me. “Dana, she said hold your head high. No walks of shame needed with me. Do I want to know what she means?”

  “No,” I groaned. “Find out why she and her cronies are in the senior center van. How did they get it? Did they steal it? Ohmygod, is Nonna breaking the law?”

  Jeffrey laughed so hard, he teared up. “Nonna, I’m not going to tell her that. She scares me. Yes, ma’am. I will. And yes, I think I already am. I hope she gets on board with the idea. Ha. I’ll be sure to tell her this isn’t the first time you’ve broken the law.”

  Listening to the two bonding, I rolled my eyes. “Hang up before you hear about her sex life.”

  His eyes widened. “Bye, Nonna.”

  I took a look around at the aftermath of the ghoul attack and slumped my shoulders. “Is it always this way in Grimm Cove?”

  Jeffrey glanced down at the ghoul nearest to us. “This is the first time I’ve ever actually seen ghouls in person. I’ve heard of them. And I think I remember my father mentioning having some run-ins with them when he was younger, but other than that, no.”

  “Same,” said Brett. “This is my first time seeing them in the flesh too.”

  Everyone glanced at Stratton.

  “I’ve seen more than my fair share,” he supplied.

  My throat went dry. “Since coming here, I’ve seen a lot of things I’d never seen before.”

  Jeffrey’s posture stiffened. “Legs, I swear it’s not always like this here. Something is in the air because we’ve had a lot of batshit-crazy things going on for the past six months. I want to lie and tell you it won’t get worse here, but I can’t make you that promise.”

  “Feels kind of like it’s ramping up, doesn’t it?” asked Brett. “Started six months back with the first succu-witch kill, and three months ago, those increased and we got into the brawl outside of your bar. That forced the council’s hand on making changes. Around that time, other calls started coming into the station about strange things.”

  Stratton nodded. “Yep. And if we do have the legendary Dragos here, it stands to reason other really powerful baddies might be showing up.”

  A strange sensation came over me as I stared down at the ghouls. “Or they’re already here, waiting for the right moment to strike.”

  “Could be,” said Stratton.

  “Can you not help?” Jeffrey growled at the man. “I’m trying my best to keep my mate from running back to New York.”

  Stratton gave him a thumbs-up. “Going great so far. Keep up the good work.”

  Jeffrey’s attention went to Brett as he lifted a middle finger in Stratton’s direction. “I’m going to eat your detective.”

  “Okay, but you’re filing the paperwork when you’re done. Not me,” said Brett with a grin. “You saw how I type.”

  With a nod of a
greement, Jeffrey said, “You make it look awkward.”

  “As opposed to you wearing Stratton’s shirt as a skirt?” goaded Brett.

  I couldn’t help but laugh.

  Sixteen

  Dana

  Jeffrey put his hand out to me as he stood there in nothing more than Stratton’s shirt. “Come on, Legs. Let’s find my clothes and get you back so you can shower. We can figure out the rest later.”

  I nodded.

  He tugged on my hand and began to walk. Neither of us said a word for about ten minutes as I found myself lost in thought on everything I’d only just learned.

  Everything I’d thought I’d known about myself and my life had been a lie.

  Jeffrey pulled to a stop, and I jerked back to the here and now. He winked. “Sorry, but my pants are here.”

  It was then I noticed his discarded jeans on the ground.

  Releasing his hand, I looked around for his underwear. “Did we pass your skivvies already?”

  He licked his lips. “Nope. I don’t wear them.”

  Interesting.

  “And ‘skivvies’?” he questioned with a snort.

  I shrugged. “Nonna uses the word. It stuck.”

  He touched the shirt tied around his waist, and I realized I was staring at him. I’d have blushed, but I’d already seen him naked. Besides, he was hardly the first naked guy I’d seen in my forty years.

  A sexy smile spread over his face. “Feeling bold?”

  “Better question is, are you?” I countered.

  With that, Jeffrey undid the shirt and let it drop to the ground.

  That answered that question.

  “Poppy, you’re right. He is impressive,” said Marcy from behind us, startling me.

  I turned to find her and Poppy there.

  Poppy waved as she tried to keep from laughing.

  Jeffrey grabbed his jeans and hurried into them. “Shit.”