by Sonia Parin
The next shot hit her but instead of making her insides quiver, it seemed to surge through her and...
“Wow.” The colorful rays shot out of her eyes, swirled around Bebe so fast Lexie could only see a rainbow of colors.
Bebe struggled to free herself, but the glob appeared to tighten around her like a straitjacket.
Seeing the colorful glob spread downward, Lexie knew it was only a matter of seconds before it covered her. “Um... Help... O’Rourke.”
A hundred voices answered.
And as many O’Rourkes stormed into Chelsea Manor and up the stairs.
“Let go.”
“Please tell me this is where I magically glide down—”
Releasing her hold, her breath whooshed out of her. She fell hard into a couple of strong arms.
She could see Bebe still struggling to break free, but whatever Luna had packed into that shot had her well contained.
“We’ll take it from here.”
As she was about to close her eyes and enjoy a moment of relief she caught sight of a black shape flying toward her.
Luna landed on her with a loud mewl.
Moments later she sat on the bottom step, Luna in her arms. Neither one spoke because they couldn’t get a word in edgewise. Ramona spoke a mile a minute, trying to make sense of what had happened. But the faster she talked the less sense she seemed to make until she stopped.
“Why am I wearing this suit?”
“You were playing gangster and using Luna as your weapon,” Lexie offered.
“How ridiculous. Why would I do that?”
It seemed Bebe Brown had been getting inside everyone’s heads.
Looking over Ramona’s shoulder, Lexie saw an orb hovering, its white light glowing serenely. She guessed it was Mirabelle cleaning up the magical mess and making sure Ramona didn’t remember what had happened.
Every O’Rourke who’d turned up to rescue her shuffled out of Chelsea Manor taking Bebe with them.
“Where are they taking her?” she asked Dante when he emerged from the library.
“She’ll have to answer for her crime,” Dante said.
“But surely no prison will be able to hold her.”
“There are places for her kind. She’ll have her powers bound. Before you leave we’d like a statement from you, please.”
Lexie gave him a revised version of events, leaving out the part about Luna shooting colorful bullets at her. She had the feeling it wasn’t something she should share with anyone else.
Lexie smiled. She had a secret weapon.
How cool was that.
Chapter Eleven
“You got Jack’s address, didn’t you? Tell me you got Jack’s address. You should write it down,” Luna said after they finished saying their goodbyes to everyone. “You did write it down. Tell me you wrote it and put it in a safe place.”
“Button up, kitten. We’re going home.”
“If you didn’t get Jack’s address, there’s going to be trouble. Big, colorful trouble. I won’t be held responsible.”
“You’re seriously threatening me? I haven’t clicked my heels yet so it’s not too late to maybe... lose a tail or a set of whiskers along the way...”
Luna’s purr turned into a deep grumble. “All right. But only if you’re sure you’ve got Jack’s address.”
Luna curled her tail around her leg. Lexie grabbed hold of her suitcase. “Ready or not... There’s nowhere like home....”
“Are we there yet?”
Did she really need to ask? Lexie rubbed her butt and then kicked her bedroom closet door open. At this rate, she might have to think about getting a bigger closet.
“I don’t dare open my eyes,” Luna purred.
“And I wish I hadn’t opened my eyes.” She stared at her bedroom walls. “Striped wallpaper?”
“There she is.” Jonathan ripped off an apron and threw it on the floor in disgust.
“Jonathan. You’ve no idea how good it is to see you.” She swept her gaze across his broad shoulders, skimmed her eyes over his chiseled face. It really felt great to lose herself in his deep ocean blue eyes. She sniffed. “Wow. Something smells good.” She scrambled to her feet. “Have you been cooking?”
“That’s all you have to say?” He dragged out her suitcase, opened it and drew out the clothes. “Creased. You could at least have folded them. And that’s a leg of lamb and roast potatoes about to finish cooking. I’m going to set the table...” Jonathan growled. “I can’t believe all those words tripped out of my mouth.”
“Mom,” Lexie yelled.
Busy, darling.
“Get your butt over here. I want Jonathan back to normal now.”
A shower of sparkles exploded in her room followed by her mom’s grand entrance.
“I see you made it back in one piece,” her mom said as she inspected Luna.
“You’re not going to ask about me?”
“You’re a grown woman. You can look after yourself. Luna, on the other hand, is a defenseless creature.”
The holder of the death ray? Defenseless?
Jonathan cleared his throat.
“Mom. Whatever you did to Jonathan, undo it. Right now.”
“How do you like your room?”
“Not at all. Stripes? What were you thinking?”
“Then Jonathan will need another day to rip it all out and—”
Lexie looked around her bedroom. Could she live with stripes?
Jonathan growled under his breath.
“Now. Change him back now.”
“All right. If you insist.”
“I insist.”
Morgana waved her hands and disappeared.
Lexie frowned. “What? No goodbye? No questions about my trip?”
We’ll catch up soon, dear. I’m still in the middle of rehearsals.
Lexie sighed. She turned and looked at Jonathan. “How about you? Are you hanging around?”
“I should get back to the bar, but I’m... compelled to stay and debrief you.”
“Compelled? As in, you don’t have a choice?”
“What’s the matter? Afraid you’ve lost your charm?”
“I have been away for a few days. Is it too much to hope for the people closest to me to express some interest in my wellbeing?”
“You got the cat back in one piece. And you look okay.”
“I could have done with some help back there. Didn’t anyone hear me calling?” She strode through to her small kitchen and inspected the stove. “It looks done.” She brought out the lamb and potatoes and set the tray on the kitchen counter.
Luna curled her tail around her leg and mewled. “I’m sure there’s a can of something here for you.”
“I guess this means she’s staying.”
“She hasn’t said anything yet. But I met her previous companion. Luna has nothing to complain about and I doubt she could do better than me.” Dante O’Rourke had said the O’Rourke Group would take care of Bebe Brown but hadn’t gone into details. Although there had been mention of binding Bebe’s powers—a harsh sentence for a witch.
“We heard you,” Jonathan said.
She swung around. “And? Why didn’t someone come to help me?”
Jonathan shuffled his feet. “The Mackenzie wenches told me to stand down.”
“It was a test. You all wanted to see how I’d do on my own.”
He put his hands up. “Don’t look at me. My hands were tied. Your mom made sure of that. Catherine was ready to rush to your rescue but you know how she is about traveling. Mirabelle had her own coven business to take care of, but we kept her updated. If you’d been in any real danger, they would have gone to save you. But you did all right.”
“How do you know?”
He looked away and then back at her. “I kicked up a fuss so your mom set up the TV to receive a direct link.”
“You watched me on TV?”
He shrugged.
Lexie smiled. “How did I look?”
“Like an Amazonian warrior princess. Amazingly light on your feet as you danced your way around the death ray.” He took hold of her hand and rubbed his thumb over small scar that still stung.
“Luna packs quite a punch. Who’d a thunk it?”
The edge of his lip quirked up.
“You two make quite a team. You realize the wenches will take advantage of that.”
“Huh?”
He sighed. “You were right about them testing you.”
“Wait, are you saying I was auditioning for some sort of role?”
“Let’s just say you’ll be an asset worth exploiting. Can you imagine Mirabelle lunging for her life while facing a death ray wielding witch’s cat?”
“I can’t even imagine her doing a sing-a-long. Hey, does that mean she’s the brains and I’m the brawn of the team? I’m not sure I like that. And...” She frowned. “What exactly did I unwittingly sign up for here? Is the Mackenzie Coven running some sort of covert operation?”
“Not exactly, but they’ve acquired a reputation for dealing with unusual situations.”
“Yeah, that’s a different way of saying they’re running a covert operation.” She frowned again. “I should stop referring to them as they. I seem to be in the thick of it too with no way out.”
“And dragging me right along with you,” he said under his breath.
“Speaking of which... where are they?”
“They made themselves scarce. In other words, they’ll wait for the dust to settle before showing their faces... orbs around here.”
Lexie noticed he was still holding onto her hand and rubbing his thumb over the scar.
“Any news on what will happen with Ramona?” he asked. “She didn’t strike me as a villain.”
“She was cleared of all charges. Bebe used her as a decoy but Ramona didn’t make it easy for her. She and Luna fought her all the way. Bebe had her hands full trying to control Ramona and all the guests. That’s why the spell kept dropping off.” Lexie gave him a small smile. “So... here I am. Back to my run of the mill life.” Luna mewled. “Right. Feed the cat.”
Jonathan released her hand and searched one of the cupboards for cat food.
“Um... I didn’t mean you. I mean... did I just compel you to do my bidding?”
“No. This is just a courtesy. Consider it your welcome home, don’t get used to me doing stuff for you, especially not the ironing, gesture.”
“Well, aren’t I a lucky gal.”
“By the way, you’re doing the late night shift at the bar this week.”
“No mooching off the boss? Remind me again why I agreed to lead this double life?”
He lifted the can of cat food in a salute. “Because it’s your birthright, Mackenzie.”
She looked around her small apartment. A huge step down from Chelsea Manor. But this was home. Hers and... Luna’s. She drew out a carving knife from a drawer. “How about I carve and... you tell me about you and Morg?”
“Me and Morg? Don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She gave him a slanted eye look. “I’ve picked up a few new tricks. I have ways of making you talk.”
“Give it your best shot.”
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading Witch Indeed - Book Two - A Mackenzie Coven Mystery.
Alexandra Elizabeth Mackenzie has a long way to go before she ascends to her rightful position as High Chair of the American Continent and all Circumferential Domains Pertaining to the Mackenzie Coven, aka… well, she’ll think of something.
Next in the series: Witch Cast
Witch Cast - Chapter One
“What did I tell you about bringing your cat into the bar?”
Lexie cracked a peanut shell and shrugged. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Luna’s back home curled up on her favorite cushion.”
Pinning his ocean blue eyes on her, Jonathan O’Connor gave the counter a brisk wipe.
Luna screeched, took a leap and crashed against Lexie, knocking the wind out of her. Even in her invisible form and despite her dainty appearance, Luna weighed a ton.
Jonathan lifted an eyebrow. “You were saying?”
Lexie shrugged. “I still don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Jonathan leaned across the counter. His sparkly eyes held her mesmerized. As her guardian, he didn’t have any special... magical powers, none that she knew of, but the man could wield his own brand of magic.
Distracted by his dazzling gaze, Lexie didn’t notice him reaching across the counter, but she did catch his frown when he grabbed a handful of her sweater instead of Luna who’d evaded him by clambering up to her shoulders and wrapping her tail around her neck.
Jonathan’s gaze danced around her face. “I know she’s here. I can hear her purring.” He released her sweater but didn’t step back. That meant he stood close enough for her to inhale the fresh scent of his aftershave lotion. Or maybe it was the fresh out of the shower scent because he still sported a light couldn’t-be-bothered-shaving stubble.
Lexie pushed out a sigh. “I can’t leave her at home.”
“Have you tried?”
Had she ever...
After their recent experience, Luna refused to leave her side. Wherever she went, Luna insisted on being right there with her. Lexie leaned in and lowered her voice. “She’s been whining about separation anxiety. What do you want me to do? The poor scamp is still having nightmares about being kidnapped and used as a weapon against me,” her voice hitched. “She might need therapy.”
Jonathan shook his head. “Just keep her away from my counter.”
She gave him her most brilliant smile and, lifting her empty cup of coffee, asked for a refill. “Make it an Irish coffee, please. Hold the cream.”
“Tough day?” Jonathan asked.
She’d woken up with a smile on her face, happy to be home, safe and sound. When she’d opened her eyes, she’d averted her gaze from the striped wallpaper her mother had chosen for her bedroom and had sought out Luna who’d been curled up at the foot of her bed, her little nose twitching as she stirred awake. Then her quiet contentment had been shattered.
“The troublesome duo paid me a visit this morning,” Lexie said.
“Your cousins?”
Lexie gave a stiff nod.
“I thought you liked Catherine.”
“I do.” Her down under cousin had a sparkly attitude to everything but now Lexie had to wonder if it actually hid a more serious side.
Catherine had burst into her bedroom that morning in a shower of sparkles to announce their British cousin’s imminent arrival with a tone that had brooked no argument. She’d given Lexie five minutes to make herself presentable or suffer the consequences.
Mirabelle Louisa Mackenzie, the High Chair of the British Isles and all Circumferential Domains Pertaining to the Mackenzie Coven didn’t suffer fools and preferred getting right down to business, something Lexie enjoyed playing around with. What was the point of life if one couldn’t find something to smile or laugh about? Besides, Mirabelle’s stuffiness made her an easy target.
“How much power do you think they have over me?” she asked, “I mean, what could they actually do if I don’t fall in step with their demands?”
Jonathan shrugged. “Turn you into a monkey.”
“Yeah, right. As if...”
“You want to test them,” Jonathan shrugged. “Go ahead.”
“Hypothetically, if they did happen to cast some sort of warped, teach-me-a-lesson retribution type of spell on me, what would you do?”
He brushed his hand across his day old stubble. “I’d have a good laugh about it.”
“Be serious. You’re supposed to be my guardian.”
“You’re right.” He cleared his throat. “Okay, after I’ve had a good laugh about it, I’d follow procedures.”
“And?”
“And I’d lodge a complaint with the Council of High Chairs, but I should warn you, I’m not on good terms with them
. Not since they conspired to wrench me out of my quiet, uneventful life of blissful exile.”
“You’d lodge a complaint? By the time anyone did anything about it, I might be rattling a tin can in a street corner.”
“You’d be turned back. Eventually. On second thought, it would be a quirky drawcard for the pub. You could parade around in a little sandwich board and I could have a special costume designed for you to wear on St Patrick’s Day.”
She drew her eyebrows down. “Should I be seeking advice from higher up?”
Smiling, Jonathan leaned on the counter. “Let sleeping dogs lie.”
“What are you afraid they’ll do?” Lexie asked.
“Turn me into a monkey.”
Luna flicked her tail against Lexie’s nose.
“That reminds me. Are you ever going to tell me what went on between you and my mom?” Jonathan had been tight-lipped about it. But when he’d recently encountered Morgana, presumably for the first time, it had been clear they’d known each other... from way back. It didn’t help that the current High Chair of the American Continent and all Circumferential Domains Pertaining to the Mackenzie Coven had beguiled Jonathan into servitude. Hence the new striped wallpaper in her bedroom.
That had resulted in two weeks of grumbling from Jonathan. Lexie didn’t blame him. They’d both tried to distance themselves from the coven and they’d both been hauled back into the fold.
Lexie shrugged. “You really need to get over it. You don’t hear me complaining... much.”
“Was that the tail end of a conversation you were having in your head?” he asked.
You know he can’t hear your thoughts.
Lexie brushed back Luna’s tail. “Where do you know Morgana from?”
“Don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Lexie twirled her finger at him. “Sure, you do and you want to tell me all about it.”
He laughed. “Nice try beguiling me but you’re still wearing your training wheels.”
And, so far, no one had rushed to give her clear instructions. Shouldn’t there be some sort of reference book? An Idiot’s Guide to Casting Spells...
