A Call to Charms

by Denise Swanson

  “You want us to date?” I freed my hand from Gil’s grip and edge my way around him until he no longer blocked my exit.

  Intellectually, I knew that people never saw themselves the way others did. The distance between their image of themselves and reality was too wide a chasm for them to leap. The price of honesty about their own shortcomings was too costly to their egos. But still, Gil was obviously delusional.

  “Sure.” Gil followed me as I backed into the hallway. “I like it around here, and I’m thinking about hanging out my shingle.”

  “Here?” I had to turn to walk down the stairs, and it seemed an eternity until I reached the bottom. Gil was right behind me with a goofy smile on his face. “We already have a lawyer in Echo Springs, and I don’t think there’s enough business for two attorneys.”

  “He’s getting old.” Gil shrugged, keeping close to my heels as I retreated to the kitchen. “In fact, I might just buy his practice once I get access to my money again.”

  Not really listening to Gil’s ramblings about his future plans, I murmured uh-huh and uh-ah as I made a beeline for my purse.

  Although Gil appeared calm, and sort of rational, I kept a wary eye on him while I thrust my hand into the depths of my purse. My fingers skimmed the cool plastic surface of my cell.

  Now came the tricky part. I had to remember where both the mute and the speaker buttons were located. This was still a relatively new phone to me, and I hadn’t studied it very thoroughly yet. Holding my breath, I made my choices, then by feel, I dialed 911 and trusted the dispatcher would figure out what was happening in time to send help.

  While I was distracted, Gil had closed in on me again. He cupped my cheek, and if anything, he smelled worse than he had a few minutes ago. It took all of my willpower not to slap away his hand.

  “Gil,” I deliberately mentioned his name hoping that if Chief Neville was around, he’d remember our conversation about my ex. “I’m still not clear how you got into my house. I locked the doors, and I didn’t hear any glass breaking or wood splintering.”

  “I have my ways.” Gil’s smug smile made the bile rise in my throat.

  “Well, considering the lateness of the hour and the fact you’ve tried to kill me twice, if you’re truly sorry, I want you to take your hands off me and leave.” I’d watched enough crime shows to know the importance of making it clear that I was saying no. “I’m not comfortable with you being here or with you touching me.”

  “That’s too bad.” Gil’s tone was contrite, but it didn’t match his expression. “Because I’m not letting you out of my sight again.”

  “I thought you said we’d start over and go on a first date.” I edged backward until my butt hit the countertop. I glanced at the back door, wondering if I could make it to the truck before Gil caught me. “Sleepovers do not occur on the first date.”

  “You must have five or six bedrooms in this place.” Gil’s gaze scanned the ceiling as if he could see through the plaster. “I’ll bunk in one of them until you come to your senses.” He shook his head, regretfully. “But since you still don’t seem to understand that we’re destined to be together, I can’t trust you so I will have to cuff you to your bed.”

  “No way.” My skin crawled. “I didn’t let you do that kind of thing when we were a couple, and I’m certainly not allowing it now.”

  “Here’s the thing.” Gil’s hand shot out and grabbed my wrist.

  Shoot! Why weren’t the police here? Echo Springs was tiny; their response time should literally be less than five minutes. I listened intently, but couldn’t hear any trace of a siren. I should have gone for a weapon instead of the phone. Where had I put the knife I’d used to cut my sandwich in half?

  Gil must have realized what I was thinking because his grip on my wrist tightened and he repeated, “Here’s the thing. You really don’t have a lot of say in the matter. I won’t rush you, but I can’t allow you to make a poor choice and try to leave me again.”

  I felt behind me. I was pressed up against a drawer I hoped contained utensils. Maybe I could stab Gil in the eye with a meat fork and make a run for it.

  In an attempt to distract him while I eased open the drawer, I asked, “Were you the one in the black van who tried to run me over?”

  Confusion crawled across Gil’s pallid face and he shook his head. “When did that happen?”

  “A few days ago.”

  “Are you sure someone didn’t just mistake the gas for the brake?”

  “Of course I am!” I continued my quest for a sharp cooking gadget. “You sound like the police chief. He didn’t believe me either.”

  “Someone is probably paying him off.” Gil narrowed his bloodshot eyes then beamed and said triumphantly, “See! You need me to protect you.”

  “Would that you could,” I murmured, thinking the first person I needed protection from was Gil.

  I finally got the drawer open and slid my hand inside. But instead of the feel of cold metal, my fingers touched soft cotton.

  Great! I suppose I could try to stuff a dishcloth down his throat, but since I doubted he’d stand there and let me do that, escaping out the door was now my only option.

  Although I took off running, sadly, I didn’t make it two steps before Gil grabbed me by the waist wrapped me in a restraining bear hug, and shouted, “I’d hoped you’d realized by now we’re soulmates.”

  “No, we are not!” My voice sounded a little like I was channeling Satan or at least his daughter, but I was sick of trying to pacify him. I could speak my mind and be murdered or suffer silently and still end up dead.

  “We are.” Gil tightened his arms until I couldn’t take a deep breath. “Either we’ll be together in this world or in the next one.”

  As he squeezed my body against his, I felt the rock I’d slipped into my pocket just before Gil appeared. It was supposed to be a protection charm, and I definitely needed it in this situation.

  Although I was lightheaded from lack of oxygen. I shoved my hand into my pocket and touch the rock. Now if I could only remember the verse to activate it.

  How did it go? Something about being set in stone.

  Intent on recalling the poem, I nearly blew my chance to get away. But once the significance of the sound of breaking glass forced itself into my consciousness and I felt Gil’s grip on me slacken, I raised my knee and thrust it into his crotch.

  When he yelped and jerked backward, I sprinted out of the kitchen and toward the front door. I nearly collided with Lucas and Cole before I skidded to a halt.

  Instead of saving me, they were standing in the foyer glaring at each other, so I had to shout to get their attention. “Help! My ex is trying to kill me!”

  Gil was a nanosecond behind me, but my would-be heroes took the time to shoot one last scowl at each other before they charged him. Gil somehow eluded both of them and snatched the back of my shirt before I could make it out of the front door.

  He reeled me in like a fish on the end of a line and held a knife to my throat. Evidently, since I could smell the turkey on it, he’d found the one I used to cut my sandwich in half. You know, the one I should have grabbed instead of going for my cellphone.

  Instinctively, I plucked the rock from my pocket and recited, “Set in stone. Never alone. From the ground. Let safety be found.”

  As I uttered the last word, Gil’s hand dropped away, and he fell to the floor. Although, he appeared dead, he’d fooled me once before, so I swiftly took the knife from his hand and yanked a cord from a nearby lamp. Both Cole and Lucas just stared at me as I secured my ex’s hands behind his back.

  What were they looking at? Hadn’t they ever seen a lawyer tied up in knots before? .”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Trial by Magic

  “What do you mean I shouldn’t call the police?” I’d been headed towards the kitchen to get my cellphone, but I stopped and stared at Cole.

  “Neville doesn’t take things like this very well.” He arched a golden
eyebrow. “It’s better for the council to deal with it.”

  “Things like what?” I asked over my shoulder as I ignored Cole’s advice and continued on my mission to retrieve my phone. “A stalker breaking into someone’s house?”

  “Lexie.” Lucas shoulder checked Cole out of his way and followed me down the hall. “Just listen to us before you do anything.”

  “Fine.” I turned to face him and glanced nervously toward the foyer where my ex was tied up on the floor and with any luck really dead this time. “Enlighten me. But I have to warn you, it’s too late. I dialed 911 a while ago.” Frowning, I added. “In fact, I can’t believe they aren’t here yet.”

  “The call didn’t go through.” Cole joined Lucas and formed a wall of attractive men in my hallway. “We heard it, but no one else did.”

  “Would you care to clarify, how that happened?” I crossed my arms. “And why?”

  “Well, I, that is, we were worried about you,” Cole explained.

  “So, you...” I impatiently waved my hand for him to continue.

  Lucas took over. “The council sanctioned the use of a spell on your phone.”

  “Seriously!” I screeched. “Talk about an invasion of privacy.”

  “Just until you’re more skilled with your magic,” Cole soothed.

  Lucas stepped forward and put a hand on my arm, but I shook it off. “It only works if you dial 911, then it rings on my cell.”

  “And mine,” Cole interjected.

  “And his,” Lucas agreed.

  “Then you two heard my conversation with Gil?” I asked, still trying to grasp the situation. “And instead of getting the cops, you came to rescue me?” I shook my head. “But why?”

  “I,” Lucas started, then amended, “I mean we, want to keep you safe until you have command of all your abilities and can take care of yourself.”

  “After all,” Cole flashed me a devilish grin. “You are destined to marry one of us.”

  Ignoring that last bit, I returned to the original discussion and asked, “If you don’t want to involve the police, what do we do with the dead man in my foyer?”

  “That’s the thing.” Cole moved, so he was standing beside me. “Your ex-boyfriend isn’t exactly a man. At least not anymore.”

  “Okay.” I held on to my patience, but it was fraying. “He’s now a body.”

  “True.” Lucas stepped to my other side. “But more correctly, he was a zombie.”

  “Then why didn’t he try to eat my brains?” I’m not sure why that was the first question to pop out of my mouth, but I let it stand.

  “Not a movie zombie,” Cole corrected gently. “A corpse reanimated through magic to do its master’s or mistress’ bidding.”

  “Somebody found my dead ex, resurrected him, and sicced him on me?”

  “Yeah.” Lucas shrugged. “I’d say that pretty much sums it up.”

  “Who?” I looked at the two men, but neither seemed eager to answer me.

  “Probably whoever killed your father,” Cole offered hesitantly.

  “Right.” Lucas ran his fingers through his dark hair. “It’s doubtful that it’s the…, uh,” he paused and glanced at me as if to gauge my reaction, then continued, “you know, other side trying to wipe out The Shield. You’re nowhere near producing an heir and gaining your full power, so killing you wouldn’t do them any good.”

  Hmm. This was the first time anyone outside of my family had mentioned, as Lucas put it, the other side. Did that mean he was one of the good guys? Or was he just trying to fool me into thinking that?

  “As was mentioned,” Cole slid Lucas a disapproving glance. “The fact that you’ve been investigating your father’s death hasn’t gone unnoticed.”

  “That means if we figure out who murdered my dad, we’ll figure out who sent Gil.” I pursed my lips, then turned, walked into the kitchen, and started a pot of coffee.

  Cole smiled and said, “Cream and two sugars for me.” He glanced around. “Do you have any cookies?”

  “Black for me.” Lucas inhaled deeply, then headed toward the pantry. A few seconds later, he reemerged with a package of Pecan Sandies and said, “My favorite.”

  “I take it you two are planning to help me figure out who’s after me?” When Lucas and Cole nodded, I grabbed three mugs from the cupboard near the Mr. Coffee and said, “Then have a seat.”

  Lucas grinned, then said, “Yep. We might as well get comfy. It’s going to be a long night.”

  They both headed toward the kitchen table, but before they sat, I said, “Wait. How about the zombie in my foyer?” Boy, that was a sentence I never expected to have to say outside of a nightmare.

  “Already taken care of.” Cole dusted off his hands. “One of my men will remove it and deal with the remains.”

  “How...” I trailed off. I hadn’t seen him send a message, but I was beginning to figure out how things around here worked, and I guessed he’d communicated telepathically, so I changed what I was originally going to ask and said, “How will your guy dispose of the body?” I didn’t want a second encounter with an undead Gil.

  “He’ll bury your ex in a little cemetery the council maintains just outside the city limit.” Cole walked over to where I was standing and patted my hand. “He’ll make certain that the means to reanimate him is removed.”

  I opened my mouth to ask what he meant, then closed it when I realized that I didn’t want to know. Sickening images from various zombie movies danced through my head, but I pushed them aside and envisioned a peaceful interment with perhaps a minister blessing Gil’s earthly remains.

  After we all had a mug of coffee and a stack of cookies, Lucas said. “Tell us about the attempts on your life since you’ve arrived in Echo Springs.”

  “First, there was the black van that tried to run me over behind the candy store.” I held up one finger. “Chief Neville assures me that no one within the city limits drives the vehicle I described to him.”

  “I’m going to assume you couldn’t see the driver.” Cole took a sip of coffee.

  “Correct. The windows were too dark, and I was too surprised.”

  “We could try searching the nearby towns to see if a van like that was reported stolen or rented by someone,” Lucas offered.

  “We could, but my guess is whoever ‘borrowed’ it made sure the owner never even knew it was missing.” Cole’s blue eyes sparkled. “At least that’s what I’d do if I could cast spells.”

  “Wait a minute.” I hastily chewed and swallowed the bite of cookie I had just taken, then demanded, “You mean not everyone in Echo Springs can do that?”

  “Actually,” Lucas frowned, “now that you mention it, only a very few of our people’s magic include spells and charms, especially ones that can create a zombie. It would have to be one of the witch families.” The crease between his eyebrows deepened. “Which means, we can eliminate about ninety percent of the population.”

  “My cousin said we didn’t use the word witch,” I glared at Lucas who shrugged.

  “The council avoids the W word because, like the term zombie, it’s been corrupted by movies and books,” Cole explained.

  “What kind of abilities do you two have?” I blurted out, then when neither man spoke, I wondered if that was considered a rude question like enquiring about someone’s income or weight.

  “I wouldn’t be able to force anyone to do something they didn’t want to.” Lucas shot a pointed look at Cole. “But he could.”

  “True. I could impose my will on someone.” Cole didn’t seem upset that Lucas had outed him. “But it would only last a short while.”

  “Hmm.” Evidently, neither guy was going to expound on their abilities, which seemed unfair since they knew mine. “Okay. But how can I be sure that neither of you are the head of the dark magic?”

  “You can’t,” Cole drawled, then smirked when Lucas gave him a live-ammo glare. “We can tell you we aren’t, but we could easily be lying.”

  “Didn’t
we decide that it was highly unlikely that the attempts on Lexie’s life were connected to that issue?” Lucas ate a cookie in one bite, then stared at Cole and me waiting for our reply.

  “We did.” I sighed. “Anyway. The second attempt was in Francine’s dress shop. A mannequin fell from a pedestal, and nearly shish kabobbed me.” Before they could ask, I added, “Francine was sitting right next to me, the store was locked, and there was no one else there.”

  “That could be a family with the ability to move objects from a distance.” Cole stroked his chin. “But it could also be a witch family.”

  “Who have you talked to about your father’s murder?” Lucas asked.

  “You two and your parents, Elissa and her parents, and Hamilton Digger.” I searched my mind for anyone else. “And Inga.”

  “Inga’s abilities are limited to transporting herself from one spot to another, but she can’t be in two places at the same time.” Lucas said thoughtfully. “And you said she opened the door as the van passed by.”

  “Hamilton’s gift is pairing the right book with the right person.” Cole crinkled his forehead. “It’s hard to explain, but if someone is stuck in their lives, Hamilton can help them move forward.”

  “Shoot!” I glanced at the package sitting next to my purse. “He made me buy a book and said something like it would answer my questions.”

  Lucas got up and fetched the bag, handing it to me as he reseated himself.

  “Thanks.” I accepted the sack.

  “See if you can figure out what it’s supposed to mean.” Cole encouraged.

  Reaching into the bag, I took out the paperback and the glasses. Once I settled the readers on my nose, I opened the novel and tried to skim through it, but the words were all blurry. “Darn! I’d hoped these glasses would help, but I still can’t make out a thing.”

  “You’re awfully young for readers.” Cole raised his eyebrows. “Are you sure you need them?”

  “I’ve been having trouble reading the last few pages of my aunt’s estate papers so I figured they might help.”

  “Try the book without the glasses,” Lucas advised plucking them from my face.