Almost Charmed

by Rose Pressey

  That didn’t sound like a very good explanation but with the way he was looking at me with those big puppy-dog eyes I guessed I had to do it. Well, I didn’t have to but it was the polite thing to do. I still didn’t trust the guy either, just like Thomas. But maybe being nice to him would get him to give me more information if he actually had it and was holding out.

  “All right,” I said. “I’ll dance.”

  “That didn’t sound enthusiastic, but I’ll take it,” he said, grabbing my hand.

  It felt strange having him hold my hand. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. Paul guided me out onto the dance floor. I felt eyes on me as we started to move with the music. When I glanced over, I saw Thomas staring. He was giving me that disapproving look but a bit of a smirk at the same time. I knew what he was thinking. It was just a dance. But then the music changed. I wanted to walk away but before I knew it Paul had me in his arms and we were slow-dancing. Great. He smelled good too. Could I just get out of here? I would dance for a short time more and then we had to leave.

  “You’re really good dancer,” he whispered in my ear.

  Now he was whispering in my ear. This was bad. I had to get out of here. When I peered over at Thomas again he wasn’t alone. What was Liam doing here? Oh, no. He was staring at me too.

  “Thank you for the dance, but I see someone I need to speak with,” I said.

  “Oh, sure, I understand,” Paul said.

  He looked a bit disappointed. I felt bad that I’d cut the dance short, but I really needed to talk with Liam. I hurried away from Paul and over to Thomas and Liam.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked.

  “When I got your text message I decided to head on out here and find out what was going on.”

  “You could’ve just sent me a text back.”

  “After what…” He stopped himself before saying the entire thing.

  But I knew what he wanted to say was after what happened with Nicolas leaving me at the altar, he felt compelled to come check on me. And I truly appreciated that. I knew he was a true friend.

  “Thank you for coming,” I said.

  “It looks like you’re having fun though.”

  “I can explain,” I said.

  He held his hands up. “Hey, I think you should have fun.”

  “That guy I was dancing with is the new owner of the Bubbling Cauldron.”

  “I didn’t know the place was for sale,” Liam said.

  “Neither did I.”

  Chapter 21

  “I can tell you all about it when we’re out of here. The music’s too loud. I can’t hear myself think,” I said.

  “It certainly is crowded in here tonight,” Liam said.

  “Yeah, I guess everyone wants to know what’s going on with the place,” I said.

  “I still don’t understand why I never heard about this.”

  “Don’t feel bad. I didn’t hear a word either. Not until this guy showed up on my doorstep.”

  “Usually people don’t just show up without calling in advance,” Liam said.

  I knew what he was thinking. He thought that Paul was at my place for a different reason other than because of the club. I had to admit I was having those thoughts as well. But without proof what could I do?

  “I can explain everything when we get out of here.” I gestured.

  “I just got here,” Liam said. “You’re not leaving already?”

  After everything that happened I couldn’t see any reason for me to stay. The woman had gone and I was antsy about finding her.

  “I think I need to get out of here so that I can find the woman who is trying to take the book.”

  “Not again,” Liam said. “This is really getting old. What happened?”

  “A woman approached me and said someone was after the book. Well, it turns out the two women were talking to each other—the one who was supposedly looking for the book and the one who warned me. I don’t know what’s going on with those two.”

  “Well, in light of that information I suppose we should get out of here,” Liam said.

  “I don’t think it’s the book they want,” the woman beside us said.

  I spun around to find out who had been listening to our conversation.

  “Excuse me?” I said.

  “I don’t think it’s the book that they’re after,” the tall brunette said.

  “What makes you think that? What else could they possibly want from me?” I asked. “I have nothing else.”

  “I don’t know. That’s all the information I have,” she said.

  “What do you mean that’s all the information you have?” I asked. “Exactly where did you get this information from?”

  “Well, you see, I’m a bit psychic. And these things just come to me. I’m standing next to you and it just popped into my head,” she said with a wave of her hand.

  Thomas rolled his eyes. I wouldn’t discount right away what the woman said, but without more information, I couldn’t exactly hold her to it.

  “Well, I appreciate you letting me know,” I said.

  “Not a problem,” she said as she stuck her hand out toward me. “My name is Monica Meyer. It’s nice to meet you.”

  “Pleasure to meet you too,” I said. “I’m Halloween LaVeau.”

  Her eyes widened. “The Halloween LaVeau? The leader of the Underworld? This is crazy. I am such a fan.”

  I wasn’t sure what she meant by that.

  “Thank you,” I said.

  “I always wanted to meet you,” she said.

  “Well, thanks, I guess. It was a pleasure to meet you and thank you again for the information.”

  “No problem,” she said.

  She stared at me, creating an even weirder level to this whole exchange.

  “We were just getting ready to leave,” I said. “Again, it was nice meeting you.”

  She nodded. “It was all my pleasure.”

  Thomas, Liam, and I walked away from the woman, headed toward the door. I glanced back to see if Paul was anywhere around, but he was nowhere in sight. Of course, the big guy was still at the door. He didn’t look at us as we walked out. That was fine with me because I was afraid maybe he would body-slam us.

  It already felt different at the Bubbling Cauldron. But maybe it would just take some getting used to. Though things had definitely changed. I hadn’t seen any of the old employees. Everyone was a new face. I hoped that was just because this was the opening night. Once out on the sidewalk we headed toward the cars. Liam’s car was parked right behind ours.

  “Hallie has a fan,” Liam said in a teasing tone.

  Heat rushed to my cheeks. “Don’t tease me.”

  Liam and Thomas laughed.

  “So are you headed back to New Orleans now?” I asked.

  “Well, I was hoping I could come by the manor and maybe you could make some of those delicious chocolate-chip cookies.”

  “I could possibly do that, except my cupboard is bare at the moment.”

  “How about I stop and pick up some cookies?” Liam asked.

  “That sounds perfect,” I said. “I’ll see you in a few.”

  “I’ll be there soon with the cookies,” he said with a wink.

  Thomas and I got into the car and pulled away from the club. I made the next left so that we could head back toward the manor.

  “What’s going on with Liam?” Thomas asked.

  “What do you mean?” I asked as I stopped at a red light.

  “I mean now that…” He cut his words off.

  “Now that Nicolas is gone?”

  “Exactly. You have to be thinking that, right?” Thomas asked.

  “I suppose the thought had crossed my mind. Liam and I are just friends. And that’s the way it’s going to stay.”

  “If you say so,” Thomas said. “I just always felt that spark between you all.”

  “Well, like I said, just friends.”

  We headed out of town toward the manor.
/>   “I guess the fact that you’re just friends is why he showed up tonight?” Thomas asked.

  “Absolutely,” I said. “He just wants to make sure I’m okay.”

  “If you say so.”

  “I do say so,” I said. “Now can we change the subject, please?”

  “Absolutely. So what do you think about that woman at the club? Monica? That was a bit creepy, don’t you think?” Thomas asked.

  “Yes, I suppose it was strange. I’d like to think what she says is true, but what other reason would the women have to approach me? What could they want from me? I have nothing. Plus, the petite woman said they were trying to get the book.”

  “That’s just a distraction,” Thomas said.

  “I don’t believe that. I think they want the book. Monica had the best intentions by telling me that they didn’t want the book, but I don’t think she’s right.”

  Soon we arrived back at the manor. I pulled down the driveway and to the front of the manor. I turned off the ignition. Thomas and I got out of the car but immediately we stopped.

  “Do you sense that?” he asked. “Makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.”

  “I felt it immediately. It’s almost as if magic is in the air.”

  “And I don’t sense it’s the good kind,” he said. “Do you feel like someone is watching us?”

  “Most definitely,” I said, looking around. “I think I need to cast a spell right away. Whatever bad is out there I want to keep it from the manor.”

  “I’ll help you,” he said.

  We looked around one more time before heading up the steps toward the front door. I hurried and opened the door. After we rushed inside I locked the door behind us.

  I leaned against the door. “Whew, that was a bit scary. What a night.”

  I kicked off my high heels. Thomas and I headed for the kitchen. There was no time to wait to do this spell. If someone was out there thinking of getting into the manor then I had to act quickly. I hadn’t seen the ghost again and I hoped that he had gone. But what if he was the one we were sensing? It was creepy.

  When I hurried into the kitchen, I said, “I’ll grab all the things I need for the spell. Can you start a fire?”

  “Not a problem,” Thomas said, running over to the cauldron.

  I gathered all the things I needed and met Thomas by the cauldron. It didn’t take long for the water to bubble now that the flames had heated the cauldron. I sprinkled in all the ingredients. Thomas and I held hands next to the cauldron. Thomas would follow my lead and repeat the words after me. I’d just opened my mouth to start the spell when a loud crash sounded against the back kitchen door.

  “What was that?” I yelled.

  Thomas raced over to the door to look outside. “I don’t see anything.”

  “Someone is messing with us,” I said as I ran over to the door.

  “Come on, let’s get back to the spell,” he said.

  We were halfway back to the cauldron when the loud bang sounded at the door again. Now I was really starting to worry. Fear raced through me as I ran back over to the door. I wanted to catch the person in the act. I peered out into the dark night but couldn’t make out anything. There was no sign of a person out there. I was almost positive someone was using some kind of magic spell to play a trick on us. But they could be extremely dangerous, so I wasn’t taking a chance on it. I ran back over to the cauldron and held Thomas’ hands. I didn’t care if anyone hit that door again, this time I was finishing the spell. Nothing they did would stop me.

  I called to the elements of the north, south, east, and west. “Guide us through the spell tonight. Keep away all evil and protect us in the manor.”

  We chanted the words over and over again while the water bubbled. Sparks and loud rumbling came from the water. Just as it started to settle down, a loud crash came against the door again.

  “Maybe it takes a bit for the spell to take. Shouldn’t the person not be able to get through now?”

  “Ideally, yes,” I said. “But maybe since they were already here it’s keeping them in. Maybe I need to do a spell that would get rid of them.”

  “You can certainly try,” Thomas said. “I want to go out there and find out who is doing this and really let them have it.”

  “I don’t think that’s a wise idea. It’s too dangerous,” I said. “We don’t know what we’re dealing with.”

  I worried about Liam.

  Chapter 22

  When the doorbell rang, Thomas and I both jumped, both easily startled. We were completely on edge.

  “Who do you think that is?” Thomas whispered.

  “I hope it’s Liam.” I put the fire out under the cauldron.

  Thomas and I ran from the kitchen and through the house as if we were racing for Olympic gold medals. When I reached the door, I hesitated. I was almost afraid to answer. I never knew who was going to be on the other side. After the strange feeling we had and the weird noises at the back door I wondered if the person had decided to come to the front door. Though it was doubtful they would ring the doorbell. I wrapped my hand around the door knob and released a deep breath before opening the door.

  “Open up, it’s me, Liam,” he called from the other side.

  Thank goodness it was him. I swung the door open wide and grabbed Liam by the arm. He clutched the container of cookies tightly in his hand. I pulled him through and then slammed the door shut behind us, locking it.

  “What’s going on here?” Liam asked with wide eyes.

  “Don’t you feel that?” I asked.

  Liam sniffed and acted as if he was trying to smell something in the air.

  “Not smell. Do you sense something?” I asked.

  “Now that you mention it, I guess it does feel like a lot of magic energy around. Have you been casting spells again?” he asked. “Are we back to that?”

  “No, we’re not back to that. Well, I don’t think… maybe not. I cast a spell, but before that there was a thick energy and magic around the manor. Then someone was trying to get in the back door.”

  “It sounded like a beast pounding against the door,” Thomas said.

  “So that’s why you two look freaked out,” Liam said.

  “You could say that we’re freaked out, yes,” I said. “I just don’t know what’s going on around here. None of it makes sense.”

  “Maybe Thomas and I can go out there and check things out,” Liam said.

  “You can go outside. I’d rather stay in here where it’s safe,” Thomas said.

  Liam raised an eyebrow.

  “Don’t be such a scaredy-cat, Thomas,” I said.

  “Good one,” Thomas said sarcastically. “Cause I’m a kitty.”

  “Oh, sorry.” I laughed.

  Thomas released a sigh. “All right, I guess we can go out there and possibly get killed.”

  “What do you mean killed?” I asked. “Do you think there’s a killer out there?”

  Suddenly I was reminded about why Nicolas had been upset. About why he’d canceled the wedding. He said he couldn’t deal with always wondering what would happen to me. If it would be the same for me as for his mother, who had been killed for the book. I finally realized that this was dangerous. That someone might want to kill me for the book. I’d known before, but now it really clicked. The look Liam gave me let me know that he was basically reading my thoughts. No matter, it didn’t change the outcome or how I felt.

  I was willing to risk my life in order to be the leader of the Underworld. I felt as if I had been put here on earth for this job specifically. Maybe it was just a fluke or luck that I’d found the book and I was kidding myself by thinking I was meant to be the leader. I mean, with my magic being as bad as it was, what made me think I was ever meant to lead the witches?

  “All right, Thomas and I will go check things out. You stay here.”

  “Wait a minute, wait a minute.” I waved my hands. “I’m the leader of the Underworld, I should go check things out.
”

  Thomas’ eyes widened and Liam had the same reaction.

  “It could be dangerous out there,” Liam said.

  “I fully understand that, but it’s part of the job. I have to deal with the dangers.” I supposed Liam was understanding why Nicolas felt the way he did now when he heard me say that.

  “You’re going to insist on doing this, aren’t you?” Liam asked.

  “Absolutely. I’m tough and I can handle it.”

  “You are tough. I know you can handle anything. So what’s the plan?” he asked.

  Thank goodness he wasn’t arguing more with me about this.

  “Well, we should split up. That way we’ll get this over with quicker,” I said.

  “How about Thomas and I go around back and then you can check out front.” Liam pointed.

  “All right, that’s the plan. Let’s get to it.” I headed toward the door.

  “Wait a minute. Are you putting on shoes?” Thomas gestured toward my feet.

  “Oh, yeah,” I said.

  I’d kicked off my heels as soon as I’d gotten home. I certainly wasn’t traipsing around the yard in high heels. The only other pair of shoes I had downstairs were my slippers. But they had hard soles, so they would be fine outside. And they were beside the door, so I slipped my feet into the cozy faux-fur-lined slippers.

  “Fashionable,” Thomas said.

  “Thank you,” I said with a smirk.

  The guys followed me as I walked out the front door. Night cast a creepiness over the manor, although it wasn’t as if it wasn’t creepy all the time though. This was even worse. Cold chills prickled along my skin as I moved down the front porch steps. I was on high alert, scanning the dark night for any signs of a prowler. The women next door were the likely culprits. And in my opinion, they were witches trying to cast a spell in order to get into the manor and retrieve the Book of Mystics. The old woman at the house had just been covering for them when she said she didn’t know who we were talking about.

  “Just be careful, Hallie,” Liam said. “Thomas and I will head around the back. I’ll go to the right and Thomas will go to the left.”

  “You guys be careful too.” I pulled out my phone to use it as a flashlight.