Men Love Witches Page 13

  Wordlessly, I took the card from her.

  She stared at me for another long moment, then hiked her handbag onto her shoulder and gave me a nod. “It really was good to see you, Holly, and I wish you nothing but the best with your business and your upcoming wedding.”

  “Let me walk you out,” I said, tucking the card into the pocket of my apron.

  I led the way through the shop, hoping the entire store hadn’t heard the explosive conversation, but it was a relatively small space and I hadn’t bothered with any kind of soundproofing charms.

  We walked outside, the sunny afternoon at odds with the storm clouds that filled my head.

  My aunt smiled at me as she reached up for her sunglasses. “Goodbye, Holly.”

  “Goodbye,” I said.

  She turned and began to walk away when I called out for her. “Wait!”

  Bethany turned, her eyes hopeful. “Yes?”

  I licked my lips. “Do you know what happened to my mom’s wedding dress?”

  A spark registered in her eyes as she smiled. “I have it in storage. Would you like to have it?”

  A fresh onslaught of tears sprang to my eyes and I sucked in a shaky breath.

  Aunt Bethany took that as her answer and her smile turned wistful. “I’ll bring it to you this weekend, if that’s all right? Should I bring it here, or—” She let her words trail off as her gaze drifted to the apothecary’s sign hanging over my head.

  “Here is good.” I swallowed hard and then cleared my throat. “Um … unless you’d like to come see my home?”

  My aunt’s eyes softened. Nodding, she clasped her hands together. “I’d like that very much. Thank you, Holly.”

  I held up the card she’d given me. “I’ll text you the address.”

  “Thank you, Holly. I’ll see you then.”

  With that, she turned and made her way to a maroon sedan parked in one of the limited spaces half a block from my shop. She paused once she opened the driver’s-side door and smiled at me over the top of the vehicle. Silently, she waved, then slipped into the car and drove away.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Wow. Just like that, huh?” Adam said when I told him about the unexpected encounter with my aunt upon returning home to the manor just after six.

  “Apparently,” I replied as I went to grab a flavored seltzer from the fridge, grimacing as I pushed a box of faux blood out of the way. “Are they awake yet?”

  “Not yet. You got here just in time to reserve your ringside seat.”

  I closed the fridge and cracked open the can of seltzer. “Great.”

  Adam frowned into the jar of peanut butter he was scraping clean. “I know Lacey is paying a lot for them to be here, but I gotta say, gorgeous, these past few nights have not been worth it,” he said, wiping the last bits of the nut butter onto the bread.

  “Tell me about it,” I grumbled as I sat down in the chair beside him. “I’ve been paranoid about the wards breaking, and even when I do manage to fall asleep, I wake up in a panic, thinking something is wrong.”

  A scratching sounded on the door and I got up on autopilot to let Boots into the kitchen. He rammed his head against my shin in greeting before lumbering over to his cat food cabinet. With a raised brow, I consulted the clock above the door. “I think your internal timer is a little off,” I told the cat, “but I suppose we’re all feeling a little wonky these past few days.”

  Once Boots had his afternoon snack, I returned to the table and sipped my seltzer. “Nick thinks we should call Bramble,” I told Adam.

  “Oh, yeah. And does he plan on paying for our funerals?” Adam scoffed. “The princess of doom is already cranky enough. We don’t want to be the ones to finally shove her over the edge.”

  “That’s what I told him.”

  “I get that the stone is scary powerful, but I don’t know why we should be worried about it. It’s been around for literal millennias so why all the panic now?”

  “Well, Lacey needs it to finish this peace treaty she’s got going with the SPA and the Council. And I suppose, if it were to fall into the wrong hands and get back to someone on the so-called Vampire Council, it could be the thing they need to finally have enough power to demand they be legitimized, which would uproot all kinds of systems and laws.”

  “Or, maybe, nothing would happen,” Adam countered with a slight shrug. He pressed the two pieces of bread together, the peanut butter encasing a layer of marshmallows and what looked like maple syrup. “Maybe whoever took it will throw it in a vault and bring it out to show off at fancy vamp parties, and that will be the end of it.”

  I took another sip and considered it. “Maybe. But that seems like a pretty big gamble.”

  Footsteps sounded overhead and we both cringed. “I’ll just be glad when they’re gone,” Adam mumbled.

  Boots bristled at the sounds and hurried to wolf down the last few bites of his food. When the plate was empty he went to the back door and looked back at me expectantly. “All right,” I sighed, pushing up from the table, “but remember to come back before it gets dark.”

  The cat lowered his head in silent understanding and I opened the back door for him. He skittered across the deck and disappeared around the corner of the manor. He liked to hang out in the garden. Adam had built a perch for him from an old wooden ladder we’d bought at a garage sale at the beginning of the summer. He’d fastened boards across several of the rungs to create multiple perches for the spoiled tabby to sit on and watch the world go by on a lazy afternoon. I liked it because when he was in the garden, the birds steered clear of the raised beds I had around my greenhouse. These days, I grew the bulk of my potion ingredients in the greenhouse and garden patches on the roof of my apothecary, but I couldn’t help but keep a garden at home, too.

  When I circled back to the table, a thin black box sat next to my can of seltzer. Adam smiled as I noticed it. “What’s this?” I asked him.

  “Open it and find out.”

  I snatched the box and lowered back into my chair as I pulled the lid off. Inside the box was a collection of hairpins, each with a delicate crystal flower at the end. They looked real, too, not like something from the meager jewelry department at our local market.

  “Do you like them?” Adam asked.

  Smiling, I looked up and met his gaze. “They’re beautiful, but what’s the occasion?”

  He chuckled. “I thought you might wear them for the wedding. Evangeline said you were still looking for your something new, so I thought I’d try to find it for you. But you don’t have to wear them if you don’t want to. Especially since you’re still looking for your dress and all.”

  “Oh! Actually, I guess that’s the silver lining to my aunt’s visit,” I said, placing the lid back on the jeweled pins. “She’s going to bring me my mom’s dress. She has it in storage somewhere.”

  Adam grinned. “Really? That’s great!”

  An unexpected wave of emotions crashed into me and I found myself suddenly holding back tears. Adam enveloped me in his arms and combed his fingers through my hair. I didn’t want to cry. It didn’t feel like I had time. But a dam broke loose and there was nothing I could do to hold back the river of old pain and heartbreak. I’d moved on with my life. The woman I was now had very little in common with the girl I’d been back then, but it was hard to leave her completely in the past. She was still with me, protected and safe by the armor and strength I’d built in the years since.

  I’m not sure how long we stayed that way, holding onto one another in the kitchen, but eventually the tide calmed and I pulled back. Adam smiled as I sniffled. “Okay?” he asked, wiping a tear from my cheek with the pad of his thumb.

  I nodded. “Mm-hmm.”

  “I’m starting to understand why you were hesitant to get engaged,” he said, still smiling softly. “There’s a lot more crying than I imagined when I thought about planning a wedding. I figured I’d be the one in the fetal position after seeing the catering bill.”


  I laughed. “Let’s be honest, if one of us was going to blow up the catering bill it wasn’t going to be me.”

  He chuckled and offered a half shrug. “That’s probably true.”

  Smiling, I took the jewelry box from the table and pressed it to my chest. “These are perfect, Adam. Thank you.”

  “Good.” He leaned forward and kissed me. “Now, I’d suggest stashing them upstairs, since apparently we still have a klepto running around this place.”

  “Right.” I groaned as I pushed to my feet.

  I was just about to take the first step up the staircase when the doorbell rang. Frowning, I turned back and went to check out the slim windows on either side of the door. Nick stood on the welcome mat, a beige folder tucked under one arm. He checked over his shoulder, then knocked a second time. I pulled the door open before he could finish the third knock and Boots darted into the house.

  “Geez!” Nick exclaimed as the tabby streaked past him. “I didn’t even see him up here!”

  “He’s something of a chubby ninja.” I gestured for him to come inside and closed the front door behind him. “What’s up?”

  Nick looked up the staircase, and his expression tensed. “Can we talk somewhere?”

  The alone part was left unspoken.

  “Sure.” I moved toward the sitting room and peeked inside. It was unoccupied. “Come on. Should I get Adam?”

  “Not a bad idea,” he replied.

  I held up one finger and then backtracked to the kitchen and pulled Adam away from the rest of his afternoon snack. When the three of us were ensconced in the sitting room, Nick opened the folder and plucked a photograph from inside. “Meryl had her work files out on the table at home. She took a call and went to the other room, and I saw this.” He placed the photo on the table. It looked like it had been taken at some kind of evening affair—a fancy one—with linen-draped tables, expensive china and flatware, and flutes of champagne. The photo looked like a candid shot of a table of diners who looked unaware they were being watched through a lens. The subject appeared to be a couple, caught either just before or after a kiss, their noses touching as they smiled at one another. The blonde’s profile sparked a jolt of recognition.

  “Is that Jewel Molder?” I asked, leaning in a little closer. “And—”

  “—Julian Cross?” Adam finished.

  “How do the two of them know each other?” I wondered aloud.

  “I don’t know, but this wasn’t the only time they were seen together,” Nick replied before laying out three more photographs. “These were all taken in the past three months, in Seattle, at dinners or events where other members of this underground cabal of vampires Meryl’s been tracking were also seen.”

  The additional photos were much the same as the first, only with a slightly different setting and Jewel in a different gown. I had to give her one thing: her fashion sense was impeccable. Julian and she seemed quite cozy with one another, always photographed together, his hand on her waist, her head on his shoulder.

  My eyes widened. “So, either we were wrong about him and Aretha being an item, or he’s been two-timing her, coming out here to Seattle to be with Jewel.”

  “It makes sense why Jewel was here, sneaking around the property,” Adam added. “She was probably waiting for Julian.”

  “We know Jewel is trouble, and we also know she’s on the outs with her family after her embarrassing little blunder this past winter.” I tapped a finger against my lips as I considered the array of photographs. “What better way to restore her reputation and get back in her family’s good graces than to get her hot little hands on Lilith’s stone?”

  Adam’s jaw was set in a hard line. “Think he took it to give to her?”

  “I don’t know, but I think we need to let Aretha know what we’ve found. She said they were together the night the stone went missing, but if that was a lie, she might be willing to give him up if we reveal he’s got a little side thing going with Jewel.” I started gathering the pictures, then paused and glanced up at Nick. “Can we borrow these?”

  “Sure.” He wiped his palms along the thighs of his jeans. “But I’ll need them back before I go. Meryl went to meet a friend for a drink, but she’ll be home in a couple hours and she’ll notice if they’re missing.”

  Adam rose. “I’ll go get Lacey. She’s going to need to set the tone for this thing.”

  I nodded in agreement and then slid a nervous look to Nick as Adam strode from the room, his shoulders set with purpose. “You going to stick around?”

  I left it unsaid that he was a day out from the full moon and would have more strength than normal. I didn’t want any of us having to go up against an angry vampire, but if one of them decided to get mouthy, it wasn’t a bad idea to have a werewolf on standby.

  “I can stay,” he replied, his tone solemn.

  “Thanks, Nick.”

  * * *

  Lacey assembled the vampires in the dining room as soon as twilight fell. She seemed to prefer to handle business when seated around a large table. Evangeline wasn’t home yet and Harmony was still camping out with Anastasia, leaving me, Adam, and Nick to keep the peace. In theory. We took our seats along one side of the table, facing off against Aretha, Nathaniel, and Trisha. Matthias and Lacey took the opposing heads of the table. Jupiter stood sentinel at Lacey’s right, her hands folded in front of her. Julian took a similar posture behind Aretha, his hands resting on the back of her chair. Lord Sánchez had the last seat, on the other side of Nick. Tension crackled through the air and I wondered if I should have offered to serve refreshments. The only thing worse than an angry vampire was a hangry one.

  Lacey cleared her throat. “When I set out to arrange this meeting, I carefully considered who I wanted to invite. I know that I spent time away from the Court, but in the time since my return I’ve paid very close attention to what’s been going on, just under the surface. Nathaniel and Trisha, the rogue vampires in Seattle cannot be allowed to continue. Not only is it against the Haven laws, but it puts all of us in danger to let them run free, unchecked. I consider you both intelligent and rational vampires. My solution might not be ideal, but you have to agree an alliance with the Haven Council will benefit all of us.”

  The Rysons exchanged a tight-lipped look. Whatever their feelings about it, they didn’t seem to have an argument against Lacey’s statement.

  Lacey continued, her gaze roving to the next vampire. “Aretha, you want a greater foothold in the South. Your ambitions aren’t a secret to anyone in the Court. The opportunity to be a part of this historic treaty will give you leverage to bargain for the broadening of your territory.”

  Aretha was also silent.

  “Lord Sánchez, you have control of the third-largest territory on the continent. Without your cooperation, I don’t think this treaty will be able to hold. We can sign the papers, but without your cooperation, things will get worse between the Haven Council and the Court. I fear, a lot worse,” Lacey continued. “We know the Vampire Council is corrupt and beyond salvage. The way I see things, we can either ally with the magic-wielders or we can try to fight the Vampire Council alone. Considering how deep the Vampire Council’s roots seem to go, I think the odds of us winning that fight are quite slim. More likely, everyone around this table would lose what power we currently hold.”

  “You say ally with the magic-wielders but by giving them the stone, you’re doing more than that,” Nathaniel countered.

  Beside him, Trisha nodded, her thin lips pursed. “Exactly. Why can’t we forge a treaty without the stone?”

  Lacey’s expression changed; somehow her cheekbones appeared even sharper than before as her icy-blue eyes narrowed. “Why should they trust us? We can’t even trust each other.” Her stare flicked to Julian. “There are traitors everywhere. Moles and servants of the Vampire Council. Isn’t that right, Mr. Cross?”

  Aretha’s eyes went wide. “What are you implying?” she demanded.

  “Ask your associat
e,” Lacey replied, jerking her chin upward.

  The movement seemed to be some kind of signal, because as soon as she bobbed her chin, Jupiter moved to the buffet where Nick’s case file had been laid aside. She removed the photos and placed them in front of Aretha one by one. Julian snorted. “What is this supposed to prove? Other than that I employ a top-notch tailor.”

  Aretha didn’t brush aside the photos as easily. Her eyes grew darker as she considered them. “Who is this?”

  “No one,” Julian scoffed. “Just some flirtation. These are old pictures.”

  “Her name is Jewel Molder,” I supplied.

  Julian flashed his fangs at me.

  “And the photos were taken over the last six months,” I added.

  A low, rumbling growl erupted from Julian’s throat. Aretha flicked a hand into the air and he fell silent. “What were you doing with her?” she asked, still not taking her eyes from the photos.

  “She’s an old friend,” Julian said, his expression still sour but now tinged with an air of desperation. He was caught in the trap and he knew he had limited time to wriggle free. “She needed a date for a few fancy parties, and she’s on the outs with her House. I was in town, so I went with her.”

  “If that’s all it was, then why not tell me about it?” Aretha fired back. “All those visits to your family, you were with her—”

  “Enough!” Julian growled and lunged over Aretha’s shoulder to swipe the photos off the table. The glossy prints scattered and Jupiter stooped to collect them from the floor. “None of this matters,” Julian snapped. “We can deal with this later. You’re playing right into her hands!” He thumbed at Lacey.