Betwixt Read online

  I started to object, but Adam nudged my arm and shook his head. Ivan led Sonya from the room and Adam closed the door softly behind them. “They’re the same kind; he’ll know what to say better than we could right now.”

  I pivoted on my heel and paced the room. I dragged my fingers through my hair and tensed my jaw. He was probably right, but considering my history with Ivan, it was still hard to watch him take some innocent young woman under his wing.

  Adam crossed back to the desk and picked up the phone. I continued pacing, only halfway listening to Adam’s report as he called the murder into the SPA dispatch. After a few minutes, he fell silent.

  “What are you thinking?” Adam asked, returning to my side.

  “Remember when we came into the study? One of the windows was open. I closed it before I sealed the house. I figured Lacey had cracked a few windows to keep the house from getting too stuffy with all the extra … bodies … around. What if the killer slipped out? We could be chasing a ghost. Well, figuratively.”

  “For once,” Adam quipped.

  A slight smile crossed my lips but faded all too quickly. “What do we do now?”

  “As much as it pains me, we need to tell Lacey. The SPA agents are on their way. She’s already going to go off the rails when they get here. A little head’s up could go a long ways. Besides that, she knows everyone here. If anyone could help us put together a short list of suspects, it’ll be her. We can’t keep roping people in here one by one for questioning. There isn’t time.”

  I dropped my gaze to the tops of my shoes. “You’re right.”

  Adam sighed. “Let’s just hope that doesn’t result in another murder … .”

  He led the way to the door and reached for the handle. He paused for a moment and smiled back at me. “Holly, it’s going to be okay. I know this is—”

  A voice cut through the room, reverberating off the walls with a deep echo. “Who has summoned me?”

  Chapter 5

  What in the Otherworld was that?”

  Adam sprang up from his chair and lunged across the large desktop, grabbing a pointed wizard’s hat that sat at one end; it was blue with silver stars and looked like something from a cartoon version of Merlin. No real wizard would be caught dead in the atrocity.

  “Unhand me!” the hat cried out as Adam lifted it up.

  “It’s from Fuzzle’s too. It’s a talking hat!”

  I heaved a sigh. “Of course it is.”

  I suddenly regretted not having whipped up a headache potion earlier in the evening.

  “I’ll put a spell on you!” the hat threatened, its voice louder than before.

  Adam grinned and set it down. “It’s kind of like a supercharged parrot! It can repeat back things it hears. It comes loaded with a bunch of preprogrammed expressions but I was planning on teaching it a bunch of insults and putting it in the bathroom.”

  I rubbed my temples.

  “Oh, come on, Holly. Admit it—that would have been funny.”

  When I didn’t answer, he scowled. “It’s one night, okay?”

  I cocked an eyebrow. “Right, because you’re a perfect angel the other 364.”

  He gave a sheepish grin. “I do my best.”

  “I’ll just bet.”

  The hat sprang back to life again. “Vanessa, please stop! I changed my mind. I don’t want to do this anymore!”

  The hat stopped speaking and a horrible sound belched from it.

  “Vanessa?” Adam repeated, glancing up at me.

  “As in … ?” My eyes darted to the door where Ivan had just slipped away. “Didn’t he say his date’s name was Vanessa? The brunette?”

  Adam nodded.

  I stiffened. “Where is she?”

  “I left her in the kitchen. Well, technically she left me, but that’s not really that important.”

  “Come on,” I said, striding toward the door.

  Adam reached out and snagged my arm. “Wait, Holly, what about talking to Lacey?”

  I sighed. “The SPA is on their way. Literally at any minute. They’ll break my wards and Vanessa could easily slip out the back door into the night. We don’t know anything about her other than her first name.”

  “Lacey will know!” Adam pointed out.

  “Maybe!” I fired back, tugging my arm free of his grip. “Maybe not. It’s not like she’d be the first party-crasher of the night.”

  Adam’s brow pinched together but he relented and opened the door. “All right, fine. But then we’re talking to Lacey.”

  I rolled my eyes as I stepped out into the dimly lit hallway. “Considering that you were planning on letting a horde of bats loose at her party, I’m not sure you can really call yourself an expert on Lacey’s feelings, okay?”

  “Holly, I—”

  “Vanessa? Where are you going?” A voice filtered down the hall and stopped me cold.

  “I’ll be right there!” a smoky voice replied.

  “Shh! Someone’s coming.” I pushed him back into the study and killed the lights.

  We scrambled around the other side of the desk and crouched low to the ground. Footsteps sounded at the other side of the room and the door softly clicked closed. I couldn’t see Adam in the pitch blackness but could feel his heart racing against my back as we huddled together.

  “Let’s see if you’re getting hungry yet.”

  Hungry?

  The lights flickered on and Vanessa’s heels clicked on the solid wood flooring, only to fall silent as she stepped onto the thick rug placed under the chairs where Fiona lay.

  I craned around to look at Adam. His muscles were wound tight, ready to spring like a Jack-in-the-Box, but the look on his face was edged with fear. Neither of us knew what the vampire across the room was capable of. The SPA would be arriving soon but part of me wanted to lay low and ride it out. My heart slammed against my chest so loudly that it was a wonder Vanessa couldn’t hear the blood pumping from across the large room.

  “Don’t do this!”

  My heart rocketed out of my chest at the squawked voice from the enchanted hat sitting on the desk.

  Adam swore under his breath.

  “Who’s there?” Vanessa demanded, a commanding edge to her husky voice. Her heels clicked back across the room, heading straight for the desk.

  With one last look at Adam, I flew up from my hiding spot and fired a stunning spell at the beautiful brunette. Adam jumped up right behind me and vaulted over the desk, standing at the ready as my back-up.

  “Who are you?” Vanessa spat as she recovered from the blast of the spell, her face frozen in an ice cold sneer.

  “You don’t get to ask the questions right now,” I replied evenly, my hands still raised, ready to shoot off another spell if needed. “We know what you did.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I came in here to get my coat.” She planted her hands on her curved hips.

  Adam scoffed. “Oh yeah? And where is it?” he asked, giving a dramatic look around the study.

  “Guess I have the wrong room,” Vanessa replied, her lip curled.

  “Why did you kill Fiona? We heard her begging for you to let her go,” I said, suppressing a shiver as I recalled what must have been Fiona’s desperate last words.

  I gestured at the hat. “Vanessa, let me go!” it obliged.

  “You don’t know anything,” Vanessa spat. “I’m so outta here. Worst Halloween party ever.”

  She turned and hurried for the door but Adam was faster. He grabbed her and bull-rushed her up against the nearest bookshelf. Several tomes fell from their places and hit the floor with a series of loud thumps.

  Posy so wasn’t going to like that part …

  “What? Was Lacey’s snack bar not enough to keep you from giving into your monster side?” Adam taunted.

  Vanessa’s fangs protruded and her eyes turned to black pools. She struggled in Adam’s grip. I whipped a hand through the air and magic tendrils took root at her arms and legs, binding
her to the shelves at her back. “SPA agents are on their way. If you don’t want to talk to us, we’ll just turn you over to them when they get here.”

  Vanessa’s eyes went back to normal as they darted to me. “Wait! Please, stop; I’ll tell you everything!”

  Adam looked at me and gave a slight nod. I met Vanessa’s eyes and then released the magic tendrils holding her in place against the wall.

  “Start talking,” Adam growled as soon as the sizzle of magic faded.

  Vanessa’s eyes shifted to the girl in the armchair. “She’s not dead.”

  I followed her gaze. “I don’t have a medical degree, but I’m pretty sure I can puzzle this one out. She’s gone.”

  Vanessa’s shoulders dropped back as a look of haughtiness returned to her striking face. “You really think you know more about death than me?”

  I swallowed hard. She had a point.

  With a flick of her hand, she tossed her hair over her shoulder and flashed a wicked grin. “She wanted me to kill her.”

  Adam scoffed. “Wow. Just when I thought vampire delusions couldn’t get any grander. Now the food offers itself up on a silver plate, huh?” He folded his arms. “That must be terribly convenient.”

  “Useless beast,” Vanessa said, sighing.

  Adam growled.

  I held up my hands. “Cool it. Both of you. What do you mean, she wanted you to kill her?”

  “She wanted to be one of us.” Vanessa sneered at Adam.

  I reared back. “A vampire?”

  “No, a Care Bear.” Vanessa shifted her glare to me.

  Magic burned my fingertips, straining to be used. A good zapper might remind her who was in charge.

  I resisted. “How do you even know her?”

  “Her friend Karly and I work together as bartenders. Karly knows what I am. Apparently she told her friend Fiona and Fiona wanted to join the fun,” she said as though she was referring to some kind of cruise-ship package. “Karly told us about this party and we thought it would be the perfect way to make it special. Believe me, I have plenty of people who want me to turn them. I don’t have to hunt.”

  “Turning people into vampires is illegal under all haven law, so even if she wanted this, it doesn’t matter. You still aren’t permitted to do it! On top of that, I happen to know you’re lying. She didn’t want this. You forced her!” I folded my arms and nodded at the hat perched on the desk. “The hat works like a recording. From what we heard, there’s no way she wanted to go through with it!”

  Vanessa huffed. “They all get like that right before!”

  My eyebrows surged sky high. “You do this often?”

  “Fiona will be my fourth offspring,” she replied with a shrug.

  Adam swore.

  “Trust me, she’ll wake up soon and be thanking me for giving her the gift!”

  “You’re delusional!” Adam replied, not hiding the disgust in his voice.

  I was about to add my own statement of revulsion when the door of the study slammed open. All three of us snapped to attention as SPA agents decked out in black clothing stormed the room. Magic flew unbridled until all three of us were pinned, our hands immobile behind our backs. The agents swooped in and led us away, separating us as soon as we reached the living room. I followed Adam with my eyes as long as I could, but he was quickly swallowed up by the crowd. The living room was teeming with agents and other bound party guests. Agents were furiously working the scene, taking notes on enchanted notepads.

  It looked as though Lacey had already been cleared by the agent in charge as she stood to one side, arms crossed, blue fire blazing in her icy eyes as she stared at me. When she caught my eye, she surged forward, bustling through the crowd until she reached the chair where I’d been deposited by the agent who’d dragged me from the study. “Why didn’t you tell me? This was my big night, my party, and you ruined it!” she hissed.

  In typical Lacey fashion, she was more concerned with the not-so-rave reviews her party was going to get rather than the dead girl turned vamp in the next room.

  “We were trying to keep it quiet,” I replied, already knowing there was no way she was going to believe me.

  “Ha!” Lacey exploded, throwing her hands into the air. “Nice work then!”

  The agent who’d taken me away returned and asked Lacey to step aside. She complied with the order, but her eyes bored holes in me as she turned to go. I told the agent everything I knew and was released from my magic shackles.

  The whole thing was cleared up in less than an hour—almost alarmingly fast. Adam turned the enchanted wizard hat over to the SPA agents and Vanessa was quickly bound and taken out of the manor, snarling and spitting the whole way.

  “Gonna be a long night for those guys,” Adam said as we stood side by side at the front window, watching as she was dragged to a waiting SPA van.

  I glanced over my shoulder to where Lacey was standing with two of her closest friends and the newly made Fiona. Lacey’s eyes cut away from the young vamp and shot daggers at me from across the room. I sighed and turned back to look out the front window. “It’s going to be a long night for us too.”

  Adam led me past the cluster of vampires and I overhead Fiona whining at Lacey. “Can I get something else to wear? I mean, I guess I’m supposed to be into blood now, but this is just gross!”

  I exhaled slowly through pursed lips once inside the kitchen. “Looks like she’s going to fit right in with the undead princess pack.”

  “Swell,” Adam replied as he crossed the bright room and retrieved the pail of Halloween candy from his infamous snack cupboard.

  I cleared a space at the table, shoving aside the nearly empty punch bowls and pitchers, and sat down with a heavy thump.

  Adam joined me and passed over a handful of miniature chocolate bars. “Well, it wasn’t some big, fancy haven party, but you have to admit, it was an unforgettable night.”

  “For all the wrong reasons,” I said flatly. “Although, on the plus side, I don’t think Posy’s going to let Lacey throw another party anytime soon.”

  “Speaking of,” Adam said, peering around the corner at the stragglers gathered in the living room. “Shouldn’t they be wrapping this up?”

  I checked the clock on the wall and frowned. “Sunrise is still a few hours off.”

  “I bet we could think of a way to get them going for their party-favor bags.” A slow grin spread across Adam’s face. “Think you could reanimate those bats?”

  I groaned. “We need to quit while we’re behind.”

  “All right, all right. What do you say we take the rest of the pumpkin ale down to the beach and watch the sunrise from there. By the time we get back, all her guests will be gone and she’ll be back in her coffin.”

  “Adam,” I groaned. “She doesn’t actually sleep in a coffin and you know it.”

  He pushed up from the table and went to the fridge. He retrieved the last two bottles of ale and dangled them at me. “Come on, let’s buy ourselves another twenty-four hours. She’s gonna be busy putting new girl through vamp boot camp anyway.”

  With a smile, I gathered up the remaining candy and started toward the back door. “All right, but only if you promise to get rid of the rest of the Fuzzle’s stuff. No saving it for next year. Or, ya know, a random Tuesday.”

  Adam chuckled. “You know me too well already.”

  We stepped out onto the back porch and hurried down into the backyard before Lacey could get a glimpse of us.

  Adam paused when we reached the sidewalk in front of the house and grinned over at me. “We make a pretty good team, gorgeous.”

  “Yeah, yeah. Keep walking, St. James.”

  He looped an arm over my shoulders as we descended the stairs. “Happy Halloween, Holly.”

  I smiled. “Happy Halloween, Adam.”

  THE END

  Good Gravy! Thanksgiving at Beechwood Manor

  Introduction

  The magic and human worlds collide on Thanksgiving
Day in the Beechwood Manor.

  Note from Danielle:

  Good Gravy! Thanksgiving at Beechwood Manor was a blog exclusive for my newsletter group in the fall of 2016. It’s a short story that gives a glimpse into the holidays in the harbor.

  This story falls between Twice the Witch and Witch Slapped in the timeline.

  Good Gravy! Thanksgiving at Beechwood Manor

  What do you think—plastic pumpkins or ceramic turkeys?”

  Another rainy Sunday. Another age-old debate.

  I turned away from the front window to face Cassie as she maneuvered a large plastic storage tub through the archway from the back room of Siren’s Song. “Ceramic turkeys?” I said, unsure I’d heard her right.

  “I’m not even kidding,” she replied, setting the box on the counter beside the cash register. The lid was marked with a black permanent marker and read: Thanksgiving Decorations. Extra points for Peg’s keen attention to detail. Although it did surprise me that she’d kept such an assortment of seasonal holiday decorations. She’d never struck me as a particularly celebratory kind of person.

  Cassie peeled the lid off and set it on the floor. “Like I said … .”

  I peered inside the box and immediately burst into laughter. A collection of six ceramic turkeys were laid out over a layer of white felt, presumably to keep them from breaking. Each turkey was holding a different instrument. One had a flute, the next a saxophone, one sat perched behind a drum set. “These are the kinds of things I see in a store and wonder who in their right mind would ever buy them. I guess, now I know.”

  Cassie laughed, shaking her head as she stared down at the comical figurines. “They’re both amazing and tragic.”

  “As lovely as these are … I don’t think they quite set the mood I’m going for.”

  “Are you sure?” Cassie said, lifting the drumming turkey from the box. She flipped it around to face me. “Cause I think he’d look great on the table next to the cranberry sauce.”