A Wicked Good Witches Paranormal Romance Books 1-7 (Wicked Good Witches Seasons) (78 page)

William cleared his throat.

Charlie had nothing more to say on the subject, but cast a meaningful look of,
it’s time for a new one.

“In all seriousness,” said William, regaining their attention. “There is much to discuss and explain.” They listened as he relayed all he’d overhead the Jordan’s discussing. And revealed why they’d come to the Isle in the first place.

“I fear this is entirely my fault, as it was my judgment to kill Eva’s mother,” expressed William. “Although in my defense, she used
your
mother, Catherine’s, form, as a disguise in her plot. She attempted to trick your father into revealing all he knew about the power source.”

“Daring,” said Michael. “Looks like Eva took a play from her mother’s handbook.”

“Yes, it was most disturbing to me that she disguised herself as Melinda to gain entrance into the mansion. I’m disappointed that it did not trigger a connection at that time.” He looked at them, apologetically.

“Seems like we’re living in a world of hindsight lately,” said Charlie. “But what choice did you have?” he asked William. “If her mother was causing trouble on the Isle, it’s our job to put a stop to it. Sometimes that means taking a life.”

Lucas shuddered. What kind of world had he gotten him and Riley mixed up in? 

“We certainly don’t do it because we want to,” declared Michael.

“It’s an unfortunate byproduct of the job.” They all turned to Lizzy as she’d said it. “You all seem to forget I had a previous life. We made tough choices, too, for the greater good. That never changes no matter how much time passes, and it’s not always easy or clear, but it has to be done.” She aimed her final words at William, in support of his verdict. 

“And while I agree,” he began, “it’s a good reminder that our actions can have long term consequences. To be honest, I had no idea Eva’s mother was a werewolf, a fact that could have proven fatal on my part. I also had no idea her death left behind a young daughter or husband. If I had known...”

“It still wouldn’t have changed anything,” said Melinda kindly.

“No. I suppose it would not.”

The air in the kitchen got thicker. Tensions rising.

William continued. “They believed it was your father, Jack, that killed her, and that is why Eva attacked him ten years ago. But you got in the way, Charlie.”

He reached up and touched the scar. Where Eva had bitten him. She had meant to attack his father after all, but he’d gotten in the way to try to stop her.

Michael chastised himself for respecting Anthony Jordan’s published works, or that they’d used his books from time to time while doing their jobs. He feared he’d given Mr. Jordan too much information in previous conversations. “I guess we know how Eva’s father collected most of the data for his books...” he uttered in disgust.

“Eva,” confirmed Charlie, nodding. She was his
in
to the supernatural world. “What are they planning? Are they collecting information to seek revenge? And why put everything in a book and publish it if that’s the intent? Wouldn’t they want to be quieter about their intentions? Not draw attention to themselves?”

William let out a tight sigh. “My guess is Mr. Jordan was playing a game of hiding in plain sight. However, I am afraid we may never know the answers to those questions.”

“What did you do?” asked Michael, scrutinizing the vampire’s hidden meaning.

His confession was hesitant.

“I may have…
broken…
Mr. Jordan’s neck.”

“Someone need some anger management classes much?” scolded Lizzy.

“I did lose my temper… a little,” William conceded. “But I will not allow anyone to step foot onto this Isle and threaten the safety of those in my charge.”

“No need to defend yourself, William,” said Charlie. “But Eva is going to be furious.”  

“She is furious. And I had her in my clutches...” William spoke in berating anger.

“And the Feyk have her now.” Charlie blew out a breath. “There’s no telling how she’ll react. What she’ll do. And she’s a loose cannon now that we know who, and what she is.”

“With the Feyk at her disposal, she’s bound to start a war,” warned Michael. 

His statement hung in the air like a balloon about to pop.

William glanced around the room. They were not prepared for a war. He’d only too recently, and possibly not soon enough, realized this fact.

“We at least have some time,” he explained. “Eva is currently suffering from a bout of blood poisoning. I had to immobilize her in order to question her. She’ll need at least twenty-four hours to heal.”

“That’s something I guess,” said Michael.

William nodded, but rather despondently. “In better news,” he went on, “I did retrieve the missing diary. In less than better news, it was clear she had read it cover to cover.”

“What’s done is done,” said Charlie, using his mother’s words, decisively. “At least you got the diary back. Regardless of anything else, this Feyk situation must be dealt with, swiftly. The power source cannot fall into their hands, and we must protect the people on the Isle.” 

Everyone agreed to this. 

“I think it starts with a call to Mack,” said Michael, offering to do so. “She’ll need to get the cleaners to the Jordan place, and I’ll catch her up on everything else.”

“And we can’t forget our
other
problem,” prompted Melinda, eying Michael, Lizzy, and Lucas.

“Um, yeah… don’t take this the wrong way, but what are you guys doing here?” asked Charlie.   

A strange look flitted across William’s face. His head turned towards the basement, his vampire hearing, honing in on a muffled voice below.

“Why is Riley Deane locked up in my cell?”

Everyone looked at Melinda to explain.

“I haven’t had enough coffee for this,” she whined, laying her head on the counter.

“I’ll brew, you talk,” ordered Charlie.

“You might want to put some clothes on first,” suggested Michael.

Lizzy snickered, disapproving of that suggestion.

Charlie looked down at himself having completely forgotten he’d been standing there in his boxers. “Clothes first, then coffee and talk.”

Michael, already knowing the story, went ahead and left the room to call Mack. The sheriff was shocked and disappointed to hear that it was Anthony and Eva Jordan behind the problems they’d been having all summer. 

“I liked that Eva. She seemed like a sweet enough girl, when her father was missing at least.”

“I guess even evil daughters love their fathers,” he retorted dryly. “None of us picked up on it. That’s not entirely true,” he said, disagreeing with his own statement. “When Charlie first met Eva he knew something was off. I blamed it on his wolfy paranoia. Turns out he wasn’t. There were other signs, ones that make perfect sense now, of course.”

“Not your fault, Michael,” maintained the sheriff.

“Doesn’t matter now,” he sighed. “I
would
consider both Eva and the Feyks armed and dangerous at this point though. We don’t know what they’ll do, but this could get really ugly.”

“I’m assuming you guys are in planning mode?”

“Full on. We’ll contact you once we figure out anything of importance.” 

“All-righty-then,” Mack returned. “You guys stay safe. I’ll call ya if anything
exciting
happens.”

There
had
been other signs, recalled Michael as he hung up with Mack. Signs that Eva could not be trusted. He couldn’t get a stable read on her. And there was that one time when he did, after catching her and Charlie going at it in the storage room, and she’d somehow just shut it down, like she’d thrown up a wall of some kind.

And her father, Anthony… Michael had only ever read a single, even emotion from him. He should have questioned why. Had they come up with some manner in which to block their emotions? Knowing he’d have caught on. He might never find out.

Michael listened in on the conversation in the kitchen. William was suggesting they capture a Feyk and force them to undo the spell on Riley. Lizzy was agreeing, chastising herself loudly for not thinking to go that route after her potion failed.

Instead of rejoining the group in the kitchen, Michael dialed his girlfriend, Emily Morgan, currently at work at the local bookstore,
Harboring the Book
.  

She answered in her usual happy greeting. Upon hearing Michael’s groan as a reply, she said, “You sound terrible. No luck fixing Riley yet?”

“You got any customers hanging around? My answer might take a while.”

“Just one, she doesn’t look like she’s in any hurry.”

After listening to Michael explain what was going on, Emily felt a flutter of unease; she was glad Michael wasn’t physically with her, or his empathy would’ve picked up on it. And he’d worry about that, too.

“Are you doing okay?” she asked him. “It must be wearing on you, everyone’s emotions in high gear.”

“It is, a little. Kind of a lot. But I’ll survive.”

“Is there anything I can do to help? Do you need any research done? Should I come to the mansion and help?”  

Michael thought hard for a minute, unsure whether Emily would be safer by his side or away from him. In the last few weeks, her being with him had nearly gotten her killed more than once.

“Michael?”

“Sorry, Em. Just not sure how to answer that question. I’d feel better having you with me, but at the same time...”

“You think it might be too dangerous.”

“Yes. But not having you with me could be dangerous, too. I don’t know anymore. They’re in the kitchen discussing how to capture a Feyk. I don’t think I want you in the middle of that. And we have Riley locked up in the basement, so if you
were
here I think you’d be safe, but I’ve thought that before and look what’s happened.”

“How are you going to catch a Feyk?” she asked, letting the subject of her safety dangle. “It’s like they’re everywhere, all at once now. Sightings have been pouring in to that reporter, Courtney Jessup. I wonder why... they must know Mr. Jordan is dead by now. If he hired them...” she stopped, realizing she was not making the situation any less stressful.

“All the things we’re afraid to find out the answers to,” Michael told her. “And right now we’re focused on the whole fix-Melinda’s-nightmare-from-coming-true thing...”

“So Riley doesn’t kill us all,” she replied matter of factly.

“Ugh. What have our lives become, that we can talk about it like it’s just another thing to deal with.
Who’s going to try to kill us today?
” His tone reeked of sarcasm.

“I think it’s more about having perspective. You’ll stop it from happening, Michael. You always find a way. I have complete confidence in my magic man.”

Her encouragement lightened him. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you? Or what I’d do without you, Em.”

“I’m sending you kisses,” she whispered into the phone, sweetly.

“They taste
divine
,” he replied.

He wanted to take her somewhere and lock her away until this whole ordeal was over. He heard her making a clucking noise and grinned.

“What idea is brewing around that amazingly sexy brain of yours?” he asked her.

“I was thinking that the reporter could help you catch a Feyk. She has tips coming in minutes, sometimes seconds, after a sighting. According to her blog, at least. It’s like people are hoping to see one and have her number on speed dial or something. Still, it might be a way to track the Feyk, and catch one.”

“Brilliant as always,” said Michael. “I hadn’t thought about involving the reporter, but you’re right. She knows about the sighting locations faster than anyone else.”

Emily told him to hold for a minute while she checked her customer out, and was back a minute later.

“I think you should close the shop,” he told her. “Eva knows where you work. Would you mind just going home for today?”

Emily kept her immediate reply to herself. They lived on an island. Locals pretty much knew where everyone worked, or lived. This wouldn’t make him feel any more confident, so she didn’t remind him.

“I think I could manage a day off. Dad won’t mind the company. Actually, he wasn’t feeling so well when I left this morning, so maybe I’ll grab a few groceries, cook his favorite dish, and we’ll watch a movie or something.”

“That sounds perfect,” said Michael, wishing he could join them. “I’m sorry he’s not well though. Tell him I hope he gets better.”

“Will do.”

“Thank, Em. I know it’s a lot to ask. I’d just feel better knowing you’re home, and not alone in the bookstore.”

“Oh, it’s
so
much to ask,” she said overdramatically. “Having to take a day off and spend it with my dad.”

He chuckled. “Text me when you get home, okay?”

“I will. I missed you last night,” she sighed. “I didn’t want to leave my dad home alone though.”