A Wicked Good Witches Paranormal Romance Books 1-7 (Wicked Good Witches Seasons) (87 page)

“And then you smacked one right on William,” mused Charlie. “Dad, if you could have seen William’s face. Priceless.”

“He is easy to fluster,” said Lizzy, with a mischievous smile. Jack threw her an inquisitive frown. She cleared her throat. “But my ghastly tale is a story for another day.”

Jack eyed them all in bewildered unease.

“I also had a difficult first day back and can only imagine what you must be feeling right now.” Lizzy smiled kindly.

Who is this woman?
Jack wondered silently.

Is this the real world?

It must be, but my God, things have gotten crazy while I was away.

And my children… orphaned overnight.

God. The dread this instantly caused him.

Regret leaked into is heart. He should have taken the quest into White Pines more seriously. If he had, perhaps at least one of them, he or Catherine, would have survived. So many times, they had searched and failed.

Oh my dear Catherine…
he shoved the regrets deep.

His family needed him. He would mourn later.

He set aside the tray, keeping just the coffee. “Why don’t you boys fill me in on what’s been going on. Who or what is attacking the Isle?”

Charlie began, starting with a brief explanation of the weeks immediately following Jack’s disappearance. They quickly skipped ahead to when they’d met Eva Jordan. Michael and he taking turns filling in different parts of the details. Jack did his best to remain emotionless as they explained, but there were moments when it was too difficult to keep it in.

Especially when discussing Melinda, and her difficulties after losing both her parents at once. She saw it as her fault, because she didn’t know she’d had a prophetic dream and could have prevented it.

Michael was grateful that his empathy had not yet turned back on. His emotions completely his own since discovering Emily was missing. Having had a break for a few hours made him aware of the toll it was taking on him. He hadn’t fully realized it was getting harder to block other’s emotions until they’d just shut down and he had only his own feelings to contend with for the first time in years.

As his sons explained, Jack became aware of many things. His children had endured much in his absence. The life of a Howard Witch was never easy, but it was apparent that he’d never properly prepared them for the fact that he and his wife might leave them so soon. Or that they could leave them both at once, so suddenly.

It was something he and Catherine worried about constantly. But not something he’d expected while out romping around the Isle on yet another excursion searching for the power source.

He and their mother had always tried to protect them from the harder stuff. The scary stuff. Wanting them to be young and free. To enjoy life before they were sucked into their duties as witches.

Something William had warned him to be careful of doing.

And this was the reason why.

He’d left behind three capable and talented witches that he hadn’t properly prepared to live and work on their own, without him.

He’d always thought he had more time.

I must thank William
, he told himself.
He has not had an easy time of it. I’m sure. He kept my family alive and together. They stuck it out and remained true to their duty.
He wished he could take more credit, but these last four years were owed to his lifelong friend.

Jack had been born into the world with William like an uncle, when he was young, and then a mentor and dear friend, as he’d gotten older. There was no Howard family without William.

He had become the glue holding them together.

He was also his children’s undoing.

It was becoming painfully clear that they’d come to depend on William far too much.

Jack had no idea what to do about that. But it would have to wait as other more pressing issues were making themselves very clear as well. After many long hours, now going on two a.m., his sons finished. Jack was certain of the reason he’d been released from the Hunter.

“I was set free because I can open the doorway to the power source. They expect I will show them.”

“Because of Mom?” confirmed Charlie.

“Yes. I’m sure of it. They hoped I’d go right there to get her and open it for them.”

“I guess we have a good idea where the Feyk moved to then, since they abandoned the fort,” said Charlie.

“And what about everyone that’s still missing?” Lizzy brought up, noting how much time had gone by without a single word of contact.

Jack looked at her with new light in his eyes. “You’re a Deane of old.”

They had explained Lizzy’s tale, he understood better who she was.

“Does that matter, Dad?” asked Charlie, feeling the need to defend her and her brothers.

“Deane’s of the old age were our most trusted friends. You’re from a time before the dark days.”

“You have no idea what it was like,” said Lizzy. “Watching my family go down that path, giving into dark magic. Not being able to stop it. Their actions were… disgusting, and humiliating. I didn’t want to be a Deane for a long time after that.”

Jack nodded. Still a tinge of doubt in his gaze, but he was warming to her.

Charlie wondered if he’d be as accepting of Lucas and Riley.

Michael got up and started pacing. “They have been gone a long time. It’s not like Melinda. It’s definitely not like William. He always checks in.”

“This Eva girl,” started Jack. “She sounds pretty hell-bent on revenge. And if she’s got Feyks working with her... they are tricky, spiteful creatures. I hate to say it, but Melinda and this Lucas might have gotten themselves caught.”

Michael hoped if that were true, that they were at least with Emily. It wasn’t a bright spot so much as a tiny comfort, that she was not alone after suffering through watching Eva kill her father.

“Even if they did get caught, where’s William? It’s not like him not to report in. Especially if something did happen to Melinda, or Lucas. He’d have reported that to us. He was on their trail. He should have found them easily,” insisted Charlie.

“It was in Melinda’s dream,” reminded Michael. “She said that Riley’s rage kept building, and from what I heard coming out of the kid’s mouth, I’d say that for whatever reason he’s aiming all his rage at William.”

“Riley isn’t a kid,” argued Lizzy. She didn’t care for the demeaning tone in which he said it. She was getting a little tired of the whole Deanes suck thing.

“It’s not because he’s a Deane,” clarified Michael. “I’m being the overprotective big brother. Any guy that dates my sister…” Jack hissed, cutting Michael off.

“Are you telling me that my baby girl is dating a Deane?”

“Um, yeah Dad. Sorry… I was going to tell you earlier, but it felt like I was hitting you with a lot.” Charlie threw Michael a glare, and Lizzy a
please just deal for now
gaze.

“Yeah, I could have been more tactful,” apologized Michael. “But we’re kind of out of our comfort zone here anyway, don’t you think? We don’t have time to play all nice nice. People are missing. The shit pile can’t get much higher. We need to do something, now.”

“Okay, let’s just all settle down a little,” said Jack. “Me included. This is all just…”

“A lot, Dad. We know.” Michael smiled weakly. “My mind is starting to imagine many frightening scenarios as to what’s going on. I need to be doing something.”

“I understand,” replied Jack. “But it’s important to remember that all details are important, and we must be prepared before taking action. Running into an unknown situation unprepared never ends well.”

Charlie and Michael looked at their father, soaking in every word.

“Now,” continued Jack. “There are ways to immobilize a vampire. William is not untouchable, however fearsome a foe he can be.”

“I just can’t imagine William falling for something like that. Getting himself caught.” Charlie shrugged indifferently. “It’s never happened since I’ve known him.”

“Nor in mine, but we all have weaknesses,” cautioned Jack. “Even vampires.”

“And we all know William’s is Melinda,” stated Lizzy.

“What?” said Charlie. 

“Um,” she cleared her throat, after mistakenly saying that aloud. It was her turn to stumble over her unintended words. “I just mean he cares about you all, very much, and if she or any of you were caught by the enemy...”

“I don’t think that’s what you meant,” Jack disputed tightly. “Rage spells have to start with a spark of reality. If Riley’s anger is centered on William,
he
at least believes that William is a rival. I have to say, I’m not sure which scenario I disapprove of more, Melinda dating a Deane or a vampire…” Apparently, Jack was not going to go easy on Lucas or Riley, the Deane’s of today.

Lizzy tried not to take offense of his Deane disapproval. Charlie threw her an apologetic look. She shrugged it off apprehensively. She’d just unintentionally given away William’s secret.

Jack had nothing against William finding happiness; he loved him like family.

However, his daughter was off limits. She had a responsibility to carry on the Howard bloodline.

But mixing Deane blood with Howard blood?

It had never been done. Even back when their families were allies… no Deane and Howard had ever married or had a child together.

Two powerful witch families coming together in one bloodline… a child with a witch as a mother and a father… the potential was unlimited.

From a professional standpoint, it didn’t sound like such a bad idea.

But on a personal level… maybe Melinda would move on from this Riley. He could only hope.

Michael’s memories flicked back to an earlier conversation with Melinda, after he’d caught her straddling Riley in the basement. She’d dismissed the subject of
why
Riley would take his rage out against William.

Why was everything so obvious to him in hindsight? The outliers of the emotions had been there, but he had not pressed the issue. Was it possible for his sister to fall for someone uncontroversial? Maybe just a normal human guy…

He kept all this to himself. It didn’t matter at this point.

Charlie could not grasp his head around the idea. He’d seen Melinda flirt with the vampire many times, but always in jest. Never seriously. “Melinda’s always had a teenage crush on William, there’s nothing more to it than that. I would know.”

“She’s not a teen anymore, Charlie,” reminded Michael.

“Yeah, well… whatever, I don’t want to think about who she wants to
date
. I just want to get her home, and safe again. And then, we are sitting down to have ourselves a serious talk…” he trailed off, clearing his throat. “Sorry, Dad. It’s going to take some time to get used to you being around again.”

Jack gave him a pained smile. Proud, but also sad, for the position he’d left his son in. The eldest. The one in charge. More a father now than brother…

“Yes. Well. Back to the task at hand. If they have been caught by the enemy, this makes us greatly outnumbered.”

“I say we storm in and attack, tonight,” urged Charlie. “I don’t think they’ll expect that.” And like his brother, the need to physically do something was mounting by the minute.

“I’m in,” chimed Michael in decisive agreement.

“No. We will not attack tonight,” refuted their father. “There’s a good chance they
are
expecting it, and we would be ill prepared and most likely fail. Making this already dangerous situation even harder to overcome.”

“Sorry,” spoke up Lizzy. “I’m with your father on this one. Like he said earlier, you go in all cocked and loaded without preparing first nothing good’s going to come of that. We’ll just get ourselves caught and then who’s going to come to the rescue?”

“I don’t think I can just sit back and wait,” grumbled Charlie. The shock of his father’s return was ebbing, his fears surfacing. “Who knows what they’re doing to them right now? We’ve seen what Eva is capable of.”

Michael nodded. He could not vocalize what it did to him to think of his sister or his girlfriend in Eva’s clutches.

“I have brothers in trouble, too. I still think it’s a bad idea to rush in tonight.” Lizzy’s voice was sympathetic, but determined.

“You’ve known them for a few weeks,” retorted Charlie heartlessly.

She stood up and folded her arms, glaring at him hotly. “Meaning I care less than you do?”

“I’m sorry, Lizzy. That came out… very… wrong.”

“Yeah, it did,” she responded harshly. “It’s a bit cliché, but my father taught me that only
fools
rush in.”

“Then I guess I’m a fool.” He was ready to go, now. He didn’t want to wait.

“Not if you listen to your father, Charlie. He’s right on this.”

Michael had to stifle a grin. He’d never seen his brother put in his place by anyone other than William.

Jack’s eyes danced, watching Charlie interact with Lizzy. It was reminiscent of him and Catherine. He was starting to like this Lizzy a little more.