Charmed Again (Halloween LaVeau) (10 page)

After a long tense pause, he turned on his heel and climbed into his black Ford sedan. Jacobson didn’t look up as he turned the ignition and sped down the
driveway. A disaster had been averted. The situation was under control for the moment, but how long would that last?

Liam and Nicolas stood together, talking in a hushed tone. I’d never seen the men that quiet in any discussion they’d had since I’d met them. Were they discussing their next move against Jacobson? Whatever. I needed to check on Annabelle. She sat on the veranda step, rubbing her neck w
here Jacobson had had her in a chokehold.

“Who was that?” Annabelle asked.

“Jacobson Stratford is the head of the New Orleans Coven. His sister is the one who accused Nicolas of turning her into a vampire and he’s not too happy about it,” I said matter-of-factly.

She nodded. “Well, that makes sense.”

It was good to see that she hadn’t lost her sense of humor after I’d almost gotten her killed. “I’m really sorry about what happened. I had no idea he would show up. How did he get into the house?” I asked.

“I guess I left the kitchen door open
. He grabbed me from behind,” she said softly.

“Well, it won’t ha
ppen again. You have my promise.” I squeezed her in a big hug.

After making sure that Annabelle was still okay, I left her sitting on t
he step and approached Nicolas and Liam.

I ran my han
d through my hair and let out a deep breath. “That man is clearly unstable. What am I going to do?”

“You did exac
tly what you should have done. Since he grabbed her from behind he probably thought Annabelle was you,” Liam said.

I brushed a strand of hair off my face and exhaled.
“I hadn’t thought of that, but I guess you’re right. This takes it to a whole new level.”

“I’m assuming you’ll consult the books before the meeting
that you just called?” Liam studied my face for a reaction.

Yeah, yeah, the book. Apparently everything I needed to know was in the book. That had better be the truth or I was in deep trouble.

I changed the subject and asked, “What have you two been talking about?”

Liam shrugged his shoulders. “Not much. Maybe I’d better let the two of you talk.”

I looked from Liam to Nicolas. Something was going on and I knew I was getting ready to find out what. From the grim expression on their faces, I had a feeling I wasn’t going to like the news.

Once Liam had stepped away, I touched Nicolas’ arm. “Are you okay?”

That seemed like the question of the morning. Nicolas had moments when he seemed normal, then he’d zone back out again. I had to get to the bottom of this behavior. I had a strong suspicion that it had everything to do with Jacobson. As far as I was concerned, his magic days were over. I’d find a way to stop him from hurting others with his powers.

“I am so sorry for what happened, Hallie.” Nicolas looked down, avoiding my stare.

“It wasn’t your fault. You didn’t know he would come here.” I grabbed his strong hand.

“I had an idea that Jacobson would try something crazy. I shouldn’t have allowed this to happen.” He touched my cheek. “I have to leave. Jacobson will only cause more problems for you and Annabelle.”

My mouth opened in shock. “What? That isn’t the way to handle this. You just need to let me figure everything out. Okay?” I asked.

“It would be easier if I took off. I’ll get things settled and come back
. You’ll be fine here with Liam.” Nicolas ran his hand through his hair.

Okay, t
his was bizarre. There was no way Nicolas would say that. What was going on with him? Maybe he really had forgiven Liam for not protecting his mother, but something still seemed off.

“You guys were at each other’s throats and now you trust me here with him?” I asked.

“Like I said, Jacobson will just come back for me. If I’m here, that won’t be good for you,” he said.

“Do you keep forgetting that I’m the leader now? You should have faith in my abilities to control the situation,” I said.

I searched his eyes. He appeared to be staring at me, but I just wasn’t sure.

Finally, he nodded. “You’re right. But if he comes back, I’ll have to leave.”

“I’ll be the judge of that,” I said. “Come on. Annabelle was making breakfast. I’ll finish it up and we can sit down and discuss our next move.”

I grabbed Nicolas’ hand and led him back toward the veranda. A new problem had popped up. Catherin had Annabelle and Liam’s undivided attention. Had she revealed my little secret? How long would I be able to keep this secret from Nicolas and Liam? They weren’t the only ones keeping secrets.

“I see you’ve met my new guest,” I said, as I stepped up onto the porch.

Annabelle and Liam smiled. I couldn’t read their expressions though. It wasn’t clear if she’d told them about what I’d done. As soon as breakfast was over, I would pull out the spell book and banish her back to the great beyond.

Catherin’s lips curved into a big smile revealing little dimples on each cheek. Looking at her sweet face made me feel guilty that the thought had crossed my mind. It was like kicking your grandmother out on the street.

“Mrs. Butterfield was just telling us abou
t her famous blueberry pancakes.” Liam rubbed his hands together. “I can’t wait to taste them.”

“I didn’t get a chance to make the breakfast,” Annabelle offered.

“Well, it’s understandable after what happened to you.” Catherin winked at me. “I told them that I’d make breakfast this morning. You all have been through so much.”

Had Catherin witnessed the attack by Jacobson? In the midst of the action, I’d forgotten about Catherin and what she must have thought.

“I can’t let you make breakfast. You’re a guest,” I said with a forced smile.

“Nonsense. Think nothing of it. I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she said with a wave of her hand.

Annabelle grabbed Catherin’s arm and led her into the house. “I’m starving.”

Liam walked
closely behind them, so I held Nicolas’ hand and led him into the house. This was odd. Apparently Catherin had charmed Liam and Annabelle. No matter. Catherin still had to go.

“I’ll just go shower and be back down in a few for breakfast,” Nicolas said with a sweet smile.

I nodded. At least his speech and behavior was better.

As Nicolas disappeared up the stairs, Liam approached. “So, how did everything go?”

“Did you know he intended to leave?” I whispered.

Liam shook his head. “He asked me to watch over you.”

I stared for a beat, then said, “So that’s what you all were talking about. What did you tell him?”

“I told him I would,” he said.

“Don’t you think that’s my decision?” I asked.

“Of course it is, but what could I say? I figure he’s a grown man and can make his own decisions.”

“Well, yeah, but this is a little more complicated than that. Jacobson has it in for him. Don’t you think we owe it to Nicolas to protect him from this?”

Liam let out a slow breath. “Of course we do.”

My thoughts were a tangled mess. Nicolas had been acting weird and I had to figure out what had happened the night he turned Sabrina. Maybe the way he was acting now was nothing new. He could have been out of it when he attacked Sabrina.

“Nicolas still isn’t right. Don’t you think we should find out what Jacobson did?” I asked.

Liam nodded. “Yes, I do.”

“And aren’t you concerned about him?” I asked.

Nicolas was his brother, for heaven’s sake.

“I’ll do everything I can to help you figure out what’s going on,” Liam said.

Without answering, I turned around and headed for the kitchen. Liam followed closely behind me, but he didn’t say another word. He had to sense my frustration.

When I reached the kitchen, Catherin was carrying plates stacked high with the most scrumptious-looking pancakes I’d ever seen. Blueberries filled the tops of the pancakes and were scattered around the plates. Blueberry syrup oozed down the sides of the cakes, coming to rest in a pool of sweet blue liquid. My mouth watered just looking at them.

Catherin smiled widely when she saw us. “You’re just in time. Would you like orange juice?”

My gaze honed in on the pancakes again with a laser-like focus. It was as if Catherin had the carrot and I
was the horse. I was practically drooling; I had to have those pancakes. I followed her into the dining room.

As we sat around the large wood dining room table, I momentarily forgot about my current dilemmas as I inhaled the pancakes. With each bite I slipped into my o
wn little heavenly world. When my fork scraped the plate, I knew that the end had come.

I stared at the empty plate sadly, then finally realized what was going on. Catherin had probably used magic to make the pancakes so scrumptious. Catherin was trying to trick me into allowing her to stay. She probably suspected that I was ready to send her away.

“So where are you from, Catherin?” Liam asked as he shoved a forkful of pancake into his mouth.

Uh-oh. I grimaced. I wanted to keep them from talking to each other. Annabelle frowned when she noticed my expression. She was probably under Catherin’s spell as well. This little grandmother had swooped in and mesmerized everyone. It would take more than delicious blueberry pancakes to get to me though.

“I’m from Biloxi, Mississippi.” The words rolled off her tongue.

She was really good at the lying thing.

“Where are you traveling to?” Liam asked, then took a drink of juice.

“I’m just visiting the grandchildren in Enchantment Pointe,” she said in a sweet grandmotherly voice.

When Liam and Annabelle weren’t watching her, she winked at me.

She was sneaky, but I’d give her bonus points for not spilling my little secret. Maybe I’d let her stay for an extra hour.

Annabelle pushed to her feet. “Hallie, can I speak to you for just a moment?”

I looked at her suspiciously, then said, “Sure.”

I followed Annabelle out into the kitchen. What did she want? Was she angry about what Jacobson did?

“Hallie, I know the look in your eyes
,” Annabelle said

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

“You can’t get rid of her. She’s a doll. What could she possibly do that is bad?” Annabelle asked.

“You’ve let her sweet-
talk you.” I pointed.

Annabelle shook her head. “That’s not it at all. Just let her stay and if something happens, then you can get rid of her.”

“It might be too late to get rid of her if she does something really bad,” I said.

“I just have a feeling on this.
” Annabelle pleaded with her eyes.

“According to you, you never have a feeling about anything, so what makes now different?” I
studied her face.

“Well, I do have feeling
s about things. What about that time I had a feeling about the lottery numbers? I won, didn’t I?” She placed her hands on her hips.

I sighed and nodded. “Yes, you were right about that, but it only paid five dollars.”

“But I was right,” Annabelle pushed.

“I’m just sayin’.” I shrugged.

“What do you say? Let her stay. She can help out around here. And you need help right now,” Annabelle said.

She definitely had a point there. I wondered if Catherin knew how to work a washing machine?

I shook off the thought. “I can’t ask her to help me around here. That would be rude.”

“I’d love to help you,” Catherin said from over my shoulder.

I whipped around to find Catherin standing behind us.

“How long have you been standing there?” I asked.

“Long enough to know that you need my help.” She wiggled her finger. “I told you I could help you.”

Catherin had told me that, but I didn’t think she’d meant with my day-to-day tasks. Did she have magic i
n mind? And speaking of magic, where was Nicolas? It had been more than enough time for him to shower and dress. My stomach turned. Had something happened to him?

“I need to check on Nicolas,” I said, rushing down the hall.

Hurrying through the massive rooms of the manor, I finally made it to the staircase. Footsteps sounded behind me, but I knew Annabelle wouldn’t come upstairs with me. It still creeped her out up there. She liked the idea of being close enough to an exit door so she could run when needed.

I climbed the stairs as fast as I could. Just when I thought the long trip up the stairs was over, the third flight came into view. Why had they needed to add a third floor anyway? I sucked in a deep breath and huffed my way up the remaining stairs. Nicolas’ door was open when I reached it and my heart sank. I had a feeling that he wouldn’t be in there. There was only one way to find out. I rushed into the room and looked around. His bags were gone, but there was a note on the bed. He’d even taken the time to make the bed.