Charmed Again (Halloween LaVeau) (24 page)

“Yes, but she doesn’t know me,” Sierra said. “That can be intimidating.”

Something told me that Nicolas’ mother wasn’t intimidated by anything. Annabelle shifted in her seat. When I looked over to see if she was ready to quit, her eyes rolled back, then she shut her eyelids. When she leaned back in the chair, her body twisted and turned in the seat.

“Annabelle, are you okay?” I asked in a panic.

“She’s channeling the spirit. It’s coming through her,” Sierra said calmly, trying to ease my fears.

Uh-oh. I was going to be in so much trouble for this. If I thought I owed Annabelle a favor before, I hadn’t seen anything yet. This was beyond a simple favor. It was Annabelle’s worst nightmare.

I knew I shouldn’t have allowed her to participate. The spirit always attached to the one who didn’t want it the most. Nicolas’ mother should have known that.

“What do we do?” Jon asked.

How would a bodyguard protect her from something we couldn’t see?

“We allow the spirit to talk. Once she’s done, she’ll move along and we’ll get Annabelle back,” Sierra said.

She tried to act calm and professional, but I knew by the look in her eyes that she was freaking out a little.

“That h
ad better be the way this works,” Jon said.

Annabelle finally opened her eyes and looked directly at me. She remained expressionless for a moment. I stared, unsure of what to do or say next. Annabelle’s eyes had changed to a dark brown hue instead of her usual cobalt blue. I hoped that the spirit was that of Nicolas’ mother and not something sinister.

“Halloween LaVeau,” Annabelle spoke in a suffocated whisper.

My eyes widened. “It’s me.”

“Thank you for bringing me back here tonight.” Her voice was low.

“Are you Nicolas’ mother?” I asked.

Annabelle nodded. “My energy is weak tonight, so we have to speak quickly.”

“I need to find Nicolas. We need to know about the witch who is accusing him of stealing her magic,” I said, rushing my words.

She placed her hands on the table. “Nicolas is in danger. He is with people who shouldn’t be trusted.”

Well, I knew that much. “We know who he’s with,” I said.

“Your spells are being blocked and they’re trying to stop you from helping him,” she said.

“Who are they? The people who he’s with now?” I asked.

“I don’t know the answer to that question, but there’s someone strong behind this. I can feel it,” she said in a voice that seemed to come from a long way off.

“What can I do? I don’t know how to be the leader,” I said
with a little too much excitement.

Her eyes widened and she locked her gaze on my face.
“You have the Book of Mystics. The answers are in there.”

Again with the book! “That’s just it. I can’t understand the writings. When a spell appears, I usually do it incorrectly,” I said.

“You’re not performing the spells incorrectly, but you have to have faith in your abilities. Other witches are placing spells against you.” Her voice wavered as if she was having a difficult time coming through.

“Is that why I’ve had the blacking out episodes?” I asked.

“Yes…” Annabelle closed her eyes.

“Are you still here?” I asked.

Annabelle popped open her eyes and blinked at me. “You need to find the other necklace. The pendant is larger than the other necklaces. It’s in the house. It will unlock the writings of the book.”

“Where in the house?
” I pushed.

Annabelle shut
her eyes again, then leaned her head back against the back of the chair. After a second, she opened her eyes again. The blue shade had returned.

Gina was gone. How would I find the necklace now?

“Annabelle, is that you?” I asked.

Annabelle wiped her forehead with the back of her hand and looked around. “Why are you all staring at me like that? Aren’t we going to do the séance?”

She didn’t know. It would be so easy not to tell her, but I knew I had to. She needed to know the truth.

“It’s over,” Jon said.

Annabelle shrugged. She didn’t seem to mind that it was over, but she did look suspiciously at us. I was positive that she knew something strange had happened.

“We need to break the ci
rcle and extinguish the candles.” Sierra waved her hands through the air.

Once we broke the circle, Sierra blew out the candles, signaling the end
of the séance.

“Thank you, spirit
, for joining us,” Sierra said.

A whisper of a breeze blew across my skin. Had Gina’s spirit left the room?

When I opened the car door, I spotted the single rose resting on the seat. My breath caught in my throat.

“How did this get here?” I showed the flower to everyone.

Annabelle scrunched her brow. “That’s odd. Where did you find it?”

“It was on my seat.” I pointed.

I looked to Liam and Jon, but there only response was a shrug. Where were the roses coming from?

As we drove back to LaVeau Manor, I knew I had my work cut out for me. Now there was a necklace to find? Why had no one told me about this to begin with? Hadn
’t the Coven known about this? Weren’t they supposed to know about all this witchcraft stuff? They always acted so superior. As it turned out, they didn’t know half as much as they thought they did.

“I’ve made at least one decision tonight,” I said.

“What’s that?” Liam asked while keeping his focus on the road.

“I’m asking Jacobson to step down as the leader of the New Orleans Coven. It’s something I should have done when I met the jackass,” I said.

Liam’s eyes widened when he glanced over at me. “He’s not going to like this at all.”

“He won’t have a choice,” I said
with forced confidence.

“Who will
you get to take his place?” Liam steered the car around a slight curve.

I shrugged. “I have no idea, but one problem at a time.”

“When do you plan on doing this?” he asked.

“I’d like to do it tonight, but I’ll have to find him first. When I get back to LaVeau Manor, I
have to look for this necklace.” I leaned my head back against the seat.

“I’ll help you look,” he said with a smile.

I met his gaze momentarily. “Thank you. I’d like that. Do you think this necklace is related to the one I found at the plantation?”

“I hadn’t thought of it, but it’s possible,” Liam said.

The motion of the car and hum of the engine made me drowsy. I must have drifted off to sleep because the next thing I knew we were pulling up in front of LaVeau Manor. Night had settled over the manor and I knew that searching for the necklace tonight would be pointless. As I peered up at the stars, I wondered where Nicolas was and if he was okay. I inhaled the sweet perfume from the rose. Was he thinking of me too?

After filling Annabelle in on what had happened at the séance, I figured she’d never speak to me again
, but she did. It seemed like I kept dishing out bad things to my friend, and she just kept rolling with the punches. That was true friendship. Luckily, she knew I’d do the same for her.

I said goodbye to Annabelle knowing that she was in good hands. Jon seemed like a nice guy and I felt like I could trust him. Okay, I’d only know
n him for two days, but he gave off a good vibe. But now that Annabelle had pulled out of the driveway with Jon, I was alone with Liam. At least I thought I was alone because there were no lights on in the manor. I figured that the new best friends Catherin and Claude had stepped out for more cupcakes or friendship bracelets. They were probably out celebrating my pathetic witchcraft skills and their good fortune because of it.

As soon as Liam and I stepped through the door of LaVeau Manor,
in one swift movement, Liam grabbed me in his arms and planted a kiss on me. He caressed his tongue over my lips and I momentarily gave in to the pleasure. Nothing could have prepared me for this mind-blowing lip lock. As his mouth moved from my lips to my neck, his fangs whispered over the exposed skin. If my head hadn’t been spinning before, it definitely was now. It was hard to resist Liam Rankin.

What if Nicolas really did want to be with the witches now? I couldn’t really wait around, right? Since I was having a tough time resisting Liam, I melted into his arms an
d kissed him back. As my mouth moved across his, my legs went weak. Unfortunately, as magnificent as the kiss was, his lips weren’t the reason for my weakened state. I knew that someone had unleashed a spell against me again. The room darkened and I fell to the floor.

When I woke, I was on the sofa in the parlor.
I scanned the room, trying to remember what had happened. The single rose was on the table across from me. Liam must have placed it there. He knelt down beside me as I tried to sit up. “What happened?”

Liam grabbed my arms and lowere
d me back to the sofa. “Just lie there. Don’t try to get up. You’re being attacked with a spell again.”

“I blacked out again?”
I rubbed my head.

He nodded. “We have to find this necklace.”

I tried to get up again. “We need to look through the house. Gina said it was in the house.”

He gently pushed me back again. “You need rest. We’ll find it in the morning. Just try to relax. You’re safe here with me tonight.”

I wasn’t so sure. I’d been attacked with a spell in my own house. Nowhere was safe. Without warning, Liam scooped me up in his arms.

“Where are you taking me?” I asked breathlessly.

“To your bed.” Liam carried me in his strong arms with ease.

“Will you stay with me?” I whispered in his ear.

“I won’t leave,” he said in a low voice.

A knot rose in my throat. Had there d
esire in his words?

As we turned the corner of the second floor landing, Catherin appeared from her room. Liam sat me on my feet, wrapping his arm around me for support.

“I didn’t think you were here,” I said with surprise.

“Is everything okay, dear?” she asked
with a quirk of her eyebrow.

“I’m just really tired and Liam is helping me.” I gestured toward Liam.

Catherin quirked a disapproving eyebrow, then shrugged. “Well, I guess it’s your home now and you can do whatever you like.”

“Is Claude here? I didn’t think you all were home because all the lights were out.”
I gestured with my hand.

“Yes, he is,” Catherin said snippily. “I’m going to talk with him now.” She marched down the hallway, releasing a loud huff in her wake.

Was she going to tattle on me? At least I had Claude to keep Catherin occupied while I figured out this other mess. As soon as I had time I’d find a way to get rid of both of them.

***

When I woke, Liam’s arms were wrapped around me. I paused for a moment, wondering if this was a dream. Nope. It was all too real. He’d kept his word and slept in the bed with me all night. I hadn’t wanted to be alone. Not last night. Liam was still fully clothed though, so he’d been a perfect gentleman. I still hadn’t decided if that was a good or bad thing. One thing was for certain, I was thankful I hadn’t drooled on him while I’d slept.

When I turned to look at Liam, he
opened his eyes and smiled. “Good morning,” he said.

I stretched
, trying to add as casual as possible. “We should start looking for the necklace.”

Liam nodded. “Your
guest will probably want to know what we’re doing. She wasn’t very happy with you last night.”

“She doesn’t seem happy about anything,” I said
, pulling the sheet up tighter around my body.

Liam climbed out of my bed.
I looked up at his powerful set of shoulders and let my gaze drift, studying every inch of his muscular physique as he moved. Maybe it was my imagination, but he seemed as if he was in a hurry to get out of the room.

“I’ll leave so you can get ready.” He paused with his hand on the doorknob. “If you need me I’ll be in my room.”

I nodded, but didn’t say anything. For once I was at a loss for words. How could I possibly know what to say when I didn’t even know what I was thinking? He stepped out of the room without looking back. I hoped that I hadn’t hurt his feelings.

When I stepped out into the hallway, I noticed Catherin’s room door was open. I peeked down the hallway. Claude’s door was open too. Had they already gone out? Where were they headed off to all the time? Maybe they were already downstairs and Catherin was making breakfast. It was obvious that she didn’t trust my cooking abilities.

After heading downstairs, I searched every room on the first level, looking for my guests. They were nowhere to be found. When I stepped into the kitchen, there was no sign of Catherin or Claude there either. I’d expected to see remnants of cupcakes or some other delicious breakfast that Catherin had whipped up with her magic.