Forever Charmed (The Halloween LaVeau Series, Book 1) (31 page)

I looked around at the ghosts and they stepped closer. I would have to get out of there soon or I wasn’t sure what they would do next.

“What do you mean?” I asked, glancing over my shoulder again.

“
There is a bad vibe about her,” Nicolas said.

“Y
ou can say that again.”

“
Where did she come from?” he asked.

“
I don’t know. She was here when I got the house. I don’t know how long she’s been here or what she wants. I don’t know why she is here.”

“
Have you asked her to leave?” He looked at me intently.

I glanced over my shoulder again.
“Not exactly. It isn’t that easy. She has nowhere to go. I didn’t want to kick her out with nothing. I have tried to find out about her. I looked for a death certificate, but I can’t find anything. She says she was from Enchantment Pointe, but I can’t find any proof of that.”

Nicolas reached for my hand again. Maybe it was my imagination, but I thought he was staring at my neck with a hunger in his eyes. Did he want my blood? It would make sense that he did. After all, he was a vampire.

I peeked over my shoulder again. The ghosts had moved closer. There was no more time left. I had to get out of there.

I pulled away from Nicolas.
“I have to go.”

He
touched my arm. “Halloween, don’t go. It’s not safe.”

Yeah, he was telling me. I
t wasn’t safe anywhere I went. My life wasn’t safe anymore. I felt like the walls were closing in on me and I was running out of places to go.

I ran toward the house and didn’t look back. If Nicolas followed me, I didn’t know. I
t didn’t matter. I burst through the door and toward the stairs.

Isabeau
was standing in the foyer. “You look like hell.”

I didn’t hurl the insult at her that I wanted to. I bit my tongue and continued upstairs.
Maybe I was just jealous of Isabeau’s flirting with Nicolas, but it was my home and I could toss anyone I wanted out on their butt.

I’d take a shower and get ready for my evening with Liam. Maybe he could help me figure out what was going on. I could trust him, right? Afte
r all, he was a witch like me. Witches had to stick together. He wouldn’t lie to another witch. He’d done nothing but offer to help me since he arrived at the manor.

I slipped under the water and tried to erase the crazy thoughts from my mind. It was no use
though. I was more confused than ever. My thoughts were consumed with Nicolas’ lips pressed against mine—the heat from his body and the tips of his fangs touching my mouth.

I
climbed out of the shower and into a blue dress and heels. I wasn’t sure where Liam was taking me, but I hoped it was away from this place for the evening. If I had some distance, maybe I could stop thinking about it for a while.

But the reason for my date was to find out more about what was going on
and nothing more. I’d push romance away. Discovering Nicolas and Liam’s true agenda was my main concern.

When I stepped out of the door, I heard movement
coming from Isabeau’s room. I walked over and pressed my ear against the door again. She was reciting another spell. What was she up to? I needed to ask the Coven about her. Surely someone knew of a witch who had died and was possibly haunting the manor. Perhaps if I tried to find out more history about the manor it would give me clues about Isabeau. There had to be more information about the manor other than the rumors I’d heard over the years.

Liam was supposed to meet me in the parlor. When I reached the entrance to the room, he w
as already there, looking out the window. He seemed deep in thought.

“
What are you looking at?” I asked.

He turned around
and drank in my appearance. “You look beautiful.”

I smiled. That was a good way to start the evening. Had he been looking at the ghosts? I hoped they weren’t waiting for me when we went outside. I was glad
that Nicolas hadn’t been downstairs when Liam and I left for our date. It would have been awkward to see him.

“
Where are you taking me?” I asked as we stepped out onto the veranda.

“
I thought we’d eat at a great little place in town.” He held the car door open for me.

“
That sounds lovely.”

We slipped into
Liam’s sleek black car and eased down the driveway. When I glanced in the side mirror, I saw Nicolas looking out the library window at us. My heart sank. What had he tried to warn me about? Why was I in danger?

A
strange vibe buzzed around us, but I wasn’t sure what feeling was or where it came from. It was a different sensation from what I felt from the books. I glanced over at Liam and he smiled. Could he be what Nicolas was warning me about? No, he just didn’t want me to go out with him. Nothing more.

“Have you always been great with your witchcraft powers?” I asked.

Liam glanced over at me as he steered around the corner. “Um, I suppose so. Like with everything I improve with practice. Why do you ask?”

“I don’t think it’s any secret that my magic wasn’t the best before I got the spell book.”

He stared at the road. “No, it wasn’t a secret. But that’s the past now. I wouldn’t worry about that.”

I studied his handsome profile. “Speaking of past, you and Nicolas are
still enigmatic about your past. Why don’t you tell me more about yourself? After all, people having dinner together usually talk about themselves and share details.”

He glanced over again. “There’s not much to say. I’m just a boring guy. After college I began working for the Underworld. I’ve been there for ten years now.”

“Do you have a ton of cases?”

“I keep busy, yes. You’re the most interesting so far though.” A smile played at the corners of his mouth.

I would have said that he and Nicolas were the most interesting guests I’d had so far, but they were the only guests. If any future guests were more interesting I would definitely reconsider the bed-and-breakfast business.

We made it into town and
parked along the curb in front of the little restaurant. Liam opened the car door for me and I slipped out. With his hand on the small of my back, he guided me toward the restaurant’s entrance. Stars sparkled in the black ceiling of sky.

“
I’m glad you agreed to go out with me.” Liam’s presence was resilient as he walked along beside me.

I glanced over at him as we walked into the restaurant.

“I wasn’t sure if you just wanted to go out because of your weird competition with Nicolas.”

“There is no competition,” h
e said with a smile.

C
heckered tablecloths covered the tables dotting the room. Candles were placed in empty wine glasses with wax dripping down the sides in the middle of the tables. Luckily, Liam had made reservations or we probably would have been waiting for a long time. We weaved around tables full of people and were seated at the back of the restaurant. We ordered pasta and wine from the menu.

Taking a sip of my wine, I
studied Liam’s handsome face. “Why did you come to LaVeau Manor?”

I didn’t want to beat round the bush any longer. I’d just come out with it.

He sipped his wine then offered an easy smile. “You don’t waste any time.”

“
I feel like I’ve waited long enough to ask. I trust you’ll give me honest answers.” I folded my hands in front of me on the table and waited for a response.

He set his glass down. “The law in the U
nderworld doesn’t want a witch to rule who shouldn’t be in that position. They sent me to make sure the book didn’t get in the wrong hands.”

“
Then why do you want to destroy it? Wouldn’t that end law and order?”

He shrugged.
“Maybe it’s time for a change in the Underworld.”

“
A change for the worse? How long have things been tumultuous?” I asked.

“Not long,” h
e offered. “It didn’t take long for things to get out of control.”

“
So why change now?”

He shrugged.
“Things change. Why not make it now?”

“
I haven’t seen anyone show up other than you and Nicolas who want the book. So why should I take your word for it?” Maybe there was too much distrust in my voice, but I felt it was justified.

Well, no one other than the men and
Isabeau had shown up. But I didn’t think she had any interest in the book other than wanting to make sure she wasn’t turned back into a ghost, although I didn’t know that for sure. She had been performing a lot of spells.

“Mara
hasn’t tracked you down yet, but she will.” His tone was apologetic.

“
How were you able to find me before she was?”

“That’
s my job. That’s why I was hired as a detective for the Underworld and she wasn’t.”

I guessed he did have a point.

“Who is this Mara?” I asked as our food was placed down in front of us.

I didn’t waste any time sinking my fork into the
food. Planning the Halloween Ball, running from ghosts and vampires, and having dinner with mysterious gorgeous men was hard work. It made me hungry.

“
She’s the estranged sister of the last leader. Mara feels she should be the one in charge, that her sister’s death somehow made her in line to get the book. She’ll eventually be able to track down where the book is,” he said.

“
Why wouldn’t she be the new leader then? How is this decided?”

“
It’s usually decided by the current leader and a team. That’s if the leader retired, but if something happens to the last leader, then it’s a completely different scenario. Apparently the last leader felt that her sister would get the book—that was why she had your aunt hide the book.”

“What happened to the last leader?”
I asked, almost afraid to find out the answer.

“
She was murdered,” he replied softly.

I choked on my wine.

“Who murdered her?” I asked when I’d recovered.

He stared at me.
“We don’t know. It was rumored that her sister killed her.”