Pretty Witches All in a Row (23 page)

“The killer is a member of the coven, yes?” Anna asked, and the pendulum switched directions, indicating ‘yes’.  “Is there someone else in the coven that I haven’t named?” 

There was no change in the motion of the pendulum.

They stared at each other across the table, unsure what to say next.  “How could there be another member of the coven without my knowing about it?”

“Ask it if it’s a former member or a current member of the coven,” Nick suggested.

“Is it a current member of the coven?”  Annaliese asked obligingly, and the pendulum swung vertically.  “I don’t understand.  Maybe Seraphine might know more though; she’s the one who formally started the coven to begin with.”

“If we go over there, we might be able to get some answers,” he agreed. 

“What, right now?”  Setting down the pendulum, Annaliese craned her head, trying to read the time on Meiliyn’s clock radio.

“Hey, I know it’s late, but we can’t ignore something like this, can we?  She wants to know who’s responsible too.”

“So does that mean you believe in this?  Believe in me?”  Her green eyes swung around to meet his, and he sensed that there was more than that simple question at stake.

“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t believe in you,” he said earnestly, reaching out to lightly stroke her cheek.  Once they touched skin against skin, an overpowering urge washed over him.  That little touch wasn’t enough, he had to feel more of her skin beneath his fingertips; taste what they’d only flirted with early that morning. 

Like a shot he was out of his seat, pulling her up to her feet, lips crushing against hers as he drew her into his embrace.  Annaliese offered no resistance, her arms wending their way around his neck, pulling him closer as she opened herself up to him, deepening the kiss.  Caught up in a primal moment, their tongues tangled together, hands seeking bare flesh. She tugged his shirt out from his jeans and slid under it, hands skimming over the well muscled planes of his back.  Nick slipped his hands up into her hair, pulling it free from the plait of the braid and sinking his fingers into the dark tresses as he bound her to him. 

Almost frantically they shared kiss after kiss, the passion blooming between them.  They stumbled together until the back of her legs came into contact abruptly with the edge of the bloodstained bed. “Wait… wait…” she tore her mouth from his, breathing raggedly.  “It’s not real, this isn’t… just back off for a minute.”  Annaliese pushed at his chest lightly. 

Chest heaving from the effort it took to listen to the words coming out of her mouth, Nick forced himself to take a step backwards, shocked as hell to find out how hard that was to accomplish.  Once they were no longer touching, he took another step backwards and then another.  “What the hell was that?” he asked, heart still thudding madly. 

“I wasn’t thinking… it’s my fault.  I shouldn’t have mixed them, but it’s fine, it’s okay, it’ll fade,” Annaliese muttered almost incoherently, going to the window, she opened it wide, breathing in deeply of the fresh night air. 

“I’m not tracking here, what’s your fault?”  He watched her; even now his feet itched to move closer to her again. 

“It’s a mixture of the elecampane and the tuberose.  They work to sharpen psychic abilities, but they also can cause some side effects.  The elecampane can be used to draw love interests and the tuberose; it can ah… awaken erotic feelings,” she explained, laying her hand over the cauldron, she concentrated for a moment and the charcoal stopped burning, leaving a tendril of smoke as the disc went black. 

“So you’re saying what just happened, what I felt, that wasn’t real?” Nick blinked.  It sure as hell felt real; even now all he wanted was to take her into his arms again.

She nodded, her cheeks high with color.  “It’ll pass though, we need to clear the air, oh and get rid of these.”  Belatedly, she pulled the little pink sachet out from her bodice and set it on the table. 

His eyes followed as she reached into her bodice, a little groan escaping his lips at the innocent motion that he couldn’t help but interpret as erotically charged.  “What if I don’t want it to go away?” he murmured, licking his lips. 

Annaliese looked up, and he could see the struggle on her face as well.  “We just need to keep away from each other for a few minutes,” she replied, even as her feet brought her closer to him.  “And you should take that sachet out of your pocket.”  Reaching up, her fingers slid along his chest as she reached into his pocket to retrieve the little packet and toss it out on the table.  “There, now we…”

Nick didn’t let her finish that sentence, catching hold of her wrist; he tugged her forward, arm snaking around her waist to pull her close again.  “I don’t care what it is,” he growled, voice husky with desire.  “Don’t move away, I don’t think I could stand it.”  His mouth slanted over hers again, trapping any protest. 

The kiss was slower this time, less frantic, but he felt it to the very core of his being.  It couldn’t all be smoke and mirrors; he refused to accept that.  The combination of herbs might have been the impetus to unleash those feelings, but he didn’t believe they could manufacture them completely, only push them to the surface. 

Annaliese relaxed in his arms, and he felt some of the tenseness go out of him.  He released his grip on her instead to gently explore her feminine curves, the smooth creamy skin of her back, the subtle flare of her hip.  How long they stood like that, he wasn’t sure.  But gradually the sense of urgency faded, leaving them standing in the moonlight from the open window, her head resting light against his chest. 

“Feeling better?” she sighed, thumbs rubbing little circles against his back.

“If I was feeling any better I’d be unconscious,” his chest rumbled with low laughter.  “That stuff sure packs a wallop.  Maybe I should pick some up for my place, help set the mood the next time I have a hot date.” 

“Funny,” she smirked, pulling back to punch his chest lightly.  “Somehow I think you’ll do fine without it.  Are you really okay with this?  You see what I mean about messing with attractors, it can be pretty heady stuff.”  Her teeth caught at her bottom lip as she waited for him to respond.

God she was adorable…
  “Yeah, I’m okay with this.  As far as I’m concerned it’s an interesting trick, but I don’t for one minute think that’s all there is to it.  You don’t, do you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you really think none of that was real?” he asked her soberly.

Annaliese hesitated before answering.  “It’s probably best to reserve judgment for when we’re sure it’s completely out of our systems.” 

Nick accepted that readily enough, he couldn’t blame her for picking the safe route after what had just happened.  “Tell you what, why don’t we clean up around here, and get you back home?  You look like you could use some rest.”

“Is that a polite way of telling me I’m kind of a mess right now?” she smiled, hand going to her hair that was wild after being released from the braid and pawed through. 

“Maybe just a little mess.”  He held up his thumb and forefinger about a centimeter apart.  “It’s a good thing I like mess.”

“I seem to recall you saying something to that effect the other night.”

Was it only the night before?  It seemed like longer and he realized that he could use a couple of hours of shuteye himself.  “Come on, let’s get you home.”  He placed a chaste kiss on her forehead, releasing her and picking up the chair to replace it where he’d found it.  “But we’re going to finish this conversation sometime.” 

Anna’s head came up at that, a smile tilting the corner of her mouth.  “I’m looking forward to it.” 

* * *

Somewhere on the ride back to the shop, Nick remembered that he wanted to talk to Seraphine about this missing coven member.  By that time the clock in the dash was showing an hour that made him have second thoughts about disturbing her.  Instead he called Detectives Willis and Nelson, who should be watching Seraphine.

“Willis,” the phone was answered; the one word speaking volumes as far as his boredom level was concerned. 

“Yeah, it’s Gibson checking in.  Is she staying put for the night, or is she leading you into some of the more interesting nightlife of the city?”  He smiled at the thought of them trying to blend in with the clientele at The Graveyard. 

“No, she’s buttoned up for the night; she went straight home after the sing along.” 

“Alright, I was just checking in, I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”  He hung up without giving him a chance to reply.  The streets were deserted, and he pulled into the long driveway along the side of the house a few minutes later.  “Seraphine’s tucked in for the night, I’m thinking we should catch up with her in the morning after a few hours of sleep.”   

“So… are you coming inside or are you bent on doing the cop thing out here in the cold?” Annaliese asked, leaning back against the seat. 

Nick hesitated for a moment, what he wanted to do warring with what he knew he should do.  “Are you sure that’s a good idea?  I mean, given what happened back at the apartment?”

A slow smile slid over her lips.  “I’m pretty sure I can resist your charms, but don’t worry, I was inviting you into my home, not into my bed.” 

But could he resist hers?  That was the crux of it, wasn’t it?  “Ouch, and here I thought I was nigh irresistible,” he chuckled.  “Alright then, if you don’t mind, I would be more comfortable taking up space on your couch rather than out here in the car.” 

“Great,” she smiled, opening the car door and stepping out into the cool night air.  “You know, I can offer you a spare bedroom, you don’t have to sleep on the couch.” 

Nick followed suit, senses alert as they left the car and headed for the back door to the shop.  “Thanks, but I’m not supposed to be sleeping, I’m here to keep an eye out for you.  The couch will be fine.”  It was quiet outside and none of his usual spidey senses were tingling, but one could never be too careful.

“Suit yourself,” Anna shrugged, leading him to the back door and fishing out her keys.  “Would you like another cup of coffee then, or something to eat?”

“No, thanks for the offer, but I think I’m wired enough after the night we’ve had.  You should head up and get some rest though, it’s late.”  His hand rested lightly on the small of her back as he gently propelled her into the house, locking the door behind him. 

“I am pretty beat.  I don’t know how you can still be wired; I guess I’m not used to this level of excitement or something,” she sighed, engaging the alarm out of habit.  “Oh, did you want me to turn the alarm off in case you need to leave in a hurry?” 

“No, if it comes to that, we’ll want the alarm to go off, I think.”

“Ah, right,” she nodded, leading him through the darkened kitchen towards the back stairs.  “Come on, my living room is upstairs, and my couch awaits.” 

Nick didn’t have to be told twice.  Following her up the narrow stairwell, he resisted the urge to lay his hand back on her again, deliberately allowing for a bit more space between them.  It was rare that he let his personal life affect his professionalism, but he found himself skirting that line with Annaliese. 

The door at the top of the stairs led to a large open area overlooking the main staircase at the front of the shop, surrounded by a series of doors, bedrooms he supposed.  “How many bedrooms do you have?”

“I used to have five, but I converted the room next to the master into a living room suite.  One is full of storage for the shop, excess stock, files, things like that.  I’ve kept my sister’s room untouched in case she ever needs a place to stay.  The last bedroom used to be mine when I was a little girl.”

“I’d like to see that,” he smiled, trying to picture Annaliese as a little girl growing up in the house.

“Ah sure, if you want.  There’s not all that much to see.”  A faint smile touched her lips as she paused at the door in question, snapping on the light inside. 

The room was furnished in shades of purple and white, very feminine and very tidy from the well made bed to the neat rows of books in the bookshelves.  The walls held an array of colorful prints, mostly on a faerie theme except for one poster that hung over the bed of Johnny Depp from his 21 Jump Street days.  “Wow, big Johnny fan, huh?” 

“The biggest,” she admitted, leaning against the door jamb.  “I think I’ve seen every movie he’s ever made at least once.”

“Well who hasn’t,” Nick grinned, moving deeper into the bedroom, “I think Veronica and you share similar decorating tastes.  Her room was purple back in LA too, only the pervading theme was ponies.  Horses of any kind really, but the little ponies with the purple hair and jeweled eyes, those were her favorite.”  He shook his head over the silly things girls got attached to. 

“Ah, ponies would have featured in here a lot more prominently about fifteen to eighteen years ago, but the room went through several transformations over the years.  This was how it ended up before I moved into my mother’s room.”

“But you couldn’t bring yourself to take down Johnny could you?”

“Believe it or not… I always sort of thought he was watching over me, protecting me.  He was a cop in that show, you know.  I guess I thought he would keep me safe.”

“Ah, so you’ve always had a thing for cops have you?  That’s interesting, very interesting indeed.”  His smile widened, particularly when he spotted her self-conscious smile at his remark. 

“I guess you could say that,” she allowed.  “Then again, I’ve always had a thing for pirates too, but you don’t see me dating one.”

Did that mean she would or wouldn’t consider dating him?  Reaching over to snap off the lights, Nick shooed her out of the room.  “Off to bed with you, I’m supposed to be on the job, remember?”

“You know, some might say you could keep an even better eye on me if you joined me,” she pointed out, sliding her body against him as she slipped out into the hallway.

Nick was pretty sure she was teasing at the offer… pretty sure.  “You… are a saucy wench, fit for a pirate,” he growled, following along behind her, but careful to keep at least a few inches of space between them, lest he lose his good intentions and do something they might both regret in the light of day.