The Babet & Prosper Collection I: One Less Warlock, Magrat's Dagger, A Different Undead, and Bad Juju (17 page)

Fists on hips, Ines glared at him. “I told
you they’d come, idiot. I told you they’d find us.”

He glared at Nadine. “How? How did you find
me? I hid my magic, contained it in the circle of the yard.”

“Monkey skulls work for Juju, not for witch
magic.” Nadine flicked a finger toward Babet. “She helped us find
you, and now that we have, you'd better start talking.” She gave a
slow smile. “And make it good. You stole from our settlement.
Convince us not to leave pieces of you on the shore for ‘gator
food.”

His whole body sagged. “Everything happened
because of Rosita.”

Ines’ temper flared, but before she could
berate him, he held up his hands again—this time in resignation. “I
know, I’ve been awful to women. But not Rosita. This time is
different. I got a job.”

Nadine raised a dark brow. “Doing what?
Something easy?”

“On the docks.”

“You?” Nadine motioned her head toward
Delphine. “Did she cast a spell on you?”

The old Juju woman looked like a gypsy with
her steel-gray hair and swarthy skin. Babet was sure that her magic
could keep her young, but she chose not to use it that way.
Delphine narrowed shrewd eyes, studying Marcel. “Not me. I washed
my hands of the boy. He’s never worked before. This time, though,
he thinks he’s in love.”

Dashika laughed. “In love or in lust? I’ve
heard how he treated Ines.”

Marcel squared his shoulders. “It’s love, I
tell you. No one will believe me.”

Babet intruded. “Is Rosita the girl who reads
palms on Magic Avenue?”

“You’ve met her? Does she miss me?”

Ines and Delphine both stared.

"Yes." Babet remembered the pretty, young
girl with the evil eye talisman on a leather strip around her
neck.

“Does she return your love?” Nadine asked
him.

“Yes! We want to get married.”

“But?” Nadine crossed her arms over her
chest. There had to be a “but,” Babet realized. And it had to be
something major.

Marcel took a deep breath. “Look at me. Look
at what her grandfather did to me. If I can’t reverse the curse
before it spreads through my whole body, I’ll stay this way.”

Talk about a ticking clock. Babet shook her
head. “How fast does the curse spread?”

“He gave me two weeks. I’m desperate. I
didn’t think Ines or Delphine would help me if I just asked…so I
thought I’d make them.”

Dashika made an insulting noise. “Boy, will
you ever learn?”

Prosper wanted answers. “Who’s the girl’s
grandfather?”

“I don’t know his name." Marcel shrugged.
"Rosita didn’t introduce us, but I know he’s a witch doctor.”

“From here?” Prosper asked.

“No, from Africa. He came here a long time
ago with a boat load of slaves—promised to keep them alive on the
trip over. When the boat landed, he came up river.”

“But he doesn’t like you.” Nadine’s voice was
flat.

“He never met me. Rosita was worried he’d
hear about my past.”

“Fancy that.” Dashika tsked, shaking her
head.

“You had to know you were asking for
trouble.” Delphine studied him, as if surprised. “I’ve never known
you to go out of your way for anyone.”

“I can’t stay away from her. I love her.”

Ines threw a hot pad at him. “Stupido! He
cursed you. And then you kidnapped us to make us help you.”

“Fat lot of good that did me. You’re not
strong enough to undo the curse.”

Nadine interrupted them. “It’s hard to undo
someone else’s magic. It’s easier to convince the person who
chanted it to take it back.”

Marcel gave a derisive snort. “I don’t think
you can convince Rosita’s grandfather to do anything.”

Nadine gave a slow smile. “You still have a
lot to learn. It’s important to know your limitations. I know I
can’t defeat a witch doctor.”

Babet wasn’t so sure about that. She had a
feeling that Nadine had more power than she wanted people to
realize.

Nadine motioned to the others in the room.
“I’m not alone. If we all join together, maybe we can find this
grandfather and reason with him, but first, you let my Ines free.
Remove the talisman. Let her go.”

Marcel went to Ines and Delphine and pulled
necklaces over their heads. He tossed them in the trash. Then he
sank onto a chair. “Her grandfather’s magic is too strong. If I
turn completely into…” He waved his green arms… “this, I don’t want
to live anymore. Tell Rosita good-bye from me.”

Delphine kicked his chair, surprising them
all. “Have a backbone, boy. Come with us. Talk to your girlfriend.
If she loves you, she’ll want to help you.”

“I don’t want her to see me like this.”

“Grow up.” Delphine grabbed his arm and
yanked him out of the chair.

Babet stared. She was amazingly strong for an
old woman. But when it came to magic, age didn’t mean much.

“If she loves you, she’ll fight for you,”
Nadine said. “Come.” She started for the door. “You and Delphine
might as well stay at the settlement with us until this is
finished.”

Ines gave Marcel a push. “You can stay with
me, at my house. The kids ask about their father.”

Marcel cringed. “What have you told
them?”

“That you’re a loser. It’ll be nice for them
to see you might amount to something.”

He groaned, but followed the rest of them out
of the shack. It took longer than Babet expected to make it back to
the settlement. It had been a long night. All she wanted to do was
climb into Prosper’s car to drive home.

Nadine had one more favor to ask. “Rosita
knows you, doesn’t she? She’s comfortable with witches. Voodoo puts
some people off. Will you visit her tomorrow and tell her what
happened to Marcel?”

Babet nodded. It was a fair request. She
liked and respected Nadine and the women she’d met at this
settlement, but voodoo still made her uneasy. “I’ll stop at her
shop. I’ll even drive her here if she wants to see Marcel.”

"We thank you." Nadine glared at Marcel, and
he nodded quick agreement.

"See you tomorrow then." Babet followed
Prosper to his car.

On the drive home, he rubbed at his eyes.

"Tired?" she asked.

“I have to go to the station early tomorrow.
I lost work time today.”

“Sorry.”

He shrugged. “It comes with the job. Same
goes for you.”

“Have you ever thought of changing to a
nine-to-five gig?”

He laughed. “Never. You?”

“Nope, most magic’s done at night when the
moon’s out.”

They found Morgana curled on the deep window
sill, watching for them, when Prosper pulled to the curb in front
of Babet’s yellow bungalow. The snake practically sagged with
relief when they entered the house.

“You were worried about us, weren’t you?”
Prosper bent to scratch her chin.

Morgana wrapped around his ankle, but he
shooed her off. “I like you, boa, but I need some sleep. And I’m
not sharing a bed with you.”

Morgana followed them to the bedroom and
curled up outside their door.

Babet rubbed the top of her head. “See you in
the morning.”

And morning would be here sooner than she
wanted.

* * *

When Babet woke the next morning, Prosper was
already gone. He left a note on the kitchen table. “Coffee’s ready.
Won’t see you tonight. Probably have to put in a long day. I’ll
miss you.”

Her heart did its usual, little flip when she
thought of the man. She frowned. It had been a while since she
spent a night on her own. She used to look forward to alone time.
Now, she wasn’t so thrilled. Woman up, she told herself. She was a
witch. Strong and independent.

She plopped on the sofa and clicked on the TV
while she drank her first cup of coffee. She flipped through the
channels, but didn’t find anything that interested her. Disgusted,
she turned it off. She and Prosper usually yakked about their days
while they had breakfast. A hell of a lot more interesting than
daytime TV shows.

She pushed to her feet and took a quick
shower. She might as well go to Rosita’s shop and see what the girl
had to say.

“It’s a decent day,” she told Morgana. “I can
walk there. I’ll see you when I get back.”

The snake didn’t look happy, but Babet
couldn’t carry a snake around with her through the tourist
district. She stopped at an eatery on the way there and got a
beignet. The fried treat lifted her spirits as she trotted the rest
of the blocks to Magic Avenue. She looked down at herself before
she entered the shop. Khaki, capri pants and a V-necked T-shirt.
Presentable, but nothing special. She’d barely put on the minimum
of makeup. Who cared? She wouldn’t see Prosper today.

When she pushed through the door, Rosita
looked up and darted toward her.

“I still haven’t seen Marcel. Has he left me
for another girl? Have you talked to him?”

“It’s a long story,” Babet said. “And
private.”

Rosita motioned her into a back room, leaving
another girl alone with their customers. Babet told her everything
she knew, and fire flashed in Rosita’s dark eyes.

“Girma did this? Without even talking to me?”
She slammed her foot on the floor. “He has some explaining to do.”
She grabbed Babet’s hand and pulled her from the shop.

“Where are we going?”

“To see my grandfather.”

“Do you think that’s a good idea?”

“Not for him, it’s not.”

Babet could barely keep up with Rosita as she
stalked away from the tourist area of the city. They ended up on a
winding side street with small, cozy houses. Rosita stopped at a
gate that led to a red, one-and-a-half story home with a plain
façade. Its front door was off-center, with two windows on one side
of it, one on the other. Rosita stormed up the walk and pounded on
the ancient wood door.

A tall, thin man with ebony skin and
coal-black eyes opened it. He motioned them inside. Babet sniffed
the air. Herbs, unique ones. He wore all black clothes—long, loose
slacks and a long-sleeved, silk shirt. He gave the effect of
absorbing sunlight, and Babet hung back a few steps.

“You have a lot of nerve.” Rosita rounded on
him.

Babet hung back a little more. She wasn’t
much for conflict, and this was family business. She felt like an
intruder.

The grandfather’s face remained impassive.
“The boy’s not good for you. You can do better.”

“Remove the curse, or I’ll never speak to you
again.”

The man sniggered. A halo of white hair
circled his long face. “Never is a long time. We’ll see.”

“I love him, Grandpa. Make him right
again.”

“I’m doing this for your own good.”

“This is none of your business. It’s my life,
my choices. Remove the curse.”

The man’s answer was barely audible.
“No.”

“Grandma would be ashamed of you.”

The man’s lips tightened. “Grandma would
understand. She had hot, Latin blood like you. She’d know it can
get you in trouble.”

“I’ll call my mother.”

The man’s gaze turned hard. “She won’t come
home. She doesn’t care.”

Rosita flinched. “My new friends do. They’ll
help me.”

The man’s gaze settled on Babet. She forced
herself not to squirm. She’d never met a witch doctor before, but
he didn’t frighten her. Witch magic was every bit as powerful.

He tried to explain. “You don’t know my
family, the women in it. They’re known for their bad choices. I
won’t let anyone hurt Rosita.”

Babet kept her voice level, neutral. “You
haven’t been fair. You haven’t even met Marcel.”

“I know his history. History makes a
man.”

“People can change.”

“Not often. You should know that, witch.
You’ve lived a long time.”

“Long enough to know that things don’t turn
out the way I expect. You should know that too.”

He threw back his head and laughed. “No
wonder Rosita likes you. You’re as silly as she is.”

Babet's brow rose, her temper surfacing, and
she fought to stay calm. “Rosita and I just met. I know little
about your granddaughter, but I’ve sworn to help Nadine and Ines.
You’re making enemies. I hope you realize that.”

He grew sober, thinking that through.
Finally, he shrugged. “Women. Of little consequence.”

Really? Heat flooded Babet’s veins. “Is that
how you treated your wife?”

Temper flashed, reminding Babet of Rosita’s
quick anger. “My wife was an exception.”

She snorted. “I don’t think you know much
about women.”

“And I don’t think you know much about Juju.”
Bristling with disdain, he looked down his nose at her.

She took a step forward. “Have you dealt with
witches, voodoo, or covens?”

He stared. “Why would you interfere in a
family matter?”

“Because it’s personal. Marcel is a relative
of Delphine, and the father of Ines’ children. And I know both of
them.”

"Delphine?"

"Do you know her?"

He drew himself up with dignity. “I’ve
listened to women’s blathering long enough. Be gone, both of you.
And don’t bother me again.”

Babet didn’t move for several seconds. She
stood, studying him. “You’re an arrogant man. Nadine’s settlement
isn’t fond of men in general. They’re going to enjoy matching
strengths with you.”

He waved her away. “By the time they work
through my protection spells, it will be too late for Marcel.”

Babet smiled. “Just remember that I play
fair. They don’t.”

She and Rosita turned on their heels and
left. Babet had a bad feeling about what might happen next, but
she’d warned Girma. He was a bullheaded man. Nadine, however, was
an unmovable woman.

* * *

Rosita insisted on going with Babet when she
went to the voodoo settlement.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Babet said.
“They’re going to hold you sort of responsible.”

“I want to see Marcel.”