WILLEM (The Witches of Wimberley Book 1) (22 page)

“Well. Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“You were saying the other couple will go first?” I asked Kellan.

“Yes. There’s really not much to this. You do need a special outfit. We have your clothes in that bag right there.”

I followed his eyes and saw that there was a black hanging bag. “What’s in there?”

“Black suit. And a hooded robe.”

“Hooded robe,” I repeated drily.

“Yes. You both, meaning you and Ravish, will wear robes with hoods pulled down so that you can’t see each other’s faces until after you’ve spoken the vows. You’ll snuff out the candle, ring the bell, take off the robes that symbolize your former life as individuals then kiss.”

“Sounds easy enough.”

“After that you leave and get on with enjoying your prize while everybody else stays and enjoys champagne.”

“I definitely get the better part of that deal.”

Kellan smiled. Raider sniggered.

“So what insider tips are you going to give me about how to please my prize?”

“Since each prize is different, you’re on your own. Just trust that you wouldn’t have won if it wasn’t the right thing for both of you. You’re a matched pair. You couldn’t stop yourself from loving her.”

“Love?” I might have sounded a tad alarmed. “I’m not promising that, am I?”

“No. There’s no language about love in the vows.” Kellan gave me one of his stone-cold serious looks. I was beginning to be able to read him. “You’re not afraid of love, are you, Will?”

“Afraid? No. I wouldn’t say afraid is the right word. I just don’t think love figures in my future because I don’t think it’s real.”

“I see.” Kellan exchanged glances with Raider. “Well, stranger things have happened in Wimberley.”

“How strange?”

“It would take all the fun out of getting to know the place if we started telling tales.”

“Tales? Or eye-witness accounts?”

“We’ve both seen our share of things we once believed impossible.” Kellan pointed a remote at the wall. Book cases slid back to reveal a giant flat screen TV. “You like sports, Will?”

“Not as much as people who go to games or sports bars, but to an extent, yes.”

“What kind of sports do you like to watch?”

“Hockey. The last ten minutes of basketball. The U.S. Open.”

Raider laughed. “How about canoeing?”

“Well, yeah. I like doing stuff more than watching stuff.”

“We’ve got half an hour to kill before it’s time for you to get dressed. What do you want to do?”

“See what’s on the History channel?”

Kellan grinned. “Okay.”

As it turned out,
All Star Pawn Las Vegas
was doing a rerun marathon and that delighted Raider.

“This show is great!” he pronounced. “Those guys know everything in the world!”

I’d never seen it before, but by the end, I had to admit I was impressed with how much encyclopedic knowledge the owners could regurgitate at a moment’s notice.

When it was over, Kellan said, “Time to get ready.”

“I’m gonna watch another one,” Raider said.

Kellan handed me the hanging bag, which was a lot heavier than it looked. He opened a door to a large bath with dressing area. “We’ll help you with the robe. Just get yourself into the suit.”

“I guess it’s a sure fit.”

Kellan smiled. “You’re learning. That suit will fit you like it was custom made in Hong Kong.”

With that he closed the door.

I looked at myself in one of the full length mirrors and wondered, for the umpteenth time, if I knew what I was doing. The answer was no. I did not know what I was doing, but it was just a year and it promised to be a much better adventure than the one I’d been on in L.A. Actually that had stopped being an adventure after the first year and become an endless dreary existence of standing in line for auditions that never worked out. Another good reason to promise no more than a year and keep options open.

First things first. I emptied my bladder. Wouldn’t want to interrupt rituals for a pee break.

Black suit. White shirt with classic dress staved collar. Black tie. Black ostrich cowboy boots. Nice touch. I’d never worn cowboy boots before. They were surprisingly comfortable. And everything was a perfect fit.

I ran a hand through my hair. Damn. Ravish was going to take one look and be glad I was the one she was taking home tonight.

I opened the door and stepped back into the study. Raider whistled.

“You clean up nice, Will.”

He reopened the black hanging bag and withdrew the hooded robe. It was a kind of charcoal gray color, made of some kind of fabric that looked old, homespun or something like that. It also looked hot as blazes.

“I’m not going to be very attractive dripping with sweat and red in the face.”

Raider looked amused. “No worries. It’s air conditioned.”

I gave the robe a dubious look. “Air conditioned.”

Raider raised a blonde eyebrow. “Magic.”

It wasn’t that I doubted the unusual things I’d seen and heard since arriving in Wimberley, but it seemed to me that the entire community was suffering from an attack of hyperbole. Perhaps it was a delusion. Who knew how much was really “magic” and how much was coincidence? I mean, anybody could get lucky with the stock market. Right?

One thing was certain. The pull I felt toward Rave was real. I’d been separated from her for a matter of hours and was feeling anxious about it.

“Get that thing on. Kellan will help you with the hood.”

“Kellan will?” asked Kellan. “What’s wrong with you? You’re standing right next to him.”

“I don’t help other men get dressed.” He turned away, then as an afterthought turned back with a twinkle in his sky blue eyes. “Now, if your prizes need help getting dressed…”

“Stop right there,” said Kellan, then he turned to me. “Do not pay attention to this hulk. First of all, if he even thought about looking at another woman, Harmony would turn him into an icicle and hang him from a tree for birds to peck at.”

Ew.

“
Second, he’s as devoted to her as if he was born a species that mates for life. Like swans. When he says stuff like that, it’s just his old life bubbling to the surface.”

“Okay,” I said.

Kellan glanced at his watch, then walked over to me. He fastened the loop hook at the neck of my robe, which made it fall into place and drape, um, like magic. Then he pulled the hood over my head.

“Careful not to muss his cute little hairdo,” said Raider.

Kellan gave Raider an irritated look. “Shut up. You’re starting to annoy me now.”

Raider laughed like that had been his goal. “I’m not trying to annoy you, Kellan. I’m trying to annoy him!”

“Well, stop it because your irritating behavior is like a shotgun spray.” Kellan pulled the hood down so that I could see if I tilted my head back a little, but it would be hard to see me with my face in shadow.

“This is ridiculous,” I said.

“It’ll be over soon. Then your prize will be yours and this indignity will soon be forgotten.” I sighed deeply. “Time to go.”

We walked to the room where the ball had been, Kellan in front, Raider bringing up the rear. I focused on the floor since that was what I could see without effort.

Officially Izzy was the family beagle, but Destiny thought of him as hers and Izzy thought of himself as belonging to her. Mostly. Destiny was a little concerned about leaving him alone because he’d been causing more than his share of mischief lately.

She was looking forward to the party. The annual ceremonies weren’t a chore to attend. They were fun. There would be cousins and friends and a riotous good time they would all remember forever. There was no question that she was going, but there was the worry about what Izzy would do if left alone. Then she had an idea she thought brilliant.

“There’s more than one way to skin a cat,” she said to Izzy.

If she’d really thought about that saying, she would have been a little horrified. Witches had stopped skinning cats around the time the real Arthur united a cluster of those barbaric little kingdoms that are now England. Still, some of the language lived on.

Opening her closet, she fetched the step stool, opened it and climbed up to reach her pink rolling Izzy-size suitcase.

“Since you don’t seem to be able to behave yourself, you’re going to have to go to the party with me, in this suitcase. I will leave it unzipped enough for you to breathe, but you’re going to have to stay quiet and still. Understand? If you’re really good, I’ll give you a treat every fifteen minutes.”

Izzy, who had no idea what fifteen minutes meant, looked at her with baleful eyes and sighed. He whined when she put him in the suitcase, but quietened when she gave him a T-bonz treat.

“Shhh. Be good and you’ll get a bunch of those.”

Her parents were curious as to why she was bringing a pink suitcase. So she lied.

“Just stuff I want to show Roslyn and Temerity.”

She lifted the bag into the backseat floor space of her parents’ SUV. When the vehicle started, she reached inside the bag, gave Izzy a couple of reassuring strokes, and a dog treat. It seemed her idea would work out.

There were lots of tables set around the perimeter of the room and more in an adjoining room. It seemed they needed even more space to accommodate the guests. No expense had been spared. Each table featured a gorgeous floral centerpiece that was unique, but still part of the theme incorporating the same flowers, greenery, and ribbons. Each table was also laden with ornate china, crystal that picked up the smallest light, and silver that looked heavy enough to belong at Buckingham Palace.

Guests were dressed in semiformal wear, men in suits, women in cocktail dresses. The prepubescent girls wore frilly party dresses. There were no boys, which seemed odd, but I supposed Rave was telling the truth about witches conceiving girls.

Two tables occupied the space in the center of the room, each displaying a leather-bound book, a candle, a candle snuffer, and a bell. There was so much space left around them that they couldn’t help but command attention. And they would even if each one didn’t have a spotlight shining down on it.

The room was brightly lit with all the chandeliers and sconces on full wattage.

I looked around to see if I could spot Rave. Of course I wouldn’t know which one she was. That thought caused a momentary panic, that I could be giving vows to somebody I didn’t know. Then I remembered that, even if her face was hidden, I’d still recognize her voice. Anywhere.

“Wait here,” said Kellan.

I was standing in a corner with another hooded figure I presumed to be Cairn Connelly and the man who spoke for him at the dinner.

“You’re going first.”

“Yeah,” he said, voice a little shaky.

“Don’t be nervous. It will be over soon and then you’ll be alone with your prize. What’s her name again?”

I could see just enough of his face to know that made him smile. “Deli.”

“Do you know her specialty? Her, uh, magic specialty?”

“Yes.” He smiled again. “She can make it rain. Anywhere. It’s amazing.”

I started to respond, but I felt a tug on my robe. Looking down I saw that it was Destiny wearing a big, beautiful grin. “Hi, again.”

“Destiny. Hi. What’s in the suitcase?”

She motioned for me to bend down then whispered, “Don’t ask.”

I straightened, nodded, and said, “Okay. I like your dress.”

“This old thing?” she said. “My sister looks beautiful tonight. You’re gonna like
her
dress.”

“No way. Not Ravish. She’s the ugliest girl I ever saw!”