Something Witchy This Way Comes

  “Smart ass.” I took a moment to read the letter before starting the car. Tessa was right. The letter looked good. Damn good. “I was thinking we should use the gym at my house, instead of the karate studio. I feel guilty taking up space when someone could be renting it. Not to mention the fact that we’re more vulnerable in a public place.”

  Right. I’d been kidnapped outside the studio. “Your house has its own gym? Of course it does. It’s like ten times the size of a normal house.” And those abs… “Will we have enough privacy though? We can’t have anyone walking in.”

  “If we close and lock the doors.” I winked at her. “Or we could go to my room where there’s a comfortable bed. Plenty of privacy there. We could work on wrestling.”

  She punched my shoulder. “I didn’t mean it that way. We have to talk, remember?”

  “In that case, doesn’t look like we have time to practice today. We’ll go to my place. When we’re done with our chat, we’ll eat before you go to work.”

  She nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”

  * * * *

  Tessa procrastinated, setting a trophy down then picking up another. It had only been twenty seconds since we’d arrived at my guesthouse. I grew impatient anyway. And anxious. Since they no longer needed me to guard Tessa, was she planning to stop tutoring me? Perhaps she’d lost interest in learning self-defense. If she had, I wouldn’t have much of an excuse to spend time with her.

  I really wanted that excuse.

  “Tessa, spit it out already.”

  She set the trophy down and pivoted to face me. “I want to do that experiment again. You know, when I asked you to cover your eyes and get the keys?”

  Not what I was expecting. But if her strange research sped things up, I was game. “Sure. Whatever.” I grabbed my keys from the hook by the door and dropped them on the dining room table. Familiar with the routine, I turned around, closed my eyes and reached behind me.

  “Hold on.” The keys jingled. “One more second.” I wasn’t sure what she was doing but decided to humor her by waiting patiently. “Okay, find the keys,” she said.

  It was too easy. The keys practically found me. I opened my eyes and held them out. “Now what?”

  In her hand sat her cell phone. “I’m trying to figure out a way to tell you, so you don’t freak.” Her front teeth scraped her bottom lip. “When we did this the other day…”

  “Yeah?”

  “I’m not writing a story about a girl who was blindfolded and kidnapped or whatever I told you.” She took a deep breath. “It was a test to see if you could move the keys with your mind.”

  I laughed. She was messing with me. “And what did you discover?”

  “You’re a sorcerer, like me.” She stood stiff, as though awaiting my reaction.

  It had to be a joke, but she wasn’t smiling. “Why would you say that?”

  “Friday, we were leaving the library and you reached for your backpack. It jumped at you, Hayden. I thought maybe I’d imagined it. Later, when I asked you to find the keys with your eyes closed and they glided over the table without you touching them, that was my proof.” Tessa pressed her lips into a fine line and gazed at the phone in her palm.

  My heart drummed in my chest. “You’re kidding, right?”

  “See for yourself.” She cued her phone and handed it to me.

  I pushed play and watched myself. Despite the crappy resolution, I couldn’t mistake the image of me in the same clothes I wore right then, standing near the table I was currently leaning against. On the screen, the keys came to me on their own. I played it again. Then again. And again. When I’d had enough, I opened my mouth to speak, but my throat refused to perform. I leaned a hip into the table and stared at the phone.

  “It’s not a trick. I took it two minutes ago and didn’t have time to do any magic on it, not that I could do that sort of thing anyway. That’s you, doing something that you’re not supposed to be able to do. Unless you’re like me. Which you clearly are.”

  I returned her phone. “That’s insane. And impossible.”

  “No more impossible than me doing those things.” Tessa stuffed her cell back in her purse and spent the next few minutes convincing me. She had me turn around and I’d tell her what she hid behind her back. First picture that popped into my head. It took a few times before I was convinced.

  I had magical powers. Holy freakin’ crap.

  “And you know what I learned today?” she asked, plopping into a nearby chair.

  “Is it bigger than what I just learned?” I couldn’t stop the grin from spreading wider.

  “Maybe. We can live for hundreds of years. And it isn’t only seeing into minds, we’re physically superior to normal people.”

  “Nice.” Then my smile faded. Everything would change now. My stepfather was the least of my problems. Not that he was much of a problem anymore — not to me anyway. He was still married to my mom though, and there was no telling what he did to her behind closed doors or where he snuck out to late at night.

  There were much bigger fish waiting to swallow me whole. Soon, Phillips and Linton would come to me. Chait and David would vie for my loyalty as well. Decisions would have to be made. I didn’t want Tessa to worry about me though. She had enough going on. “Guess you’re not so special after all,” I said in an effort to hide my worries.

  She smiled. “I guess not. Are you escorting me to work?”

  “I was planning to.”

  “Good. You need to practice blocking your thoughts before we see any of them. Otherwise they’ll know right away. We can do that while we eat. On the way there, I’ll fill you in.”

  * * * *

  On the way to Delia’s Deli, Tessa updated me on her meeting with Linton and Phillips. I hated the idea of Tessa going off alone with them on Sunday. If I had it my way — and I intended to — I’d make them meet her more publicly where I’d be watching.

  Nearer to Delia’s she became stone silent. It was as if she knew I needed a few minutes for everything to sink in.

  I spotted the neon Delia’s sign and made a right.

  “I know you don’t like Chait,” she said. “Linton and Phillips made me doubt him. But out of all of them, he’s still the one I trust the most.”

  “What are you getting at?” I asked, pulling into a parking space.

  “As soon as you start practicing, they’ll figure out what you are. I’d rather have a head start and already be using our other powers. Chait can help us with that.”

  “No way.” I didn’t trust Pretty Boy any more than Phillips or Linton.

  Her eyebrow arched. “Who else then?”

  “We’ll practice our abilities by ourselves.”

  “Hayden, we don’t have that kind of time and I don’t know everything yet.” She twisted to face me. “Why reinvent the wheel? If we have someone there, one of our kind who knows more, it might go faster.”

  “It’s too risky, Tessa.” I slapped the steering wheel and faced her. “I know you think he’s cool. But sometimes the ones you trust aren’t the most trustworthy. Just better actors.”

  “Maybe. But he’s still our best shot. Unless you have a better idea, we’re going with Chait.” Her eyes fixed on mine, her mouth set in a hard line.

  “Fine. But I don’t like it.” I got out of the car and slammed the door.

  Inside, I spotted David right away.

  “Don’t forget to keep your distance,” Tessa whispered.

  “It’s only been ten minutes since I’ve known. You think I’m already open to them?”

  She shrugged. “Probably not.”

  I watched her disappear into the back of the deli, then I walked over to David. “Mind if I join you?”

  “Be my guest.” He smiled, exposing bright white teeth. He didn’t look like the boss. More like he belonged on a surfboard with his short blond hair, t-shirt and jeans. Rena and Chait’s superior, yes — but more likely he took orders from someone else.

  Claiming the
chair directly across from him, I rested my elbows on the table and leaned forward. “Who runs your group?”

  “Jump right in, Hayden. We don’t need pleasantries.” He grinned.

  “Not since you gave the okay to kidnap Tessa. Who’s the boss?”

  He set his drink to the side. “Rena gave me incorrect information or I would never have approved that.”

  “Boss’s name?” I leaned back, arms folded over my chest.

  “Jane Doe. Very few people have met her.”

  “Jane Doe? Seriously? Does she wear a toe tag?”

  He waved a hand. “Hey, I’m not making this up. She’s our leader. She makes contact with certain people, gives the orders and it filters down from there.”

  “Do you know anyone who’s met her?” I asked.

  “No.”

  “No one knows what she looks like? So if she ever ends up dead, when the cops can’t identify her and call her Jane Doe, it’ll fit.”

  David chuckled. “Yes. The cappuccinos here are great. Did you want to order something?”

  I scooted my chair closer and sat straighter. “How long has she been in control?”

  He shook his head and took a sip of his drink. “Only a few years.”

  “With your bunch, how does one get control? Knock off the guy in charge?” I asked.

  The edges of his mouth curled up. “Sometimes. In this case, her predecessor stepped down and she took over.”

  “How many of you guys are there?”

  He hesitated, gazing into the liquid in his cup. “In the world? Thousands maybe.”

  “Tessa told me your Detector was murdered. He was the only one you had out of thousands?”

  “No.” David’s brows furrowed. “He’s the only one here. There are a handful of others elsewhere.”

  “How many are here with you?”

  David sighed and shook his head. “Tessa should be asking me these questions. You’re not even supposed to know about us. When the others hear about this—”

  “Trust me. That’s not going to be a problem.” By the time his superiors found out what I knew, I’d be detected by then anyway and it wouldn’t matter.

  “Why not?” David asked.

  “From what I understand, you guys are pretty strong. As a human, I could get knocked off pretty easily. Why would you worry?”

  His brows wrinkled in the center. “From what I saw Saturday, you won’t be easy to take out.”

  “In a group of thousands, I’m sure someone can handle me. Let’s move on. What are the two factions fighting for?”

  David paused, his eyes darting around the room. “I’m not sure you need to know this.”

  I glanced over my shoulder and flagged Tessa. She came over right away.

  “Did you want something else to drink?” Her eyes moved from me to David.

  “Yeah, in a minute. David is reluctant to cough up the information I’m requesting.”

  “Really?” She turned to David. “Why’s that? I’ve asked Hayden to help me. How can I figure out what I’m going to do if you guys withhold information?”

  David threw his hands in the air. “Fine. Whatever you want to know, ask.”

  “Hey.” I grinned at Tessa, reaching into my pocket for a ten-dollar bill. “Will you bring me a cappuccino?”

  She snatched the money. “Be right back.”

  “What’s at stake here? What are you fighting for?” I asked, back to business. I had a feeling I didn’t have much time. I intended to squeeze him for as much as possible while I had the chance.

  David lifted his mug to his lips and I wondered if he was stalling. He swallowed and set it down. “Witches aren’t the only ones with real power. There are vampires, werewolves and other types of shifters, all vying for their place in the world. Each has their own ruler. For centuries, longer actually, we’ve stayed low key because the combined forces of the supernatural world still couldn’t match human numbers. They’ve always run things and we’ve always let them.

  “We could take over, if we really wanted to, but then humans would become slaves or worse. Boris’s people feel that superior life forms should be ruling over their inferiors. But they don’t realize that going mainstream means they’d have werewolves and vampires to contend with. It would become a battle to see which species could gain ultimate control — as if we’re not all fighting enough already. And werewolves are a nasty bunch. Vampires aren’t much nicer. The bad vamps are really bad. If they had their way, humans would be slaves bred for food. I doubt they’d stop at regular humans, since any of us would do.”

  I shuddered inwardly. “So, what you’re saying is that you’re all too busy fighting amongst yourselves for any one group to take over?”

  He nodded. “That sums it up.”

  “Which is a good thing for humans. Why haven’t you already told her this?”

  “We haven’t had the chance. It’s only been a few days.”

  Maybe it was David’s words or maybe it was the delivery. I didn’t know. He either had the purest of intentions or he was an Oscar-worthy actor. I wanted to believe he meant every word. “Do you trust Rena?”

  “Here you go.” Tessa set a steaming mug in front of me, along with a five-dollar bill and two quarters.

  “My invitation must have gotten lost in the mail,” Rena purred from behind David. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have missed the first part of this meeting.”

  “Don’t worry. I didn’t get an invitation either.” David tipped his head back and smiled at her. “Pull up a chair.”

  “You sure Hayden won’t mind?” Rena claimed a chair and sat between David and me, forcing Tessa to move out of the way. Rena turned away from David and shot me a look that said she wanted to hook up. I didn’t believe her. She wanted something else. But what?

  I played along, flashing a smile. “Nah, I won’t mind.”

  “Rena, can I get you something to drink? Espresso maybe? Latte?” Tessa asked.

  From the way she avoided eye contact with me, I guessed Tessa caught the interchange between Rena and me. I’d have to set her straight. But not this second. I glanced at David to find him watching Tessa. His expression had changed to curiosity. Maybe a little appreciation thrown in. I thought I saw a hint of something else too, but wasn’t sure what. Like he knew something we didn’t. Was it my imagination?

  Oddly enough, the way David looked at her didn’t bother me. With Chait, it seemed different. And it bothered me. Lots.

  “Black coffee with sugar, thanks.” Rena found her purse and rifled through it, slyly peering at David.

  “So how old are you guys?” I asked, wondering how many years he had on Tessa, in case I’d misread his expression.

  “Rena’s around forty.” He looked to her for confirmation and carried on when she nodded. I would’ve guessed early twenties.

  “He knew William Shakespeare.” Rena’s mouth curled up on one side.

  “I’m not that old,” David retorted. “I met Abe Lincoln though.”

  Still too old for Tessa. Speaking of her, I needed to make sure she wasn’t mad. “I’ll be right back.”

  When did Chait sneak in?

  Tessa leaned over the counter from her side and he bent over the other toward her, a mug between them. Damn, they looked cozy. Tessa spotted me and straightened. Chait looked over his shoulder and gave me a nod.

  Chait’s arrival was perfect. “Hey,” I said. “Did you know Rena’s hot for David?”

  “Yeah.” Chait turned again to study the two for a moment.

  “She was flirting with me to make him jealous. I flirted back because, you know, I’m not interested in making enemies. Yet.” My voice softened as I bellied up to the counter alongside Chait and gazed at Tessa. “Besides, it’s hard to think about any other girl when Tessa’s around.”

  She looked down, cheeks flushing.

  “Nice one, Hayden. I’ll have to remember that line,” Chait said blandly.

  “Won’t do you any good. Tessa’s alread
y heard it.” I smirked.

  Tessa rolled her eyes. “Guys. Can we not start this again?”

  “Chait, how old are you?” Inquiring competitors wanted to know.

  “Nineteen.”

  “Nineteen in human years or sorcerer years?” I asked.

  He chuckled. “Real years.”

  Damn. He wasn’t much older than us and wouldn’t look like a pervert.

  “I was about to ask Chait what he was doing tonight.” She eyed me as though urging me to take the hint and invite him into our circle.

  “You and I have plans after work. You don’t have a shift tomorrow though, right?” I switched to Chait. “Tomorrow night. My house. Seven.”

  “Okay.” He shrugged.

  “Witches always move in twos or threes?” I asked Chait. It was bad enough we had to involve Chait. Bringing in anyone else took me further out of my comfort zone. “Can you make an exception tomorrow? Tessa and I would rather keep this between the three of us.”

  “No problem. They won’t be expecting me to sneak out. ” Chait picked up his coffee, strolled to David’s table and took my chair. Douche.

  “We have plans tonight?” Tessa asked. “Wanna clue me in?”

  “Don’t worry. You and I will be in separate rooms.”

  I returned to our table, grabbing a vacant chair on my way. “So, what did I miss?”

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Tessa

  Exhaustion clung to me like a spider web that sticks to you no matter how many different ways you try to wipe it on something else. I propped up my leg against the dashboard and scooted against the car door, my head leaning against the passenger side window. It had been a long day. I hoped whatever Hayden had planned would be quick so I could drive home and go to sleep.

  Hayden pulled up in his driveway and I slogged into his house after him.

  He pointed to the leather couch once we’d gotten inside his house. “Wait here.”

  I plopped onto it, closed my eyes and listened to him patter down the hallway. A moment later I heard water running. Was he taking a shower? He seemed to be gone forever but I didn’t care, so long as I could keep my eyes closed.