Frog Hollow (Witches of Sanctuary Book 1) (14 page)

My stomach tightens as my hand clenches into a fist behind my back. Reid still doesn’t know, which means Sadie and Zeke kept my secret. No wonder he is still being nice to me. I manage to give a slight nod but bury my hands in my pockets.

“Good.” He sighs with relief. “But just in case Julien didn’t learn his lesson, Zeke has offered to spend the day with you at the bookstore. I thought you might need the help anyway, and he really doesn’t have anything better to do.”

I purse my lips, a little miffed he thinks I need a babysitter, but at least it’s Zeke. I figure it’s Zeke’s excuse to talk to me again about everything. I wonder what I will say to him, because, honestly, I have no idea how I feel about any of this. I didn’t expect to confront Julien so soon, let alone with an audience and a loose tongue. Reid takes my thoughtful silence as fear and crosses the room to give me a warm embrace. “Don’t be scared,” he says. “We’ll protect you.”

I sigh into his shoulder, knowing it is true but unsure if it is necessary. Julien’s face plays over and over in my mind, and I know it will plague me until I find out the truth. There is only one way to convince my family and myself of Julien’s motives, and that is to find out my mother’s true murderer.

I remember the spell Julien taught me and how I need to cast it at all the places my mother’s spirit might choose to dwell. My first thought is the bookstore, and I glance up at the clock. I’m expected to open in less than two hours, and I will still have to make a trip to the graveyard for dirt, which means I have little time to spare.

“Mind taking that coffee to go?” I ask him, smiling as innocently as possible. “I would really love a shower before work.”

He smiles back, rubbing his hand over my shoulder. “Sure thing, Willa.” He runs back into the kitchen to grab a to-go mug, but I continue to stand in the living room, stunned.

“Did you just call me, Willa?”

He concentrates as he pours his coffee. “I thought you said that’s what you preferred?”

“It is. I just didn’t realize we were on a nickname basis now.”

He cocks his head to the side. “Well,” he considers, “you did pass out on my couch, and I did make you breakfast.” He points at the Gatorade in my hand and smiles.

He’s right. We haven’t yelled at each other for a full twenty-four hours. We definitely have taken a step up in our relationship, almost to the point of friendship. “Do I get to call you Re Re?” I ask, laughing.

“No.”

“Oh, come on,” I say as he grabs his coffee and heads toward the door. “It’s only fair.”

“No.” He holds the door open for me.

“How about just Re, then?”

He rolls his eyes as I walk out. “No. Just forget I mentioned it.”

He follows me hastily down the stairs, and I continue throwing names at him. “Or maybe we could do like an animal nickname. You know, Bear, Goose, or Ducky?”

He starts to walk faster once we make it outside, so I run after him.

“Or we could base it off your mood, as if you were one of the seven Dwarfs. Grumpy, Grouchy…”

“Wilhelmina,” he warns, spinning toward me as we reach his truck.

“What’s wrong, sunshine?” I smile, replicating his angered posture.

He steps forward, our toes meeting as he looms over me. Electricity flashes between us. It isn’t butterflies, or the so-called fireworks people sometime describe, but real, genuine electricity. It sends us both stumbling back, and I land hard against the side of his truck. I reflexively touch my hair to make sure it isn’t standing at attention on top of my head. We gawk at each other, but then I start to laugh. “Sparky it is, then.”

He stares blankly at me for a few seconds, obviously taken aback by what happened. When he finally speaks, he is back to his usual moody self. “Just get in the damn truck.”

I decide to take the lighthearted route and continue to grin at him. “Sure thing, Sparky.”

I swear I catch him smile before stomping around the truck.

Chapter 13

THE UNINVITED GUEST

I sink down into the warm water of my bath until the bubbles pop beneath my ears. Every muscle in my body relaxes as I hum along to the radio. Romeo chases his ball around the bathroom floor, the bell dinging inside it every time he swipes at it with his paw. I recall the phrase “exactly what the doctor ordered” as I swirl bubbles around my finger and blow them down the tub toward my toes. Today has been a complete disappointment, because even with the help of Zeke to offer suggestions for places to cast the spell, we still came up empty-handed.

I did, however, find out my bookstore is haunted by a prissy little Yorkie with a giant pink bow in its hair. I frowned unpleasantly at the yippy thing after realizing it was the only spirit that remained in the bookstore, and I had been equally disappointed with every other place we checked, as well.

I sink deeper into the water, officially hopeless. The spell Julien taught me was my one and only lead, and now it is effectively exhausted, without an ounce of evidence to lead me forward. I bite my lip as Romeo continues to jingle his toy along the floor. At least my sour mood doesn’t seem to have any devastating effects on him. I close my eyes, returning my concentration to the music, because reliving my failures isn’t going to get me anywhere. As the song ends, Romeo’s bell stops ringing. I open my eyes, leaning up in the tub just in time to watch the hair rise on his back as he hisses at something outside the door.

I immediately jump up to look around the door. I vigilantly scan the room, leaning out of the tub to look into every corner and crevice, but my house is empty. As I step back into the tub, I hear Romeo’s bell start to ring again. I look sourly down at him. “Don’t scare me like that,” I warn him, but he continues to play happily.

I sink back down in the tub with my heart beating in my ears. I resign myself to the fact that maybe relaxation simply isn’t meant for some people. I stay in the tub and brood until my water goes cold anyway.

Once I get out, I twist my wet hair on top of my head and wrap myself in a fuzzy purple housecoat. Romeo follows me into the bedroom and hops up on my bed, apparently tired of playing. He yawns and rolls over to snuggle up against my pillow. I snort at his laziness as I rummage through my closet for pajamas.

I pull out a pair of silk shorts and a matching cami, then Romeo hisses abruptly behind me. I stumble haphazardly into the wall and down to the floor. When I flip over, I see him standing next to the windowsill scratching menacingly at the window. I jump up, running to his aid, but there is still nothing. Romeo continues to paw frantically at the window, baring his teeth next to the glass. “Calm down,” I tell him to no avail. “You’re freaking us both out.”

I pull him away from the window, change into my pajamas, and go downstairs. I grab a pint of ice cream from my fridge, meld myself into the corner of my couch, and turn the TV to the first cartoon channel I can find, because I’m desperate for something mind numbing and irrelevant.

Romeo hops up next to me, resting his head in the crease of my arm. I’m halfway through my pint of ice cream when my eyes flicker up from the TV to the giant window behind it. I stare out at the black night, not knowing why it suddenly caught my attention. Romeo shifts uncomfortably next to me. A flash of movement zooms by the glass. I scream, spilling my ice cream and spoon onto the floor. Romeo is at the window again in a flash, hissing uncontrollably just as before, but this time I believe him.

I jump over the back of the couch, sprinting into the kitchen for my cell phone. Zeke’s number is the first name on my recent calls list, and it rings as I ravage my kitchen drawers for a knife. I find one, a butcher knife like they use in scary movies, just as Zeke picks up. “What’s wrong?” he asks immediately.

I turn the knife over and over again in my hand, letting the blade gleam under the kitchen light. I know I have powers, but somehow a knife makes me feel more powerful than my magic. “Someone is outside my window.”

“Julien?”

“I don’t know.” My voice comes out in a croak, because I really hate to think Julien is stalking me. “Maybe?”

“I’m on my way.” I hear the distinct sound of footsteps and keys in the background. “Hide somewhere until I can get there, okay?”

“Hide,” I repeat as my hands began to shake. “Got it.”

I grab my knife and fling myself inside the pantry, holding the door open just long enough to allow Romeo to sneak inside with me. I shut the door tightly, hunkering down in the corner, prepared to pounce if necessary. Long minutes drag by as I count each painful second in my mind, my ears trained to noises outside the door. Exactly eighteen minutes pass before I hear thundering footsteps burst into the house. I hunker down close to the floor until I finally hear Zeke’s frantic voice yell my name. I sigh before yelling back to him, and seconds later the door of the pantry flies open. However, it isn’t Zeke who stands outside the door with his eyes wide in horror.

I gape up at Reid, still holding the knife and Romeo securely against my body. “Well,” he says stiffly, crossing his arms over his chest, “at least you’ve upgraded your weaponry.”

Romeo leaps from my arms as I scramble to my feet. I throw myself at him, so happy to see him I can almost cry.

“Whoa” he says, dodging the knife. “I’m the good guy this time.”

He hugs me tightly, allowing me to bury my face against his chest. His pulse is racing faster than my own as his unsteady hand removes the knife from my grasp. “It’s okay now,” he assures me, as well as himself.

I close my eyes, exhaling deeply as I try to convince myself it’s true. Zeke rounds the corner only moments later, quickly followed by Sadie and Abby. “The rest of the house is clear,” he says before effectively pulling me from Reid’s arms for a hug.

“Good.” Reid cautiously takes a step back from me and exhales. “Is it secure?”

Zeke passes me on to Abby and Sadie, who still have panic-induced tears in their eyes. “We are on complete lockdown until Grady gives us the go-ahead,” he confirms.

“All right, then.” Reid walks over to grab me under the elbow. “I’ll leave you supernaturals to guard the exits while Buffy and I have a little chat.”

Everyone disperses through the house, but not before Abby and Sadie get in one last hug. Abby grabs me tightly, whispering in my ear. “Zeke told him. He knows everything.”

My eyes widen in shock as Reid pulls me away. I clumsily follow him up the stairs and into my bedroom. He slams the door behind us and then crosses the room to check that the window is locked. He pulls the curtains together and rounds on me with a stern glare. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack?” His voice is deep and gruff. “Because, honestly, I don’t know whether I should scream, cry, or just be happy you’ve somehow managed to survive this long.”

I whisper his name, but it is barely audible. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry doesn’t cut it, Willa.” He takes a wide stance in front of me. “I seriously thought I would come here to find you dead tonight.” He steps within inches of me, his words coming out in broken gasps. “I thought he’d taken you from me.”

“I’m still here,” I squeak.

He grabs my hand, pulling it between us. He flips it over, and without looking, he runs his fingers over the healing wound on my palm. “Barely.”

“I know I made a mistake in judgment.” I grit my teeth as I have a sudden vision of the knife grazing down my bare skin. A mistake, I assure myself. Julien and everything about him has been a mistake.

“That’s the understatement of the century.”

“I trusted him,” I cry, willing him to understand, “but I can’t take it back now. I’m scared, and I don’t know what to do, because if Julien did break in here, I’m not sure if I could hurt him, even if it was to save my life. I’m not a killer. I’m already so many other things I can’t stand, I would never be willing to add that one to the list as well.”

Reid swallows hard, and I can tell he is biting back all the words he wants to say, the I-told-you-so lecture in particular. He continues to look into my desperate eyes, sensing my weakness. “That’s why I’m here,” he says finally, pulling me toward him. “Because I can and will make that choice to keep you alive.”

I fall into him as he pulls me over, and we sink to the floor against the wall. My head rests on his shoulder as his fingers play with the edge of my hair. I always knew he would protect me, as well as Abby and Sadie, but somehow hearing him say it finally makes it real. It feels odd having a family I can depend on, a shoulder always available to cry on. I take advantage of that, my tears leaking down to soak into the soft cotton of his shirt. “I’m sorry. I should have listened to you.”

“I’m sorry too,” he whispers back.

I snort. “What do you have to apologize for?”

He is silent for a moment, and when he speaks, his voice is soft. “I pushed you toward him. I should have been the one you trusted, but you couldn’t even come to me when you needed help.”

“Honestly, I was afraid of disappointing you. Although I did that when I decided to stay here.”

He pulls me over into his lap, sighing. “I was wrong on that point too, Willa.” He guides my head until it lays against his chin, and I don’t think I’ve heard him be so gentle. “I had no idea how much they needed you to stay. You’ve filled a void in my mother’s life that I couldn’t. You’ve brought smiles back to Abby and Sadie’s faces that I thought I might never see again, and most importantly, you’ve taught me being right isn’t as important as seeing you happy.”

I look up at him, my eyes wide with something between disbelief and giddiness. He brushes my hair from my eyes and smiles reassuringly. “I will make this right,” he promises, but before I can respond, the door to my room rattles.

We both jump, having been too engrossed in our own conversation to hear the footsteps coming up the stairs. The door rattles again, this time followed by Grady’s booming voice. I scoot off Reid’s lap to allow him to reach the lock, and Grady barges in, his blond curls in disarray around his face.

“Your guest has vanished,” he says, and I can tell there will be no love lost between Grady and Julien in all this, but my stomach knots as he continues. “I followed their trail all the way to the main road where they parked. The tire marks disappeared once it reached the blacktop.”

Reid’s face tenses, the muscles in his arms flexing as he carefully thinks out his reaction. “Do you think it’s Julien?”

“The tire tracks are pointed east,” Grady confirms. “They’re going to Raven Ridge or the interstate.”

Zeke silently steps inside the room, and I can see Abby and Sadie’s shadows just outside the door. They all wait on Reid. He takes a long, labored breath, glancing ever so slightly in my direction. “Abby,” he says finally, calling his sister into the room. She steps inside, immediately nestling herself under Grady’s protective arm. “You and Sadie will spend the night here, but I want you to call Mom, Jade, and the others. Let them know to be on alert tonight.”

“Of course. Where are you going?”

He ignores her question, walking over to grab my hand. He squeezes it gently before pulling me toward the door. “I want you to stay downstairs, confine yourself to the back room. I want one of you to take watch all night.” He leads me downstairs, everyone following us. “Zeke, are you able to stay and patrol the grounds surrounding the house?”

“Of course,” he says, and Sadie whines softly behind him. “The adrenaline makes me feel better,” he assures her quietly, but she continues to frown at him, clutching her hands around his arm.

“Where are you going?” Abby asks again, this time much louder than necessary. Reid gives her a solemn look, and Abby’s suspicions are instantly confirmed. “You’ve lost your mind,” she says, throwing her hands in the air. “You’re only human. You’ll get hurt, or even killed.”

“You don’t have to tell me what I am,” he yells back at her. “Trust me, I know my own capabilities.”

“Then you should know better than to pick a fight with one of the Haunted.”

Reid grits his teeth at his sister, his eyes turning black with rage as usual. I can’t stop myself from running forward, throwing myself between them. “He’s stalking her, Abby.” His voice rises, turning desperate. “What do you want me to do?”

“It’s not just your responsibility to protect her,” she shouts. “We can help. You don’t have to do everything by yourself.”

“You’re wrong,” he says, and I fall back against him. His arm wraps around my shoulder, and his breath comes out shaky and uneven. “It is my responsibility.”

Abby stares at us, appearing as confused as I feel, but we are all caught off guard by a short knock on the door behind us. Everyone spins around, staring at the closed door as if it just magically learned how to talk. The second knock comes shortly afterward, and we glance around the room, taking account of each person, concluding no one is missing.

“Sera or Mom wouldn’t knock,” Sadie reasons.

“Maybe it’s Cari or Julie,” Zeke says.

“Can’t be.” Grady walks over and tries to peek through the window. “They’re both still at work. Rooster’s doesn’t close for another hour.”