A Spell Of Trouble (Silver Hollow Paranormal Cozy Mystery Series Book 1) (16 page)

“
Woof!
”

Bella sniffed Dee Dee’s wolf form. Shoot! Issy couldn’t take off yet. She needed to undo the sleep spell and let Dee Dee run off or change to human form before the FBPI got here.

She turned toward Dee Dee, clenching her fists, doubling them up together, and then flinging them in front of her. Purple glowing sparks floated over toward the slumbering wolf.

“What the heck is going on here?”

Issy whirled around to find Dex Nolan standing behind her.

His eyes flicked from the floating purple sparks to Issy’s fingertips. He'd clearly seen her cast the spell.

Issy's stomach plummeted. There was no way she could hide the truth that she was a witch.

* * *

“
D
id you just
…?” Dex’s forehead creased as he watched the purple sparks land gently on Dee Dee.

Issy nodded.

“But that looked like magic…” Dex’s eyes widened as a puff of purple mist covered the wolf and then cleared to reveal a sleeping, yawning Dee Dee.

“Okay, I did
not
see that.” He turned confused eyes on Issy. “Did I?”

Issy’s heart thudded. She couldn’t talk her way out of this one. Dex would know magic when he saw it. He was sure to capture her and take her to area 59. She couldn’t do anything about that, but at least she could save Dee Dee. She’d tell him it was all her magic and cover up the fact that Dee Dee was changing because she was a werewolf.

Issy couldn’t meet his gaze. “It is magic. I changed that wolf into Dee Dee.”

The shrill blare of a siren split the air. They were pulling onto the road.

“You need to go.” Dex’s voice was tinged with panic.

“What?” Issy’s eyes locked on his, and something clicked deep down inside her.

“Get out of here. They’ll kill you.”

“But I… You’re one of… ” Was he letting her go? Risking his job for her?

“Forget about it. Go!” He jerked his head in the opposite direction of the sirens.

Issy stood frozen in place, her eyes locked on his. His eyes reflected the same uncertainty and longing that she felt in her heart. And another thing… Sincerity. He really was giving her this opportunity to get away.

“Thanks.” She kept her gaze locked on his as she took one step back. Then another.

He nodded, and then she turned and fled, Bella following close on her heels.

T
wo Days
Later

S
eated
at a trendy bistro table situated in front of Karen Dixon’s new juice shop in the middle of Main Street, The Main Squeeze, Issy stared into the murky green depths of a glass of juice. “Are you sure this will help with insomnia?”

“Of course. It’s a special mixture of kale, spinach, apple, and celery.” Karen leaned toward Issy’s ear and lowered her voice. “And you know all my juices are charmed to fix what ails you.”

“I would think the fact that the FBPI are finally moving on out would be enough to help you sleep better,” Ember said, her eyes narrowing at a spot behind Issy’s left shoulder.

Issy turned to see the dark Crown Victoria drive by. Dex looked out from the passenger seat. Their eyes locked, and Issy’s heart hitched. She quickly tore her gaze away. Some things were not meant to be.

“Lucky thing they’re not setting someone up in town.” Raine slurped her purple juice loudly.

Issy whipped her head around to face her cousin. “What do you mean, setting someone up in town?”

Raine shrugged. “That’s what a friend of mine said they did down in Lowell, Mass. Moved someone right into the town so they could watch the goings-on. Sneaky, if you ask me.”

Issy whipped back around, watching the taillights of the car fade as it drove out of town. “That’s crazy. Who would move to another town for their job? Lucky thing they aren’t doing that here, though, right?”

“
Woof!
” Bella, seated at Issy’s feet, thumped her tail as if in agreement.

Ember and Raine exchanged a look, but Issy was too distracted by the painful, hollow feeling in her heart where a spark of hope had been extinguished as quickly as it had ignited. The feeling confused her because she was pretty sure she didn’t want the FBPI, and certainly not Dex Nolan, moving into town.

“Let’s hope not. It’s bad enough that we have to put up with someone from the committee spying on us.” Ember inclined her head toward a tall bearded man who was leaning against the side of the building, a pink smoothie in his large hands. Luigi Romano was a wizard, sent by the committee to remain in town for an undetermined amount of time.

Apparently Christian Vonner’s escapades upset them enough that they felt someone needed to move in and keep a close eye on the rest of the paranormals.

They were afraid there might be others like Christian, so they were stuck with Luigi until the committee was satisfied no one in Silver Hollow was doing anything against the rules of magic. Issy didn’t know how effective Luigi’s presence would be. Everyone knew who he was and would be on their best behavior around him. He was easily recognizable with his long, wild brown hair and bushy beard. Not to mention the ear piercings and long dark coat he always wore even in the heat of summer. Maybe his presence was meant to be more of a deterrent than anything.

So far Issy and her cousins had managed to steer clear of him, happy that they hadn’t been implicated in the whole Christian Vonner mess.

Christian had been “taken in” by the committee. No one knew where the committee took paranormals for punishment, and no one ever dared ask. All they knew was when Christian was returned—
if
he was returned—he would be a completely different person.

Dex had not ratted her out to Stan. Issy didn’t know why, but she was grateful. As far as she knew, he’d never mentioned a word to anyone about the magic he’d seen in the woods. Not a whisper about Dee Dee transforming from a wolf, either. Issy herself hadn’t talked to Dex since that night. Probably better that way. She didn’t know what to say to him and was half-afraid that if she tried to explain, he would change his mind and take her to area 59. Better to leave things the way they were.

“Looks like Karen’s new place is a big hit.” Dee Dee slid into the seat across from Issy, a peach-colored drink in her hand. In place of her stodgy police uniform, she had on a silky tank top and a jean skirt, her usual clunky black boots replaced with cute strappy sandals.

“Do you have a date or something?” Raine asked.

“Maybe.” Dee Dee blushed. The pink color in her cheeks was rather becoming, and Issy thought Dee Dee was getting even prettier. Of course now she knew why. It had nothing to do with her acorn charm or dark magic.

The full-moon ritual Louella had caught Gray performing
had
been a sexuality ritual, but not for Gray. He’d been performing it for Dee Dee. That was why he had been so secretive about it. As part of his witch’s oath Gray was sworn to protect the identity of the person he had been performing the ceremony for, and Dee Dee didn’t want anyone to know. She was embarrassed to admit that she wanted to look prettier so she could sow some wild oats before having to honor her responsibility as daughter of the pack Alpha and be placed in a strategic marriage to a male from another pack.

Issy hated the idea of her friend being forced into an arranged—and probably loveless—marriage, but Dee Dee had accepted it. It was their culture and her duty. At least she’d get to have some fun in the meantime.

“With who?” Ember scanned the crowd, apparently looking for the lucky guy.

“He’s not here, so you can stop looking. I’m meeting him later.” Dee Dee sipped her drink.

“Gray?”

“No!” Dee Dee blushed again. “I mean, I like Gray, and he’s a sweet guy, but he’s not my type. I didn’t come downtown to see him. I wanted to stop by and touch base with you, Issy. Wanted to thank you for covering for me with Dex.”

“No problem. I just feel bad I doubted you,” Issy said sincerely.

Dee Dee put her delicate (and now hairless) hand on Issy’s arm. “Don’t even think twice. The situation was tense, and I doubted you, too, so we’re even.”

“So Dex never mentioned anything when the cops finally came?” Ember, Raine, and Issy had heard bits and pieces of what had happened after Issy fled the woods, but they hadn’t had a chance to talk to Dee Dee and get a firsthand account yet.

“He didn’t breathe a word. He’s a good actor. Acted like he found Christian in the woods in that condition, and I corroborated the story. We backed each other up.” Dee Dee glanced at Issy out of the corner of her eye. “He’s a keeper.”

“Yeah, for someone else. I can’t get involved with a human. We all know what a disaster human-witch relationships are, and besides, he already left town.”

Dee Dee shrugged. “Anyway, after you took off, Stan and Owen showed up at the same time. I don’t know what you hit Christian with, but he babbled on and on about how he needed the salamanders and how his magic was so strong he killed Louella. Stan was practically peeing his pants with excitement, but poor Owen just looked confused.”

“I can imagine,” Raine said. “I don’t think Owen can wrap his head around magic.”

“He didn’t have to. While Stan and Owen were arguing over who was going to arrest him, Luigi showed up and took control.”

“What did he do?” Ember asked.

“He said this was an incident for the committee to handle and then did some wizardly mind trick to Dex, Stan, and Owen. After that they all agreed that Christian was clearly mentally ill and Luigi should get him to the proper authorities.”

“So Stan didn’t argue?”

“Nope. He thought Luigi was from some law enforcement agency and seemed to agree there was nothing paranormal going on. Owen agreed too. He was glad to get Christian off his hands, I think.”

“Luigi must have messed with their memory.” Issy wondered exactly what Luigi had done. Would Dex have any recollection of what he’d seen her do in the woods?

“So all’s well that ends well, I guess.” Dee Dee finished her drink. “And now I have to get going.”

She pushed up from the table, nearly colliding with Gray. On his broad shoulder, Cosmo flapped his wings to regain balance.

“
Awwk! Watch it!
” Cosmo shrieked.

“Glad to see you’re back to normal.” Dee Dee rubbed the top of the bird’s head, and Cosmo ruffed his feathers to show that he enjoyed the massage.

Gray pulled out the chair and sat as Dee Dee strolled off.

“Looks like Karen made out better than anyone in this whole thing.” Gray held a glass full of yellow juice up in front of his face. “The committee agreed she’d had enough punishment for her minor indiscretion and let her open up the juice shop.”

“Yeah, they’re busy with Christian now. She’s yesterday’s news,” Ember said.

“Speaking of yesterday’s news, whatever happened to Brittany?” Gray asked.

“Heard she left town,” Raine said.

“Phew. I was afraid she’d fixate on me again with Christian gone,” Gray said.

“She had been dealing with Hans, trying to sell the Vonner property out from under Fred. I suspect Christian had planned to coerce Fred into agreeing by using some sort of magic. So she probably figured she better get out while the getting was good.”

“And the salamanders?” Gray asked.

“They’re setting that area up as a sanctuary. They asked me to look at the area and see if we need to import any plantings to help increase the population.” Raine leaned across the table and lowered her voice. “I heard that Luigi de-magicized them so they can no longer be used for magic.”

“So things are back to normal. That’s good.” Gray picked out a piece of pineapple from his glass and fed it to Cosmo.

“And Cosmo has had no ill effects?” Issy asked.

“Nope. Seems fine. Other than a little bit of drool that marred the feathers on his neck.”

“Seriously? I don’t even get a thank you?” Brimstone sat on the sidewalk, his eyes more gold than orange as he assessed them. “I did what I had to do to get him out of there. You’re lucky that’s all he suffered.”

“I know, and I appreciate it,” Gray’s eyes twinkled as he addressed the cat, glancing around subtly to see if any humans took notice. Issy didn’t know why he was worried. Most humans talked to their cats, but then most cats didn’t actually answer back like Brimstone.

“Is that sarcasm? Honestly, you people are really something. Merlin never treated me with such disrespect. And here I got your butt out of hot water.” Brimstone turned his hard gaze on Issy.

“And I do appreciate it… though you could have shown up a bit sooner.” Issy muttered the last part under her breath, but it didn’t escape Brimstone’s keen hearing.

“I could have, but then you wouldn’t have defeated the dark magic on your own. I can’t do
everything
for you. See, there are reasons for these things. Don’t you feel more powerful now?” Brimstone asked.

Issy did feel more powerful. More confident in her magic. And proud that she had fought well and defeated Christian. “I guess I do.”

“
Oink!
” A blur of pink sped past, a purple leash trailing behind it.

“
Woof!
” Bella took off after the trailing leash.

“
Hiss!
” Brimstone arched his back and hissed his disapproval at the ruckus.

“Oh dear. Oh dear.” Enid Pettywood weaved between tables, trying to catch up with the runaway pig. “Now, Becky, you get back here!”

Gray was up in a flash, and before Becky could disappear from sight, he stomped on the trailing leash with his foot.

“
Squee!
” Becky jerked back then spun around, glaring at Gray. Gray picked up the leash and handed it to Enid.

“Why, thank you. You always were such a nice young man. Now I should reward you with something.” Enid pursed her lips together. “Now ,let me think. I know a spell for—”

“No!” All four of the Quinns cried out. Enid’s spells didn’t always come out the way she intended. Issy had the flowering quince in a pot on her counter as living proof.

“Oh, right. I’m off spells for a while. I know my memory isn’t what it used to be. That’s why I’m drinking this.” Enid held up her glass. Inside, a turquoise-blue liquid sloshed against the sides. “Will help with my memory.”

“That’s great, Mrs. Pettywood. I’m sure you’ll be fine,” Ember said.

“Well, of course I will, dear. Now, come along, Becky.” Enid pulled the leash, and they watched her waddle off, the pig trotting behind her.

“I really do hope she’ll be okay,” Issy said. She didn’t like the idea of losing her memory or her magic. Would that happen to her some day?

“Don’t worry. We’ll watch out for her. We stick together here in Silver Hollow,” Gray said.

“We sure do,” a voice said from behind Issy, and she turned her attention from Enid Pettywood to see that Owen had joined them. She was glad to see he was back to wearing his usual attire of Hawaiian shirt and shorts. Things really were getting back to normal.

“Hi, Owen. Nice work on the Vonner case,” Gray said.

Owen smiled. “Thanks. I guess I showed those FBI guys a thing or two. You see, when I found the receipts that he’d been buying up fish tanks out of town, I figured he had something to do with those salamanders and he was the one who wanted Louella out of the way. Too bad he’s getting the easy way out by copping an insanity plea. Though he did seem quite unhinged.”

“At least he won’t be able to hurt anyone else,” Raine said.

Owen nodded. “That’s the important thing.”

“You want a juice?” Gray asked.

“Nah. I just came for this.” Owen fished around in his pocket and pulled out an egg-shaped black rock. Issy’s talisman. He held it out to her. “I think this is yours.”

“Yes, it is.” Issy blinked at him. Was he giving it to her instead of keeping it for evidence?

“I found it and figured you’d want it back.” He plunked the talisman in her hand, winked, and then turned and strolled away. “See you guys later. I’m heading to the coast for some surfing.”

Issy turned the talisman over in her hand. The cool, smooth surface gave her comfort.

For the first time since Louella’s death she felt positive. Even the ominous presence of Luigi couldn’t bring her down. She had proved to herself her magic was strong, she had her talisman back to protect her, Bella was healthy and safe, and she had her cousins by her side. What more could she ask for?

T
he End
.