haven hollow 00 - 01 to 10, page 97
What would she think if she knew the truth about Libby and Darla and all the other mishaps that had occurred, courtesy of my death magic? Then she wouldn’t be so proud of me—no, she’d be afraid of me and probably call for my death. But I wasn’t concerned with telling Tabitha the truth. Instead, I was stuck on something she’d just said.
“Hold it. Demons… vampires…” I thought fast, and a light went on in my head. “You’re right, Aunt Tabitha! That is what they want but they couldn’t do anything about it so… they found something that could.”
She frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“Demonology!” I grabbed her hand. “Tell me everything you know about demonology.”
“We don’t have time for tangent conversations, dear. Mathison, here, is preparing a first-class defense for you to…”
“Will you shut up about my defense?” I yelled, not meaning to be so rude but this was important. I leaned closer to her as she continued to appear shocked by my outburst. “Aunt Tabitha, I need to know what it takes to raise a demon.”
She looked at me like I’d just sprouted another head.
“What it would take to raise a demon?”
“For a vampire to raise a demon,” I corrected. “Would it take exceptional magical talent? Would the vampires need a witch’s help or is that something they could do themselves?”
She smacked her lips in annoyance. “Vampires are only good at one kind of magic, darling, and that’s the magic of making more vampires. You know that as well as I do.”
I jumped up and paced the room. Puzzle pieces started clicking into place so fast, I couldn’t keep up with them. “Demons can’t force anyone to do something against their will, can they? They can’t possess anyone and make them do things while they’re insensible, can they?”
Tabitha leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her caftan. “If you don’t want to discuss your defense, there’s no point in my being here. Talk sense, will you?”
I sprang across the room and almost tackled her. “I know what’s going on and I think I know a way to stop it, but I need your help, Aunt Tabitha—you and Mathison. I need to know as much as you can tell me about demons.” She frowned, and I breathed out a sigh of impatience. “Please. I’m begging you. If you really want to help me, just take a few minutes and tell me what I need to know.”
“Fine.” She uncrossed her arms. “Demons can be summoned by anyone, even mundanes. Of course it isn’t ideal for anyone without adequate magical power because the summoner can’t bind the demon properly.”
“That’s why there are so many cases of demonic possession among humans?”
She nodded. “Exactly. When a mundane summons a demon accidentally or using insufficient power, the human can fall under the demon’s sway instead of the other way around.”
“What about vampires?” I asked. “What would happen if a vampire called a demon?”
“With vampires and witches, it’s a different matter. A witch’s magic—or in the case of a vampire, the un-lifeforce that animates them—binds the demon to the summoner’s influence. The demon can only attack the target, but not possess it. The summoner’s power acts as a buffer that stops the demon from completely taking over the target.”
“And what can a demon control? Can they manipulate dreams?”
Tabitha nodded. “Absolutely.”
“Can they confuse the target? Make them wonder what is real and what’s not? Could a demon affect time?”
Tabitha cocked her head to the side but it was Mathison who answered. “A Repeer Demon could.”
“A Repeer Demon? What’s that?”
“It’s a demon from the deeper depths of Hell,” Mathison answered. “They are demons that affect the subconscious mind. Everything you’re describing falls under the territory of a Repeer Demon.”
“Bingo,” I answered with a smile. “Now, I know what you are, Dev.”
“Dev?” Tabitha repeated.
I ignored her. “What else can a Repeer Demon do?”
“Quite like an incubus demon, it feeds by sucking the life force of another… sexually,” Mathison answered.
“Hence the sexual dreams and the fact that Dev kept coming onto me,” I answered, all of this starting to finally make sense.
“What are you going on about, dear?” Tabitha asked.
I shook my head at her. “Nevermind.” I slipped into my chair. “Now listen carefully.” They both leaned forward. “I have a plan, but I’ll need you and Mathison to work fast. I’m betting the demon in question won’t be able to affect you because you aren’t its target.”
“What does that mean?” Tabitha asked.
“It means you won’t black out and lose your memory the way I did.” I took another deep breath. “I need you to contact Lorcan and…”
Her eyebrows lifted. “Lorcan? Lorcan Rowe—the vampire? The one who turned you into… what you now are?”
I hoped she didn’t mean to sound like she was vomiting up the last four words, but there it was. “Yes, that one.”
“You want me to deal with a vampire?”
There was that vomit facial expression again.
“Right.”
“Darling, why can’t you just accept your mother’s offer of that adorable little cottage in Tacoma?”
“If you try to hide me in Tacoma, Tabitha, you’re going to be dealing with hundreds of vampires, so I suggest you go along with this plan for all our sakes.”
She looked like she might argue but then her shoulders deflated. “Very well, what must I do?”
“Contact Lorcan. I also need you to contact Poppy Morton and a few other people. I’ll explain everything, but I can’t have you finking out once you leave this room. You’re either in or you’re out.” I saw her wavering, and I pressed my advantage. “If this works, you won’t have to take me to Tacoma. You and Mathison can go back to Portland and I’ll keep living here. I won’t ever bother the coven again and you won’t have to worry about the vampires or the Faerie Court of Winter coming after you. By doing this, you’ll wash your hands of me and you’ll protect the coven. What do you say?”
“The Faerie Court of Winter?” she repeated, looking appalled. “They’re also involved?”
“They are.”
She hesitated and then folded her hands on the table. “Very well. What must I do?”
Chapter Seventeen
Taliyah unlocked my cell later that evening.
She stood aside to make room for me to walk out, but she didn’t look happy about it.
“Your aunt and your lawyer bailed you out. You’re free to go… for now.”
“Thanks.”
I headed for the exit, but she called after me before I walked out the front door. “You remember what I said. If you were involved in Cain’s death, we’ll be seeing a whole lot more of each other.”
I walked away without answering. I knew I didn’t have anything to do with Cain’s death. Dev had made me black out, but he couldn’t make me kill Cain because I didn’t want to kill Cain. Dev couldn’t force me to do things against my own will because he couldn’t possess me. He could only make me lose my memory, which is exactly what he’d done—and he was the one who killed Cain. Why? I wasn’t sure.
The demon could influence me in subtle ways, like pushing my blood powers to their limit and even seducing Lorcan. I’d done those things under Dev’s influence, but only because I’d wanted to do those things deep down—an idea that scared me because it hinted to things within my personality I wasn’t willing to face.
But, at least I hadn’t killed Cain Morgan.
Yes, he was obnoxious. Yes, he put his nose where it didn’t belong. And yes he was a pain in everyone’s ass, but that didn’t mean I wanted him gone. No one knew better than I did how precarious the situation was between Haven Hollow’s supernatural residents and the police. I would never jeopardize that.
Tabitha rushed me in the lobby while shriveled old Mathison stood off to the side without blinking.
“Oh, thank the Goddess you’re out of that dreadful place! I really thought that crude officer was going to stop you from leaving, even after we paid the bail money! Ten thousand dollars! It’s highway robbery.” She shook her head and much though I didn’t want to admit it, I was glad she was there. And, further, I was glad it was her and not Mother. For all the dislike I harbored for my own mother, I couldn’t say I felt the same way towards Tabitha.
I didn’t turn around. I could still feel Taliyah’s eyes burning into the back of my head. “Let’s get out of here.”
Tabitha bustled out of the station and herded me toward a black, Lincoln Continental.
“Everything is in place exactly the way you asked. Here’s the paperwork.”
She handed me a new manila envelope and then she put a single twenty-dollar bill in my hand. I stared at it. “What is this?”
“The vampire agreed to sell you the property for this amount.”
I had to stare at the bill a few seconds longer before I understood she was really serious. I looked at her in shock. “He’s selling me the duplex for twenty bucks?”
She nodded. “We weren’t able to access your accounts and, unfortunately or fortunately, depending how you look at it, twenty dollars was all you had in your wallet.” She took a deep breath. “I would have offered you more but…”
“The money has to belong to me in order to claim sanctum.”
She nodded. “It’s your money so the sale will be perfectly legal. Do you want to go over the paperwork now?”
“No.” I swallowed hard as I looked at my aunt. Astrid definitely had inherited her facial features, if not her raven dark hair. No, Astrid’s fire-red hair was all her own. I hadn’t even had time to think about the fact that Tabitha had gone out of her way to help me. “Thank you for doing this.”
Tabitha dropped her gaze to the ground. She was as uncomfortable with emotion as I was—it was just a witch thing. “It was the least I could do considering… considering you’ve adopted Astrid.” Then she looked up at me. “How is she?”
“She’s safe,” I answered. “She’s with Poppy, who I trust with my life.”
Tabitha nodded and there was a sad look in her eyes. It was at that moment I realized she hadn’t wanted Astrid to leave—it was something the coven had decided and what the coven decided went. I felt sorry for her, but gave her a consoling smile. “I will take care of Astrid as if she were my own, you know that.”
“I know how you feel about her,” Tabitha said with a quick nod. “And I have to admit, I was happy to know she came to you.”
It was the nicest thing Tabitha had ever said to me and I had a feeling it would remain as such. I just nodded and then hopped into the car and buckled my seatbelt while Mathison got behind the wheel. Tabitha took the passenger seat.
I ripped open the envelope while Mathison drove. Sure enough, Lorcan had signed the new sales agreement in the amount of twenty dollars! He really was a prince for doing this. And I promised myself I’d make it up to him. I wasn’t sure how, but I would.
Tabitha handed me a pen. “Mathison is a notary public, so all you have to do is sign and hand over the money to finalize the sale. As soon as you do…” She frowned as her gaze settled outside the back window, behind me.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Someone is following us.”
I peered through the rear windshield in time to see a bronze sedan right behind us with the Haven Hollow Police Department logo emblazoned on either side. “Are you sure?” I asked Tabitha.
She nodded. “The car followed us out of the police station and followed us onto Main Street and it’s still following us.” She turned to face Mathison. “Can you lose it?” He simply nodded.
“No, Mathison,” I countered. “Don’t get rid of it. Let the police follow us.”
“What?” Tabitha barked. “Why? If the police show up and try to stop the sale….”
“The police won’t do anything because it’s not the police. It’s Taliyah Morgan. She’s looking for any reason to get me in trouble.”
“That detective!” Tabitha curled her lip at the name. “Why would you possibly want her to follow us and potentially interfere in this grand plan of yours?”
“She’s the Princess of the Faerie Court of Winter, though she doesn’t know it.”
“She is?” Tabitha responded, mouth dropping open. “But she’s… she’s working as a police officer!”
I nodded. “She doesn’t realize who and what she is.” I took a breath. “And to answer your other question… with Ophelia Ponsobby out of the way and Cain Morgan dead, I think it’s about time the police knew what was going on in Haven Hollow.”
Tabitha gasped out loud. “You can’t think of revealing the supernaturals to the mundane police, Wanda! You could be expelled from the Hollow for that, you know.”
“Isn’t that what you and Mother wanted all along—for me to get expelled? Then I would have to come running back to Mother and beg her to take me under her protective wing.” I shook my head and tried to keep the anger at bay. “Anyway, Taliyah isn’t mundane. She’s Faerie which means she’s the perfect person to liaise between the supernaturals and the mundanes. She has a foot in both worlds and understands both—at least, she will once the memory charm breaks—which could be any second now.”
Tabitha jerked around to face front. “She’s a vigilante. She should be removed from her job and stripped of her badge.”
“I can forgive her for relaxing the rules for her brother. If someone hurt Astrid, they would never see the light of day again.”
Tabitha said nothing.
I finished signing the paperwork in the tense silence. At the nearest stoplight, I handed the document to Mathison who notarized it on the spot. And, just like that, the duplex was mine. I wasn’t sure how to feel.
We arrived at the duplex. I spotted a large moving van parked in front of Lorcan’s yard. Cordon tape still barricaded my side. As we drew closer, Lorcan appeared from the treeline of the forest. It was then that I realized his Porsche was parked on the far end of the driveway. He squinted at the Lincoln pulling up to the curb and a brilliant smile broke across his face as soon as he recognized me.
I opened the door as soon as the car came to a stop and then started up the property. Lorcan watched me the whole time and when I walked straight up to him and threw my arms around him, he appeared to be in shock.
“Thank you,” I whispered. “You don’t understand what this means to me.” Then I turned to the more important subject at hand. “Is everyone here?”
He circled my waist and beamed down at me with shining eyes. “Yes, just like you requested.”
Tabitha and Mathison approached more slowly. Tabitha wrinkled her nose at the display of Lorcan and me in an embrace.
“If we can just complete the formalities…” Tabitha started.
“Wanda, I have been looking for you.”
Tabitha broke off in mid-sentence, interrupted by the appearance of another person. A shiver went through me as soon as I recognized the voice. The four of us froze as the voice echoed from across the driveway.
We spun around to see Dev striding toward us. Tabitha hissed through bared teeth. She recognized him instantly as a demon and I had to wonder why I hadn’t upon first meeting him. Then I just figured he had to have been piling on the magic from the very get-go.
Tabitha whirled around to confront him, but Dev didn’t stop.
A cruel grin spread across his face as he got closer to the cordon tape. “You never delivered that outfit I ordered,” he said, facing me. “Perhaps I should report you to the Better Business Bureau.”
He hooked his fingers under the cordon tape and started to lift it. Quick as lightning, I yanked out the sales agreement and the twenty-dollar bill. I slapped both into Lorcan’s hands and bolted for the house.
I barely got two steps when Poppy and Astrid sprang out of the moving van. Marty, Henner, and RJ burst from behind my side of the duplex with all their ghost-repelling equipment aimed at Dev.
Roy and Fifi appeared from the other side of the building while Darla and Libby dashed out of their side of the duplex. Everyone converged on me, forming a circle around me to block Dev from reaching me.
Poppy shoved something into my hand—the Go Away Evil Oil I’d requested to dampen Dev’s power over me.
“Quick, Wanda! Anoint yourself. We already anointed Lorcan with it. Take it and go!”
She waved me toward the duplex that was now mine. All I had to do was go inside and perform the sanctum spell and I would be safe from Dev. No one would be able to set foot within a twenty-foot radius without my approval.
My friends all lined up to form a wall of bodies to protect me. Even Astrid joined the circle and seeing her brought tears to my eyes. I hadn’t asked Poppy to bring Astrid—I didn’t want to put Astrid in danger from Dev, so I was more than sure Astrid had insisted on going or maybe she’d just shown up without Poppy’s permission. Regardless, Astrid was a witch and that meant she could help us. I watched as Astrid and Tabitha met each other’s gazes and smiled.
I looked at Poppy as it hit me… I couldn’t go through with my plan. I couldn’t retreat inside and do the spell to claim sanctum while everyone else placed their lives on the line. “I’m not leaving you all out here alone.”
“Wanda…” Poppy began, but I wasn’t listening any longer. I cracked open the potion bottle and dumped the contents over my own head. Then I burst through the line to face down the demon.
Dev’s grin cracked even wider. “Wanda… my little runaway witch!”
“Who sent you?” I demanded.
Dev threw his head back and laughed. “You know I can’t admit that. I’m sworn to secrecy.”
“Then why did you kill Cain Morgan?” I demanded.
“Because he got in the way,” Dev answered, his eyes narrowing as he stared at me.
“Got in the way of what?”
“I was feeding from you,” Dev answered, his lips breaking out into a lascivious smile. It was then that I realized all the potions Poppy had anointed me with had to be working because I didn’t feel the way I usually did around Dev. I was no longer the pandering, hyper-sexed, weak person. Now I was strong, determined and pissed off. I was back to being Wanda.
