CHAPTER TWENTY
~
Faith climbed out of Lex’s car in the bar parking lot, and a scent in the air caught her attention. She turned toward the bar and sniffed the air.
“Come on,” Lex said. He placed a hand on each shoulder and aimed her towards the guesthouse.
“Tasty humans,” Faith said, realising the scent spiked her bloodlust.
“Not funny,” Lex whispered against her ear.
Faith fought the urge that overwhelmed her to do something about the itch inside her to get naked with Lex and do what came naturally. “Just a snack?” she asked, trying to refocus her mind on something other than his hands on her shoulders and how that made her feel.
“We’ll go home after this; I have something for you in my basement that will ease those cravings,” Lex said by way of a promise.
“Ooo, dirty,” Faith said, tossing him a wicked look over her shoulder.
Lex felt that look deep within him. It softened his guard, but not enough that when she tried to take a step toward the bar, he wasn’t paying attention and corrected her path. “Play nice with Nana,” he whispered.
“Way to drag the mood down,” Faith said, turning to see Moira pulling into a parking bay. “Humans, humans everywhere, but not a drop to drink.”
Lex chuckled. “Pity party vampire,” he said, steering her up the slope to Nana’s backdoor. “Stand right there,” he said, putting her at the outermost edge of the path where he would have time to get between her and Nana should the need arise. “Think – statues.”
“Huh?” Faith asked, curling her top lip in confusion.
“Childhood game. Every time I turn around, you had better be dead still like a statue,” Lex informed her.
“I’ve got the dead part; the rest is left to chance,” Faith said, eyeing Moira as she walked up the slope toward them. “Snack incoming.”
Moira snapped her fingers, and Faith felt the sting like a whip against her hip. “I’m sure I can invent a collar that does that every time she is inappropriate in deed or words,” she informed Lex.
Lex bit off a chuckle the moment Faith glared at him. “Let’s just get through this, shall we?” He knocked on the door.
“Not a damn dog,” Faith bit out in her own defence as Lex hadn’t bothered. She lowered her chin and eyed the witch from beneath her long eyelashes, still contemplating getting her own back.
“No, they are better behaved,” Moira said just as the door was yanked open. Nana stood there eyeing the group, Lex in front, Faith off to the left, and Moira on the right.
“Oh good, visitors,” Nana said in a dry tone that made Faith prickle.
“This is Moira,” Lex said.
“The crone who started this whole thing,” Faith said, smirking as she eyed Moira with disdain.
Nana eyed the witch. “Doesn’t look like a crone. Is this your natural form, or are you projecting?”
“Au natural,” Moira said, holding up her palms toward the elder and lowering her wards so Nana could test for any magic coming from her.
“Smells like aged wine,” Faith said. “With a few old rusty nails thrown in for good measure.”
“Faith,” Lex bit out, rolling his eyes at Moira, who glared at Faith.
“That had to hurt,” Nana said. “Vanity is such a crime against humanity.”
Faith snorted a chuckle at Moira’s expense. “Especially when it’s unwarranted.”
Moira turned on her heels. “I’m not standing here to be…”
Lex took his eye off the ball, and Faith was in front of Moira in a heartbeat. “You can dish it but can’t take it.”
Moira’s wards were back in place, and magic danced like electricity at her fingertips. “Heel or regret not doing it,” she warned her.
“Faith!” Nana snapped, getting her attention. “One drop of blood, and you’re going swimming again.”
Lex wrapped an arm around Faith’s waist and hauled her back to where she’d been standing. “I meant it when I said sit on the roof and pout,” he informed her, wagging a finger in her face.
Faith didn’t hesitate; she snapped at his finger and bit down, biting bone deep into the flesh, all the while keeping her gaze locked on his.
“Let go!” Lex snapped, careful not to try to snatch his finger back in case she stripped it back to the bone.
Faith released him and licked her lips before turning her attention to Nana. “I take it you didn’t mean vampire blood spilt?” she said, looking pleased with herself.
Nana groaned. “He can take care of himself,” she said, raising her chin. “And it’s a lesson learned about men wagging their fingers in a woman’s face.”
“I hear that,” Moira said.
Lex shook off the pain in his finger with a look of contempt for the women present. “So much for equality,” he grumbled.
“When we do it, it’s to direct your attention long enough that you might actually listen to what we say,” Moira said.
Nana grunted in agreement. “When you do it, it’s toxic masculinity.”
“That’s not fair,” Lex protested.
“Neither was being treated as chattel without a voice for generations,” Moira said. “Now, down to why we are here.” She turned her attention to Nana as Lex grumbled to himself.
“I take it you’re offering your help,” Nana said, eyeing the witch with interest.
“You’ll need it,” Moira said, locking her gaze with Nana’s and holding it as an unspoken moment passed between them.
“Fine, Moira can come in,” Nana said, turning her attention to Faith and Lex. “You two can’t.”
“I’m shocked,” Faith said, turning to Lex. “How about you?”
“To the core,” Lex said, grinning.
“We should go to the bar,” Faith said, turning on her heels.
Lex caught her in a heartbeat, turning her back toward the guesthouse. “Now is not really the time,” he said, shaking his head.
“You’re no fun anymore.” Faith sighed, rolling her eyes and watching Moira enter the house she wasn’t welcome in anymore. She buried the pang of pain for what she had lost and turned to eye the sea – life sucked.
~
“Nana alert!” True said, cutting so close to Hope as she dashed toward the back decking, they bumped elbows, and Hope shuffled sideways. True hooked Hope’s arm, spinning her on her toes before dragging her towards the outside world of freedom.
“Harsh!” Hope said, trying to balance the tray of dirty plates in her hands and not lose anything overboard.
“Now she doesn’t have Faith to annoy; she’ll be coming for me,” True said, finally getting to the deck and taking a big whiff of freedom. “Tray down, let’s go outside the bar to the front and wait for her to leave – Nana!” True said, plastering a fake smile of surprise on her face when the elder stomped out onto the patio and placed her hands on her hips as she eyed the witches.
“Fast, but not fast enough, but thanks for the extra steps because I don’t get enough exercise,” Nana said, cocking a disapproving eyebrow at her granddaughter.
True raised her eyebrows, questioning the elder’s sanity. “Don’t know what you mean,” she rushed out, but it didn’t help that Hope was chuckling to herself. “Stop it,” she admonished Hope in hushed tones.
“Yes,” Nana said in agreement with her granddaughter. “Stop it; we have a problem.”
Hope grunted at the thought. “Because we didn’t have enough to begin the day with?”
Nana turned a sour look on Hope. “Because everyone has been so caught up in their own lives and loves that we missed something big…”
“Big?” Hope asked, curious now.
“Huge,” Nana said, nodding in agreement with herself.
True sighed inwardly. “Of course we did; life could never be simple, could it?” She turned a questioning look on Hope.
“What’d I do?” Hope said, immediately defensive under her friend’s gaze. She placed the tray on the nearest table and folded her arms. “Okay, Nana, let’s hear it – now what?”
“Squatting!” Nana said, nodding again.
“You – the ghosts – or someone new?” Hope asked, taking an elbow in the arm from True as her friend snorted with amusement.
“Something old but new to you,” Nana said.
True leant in toward Hope. “I think she’s been spending too long with the ghosts…”
“’Tis very cryptic,” Hope said in agreement. “And without the riddle-me-this?” she asked Nana.
“The Others from inside the veil,” Nana informed them. True pulled her head back and curled her top lip; she wasn’t sure she wanted to hear more.
“They are in our guesthouse too?” Hope asked with a half-smirk.
“Worse,” Nana said. “They are in Faith and possibly Jennifer.”
“Jennifer!” True said, scowling. She turned to look at Hope. “That’s not good.”
“Or Faith,” Hope said, nudging her.
“Well, sure, Faith, but Faith is Faith, and she’ll always land on her feet,” True said, shrugging.
“Until she didn’t and died,” Hope reminded her.
True lifted her witching finger. “But came back as a vampire…”
“Not such a good thing considering,” Hope reminded her.
True rolled her eyes. “I know that, but she’s still here…”
“And so are the spirits,” Nana said, slightly frustrated over the ability of the two witches to go off on a tangent. “Bigger picture!” she snapped.
True snapped to attention. “Right, Jennifer!”
“No, the Others,” Nana said, slowly shaking her head. “Go with the lead, True, always go with the lead.”
“So, we are sure the veil is down, and the Others have slipped out and are, in fact, residing in Faith?” True asked, not really sure of anything.
“Yes,” Nana said with an emphatic nod.
Hope shrugged. “So why don’t we know if they are inside Jennifer?”
Nana scrunched up her nose with a sour expression. “Because,” she said, waving her hand in front of her.
“Gonna need more, Nana,” Hope said.
“We haven’t tested her to see if anything is squatting inside,” Nana said.
“So, going with the lead,” True said. “We need to test Jennifer?”
Nana considered it for a long moment. “Sure,” she said, frowning. “And then we need to come up with a full coven of witches…”
“Whoa!” Hope said, lifting her hands. “Where are we going to get a full coven?”
True shrugged. “We have me, you, Nana and Grandpa…”
“Don’t say it like we are together,” Nana grumbled.
True turned a curious look on her grandmother. “Seriously, you’re going to protest that – now?”
“Until my dying breath,” Nana informed her, head held high with a flash of mischief in her determined eyes.
Hope chuckled. “Nobody can say she isn’t giving her grudge everything she has.”
“Stop!” True said, nudging Hope with her elbow. “Okay, witches, me, Hope, Nana, Grandpa, Dani, Amy, Evie, Faith…”
“Nope!” Hope said, shaking her head.
True rolled her eyes. “I gotta get used to that, Faith is a vampire,” she sighed. “Me, Hope, Nana, Grandpa, Dani, Evie, Amy, Darcy, Jennifer is half a witch…”
“Who might be infected with brain Others,” Hope said.
“That’s a thing,” True said, sighing. “Scratch Jennifer…”
“Add Moira,” Nana said.
True and Hope looked at each other at a loss to know what she was talking about. “Who’s Moira?” True asked.
“The crone,” Nana said.
True and Hope raised their eyebrows at the news. “We have a name?” True said.
“Maybe she could be lying about that,” Nana said.
“We have the crone?” Hope asked.
Nana raised her chin again. “We do, I’ve spoken to her.”
“Oh yeah, what’s she like?” True asked.
“A witch,” Nana said, shrugging.
“Too descriptive – brain overload,” Hope said, chuckling. Nana fidgeted on her feet, eyeing Hope with a don’t bust my chops look that Hope knew well. “Moving on,” she said, elbowing True. “Next!”
“That’s it, we’re out of witches, and we won’t make thirteen,” True said.
“Nine,” Nana said. “But True’s baby makes ten…”
“Baby!” Heath exclaimed, sight unseen.
“Where…?” True asked.
“My, what big ears you have,” Hope said, chuckling.