Chapter 23

TWENTY-THREE

Fluffy’s happy barks greeted me the moment I stepped inside the backyard, but hugging her close and burying my face in her warm, dear fur wasn’t enough to lift my spirits.

Logically , I knew that even if we had involved Officer Brooks as soon as Brett had been poisoned, she wouldn’t have been able to do anything. Nothing had been proven, and she wouldn’t have come close to shutting down the filming over a few seemingly unrelated accidents. I doubted she would’ve visited the set or talked to the crew until she had something more concrete.

Our UNSUB would’ve still gone forward with the murder— if it was a murder.

We needed to get inside the murder trailer.

Correction — I needed to convince Officer Brooks to let me investigate the inside of the trailer to see if there were traces of magic.

“ Don’t look so distraught, child.” Bagley’s muffled voice came from under my jacket. “ For all you know, it was a dark witch taking out another dark witch. That should cheer you up, yes?”

Fluffy barked in surprise in my arms while Rufus looked at us with the canine equivalent of narrowed eyes.

With a sigh, I let Fluffy down and sat at the kitchen table. The surface was still covered with papers related to the shop, since I still hadn’t gotten around to buying an actual desk or table for the living room.

“ Murder will never cheer me up, Ms . Bagley .”

The only silver lining to the situation was the fact we were now down to two main suspects and the fact Lee might’ve been the guilty witch and offed herself by mistake. Two silver linings. That was one more than the average, I consoled myself.

On top of this mess, Olmeda’s bad reputation as a cursed city for filming movies or shows would get worse.

They might not even finish filming the movie now that Lee was dead. As if getting a good book adaptation made wasn’t hard enough!

Sensing my distress, Fluffy pawed at my jeans. I leaned down and gave her a good scratch on her favorite spot behind her ears. She panted in bliss.

Rufus ambled over, sniffed at my jacket, possibly sensing something was amiss on my person, then nudged me for his share of attention.

It made me want to cry.

I hugged his neck and rubbed his back. “ You’re a good egg like your owner, Rufus .”

Rufus woofed a grunt, licked my face, then moved back to his water bowl.

I cleaned my cheek, then slapped it lightly.

“ Time to focus.”

“ Are you talking to me, to the dogs, or to yourself?” Bagley asked.

“ To the universe, Ms . Bagley , for it’s the source of our magic and all that we are.”

“ If the universe focuses any more on you, you’re going up in flames. How many dead bodies does this make? Five ?”

“ Three , and this one doesn’t count. It didn’t happen in my shop.” There , another silver lining. I could do this.

“ Have you stopped to consider maybe you’re the curse on Olmeda ?”

“ Now you’re just being mean.” I stood and went to the kitchen downstairs, Fluffy and Rufus in tow, as if they were guarding me. It made my heart ache. “ You were responsible for the body in the bathtub and the one in my shop. You’re the curse on Olmeda .”

Bagley chuckled with delight. “ I wouldn’t mind that too much.”

Of course she wouldn’t. I grabbed her plastic container, made sure everything was locked up tight, and returned upstairs. I unhooked the locket from around my neck and put Bagley into the container, then closed the lid firmly and placed it on the windowsill of the kitchen, where Fluffy and Rufus couldn’t reach.

“ What ?” Bagley said, her voice muffled by the plastic. “ No locker?”

“ You helped, you get to reap your reward.” I wouldn’t leave her unsupervised downstairs, but I saw no harm in allowing her a night up here. “ Enjoy making a list of things I could improve in my kitchen for when I wake up.”

“ Oh , I will,” she said with pure glee.

A reluctant smile curved my lips. Before she could see it, I turned and went into the dark, empty living room. I parted the curtains and studied the front street as I brought out my phone. A good amount of car traffic came through even now that it was night, but the sidewalks were quiet and the houses across the street dark and silent. One had a small string of Christmas lights dangling across a window. They twinkled in reds and greens and blues and made me feel lonely in my empty living room.

I looked down at Fluffy and Rufus . “ After this is over, we’re getting a couch.”

Rufus wagged his tail in agreement. Fluffy sat and stared at me adoringly.

Time to get this Officer Brooks call done.

First I searched the non-emergency number for the local police, then I was passed from person to person and made to wait fifteen minutes just to be told Officer Brooks wasn’t on duty.

Since there was no way they were going to give me her personal number, I sent Veva a text asking for it.

To pass the time while I waited for Veva’s answer, I checked my crystal’s shipping page.

Out of stock.

I almost dropped the phone.

“ What ?”

Fluffy made concerned noises while I browsed to the black jade’s sale page. Out of stock there too. Did that mean out of stock because they only had one and it had been shipped to me? Or out of stock because they shipped it to someone else? Or because they hadn’t realized they didn’t have any until they shipped mine?

I dropped to sit on the floor and buried my face in my hands.

Two days to make the immunity potion. That meant it had to be ready tomorrow.

What was I going to do?

Fluffy pawed at my legs, and Rufus nudged my back. Feeling as if all the weight in the world was pressing down on my shoulders, I reached over and hugged them close. This was the worst. And to think just mere days ago I was on top of the world!

I had caught Hannah , I had stopped Bagley’s nefarious plans, we had put on the best Halloween tour ever, and Ian and my relationship had taken a huge leap forward.

And now…

The sadness was nearly overwhelming.

Moving Fluffy to my lap, I wiped my eyes and sent Ian a text: Free to talk?

After five minutes went by with no answer, I started typing another text: Please , it’s im ? —

I stared at the screen for a couple of moments, then deleted the words. I was being needy while Ian was doing all this—taking care of Hannah —for me, to keep me and the shop safe. When he was able, he’d call, like he always did.

Absently petting Fluffy while I waited, I studied the shadowed walls of my empty, shadowed living room. The light coming from the kitchen made the room feel like I’d only just moved into the house.

Would I have to move out because I couldn’t provide one potion in the agreed-upon time? Surely even the best of witches had delays from time to time. I’d explain the issue and the Council witch would be understanding.

I remembered her cold gaze and curt, pointed questions.

Maybe not.

Ian still hadn’t called, so I made a snap decision.

I wanted to be with him, and if he wasn’t available, I’d go for the best next thing.

“ Want to go home?” I asked the dogs. Fluffy let out a happy yip, and Rufus woofed.

They missed Ian and their home too.

Within five minutes, the dogs and I were on our way to the cemetery. Simply walking there made my heart feel lighter.

A good hour or two sitting on his couch with his dogs and reading his astronomy books was what I needed.

The streets surrounding Greenhill Cemetery were shadowed and quiet in a cozy way. There was little traffic here, and the dark spot of the cemetery itself was familiar and soothing.

I opened the side door in the fence and brought the dogs in. We were halfway through the slope up the hill to the main house when a door slammed and a dark figure darted toward the garage workshop.

What on earth…?

The dogs began to bark wildly, and Rufus almost pulled me off my feet, trying to reach the figure. Was that a thief? Was someone trying to rob Ian ? Fury exploded in my chest.

“ Halt !” I yelled, grabbing desperately for my pepper spray can. “ Don’t move!”

The figure stilled, his features shadowed by the lack of moonlight, as I finally managed to get the pepper spray out of my pocket.

That’s when I noticed Rufus’s and Fluffy’s wagging tails, the happy note to their barks. The big shape of the SUV parked right off the path.

I let the leashes drop in shock, and the dogs darted to the figure. The familiarity in the way he crouched to greet Fluffy and Rufus slammed me like a sledgehammer. The planes on his face as my eyes adjusted to the lack of light.

Ian ?

Dazed , I took a few steps forward.

Ian straightened, his mouth curving into a crooked smile. “ Hello , Hope .”

“ Ian ,” I whispered.

I ran to him and jumped into his arms.

He caught me easily and hugged me close as my legs wound around his hips.

“ Ian ,” I repeated into the crook of his neck, inhaling that wonderful mix of soap and sweat and Ian . “ You’re back.”

“ I was going to surprise you,” he murmured into my ear. “ Drop my things, change my clothes, and drive straight to the shop.”

“ I love surprises.” His warmth wound around me, and I reveled in the strength of his arms, his vitality, the beating of his heart next to mine. “ I missed you so much.”

“ I missed you too.” He nuzzled my neck, his strong hands running up and down my back. Then his lips found my cheek, my jaw, my mouth. “ Hope ,” he murmured between soft kisses. “ Hope . My Hope .”

I squeezed him closer. “ I want to be your mate.”

“ You already are,” he whispered roughly.

Leaning back, I stared into his wonderfully bright eyes, the emotions strong enough to be visible in the shadows. There was tenderness there, exultation, and a conviction so deep it went all the way to the bone.

“ Ian , I want to be your mate now .”

He flashed his white teeth with the bit of pointy fang that melted my insides, and there was so much heat in his expression that it took my breath away. “ I want that too.”

He repositioned my legs more securely around his waist and kissed me so deeply I forgot who I was.

Then he carried me into the house and up the stairs to his room.