CHAPTER FOUR

We walked across the parking lot, and the two of them kept up a sassy banter. It made me smile, listening to the couple. They were obviously crazy about each other.

So, I ended up going home with the Tremaines. It was funny, but the farther we traveled away from the city of Alton, the lighter I felt. The three of us were crammed together on the bench seat of his truck, and an 80s classic rock station was playing on the radio. The windows were down, and I began to unwind and enjoy the breeze and the smell of the river as we drove along.

One by one my muscles began to unclench. My stomach stopped cramping, and my stress and anxiety lessened considerably as Rafe drove competently down the Great River Road to the historic riverside village of Ames Crossing.

I found their rambling stone cottage charming. Surrounded by a picket fence and located smack in the middle of the village, there was a definite magickal vibe in the home. It was strong, secure and rock solid. In fact, my shoulders dropped in relief as soon as I stepped over the threshold. I spotted various magickal talismans above the doorways and crystals on every windowsill as I was shown around by Rafe's thirteen-year-old daughter, Caroline.

She was bouncy and full of energy. Tall and blonde like her father, the girl was excited at having company. A scruffy mutt, the family dog, Ford, followed Arianna around like a loving shadow. As she chattered away, I soon learned the guest room they'd offered to me was a recent addition to the back of the house.

Arianna explained that they'd added the room when they'd learned they had a baby on the way, and that her parents would use the room when they came up to visit. After running to the other room and back, my hostess brought me some dry clothes to wear—a T-shirt and pair of sweats borrowed from Rafe, and one of her hoodies. I rinsed out my swimsuit and hung it to dry in the laundry room, while Arianna tossed all of my soaked clothes in the washer for me.

Arianna then handed me an extra blanket, announced she was going to make us some tea, and headed toward the kitchen.

I placed the blanket at the foot of the quilt covered guest bed. The room was painted a warm cream color, and the bed and dresser appeared to be antiques. They weren't fussy, just sturdy and solid wood. I also noticed a large chunk of quartz crystal displayed on the dresser.

"I put the crystal cluster in here," Caroline said proudly. "Aunt Amanda told me it's supposed to be good for clearing negativity." The teen pointed down the hall. "Anyway, Arianna keeps the house locked up metaphysically. No ghosts or anything will bug you while you stay here. I know, because I helped with the last protection spell she put on our house."

The girl had said that so casually, I did a double take. While Arianna was a daughter of Midnight, I hadn't realized that she was training her stepdaughter. Before I could comment, Rafe stepped into the doorway.

"Don't talk her ear off with all the witchy stuff, Caroline," he said with a teasing smile.

"Dad." She rolled her eyes.

"Have you eaten anything, lately?" Rafe asked me casually.

I frowned over his question.

"Angela texted us and mentioned that you are hypoglycemic. I figured with everything that has happened you could probably use some food."

My eyebrows went up at the announcement. "I see."

Rafe gave me a considering look. "She also told me to tell you that she will protect your privacy and give you some space."

My shoulders dropped in relief. "In other words, she won't tell my sisters where I am."

Rafe inclined his head. "I told you; nobody will think to look for you here."

I nodded. "Good."

"How ‘bout I make you a sandwich?" he asked.

"That would be great," I said. The truth was I was starting to feel a tad wobbly.

As we went down the hall, I caught a glimpse of what had to be the future nursery. The walls had been painted a pale green, and a crib that was still in its shipping box rested on the wall by the door.

I spent a pleasant evening with the Tremaine family. While Rafe and Caroline put together a late supper of chicken salad sandwiches and chips, Rafe shooed Arianna aside and told her to get off her feet.

She tossed him a sassy look but gave in to his request, sat at the table, and rested her hands over her baby bump.

Rafe went to the fridge, pulled out a large jar of dill pickles, and thumped it down on the table in front of his wife.

Arianna opened the jar. "I know it's a cliché, but I have been really into pickles lately."

I hid a smile. "I didn't say anything."

Rafe served the sandwiches, and while we ate Caroline chattered away about her tumbling team. Ford sat by my chair and shamelessly begged for scraps. I managed to sneak him a few chips. When I had the chance, I asked Arianna and Rafe if they knew the gender of their baby.

"It's a boy," Rafe said with a mile-wide grin.

Arianna reached for his hand. "We're pretty excited. There haven't been any boys born into the Beaumont family line since my father."

"Oh, that's right." I nodded. "Amanda has two daughters, right?"

"Tori and Tabitha," Arianna replied.

"Do you have a name picked out?" I asked the couple.

Arianna smiled. "We're thinking of naming him Carter."

"After the famous archaeologist," Caroline added.

I nodded. "Well, considering baby's mom is also a famous archeologist, it fits."

Sitting around the table with Arianna and her family, I felt a weight slide off my shoulders. And that surprised me.

I hadn't realized how badly I needed space from my own family and their fears until I was away from them. Perhaps, the peace and quiet of Ames Crossing would be the best thing for me.

I resolved to call my sisters in the morning, but for that night I was indulging in a well-earned reprieve from the police investigation and the pressure of my family's worry.

Taking Rafe and Arianna's invitation to make myself at home to heart, I shuffled into the kitchen early the following morning and made myself a cup of tea. With Ford for company, I slipped out onto the patio, sat in a cushioned chair by an outdoor table, and watched the sun rise. It was slightly misty and chilly, but I was comfortable in my borrowed hoodie and sweats.

I couldn't recall the last time I'd breathed so easily or felt so light. Yes, there were still major issues to deal with, but I'd been unaware of how much weight I'd been carrying and how much stress I'd been holding in over the past few weeks until I'd literally removed myself from the mix.

The Mississippi River was to my west and although it was not within my line of sight in the village, I could still feel its magick and its power. It was comforting. Rolling my shoulders, I visualized any remaining anxiety that I carried gently flowing away.

While I worked on my visualization, my gaze traveled over the backyard and to the stone wall at the rear of the property. A huge old tree was growing at the back, and I guessed that must be where Arianna had excavated the artifacts, a cache including gold coins and jewelry, that had once belonged to the infamous river pirate, Emile Francois.

The story had made international news. It wasn't every day that pirates' treasure was dug up in a backyard in the Midwest. There'd been more gold found nearby as well, and I recalled that my sister Skye had interviewed Caroline and a few of her friends about the second cache of gold coins the kids had found in a nearby cave.

Skye had interviewed them for her paranormal show since the treasure was rumored to have been cursed, and because the children claimed to being trapped in the cave by a ghost when they found the gold. As if he knew my thoughts, Ford leaned against my leg and whined.

I reached down to pat his head. "Don't like ghosts, do you boy?"

The dog grumbled.

"Don't blame you," I said. "Still, I think a ghost would be easier to deal with than the three of my sisters on a tear."

Ford rested his head in my lap in sympathy.

"I'm going to have to make some changes, Ford." I ruffled his ears. "If I go back home, I could be putting my sisters in danger. Whoever is stalking me knows where I live too. It's not fair to put Brynn, Kenna, and Skye in harm's way. Someone else has already been hurt, and whoever is doing this…they're ramping up. After yesterday, that's become all too clear."

The dog licked my hand in sympathy.

"I thought about this for hours last night," I said to my canine companion. "I can't move back in the family home and act like everything is okay. It's not fair to my sisters."

The back door opened with a soft click and Arianna stepped out on the patio. "Good morning," she said and took a seat to join me at the table.

"Morning," I replied.

"Baby woke me up with a couple of rib shots this morning." Arianna grinned ruefully.

"Maybe he'll be a soccer player," I teased.

Arianna rubbed at her baby bump. "Feels more like he's doing back handsprings, not unlike his big sister."

That made me smile, and we sat in companionable silence for a few minutes. Eventually Arianna broke the silence.

"Are you feeling better today?" she asked. "Less emotionally overwhelmed?"

"I am." Releasing a contented sigh, I sat back in my chair. "I love my three sisters, but there are times when I desperately need my space. I come from a family of big personalities, and while I adore them, I also need to decompress without so many emotions pushing at me."

Arianna nodded. "I understand that. I never really quite fit in comfortably with my family either. My magick was different— I was different. And when I was young it felt like I never quite belonged. It was one of the reasons I took off where no one would know me and tried my luck out west."

"So you didn't always live in Ames Crossing?"

"Nope." Arianna smiled and proceeded to tell me how she had scraped by, working in greasy-spoon diners, until she'd met the archaeologist Dr. Tommy Walls. They'd become friends and she began to work for him as an assistant doing office work in a trailer at his dig site. Arianna told me how she'd fallen in love with archeology and started with field school the following summer. With Tommy and his partner's encouragement, she had gone back to college to finish her degree and then to get her Masters.

"Like you," Arianna said, "I prefer to quietly blend in and discreetly go about my business."

I smirked. "Digging up a pirate's treasure sort of blew that out of the water for you, didn't it?"

Arianna inclined her head. "Just like competing and medaling in the Olympics did for you, I imagine."

"Touché," I said.

"Would it be prying if I asked you what happened with you and Tim?"

I sighed. "It's complicated."

"Tim is kind and brave. He's a good man," Arianna said. "I'm sure you two can work things out."

"Let me ask you something," I began. "Did Rafe ever get freaked out by your magick?"

"Yes," she said simply.

"May I ask how?"

"He saw me banish a malevolent spirit from his home." Arianna's smile was a tad wicked. "It was an emergency situation. Caroline and Tim witnessed it as well."

I tried to recall exactly what Tim had said about that a few years ago...but he'd been more excited to have experienced the entity. Tim hadn't gone into specifics about her magick. Patting the dog's head for comfort, I considered Arianna as she sat calmly across from me. This might be my only chance to ask another practitioner about this, but still, I hesitated.

"It's okay," Arianna said. "Whatever you tell me stays between you and I."

"Tim is currently under the impression that I spelled him," I said miserably.

"In exactly what way?" she asked.

"Tim believes that I used magick on him and took away his free will. That I bewitched him in order to make things more spicy, and for him to act more aggressive...sexually." I blew out a long breath before continuing. "He flat out said—right before he dumped me—that if our roles were reversed, that it would be considered criminal."

"Are you serious?" Arianna's voice went up.

I nodded. "Very serious. He believes—for lack of a better term—that he was magickally roofied."

Arianna shook her head.

"I swear that I didn't use magick on him in that way," I said. "But I did try and distract him from an argument with sex, and I pushed his buttons, knowing what would get...let's say, the strongest reaction."

"You won't be the first, nor will you be the last woman to be accused of using witchery and sexual charms to encourage a man behave a certain way."

I rolled my eyes at that. "For gods sake!"

"It's insulting and hurtful, believe me I know," she said. "But sometimes men will look to blame anyone but themselves for their own behavior and desires."

While we weren't touching, we were sitting close together, and that was enough to create an empathic link from one Witch to another. Searching her deep blue eyes, I realized that she spoke from personal experience. "Someone accused you of the same, once. Didn't they?"

"Yes, he did," she said. "As did his wife, the sheriff's department of Ames Crossing, the entire village...as well as my own parents."

Hearing that, I reached for her hand. "I'm so sorry, Arianna."

"It was a long time ago," she said, giving my fingers a squeeze. "But I do understand the hurt and shame that goes with that particular accusation."

"I love him," I admitted. "Last month we'd been talking about getting married…and now..." I trailed off and wiped away a tear that had fallen. "There's a part of me that wants to shrivel up and die, knowing Tim thinks I'd be capable of that sort of exploitation."

"I have a hunch that Tim will come to his senses and apologize," she said. "He's a decent man. Just give him a few days to calm down."

"Maybe." I nodded.

"Take the rest of today for yourself," Arianna suggested kindly. "Some time away from it all would do you a world of good. Think of today as a magickal reset."

"That's a good idea," I said. "I could totally use an energetic reset." Not to mention, I thought, finding a new place to live temporarily.

Arianna smiled. "I do have a few errands to run this morning. You're welcome to join me, or to stay here and relax."

"I'd like to see the village," I admitted, "but I'm worried I'll run into Tim."

Arianna lifted her brow. "I doubt he'll be where I'm going."

"Where are you going?"

"To the Marquette Mansion for a meeting," she said. "I've been helping Gabriella and Philippe work on their museum room in the public area of the hotel." Before I could ask, she added, "I also have a minor in historic preservation."

"Oh." I smiled. "I'd like to see the mansion again—especially when it's not crowded with people. I haven't been up there since last year's masquerade ball."

"I was going to leave in a couple of hours," Arianna said. "If you'd like to come along?"

"I think I would," I said. "May I borrow your phone? I should call my family and let them know that I am okay."

"Of course," Arianna said. "There's a landline in my office, off the garage. Rafe converted an old workshop for me to have as an office at home. You can make your call there in privacy. Let me show you."

Arianna went inside, fetched a key ring, and took me across the backyard to the detached garage. It was a long building with several bays for cars, and there was also a separate office with a half bath. I was surprised at how comfortable it was.

The walls were old fashioned knotty pine paneling but were brightened by several framed pictures of the American Southwest and what I guessed was the Yucatan peninsula. A few newspaper articles about her recent archeological work were framed and hung on the wall too.

I helped myself to her desk chair, sat down, and wrung my hands nervously. I wasn't sure which of my sisters to call first. So instead of calling home, I punched in a different number from memory.

"Not like this will be any easier," I muttered. "But at least I'll only have to make one call."

The call was answered on the first ring.

"Cordelia Ariel Golden!" The voice was both regal and annoyed at the same time. "I was about to resort to dusting off my mother's crystal ball and scrying for your exact location if I didn't hear from you within the next hour."

"You hate scrying with a crystal ball, Grandma." I tried not to laugh. "Always told me you did better with the black mirror."

"Are you safe?"

"Yes, I am."

She huffed out a breath. "Your sisters are besides themselves, worrying about you after the incident at the aquatic center!"

I winced at that news. "It seems that I've been failing all of the people that I care about the most."

"Nonsense." She scoffed at that. "What you are is too vulnerable to the feelings and emotional demands of others."

"The curse of the empath," I murmured.

"I'm sorry my darling," she said. "There are very few who understand the challenges of true psychic empathy."

I made a sound in agreement.

"Now." Her tone of voice was suddenly brisk. "I thought you'd like to know that Ryder Desroches will be released from the hospital later today. And, according to Kenna—who went up to visit him and Angela last night—he's doing fine."

"I'm very relieved to hear that," I said.

"Cordelia. Sweetheart. You are in no way responsible for what happened to him."

But I am, I thought.

"I heard that," my grandmother said.

"Stay out of my head, Grandma Althea."

"Perhaps if you didn't emote quite so loudly my dear, I would."

This was an old argument and wisely I bit my tongue before saying something sarcastic. Then I wondered why I bothered as she was barreling right along...

"Your guilt over the attack is misplaced. You saved him, Cordelia. I heard about how you dove in that pool and managed to get an unconscious man twice your weight out of the water—all by yourself!"

"Actually, it was Eva and her lifeguard skills that resuscitated him—"

"Don't be so stubborn." She cut me off.

I sighed.

"Now, I understand the need to isolate yourself after everything that has happened," she said. "With your gifts you would be feeling very raw after the threats against you, and this unfortunate attack on your friend."

"Yes," I said. My throat ached against the need to cry.

"I'll speak to your sisters and tell them to give you some time and space," she said firmly.

"Thank you."

"However, in return I want to know exactly where you are and who you are with."

"I'm safe," I said, "and staying with friends."

"I keep getting pictures in my head of pirates," my grandmother said. "Like Pirates of the Caribbean, but not nearly as fun or as sexy."

I half-laughed over that. "I'm in Ames Crossing, Grandma. With Rafe and Arianna Tremaine."

"That explains the pirates," she said dryly.

"Is Tim with you?" she asked next. "I'm sure he's very concerned after yesterday's events."

"No, he's not," I said, my voice cracking with emotion. "Not here with me, I mean."

"Hells bells," she muttered. "I knew something else had happened. I literally felt your heart breaking yesterday. I'm so sorry."

Pressing my hand over my mouth, I did my best not to cry.

"I'll hex him for you," she said sweetly. "Surely you have a few strands of his hair at your disposal. I did get a new cauldron last week. This would be an excellent opportunity to break it in..."

That made me smile despite myself. "Grandma, behave yourself."

"What fun would that be?" She demanded and then quickly switched tactics. "Well, let's keep that hexing option open, in case you change your mind."

"Okay." I snuffled and wiped away a few tears that had fallen despite my best efforts.

"I love you," she said. "Take some time for yourself. Settle your nerves and rebuild your psychic defenses. Please call me when you return to the hill."

"I might not," I said, "return to the hill. It would be too dangerous for my sisters if I went back home like nothing had happened."

"Damn it." She hissed. "I can't argue about that, because unfortunately...you're right. You could move in here with me at Blackthorn Manor. Despite the renovations, and even with Astrid and Orion living here, there are still plenty of rooms."

"Grandma," I began, "everyone in Alton knows we're family. The Witches On The Hill are fairly notorious."

"My Blackthorn Manor is not on Golden Hill," she pointed out.

"No, but you're right across town on a hill of your very own, and your family's estate is as well known as ours. Its too big of a risk."

"I can always put in more security," she began.

"While I appreciate your offer, the answer is no."

"What about your job at the aquatic center? What will you do?"

"The aquatic center will be closed for the next several days, until they can process the scene."

She made an agreeable sound. "To do all that important detective work and so forth."

"Right."

"Perhaps those detectives can find time to pull their heads out of their asses and figure out who is behind all of this."

"Grandma…" I tried not to sound disapproving. Instead, I snickered and failed.

"All I would need is ten minutes alone in that room," she predicted. "I know I could come up with a real lead."

"Like a witchy version of Sherlock Holmes," I agreed.

"Do you doubt my powers, Cordelia?"

"Never," I said immediately. "You're the most talented Witch I've ever known."

"Well…" She seemed placated by my answer. "Perhaps you do need to find a place out of Alton, temporarily."

"That's what I'm considering. If I'm harder to find, then I'm harder to harass."

"Perhaps while you're in Ames Crossing today you might look around to see if there is anything private, or out of the way, that's available to rent."

"Good idea," I said.

"If you need anything else," she said. "Anything at all. You let me know."

"I will. Thank you, Grandma," I said.

"I'll see what I can do about the situation with your young man."

"Please don't," I said. "It's personal...a private matter."

" Pfft ," she said in dismissal. "You know what's more personal? Breaking my granddaughter's heart."

"Grandma, just let it go."

"Oh, relax. You know I won't do anything unethical," she said. "I may, however, see to it that he and I have a little ‘come to Jesus'—as the mundanes would say."

"Grandma." I tried to sound stern.

"I love you, sweetheart," she crooned, and I fought against some very inappropriate laughter.

"Troublemaker," I said. "I love you too."

"I'll speak to you again in a few days. Bye, honey."

"Bye Grandma."

Taking a calming breath, I stood and exited Arianna's home office. I locked up after myself and made my way back to the house, deciding I'd take the day to see if there were any rental properties in Ames Crossing. Arianna might know, and if not I bet one of the daughters of Midnight would.

It wasn't my style to ask for help, but after yesterday I needed to make some changes. Whether I liked it or not.

I could either take control of the situation or I could sit back and let it pull me under. True, I hated confrontation…but what I despised even more was the fact that by trying to block out or deny the seriousness of the situation I had inadvertently given my stalker more power.

What I needed to do was to go on the offensive and do something about this.

It was time for me to start acting like a Witch.