Chapter 22

Braxton wokewith a jackhammer pounding on the inside of his skull. He groaned and curled up in a ball, his arms covering his head as if that would protect him from the massive headache that was trying to paralyze him.

"Oh, good. You're awake," Lucy said in a sweet voice. He felt the mattress dip beside him as she leaned over him and caressed his head. "I have your coffee ready. That and one of my potions will fix you right up."

He opened one eye and glared at her. "I wouldn't drink your potion if it was the last drop of liquid on earth."

Lucy jerked back, looking stricken. "What? Why? You've always taken them before. Is your stomach upset? I can make some toast."

Braxton stared at her, taking in her boho-chic outfit. She wore a flowing white blouse and matching skirt. She wore bangle bracelets on one arm and dangling sunflower earrings. Her face was freshly washed, and her hair was windblown as if she'd just come in from the beach. She didn't look anything like the woman who'd walked into his house the night before.

Had it been the night before? He wasn't sure. The weak morning sun was shining through the open window. It was barely dawn, and he assumed he'd only been out for the night, but with Lucy, one couldn't be too sure.

"Brax?" she asked, looking concerned. "I think you should take the potion. You'll feel better."

"I'd rather my head explode than take anything you made," he spat out.

"My, you've woken up on the wrong side of the bed." She gave him a flat stare and then retreated. "I think I'll check on you after you've had a chance to ease into the day."

If his head wasn't pounding, he thought he might have actually strangled her. Once the door slammed closed, he gingerly sat up in the queen-size bed and took stock of his physical situation. The pounding in his head had eased slightly, and his stomach was a little queasy, but otherwise, he thought he'd live.

That was unfortunate for Lucy, because once he got his hands on her, she was going to wish she'd killed him. He got to his feet, looking for a restroom. The en suite was just to his left. He disappeared into the bathroom, took care of business, and then splashed cold water on his face.

After sipping a bit of the water, he decided liquid was a good thing and went back to the bedside to inspect the coffee that Lucy had brought him. Holding the cup to his nose, he took a deep breath. All he could make out was the delicious scent of coffee. That didn't mean she hadn't hidden a potion in it though. Still, that headache was plaguing him, and he knew the caffeine would help. After taking the tiniest of sips, he decided it was safe.

Instantly, the coffee helped ease the ache in his head. He let out a sigh of relief and then took stock of his surroundings. He was obviously in the primary bedroom, and as he glanced around, a ball of unease filled his gut. He recognized this room. The bedspread. The drapes on the window. The sunset photography over the headboard.

The room was decorated exactly like their bedroom in the house they'd shared in Savannah when they were dating. Before she'd cursed him.

Cold sweat broke out over his body when he spotted a series of pictures hung on the opposite wall. They were of a small wedding party, and much to his dismay, Lucy was the bride and he was the groom.

Blinking rapidly to be sure he wasn't seeing things, he walked over to the series of four photos. Lucy was dressed in a simple white gown with daisies in her hair, and he was wearing a suit with a daisy in the lapel. He peered closer, his gut churning when he didn't see any evidence of Photoshop.

The door opened, and Lucy appeared, holding a tray of food. "Oh, good. You're up." Her eyes lit with happiness. "That must mean you're feeling a little better. I brought you toast and over-medium eggs just like you like them."

Braxton ignore the food as he flung a hand out, pointing at the wedding photos. "What the hell is this?"

She glanced over at the wall and frowned. "Our wedding pictures?"

"I see that. But we aren't married." He grabbed one of the photos from the wall and threw it on the floor, smashing the glass. "And this room? What are you trying to do, make me think of a time when you weren't insane? Because I have to tell you, it certainly isn't working."

"Brax?" she asked tentatively, her lower lip trembling. "You're scaring me."

"I'm scaring you?" he yelled at her. "That's rich when I'm the one you knocked out and brought back to this weird Stepford alternate reality."

"Maybe I should call Dr. Grey. I think that headache is making you agitated." She hurried from the room, but before she could slam the door shut, he put his foot in the way, stopping it and following her into the living room.

He stopped suddenly, taken aback by how eerily familiar it was. The layout of the house wasn't exactly the same, but everything else matched their Savannah house, from the art on the walls to the area rug beneath the shabby secondhand couch and loveseat.

He heard Lucy on the phone talking to someone. Presumably Dr. Grey. Wasn't that the name of the doctor he'd used for his annual checkups way back then? He pressed a hand to his forehead, wondering if he was losing his mind. Had he hit his head and woken up with amnesia? Were all of his memories of the past years just a terrible dream and he really was married to Lucy?

Lily's pretty smile flashed in his mind, and his heart ached to feel her in his arms again.

No. His emotions for Lily were too strong. There was no way he'd dreamed that into existence. He couldn't have, could he? He walked over to the window and peered out at the blue water. This definitely wasn't Savannah. He scanned the area, took in the tall trees, the hydrangeas, and spent rhododendrons, and he knew without a doubt that they were still somewhere near Befana Bay. The view was of the Puget Sound.

"Dr. Grey said to give you one of my calming potions," Lucy said, standing back at the kitchen entrance. "He said since you hit your head last night, you're probably having some strange short-term memory problems."

"Dr. Grey, huh?"

"Yeah. Your doctor," she said. "Remember Dr. Grey?"

"I remember that he had a practice in Savannah, not Washington," he said, his tone empty of all emotion.

"Right. He's in Savannah and we're here in Kingston. He said he'd be available for phone consultations as long as we needed him. We've called him before. Remember when you had that nasty cough and he sent us a healing potion?"

His world began to spin again. Why couldn't he make heads or tails out of what was happening? His life in Befana Bay, his store, Lily, and Dante were crystal clear. Not to mention his memories of moving to Tybee Island after Lucy had cursed him and disappeared. He'd managed an outdoor store there until a hurricane came and destroyed that shop. It was shortly after that when he'd come to Befana Bay and opened his own store, hoping for a fresh start. He hadn't been disappointed. He'd adjusted to not having someone special, and for the most part his life was great, right up until a few days ago when his mother arrived and all hell started breaking loose.

"Braxton." Lucy walked over to him and placed her hand on his chest. "I know you've had a rough morning. Why don't you just let me take care of you like I always do?"

Take care of him?When had Lucy ever done anything other than for herself? That's when he knew everything was a lie. "Cut the crap, Lucy. Do you really think you're going to gaslight me into thinking that you never cursed me? That you and my mother never teamed up to scam a bunch of innocent people? That's not something someone just forgets overnight."

"Curse you?" she asked, looking shocked. "Why would I ever do that? And I certainly don't scam people. I'm sorry, Braxton, but you're acting crazy. Don't you see how nuts that sounds? And how could I have teamed up with your mother?" Her eyes welled with what he just knew were fake tears. "She died a few years ago, babe. Don't you remember?" She pointed to another picture on a side table that he hadn't seen yet. It was a photo of a tombstone with his mother's name and a death date of over three years ago.

My mother is not dead!he wanted to scream at her, horrified by the lengths she would go to in an attempt to make him think they were actually married and she hadn't made his life a living hell. But he could see her getting agitated as her eyes tinted red. He'd witnessed that once before; it was right before she'd cursed him.

A shadow in the window behind her caught his eye, and for the briefest second, he spotted Niko peering in at him. His friend gave him a slight shake of his head and then disappeared.

Lucy spun, staring in the direction of the window. "Is something out there?"

"Just a hummingbird," he said as he sat in the lumpy chair. Relief crashed through him. He wasn't going insane after all. All he had to do was bide his time until Niko was ready to make his move. Braxton looked up at Lucy and asked, "Why haven't we gotten new furniture?"

The redness in her eyes vanished, and her smile was back. "We were saving our money to buy this house. When you're feeling better, we can go look at some new options. We should be able to swing it soon. I have some orders to fill."

"Potions and spells?" he asked.

She nodded. "You know, energy and skin brightening potions. Those celebrities sure are willing to plunk down the cash just for a little extra glow." She winked at him, appearing relieved he was no longer challenging her.

She walked over to the desk drawer and started searching for something. "I got those brochures for that Hawaiian vacation we talked about."

They had talked about a vacation on the island at one point. Or rather she had. Braxton had never wanted to go. After living in Florida and then Georgia for so many years, he'd been tired of the heat and humidity and hadn't felt the need to vacation in the tropics.

"Where are they?" she mumbled to herself, kneeling on the floor as she searched. It was a rare moment of letting her guard down, and that's when Niko made his move and burst through the back door.

But Lucy was too fast for him. She must have sensed his presence, because the second he shot off a spell to neutralize her, she blocked it with one of her own and then shot two more back at him and his partner.

No. Not his partner.

Lily.

Braxton lost all control and tackled Lucy. The two of them went down in a heap of limbs, both grappling for purchase. Braxton, who'd had the element of surprise, rolled her over and clasped his hands around her neck. Her fingers clawed at his grip, but he was stronger. She might wield magic, but he had brute strength. All he had to do was make her pass out, and then they could contain her.

But Lucy was too powerful. Her eyes flashed red and a second later, a bolt of heat slammed into his chest, sending him flying into the nearest wall.

"No!" he heard Lily cry as he landed on the hardwood with a thunk.