Samhain (Matilda Kavanagh Book 2) (16 page)

“So we’ve got a megalomaniac Beta wolf plotting a takeover and P.E.A.C.E. blowing up the city,” I said, pushing away my cup. “Well, isn’t this the best Halloween ever?”

“Halloween!” Kyle said, sitting forward so quickly that he even startled Jameson. For a fleeting moment, I saw Spence’s eyes flash yellow.

“What about Halloween?” I asked, trying to get my heart rate under control.

“No,” Jameson said, “not Halloween. Samhain.”

“Right,” Kyle agreed.

“Right what?” I asked. “What about Halloween or Samhain? What?”

“The full moon is on Samhain,” Jameson said slowly.

I realized exactly what they were saying. “The first full moon of these newly
turned
is on Samhain.” I turned in my seat to find Ronnie staring at me. “The Moon Madness.”

“What’s the Moon Madness?” Whelan asked. He and Laney were on the couch, looking over the back at us.

“Well, a Were’s first full moon is a little, well…” I looked at Jameson and Kyle for help. “Crazy, I guess.”

“Sure,” Kyle agreed.

“But a full moon on Samhain, or any high holiday really, is so much more powerful.” I felt the building tension between the three Weres around me.

“So what?” Laney asked.

“So it can drive a newly
turned
crazy, like actually crazy. They aren’t just a wolf or a Were—they become a monster.”

“A bloodthirsty monster,” Ronnie added. “There hasn’t been a full moon on Samhain in a generation.”

“He can’t do this,” I said, shaking my head. “He’d be putting his own pack in danger too.”

“Wait, they attack other Weres?” Whelan asked.

“If they have the Moon Madness, they’ll attack anything that moves,” I said. “Anything that has a heartbeat just becomes meat to them.”

“Oh my God,” Laney whispered, sinking into the couch to hide her terror.

“Right.” I turned back to Jameson. “Well?”

“We will deal with this.” He drained his cup with one big swallow and stood, Kyle just a second behind him. “Thank you for your help, Mattie. Again.”

“Sure,” I said, surprised by their sudden movement.

Jameson walked over to the couch and put his hand out for Whelan. Whelan stared at the hand for a moment before glancing at me. I nodded and waved. Whelan took Jameson’s hand.

“I am sorry for what happened to you,” Jameson said. A chill ran up my arms as his power rippled out of him for a moment. “Should you ever need help, we are in your debt.”

“No, no, no,” Whelan said, pulling his hand away. “That’s okay, really. I know it wasn’t you guys.”

“Be that as it may, the offer stands.”

Jameson turned from Whelan and headed for the door, where Spence was already waiting. Spence checked the hall before he let Jameson leave the apartment. Just as Spence closed the door, I caught him stealing one more glance at Ronnie, and the faintest smile played at his lips. Ronnie’s face almost matched her hair when I turned around to look at her. I lifted my brows, a smile pulling at my lips. Ronnie rolled her eyes and tried to hide her face behind her cup.

“I should go,” Whelan said, pushing away from the couch.

“No.” I put up a hand to stop him. “You’re staying here, at least for the night.”

“Mattie, that’s okay,” Whelan argued, but I cut him off.

“I’m not offering. I’m ordering. You are staying here tonight.”

“Why?” Laney said, twisting to face me. “Do you think they’ll come after him?”

I nodded. “They might. Seems stupid to take any chances, right, Whelan?”

“I don’t want to burden you,” he said.

Laney scrambled to her feet and pushed him back onto the couch before he could stand. “She said you need to stay.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Please listen to her.”

Whelan stared at the pretty little goth girl. Her bright blue hair swung forward, creating a curtain around their faces. Whelan touched the tips of her hair, and I felt the urge to look away, as though I was spying on something intimate.

“Okay,” Whelan said. “If you insist.”

I wasn’t sure if he was talking to me or Laney, but either way, it didn’t matter.

“Great,” Laney said quickly, spinning around to face me. “I’m staying with him.”

I tilted my head to look at Whelan around Laney’s small frame. He glanced at his great protector, then back at me, and nodded quickly.

“Yeah, fine, whatever,” I said with a wave. “Ronnie, wanna help me?” I started gathering up half-empty mugs.

Ronnie scrambled to her feet to help.

Bu stood and walked over to shake Whelan’s hand. “Listen, man, I’m glad you’re okay, but I gotta get home.”

“Right.” Whelan clasped Bu’s hand. “Thank you for your help.”

I left Ronnie in the kitchen, washing the dishes for me, to go to the linen closet and get some extra blankets for my surprise guests. I handed the blankets to Laney when she reached for them. “Here you go. Try to get some rest—you really need it. I’ll be up early tomorrow, I’m sorry to say.”

“I thought witches slept all day?” Laney said.

“Normally we do, but tomorrow is Halloween. I never, ever miss the trick-or-treaters.”

“Thanks for everything, Mattie,” Whelan said. “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t apologize.” I squeezed his shoulder as I passed the couch to join Ronnie.

He had absolutely nothing to apologize for, but I felt a little bad realizing his kidnapping had turned out to be a good thing, all things considered. Because we’d found him before he drank the magic Kool-Aid, we knew what Tollis was up to. Now Jameson had a chance to stop Tollis before the full moon.

Even more than that, I knew I could actually enjoy Halloween without fear of some crazed werewolf pack. All I had to hope for was that P.E.A.C.E. would leave me alone too.

Chapter 11

Halloween is my favorite holiday. Ever. I loved getting gifts on Yule, but seeing tiny kids dressed up and running through the streets, trying to scare each other and scrabbling for free candy was just so much fun. I loved it.

I ripped open a second bag of chocolates and spilled them into my plastic cauldron. The multicolored wrappers looked like a waterfall of jewels as the bowl filled to the brim. Artie was curled up on my recliner, avoiding the front door like the plague. I paused to scratch his head on my way to the front door. He grumbled, a low rumbling sound deep in his belly that wasn’t quite a purr, and flattened his ears.

“Grumpus,” I said. “It’s only one night a year. Get over it.”

I hefted the bowl on my hip and walked to the front door, passing the couch where Whelan and Lane were still curled up asleep. Her head rested on Whelan’s chest, his arm around her. Lane’s makeup hadn’t survived the night, and her blue hair was a tumble of tangles, hanging over the edge of the couch. Their legs were twined together, all black jeans and ripped fishnets.

Whelan was starting to look like his old self again. The little color he usually had was coming back to his cheeks, and the dark circles under his eyes were fading. I didn’t want to wake them, so I was moving around as quietly as possible. But they were so deeply asleep that even when I did make a sound, they didn’t stir. I would have to wake them before the trick-or-treaters started to arrive—I didn’t want the human mothers freaking out over the two of them, seemingly dead to the world.

The sun was still setting, so I had a little bit of time before the first kids came by. It was time to get things spookified. I set the candy on the table by the door.

The hallway was brightly lit with the electric lights and the last burst of sunlight coming through the window at the far end of the hall. I dragged my jack-o-lantern over the threshold and situated him against the wall just outside the door, so no one would trip over him.

I brought my hand to my face and whispered, “
Aduro
.” A bright blue flame ignited on my palm, flickering and throwing shadows along the far wall.

Opening the lid of the hollowed-out pumpkin, I tipped the flame inside, letting it settle on the bottom. When I closed the lid, the gaping maw of the mouth and the slanted eyes took on a very sinister quality. I admired my work. It had been a bitch to carve, but staring at it in the hallway all lit up and creepy, it was totally worth the effort.

Then I faced the hallway. I dug into my pocket and pulled out the vial of liquid fog I’d saved from the batch I made last year. Spilling it on the floor, I watched the coiling gray fog swirl around my feet and creep down the hallway. Soon the entire floor was covered, and the fog gamboled along the wall, climbing a foot or two before falling back on itself. It was like something alive. It was cool where it touched my ankles, and I fought the shiver that ran up my back. Satisfied, I turned my attention to the lights in the ceiling. I waved my hand, whispered the incantation, and watched as half the lights flickered out.

Back inside, I turned on the Halloween playlist I’d created just for tonight and listened as the first few notes of a Dani Elfman song filled my silent apartment. I heard the couch creak as my two guests woke finally. Whelan tried to extricate himself from Laney’s clutches, and with more grace than I thought possible in his weakened state, he crawled over the back of the couch and landed quietly on his bare feet. Laney mumbled something but just curled into the cushions and remained asleep.

Whelan met my eyes and shrugged, but it looked more like a cringe. I just shook my head at him. He crept into the bathroom. I wasn’t sure if he was trying to be quiet for Laney’s sake or if he needed to pee so badly he was walking funny. I turned my attention away from the humans to take inventory of my preparations.

“Candy, check.” I pointed at the bowl. “Music, check. Ambiance, check. What am I missing?” I touched my chin and turned, trying to think of what else I needed before the first trick-or-treaters arrived.

“Mrrow,” Artie said from the chair.

“Oh!” I snapped my fingers and ran into the bedroom. The sound of my hurried footsteps didn’t bother Laney at all. I came out adjusting my black, pointed velvet hat. “Almost forgot.”

Witches didn’t really wear those silly things, but the human children got a kick out of them. I stood in front of the mirror, adjusting the wide brim until the hat sat just the way I wanted. It matched my floor-length black dress with the black spider-web-like sleeves that clung to my arms. The hem of my dress arced up in the front, exposing my pointy-toed heels and a few inches of my black-and-green striped tights. I was the perfect movie-version witch. All I needed was a hooked nose and a wart. I considered casting a glamour to give myself the creepy crone look, but I’d done such a good job on my sparkly purple eye shadow and thick false eyelashes that I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.

“Decided to go as a witch, huh?” Whelan teased as he came out of the bathroom. He ran his hands through his hair, trying to make his black Mohawk take shape. It was a sharp line of spikes along his pale head. “Very original.”

“Shush your face,” I said, waggling my fingers at him and making tiny sparks ignite.

Whelan held up his hands in surrender. “Yes, ma’am.”

I cringed. “Don’t call me ma’am.”

Whelan chuckled.

“You gonna wake her?” I asked, motioning at the couch with a thumb.

“Probably should, huh?”

“Ya think?” I brushed past him to go into the kitchen to check on my wolf’s bane potion. I’d started brewing it when I woke so it could steep for a few hours while I passed out candy. If I’d timed it right, it should be ready just after the last trick-or-treaters.

From the living room came the mumble of lowered voices as Laney came around. I couldn’t make out what they were saying, but it sounded sweet. A pang of envy shot through me, making me clutch the ceramic spoon painfully over the pot. I heard the bathroom door click closed, snapping me out of my hesitation, and I resumed my actions just as Whelan appeared around the corner at the opening of the kitchen.

“Can I help with anything?”

“No,” I said, setting the spoon on the spoon rest. “Got everything under control.”

Whelan’s stomach made a noise and a pink hue colored his cheeks. He grimaced at me, as if in apology for the noise.

“Eat,” I said, waving at the kitchen.

I walked out of the kitchen just in time to hear children’s voices filling the hallway. I rushed to the door and hid off to the side. I heard them giggling and urging one another to be the first to ring my doorbell. It was a competition to see who would be brave enough to step up to the witch’s door.

Just as the first tiny foot came around the edge of my door, I threw a handful of the flash powder I had at the ready. There was a bang and a plume of black smoke and the delighted squeals of children. I jumped in front of the door so that when the smoke cleared, I was standing there, hands crooked in front of me as I bent toward the children.

“Ah! More children to add to my stew!” I cackled, making them squeal again.

Their mothers stood back, smiling and taking pictures and videos of their reactions.

“Oh, this won’t do! Not at all!” I said as I pinched a tiny cowboy’s face. “Skin and bones! Skin and bones! We must fatten you up with candy!”

The group of kids laughed and held out their pails and bags, and I gave them all a few pieces of candy. The chorus of “thank yous” rang out as they dashed away for the protection of the elevator and their mothers. I waved at the parents and watched them go, wondering what surprise Ronnie had planned for them.

“Wow, you really get into it, don’t you?” Whelan asked as he came out of the kitchen with a bowl of cereal.

“I try.” I plucked a chocolate wrapped in blue foil out of the cauldron.

I was just biting into it when Laney emerged from the bathroom. Her hair was smoothed into a high bun on top of her head, and she’d managed to clean off the black smudges of her ruined makeup.

“I used some of your mouthwash. I hope that was okay,” she said. Her shoulders were lifted close to her ears, and her face was scrunched up in worry.

I chuckled and shook my head. “I’m sure we all appreciate you doing that.” I chewed the chocolate.

Laney smiled and relaxed her shoulders. She glanced at Whelan as he sat at the kitchen table, and I saw her eyes flit to his bowl of cereal.