Sex and the Psychic Witch (14 page)

Chapter Twenty-seven

HARMONY got behind a twin bed and pushed it forward with every bit of strength she had in her. Reggie landed on it and bounced, as did the ladder . . . in Jake’s direction.

Harmony and Reggie screamed and lunged for him, but the ladder veered away from Jake, as if something had deflected it and sent it in another direction.

Harmony snatched Jake up and turned her back on the ladder to protect him. It crashed into a full-length mirror.

Still shaking, Reggie cried as she took her son. “A broken mirror,” she said. “Seven years’ bad luck,”

“I didn’t break it, Mama.”

“We know, Scrumpling.” Harmony wiped her own tears. “And no bad luck. That’s an old wives’ tale. We needed good luck, and we got it.” They sat on the bed together to catch their breaths.

Gussie, Gussie, Gussie,
Harmony thought.
You hate the daughter as much as the father, but you protect the grandson. Why?

“Destiny and Storm,”
she called telepathically.
“Now. It’s time now! Where the hell are you?”

“Hot and smokin’ witch patrol reporting for duty,” Storm said, as they walked in.

“Thank God,” Harmony said. “This is getting scary.”

“Very scary,” Reggie said.

“Reggie, these are my sisters. We’re triplets.”

“No freaking kidding.”

“Storm and Destiny, meet Reggie, King Paxton’s daughter, and this is her son, Jake.”

Caramello flew into Destiny’s arms, and Warlock hopped on Storm’s shoulder and pawed at her hair until he tossed her wig to the floor.

Jake doubled over giggling.

Storm huffed, and with a flick of a hand, poofed her purple spiked hair. She picked up her cat and looked him in the eye. “Warlock, I know you like Mummy the way she is, but we have a job to do, and I have to look like Harmony, so
lay off the wig
!”

Jake’s giggles became contagious.

“Jake,” Storm said, “did you cry on the boat on your way here?”

“Yes,” Reggie said. “He did. He’d never been in a boat before. How did you know?”

“I get a sense when kids are in distress. It’s a psychic thing.” She smoothed the boy’s hair. “I’m glad you’re okay now.”

Tigerstar jumped on the bed, and she rubbed the top of her head on Jake’s arm, then Regina’s hip. Jake petted her, and Star purred and climbed on his lap to curl up. “She likes me!”

“She sure does,” Harmony said, while Storm put her wig back on.

Reggie examined their faces. “Don’t think I’m gonna remember which of you is which. The only way I can tell you’re Harmony is because you’re wearing different clothes.”

“Which I need to fix.” Harmony took off her shirt and replaced it with the orange and black one her sisters brought. “Hold on to Jake, Reggie, not for his protection, but for yours. We have to we see what we can do about the g-h-o-s-t.”

Reggie laughed.

“No joke. Didn’t you feel as if something
pulled
that ladder back?”

“Well yes, but—”

Harmony slipped into a pair of black shorts and shoes like her sisters. “Did you
not
see the ladder veer
away
from your son?”

“Very weird, I agree, but—”

“I believe you’re safe as long as you’ve got Jake in your arms. When you get to the dorm, take an amethyst crystal from my top drawer and put it in your pocket. That’ll help deflect her negativity.”

“What you’re saying isn’t possible.”

“It’s as possible as a teen dragging a one-year-old across the country to find a father she’s never met. A lot of people wouldn’t believe your story, either.”

Reggie tilted her head. “You’re right. I defied the odds.”

“And raised Baby Einstein while you were at it. So listen, weirder things have happened. It gets cold when the g-h-o-s-t shows. Do you remember getting cold?”

“Yes. I
was
freezing all of a sudden.”

“Bingo. She’s your ancestor, by the way.”

“Wonderful, but on my mother’s side, right?”

“No. Her problem is with you and your father. “We need the power of three as one to handle this, and that’ll take all our concentration. We’ll get our best shot without distractions; they break our power of concentration. If we’re weak, the g-h-o-s-t is strong. Trust me on this. Don’t tell anybody you saw triple. We have some serious psychic w-i-t-c-h peacemaking to do, so if anybody sees us, any one of us, we’re all me, no questions asked. The less explaining, the more energy we conserve.”

“Who’s the w-i-t-c-h?” Reggie asked. “You or the g-h-o-s-t?”

“All of us,” the three of them said.

Reggie shook her head. “Does my father know?”

“He doesn’t know what my sisters look like or that they’re here. Keep our secret for a few hours, and give us a chance to work our m-a-g-i-c-k. We’ll come out of the broom closet before the day’s over.”

“I can spell, you know,” Jake declared, arms crossed. “J-a-k-e.” He nodded, annoyed that he couldn’t understand them.

“Jake, you smart boy, will you take your mama back to the bedroom so she can rest?”

“Can I take the kittens?”

“They need to stay with us. Caramello belongs to Destiny. Warlock is Storm’s. And Gingertigger is mine.”

“Can Tigerstar come with us, then?”

“You know, I think she might like to do that.” It looked as if Vickie’s Tigerstar, a powerful familiar and wise to Gussie’s presence, was lending her protective instincts to Reggie and Jake, a big relief.

Harmony walked them up the hall. “Be gentle when you tell your father about this.”

Reggie hugged her. “You care about my dad, don’t you?”

“What are you, psychic? Don’t tell him; you’ll scare him away.”

Reggie laughed. “I won’t tell a soul.” She picked up her son.

Harmony’s sisters met her halfway back. “The technocrat with the steel rod up his butt has a daughter?” Destiny asked.

“Never mind the daughter,” Storm said. “Harmony’s got the hots for the father. I told you she’d been getting laid.” Storm caught her sleeve. “Is the brass ass good in the sack?”

Destiny cuffed her. “Geez, Storm.”

Harmony made a fainting motion with the back of her hand against her brow, and they all three hooted. “Listen,” Harmony said, “there are a couple of guys I want you to check out while you’re pretending to be me. I need to know if my take on them is right or if I’m blocked.”

“If you’re blocked, it’s because some guy’s docked in your man radar,” Storm explained with a wink.

Harmony rolled her eyes. “Check out Aiden McCloud. He’s cute in a shaggy-dog sort of way, a guy who’s at his best with a Harley or a woman under him, and whichever it is, all engines will be revved and purring.”

“Okay, McCloud’s mine to size,” Storm said.

“The other one’s Morgan Jarvis. He’s an architect, and—you’ll love this—a paranormal debunker. Give me your take on him before I say any more. Like us, Des, this one doesn’t seem to know who he wants to be when he grows up. You’ll know him when you see him.”

Destiny frowned. “I resent that. I know who I am. I’m the manager of the Immortal Classic.”

“That’s what you do, not who you are,” Harmony said. “You’re only going through the motions.”

Destiny folded her arms but didn’t argue. The triplet thing had its uses. She was right, and Destiny knew it. Harmony sensed Paxton coming as her sisters ducked into the closet. How foolish, and yet their scheme would backfire if they became a sideshow. Better for their midsummer ritual preparations if they concentrated on their task. Every nosy question would suck their energy and diminish their collective power.

“What the hell happened in here?” King asked. “Are Reggie and Jake okay? Are you? I thought they were with you.”

“Good paternal instincts, Paxton.” She took his arm to lead him from the room. “We had a visit from Gussie. I have good news and bad.”

He didn’t take either well, she thought a few minutes later as he ran up the stairs to the dorm.

Aware the coast was now clear, her sisters joined her.

“We have to concentrate,” Harmony said, “and work our way through this place, room by room. The negative entity is strong, so we have to be stronger. Do you have everything we need to bless and cleanse each room?”

Destiny ticked off their supplies on her fingers. “Salt, smudge stick, black candles, water, and a broom.”

“Here, I found a source for amethyst crystals here on the island and brought one for each of us.” She led them through the formal parlor, their kittens following. “This’ll take a few days, but the more rooms we cleanse and protect, the easier it’ll be to do the ritual.”

“We’re doing it, then?”

“I don’t see that we have a choice.” Harmony led them behind the small tapestry. “In a way, I’m glad Gussie expended a good amount of energy this afternoon, because our task here should be easier. Don’t worry, none of the rooms will be as difficult as this one.”

She placed her hand on the doorknob. “Brace yourselves. We’re about to enter . . . the toy room.”

Chapter Twenty-eight

IN the octagon creep show toy room, the kamikaze kittens went berserk.

Caramello hissed, hopped into the doll carriage, and bounced out, as if she’d been thrown.

The scent of candy apples wafted in as Warlock circled the wooden soldiers like a Halloween cat, black back arched and ready for battle. He charged and hit a soldier in the chest. It toppled like a bowling pin and took out the entire regiment in an artistic butterfly-wing domino effect.

The room rained bayonets. The girls screamed and the cats howled, but no splinters were reported.

Gingertigger launched herself to the top of the jack-in-the-box, but the music started, and the lid popped open, so Harmony’s mewling kitten slid gracefully to the floor.

While Harmony used a broom to sweep away evil, Destiny distributed and lit black candles, and Storm sprinkled salt and herbs around the perimeters of the room. While they prepared their cleansing ritual, the cats hissed, charged, and assaulted every toy. Caramello rode the rocking horse, Warlock the tricycle.

Sometimes the toys went flying. Sometimes, the cats flew.

After Harmony performed the water blessing, she lit a smudge stick and held it as they circled the room, the three of them chanting.

 
By the third circle, the cats’ hissing and bouncing slowed, and eventually they calmed and curled up together to sleep.

“We’ve done our job,” Harmony said, “if there’s nothing here to keep the psycho cats hopping.”

“That was more exhausting than sex,” Storm said.

“We’ve hardly started, though this is one of the darkest rooms. Next stop, the formal parlor.”

In the parlor, her sisters sensed Gussie’s lingering spirit, as Harmony had done, but they also sensed Paxton’s return, so they slipped behind the small tapestry.

“Hellcat,” Paxton said. “Thank God you’re all right. Reggie said you saved their lives.”

“She’s exaggerating. I pushed a bed over to break her fall.”

“Which was brilliant. Reggie thinks Gussie hates her and likes Jake.”

“She’s right. I sensed that Reggie would have broken her back if she hit that floor.”

“What do you mean, you sensed?”

Damn, damn, damn. “I get a sense about things, like when you’re coming around the corner, things like that.”

“I sense that about you, too,” he said. “It’s called—”

“Passion?” she suggested to turn his thoughts.

“Too partner-focused, plus it requires a short-term commitment.”

Harmony shook her head. “Big news. Lust then?”

“Too intimate. Scary intimate.”

“Sex, then?”

“Okay. Where?”

“You’re a horn dog letch.”

“Stop it, you’re turning me on.” He focused on her shirt. “I’m a Witch with PMS. Any Questions? Part of me wants to run,” he said, “but the part that’s missed you—”

“Gotta go ghost-hunt.” She waved him off. “Bye.”

“You’re killing me here.”

“Better I should than the wailer.”

King slipped his hands in his pockets. “Right. Bye.”

Harmony got the telepathic message that her sisters had found a second door behind the tapestry and were exploring and circling back, so she went to the tunnel where she could concentrate on neutralizing Gussie and nobody could waylay or distract her.

By the time she returned to the parlor, she had to stop outside the door, because Storm had walked in on Aiden boxing the chandelier.

“Gonna pawn it for a jock strap?” Storm asked, and Harmony wilted against the wall.

“A witch with PMS?” Aiden said. “I have an awesome cure for PMS. Are you still up for that date?”

Harmony felt Storm’s radar go up. “I’m up for a ride on your . . . Harley.” She raised her arms and fluffed her wig to show off her breasts.

Harmony was gonna commit triplicide. Aiden thought
she
was coming on to him, slam it.

“What about you and King?”

Storm stilled and lowered her arms.
Now
, she remembered who she was supposed to be. “King and me?” Storm backed away. “King’s got No Commitment engraved on his pecker.”

Aiden raised a brow. “I’m not much better . . . at
commitments
, that is. Are you looking for companionship and a good . . . Harley ride, or a husband?”

“Oh, always a good . . . ride.”

Harmony coughed.

“But I don’t sleep around,” Storm said, too fast to be sane.

“Since you’re sharing King’s ‘Harley’ these days,” Aiden said. “I guess we’ll have dinner but nothing more?”

“I . . . guess. Do you hear a baby crying?” Storm asked him.

Aiden frowned. “No.”

Storm backed away from him to the opposite end of the large room and started back toward him. “Hey, the crying baby is loudest when I’m near you. Do you have children?”

Aiden barked a laugh. “Are you out of your mind?”

“Get rid of him,”
Harmony telepathically ordered, but Storm had turned and zeroed in on the full tapestried wall exuding Gussie’s energy. “Can you get someone to take down that large tapestry and bring in a couple of spotlights to shine on the wall behind it? I need to take a better look.”

Aiden taped the chandelier box closed. “There’s nothing there.”

“I think you’re wrong. You restore antiques, right? Have a look. A hundred years of crud needs to come off, so we—so
I
can see what’s beneath it.”

“Really?” Aiden pulled the tapestry aside. “What do you think is back here? A crying baby?”

“No, but it’s more than a wall.”

“And you’re more than a vintage clothing buyer.” He winked. “I’ll take care of it.”

Harmony made sure Aiden was gone before she went in and cuffed her sister.

“Sorry,” Storm said, rubbing her arm. “I was really attracted.”

“Brutally so, and when the hell are you not?”

“This guy’s a whole different brand of stud, in a weird, good, badass way. Being near him gave me snapshots of . . . I don’t know; I couldn’t identify the pictures, but I swear to the Oak King that I heard a baby crying.”

“You’ll forgive us if we don’t hop to it every time you hear a baby cry,” Harmony said. “Unless you think Aiden is maybe married?”

“No,” Storm said. “That’s not it. But I
was
right about Jake crying in the boat on the way here.”

“Okay, I’ll give you that one, but stop trying to hop on Aiden’s ‘Harley.’ He thinks you’re
me
.”

Destiny joined them. “Way to pretend to be your lovesick sister, kid.”

Harmony frowned. “I’m not lovesick.”

Storm took exception as well. “I would have jump-started the stud, if I was me.”

“Big surprise.” Harmony crossed her arms. “Let’s do what we came to do, shall we? Concentrate on that wall.”

Destiny touched her arm. “I just met Paxton in the hall. Yummers.”

“Oh, oh. What happened?”

“He said I wasn’t myself.”

“I saw him, too,” Storm said. “He looked puzzled.”

“Did he try to cop a feel either time?”

“No, damn it,” they said together.

“Oh joy. He suspects something. We’re running out of time. He’s on to us. Concentrate on the wall.” Holding hands, they walked toward it, three by three, each focusing on the single place in the castle where a lively blaze of Gussie’s spirit lingered.

While they did, their kittens played a hissing, head-butting, tumbling game with the tapestry and the wall itself.

She and her sisters formed a circle, but Harmony chanted alone.

 
She repeated the chant twice more before Storm broke the circle so they faced the wall, though they continued holding hands. “There’s a painting,” Storm said, “behind the tapestry, beneath the layers of premeditated grime.”

Destiny nodded. “It’s a story we need to know.”

“Gussie’s the painter. She was happy when she started,” Harmony said, “and broken when she finished. You’re right, Storm. She tried to cover it up.”

“She
wants
us to see it, now,” Destiny said. “And when we do, we’ll understand.”

Storm closed her eyes. “I’m sensing forgiveness, but I don’t think it’s from Gussie. Is there more than one ghost here?”

“Well, there’s more than one of
something
,” Aiden said, “or I’m hallucinating.”

“Don’t bet on it,” King said.

The girls froze.