The Cat's Meow (6 page)

“As far as I heard from Edwin, Bryon wanted out and ran.”

“Good.” Mom sighed. Perhaps she realized the last thing I wanted to do was go on a hunt to locate the warlock who had broken my heart and face him again. While I would if he were involved, a twinge of pain reminded me those old wounds weren’t as healed as I’d like them to be.

Shoving all thoughts of past hurts and Bryon away, I studied Mom to get a read on her. She seemed concerned about this matter, but her lax expression told me she wasn’t overly stressed about it, which made my earlier thought rise. “I’m taking it this isn’t the reason you called me here tonight?”

“There’s been a murder in Hampton Park,” Glenda replied.

“Another cat?”

Mom shook her head. “We’ve sent Peyton to the scene now. From what we’ve been told, a human has been used in a ritual and the body remains.”

I groaned and suspected my irritation was burned on my expression. The stakes got higher and higher. First, dead cats, then whispers of Alchemy troubles that could involve not only those from Charleston, but an ex-boyfriend whom I really didn’t want to hunt, no matter that he
might
deserve death. Now, human murders proved Charleston wasn’t safe any longer. As well as the odd sensation that my coven didn’t trust me anymore, and that I sure as hell didn’t trust them either. “Do you think the murder is involved in the rebellion with the Alchemy…or the cats?”

Glenda’s shrug was halfhearted. “Peyton should know more. Go there and see what you can find out. Determine if anything can be linked to this rebellion, and if so, how the death is related.”

She lowered her teacup to the table and her features tightened, crinkling her already-wrinkled eyes. “The Alchemy has put us on high alert to be careful with the ones behind this. Human murders in New Orleans have increased with rapid numbers directly related to the Alchemy problem, and we need to be sure this doesn’t land in our lap.”

No shit!

“The warlock can help you.” Something flashed across Glenda’s face; a hard emotion I didn’t trust. “While he wasn’t assigned to this task, a good witch is only good if she’s resourceful.”

I withheld my questions—Glenda was the highest Priestess in the coven, and it wasn’t my place to question her. “Got it.”

Mom stood, looking at the other Priestesses with a fake smile, and then back at me. “Come, Libby.” She offered her hand and her expression was anything but warm. “We’ll take a walk in the gardens before you go and chat a moment. I’ve missed you, my darling.”

I would’ve smiled at the Priestesses, even said good-bye, but something about my mother’s tight tone and fake smile made me only able to take her hand. While we ventured through the house and made our way to the back door, Mom stayed silent, as did I.

Once I stepped outside, the scent of flowers and lush grass overwhelmed me, and I took a long, deep sniff to savor the aroma. The garden was circular with the center being a large fountain. Stone sculptures were spread throughout, and green hedges hugged the stone walkways.

Mom stopped by the fountain and sat on the outer edge, patting the stone ledge. “Have a seat, sweetie.” After I joined her, she took both my hands and squeezed. “I want you to be careful. I feel a lot of distrust right now.”

Her hands trembled around mine, causing me to hold tighter and react to her concern. My pulse kicked up a notch. “Distrust?”

“I don’t like that the Priestesses didn’t inform me that the warlock was sent to you.”

My eyes widened at the implication of her accusation, and while I had my own thoughts on the matter, my mother was a hundred percent in line with the coven, always. Her wavering opinion of them sent my worries skyward. “You don’t trust the other Priestesses?”

After Mom hesitated a moment, she chose her words carefully and spoke in a hushed voice. “The coven is not a personal place, and you know this. They act because of what’s in the best interests of the coven, but withholding such information from me makes me wonder why.”

I didn’t intend to bring up my suspicions on the matter to my mother, worried she’d raise hell over it, but now with all my confusion and concern, I allowed myself to lean on her. “Do you think the coven wants me gone?”

Mom’s eyebrows shot up to her hairline. “Gone? No, Libby, the coven would never order your death.”

I rolled my eyes. This was why I never told her anything—she always overreacted. Exactly why I remained tight-lipped with the coven, and I thought they understood that, until now. “No, Mom, not dead, fired. Could that be why Kale is here—to watch over me to find a way to get me out?”

Mom’s tight expression relaxed. “My dear, your attitude and how you don’t inform us right away of matters are enough reason to let you go. They wouldn’t need to go to these measures to remove you from the coven.” She gave my hand another hard squeeze, and pride lightened her eyes. “Your abilities have always been appreciated, and
we
need you. I don’t, for one second, believe that’s their intention with the warlock.”

Okay, putting it that way did make my worries seem a little silly, but in truth they could kick me out…for a lot of reasons. My mother believed one thing, but I wasn’t nearly as confident. Something was up, the High Priestesses were lying, and until I knew why, I wouldn’t discount any possibility. “If you believe that, then why don’t you believe what Glenda has said?”

Mom glanced around and when the empty garden greeted us, she looked back at me. “If what she said about Kale being a new Ward you were just showing around was the truth, why did she not tell me?”

As I shifted through my suspicions, a very good reason stood out. “Could be because you’re my mother and they think your judgment isn’t clear. Perhaps they thought if they told you, you’d do exactly what you did and refuse he come with me. It could be that simple, or I sure as shit hope that’s why.”

“This is true and does explain it well enough.” Her hands tightened around mine, unsettling me more with Mom’s concern amplifying my own. “But when it involves you I’d think that information wouldn’t be withheld.”

She had a good point.

“How did you hear about him with me anyway?”

She glanced down, avoiding me. “I…I just heard.”

“From who?”

“A source.”

Again, another reason I kept my coven at a distance—my mother could be ridiculous with keeping a firm eye on me. “And this source didn’t know of him?”

She finally lifted her head, shifting against the ledge. “From what my source told me, Glenda informed him Kale was new to Charleston, so when we spoke my source knew only of that.” Her eyes deepened with concern. “Trust no one until we can understand what’s going on. I’ll probe for more information to see what I can discover.” She squeezed my hands again so tight that they trembled around mine. “Promise me you’ll be careful.”

I almost rolled my eyes—what, was I fifteen years old? Instead of arguing with her that I was always careful, in which she’d just go on and on about my safety, I gave in. “Okay, Mom. I promise.”

“Very well.” She stood, running her hands over her black silk blouse. My mother had great fashion sense. Once she straightened out her clothes, she continued, “Go and see what this murder is about. Keep your mind open to all possibilities, and
do
check back in once you know what’s going on.”

“Will do.” I hugged her, totally understanding her need to put emphasis on my lack of attention to detail when it came to the coven. But the tension radiating off my mother made the air around me feel thick.

If I couldn’t trust my own coven, whom could I trust? My mother would never betray me, nor would Peyton, but the rest of the coven, I didn’t have a shred of confidence in.

“Be. Careful,” she warned again as she backed away from me, and her smile appeared forced. With a kiss on my cheek and a simple good-bye, I left her behind me in the gardens, probably lost in her thoughts.

I made quick time getting out of the house and thought over the hell I currently found myself in. So, what did I know?

Cats were being murdered in Charleston, and I had no idea why. My ex-lover might be part of some conspiracy to take down the magical world as a whole, and I possibly would have to hunt him down in the foreseeable future. Kale was on this case with me no matter what I did, and I had no clue what the real purpose of his arrival was, though I had suspicions.

Whatever the reason, I had to kick it up a notch and pull out spells I hadn’t used before to impress him. Ones I’d practiced with, but just never needed. It was time to pull out the big guns and show the coven up. Mom might believe the coven wasn’t behind this, but I doubted that. Even if they weren’t and I had this all wrong, I wouldn’t take that chance.

Besides, I couldn’t deny I’d been lazy with my magic, but the challenge had never been there. Now was the time to prove they had no reason to let me go. If they kicked me out, Peyton would be in the middle of it without me. For that reason alone, I had to kick some serious magical butt and ask more of the Goddess than I usually did.

For now, I only hoped she’d answer my request and not fail me when the time came, because there was risk in using spells that were new to me.

Once I exited the house, I slammed the door behind me, and stopped dead in my tracks. Kale leaned up against the light post with his arms folded, a stupid and sexy grin on his face.

“Isn’t this convenient?” I trotted down the steps while fighting against the memory of the last time I’d seen Kale. Damn, had I forgotten it at all? My body heated in the exact way it had when he went all seductive male on me. I narrowed my eyes and hoped he read that on my expression instead of the mess inside. “How did you know I was here?”

“I did say I would find you.” At my scowl and wave to get on with it, he added with a chuckle, “The coven contacted me and said you’d be here.”

I didn’t believe him, but I also didn’t care right now. I had bigger problems, and that included all my previous concerns with the now added worries over the all-too-casual warlock who made my body awaken with all types of sultry ideas. I rolled my eyes, more than done with it all, and pushed past him. “Whatever.”

I got into my SUV, Kale joined me to settle into the passenger seat, and I started up the engine. I put the SUV in gear, glancing sideways at him. “Have you had a lot of experience with human murders?”

“I’ve had some.” A crease formed above shadowy eyes that I tried to find a flaw in, but sadly, I didn’t. “Why?”

His tight voice suggested he had more than
some
, but why ask? He wouldn’t tell me anyway. “Because we’re about to see a dead person, and I don’t want you to faint on me.”

His mouth twitched. “Do I seem the type to be bothered by such a thing?”

While so far he seemed efficient, and also had a whole dollop of confidence that could exist in ten warlocks, history reminded me of the truth. “I’ve seen warlocks turn green and barf, so yes.”

His eyebrow arched in a silent challenge. “Warlocks who are employed to kill?”

“Yes, I know, it’s pathetic, but…” I swallowed back the shudder, all too aware of what disgustingness I would soon discover, “human deaths by ritual are far worse than a warlock who has been killed with magic.”

He winked. “Don’t
worry
about me, Libby.”

I almost corrected him—I wasn’t worried about him, but concerned about vomit on my shoes. Besides, it irritated me that he said
worry
with such conviction, as though he was implying that I cared and looked out for him. While I was tempted to prove my point that I didn’t give a rat’s ass about him to stop whatever
this
was between us, it did seem best to keep the conversation to a minimum to avoid any additional confirmation of what
he
believed. Some warlocks I could outsmart and push under, but Kale wasn’t among them, and somehow my argument ended up with me melting into a puddle of goo.

For that, I shut my trap and didn’t add fuel to his ability to make me unravel. What I hated most of all—beyond Kale and his ability to stay on top—was that I had the nagging sensation things were about to get messier than the big old crazy-disorganized mess I currently was knee-deep in.

Chapter Five

In the forest area of Hampton Park, totally secluded and hidden from the outside world, my nose scrunched as I refused to inhale the scent of blood that lingered in the air.
Old blood. Dirty blood. Dark blood.

“This is so, so bad.” I glanced over at Kale, and sex-packaged-in-jeans looked troubled with his dark expression.

I was right there with him. Not only did the body and manner of death concern me, but also the time constraints—we needed to act quickly to avoid human involvement. While I doubted anyone would come into this area of the forest, as it was far off the trail, the last thing we needed was human police sniffing around in something they knew nothing about.

The coven rarely failed to get to a scene first, since Peyton sensed dark magic in the works, but if it had happened, it just made my job that much harder. Humans always labeled the deaths as kids worshiping Satan, tending to cause hysteria in Charleston. Not something anyone wanted.

Though typically, a human life hadn’t been lost. The coven was usually onto the culprit before a death. Warlocks and witches didn’t go from white magic to the darkest of all black magic without needing to learn it, which might have explained the cats’ deaths. I had to wonder if whoever killed the cats had now taken what they learned and used it to kill this human.

Kale circled the human body, studying the large slash around the victim’s neck and the man’s blood drenching the grass below. “Dark magic is at work here.”

“Ya think?” I didn’t need a magic meter like Peyton to sense the lingering darkness. The pentagram around the body was enough of an explanation, but his blood being used to draw the pentagram was a clear indicator. Plus, the position of the man’s body—arms and legs out forming a star—confirmed that black magic had been conjured. The ground around the body looked burned, as if flames had risen from it, making me very,
very
concerned because this ritual was about as evil as they came.

The night was dark and within the starry sky, energy seemed to rest heavily in the air. Shadows formed, appearing to close in on me. I glanced around in haste to search out any sign of trouble, but only a quiet wooded area greeted me now.

“The evil is so thick,” Peyton whispered, as if her throat had closed. Her worried eyes bored into mine and the way she fiddled with her fingers indicated how bad the evil weighed her down. “I can hardly breathe right now.”

Kale squatted, dipped his finger into the blood, and examined the liquid as it dripped off his finger. “Whoever did this used dead man’s ash mixed with the blood when they drew the pentagram.”

I blinked. First, because Kale had an education when it came to dark magic that I sure as hell didn’t. I doubted I would’ve noticed the ash in the blood, probably because I’d never stick my finger in it. Second, because every step of the way, the danger worsened. “Demon summoning?”

Kale nodded. “A higher demon, I suspect.”

My heart thudded as I did a double take; Kale’s knowledge was so enriched he knew what level of demon had been called forth? I had little acquaintance with anything this evil, because Charleston didn’t have these types of troubles. Sure, some dabbled in darker magic, like to call upon minions of hell to use in rituals and such, but the scene in front of me was
not
a simple ritual.

My thoughts drifted back to the cats and whether the two cases were connected. If the magic user had killed the cats to practice dark magic on, why hadn’t Peyton sensed dark magic at the scene? I tried to connect this scene and the dead cats, and the two didn’t seem related. Why would anyone kill cats with magic for no purpose?

It didn’t add up.

“I can’t believe anyone in Charleston is after this type of power,” Peyton said.

I sighed, wondering if this was what Edwin mentioned and the coven confirmed. But why would this rebellion do this in
our
town? And what would demonic power do to help their attack against the Alchemy?

As much as I wanted to be honest with Peyton, the less she knew the better—it’d save her a meltdown.

The death of her mother five years back—my first case, that one Bryon took credit for—wore on Peyton’s heart. She had seen firsthand how evil destroyed lives and that’s why each death hit her so hard.

Her mother, once a Priestess, had been attacked for her position in the coven. The witch who summoned the demon that killed Peyton’s mother had died for her actions, but her mother’s death directed Peyton’s life. I knew the mention of this evil would bring Peyton back to that horrible memory.

The coven needed her. Without her, we probably wouldn’t discover half of the danger we found—this cased included—and that’s exactly why, even though Peyton had trouble dealing with the mental aspects of death, the coven kept her on the job.

As I stared at her, she trembled, which was why I kept her out if it, if I could. I understood her role in the coven and why they used her to locate trouble, but she didn’t need to put herself through emotional trauma, and my protection of Peyton meant not involving her. I was already pulled into something far deeper than even I wanted to go. “Leave this to us,” I told her.

Peyton frowned. “You really want to work this case alone?”

I gestured at Kale. “I’ve got Mr. Muscles with me.” I glanced sideways at him and he winked at me, which I ignored. “I’ll be all right.”

“Well…” She glanced at Kale, then down to the body and shuddered. “I’ll tell the coven and if they don’t agree, I’ll call you. Okay?”

“Sure.” I suspected they’d have no issue if she stayed out of it. Peyton might have a talent for sensing darkness, but when I kept her out of it, the coven always agreed. Besides, her job concluded when she found the body, and keeping her on further wasn’t necessary. Her magic would be of no use now, except to remind us of the darkness in the area.

I didn’t want the reminder.

Peyton scanned the body again, grimacing, and then she gave Kale a stern look. “Something is very wrong here, so watch her back.” At his firm nod, she said to me, “I’ll tell you this, we’ve never dealt with anything this dark before. Murders, yes, but this is
very
different.”

“What makes you say that?”

“This isn’t only a blood ritual.” She inhaled deeply and quivered in disgust, her face almost green now. “It feels like the ritual was to pull the man’s soul out of his body.”

Blood rituals were used to bleed the ground and offer the blood to a minion of hell, but to gift a soul doubled the trouble. That made Kale’s statement true; a higher demon would demand a soul.

Kale cocked his head and regarded Peyton. “Why do you suspect the soul has been stripped?”

She hugged herself and rubbed her arms, tears welling in her eyes. “It’s a feeling I have, and it’s almost as if the ghost still lingers but its soul is missing.”

None of the Charleston witches were gifted with such insight to see a ghost, which sucked since I could use one right about now. “Can you sense the spirit?” I believed in Peyton’s feelings as much as I believed in my own, and if anyone had awareness now, it would be her.

She looked from side to side and those baby blues were wide. “I feel confusion, fear, and evil. I doubt it’s all from the ritual.” A tear slid down her cheek. “I suspect it’s either the residue of this man’s emotions when he died, or it’s because his ghost remains.” She wiped the tear off her face, and added with a shaky voice, “I bet it’s the latter.”

I hated when she worried or stressed over a situation she couldn’t change, especially since it upset her so much now. “Kale, will you walk her to her car?”

“That leaves you alone,” Peyton argued.

“I’ll be fine.” I paused, then added for my own protection, “Just be quick.”

Maybe I needed Kale more than I first suspected, and no matter why he had come, or if the coven tested me, it did comfort me to have him by my side. His strength with Edwin was reassuring now that this case had dipped into a place I’d never gone: right into the very pits of hell.

Peyton planted a kiss on my cheek and her lips were cold on my face. “Be so careful, Libby.”

I squeezed her arm and hoped it soothed her. “I will. Promise.”

With a forced smile, Peyton strode off with Kale in tow. The tension radiating out of her body made me want to hunt the accused and watch Kale slaughter them for that reason alone. Peyton’s pain drove my protection of her, and anyone who came between us wasn’t given mercy.

Once they left the area, I drew in a deep breath and then glanced around the dark forest. The shadows seemed to enclose me and, even though I couldn’t sense evil like Peyton could, I sure experienced the heaviness in the air. While I was determined to close this case and give this man justice, the issue with my coven still loomed over me, and I needed to make this damn good. “Goddess, you have a tough job ahead of you. I sure hope you’re up to it.”

For now, I opted to do a simple cleansing spell I’d done often, and skimmed the forest floor to locate a birch tree a few feet away. After I picked up a branch, I removed a few pieces of the bark and a few twigs, and returned to the pentagram. I placed them within the circle, reached into my pocket and grabbed my lighter, then lit the bark on fire.

Within seconds the fire caught the bark and twigs, and smoke drifted up into the air. “I cast out evil above, below, and around me. No evil may enter and all that have are now banished from these grounds.”

After a minute the smoke drifted away, and so did the heaviness. Of course, the demon wouldn’t still be here, but just as the ghost lingered—or so Peyton thought—the evil would have the same effect. The spell to cleanse the area forced any remnants of evil to vanish.

Staring down at the body, the man’s expression burned into my mind. His eyes were so afraid, even in death. His mouth, hanging open in a silent scream, made me believe his soul had been stolen.

So damn sad.

When we first arrived, before I left my SUV, I had settled on a spell I had yet to put into action, but I believed would impress my coven, and maybe even Kale, too. I drew in a long deep breath and felt slightly guilty for pushing on the Goddess when I didn’t need to. There were other spells that wouldn’t request the level of power I needed from her with this spell, but now wasn’t the time to second-guess myself. I had something to prove, and no one—Kale or my coven—would shove me down without a fight.

Reaching into my pocket, I took out the silk sachet with dried amaranth flowers, dittany of Crete, and wormwood. Then I knelt beside the body, opened the sachet, and poured the contents onto the ground outside of the pentagram.

With the pile of incense in front of me I was glad no wind swept through the forest to disrupt my work. I lit the contents and as the pleasant aroma filled my nostrils, I pulled on the Goddess in a way I never had requested before.

Intense tingles erupted through my body. The warmth of her touch nearly burned my veins as I centered myself on her power. The level of magic ripping through me was so foreign it almost hurt, but I welcomed the ache and focused on it. “I call upon you, the deceased. By the Goddess, I invite you to speak to me when I call you forward tonight.”

A light breeze swept across me and raised goose bumps, indicating the spell had worked and the Goddess had answered my call. I sighed, rested back on my legs as the magic fled my body in a rush, and hoped the ghost would accept my offer.

“Why did you send her away?”

I startled at Kale’s voice and glanced over my shoulder to discover him leaning against a tree with his arms folded. “You look awfully relaxed for the serious shit we’re in.”

“Whoever is behind this is gone.” He tilted his head. “Why did you get rid of her?”

No one radiated such an air of calm in this situation if they hadn’t experienced it before. “I don’t want her wrapped up in this trouble.”

His brow furrowed. “You’re protecting her?”

I snorted. “You’re surprised?”

“No. Not surprised.” He paused and seemed to choose his words with care when he said, “Curious as to why.”

“Because I love her.”

His eyebrow arched. “Yet this is her employment. Is it fair of you to keep her out of it?”

“Maybe not.” Why was he grilling me? Peyton’s personal life wasn’t his concern, and how I interacted with her wasn’t any of his damn business, either. “Why are you nosing around in my life, anyway? You looking for a reason to tell my coven my faults? I can tell you that they understand when I keep her out of it.”

His mouth set into a firm line. “Why do you assume everything I do is to attack you in some form?”

“Well, is it?” Part of me wondered if he was looking for another reason, as in lying to my fellow witches, which was in fact a very good reason to kick me out. My mother told me that wasn’t the case, but it seemed she was wrong.

“No, I’m not here to form a personal attack on you.”

I couldn’t find any deception in his features. “Regardless, like it or don’t, it’s how I work. Deal with it.”

His eyes softened, almost looking pained. “I have no opinion or care either way. As I said, it was simple curiosity to understand you.”

I suspected nothing was
simple
when it came to Kale, and everything he said and did had to have a motivation behind it. Only problem? I had yet to determine what that motivation was and could only continue to take guesses. Whatever the reason, I wouldn’t change who I was and do things differently because it might be wrong. Peyton’s safety was nonnegotiable. Besides, all I needed to do was prove my magic outweighed the
bad
, and that I could do. “Anyways, I offered a way for the ghost to talk to me. Maybe we can get more information out of him.”

He pushed off the tree to approach me. “How will you speak to the ghost if his soul is gone?”

Once he settled in front of me, the heat and intensity emanating off him stole the chill in my veins left from the retreat of my magic. As I stared into his eyes, the remainder of my irritation faded away and my breath stuck in my throat.