whiskey witches 02 - blood moon magick (6 page)

Because she’d been raised in the paranormal community. That’s why. And she’d never heard one word about it. She’d been told time and time again that the stories of werewolves were just that. Stories.

So, if werewolves and vampires were real, why would her grandmother lie to her about it?

Or…why would they hide themselves away from witches?

Or…why would witches hide themselves away from werewolves and vampires?

Recalling past conversations she’d had with her grandmother, she realized that Alma had been quite forceful about the
fact
that
werewolves
didn’t exist. She hadn’t cared one iota about vampires.

So, what kind of danger was she about to put herself into?

She was just setting the phone down when Leslie’s ringtone of “I’m a Gummy Bear,” rang out Rolling her eyes, Paige swiped the answer button, then put it on speaker. “I texted you so you could answer at your leisure.”

“This is my leisure,” Leslie said irritably in her thick Texas drawl. “What do ya mean, ‘have I heard o’ werewolves?’ I’ve read
Twilight.
”

Paige glanced at Dexx and cringed. “How was your day?”

“What’re you really askin’? Why I’m so bitchy?”

Paige whimpered a hmm.

“I’m damned tired of being pregnant, for one thing. This damned baby is heavier’n I look. I haven’t been able to tie my own damned shoes in three weeks. Tyler shattered the glass in the china hutch this morning while throwing a tantrum over which kind of peanut butter he wanted on his damned sandwich.”

Dexx mouthed the word, “What?”

Tyler was a bard. So, when he got mad, he sang at a pitch dogs couldn’t even hear and things broke.

“And then Amanda—”

Paige flinched. That girl was only “Amanda” when she did something really, really,
really
bad, which was frequent since the girl was a fire starter.

“—was trying to get payback at her brother because some of the glass hit her—nothing major, mind ya—so she set fire to the stove. And now Grandma is demandin’ a new stove. Only, she’s being very particular about which stove she wants. I’m goin’ insane, Pea. I’m flippin’ insane. I live in insanity.”

Paige wanted to chuckle, but forced all mirth from her tone. “I am so sorry, Les.”

“Don’t have any more babies. They will wreck your life.”

Paige bit off the hurt that flared in her chest. She didn’t know if she wanted another child. She felt like it would be like trying to replace the one she’d already lost.

But what happened if her mother swooped in and stole that child, too?

She wouldn’t summon a demon to kill the woman. She’d do so in person. While her mother was facing her.

“Oh, geez, Pea. I’m so sorry. Sometimes, I just forget what I’m even sayin’.”

“It’s okay.” She forced a smile into her voice. “Do you know what the new one’s gift is?”

When Leslie had been pregnant with Mandy—what Amanda went by when she wasn’t setting fire to the stove—Leslie had been hot all the time. In the last month, she could toast bread with her hands. While carrying Tyler, she could sing. It was the
only
time that tone deaf woman
could
sing.

“He can read minds. He’s a frelling telepath, so, now, I can read everyone’s every damned thought!”

Paige pushed her head over Dexx’s arm and into the pillow, biting down hard on her lips to fight her laugh. Taking in a deep breath, she said calmly, “That has got to be hell.”

“You have no idea.” Leslie’s voice shook. “I had to send Tru away. That damned man, all he thinks about is ghost hunts and how he’s going to rig his equipment. Well, that and boobs. I think I might know how to work his equipment better’n he does now.”

“Which ‘equipment?’” Paige asked, trying to hide her chuckle.

“The cameras, you dolt. And Mandy? She loves YouTube and watching videos on how to make lipsticks with crayons. Crayons, Pea. All the time. Tyler has shut himself in the attic, which was okay, except this week, I can hear him in the attic, too.”

What was Paige supposed to say to that?

“I know!” Leslie moaned.

“Did you just hear me think that?”

“No, stupid. I read silence. You’re too damned far away. Which reminds me, when are you coming home?”

Paige shook her head. “Not for a while yet.”

“Well, you’re comin’ down when I have this damned baby.”

“He can hear you, you know.”

“And he can hear all my love, too,” she growled. “Also, he’s a baby. When I’m not carrying him and his gifts, I’ll get over my frustration and bathe him in my love.”

Paige laughed at that one. “Fine. When you have him, I’ll come down.”

“Good. Then I’ll see ya next week.”

Paige’s laugh grew. “Okay, well, seriously, I just wanted to talk to you in the morning. If you want to get to that sleeping thing humans do, I’ll let you.”

“Sleepin’. You’re kiddin’, right? You were pregnant. Kindly recall what it was like in the last month.”

She’d felt joy in the last month of her pregnancy. Leah hadn’t imparted her gifts, or if she had, Paige hadn’t realized it. She’d been happy with her husband and her baby and her job and her family. Everything had been perfect.

“Sorry,” Leslie whispered. “I can be a real bitch when I get like this.”

“And we all know it,” Paige said quietly. “Have you heard from Leah?”

“Well, from Rachel. She called. Grandma talked to her, which was a good thing because I’d talk some ghosts into haunting the hell out of her house right now.”

Paige snorted. “You could do that?”

“Totally. Leah’s doin’ well. She’s doin’ great in school. Soccer season’s over, so she’s bored. Rachel’s tryin’ to get her into art, but…” Leslie’s voice trailed off. “That’s not going well.”

Paige made a sucking noise with her lips. “How’s Grandma?”

“Doin’ great now that you’ve fixed her vision.” Leslie’s voice was chipper.

When Paige had been possessed in Louisiana, she’d made Alma’s eyes completely white. They were odd to look at, but the old woman could see better than ever. She’d had cataracts in one eye and was losing sight in the other.

“She’s getting back into her cross stitch and her crochet, which makes her happy. Honestly, that’s the only good thing in our house right now. If I had to deal with her bein’ crotchety while dealin’ with everyone else, I’d be in jail right now.”

“Oh, man.”

“She’s sorry, you know.” Leslie’s voice got quiet again. “She wishes she’d believed in you. Well, she’s always believed in you, but believed in you more than she feared your gift.”

“Yeah, well…”

“Me, too, you know. I miss my sister. I want you back.”

Paige released a breath.

“So, werewolves.” Through all the venting, Leslie’s drawl had lessened. “Is this for real?”

Clicking her tongue, Paige nodded. “It is. Met a vampire and a werewolf today.”

“Well, if that ain’t some shit.”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, well, I haven’t heard anything, but I’ll go over the books, see if there’s anything in there. I’ll ask Grandma.”

“Meh. Remember when we were kids and we’d bring up werewolves?”

“Not really. No.”

“Well, I do. I asked about them. And she was pretty…” Paige searched for the right word. “Vehement.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard that word said out loud. Did you pronounce it correctly?”

“I’ll look it up in the morning. I’m just saying that maybe Grandma isn’t the best resource on this one. Feels like maybe she’s hiding something from us.”

“Hmm. Weird.”

“Yeah.”

“Hey, Pea?”

“Yeah, Les?”

Leslie paused for a long moment. “You just be careful, all right? I want you back. Alive. Not dead. Or worse.”

“Yeah.” Paige bit her lip, her heart tugging for home. She missed it, the old house, her old stomping grounds. Denver was nice, but it wasn’t home. “I’ll be careful and I’ll see you soon.”

“Next week. I’m havin’ this baby next week.”

Paige chuckled. The woman had another few weeks to go yet. “I’ll talk to you later. Love you.”

“Yeah, whatever. Love you, too.”

Dexx hmm’d as Paige put the phone back on the box. “So she hasn’t heard of them, either. Very, very curious.”

She wasn’t sure when her brain winked out, but it finally did. She drifted off wrapped up in the warmth of Dexx’s arms. Gigantic werewolves and vampires with bright green eyes removing the heads of everyone around them haunted her dreams.

She’d read too many books and watched too many movies. She needed to get some real information on them.

When the alarm went off, she was still wrapped in Dexx’s arms, something hard poking her in the back.

How had she forgotten morning wood?

Probably because it had been over eight years since she’d had to deal with it.

She groaned. Ten years. Her sexy girly parts had to be dust.

Yeah, well, there was nothing she could do about that at the moment. She had information to gather on her partner.

Sighing, she threw the covers back and headed for the closet, turning on the light to the walk-in room and closing the door behind her. She pulled on a pair of jeans, a tank and a blazer. Stepping out, she grabbed her service pistol from the bedside table and clipped the holster to her belt.

“You’re heading out?”

“Nope,” she said with a smile. “I’m preparing for the zombie apocalypse. I’ll rig the door before I leave.”

He brought the pale blue comforter under his chin and closed his eyes, his head resting on her pillow. “Oh, good. I need bacon, while you’re out.”

“Yeah, sure.”

He opened his eyes, closing one against the glare of the bathroom light. “On a serious note, let me know what he has to say.”

Tony had a lot of explaining to do.

T
ony, apparently, wasn’t as anxious about their impending discussion as Paige was. To keep herself busy, she looked into their new case.

Elizabeth Harwood had lived in Nederland, Colorado, and had gone missing three months prior to her murder.

There’d been no clues in her missing persons case. No one noticed any strange people lurking around. No boyfriend.

She’d been in good health the day she was murdered. Nice dress. Inexpensive shoes. Her clutch hadn’t been anything to really brag about.

If she’d been okay, why hadn’t she told her brother or sister where she was and what was going on?

It didn’t slip her attention that the file had been assigned to her partner. Three months ago. Without him telling her.

A disappearance case being handed to a homicide detective?

But he was a vampire, too. And the woman’s eyes had glowed green.

The werewolf’s eyes had glowed last night.

Was this woman a werewolf?

When demon cases came in, they went to Paige. Well, she went out of her way to grab them.

What if there was a far bigger paranormal world than she realized and all those cases were being funneled to Tony? Because he was a vampire?

Then why was she outside of that society? Was it all witches? Just her? Because of her demon gifts? Because of her Whiskey name?

Tony came strolling through the door two hours later. Paige looked up at him and glared.

He grinned good-naturedly and sat down behind his large desk butted up against hers. “How’d you sleep?”

She tipped her head in a “who cares, asshole?” and said, “Do your kind
even
sleep?”

“A little.”

“Back at the crime scene,” she said, lowering her voice. “Did you compel me?”

A sharp breath whistled between his lips.

“You did!”

He chuckled, leaning his chin on his hand. “And this is why I don’t broadcast what I am or what I can do.”

“Don’t broadcast it?” She gripped the edge of her desk and rolled around the end of it, dodging the trashcan. “I’ve never even heard of you. Well, I have because I read fiction, but that’s
fiction
.”

“There are many who think you are.”

Which was hard to really understand because her family openly practiced, but whatever. “Tell me why my grandmother would vehemently—” That word fit too perfectly. “—refuse to tell me of your kinds’ existence.”

He took in a deep breath, his lips pursed, his eyes narrowed.

So, Alma
had
been keeping the truth from her. Why? “Okay. Are we having this conversation here? Or someplace more inconspicuous?”

He pinched his lips in thought. “I could use a little help with my case.”

“Your case? We’re partners.”

“That Louisiana case was yours. Demons.”

She couldn’t refute that. “Why did the Elizabeth Harwood missing person’s case get assigned to you?”

He widened his eyes, impressed. “Sometimes, I get called in as a favor to the paranormal world on their cases.”

“By who?”

He licked his lips, eyebrows raised.

“So, the brother and sister?”

“The sheriff down there knows me. She’s the one who called me.”

From what Paige gathered, the paranormal world was a lot bigger than her witchcraft and demon world. “Well, for whatever reason, your paranormal missing person case and my demon issues clashed yesterday.”