The Professor Woos The Witch (Nocturne Falls Book 4) (33 page)

A thin curl of ash wormed beneath the door.

Pandora held her breath, screwed up her courage and prepared to do battle.

Cole’s fear turned to anger when he saw Pandora’s Mercedes parked outside the old house. “Stay here,” he said to Corette.

“I think not.”

They both jumped out of his truck at the same time. Cole tried the front door, but it was locked. He threw his shoulder against it, driven by the burning need to save the woman he loved. The frame splintered, and the door gave way.

He raced into the house. “Pandora!”

“Cole!” The voice was muffled, but definitely Pandora’s.

As he skidded to a stop in the small living room, he could see clearly down the hall.

Lila stood in front of a closed door, hands outstretched, focused intently on whatever she was mumbling.

Corette thrust her hands out and yelled something.

Lila jerked like a rag doll and hit the rear wall. She got to her feet, scowling. “Stay out of this, witch.”

“Not when my daughter’s in the balance.” Corette closed one fist and pulled it toward her.

Lila was dragged in their direction, nails raking down the hall. “Let go of me.”

Corette yanked forward again until Lila was out of the hall. She held Lila in place and turned to Cole. “Get Pandora.”

He didn’t need to be told twice. He ran down the hall and opened the only closed door.

Pandora was crumpled against the wall, phone in one hand. Her skin was pale and she was trembling. She lifted the phone a few inches off the floor. “I tried to call.”

He pulled her into his arms and lifted her, holding her close to his chest. “I’m here now.”

“Yes, you are.” She slumped against him.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“Nope. I’m pretty good. Just magically hungover.” She exhaled a long breath. “How’d you find me?”

“Your mother. Something about a locating spell.”

Pandora let out a weak laugh. “The witchy version of your GPS app.”

“Apparently.” He carried her into the living room.

Lila was now sprawled on the floor.

Cole’s brows shot up, and he looked at Corette. “Is she…”

“No, she’s not dead.” Corette smiled. “Sleeping Beauty spell. She’ll be out for twenty-four hours. Sheriff Merrow’s on his way, and I’ve also called our local ACW rep.”

“Nicely done.” The Williams women were not to be messed with. “You should know that Kaley thinks she might have accidentally given Lila the real feather.”

“That’s all right. It might even be better. Those ashes will become evidence, and if they’re fully potent, that will only make our case stronger.” Corette brushed the hair off Pandora’s forehead. “How are you, my darling?”

“Good. Tired. Wore myself out holding a freeze spell for longer than I thought possible.” She yawned. “Wow. Really tired.”

Corette took Pandora’s hand and patted the back of it. “It’s a testimony to how powerful a witch you really are that you were able to hold that spell at all when your gifts have gone unpracticed all these years. You’ll probably feel drained for a day or two, but this is a good start to regaining your power.”

“So a couple days of rest are all she needs?” Cole asked.

“Yes.” Corette put her hand on Cole’s arm. “Take her home. I’ll keep you posted on how things go.”

He hesitated. “I feel like I should stay with you until the sheriff gets here.”

“Take my daughter home. I’ll be fine.” She shook her head at Lila. “That one’s not going to be causing anyone any more trouble for a long time. Stanhill and I will take care of bringing Pandora’s car back.”

The mention of Stanhill reminded Cole that he was supposed to talk to the man about getting in to see the Ellinghams about work, but there’d be time for that later. “I’ll need her keys to get into her house. Do you have a set of her car keys?”

Corette smiled knowingly. “I don’t need keys to start a car.”

He snorted. “I guess you don’t. See you later. And thank you.”

“Thank you for taking care of my daughter.”

Cole got Pandora into his truck and belted in, then drove through town to Pandora’s house. By the time they arrived, she was out cold. He found her keys in her purse and opened the house. Pumpkin greeted him with a loud meow and a head butt to the leg. “I’ll feed you as soon as I get your mother into bed.”

He brought Pandora in and laid her on her bed. Her shoes came off easily, but her suit jacket took a little more work. He drew the quilt over her, then pulled the shades to darken the room, finally closing the door most of the way.

Pumpkin meowed endlessly as he walked into the kitchen. “Okay, I get it, you’re hungry.” He dug around until he found a can of food and a plate.

Pumpkin fell on the food like she was starving. He shook his head and checked the time. Kaley would be out of school soon. He didn’t want to leave Pandora, but he didn’t have a choice. And Lila was being handled. He scrawled a quick note and put it on Pandora’s nightstand in case she awoke, then jumped in his truck to go pick Kaley up.

When they got back to Pandora’s, she was still sleeping.

Kaley peered in through the cracked bedroom door and whispered, “Is she going to be okay, Dad?”

“She’s going to be fine.” He put his hand on Kaley’s shoulder. “You want a snack? I’m sure she won’t mind us rooting through her kitchen for edibles.”

Kaley shrugged. “Sure.”

“Okay, come on.” He shut the door and gave Kaley a squeeze. He knew she was upset. She’d been in a funk since he’d explained what had happened on the ride back to Pandora’s. “Hey, I know you think this is your fault. It isn’t.”

“I’m the one who let Lila have the real feather.”

“We don’t know that. And you didn’t let her have it. If she got the real one, it was because she went through your stuff.”

“I guess.” Kaley took a seat at the kitchen counter while Cole rummaged through the fridge and cabinets. She sighed a few times, then finally spoke. “I don’t want to see Lila anymore.”

Cole turned, a box of mac and cheese in his hand. “Because of what she did?”

“Yes, that. But everything else too. She would have hurt Miss Williams. And you.” Kaley picked at her fingernail polish, frowning. “She’s not a good person. And she’s not a good mother.”

“You’re sure about this?” Cole thought he’d be happier about the decision, but he hurt for Kaley. Realizing the unsavory truth about a parent was a scar she was going to carry the rest of her life.

Kaley nodded.

“Okay.” A moment of silence passed between them. He broke it by rattling the box of pasta. “Mac and cheese?”

“Sure.” She put her earbuds in and tuned out.

He said a silent thanks to Pandora for stocking the kid-friendly staple. He dug around some more for the tools to make it with, then got cooking.

As he dumped the pasta into boiling water, Kaley pulled her earbuds out. “Are you going to marry Miss Williams?”

He was glad he was faced away from her. He blinked hard. “Um—”

“Because I’d be okay with it if you did.”

He smiled as he gave the pasta a stir. “Thank you for that.” He turned. “Any other thoughts on the subject?”

“If she makes you happy, you should marry her. You’ve been alone a long time.”

“I haven’t been alone. I’ve had my Kaley-did.”

She made a face like she was tolerating the endearment. “You know what I mean. I know boys have needs.”

No chance to hide his face this time. “Needs? What exactly are they teaching you in that school?”

“Dad, I’m not a baby. I know about kissing and
sex
. I’ll probably be getting my period like any day.”

He groaned and covered his face with his hand. “I wish you were four again. Four was a good age.”

She laughed. “Yeah, well, I’m not.”

He looked up. “Have you kissed a boy?”

“
No
.” She made a shy face. “But there is a winter dance coming up. I was thinking Miss Williams could take me to get a dress.”

“Does that mean you have a date?” A date. His little girl
on a date
. The world was coming to an end.

“No, but there’s a boy who might ask me.” She sat back. “If he’s lucky, I’ll say yes.”

Cole stifled a laugh. “That’s my girl.”

She gave him a long look. “You didn’t answer my question.”

“About?”

“Are you going to ask Miss Williams to marry you?”

“Maybe. Eventually.”

She crossed her arms. “Women don’t like men who can’t make up their minds.”

He stared at her. “Where is all this coming from?”

She shrugged. “I like having her around. It’s nice having another girl to talk to. And Lila’s never going to be a real mother to me, so…”

His gut knotted. Was that what this was about? Having a mother? The hiss of water hitting the stove got his attention. He spun around and knocked the heat back as he lifted the pan to keep it from boiling over a second time. He checked the clock. The pasta had cooked long enough anyway.

He drained it, added the packet of sauce and stirred. He could very easily see himself married to Pandora. He also couldn’t imagine himself with any other woman.

What if they tried bonding and it didn’t take? Did it matter? That wouldn’t change the way she felt about him, would it? He spooned the mac and cheese into two bowls and put one on the counter for Kaley. “Food’s ready.”

“Okay, in a sec.” She was on the floor with Pumpkin, swinging a fuzzy toy on a stick and laughing as the cat swatted at it.

He wanted Kaley to be happy. Hell, he wanted that for himself. But asking didn’t mean Pandora would say yes. Truth was, all this worry and concern could be for nothing if Pandora wasn’t ready.

Kaley put the toy down and came to eat. He took his bowl and sat in the chair next to her. “Look, about Miss Williams and what we were talking about, she and I still need to get to know each other, but we’re committed to each other. And if things go the way I think they will, then yes, I will ask her.”

Kaley nodded and took a bite, smiling while she chewed. “Cool. I can live with that answer.”

He picked up his fork. So could he.

Pandora woke with a start. She sat upright, heart pounding, trying to determine where she was. The space was pitch black. She blinked to get her eyes to adjust, then impatiently snapped her fingers. The lights flared on.

Her own bedroom. That’s where she was.

“Hey, what’s with the lights?”

She turned to see Cole’s lanky form sprawled in the dainty toile club chair she’d artfully angled in the far corner. “What are you doing here? What time is it?”

“Keeping an eye on you.” He squinted at his watch. “It’s nearly three in the morning. How do you feel?”

She rolled her shoulders. “Not too bad. A little tired. Maybe a little achy. Why? Should I feel worse?”

“I have no idea. Do you remember what happened?”

She thought for a moment, and it all came back to her. The old house. Lila. The ashes. Cole and her mother. She nodded. “I fought Lila, used a considerable amount of magic and passed out right after you and my mother showed up.”