kate storm 04 - witches dont back down (16 page)

I dropped my head onto Ash's chest and groaned. "Please tell me you are not encouraging this." I shook my head. "He's a Chihuahua. She's a nymph."

Forget everything I said about feeling Nina Georgette's pain. She was a bad nymph and I didn't want her anywhere near my Chihuahua.

"I'm not encouraging him, Kate." Ash sighed, tightened his arms and rested his chin on my head. "But I feel for him."

My heart melted. So did I.

"I don't know what to do. I don't know how to help him." I whispered the words. I had never said the words out loud. I was afraid it would make them real. I was afraid it would be the truth.

"I know." Ash turned me until I was once again facing his chest. He cupped the back of my head and pressed my cheek over his heart. "I don't know what to do either."

20. Chihuahuas In Love.

"
Nina didn't break in to your business, Doll. She wouldn't do that." Al trotted up to me.

He'd been in the reception area with Désirée Norma-Sue and Phil. The moment Ash and I walked out of my office, he pounced.

I had a feeling he'd been making his case with them first.

"She did, Al." I picked him up and kissed him on the head. "Nina broke in and totally and utterly trashed every single thing in my office she could get her hands on."

Ash growled. I ignored him.

I was dealing with my Chihuahua.

"I think it was a homeless person," Al insisted.

"Because the homeless population is so out of control and dangerous in Dominion?"

As far as I knew, we had never had a homeless person in our town. A year ago, we had one person who hitched to Dominion without employment or tentative sleeping quarters. Dominion is not exactly a tourist destination. Or even a pit stop on the way to a tourist destination.

Word spread as quickly as gossip can in a small town. I'd heard about him before he even finished lunch.

Several people offered him lodging and meals. It had been a big deal in our little town. Two full paragraphs in the social section of our local newspaper.

I couldn't rightly call him a homeless person because he had never slept outside once he hit our town. He'd secured temporary employment within a day of arriving in Dominion and he now owned his own business serving hot meals to the homebound elderly.

Not exactly homeless or dangerous.

"I just know it wasn't Nina," Al stated firmly.

"Al." I lifted him up higher so we were eye to eye. "The person who broke in left no trace. They were using black magic. Nina Georgette is the only one using black magic. Unless you think Morgause broke in to throw my stuff around?"

Al grunted. He put one tiny paw on my cheek. "Then Nina had a very good reason to break in." He blinked his wet bulging brown eyes at me.

Of course I caved.

I simply can't resist his eyes. And the hitman knew it too.

"What possible reason could she have to use black magic?"

"I don't know, Doll. But it has to be something serious."

"That would explain the desperation." Désirée said. "If she truly does have a legitimate reason for using black magic, and she's not a bad nymph, it would make sense."

"Nina's desperate?" Al stiffened.

I scowled at Désirée. She winced.

"Yes." I stroked Al between the ears to calm him down. "But she's not desperate to fall in love. She lied about what she wanted in a match," I reminded Al.

"That's because I'm hard to describe." Al arched his neck under my fingers. "She's just playin' hard to get."

Désirée Norma-Sue and Phil both opened their mouths, but I glared them into silence. Al did not need anyone encouraging his infatuation. Nothing appeared to make a dent in his affections at any rate. Al had his target in sight and he wasn't veering off course.

And there wasn't anything I could do about it at the moment except change the subject.

"I made protection amulets for everyone." I tucked Al under my arm and pulled out the coins.

I hadn't been able to find anything small in my office. All of my spell supplies were in my spare room at home so I'd dug through my purse. I had eleven coins. I only needed eight.

I handed out the coins. "These will help against black magic. Just make sure you don't spend them." The last bit was directed specifically at Désirée. She does love to shop.

I'd selected the dime for Al and put it on a piece of string. When I slipped it over his little neck, the dime hung right between his front legs.

I tightened the string so he wouldn't get tangled up while walking.

"We need to stop at Aunt Tab's on the way home so I can give her one as well," I told Al. Hopefully, she’d made one herself after my call, but I needed to be sure. Plus, I had an excuse to stop and see if I could find out any answers.

"Now?"

"Yes." I frowned at him. "Why?"

"National Geographic has a couple shows on wolves tonight that I wanted to see." Al looked at the wall clock. "They start in a few minutes."

I knew that. I'd deleted the timer for the shows.

I tried to squash my guilt. Al blinked up at me.

Damn it.

Since I deleted the timer, the shows wouldn't be recorded.

I mentally weighed Al's crush on Nina versus getting in touch with his animal side. It wasn't a contest.

"We can drop Al off for you," Phil said.

I handed Phil my key, told Al I'd pick him up some manicotti and we all left.

I made a point to lock the door and cast my protection spell. I thought about it and added another spell on top. I didn't say anything to Al, but my second spell would zap anyone who tried to break in. I might feel a little sorry for Nina, but Love Required is still my baby. And I don't have any problems evening the playing field.

I waved goodbye to Désirée, Phil and Al and climbed up into Ash's pick up.

I considered things again and pulled out my wand. "Hang on," I said.

I pushed the button to roll down my window, leaned out and cast another protection spell on my Mini Cooper.

Tomorrow was Saturday and I didn't have any appointments scheduled for tomorrow. I also didn't want to risk Nina letting the air out of my tires or possibly putting a scratch on my car.

I'd ride my broom in if I needed to come in tomorrow.

21. My Aunt In Love.

Ash pulled up to the curb in front of Aunt Tab's house.

I could see a light on through her window.

I could also see the silhouettes of two people through her curtains. I recognized my Aunt's shadow, but I had no idea who the other shadow belonged to. The male shadow.

"Looks like Tabitha is entertaining again." Ash said as he got out of the truck. He came around and opened my door.

I didn't move.

"Kate?"

"Maybe we should come back. She might not want to be disturbed." I turned my head so I couldn't see my Aunt's house. "It's late."

"It's ten minutes after five." Ash moved inside the open door. He slid his hand along the back of my neck and turned my head toward him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." I shrugged. His hand didn't move. "Why don't we go get dinner first."

"Kate." Ash leaned down and bumped my nose with his. "What is wrong?"

I debated the benefits of looking like the crazy witch with no logical explanation or the witch with the multitude of insecurities that continually pop up.

Crazy witch was actually winning when Ash said, "I thought you were going to face things head first from now on."

Frog warts.

I could live with looking like I might have lost it for a bit. I couldn't live with being both a wimpy witch and a witch who didn't stand behind her convictions.

"I've never had to share my aunt before." I looked at a spot beyond Ash's shoulder while I spoke. "It's clearly a guy inside. Aunt Tabs would have told me if she was having a party. And Al heard a bottle of wine being opened when we were here last. That was two days ago." My words started coming faster and faster until they were almost flowing together. "She's obviously dating someone. She hasn't said anything to me about it. It looks pretty serious. I'm a big witch. I should be able to deal with this. I should be happy for my aunt. I
want
her to be happy. But I don't know if I'm ready for this."

I stopped talking. I had to blink my eyes several times. I couldn't look at Ash.

I felt silly. And embarrassed.

I'm an adult. Adults deal with stuff. They don't blame their childhood. They deal.

I didn't want to deal.

I wanted to storm into my Aunt's house, put myself in front of her and tell whoever the hell she was seeing that he needed to leave.

My mental Kate even stomped her foot and hollered, "Mine!" With all the temper and unreasonableness of a two year old witch.

My stomach clenched. How could I be so ungrateful? So selfish?

So damn
human
.

"I told you my mother fell in love with another demon before she was killed."

I nodded. Yes, Ash had told me. His mother fell in love, his father thought it made him look weak even though he wasn't with Ash's mom, Ash's father had then killed his mother and Ash had then killed his father.

It was a horrible. Awful. Devastating to the young demon Ash had been at the time.

I knew his history.

"Did I ever tell you I never liked the demon my mother fell in love with?"

No. I didn't know that.

I looked up at Ash.

"I met him only a couple times before my mother was killed. I couldn't stand him."

"What didn't you like about him? What was wrong with him?"

"He was with my mother."

That startled a laugh out of me.

"Really?"

Ash nodded.

"I thought maybe I was being too human."

Ash growled. "You are not too anything. You're part human, part non." He kissed me hard. "All you. The witch I love."

Well, when he put it like that . . .

I leaned my head into his chest. "Thanks."

Ash tightened his arms. "You're supposed to say something back to me."

I was? I replayed our conversation through my head.

Oh.

"I love you, too."

Ash grunted and lifted me out of the truck.

He put his hand on the small of my back as we walked through the gate and up to the front door.

"Did you text her we were coming?"

"No."

Ash grinned down at me. "Sneaky."

I grinned back.

Ash cocked his head, listening to something I couldn't hear. "They know we're here. Are you ready?"

As ready as I could be.

I knocked on the door.

I usually just barged into my aunt's house. I didn't feel comfortable barging in right now and I hoped that wasn't an indication of changes to come.

Almost as soon as I thought it, I dismissed the idea. My aunt wasn't a witch to allow anyone to come between her and the ones she loved.

A second later the door opened. Aunt Tabitha stood in the doorway.

Just my aunt.

She was dressed to the nines. My aunt always looks amazing, but she had outdone herself tonight.

Her blonde hair was piled high on her head in a loose knot with several perfect curls cascading down around her cheek and neck. She wore a silvery dress with a low neckline that crisscrossed over her breasts and left patches on her sides bare. Rather large patches too. The dress hugged her body all the way down to her ankles. She had on four inch heels made out of a clear material, which made it appear as if her feet were both bare and naturally arched upwards. She wore a wide silver necklace with matching bracelets on both wrists.

It was probably my own naughty mind, but it looked a bit slave witch-ish to me.

I promptly banished the thought. Not going to go there.

"Kate dear, what are you doing here? I thought you had plans to meet up with Morgan tonight. She said something about a new bar and karaoke."

I hid my wince at the reminder of Morgan's plans. "I told her
if
I could make it." I didn't embellish on my hopes and machinations to actually prevent such an outing from occurring. "I need to talk to you. Can we come in?"

My aunt shifted her body subtly in the door.

She was definitely trying to hide her mystery man. She'd only opened the door wide enough to stand in it. And block our way.

Now that I was over my fit of insecurity, I was rather enjoying the moment.

It's not often I see my Aunt Tabitha out of sorts.

"Now? You need to talk now?" Aunt Tabitha peered around the edge of the doorframe into her house. She jerked back to face me.

"Yep." I smiled. "Right now"

Ash made a show of crossing his arms and leaning against the entryway. All calm and casual
we're not budging
pose.

"Oh."

Red speared into her upper cheeks. I blinked. Then blinked again.

Nope. I hadn't imagined it. My Aunt Tabitha was indeed blushing. Like a young witch on her first date.

I was just about to take pity on her when Ash abruptly straightened.

"You damned devil!"

Aunt Tabs and I both gasped. Ash and Aunt Tabitha don't always see eye to eye, but he was never rude to her.

I was shocked. Ash knew how much I loved my aunt. We might be having an awkward moment, but it didn't change our feelings for one another. He knew I'd be furious that he would dare speak to my aunt in such a disrespectful manner. At the very least he knew what Aunt Tabitha could do with a wand.

What had gotten in to him?

Ash took a big step forward. "How in Hell did you pull this off?"

Aunt Tabitha almost jumped back, completely startled.

Now he was going too far.

He might be the demon love of my life, but he was not  about to intimidate or scare my aunt.

The door abruptly jerked all the way open.

A massive demon loomed next to my aunt.

Demons are typically small. And nasty with sharp claws and red eyes.

This one stood almost as tall as Ash.

He had blonde hair and sky-blue eyes with high cheekbones, full lips and a perfect jaw. He was movie star gorgeous. He also looked more like an angel. I wouldn't have even pegged him for a demon except for the grey horns emerging from his silky hair on either side of his temples and the devilish look in his bright blue eyes.