Rolling onto his knees, Alex tried crawling to where Anisa now lay choking. His head ached fiercely, and his gorge rose. He heaved violently on the ground. He rested for a moment, then kept on going to reach her side. Her eyes were wide, pleading for help, and her lips were quickly turning blue. It wouldn’t be much longer before she’d be dead.
He looked over at Jill. She was now on her feet, lording over them with glee on her face. He looked around for something, anything to aid him. Glancing back down at Anisa, he saw that she had turned her head and was staring down at his pants. He quickly looked down and saw he still had the small rake stuck into the band of his jeans.
He grabbed it, sat back on his haunches and threw it hard at Jill. He just needed to knock her off balance.
To afford them a small opportunity to protect themselves. What he got was more than he ever hoped. The rake struck her square in the head, the sharp prongs piercing her forehead. Her eyes rolled back and she fell onto her side.
Alex looked back down at Anisa. She had her eyes closed and was moving her lips in silence. He bent down to her mouth.
“It’s all right now. She’s dead.”
Anisa’s eyes fluttered open. Her lips twitched into a smile.
Alex pressed a soft kiss to her brow. “I’m so sorry I accused you. I didn’t know.”
“If you knew some spells,” she whispered, her voice still scratchy and hoarse, “you would have known.”
He lowered his mouth to hers, and kissed her gently. “Maybe you can teach me.”
She chuckled. “Well, there does happen to be an opening in the coven…”
Chapter Six
lex’s eyes flicked open. He turned to look at the Aclock. The red glow told him it was still the middle of the night. Midnight, to be exact. He rubbed a hand over his face and sat up slowly. He was still prone to dizzy spells, but it had gotten better. He didn’t throw up anymore with quick movements.
He swung his legs over the side of the bed and glanced over his shoulder. Anisa still lay curled on her side, unmoving. He watched the gentle rise and fall of her body. She was a sound sleeper.
He stood up, shuffled out of the bedroom and into the bathroom. He ran some cold water and splashed it on his face. He glanced up into the mirror. He moved his hand over the amulet he wore, touching it briefly, and up to his head. His hair was starting to grow. It would be a long while before it was back to his usual length. Reaching behind his ear, he gently touched the scar.
It had taken twelve stitches to close the gash on his head. A little closer to the temple, and he would not have made it. Jill had a good swing on her. Alex learned she had been an all-star in the town’s baseball league. Too bad she turned out to be a homicidal nutcase, he thought.
Alex shuffled down the hall and into the kitchen.
He put an herbal tea bag into a cup, filled it with water, and popped it into the microwave. The microwave was new. Well, new to Anisa’s house. He brought it over from his place. He was spending more time here anyway, so thought if he was going to get the midnight munchies, which he often did, he wanted a quick and easy way to heat up a piece of leftover pizza or heat up a cup of tea. He left no room for argument, and Anisa didn’t even try.
Grabbing a bottle of lavender, he popped the top and tapped two drops into his tea. It helped him sleep. He took his tea and went into the living room, plopping down on the sofa. He took a quick sip, then set his tea down on the coffee table next to the pile of files he had brought home from the station. He picked up the top one and flipped it open. It was the last of the reports on Stan Hart’s murder. He needed to sign off on the official report. For some reason, he kept pushing it aside.
Everything had checked out. Ron Blaine had confirmed Anisa’s story about paying her to perform a love spell on Stan. It was a last-ditch attempt to convince Stan to come out of the closet and try to live a full and complete live. And after a thorough search of his house, they did find some g*y porn. So, his sexuality did finally come out. The town accepted it without pause. Little too late for Stan, though.
The news of a witch’s coven in Raven’s Bay also became known, and the members revealed. To Alex’s surprise, no one in town really had a problem with that either. In fact, in became a tourist attraction.
Business was booming in town, especially Anisa’s shop. So all of Jill’s fears were unfounded. Too late for her too.
Everything added up, and all loose ends were tied up into one big pretty pink bow. But something still nagged at Alex, and he couldn’t put his finger on it.
He looked over the report one more time. There was nothing to keep it open. No facts or evidence to ponder over. It was a done deal. Alex took the pen from the table and signed the bottom of the report. He flipped the file closed and tossed it onto the table.
He sighed deeply. Picking up his tea, he took another long sip and glanced around the room. He would finish his tea, climb back into bed, cuddle up next to Anisa, and see if he could wake her up with the gentle rubbing of her ass. His appetite for her was insatiable. He grinned at that thought and drank the rest of his tea. He glanced down at the files and caught sight of Anisa’s grimoire under the table.
He set his cup down and picked up the leather bound book. He ran his hand over the cover. It was smooth under his touch. Letting his hand rest on top, he swore he could feel the leather warm under his palm. Magic, he was starting to realize, could be very powerful and influential.
With Anisa’s guidance, he had been playing around with a few simple spells. He could feel the power within himself grow. Anisa had told him he had great potential for magic. She had felt it the moment he had arrived in town. With proper guidance and training, she thought he could be more powerful than even she was. He doubted it, but the thought did make him smile.
Alex ran his hand over the book again. He wanted to peek. To see what kind of spells Anisa was capable off. Then he would have something to strive for. He slowly opened it. He flipped through the pages and quickly glanced at the different types of spells.
Empowerment spells, depression spells, luck spells, and she even had a spell for preventing colds and flu.
No wonder, she was never sick, he thought.
He heard a floorboard creak. Alex panicked and slammed the book shut. It dropped out of his hands and landed with a thud on the hardwood floor. He rushed to pick it up to slide it back under the table, when he saw some newspaper clippings sticking out from the back. He picked up the book and opened it to the last few pages. About seven clippings fell out onto the sofa.
All of them were about him.
He picked one up, his hand trembling. It was dated years ago and was about his troubles he had in the city force. Burn Out for Detective Alex Branwell? He picked up another one. Detective Alex Branwell, Suspended? And another, Detective Alex Branwell Retires From Force.
Alex set it with the others and gazed down at their implications. He looked back at the grimoire and turned the page. He could feel his heart start to pump frantically and he felt the blood drain from his head.
He read the spell.
Possession Incantation, if you want to totally control and possess someone’s mind…
Alex let the book drop to the floor. Sweat trickled down his back. His hands were shaking. He stomach knotted up and he felt like he was going to get sick. It couldn’t be. It was not possible!
“Hello, lover.”
Alex jumped and turned around. Anisa stood behind the sofa. She was completely na**d except for the silver amulet around her neck. The moonlight shone through the window over her perfect body like a beacon.
“Playtime’s over.”
She grinned. And her eyes flashed a brilliant green, like emeralds under the sun. A non-existent wind picked up and blew her golden hair around her, like the snakes on Medusa’s head.
Alex swallowed the saliva pooling in his mouth.
Oh, he was definitely a goner.