The Witching Hour: 11 Enchanting Novels Featuring Witches, Wizards, Vampires, Shifters, Ghosts, Fae, and More!, page 46
Goblins, ogres, and their ilk weren’t allowed to sit on the council. Technically, they weren’t allowed to live in Bedlam but more than once, a grungy little nest of goblins had been found and ousted, and the occasional ogre or troll ended up hiding out on the island and had to be deported the hard way.
Delia cleared her throat. “By now, you all know Linda Realmwood has left her post as mayor and vacated the leadership of the Moonrise Coven. The coven has voted Maddy in as their new High Priestess. Therefore, she’s takes her place on the town council. I’m acting as the interim mayor until we figure out what to do about the position.”
“Can you elucidate as to what’s brought on these changes?” Elsa Liftwing, the Avian shifter representative, asked.
“Yes. Over the last couple of days we have discovered that Linda was being blackmailed by Essie, Pacific Northwest Queen of the Vampires. Essie had been threatening a daughter whom no one knew about to tighten her hold over Bedlam. We have reason to believe that Essie has been making a power play for control over the town.”
The room erupted then, everybody talking at once. Delia glanced at me and I shook my head. We knew this was going to happen. Sandy jumped up and, two fingers in her mouth, let loose with a whistle that almost pierced my ears. As the room fell silent, she stood on her chair, hands on her hips.
“Yo! Hold it down. Let Delia and Maddy talk.”
“Thank you, Sandy.” Delia shuffled some papers and I realized she was trying to figure out where to go with this.
“We’ll be launching an investigation as to how far this goes. I strongly suggest that if any of you have made similar deals, you stand up now and walk out of here before we find out. Because we aren’t going to be lenient on anybody who’s been selling Bedlam over to the vamps.” I sounded more confident than I was, but the first rule is always: fake it till you make it.
Delia picked up the thread immediately. “Maudlin is correct. We will be starting our investigation as soon as this meeting is adjourned. Leave now if you have something to hide. Essie’s going to know the jig is up by tonight, if she doesn’t already know, so you have one day to figure out what to do.”
I glanced around. Blackthorn, a werebear, was shifting uncomfortably in his seat, tugging at his collar. “Anything you want to tell us?” I asked.
He slid down in his chair a little, then gave an impatient shrug. “No. I—I’ve got nothing to say.” But then, he jumped out of his chair and headed for the door, the scent of his anger filling the room. As he slammed the door behind him, more chatter broke out.
Delia slammed her gavel on the table. “Come to order! Now!”
One by one, people quieted down.
“Anybody else need to leave?” She looked around the room, her eyes narrow. “We will discuss what to do about the vampires in a bit, but if anybody else has been colluding with Essie, then let them leave now.”
“What about Ralph?” Ateria, the representative from the Winter Fae Court, spoke up. “Is he off the council, considering he’s being held for murder?”
Delia shook her head. “No, we’ve found evidence that Ralph is innocent. He’s being held right now for his own protection until we can sort out exactly what happened.”
“Who’s responsible for Rose Williams’s murder, then?” Brentwood, a rabbit shifter, asked.
I jumped on that one. “We’re not sure, but it wasn’t Ralph. We are fairly certain that I was the target, and that the killer mistook Rose for me.”
“Will Linda ever be coming back?” Ateria asked. It struck me that I needed to make some contact with the Fae courts if I was going to be the coven’s new High Priestess. There was a long-standing tradition of the Fae and witches uniting for various magical purposes, but Linda had kept relatively clear of them. I wasn’t ever sure why, but I decided that isolation would come to an end.
“No.” I debated on how much to tell them, then finally added, “The Aunties smuggled her and her daughter to safety. Linda sold us out, but you have to understand the predicament she was in. Her daughter’s life was being held forfeit. Now, they’re together and safe. While I totally disagree with the choices Linda made, I do understand the stress under which she was working, and why she made the choices she did. I may not have children, but I’ll bet any one of you who do can see that she was between a rock and a hard place.”
“That’s probably why Blackthorn left. His family has been under a lot of economic stress the past few years. Want to make a bet that Essie bought him off? I do know his business recently made a drastic turnaround and he was making money hand over fist.” Brentwood shrugged. “I have a huge family. I can see the appeal if things aren’t going well. It would be easy at first to say—Oh, I’ll just give in a little. And then a little more.”
“What does Blackthorn do?” I couldn’t help but wonder just what Essie had found useful in a werebear.
Brentwood leaned forward, frowning. He shoved his coffee cup back on the table. “Blackthorn trained as a general contractor and structural engineer. But there hasn’t been a lot of building going on here on the island, and we’re too far away from the mainland and Seattle area for him to commute down there. He’s been focusing on odd jobs for the past year or so, and I know that he was trying to take out a second mortgage on his house so they could pay off some sort of medical debt they incurred when their eldest was in a car wreck and needed surgery.”
That would do it, all right. Medical bills? Fear of losing one’s home? Not knowing how to get out from under a mountain of debt? Those were all grim prospects facing too many people and when a parent was desperate to protect their family, options that seemed unthinkable suddenly became viable.
“I empathize, but we can’t have anybody on this council sneaking around with the vampires. If we deal with Essie, we do it aboveboard and in general agreement.”
“What about your boyfriend?” Ateria asked.
“I’m very open about Aegis. He’s not in collusion with Essie and she’s been trying to lure him into joining her court, but he wants nothing to do with her. He’ll come talk to the council if that makes you more comfortable, though obviously it will have to be a meeting called after sunset.” I knew this was going to come up.
Apparently, Delia was thinking along the same route because she suddenly stood and clapped for attention. “As the interim mayor, I’m going to make a suggestion that we include two representatives on this council from the vampires. One unaligned—Aegis would be a good choice for that. And the other from Essie’s court. Then they couldn’t argue that they weren’t being fairly represented and we could keep an eye on what they were up to.”
Even I hadn’t been prepared for that one. I stared at Delia, open-mouthed, along with everybody else.
“But don’t you think they’d just go right along working against us? It would be so much easier to lull us into a false sense of security by pretending that everything was all peachy while behind the scenes they were making plans for taking control of the island.” I wasn’t sure of where Delia’s head was, but the idea seemed ludicrous to me.
“Listen, one of the problems is that vampires have no real rights. They’re still not included under the Pretcom Equal Rights Treaty, and they are always shunted to the side.”
“That’s because they kill people!” Ateria snorted, as did her Summer counterpart.
“Not all vampires are like that. Aegis isn’t.” I hadn’t intended to defend the idea, but Delia’s comment made a lot of sense. “If we start the movement here, maybe then vampire–human interactions will mellow out some. Granted, we can’t give rights to those who go out foraging for victims, but if we allow bloodwhores here—make them legal—then maybe the vamps will stop preying on the rest of the community. And once the movement begins, it can spread.”
Visions danced in my head. What if we could loosen up the yoke of fear that ran rampant between vampire–Pretcom–human relations? Perhaps my visions weren’t sugarplums, but the concept seemed seductively simple. “Sometimes you have to start with the outer branches and prune your way into the tree before you can make any significant changes.”
Delia shuffled her files. “At least we can talk to Essie about it. I do not suggest we confront her about her attempted coup. That could backfire on us. I think her plans depended so much on secrecy that they’ll collapse. Now, we can discuss how to go forward.”
Enough of the others were nodding that I felt confident about calling for a vote. “All in favor of summoning Essie to a détente meeting, raise your hands.”
It was seven in favor, four against.
“Motion carried and passed.” Delia consulted her agenda. “Next on the list, we have humans who live on the island—not many but enough—and we should look toward including one of them as a representative. Arguments for and against?”
As another squabble erupted, I was suddenly very grateful that I had chosen to forgo vying for the position of mayor. My temper was already swirling, given how much whining was going on. Finally, the motion was passed. The council would choose another member for the werebear community, and a representative from the humans as well.
“Finally, we need to vote on what to do about the position of mayor,” Delia started to say.
I jumped to my feet. “Madam Mayor, I vote to keep you in the interim position until the next election comes around. Then you can decide what to do. We need someone who is familiar with the situation that’s just occurred, and who has the authority to make arrests, should we need to.” I was referring to Blackthorn but by the outbursts that followed, I realized I had just implied that there were other people on the council who might end up in trouble.
When we finally got everybody under control again, I explained myself. “I just think that it’s a good thing for the mayor to understand law enforcement and have some authority in the field. We run differently here in Bedlam than other places. You know Delia isn’t going to use unfair advantage of her position as sheriff—”
“We thought Linda had our best interests at heart, too.” Naia, the Summer Fae representative, shook her head. “But I agree. For now, let’s vote to keep Delia in as interim mayor. We can revisit this at our Spring Equinox meeting and make more definitive plans then. That will give us a little over three months to see how the council sorts itself out. We can also use that time to find out what information has been compromised. For example, I’m wondering just how much personal information of ours Linda might have divulged to Essie.”
We took a vote and it passed.
“Then it’s official,” Delia said. “I’ll serve as interim mayor. Come March twentieth, we’ll revisit this issue. Until then, Naia, will you chair a committee to check into information leaks? I doubt anybody but Linda and Essie know the full extent. Linda’s long gone and Essie…well…I doubt if we can trust her to give us a clear answer, but find out what you can.”
Naia jotted down her notes. “All right. Elsa, would you like to help me?”
Elsa agreed, along with Brentwood, and the committee was put to a nomination, voted on, and approved.
“Excuse me, Ms. Mayor, but I have a luncheon to attend.” Trix, an elk shifter, stood. “Can we wrap this up before much longer?”
I glanced at the clock over the door. We had been hashing out things for over two hours. It was going on eleven-thirty. “I second the motion, actually.”
“Vote?” Delia called. She counted hands. “All right, we have a unanimous vote to wrap up this meeting. I know that we have our monthly meeting next Monday, but given the reason for this emergency meeting, I think we ought to keep it on the schedule.”
Although everybody groaned, including me, it was generally agreed on. As people began to file out the door, I walked over to Delia.
“Well, that was…an experience.”
“You took the words out of my mouth. I think I’ll let Ralph out today. I can’t very well hold him now that we have evidence he didn’t do it, even if it is for his own protection.” She shrugged. “You want to walk over with me and talk to him?”
I really didn’t feel like talking to Ralph, but I couldn’t think of much else to do. Everything seemed so convoluted and nothing had been solved. But I wrapped my arm through Sandy’s and we moseyed over to the sheriff’s department. Delia asked us to wait in a small room, and within ten minutes, she was back with Ralph, who was no longer wearing handcuffs.
When he saw me, he ducked his head, a frown on his face.
“Maddy, I’m sorry.” He awkwardly took the seat opposite me. “I don’t blame you if you don’t want to talk to me. Even though I’m grateful that we know now I didn’t kill Rose, I still was in your house uninvited, trying to steal your hair. And I did write those things about you on Flitterbug.” His gravelly voice was morose, and the happy-go-lucky look had drained from his face. Even when they were being serious, most satyrs couldn’t help but look seductive and cocky, but Ralph seemed the opposite.
“Ralph, I know you were in thrall. We may never know exactly who managed it, but people do the stupidest things when they’re under the influence.” I wasn’t quite ready to forgive him for trying to ruin my business, but the fact that he apologized and seemed to mean it went a long way.
“Delia told me it might not have been Rachel who put me in thrall. That I might have implanted memories due to another vampire’s suggestion. I wish I could help you. I wish I could remember but I can’t. I’m almost afraid to go home, to be honest. I have no idea when it happened. I don’t remember any point where I suddenly went, ‘Oh, vampire!’ I remember meeting Rachel, but if that memory is false, then I’m not sure what to think.” He looked as confused as he sounded.
“I think we’re all a little confused. But you have to shake it off. You should just go home and watch your step.” I wondered if he realized that once enthralled, the ability to resist a second attempt diminished. But it seemed cruel to say anything—like rubbing salt in a wound.
“I’d be glad to help you around your bed and breakfast. If I can do anything, just let me know. And I’ll get my brothers to stop dissing your business online. We’ll take our bad reviews off Blisty, and I’ll send some business your way.”
Boy, Ralph really must have been scared straight, I thought. He was never usually this helpful. But then again, he had spent a few days in jail under the suspicion of murder, and that tended to change a body. Or so I had been told.
“You want a ride home? Sandy and I are heading that way.”
“Nope. My brothers are coming to pick me up.” He stood, looking uncertain. Then, finally he said, “Well, I guess that’s it for now. I’ll talk to you later.”
As we watched him go, I realized how tired I was of this whole mess, and how ready I was to just have it over with. Except there was still somebody out there gunning for me. Even if Essie backed off, Rachel still had a target painted on my ass.
“Do you think he means it?” Sandy asked as we headed back to my car.
“I think so. I really do. The Greyhoof boys aren’t a bad bunch. They can get rowdy and crude, and they have the manners of an ox, but when you get down to it, they’re actually pretty nice. Come on, let’s go.”
“We could go back up to Durholm Hall and look for Rachel.” Sandy looked so serious that I began to sputter, then she laughed. “I’m kidding. We wouldn’t have time today, anyway. So, what do you want to do?”
I thought about it. “I really need to buy furniture. I’ve been saying that for weeks. Come with me while I pick out what I still need for the Bewitching Bedlam?”
We spent the afternoon shopping. Finally, Sandy took me to a boutique store that I hadn’t noticed before and there, I found the perfect furniture for the rest of the mansion. It was a mix of styles—part Mediterranean, part island-style, but by the time I finished, I had new sofas, several new chairs, the nightstands to complement the beds in the guest rooms, and a few other assorted pieces. I also was about fourteen thousand dollars poorer, but my bank account could handle it. Aegis had offered to help defray costs, but I didn’t wanted to be in debt to him. Now, as I flashed my credit card and watched the balance climb, I felt reassured I was doing the right thing.
We arrived back at my place at around four-fifteen. “I have to take off,” Sandy said. “I really need to get some stuff done around my place. Will you be all right?”
“I should be fine. Neither Essie nor Rachel can get in the house. Aegis will be awake soon and I’ve got Bubba here for company. I don’t have to go out anywhere for anything. You run on home and text me when you get there so I know you’re okay.”
I gave her a hug, then dashed inside as the afternoon clouds threatened to sock in again. Bubba was sitting on the table. He knew that I didn’t like him there, but he ignored me as I settled at the table and pulled the bowl of fruit over to nibble on a few grapes.
“You okay, Bub?”
“Mur.” He lazily meandered over to me, rubbing his head against my arm.
I reached up and scratched behind his ears. “Bubba, how long have we been together? Seventy-five years or so?”
“Purp.”
“I thought about that. So tell me, during that time have you ever seen me participate in a functional relationship? Have I ever made the right choice?” I rested my head on his side and his purr threatened to lull me to sleep.
“M-row?” He turned, pressing his nose against mine, looking concerned.
“I’m all right, Bub. I’m just thinking that I found a keeper in Aegis, and I don’t want to screw this up. You know how I am. If there’s a way to sabotage a relationship, I usually manage to find it and exploit it.” As I leaned back, contemplating the fruit bowl, I began to let my mind wander. “Damn Sandy, the woman makes me think. And sometimes, I just don’t want to.”
