Lost Souls ParaAgency and the Illusion of a Vampire Page 2

  “I’d think it would be better than riding with the aunts.” The Walker great-aunts were perpetually stuck in the sixties and drove an ancient VW van decorated in brightly colored peace signs. And between the three of them, they had the vision of an above-ground mole.

  “Stay safe and do me one huge favor,” Amira said.

  “Sure.”

  “Please don’t rearrange the Tea Haven baking supplies by alphabetical order again.”

  “But I brought my label maker,” Ally teased.

  They hugged, and as Amira climbed in the passenger seat, Ally leaned through the driver’s window and latched on to Ris. “Have fun, little sis.”

  Ris wriggled out of the embrace. “Anything would be more fun than this dinky little town.”

  Ally waved them off and released a long, heavy sigh of relief. For a full three days there’d be no talk of witchcraft or curses or paranormal councils or agencies. The freedom washed over her. She glanced across the street and noticed a familiar figure standing in the library doorway.

  Brian Dodd waved and she returned the wave to the librarian’s nephew who also happened to be her date for the evening. Another secret she’d kept from her sisters. But this one mostly because her aunts couldn’t be trusted to stay out of the Walker girls' personal lives. Not too long ago they’d used spells to make romantic connections for the girls, and the girls in return had to use counterspells to keep the love magic at bay. Only when Ris embraced her witch side and Amira met Lex and the Lost Souls ParaAgency, did the women call a shaky truce.

  But truce or not, Ally didn’t want to give them any excuse to cook up something that would tarnish the new relationship with Brian before she had a chance to make up her mind about him. After the fiasco with the LSP descending upon Burberry, the poor librarian had taken a leave of absence and asked her nephew to step in and take her place. The older woman had been right in the middle of the final showdown and even after having her memory erased the situation left her a little fuzzy. Brian had already racked up a few feel good points for heeding his aunt’s call for help.

  “Ally, darling!” Mayor Henry called from down the sidewalk. Her entourage of five retired women from the Biddies Bridge Club followed close on her heels. “I hear you’re in charge of the Tea Haven this weekend.”

  “Good morning, Mayor. Good morning, ladies,” Ally called out to them and turned the key in the Haven’s front door. She flipped the open sign and welcomed the six women inside. “Amira came in early before her trip to make sure your meetings don’t skip a beat.”

  “Your sister has been going out of town a lot lately,” the mayor commented more to the other ladies than to Ally. “I sure hope she’s going to find herself engaged to Lex soon. You know the saying ‘why buy the cow if the milk is free.’”

  The mayor loved to bring up Amira’s boyfriend and partner at the LSP. Her absences from Burberry caused of a lot of speculation about the couple’s future and what they did on their trips out of town. If they only knew the truth about the paranormal investigations.

  Ally busied with preparing the group’s tea, but the irritation caused by the insinuation her sister was a cow forced a response to the mayor’s comment. “Amira’s on a trip with Ris and my aunts this weekend. I doubt there are any cows or milk-giving in their plans.”

  Disappointment wrinkled Mayor Henry’s face further as if Ally had robbed her of a new piece of gossip.

  In the middle of Ally placing fresh-baked raspberry scones on each of the ladies’ plates, the door burst open and Mrs. Lorenson hustled inside. She huffed and puffed to catch her breath. “A man,” were the only words she formed between the heavy breathing.

  Ally guided her to a seat at the table and patted the middle of her back. “Are you okay, Mrs. Lorenson? What man?”

  After a few deep breaths, she placed a hand over her chest. “The most beautiful man just got off the Greyhound bus.”

  “The Greyhound bus stops in Burberry?” Ally asked.

  Mrs. Lorenson often drooled over the firefighters, EMTs, and the sheriff’s deputies alike, so her comment about finding a man in town that took her breath away surprised no one.

  She lifted her cell phone and waved it in the air. “I tried to take his picture to show everyone, but I guess I couldn’t get him in focus.” The picture showed a globby brown blur beside the bus.

  Mayor Henry banged the top of the table twice as if she had a gavel in her hand. “Celia Lorenson, please calm down. We don’t have time for your new crush of the day. The town’s October theme plans must be finalized before we begin our game.”

  Mrs. Lorenson dropped the phone in her purse and puckered her lips.

  Ally smiled and patted her shoulder. She’d give her the biggest scone to make up for feeling like her interest in the new man in town didn’t matter.

  Mayor Henry placed a large bag on the table. “Now for the unveiling on this month’s theme.” She pulled out a black top hat and set it on her head. Then she retrieved a long black wand with a white tip. “Illusionists!”

  A few of the mayor’s entourage clapped and twittered with excitement. Mrs. Lorenson groaned.

  “Our movie in the park will be The Illusionist featuring the lovely Edward Norton. And the big surprise I’ve been dying to share.” She removed a rolled poster from the bag. “The YouTube twin sensations Draven and Izander.”

  Ally leaned against the counter watching the elderly women’s faces pass through a series of confusion to moderate approval. All except Mrs. Lorenson—the outlier. Ally had a special affinity for the woman who refused to conform to the other Biddies. The television networks didn’t know the reality show gold mine the non-witch women of Burberry could give them if they’d send in a camera crew.

  Happiness filled her. This normalcy couldn’t get any better.

  Mrs. Lorenson stood and slapped the table with her palm. “Why do you continue to ignore my suggestions?”

  Mayor Henry set the poster on the table and used two teacups to stop it from rolling up. “We are not bringing in the Thunder from Down Under. Our festivals are family friendly.”

  “Family sh-amily. If I were mayor, I’d pick something us mature women could enjoy.”

  “Well, when you run for mayor—and win—feel free to do so.”

  The challenge in Mayor Henry’s tone had Mrs. Lorenson straighten her spine. “Maybe I will run for mayor. We’ve suffered your cuckoo ideas long enough.”

  One of the ladies gasped while another covered her mouth with her teacup, barely hiding a smile.

  The little bell above the door jingled and the heated exchanged stopped. A man at least six foot three with shaggy blonde hair and pale skin stepped into the main serving area. Mrs. Lorenson sat down and fished in her purse for what Ally imagined to be the woman’s cell phone.

  The gentleman wore faded jeans with a rip at one knee and a t-shirt with the California Raisins and their lyrics, “I heard it through the grapevine,” embossed on the front. He sauntered to a table near the back and tossed his duffel bag to the floor. Before sitting down, he moved one chair far enough away that when he sat, he could prop up both legs in the other chair. He put both arms behind his head and stared at Ally with his hazel eyes.

  The stare made Ally’s fingers tingle and a little buzz of blue electricity sparkled at the tips. She tucked her hands behind her back and swallowed hard. Had the aunts sent her a tall, blond hunk to drool over in yet another attempt at a love match? First, that would mean the aunts had broken their truce, and second, it would mean she wouldn’t be able to shake him without using magic in return. She narrowed her eyes and noticed the cord from a necklace showing from around his neck. And of course there was a third answer, but she’d have to wait until the Tea Haven emptied to know for sure.

  Mayor Henry shook her head as if clearing the fog the new man had brought in the tea shop with him. “Anyway, I contacted the YouTubers a couple of weeks ago and they are already in town ready to perform tomorrow night. They’re
staying at the Berry Brothers B&B.”

  Mrs. Lorenson snickered. “It seems you’re putting up a lot of men at the B&B lately.”

  Mayor Henry sucked in a sharp breath but didn’t respond to Mrs. Lorenson’s comment. She turned and pointed a long finger at Ally. “Ally, dear. We need someone well-organized to oversee the stage area, and I couldn’t think of anyone else with those kinds of talents and plenty of free time on their hands.”

  Ally nodded, then realized the passive-aggressive dig pointed at the fact she wasn’t married with children to keep her busy. Still, she wouldn’t turn down the mayor’s request since she’d do just about anything for their small community. “I’m happy to help however I can, Mayor.”

  “Good. I’ll send them your way this afternoon.”

  The mayor settled and the women began their card game—which surprisingly wasn’t Bridge. Never having quite enough to have an even number of partners, the women had settled into playing Rummy at their meetings.

  Several times the older women cast glances over their shoulders at the man who’d yet to come up to the counter to order. Something about him made Ally want to ask him to leave but her Southern manners dictated she approach and offer to take his order.

  She ran the edges of her fingers down the front of her button-up shirt to soothe her nerves. No reason to believe this man was here for any other reason than a spot of tea. Bonus points if he had a British accent.

  “Can I get you tea, coffee or a scone? Fresh baked this morning.” Ally gestured behind her toward the glass cases with the scones.

  “Nope.” The man answered and continued to stare.

  Her fingers tingled again and she balled her hands at her sides. “Is there anything you’d like from our menu?”

  He flipped the menu over and back to the front again without looking at it. “Not really.”

  Did the man ever blink? The tingles shot up her arm. This guy made her uncomfortable and it set off her magical side. A side she worked hard to suppress.

  The door jingled and Ally turned her back on the unwanted guest. She wouldn’t offer him anything again. Once he finished soaking up the air conditioning, he’d probably be on his way. He reeked of a vagrant. Well, he didn’t actually smell, and she always told her third graders to not pass judgment so quickly.

  Two young men passed through the door and the mayor pushed out of her chair, the excitement in her movements sloshing the tea out of the cups onto the pink tablecloth.

  Dressed identically in black jeans, black t-shirts, and thick-soled black boots, the boys were holding their own in the goth department—a stark contrast to all the pink and cream in the Tea Haven. With the black eyeliner, it was as if Criss Angel had produced teenaged twins and dropped them off at the tea shop. Their green eyes shone bright against all the black. The only difference between the two in appearance was one had shoulder length black hair while the other had close cropped hair with bangs that fell across his forehead.

  Mayor Henry practically danced around them. “Draven and Izander. Welcome. If I knew you were coming, I would have sent a car to pick you up.”

  Ally held her smile. The mayor didn’t have a car to send to pick them up unless she drove it herself.

  She approached them. The closer she got, the more she wondered if the boys were even old enough to vote. “Have you guys had breakfast? How about a couple cranberry scones and some chai tea?”

  The one with the long hair spoke up first. “Sounds great. We’re starved.”

  “Now, now…” Mayor Henry interrupted. “Growing boys need things like bacon, eggs and toast. I’ll take them over to Dara’s new diner on the square. Come along, ladies.”

  Mayor Henry’s daughter-in-law and town mean girl had opened up a diner a few weeks ago. Ris swore she did it just to rile the Walker sisters and disrupt business at the Tea Haven.

  The Biddies Bridge Club scooped up their cards and passed them down to Mrs. Lorenson, bringing their card game to an end. She ignored the cards and wrote on a napkin.

  When the others stood and she didn’t, Mayor Henry cleared her throat. “We’re leaving now. What are you doing, Celia?”

  “Starting on my campaign slogan for next month’s election. Down with Henry, up with Lorenson.”

  Mayor Henry narrowed her eyes. “Good luck with that.” She ushered everyone else out of the shop.

  Ally began clearing away the soiled teacups and plates. Mrs. Lorenson doodled on her napkin for a few more seconds.

  “Are you really going to run against Mayor Henry?”

  She glanced up and winked. “Probably not, but it’s good to give her a shake up every now and again. She’s got enough problems now that her ex-husband is back in town.”

  “Wait. I thought Mayor Henry was a widow?”

  “If I’d married that philandering money-grubber, I’d pretend to be a widow too. If he’s back, it’s only because he needs money.” Mrs. Lorenson balled up the napkin and put it on a plate. “Did you see those children with the eyeliner? How could they put on a better show than the Australian hunks from the Thunder from Down Under?”

  “I totally agree.” The man she’d chosen to ignore sat down beside Mrs. Lorenson and picked up the deck of cards left by the other women. He flipped through them like a professional dealer.

  Mrs. Lorenson giggled and used a fresh napkin as a fan.

  The last time Ally had giggled like a fool over a man, he’d tried to blackmail her family into a witch reality television show. Now she treated every new man in town like a threat. Especially ones who held eye contact way too long.

  It’d taken her weeks to say yes to a date with Brian.

  Ally continued clearing the plates in front of him. “Are you sure I can’t get you something to go?”

  “Sidney,” he responded.

  “Are you sure I can’t get you something to go, Sidney?” she asked again.

  “Nope.” He shuffled the cards and started a game of solitaire.

  “Well, aren’t you two adorable?” Mrs. Lorenson stood. The Mayor’s booming voice could still be heard from somewhere outside. “Ally, do you mind if I sneak out the back exit?”

  “Of course. I’ll walk you out.”

  Mrs. Lorenson put a hand out to stop her. “No, dear. I can find my own way. You stay here…” She bobbed her head a couple of times toward Sidney. “And see to our new friend.”

  Ally would see to him all right. She’d see him right out the door. As soon as Mrs. Lorenson toddled through to the kitchen area, she placed one hand on her hip and used the other to tap the top of the table. “So, does the name Sparsh mean anything to you?”

  Chapter Three

  Sidney stopped mid-lay of a three of clubs. He’d hit a new agency record for blown covers. His own fault since he’d gotten much closer than he’d first intended for reasons he couldn’t explain. Something in his gut had pulled him across the room. Ally stood fierce, but something in her eyes wavered. He called her bluff. “Never heard of him.”

  “Fine, then you won’t mind if I call him.” She strode over to the counter and picked up her cell phone. She’d called his bluff instead. A witch with spunk. With his newly reinstated super speed, he zoomed to the counter and pulled the phone from her hand.

  He tossed it in the air and caught it behind his back. “How did you know?”

  She glanced between her hand and the phone. “You’re setting off sparks.”

  Not the first time he’d heard that from a woman. But it’d been a long while. He smiled and leaned against the counter, placing the phone between them. “Really?”

  Her cheeks reddened and her eyes widened. “Not like you’re thinking, buddy. The last guy who came in here and set off some tingles accused my baby sister of evil witchcraft.”

  That hadn’t been in the Walker witches’ file. Only that golden boy Lex Dimas had met the Walker witches while taking down a bad witch in their sleepy little town. Amazing what pertinent tidbits the LSP kept out of their reports to the Cou
ncil. “And yet Lex is practically engaged to your older sister, so it all worked out.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “You certainly know a lot about us. Let’s even things out. Why are you here?”

  There couldn’t be any harm in telling the truth. Although, Sparsh could find a new way to torture him like with the no cursing spell. Too bad he couldn’t glamour or he’d simply tell her to forget about their interaction and he’d go back to watching her from afar. He weighed his options while he took in the elementary school teacher. Her natural blonde hair was swept up into a neat twisty thing in the back. Not a hair out of place. Her clothes were pressed and even her unpolished fingernails the perfect length. She liked control. He decided to give her some.

  “Sparsh has assigned me to keep an eye on you over the weekend. The agency knows your sisters are out of town, and they think you need a watcher. I’d like to do that without interfering in your life too much.” He kept his tone low and gentle, letting the information sink in.

  She glanced down at the floor and tapped her foot a few times. “First, they come for Amira and now for me?”

  “Why would they come for you? You’re harmless a witch I’ve ever seen.”

  Her brows shot together and she glared at him. “Then why are you here to watch me?”

  “To keep an eye on you.” He pointed to his eyes. “Well, two eyes actually.”

  “So they think I could do something witchy in the future to expose my family?”

  “Nah.”

  “You are ridiculously frustrating.” She spread her arms wide. “Am I in danger? Is that why?”

  He shrugged and gestured out the large plate-glass window framing the front of the tea shop. “In this small town? The only danger is boredom.”

  “Ha. One paranormal incident in this town is one too many. And I happen to like boring.” She picked up her cell phone and slipped it into her back pocket. He could practically see her mind switch gears. “How did you do the zippy thing? The agency amulet probably.”

  Full disclosure time. “I’m a vampire.”