Nightshade (17 tales of Urban Fantasy, Magic, Mayhem, Demons, Fae, Witches, Ghosts, and more) Read online

  “Pyper!” I dropped to her side, gently taking one of her hands. “Are you all right?”

  She sucked in a breath and then pushed herself up, her eyes ablaze with fury. “Where is he?”

  “I don’t know. He’s gone.” I brushed her hair out of her eyes, but she shook me off.

  “No. He isn’t. I still feel him. His ugly hatred, it’s here. He won’t leave until he gets what he wants.” She climbed to her feet, glanced around and fixated on the light still shining from the pentagram. “Is Julius still in there?”

  I nodded. “He somehow trapped us in a time warp.”

  She shook her head. “No he didn’t. That was Roy.”

  “What?”

  Kane joined me by my side. “What do you mean?”

  “Let him out,” Pyper demanded. “Now.”

  I glanced at Lucien. He raised his hands in an I-don’t- know motion.

  “Jade!” She turned and grabbed my shoulders. “Let him out. He’s in danger in there.”

  She was so frantic, so insistent, I did as she asked. With a wave of my hand the light vanished and Julius stood in the middle of the pentagram watching us. Nothing changed. The music didn’t come back on. No one started dancing like they had earlier. But we still hadn’t morphed back to our own time.

  “What’s going on?” I heard Kat ask Lucien.

  Pyper took two steps toward Julius and then froze, her eyes never leaving his. “Where is he?”

  Julius stared over shoulder, hatred pouring out of his dark gaze. “Right behind you.”

  Pyper whirled, narrowed her eyes, and said, “Show yourself you coward.”

  Nothing happened.

  “Pyper, we should probably leave and go back to our time. All we need to do is walk off this dance floor.”

  “No.” She placed her hands on her hips, fierce determination radiating off her. “Not until we finish Roy. He won’t leave me alone. Not now that he has an in.”

  “And in?” I asked her.

  She glanced at Julius. “He’s a ghost, you know.”

  I nodded. “Yes, I thought he might be, but he’s unusual being in solid form and all.”

  She nodded. “He was a witch.”

  “Ohhh,” Kat said as if that explained everything.

  “A white witch.” Pyper met my gaze. “A powerful one, like you. And for some reason, Roy’s latched on to him. I don’t know why or how, but I can feel it.”

  I glanced at Julius and back at her. They were gazing at each other with a curious intensity. “Today isn’t the first time you two met, is it?”

  Pyper glanced away, a blush creeping up her face.

  “Pyper?” Kane asked, his curious tone tinged with concern.

  “No. It is not,” Julius said rather formally. “I had the pleasure of meeting Miss Pyper not long ago when she was helping another research this hotel.”

  We all turned and gaped at Pyper.

  But before anyone could say anything, Julius’s head and upper body jerked back as if he’d suffered a blow. He let out a grunt and came up swinging, but appeared to only find air.

  “Roy!” Pyper called and jumped forward.

  Kane clasped a hand over her arm, pulling her back with him. “Stay by my side.”

  “But I can’t let him go after Julius. You don’t understand. He feeds off of Julius’s energy.”

  Her words clicked a switch in my brain. I could find him. If I tuned into Julius, I’d know exactly where Roy was. “Lucien?”

  “Yes?”

  I waved him over and whispered into his ear. “I need to invade Julius’s energy. When I give the signal, I need you to cast a summoning spell.”

  “Without a circle?”

  “Yes. Once you cast the spell and I direct the energy to it, I’ll call the circle myself.”

  He gave me a skeptical look.

  “Trust me.”

  “You got it, boss.”

  With Pyper safely at Kane’s side, I threw my energy into Julius, instantly honing in on Roy tapping into him. I’d once been a victim of Roy’s wrath and unfortunately knew his energy intimately. It didn’t take much to follow that thread. And as I did, I severed the hold Roy had on Julius. It was just me and him now. In order for him to stay connected to our world, he had to siphon magic from me. Except I had no intention of letting him. Once he reached for my magic, I sent a bolt of magic straight into his energy, effectively latching on and then wrapped him in an invisible binding. He wasn’t going anywhere now. Not until I was sure we were sending him somewhere he could no longer get to Pyper.

  And even though I was stronger now, had better control over my gifts, the dark taint of Roy’s shriveled soul made my skin crawl and my insides shudder from the pure filth that was Roy.

  But I wasn’t going to let him get the better of me. Not this time. As hard as it was, I forced myself to take steps toward the middle of the dance floor, toward the ugliest being I’d ever come in contact with, and that was saying something.

  My movements became slower and slower with each step, my limbs like cement pillars, refusing to move. And when I was certain I was going to collapse from the sheer pain of holding on to Roy, I felt a hand slip into mine. Pyper’s cool, clean, refreshing energy rushed into my being, fortifying me, giving me the strength to hold on.

  I felt Roy’s rage, his frustration at being locked in my magical hold, but clung to Pyper’s sure determination and cried, “Lucien, now!”

  The low murmur of his Latin chant filled the silence, and a second later, I felt him let his magic go. Through our coven connection, I guided it, forcing it to hit exactly where I knew Roy was standing. And then as his form came into view. I raised my arms and called the pentagram.

  Pure white light filled the ballroom, nearly blinding me.

  “Whoa,” I heard Kat gasp. “That was impressive.”

  Glancing down, I smiled in sheer satisfaction. Pyper and I were standing on the northern most point of the pentagram and Roy was trapped in the inner most circle. Exactly as I’d planned.

  “Impressive,” Lucien said.

  “Thanks. You, too. But it’s not over yet. What should we do with Roy?”

  “I’ll take care of him,” Kane said, moving to stand just behind me.

  I turned my head and raised a curious eyebrow. “Really? And how do you propose to do that?”

  “Like this.” He palmed the hilt of his dagger and in one swift motion he threw the magical blade right at Roy, hitting exactly where his heart would be. Roy vanished and the dagger hung in the air for a few moments.

  Then Roy reappeared for just an instant and shattered into tiny slivers of light that faded away before they ever hit the ground.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  The lights dimmed and Maroon 5 blared from the sound system. My friends turned from nineteen twenties swing dancers to sexified Halloween goers.

  Lucien strode over to Kat and gathered her in his arms, while Kane, sporting his kilt, wrapped an arm around me and his other around Pyper. But she was staring at Julius.

  He stood by himself, watching her, a wistful expression on his face. “He’s gone.”

  Pyper nodded.

  “For good this time.”

  “Yeah.”

  We were standing in the packed party, surrounded by party goes, and yet I felt like I was intruding on something deeply personal. I tucked my hand into Kane’s and gently tugged him back. “I think they might need a moment,” I whispered to him.

  He glanced down at me and frowned. “He’s a ghost. I don’t think—”

  “You don’t need to think,” I said mildly. “He isn’t dangerous.”

  Instinctively I knew my words were true. Earlier I hadn’t been able to feel anything radiating from Julius, but I did now. There as only goodness and love and regret.

  Kane reluctantly took a step back with me as we watched Pyper move toward Julius as if she was mystically drawn to him in some way. And when she stopped in front of him, he smiled down at her, cupped
her cheek and whispered something in her ear.

  She shook her head slowly and placed her hand over the exploding heart she’d drawn on his chest. The sadness radiating off them just about brought tears to my eyes. Pyper rose to her tips toes and pressed a soft kiss to Julius’s lips. They were frozen in the moment, the perfect zombie couple, and then Julius faded away. And Pyper was left alone in the middle of the ballroom.

  She stood there, her shoulders slumped and her head inclined.

  “Excuse me,” I said to Kane and hurried to Pyper’s side. I placed a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, you. Let’s get out of here.”

  She shook her head, still staring straight ahead. “We have work to do.”

  I made a show of glancing around. “Na. Kane and Charlie have everything under control. We’re free to do anything we want. Including grabbing a bottle of tequila and doing shots until we pass out.”

  “Tempting,” she said dryly. “But maybe just a few beers.”

  “You got it.” We walked together to the bar where I grabbed four beers and a bottle opener. I waited a beat for Charlie to finish mixing a few drinks. The night’s events hadn’t fazed her at all. She was back at work, flirting with males and females alike, raking the tips in as always. “We’ll be in the meeting room just outside the ballroom if you need us.”

  She gave Pyper a sympathetic smile. “Sure, but I’ll be fine.”

  “I know you will.”

  I handed one of the beers to Pyper and followed her out of the room.

  We slipped into the adjoining room and instead of sitting on the chairs lining the wall, Pyper walked to the middle of the room and sank to the floor.

  I joined her and watched as she downed half her beer.

  “Better?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “Not really.”

  “Roy is gone. That dagger of Kane’s is magical. He won’t be coming back.”

  She nodded. “I know.” Glancing up at me, she pierced me with a flat stare. “I wasn’t afraid of him, you know. Roy I mean.”

  I jerked back slightly at her remark. “Really? I was.”

  “No you weren’t. You were worried about everyone, but you weren’t afraid of him. Not this time.”

  She was right. I’d been afraid for her, afraid of anything she was feeling, but with Kane and Lucien there, I hadn’t been frightened by Roy. Only concerned with how best to get rid of him. Luckily Kane had found his opening. “Okay, but I did have a minor anxiety attack when he first showed up. Any ideas on how that happened?”

  She grimaced. “I didn’t know he was a ghost at first, you know.”

  I frown, confused.

  “Julius. You didn’t either.”

  “Damn,” I said under my breath. “You’re right. I didn’t. Why didn’t you say something?”

  Her face got even brighter red. “I was going to. Later.”

  “Later? Later than what? Today wasn’t the first time you two met was it?”

  She shook her head. “No. He showed up at an investigation about a month ago. And then at the two after that.”

  “He moves around? That was unusual for ghosts. Mostly they haunted specific places.

  “He was a witch.”

  “So?”

  She shrugged. “The rules are different for him. He can pop in and out of wherever he wants to, but his time is limited. He only has so much energy you know.”

  I wanted to ask about the relationship they’d obviously started, but I didn’t know how to brooch it. Instead I asked, “And what about Roy? Do you have any idea why he showed up here tonight? Or what happened with the time warp.”

  “I…oh damn. Julius said he wanted to have just one dance from his own time. But seeing as it’s Halloween and forces are, I don’t know, different I suppose, his spell didn’t quite work they way he intended. We were just supposed to be slip into the twenties for one song and then back, but then that bastard Roy showed up and leeched his energy. It wasn’t supposed to affect anyone else. I’m so sorry, Jade. It was an accident.”

  I heard what she said and though it was unnerving she seemed to be having a romantic interlude with a ghost, who was I to judge? I’d had one once with a ghost who’d invaded my dreams. At the moment, I was more concerned with the evil spirit I’d thought we’d sent to Hell over a year ago. “Any idea where Roy came from?”

  “No.” Her answer was final, leaving no room for doubt she was telling the truth. She took a long swig of her beer and flopped backward on the floor, staring up at the ceiling. “No idea at all.”

  “I do,” a male voice said from our left.

  I jerked and caught sight of Julius’s outline. He was only an apparition hovering just above the floor.

  Pyper rose from her position on the floor and faced him, her head tilted to one side. “You’re back.”

  “Sort of. But not for long.”

  I took in his long pants, suspenders, and a sports coat. If one didn’t know he was a product of the twenties, she might assume he was a hipster. He was certainly cute enough, if he wasn’t a spirit that was.

  “I felt that other spirit a couple of weeks ago when you were investigating one of the big hotels. I didn’t think about it much, because being a witch, spirits are attracted to my energy and try to feed off it. That’s what this Roy did. I deal with it by shutting myself down, making my energy unavailable to them and they usually go away. Except he happened to catch me off guard tonight. As soon as I realized he was here, I cut off my lingering magic and that’s what caused us to get stuck back in time. My apologies to everyone.”

  That would explain why I hadn’t been able to feel hardly any emotions. Julius’s odd ghost magic had suppressed them, all except his and Pyper’s who were running really close to the surface. It was also why I couldn’t feel his magic. Or it could just be because he’s a ghost. Hard to say. “So he’s been hanging around you lately and because he saw an opening he tried to take Kane’s soul? Or someone else’s so he could live again?”

  Julius nodded. “Yes. Considering his fascination with Pyper, I suspect he’s been watching her for some time. But whatever y’all did to him he didn’t have the resources to get to her. And well, now he’s nothing.”

  Pyper climbed to her feet and walked over to where Julius was floating. The way they looked at each other made me feel like I was intruding, but I had more questions.

  “If Roy was in another dimension or in Hell could he have still latched on to you?”

  He nodded. “Yes. When I’m strong, spirits can and do try to infiltrate my energy. It’s a burden but usually I deal with it better. My apologies, Mrs. Rouquette. It won’t happen again.”

  I had experience with attracting unsavory beings as well as not controlling my magic as well as I’d hoped. And considering he was a ghost and not completely in control of his fate, I had some sympathy for him. Being a witch never got easier. “No apology needed, Julius. Sorry we thought it was you causing all the problems. I had no idea Roy was on the loose. Thank you for watching over Pyper. If our paths cross again, please consider us friends.”

  He bowed. “It will be my pleasure.”

  I smiled and waved as I left, giving them some privacy.

  When I got back into the party, Pyper’s client was on stage introducing his new band. Kane was standing near the bar, nursing a beer.

  “Hey, highlander,” I said, walking up behind Kane.

  He turned and his sour expression vanished, replaced by one of concern. “Hey, pretty witch. How’s Pyper?”

  “She’s just fine.”

  “You sure about that?” He glanced over my shoulder toward the side door.

  “I’m positive. She’s taking a moment to…ah…relax. I’m sure she’ll be along in a few minutes.” I ran light hand down his chest, ready for some quality time with my man. “Care for a spin on the dance floor?”

  His lips turned up into a slow smile. “Only if the devil comes out to play.”

  “Be careful what you wish for,” I
said, wrapping my arms around his neck. “You don’t want to be classified as a sinner, do you?”

  His heated gaze travelled the length of my body. “I think I’ll risk it.”

  Then he pulled me to the dance floor and the only thing left on my mind was Kane and that damned kilt. I placed my hands on his hips, curling my fingers into the rough fabric. “Think you might be willing to wear this once a week?”

  His heated gaze dropped to my exposed cleavage. “If you wear that, I’m game.”

  “Deal,” I said, breathlessly. “Halloween, every Friday night.”

  His gaze met mine and we both laughed.

  “Well, maybe not Halloween, but kilts and corsets,” I amended.

  “You got it, pretty witch.” He clutched me to him, pressing his hard body into mine. “Now kiss me.”

  And when our lips touched a spark of magic zipped from me to him sealing the deal.

  To read more about Pyper and Julius check out Spirits, Stilettos, and a Silver Bustier.

  For more on Jade and Kane, start with Haunted on Bourbon Street.

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  The Ghost & Mrs. MacKay

  Kate Danley

  It's Halloween and Maggie's mother is throwing a haunted house… as in, she's invited all the ghosts of the neighborhood over for a party. Unfortunately, one of the ghosts is not in high spirits and, in fact, is wanted by the Other Side's finest. It is up to Maggie and Killian to find out what caused this soul's unrest and return him to his happy haunting ground.

  CHAPTER ONE

  “I fucking hate Halloween.”

  I threw the folder onto my desk and rubbed my temples.

  Killian paused pouring the bag of candy into a bowl and held it out to me. “I hear that chocolate makes the holiday better.”

  I took one of the fun-sized bars and then realized that to have any fun, I was going to need about five, so I took a couple more.