No Crone Unturned Read online

  He shook his head and merely smiled. “I didn’t say anything.”

  “You’re thinking something ... and I’m guessing it’s not complimentary.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong.” He folded his arms over his chest, looking smug. “I was just thinking you’re the only person I know who would’ve picked that pentagram out of the pattern. I mean ... I see it, but only after you pointed it out. Not everyone seems to think pentagrams are advertising either.”

  Oh, that was just ridiculous. “Um ... I’m sorry, but in what world is window pentagrams not advertising?”

  “You don’t know that it’s a purposeful symbol. It could be an accident, something that merely popped out of a different design.”

  “Yeah, because that’s likely in a paranormal vortex.”

  His forehead wrinkled. “A what?”

  “A paranormal vortex,” I repeated.

  “I don’t know what that is.”

  “It’s this place.” I didn’t see any reason to keep the information from him. Frankly, I didn’t understand how he hadn’t figured it out. “This entire area hums with energy. It’s the reason paranormals are drawn here. How can you not know that?”

  “Because I don’t think it’s really a thing.”

  “Uh-huh.” He was cute but there were times I worried he was slow. Okay, not really, but he didn’t always catch on straight away when it came to magic. Of course, he’d grown up here. Sometimes the hardest things to see are the ones right in front of your face. “I guess if you don’t believe that means it can’t possibly be true.”

  “I didn’t say that. I’ve simply never heard of it. I want you to explain it to me.”

  “It’s a magical convergence.” I shifted my eyes back to the window. I didn’t see any movement, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything. “Hawthorne Hollow is one. The very land we’re standing on is magical. The rivers and waterways are flush with power. I’m sure there are magical caves around here to boot, but I haven’t had time to go on a search yet.

  “Paranormal vortexes are rare,” I continued. “This is the only one I’m aware of in Michigan, but I know that Salem is one. New Orleans is another. There’s a place in Kentucky, too, and northern California. I guarantee there are other places overseas, like Stonehenge.”

  “You think Stonehenge is a paranormal vortex?”

  I didn’t like his tone. It was clear he was having fun with me. I could take the teasing, but I wasn’t in the mood for it today. “I’ve never been there, but it’s totally on my bucket list. Haven’t you ever asked yourself why those stones were erected the way they were? And how?”

  “I haven’t really thought about it.”

  “It’s the magic. It draws believers. It also draws other creatures. There are magical places in the world that can do that.”

  “And you’re saying Hawthorne Hollow is one of them.”

  I nodded. “I don’t know why ... or even how, but this is definitely a paranormal vortex.”

  “Well ... that’s interesting.”

  His tone was enough to make me grind my teeth. “I don’t need the mocking,” I shot back. “You don’t have to believe me, but a modicum of respect would be nice.”

  He balked. “Hey, I respect you more than any other person. You’ve seen the way I am with my father. I treat you ten times better than him.”

  “I’m assuming the sex has something to do with that,” I said dryly.

  “Oh, no. Don’t go there.” He wagged a finger. “You’re more than just sex to me. You’re endless sarcasm, too.”

  I didn’t want to encourage him, but I couldn’t stop from laughing. “Good to know. I ... .” The sound of a door shutting jerked me right out of the verbal foreplay and back to the present. When I stared at the house, I couldn’t see anybody. What was a walkway at one time was completely overgrown. The hedges had lost all shape. The only reason to believe anyone was nearby was the new windows.

  And then it happened.

  “Can I help you?”

  I heard the voice before I saw the face. It was a tad nasal, altogether whiny really. I didn’t see an actual person and braced myself to take on an invisible enemy ... and then I saw a tuft of hair that just happened to be on an ear.

  “What the ... ?” Gunner, the macho type, extended an arm to push me behind him as the very top of a head became visible over the bushes. “Get back.”

  “Have you ever considered that you should get back? I mean ... no offense, because I know you’re big and tough, but I’m totally more powerful than you.”

  He slowly slid his eyes to me, apparently forgetting about the terror heading in our direction. “Oh, really?”

  I nodded. “Yeah. I can show you later if you want.”

  “If it involves you getting naked and pretending to be a superhero, I’m all for it.”

  His response took me by surprise. “I ... wait. I’m not dressing up like a sexy Wonder Woman just so you can be kinky.”

  “Your loss. Now ... shh.” He pressed his finger to his lips and turned back to the creature that was moving to intercept us. Once free of the bushes, it wasn’t a monster we faced.

  “Oh, it’s a little person,” Gunner said a little louder than would’ve been considered polite. He dropped his pugilistic stance and grinned as the short man headed in our direction.

  “I don’t think you’re supposed to say ‘little person,’” I argued as I continued to watch the interloper with mistrust. Unlike Gunner, I wasn’t a proponent of the “size matters” club. I’d seen tiny little demons rip off limbs in five seconds flat while the big ones simply stood there and looked stupid. I wasn’t ruling out a dangerous encounter, though I was mildly mesmerized by the way the sun glinted off our new friend’s bald head.

  “Oh, really, smarty?” Gunner challenged. “If I’m not supposed to say ‘little person,’ what am I supposed to say?”

  “I believe it’s polite not to comment at all,” the newcomer said, pulling up short as his gaze bounced between us. “May I help you?”

  He wore a suit, though I figured it had to have come from the children’s section of a department store. It was a little worn around the edges and had patches at the elbows. Oddly enough, it looked familiar, but I couldn’t place where I thought I’d seen it before.

  Gunner cleared his throat. “I apologize for trespassing and stuff, but ... um ... we thought we saw someone hanging out here, and since the house is abandoned, we wanted to check it out. Could you tell us why you’re living in an abandoned house?”

  It seemed a perfectly reasonable question, but there was an absurdity about it that caused me to bite the inside of my cheek to keep my laughter in check. For his part, the little guy didn’t look amused.

  “First, this is not an abandoned house,” he started, adopting an air of superiority that would’ve been hard to carry off even if he was a foot taller. “My mistress owns this house.”

  “Your mistress?” I cocked an eyebrow. “Does that mean you’re cheating on your wife? If so, I have to say, I don’t generally get this whole philandering thing. If you want to sleep with someone else, you should do your wife the honor of getting divorced.”

  The look he shot me was withering. “She’s not my mistress. She’s my mistress.”

  I glanced at Gunner. “Did he just explain something?”

  The tiny man let out a sigh that fluttered his lips. “Perhaps we should start over again,” he suggested. “My name is Bixby. I’m the man of the house, but only in the sense that I’m running it for my mistress — my employer, not my paramour.”

  “Oh.” Realization washed over me. That made a lot more sense. “I get it now.”

  Bixby didn’t look as if he cared whether or not I understood. “Now, why don’t you introduce yourselves or I’ll assume you’re idiotic robbers and cut you off at the kneecaps.”

  Oh, that was kind of cute. He actually believed he was capable of that. “I’m Scout Randall.” I didn’t extend my hand but did
offer up a weak smile. “This is Gunner Stratton. We’re local.”

  “How lovely for you,” Bixby drawled. “I assume you’re dating given the witty repartee I overheard from the house. I hope you’re not related in some fashion. Given the way you act, I can’t rule it out.”

  It took me a moment to unravel what he was saying. “Did you just insinuate ... ?”

  Gunner squeezed my wrist to cut me off. “So, how long has your mistress owned this house?” He was focused on getting information, which was important, but I couldn’t overlook the incest remark. Bixby might’ve been tiny, but he had a sharp tongue ... and I kind of wanted to strangle him with it.

  “It’s a recent acquisition,” Bixby replied primly.

  There was something about him that seemed so familiar ... and then I remembered. “Hey, I know you.”

  Gunner couldn’t hide his surprise. “You know him? Please don’t say he’s an ex-boyfriend.”

  I didn’t respond to the ludicrous assertion, instead focusing on Bixby. “You hid in the bushes and tried to attack me when I was a teenager.” As far as accusations go, it was a strong one.

  Bixby was taken aback. “I most certainly did not.”

  “You did. I remember you. I was walking to the group home. I remember I was worrying at the time about what I was going to do. I was due to age out of the system in a few weeks and I was terrified what that would mean. It’s not as if I ever had a lot of help but I was used to a roof over my head. I was pretty certain I was going to be homeless.”

  Gunner slid me a sidelong look. “Were you?”

  “Not really.”

  “Not really?” He made a face. “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “It means not really,” I shot back. “My group home leader allowed me to stay for a few months until I got a job and wasn’t so afraid. He was a good guy.”

  “So ... you weren’t homeless.”

  “Not then, no.”

  “But you were homeless at one point?” He seemed fixated on the topic.

  I shot him an incredulous look. “Can we talk about that later? This guy was loitering in the bushes when I was a kid. I sensed him and ... .” I trailed off when I remembered the rest of the story. “There was a guy with you. He was dressed all in black. You were trying to procure me for him.”

  Gunner’s eyes went wide. “Procure you? Do I even want to know what that means?”

  “Probably not.” My mind was a jumbled mess and when I pinned Bixby with my scariest look he didn’t so much as avert his gaze for a split second.

  “I believe you have me confused with somebody else,” Bixby said.

  “Um, no.”

  “I think I would remember hiding in the bushes. It’s something I don’t do.”

  “Oh, you remember.” I narrowed my eyes. “Do you work for a vampire?”

  Gunner’s mouth dropped open and he let loose a hoarse chuckle. “Oh, my. You’ll have to excuse my girlfriend. She likes messing with people ... and we just watched a vampire movie last night. It must’ve got the creative juices flowing.” He slipped his arm around my waist and shot me a pointed look. “Apologize to the nice man for saying he hid in the bushes and tried to jump you.”

  There was absolutely no way that was going to happen. “Yeah, I’m good.” I pulled away from him and snapped my eyes to the front of the house when I heard the door shut a second time. The individual who glided out this go-around was much taller than Bixby. It was also a woman.

  “Oh, it looks as though we have visitors.” The woman was blonde, a good two inches taller than me, and dressed in an expensive ensemble that probably cost more than a year’s rent at my first apartment. She graced us with a sunny smile as she padded down the walkway in fuzzy high heels that boggled the mind because they were so tall. “Hello. I love meeting new people.”

  She said it with such enthusiasm that I was instantly suspicious. What? Nobody loves new people.

  Gunner took control of the conversation before I could stick my foot in my mouth again. “Yes. We just met your ... man. Um ... I’m Gunner Stratton.” He went through the motions to introduce us a second time as I openly glared at Bixby. For his part, he steadfastly kept his eyes a good two feet in front of me, so no matter how I shifted I couldn’t catch his gaze. The little monster was playing games with me and I didn’t like it.

  “I’m Melody Summers.” She offered Gunner an intimate smile as she shook his hand. She was practically purring when they touched. “I’m new to the area.”

  “Um ... hi.” Gunner seemed caught off guard at the way she greeted him and lost his sense of conversational direction.

  I rolled my eyes at the exchange. Melody was pretty, ridiculously so, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t employing a freaky pervert. “And I’m Scout Randall.” I slapped Gunner’s hand away and placed mine in her hand. “I’m so happy to meet you.”

  “Scout?” Melody’s smile was fluid when it switched to me. “That’s ... an interesting name. Were your parents literary fans?”

  “I honestly have no idea.” I dropped the handshake and flicked my eyes back to Bixby. “Did you know your butler — or whatever he is — used to hide in bushes and try to entice female teenagers about ten years ago?”

  Gunner choked on a nervous laugh as Melody furrowed her brow.

  “Excuse me?” Melody was clearly caught off guard. The question was enough to have Bixby making eye contact, though.

  “She’s mistaken me for someone else, mistress,” he reassured his boss. “I did no such thing.”

  “Oh, you did.” I was annoyed with his reaction. “You were with a dark guy and loitering in the bushes just north of Detroit. He gave you a lecture when you failed ... and tried to be witty with me. Do you really think I don’t remember you?”

  Bixby let loose a heavy sigh. “I don’t know what to tell you, miss. We’ve never met.”

  My temper was on full boil now. “Are you actually telling me you went after so many girls ten years ago that you can’t remember me?”

  “I’m telling you that you’ve mistaken me for somebody else.”

  “I have not.”

  Melody cleared her throat to get my attention. “Um, Scout, correct?” She had a conciliatory smile on her face.

  “I just told you my name, like, thirty seconds ago. You were like, ‘Oh, your parents were literary fans’ and everything.”

  Melody’s smile never wavered. “Right. Well, I think I’m going to talk to you now.” She turned her full attention to Gunner. “Are you familiar with the area? I just inherited the house from an uncle I didn’t even know was still alive because he fell out of touch with the rest of the family decades ago. I fell in love with the place despite the state of disrepair. I plan to restore it to its former glory ... although I think that’s going to take some time. You’re the first person I’ve met since arriving. Maybe you could give me a tour of the area.”

  Gunner looked caught off guard. “Oh, well ... .”

  “You don’t have to worry about Bixby going with us,” she said, trailing her fingers up his forearm and earning a hateful stare from me for her efforts. “It can be a private tour.”

  “Yeah, Gunner,” I drawled. “It can be a private tour.”

  After what felt like a great deal of time — it was probably only three seconds but, seriously, he should’ve moved faster — he yanked his arm away and immediately started shaking his head. “I’m with her,” he blurted out, jabbing his finger in my direction. “Um ... me and her.”

  I shook my head. “Geez. Your father is right. Our communication skills seriously are lacking.” Even though Gunner clearly needed help with the aggressive female, I had other things on my mind. The biggest being Bixby. He was back to acting innocent. “I remember you,” I hissed. “You’re not fooling anybody with this little act ... and I’m not saying little in a derogatory way because you’re ... .” I held my hand about two feet off the ground for emphasis. “I’m going to prove who you are.”

&nbs
p; “I’m certain you will, miss,” Bixby supplied, an air of pity surrounding his words, as if he was simply trying to placate me. “Perhaps you should have some lunch or something. You seem like you might be feeling lightheaded.”

  Before I could respond, Melody let loose a warm chuckle. “Oh, I think I’m really going to like this town.”

  Five

  I was still fuming about Bixby when we left twenty minutes later. I would’ve preferred scouting out the property a bit longer, but Melody’s constant surveillance, along with Bixby’s presence, ensured that wouldn’t happen. Melody refused to stop throwing herself at Gunner and he grew increasingly uncomfortable. When you coupled that with the way I kept accusing Bixby of being a slimy pervert ... well, things deteriorated quickly.

  “She’s obviously not a vampire,” Gunner noted as he grabbed his helmet and stared at me from across his bike seat.

  “You don’t know that,” I grumbled.

  “It’s daylight, baby. Vampires can’t go out in daylight.”

  He had a point ... which was beyond frustrating. “Well, maybe they’re both working for whatever vampire is controlling them.” I thought back to the shadowy figure I saw when I was a teenager. “Maybe it’s the same guy. He said he would likely see me again.”

  Gunner’s eyebrows hopped. “Are you suggesting that they’re here for you?”

  Was I? That seemed a bit haughty. “No.” I immediately started shaking my head even though I wasn’t sure how to answer the question. “That’s doubtful. I’m sure it’s a coincidence.”

  “Didn’t you once tell me you don’t believe in coincidences?”

  That was true. “Yeah, but ... not this time. I told you this place is a paranormal nexus. The power circulating here is enough to draw a vampire.”

  “We didn’t see a vampire.”

  “I just told you that Bixby freak was with a vampire when I was a teenager. Haven’t you been listening?”

  He held up his hands and gave me an exaggerated stare. “Okay. Calm down. There’s no reason to get worked up.”