Mystic Caravan 11 - Freaky Mage Read online

  “Not necessarily. It could be an evil human with pull on others. It could be stupid humans trying to worship a paranormal being. There are a lot of factors, and we have no idea what we’re dealing with.”

  “What are we supposed to do going forward?”

  “Figure out what faction we’re dealing with.”

  “How?”

  “Your guess is as good as mine.”

  OUR SHOPPING TRIPS WERE EXTENSIVE, SO WE split the list and broke into two teams. Kade and I went to the meat counter, where a woman appeared to be talking rather than shopping. She was older, and she punctuated her talk with her waving hands.

  “You’ll have to excuse her,” the man behind the counter said as he offered up a smile. “Betty likes to gossip.”

  “I don’t like gossip,” the woman shot back. “Everything I’m telling you is true. They really did find fifty bodies at the river today.”

  I frowned. “Fifty bodies?”

  Betty nodded. “I heard it on the news. Fifty girls are dead.”

  I cast a curious look toward the butcher, who looked more amused than worried.

  “Don’t listen to her,” he said. “She can’t hear.” He pointed to his ear. “She needs hearing aids but refuses to wear them.”

  “I don’t need no hearing aids,” Betty shot back. “I hear fine. Obviously I wouldn’t know what you were talking about if I didn’t. What do you have to say about that?” She stuck out her tongue, causing me to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing.

  “I think you’re good at reading lips and you saw me point to my ear,” the man shot back. “You didn’t hear anything. You guessed.”

  Betty worked her jaw. “It’s the same thing,” she said finally.

  “It’s not. You shouldn’t be driving without your hearing aids. Something might happen and I would be sad if you were hurt and couldn’t stop by to tell me outrageous stories once a week.”

  Betty waved her hand. “It was fifty bodies. Don’t believe whatever he tells you.” She accepted the package the butcher handed her. “Thanks for the prime cuts, Sam. I’ll see you in a week.”

  “Make sure you wear your hearing aid when you come back,” Sam called out to her, sighing when her only response was to shoot him the finger. “You’ll have to excuse Betty. She’s a good woman — I have a particular fondness for her because she used to be good friends with my mother before she passed — but she gets crazier and crazier as she gets older.”

  “I don’t think that’s so bad,” I countered. “I plan to be one of those crazy old ladies who keeps ten cats and swears at the neighbor when I’m old.”

  Kade made a face. “Sounds lovely.”

  “Women live longer than men,” I explained as I patted his arm. “You’ll be on the other side waiting for me at that point.”

  “I especially don’t like the sound of that.”

  Now that he mentioned it, I didn’t either.

  “What can I get you?” Sam asked.

  “Um, we need a lot. We need forty hot dogs, twenty pounds of ground round, and eighteen porterhouses.”

  Sam’s eyes went wide. “Wow. You guys must work out a lot. That’s a lot of beef.”

  “We’ll need chicken, too,” I said.

  “It’s not all for us,” Kade reassured him. “We’re with Mystic Caravan Circus, down by the river. We have a lot of mouths to feed.”

  Sam nodded in understanding as he started collecting our order. “Is that why you were so interested in what Betty was saying about the bodies? Don’t worry about her. She just likes to stir things up.”

  “Well, she’s not entirely wrong,” I said. “The cops found a body by the riverbank today.”

  Sam’s eyes widened. “Really?”

  “Just one body,” Kade said hurriedly. “It was a young woman”

  “With dark hair,” I added, to see if that would pique his interest.

  “Was it one of the missing girls?” Sam asked as he wrapped steaks.

  “The police didn’t share information with us. They questioned us, asked if we saw anything, and that was basically it.”

  “I assume you didn’t see anything.”

  “Well, we might’ve seen a little something,” I countered. “There were a group of people out there right around sunset. They wore robes and appeared to be dancing.”

  Sam let loose a snort. “You know, you’re not the first person who has mentioned weirdos running around in robes. I hear tell it’s a regular thing. Sandy Peterson — she lives about three doors down from Betty and checks on her regularly, which is the only reason I talk to her because she’s kind of a loon — said that she heard there were people in robes breaking into the cemeteries after dark and doing dances and other things.”

  I shouldn’t have been surprised — cemeteries called to people who believe in the paranormal — but I was. “Do you know which cemetery?”

  Both Sam and Kade shot me twin looks of curiosity.

  “So we can avoid it,” I added smoothly. There’s no way Kade would buy my act. Sam didn’t know me, though. He might very well fall for it.

  “I don’t know,” Sam replied. “I just heard the rumor. It could be total bunk. Colonial Park Cemetery is a good guess, though, because it’s so old and people are always hanging out there. Sandy isn’t the most reliable of witnesses. She gets her gossip right some of the time. Other times, she gets her gossip from Betty and it’s all messed up.”

  I could see that. Still, the cemeteries were an interesting twist.

  “Does anybody know anything about the missing girls you mentioned?” I asked. “I mean ... it seems weird that there would be multiple missing women in this area at the same time.”

  “We don’t really know anything,” Sam replied. “The cops aren’t saying much. The business owners don’t want them to because we need the tourists. They’ll never tell us anything if they can get away with it.”

  “Well, thanks for that. We still need chicken.”

  “Coming right up. Let me finish wrapping this and then I’ll get right to it.”

  KADE AND I FINISHED CHECKING OUT and started loading groceries in the back of his truck while we waited for Luke and Cole to join us.

  “What do you think?” Kade asked, studying my face as I sat in the bed of the truck and packed the groceries in the storage bin.

  “There are too many girls for them not to be connected,” I replied. “Sure, one or two of them could be runaways. Something unconnected could’ve happened to them and it’s just bad timing. But most of them were taken by the same person ... or group of people.”

  “Do you think they’re all dead?”

  “I’ve been thinking about that a lot. If the dead girl was one of the missing girls and she was killed during the ritual, that could mean the others are alive.”

  “But with an expiration date.”

  I nodded. “That seems to make the most sense, but we have no proof of anything”

  “Right.” Kade turned to retrieve more bags and handed them to me. When we made eye contact again, I didn’t miss the brief flash of despair before he quickly tried to shutter it.

  “Hey.” I grabbed his wrist before he could turn away to grab more groceries. “We’re going to figure this out. I promise.”

  He managed a smile, but it didn’t make it all the way to his eyes. “That’s not what I was thinking about.”

  “What were you thinking about?”

  “I have this feeling.” He patted his chest, his voice husky. “I feel a tightness that I can’t explain.”

  I was instantly alert. “Do you think you’re having a heart attack? Do you need me to take you to the hospital?”

  “Not that sort of tightness. This is something else. It’s a feeling.”

  “What sort of feeling?”

  “It’s like I feel something calling to me.”

  “On a magical level?” Kade’s powers were still a work in progress. Had he embraced what he was as a child, he would’ve
learned quicker. Instead, he spent his entire life believing supernatural beings belonged in movies and television. He was trying to figure it all out, putting in a lot of effort, but he was nowhere close to understanding what he could do.

  “It’s almost as if I hear someone whispering. I know there’s no one behind me, but I still swear I hear someone whispering to me. It’s starting to freak me out.”

  “What are they saying?”

  “I can’t make out words. I don’t know how to explain it.” He looked terrified.

  “It’s okay.” I ignored the groceries for now and instead cupped his face. “If there’s something here trying to entice you, I’ll protect you. No magical bitch is going to steal my man.”

  He didn’t smile, as I’d intended. “It doesn’t feel sexual. It feels overwhelming. I don’t know how to explain it.”

  “I won’t let anything happen to you,” I promised as I wrapped myself around him, holding him tight. “Whatever it is, we’ll put an end to it.” I meant it with every fiber of my being. I would protect him with my life if need be.

  “Maybe it’s the cult calling to me or something,” he suggested.

  “I’ve never heard of that, but we’ll find the answers you need. We won’t stop until we do.”

  “I know.” He held me tight. “I don’t mean to be such a big baby.”

  “Hey.” I pulled back to look him in the eyes. “You’re not being a baby. Whispers are frightening. We’ll make sure they don’t lead to something worse. I’m glad you told me.”

  “There’s nobody else I would rather tell.”

  “Keep it that way.” I gave him a kiss and another hug. “We’ll start digging on this right away when we get back. We will find answers. I swear it.”

  6

  Six

  We were late getting back to the fairgrounds. The fact that Nixie was waiting to pounce on me the second we started unloading groceries had my antenna up.

  “Are the cops still down there?” I asked, debating if a second attempt to talk with them was warranted.

  “Oh, no. They’re gone.” Nixie gave a dismissive wave. “Pemberley called. He’ll be here for dinner.” She eyed the groceries Kade and Cole were unloading from the truck. “You got enough, right? He’s bringing friends. There will be four extra mouths.”

  “I always get extra,” I reassured her. “It just means Dolph and Nellie won’t be able to have two steaks.”

  “That sounds exceedingly unfair,” Nellie yelled from somewhere behind the truck. I couldn’t see him, but knew he was there somewhere.

  “You’ll survive,” I shot back. When Nixie didn’t move to leave, I pinned her with a serious look. “Is there something else you want to talk about?”

  “No. I’m just so excited.” She did a little dance before turning and racing back toward the fairgrounds. “Naida! We have to get our tent ready for very important visitors. Where are you?”

  “She’s really excited,” Kade noted as he handed me several more bags.

  “I noticed,” I said dryly, shaking my head. “I’m starting to wonder if these people are going to be a nuisance.”

  “Oh, I think she’s kind of cute.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I believe you were the one laying down the law about Nixie riding with us yesterday. You didn’t think she was so cute then.”

  “This is different.”

  “How?”

  “Most of the people here don’t have family. I mean ... Max is technically my family, but that’s one of the few genetic bonds in the troupe. We made our own family. I can understand why she’s excited. It’s a connection, one she might’ve thought she’d lost.”

  I studied him for a bit. “Are you thinking about your mother?”

  He shrugged. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss her. The only reason I joined Mystic Caravan was because she died. I know we would’ve found each other eventually — I can’t imagine a world where we’re not together — but what if that had been delayed? I feel we found each other at the exact right moment.

  “What if I’d waited five years to join the circus?” he continued. “You could’ve been with someone else by then. I could’ve found someone else at home and maybe never gone on the road. They wouldn’t have been with the right people because we’re obviously right for each other, but it could’ve happened.”

  I blinked several times. “That was a Luke-like speech,” I said finally, shaking my head.

  He laughed. “If you’re trying to pick a minor fight so we can make up later, mission accomplished. I know it sounds corny, but it seems miraculous that we found each other when we did.”

  I couldn’t stop from smiling. “There’s a lot that’s miraculous about you.”

  “I was just thinking the same about you. I guess that means we’re perfect for each other, huh?”

  “I never doubted it.”

  “Neither did I.”

  TWO HOURS LATER, THE CORN WAS on the counter waiting to be shucked and most of our group was gathered around the kitchen area to exchange information and wait for Nixie’s cousin and his traveling companions to arrive.

  “I’m going to kill her,” Raven announced as she joined me, her expression dark.

  “Who?” I asked.

  “The annoying pixie twin.”

  “Which one?”

  “Seriously?” Raven’s silver eyes flashed with annoyance. “How can you even ask that question?”

  “Wow. Someone is crabby,” Luke drawled as he poured a glass of iced tea from one of the pitchers. “That time of the century?”

  Raven switched her ire to my best friend. “Do you want me to kill you?”

  “It wouldn’t be my first choice,” Luke replied easily. “If you want to throw down, though, I’m not afraid to fight with a woman. Just be forewarned, I will pull your hair like you won’t believe.”

  “Oh, go away.” Raven wrinkled her nose. “I don’t have the energy to put up with two of you tonight.”

  I swallowed my chuckle and watched as Luke sashayed to the table. He was feeling full of himself this evening. That didn’t bode well if Nixie’s guests were the sensitive sort. “Why is Nixie bothering you?” I asked. Raven mostly ignored the more exuberant pixie twin, so I was curious about what had her riled.

  “She keeps telling me to change into something fancier,” Raven replied. “Apparently she wants to impress this cousin.”

  “Oh, leave her alone.” I found Kade’s sentiments from earlier echoing in my mind. “She’s just excited. As soon as she sees her cousin, she’ll calm down.”

  “She’d better. There’s only so much I can deal with. In fact ... .” Raven trailed off and lifted her chin, her eyes scanning the parking lot.

  “What is it?” I asked, instantly alert. I hadn’t sensed anything but Raven suddenly looked ready for battle.

  “Don’t you feel that?”

  As if on cue, a huge wave of magic rolled over me. It wasn’t harmful. Nobody was aiming an attack at us. The amount of magic emanating from our parking lot was almost overwhelming, though, and I suddenly understood the look of abject fear – something I’d never seen before – on Raven’s face.

  I also recognized it as mirroring the sensation from the police department.

  The moment I raised my eyes I found the blonde staring at me. She wasn’t alone. A huge man, dressed in flamboyant clothing that would make Nellie jealous, was at the head of the group. He bellowed Nixie’s name and laughed as she raced toward him for a hug.

  I barely paid him any mind. My attention was on the blonde and the two individuals with her.

  The man was only of minor interest. He was tall, in his forties but still ridiculously handsome. He had broad shoulders and an easy smile. I knew within an instant he was a shifter. Luke did too, because his nostrils flared as he joined the staring party.

  On the other side of the woman was a girl. She looked to be fourteen or so, with long black hair. She was talking a mile a minute, her hands gesturing wildly
as she yammered to the blonde. She seemed to be in the middle of a story and her only care was making sure the woman listened.

  It wasn’t hard to register the relationships. The man and woman were married, the girl their daughter. She looked exactly like her father and yet she boasted the same high levels of magic as her mother.

  “Holy ... .” I couldn’t find my voice.

  “That’s exactly what I was thinking,” Raven whispered. “I ... they ... what are they?”

  I had no idea. “Powerful.”

  “Oh, you think?” Raven’s eyes went wide. “What do we do?”

  “Right now, we do nothing.” I glanced around to see if anybody else was reacting to them and found Kade staring at the family with rapt attention. He almost looked as if he was in a trance.

  “We can’t do nothing,” Raven hissed. “They have enough power to destroy us.”

  “And yet they’re a family on vacation hanging out with a pixie,” I pointed out. “Just because they can destroy us doesn’t mean they want to.”

  Raven didn’t look convinced. “We shouldn’t wait for her to decide that we need to be killed. We should end her now.”

  Ugh. That was so ... Raven. “Chill out.” I wiped my hands on a towel and sucked in a breath to calm myself. The magic that was flying around, even though none of it was actively being used, was breathtaking. “They didn’t alert on the dreamcatcher,” I pointed out. “Clearly they’re not evil.”

  Raven rolled her eyes. “A being with that much power can hide her intentions.”

  “How would she know to do that?” I asked. “They seem fine. Let’s meet them before we start a war we might not be able to win.”

  “I’ll remind you of that sentiment when she kills us.”

  Despite my trepidation, it was with a sense of purpose that I stepped forward. Nixie hadn’t stopped talking since she’d hugged her cousin. During that time, the blonde hadn’t looked away from me.

  “This is Pemberley,” Nixie gushed when I joined her. “He’s the cousin I told you about.”

  I extended my hand. “It’s nice to meet you.” I flashed a tepid smile. “Nixie has done nothing but talk about you for days.”