Stone Cold Witch (Nightshade Paranormal Cozy Mystery Book 3) Read online

  “My brother is part gargoyle like me,” I say.

  “Like you?” she questions. “You’re a Spell Master. You could not possibly be a hybrid.”

  “But I am,” I say to her. “My brother looks the part of a gargoyle, and I the witch.”

  “How interesting,” she says. “Your brother, does he normally turn to stone during the day?”

  “No,” I say.

  “It should not matter,” she says. “Suzy, I might be able to help you after all.”

  I mutter a spell under my breath, and the prison bars melt away. I’m sure Dudley will have a few words for me about that later, but I don’t have time to wander around looking for a key. “Come with me,” I say firmly. “And don’t try anything. This town has already killed two Gorgons last night. And after what happened to Peter, I’d be happy to help everyone kill another.”

  “Understood,” she says. “But you need not worry about me. I have no intentions of harming anyone.”

  We exit the station, and she pulls back the rear of her cloak, revealing an enormous dragon-like set of wings. “You hide those well,” I say.

  “Many years of practice at blending in, Suzy,” she says. “Over two thousand years, and no one even knew I was alive until today.”

  We fly back to the library, and when we land amongst the citizens of Nightshade, everyone scurries to back away in fear. “Who let her out?” I hear Dudley yelp from the crowd.

  “Give it a rest,” I hiss. “She might be able to help.”

  The crowd of onlookers murmurs as Solan approaches the statue that is my brother Peter. Her wings slowly work their way back under her clothing; she does not like to show off any part of her, it seems. I suppose if my face accidentally turned people to stone, I would be as equally timid as she.

  “Suzy, as a Spell Master, you can create new spells to suit your needs, yes?” Solan asks.

  “I can,” I say.

  “Turn this morning to nighttime—if only for a moment,” she says. “A full moon would be best.”

  “There’s no way I can do that,” I say.

  “Just for a moment is all it would take,” she says. “And we’ll know then whether or not this is permanent.”

  “You believe that because the boy is a gargoyle his genetics have protected him?” Doc asks.

  “Exactly,” Solan says. “I turned a gargoyle to stone once at night, and the very next night he just opened up from his stone casing like he had just gotten an extra bit of sleep. That’s what gargoyles are doing when they’re stone—sleeping. Peter, though, does not normally turn to stone. He still has some sort of petrifaction gene, though, I’m sure. If moonlight hits him and he remains this way, then we will know whether or not you’ve lost him for good.”

  Making it night? Now? I’m not sure if I could do something that extreme, but I definitely could not bring myself to wait through the entirety of the day to find out if I will have my brother back come nightfall. “Do it, Suzy,” Ray says, stepping forward.

  “Okay,” I say, taking a deep breath. “The werewolves in the crowd might want to prepare themselves, though; there’s about to be a full moon.”

  “Hold on a second there, Suzy,” Red Sumac says, stepping forward and placing a hand on my shoulder. “You’re going to need a lot of energy to pull this one off.” I see the witches from the café step forward too, and they place their hands on Red Sumac. Several other witches step forward in a similar fashion, and even Alfie, who possesses very little power as a dwarf, takes a step towards us and places his hand in the lineup of witches.

  I smile and close my eyes, imagining the runes once more. The power surge that flows through us brings the entire group to our knees, and suddenly there is a slight cool breeze around us. I hear the werewolves all howl as they transform under the light of the full moon. Opening my eyes, I see that it has indeed become completely dark out. I look at Peter. The stone begins to crack—slowly at first, but then picking up speed. At last, he bursts forth from the stone with a loud, tiger-like growl before falling onto his hands and knees. Peter gets one good look at the scene before him—the werewolves putting up with their wolf state and the witches all allowing me to borrow some power for him—just before the witches release me. In a flash, the sky appears bright once again.

  Despite my current weakened state, I jump up excitedly and dart to him, yanking him up from the ground to give him the tightest hug I think I have ever given someone. “You are in so much trouble,” I say under my breath, a pitiful-sounding laugh erupting from my throat. I kiss his face and hang onto his little neck as though I believe that if I let go I might lose him again.

  When I break away from him, Ray—who is no longer in his wolf form but his clothes are a bit tattered from the abrupt transformation—comes darting over and he gives Peter a big hug. Peter looks shocked by the gesture, but he smiles. “I’m so glad you’re all right!” Ray states excitedly and then steps back.

  “We all are,” Red Sumac says, standing up from her position in the dirt.

  Suddenly, a thought strikes me. I go over to Solan, and I smile at her. “Thank you so much,” I say.

  “He would have changed back tonight when the moon came up, but I’m glad you did not have to wait that long,” Solan says.

  “You’re not like your sisters, are you?” I ask.

  “I try not to be,” she says. “Don’t get me wrong. I am sad that they are gone, but to be honest, this was a long time coming. You have no idea how many werewolf deaths they have been responsible for over the years. They never could quite get their concoction right to break our curse.”

  “Speaking of which,” I say with a smile. “I think I know just what they were missing. Does anyone have a knife? Or maybe a—”

  “Axe!” Alfie calls out, stepping forward and handing me his blade.

  “Um… maybe something that wasn’t used to cut off the head of a demon earlier today?” I say.

  Joe, of course, has a pocket knife. “Peter, come here,” I say, and he steps forward obediently. “Ray, would you mind?” I ask as I prick my hand with the knife, letting him know exactly what I’m asking of him.

  Ray nervously steps forward and holds out his palm as I am squeezing a bit of my own blood in a dirt pile. I prick Ray’s hand and Peter’s too, and they squeeze a few drops of blood in the dirt. “Gargoyle blood?” Solan asks.

  “Your sisters were saying that they thought adding a powerful witch’s blood to the concoction would be enough to break the curse,” I say. “But, I started thinking that perhaps they needed something with a petrifaction element.” I stir the mixture with the end of Alfie’s axe before scooping up the clay-like mess. I close my eyes; the runes in my mind are going haywire after the incredible power surge I had gotten from all of the witches in town forming their little power-transfer line. Before that, I don’t think I would have been strong enough to pull off this spell. But I’ve got a temporary power boost from nearly twenty other witches. That, combined with this little blood sacrifice of two sweet children and myself, should do. I blow on the dirt, still picturing the runes, and it travels towards Solan in this mystical purplish wind.

  I hear her gasp, and I open my eyes. She’s shaking. I know without asking that it worked because I had felt it. “Take off your garb,” I say, and I think half of the town instinctually turns around.

  She removes her glasses and her shawl. She’s beautiful. No snake hair, no wings, no hideous face. Just one of the loveliest women I have ever laid my eyes on. Solan touches her face and looks around at each of us. No one is stone. She looks me in the eye. I realize that this must be the first time she’s made eye contact with another human being in over two thousand years. “How?” she questioned. “How did you know that would work?”

  “I just felt it,” I say, and she lunges forward, wrapping her arms around me, tears streaming down her face. I pull apart from her. Now everyone is looking in complete disbelief.

  “Suzy, you just broke a curse done by a god
dess,” Joe says. “That’s…that’s incredible.”

  “She helped us,” I say. “No doubt you were helping us this whole time, am I right, Solan?”

  “Yes,” she says. “I went to the wedding to try to stop my sisters, but by the time I had found them, they had already left with Laura’s blood. I didn’t know they were here in Nightshade until after word spread about Ted. I wish I could have stopped them from hurting anyone else, but they have always been more powerful than me. I was born mortal. They were not.”

  “Well, you’re free now,” I say.

  “Hold up!” Dudley calls, stepping apart from the crowd. “This woman was aware of an active crime! She knew the culprits, and she never reported it! And you, Suzy, you broke this woman out of jail!”

  “Oh, let it go, Dudley,” Snowball snaps.

  “Yeah,” Alfie says in agreement. “Let the woman go. This could have gone a lot worse if not for her.”

  Dudley just sulks. I try not to laugh at the poor man. He’s so useless it’s sad, but he’s got a big heart. Solan hugs me again. “I just don’t know what to say,” she says.

  “You can do whatever you want now,” I tell her. “You’re not restricted by your curse anymore.”

  “I… I want to travel,” she says, smirking. “I mean, actually travel and enjoy myself. Not travel because I’m too afraid to stay in one place for too long.” She laughs. “I want to get a job. I want to… I want to date. I have so many things that I’ve missed out on because of this, Suzy.”

  “I’m sure!” I say.

  “I’m leaving,” she says. “But… I will never forget this place.”

  I walk with her away from the crowd. I’m happy for her. I certainly could not imagine carrying such a burdensome curse as hers for so long. As we reach the end of the road, the sun has reached its peak point in the sky. “Kind of weird that there was a full moon out two minutes ago,” I say, smirking.

  “I am eternally grateful to you, Suzy,” she says. “But there’s something I should warn you about.”

  “What would that be?”

  “I sense things. One of the benefits of being touched by a goddess—even if that touch was a curse,” she says. “I feel an evil presence here in Nightshade. Something is amiss here. I don’t know what exactly, but I feel the need to warn you to be on the lookout. Darkness is coming, Suzy.”

  “Well, that’s just nice,” I say, not at all appreciating the evil omen I have just been given.

  She thanks me again, a big smile on her face. “I’m sure we will meet again soon,” she tells me, offering me a friendly wave as she casually walks down the road, letting her gorgeous red-golden hair flow in the wind.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  I POUR the water into my grandmother’s chalice, and Peter sits quietly on the little couch in our home. I hear my grandmother humming a bit. “Suzy…” she says, her voice pausing a bit. “Peter,” she says somewhat breathlessly when she realizes we are not alone in the room.

  Peter sinks into himself a good bit. He has avoided talking to her ever since I brought him to Nightshade. Much like how I was when I first spoke to her, I’m sure he feels a slight sense of anger and betrayal, despite knowing that this is the same woman who saved him from the evil sorcerer, Night Shadow. “Granny,” he says shyly.

  “I believe I owe you an apology, don’t I?” she says.

  “I’d say you do,” he says. I like this kid. He’s got guts, and he’s definitely not afraid to tell you how he’s feeling.

  “Suzy told me what you did for her—for Ray—for all of Nightshade,” she says. “I’m very proud of you.”

  “Despite the fact that I’m a gargoyle?” he asks.

  “I was surprised when your parents brought you to me, Peter. I’ll admit that. I didn’t know what to think. They lied to me about your father’s heritage. He always looked a little funny to me, but I never would have guessed he had gargoyle blood. When they plopped you into my arms, asking me to form a stone egg for you to heal in, I did not hesitate. You were my grandchild just as much as Suzy.”

  “Why didn’t you tell Suzy about me?” he asks. “You were going to let me stay in that orphanage.”

  “I was,” she says. “But that is not because I hate you or did not want you around Suzy, Peter. That’s not it at all. I was just afraid about how people would react if she brought you to Nightshade.”

  “I guess you were right to be worried,” Peter admits, and he glances at me. “People were not very nice when I first got here. Even some of Suzy’s friends were kind of mean. But people change, right?”

  “They most certainly can,” my granny says. “I’m so sorry, Peter. I’m sorry about what you’ve been through, about the things I’ve said. I hope you know that I love you.”

  Peter smiles. “I love you too.”

  I place a hand on his shoulder. “I’m going to give you two a minute; you okay with that, Granny?”

  “Of course.”

  “She’s getting ready for a date,” Peter teases.

  “Who is watching my grandson while you’re out and about?” she asks.

  “That’d be me,” Snowball says, appearing from behind the couch.

  “You’re joking.”

  Peter laughs. “We’re just staying here at the house. Snowball is going to teach me a weird board game from the other side called Monopoly.”

  “Was that your idea, Suzy?” my grandmother asks. “Because that’s just cruel.”

  “It’ll keep him out of trouble while I’m out of the house for a bit,” I say. “I’ll be back in just a moment.” I head into my bedroom, which has become mine now. We just finished cleaning out the spare bedroom and filling it up with furniture for Peter. I throw on a black dress that’s covered in sequins and a traditional witch’s hat. I add some earrings and a bracelet along with some tall high heels before stepping out.

  “Whoa,” Snowball says. “Val is going to have a stroke.”

  I laugh. “Easy there, kitty-cat.”

  “You look nice, Mom,” Peter says, and I smile at him.

  “Okay, you two, behave while I’m gone.” I say.

  “I’ll keep an ear out for them,” I hear my granny say.

  “Thanks, Granny,” I say, heading for the door.

  Val and I meet at the library because he had some stuff to take care of at the church. He’s dressed to impress, much like myself, and we head to the haunted castle where the werewolf wedding had taken place. Turns out that place, when not hosting parties, has a balcony restaurant in the back that serves fine dining. By the time we are seated by our ghostly servers, the sun is setting in the distance.

  The balcony is full of white-tablecloth-covered tables lit mostly by candlelight. Bright globes of colorful light are spread all over the enormous balcony, making for a very romantic setting. “I’m liking this,” I tell Val, and he smiles at me. I notice something odd in the corner. “Isn’t that Laura’s husband?” I ask, pointing towards a lonesome werewolf who is sitting by himself holding a single rose.

  “You’re going to love this,” Val says. “Just watch.”

  I watch the widower werewolf as he waits patiently. Suddenly, a spirit appears sitting across from him in what looks like a wedding gown. “Laura,” I say as her husband turns excitedly and the two start talking happily to one another.

  “Turns out she wasn’t dead dead,” Val says. “The spirits here found her roaming the halls a few days ago and sent word into town. They said because the castle’s already haunted, her spirit was able to linger around.”

  “That’s beautiful,” I say. “The other werewolves can still visit her here – including her husband.”

  “He got a job here,” Val says. “He serves on the weekends and is basically a janitor during the week. The ghosts and ghouls hooked him up with a room too. So he lives here now with Laura.”

  “That’s so great!”

  “A little unusual, though. A ghost dating a creature of flesh,” Val says. “I’ve never seen
that before; no one around here has.”

  “Well, this town is knocking down barriers left and right, aren’t we?” I say. “A vampire becoming a preacher. A witch and vampire dating. The great and powerful Spell Master being part gargoyle. A young gargoyle and a young werewolf are best friends now. What’s a former werewolf turned ghost still being married to a living werewolf compared to all of that?”

  Val grins. “Who knew that a place like Nightshade would become so… forward-thinking? Your presence here has definitely affected that, Suzy.”

  “Well, you know me, I—”

  “I love you,” he says, interrupting me.

  “I love you too,” I say, surprised at how quickly I returned those words.

  He reaches across the table and takes me by the hand. “You driving your car through a cemetery turned out to be the best thing that could have ever happened to me,” he says with a laugh. “You are one remarkable witch, Suzy Maycomber.”

  I hear music, and I turn my head to see that a string quartet is tonight’s entertainment. The instruments appear to be moving on their own since a group of ghosts are playing, too occupied with the music to make themselves seen. I really love it here. “You know,” I say, pulling my hand back. “I was a little disappointed I didn’t get a haunted carriage ride tonight.”

  Val immediately looks embarrassed. “I still cannot read you well enough to determine whether or not you thought that was charming or ridiculous. Please, I’m begging you, stop teasing me about it.”

  I just laugh at him. He makes it too easy to mess with him. Suddenly he takes my hand and stands, pulling me up from my seat and onto the small cobblestone dance floor. Whoa. I don’t know why, but Val always struck me as someone who’s got two left feet. But he surprises me, swaying me around like a professional ballroom dancer. In fact, when he dips me, I hear a few people clapping.

  I’m a little blown away, honestly. He pulls me into him and gives me a good kiss that makes my toes curl. If there is one vampire stereotype I learned from the other side that turned out to be true, it’s this—vampires are total charmers. Even Val, the innocent preacher vampire, can make my head spin and cause me to swoon.