Candy conniptions, p.9
Candy Conniptions, page 9
“Not laughing now, are you?” I slur at him, spit flying out. His look of disappointment is toxic. It spreads through me like wildfire. At the feeling, I let the knife dissipate. Cole and Taylor arrive, pulling us apart, with Josh and Galen not far behind them.
“Cut it out, Maddock. Regan, get him home before I throw him in jail for disturbing the peace!” Taylor orders Regan. All the fight has left my body. The disappointment on the face of a man who is like a brother to me was enough to break through the fury. What have I done?
Regan helps me to the passenger side of the car, opening the door for me. I grab him by the head, putting my forehead against his as tears spill from my eyes. “I’m so sorry, man. I don’t know what happened.”
He hugs me tight, clapping me on the back. “Don’t worry, Mads, we will get it all figured out. Tomorrow’s another day. Let’s just get you home so you can sleep it off.”
I sit in the car and he closes the door. Going around to the other side, he gets in and starts it up. Staring unfocused through the front window, I see a group of girls illuminated in the glare of the headlights. Sheree is surrounded by the others, and the look of fury on her face is enough to rival the one that just left my body. I guess our plans did get ruined, but again, the numbness surrounds me, and I can’t bring myself to care. Regan leaves the parking lot and heads for the manor. I guess I’m staying with him tonight.
Chapter Eleven
Ruby
I wake up the next morning with a to-do list a mile long. I look up at the skylights in the roof, and I see the green of the trees outside, but they are indistinct and blurry. I wave my hand at the glass, and there’s a flash of light before the window becomes transparent. The leaves on the giant oak trees that surround the cottage are rustling gently in the morning breeze, and a feeling of serenity and clarity fills my body.
Rolling out of bed, I head downstairs to my kitchen, the metal stairs cool under my feet. I wave my hand at the kettle, turning it on, as I go in search of my tablet. I find it on the coffee table where I plugged it into the wall to charge. Needing to write myself a list of all the things I have to do, I sit down at the counter.
The kettle starts to whistle, so I wave my hand at it again. A cupboard door opens and a cup flies out. A tea bag comes from another cupboard, soaring into the cup. The kettle then lifts up and fills the cup with hot water, then the tea bag jiggles up and down, turning the water dark. The kettle lowers down to the counter, and the cup floats up and toward me before gently setting down next to my tablet. A wisp of steam floats up toward the ceiling as I wave at the fridge, and then it opens and the milk floats out. It makes a wobbly path to the counter and sets down rather abruptly, teetering to one side. I snatch it with my hand before it can tip over. Hmmm, my magic muscles need a lot more work. Opening it up, I add it to my tea.
I take a sip, feeling the warmth sliding down my throat, soothing me and calming my erratic thoughts. Grabbing my tea and tablet, I wander out to the sunroom and throw myself on one of the couches. I lean back, holding my drink in one hand, and admire the view out of my sunroom windows.
With the cottage surrounded by trees on all sides, all that can be seen of the manor through the dense foliage is one of the spires at the top of a turret. It’s why Regan and I used to like playing down here when we were little and visiting our grandparents. We loved the feeling of freedom, playing all kinds of games. As we got older, we’d have campfires and parties with our friends. Booze flowed, and the games got more mature, but through all the ups and downs, kisses, and fights, we all stayed friends.
Which brings me to thoughts of the Tempting Ten. Obviously the spell is still affecting them, since no one else has returned yet. I must speak to Mom about all the spells surrounding the island and influencing people, but first I need to talk to Tatiana. I snap my fingers and my phone lands in my lap. I put my cup of tea down and dial her number, waiting while I hear it ring, but it goes to voicemail.
“Tats! It’s Rubes! You need to call me back as soon as you get this. Shit is happening, and I need you. Both your mom and Maddock are in trouble. Call me.”
I press the button to disconnect, dropping the phone back in my lap and blowing out a breath in frustration. If that’s not enough to put a rocket up her ass, I’m not sure what is.
My phone rings, making me jump in fright. Wow, that was quick, but when I look at the screen, I realize it’s not Tatiana, but Bram. “Hey, Bram, what’s up?”
“Hey, Ruby. Sorry to be calling so early, but you may want to come down to the store. I’ve just arrived to start work, but the front window has been smashed, and it looks like the shop has been trashed. I’ve called the sheriff, but he may want to talk to you and your parents.”
I jump up off the couch, and my stomach drops. I rush back into the house to grab my car keys with the phone shoved between my ear and shoulder. “Crap, okay. Have you called Mom and Dad?”
“No. Regan and Maddock are both here too, and Regan’s on the phone at the moment.”
“Okay, I’ll get dressed and be right there. Don’t let the sheriff go in until Mom and I arrive. There are some spells we can do to check for sabotage or for traps,” I tell him in a rush.
“Yeah, okay, I’ll let him know.” He hangs up.
I race around, looking for clothes, when I stop abruptly. Seriously, when am I going to get used to using magic again? I snap both fingers, and the tank top and pajama shorts I was wearing disappear. Instead, I’m now wearing red capri pants and a white, fitted, scoop neck top and sneakers appear on my feet. Grabbing the keys off the bench and shoving my phone and tablet into my backpack, I run out the door, pulling it shut behind me. Looking around the empty front yard, I realize my car is not here. It’s still parked at the Hamster. Damn it. Regan is in town already, and Mom and Dad are probably on their way.
Taking a deep breath, I try to calm my heart rate. My magic has slowly trickled back into my body since I came home and was released from that spell, but I still haven’t tried to teleport yet. Clearing my mind and soaking up the energy of nature, I visualize the front of the shop and clap my hands together. There’s a flash of light, then absolute darkness. When I reappear into the light, I’m directly in front of my shop. Dropping to the ground, dizzy and disoriented, I try desperately to hold the vomit inside when a wave of pain hits me.
I can hear voices, but I’m still disoriented, and I can’t tell who’s talking to me. Unknown hands help me stand up, then arms lift me before carrying me. I’m placed down on the wooden bench a little farther down the street, and my head is pushed between my legs as a hand rubs up and down my back. My breath saws in and out as I try to control it.
“Deep breaths, Rubes, deep breaths,” I hear Regan murmur as my hearing returns to me.
“What were you thinking?” a voice screeches at me, and I silently wish my hearing hadn’t returned. I slowly sit up, and my mother glares at me with murder in her eyes. I guess she’s going to finish what the teleportation started.
I roll my eyes at her.
“Don’t you roll your eyes at me, young lady. You are not too old to have your bottom paddled.” Ha, she always threatens that but has never done it. “You haven’t used your magic regularly for years, and you think you’re ready to teleport? It’s like a muscle, Ruby. If you don’t use it, it weakens. For goddess’s sake, what you just did was the equivalent of a fat man attempting to run the hundred-meter sprint. It’s amazing you didn’t suffer a stroke.”
My breathing has finally slowed, and I start to reply, but she holds her hand up.
“No, I don’t want to hear it. It was reckless and stupid. Don’t do it again until you’ve had more practice. I don’t care if you are the strongest teleporter we have.”
“I’m sorry, Mom, you are right.”
An expression of shock crosses her face, and she looks at Regan. “Did you hear that?”
He nods with a smirk.
A look of triumph crosses her face, and she does a little victory dance in the street. I ignore her gloating and turn to look back toward the shop. “What happened? Have you checked for spells or a clue to who did this? What about the security cameras?” Still feeling unsteady, the words rush out.
From where I am sitting with Mom and Regan, I can see Dad, Bram, Maddock, and the sheriff all standing in front of the shop. My spirits drop when I realize Maddock wasn’t the least bit concerned about me. He was always the first to help me when we were kids and I hurt myself. Regan pats me on the knee and draws my attention back to him. The look on his face is worrying me.
“Taylor only just got here, so we are not sure. He was over at the Hamster. I’m sorry, Rubes, but someone has slashed all the tires on your car and smashed the windows. It looks like someone has it out for you.”
“Your dad looked at the video surveillance from his phone, but it’s blank. It’s been switched off, so it shows us nothing. If you are still not feeling up to it, I’ll get the boys to help with the spell to check for residue and traps,” Mom says.
I shake my head. “I’m alright, just give me a few more minutes, please.” Regan gets up and walks over to the others, leaving Mom and me. The town is still relatively quiet at this time of morning. I can hear the sound of horse hooves and carriage wheels somewhere along the street, and I watch as a few people go in and out of Buttered Biscuit for their morning coffee. I snap my fingers, and a couple of takeaway cups appear in my hands.
I smile as I pass one to Mom. “Don’t worry, it’s all coming back to me. I just forget to use it.”
She smiles and takes a cup. “Make sure to leave some money on the bench for Beatrix.”
I nod. “Already taken care of.”
I continue to watch while I recover my bearings and breath. A small crowd has gathered, watching what is going on around the store. I recognize a few of the locals, but most are unfamiliar to me. I turn to my mom and lower my voice to make eavesdropping difficult.
“Mom, while we are sitting here, can we do a discovery spell? I have a funny feeling that the spell on us was not the only one. Yesterday I found one on Maddock. It’s suffocating the light out of him. I fixed it, but when we were at the Hamster yesterday, it was replaced. Have a look at his aura, it’s muddy and writhing with negativity.”
She looks up, her lips pursed in thought as she focuses on Maddock. Her forehead creases in a frown as she nods her head and grabs hold of my hand. Discreetly, she sends out a searching spell, and what comes back to us is shocking. Both of us gasp at the backlash.
“Holy crap! Mom, there is so much wrong with this town. I count three.”
She nods her head in agreement. “There seem to be two circling the island. One repels humans, the other supes. The third one seems to be embedded in the town. That one is encouraging young people to leave the island. I can feel the negativity, and it’s like a fog. I don’t know how I didn’t notice before, but there is some very dark magic at work.”
“Don’t blame yourself, Mom. It was probably spelled in layers and you didn’t notice because it was done over time. The other thing I noticed is the older female coven girls were chased off, but most of the boys are still here. There are so many questions, and we have very little in the way of answers. We need to do more.”
Mom’s nodding her head, her red curls bobbing with the action. “It will take some powerful spells to remove the ones from the island. We will need more of the girls back before we attempt that. But we should be able to deal with Maddock’s spell today. Let’s handle the shop, and then we will figure out how to deal with Maddock. We will need to get him away from that Klingon.” She nods toward Maddock.
We both watch as Sheree walks out of the group of people who had been watching all the commotion. She strolls up to him, drapes her arms around his neck, and pulls him into a deep kiss, interrupting the conversation he was involved in. I watch as his mother tries to get his attention from the doorway of her shop. Both Mom and I gasp in shock as he ignores her and grabs Sheree by the hand before they wander off in the direction of the blacksmith, ignoring both his mother and the guys standing around the store. We watch as Lucille wrings her hands together and turns to go back into her shop, the light catching on the tear sliding down one cheek.
“Motherfucker!” my mom whispers under her breath. I turn to look at her, my eyes wide in shock as a snort escapes the side of my mouth. “Right,” she says, standing up and reaching down to help me. “We’re wasting time. Let’s get on with it.”
We walk over to the shop to hear the end of what Sheriff Crimson is saying to Dad. “And unfortunately, we have no other leads. It’s like the area has been magically cleansed.”
Dad reaches out and shakes his hand. “Thanks, Taylor, for letting us know.” He turns to us. “Taylor says all the surveillance cameras in the areas were wiped for a period of half an hour last night, and he can’t get any trace of a scent. There was a really thick fog that rolled in late last night, keeping people inside, and those who were around didn’t see or hear anything.”
“Do you think you can try a spell on the store and see if you can get anything, Pru?” Taylor asks my mom.
She smiles at him and nods her head, and a look of determination crosses her face. “Nobody messes with my town and my friends and gets away with it. Time to pull out the big guns.”
She pulls me over until we are standing in front of the smashed window. I stand on my tiptoes and peer inside over the broken glass, and my heart sinks to the bottom of my stomach. The store is in ruins. The displays have been trashed, candy is strewn from one end of the shop to the other, and ants crawl everywhere throughout the store. From what I can see, nothing is salvageable. We need to get in there to be sure, but first, we need to check for booby traps and spell residuals from the caster—if there are any.
We clasp hands, and as she starts to murmur the spell under her breath, I channel power into her to boost the spell. She finishes casting it, and a flash of light illuminates the inside of the candy store. Traps or attack spells would show up as crimson patches of light, but this is all clear. Just as the spell dissipates, I feel the caster’s residual magic. It is the same as the one I touched on Maddock yesterday. I turn and look at Mom, but she just shakes her head in response. The light fades, and we give the sheriff the all clear to go inside. He shoves open the door, which is made difficult by the debris blocking the entrance.
“Whoever did this must have broken the window first and then teleported into the shop, as there is no way they could have climbed through that jagged glass without cutting themselves. They also blocked the door with all the debris,” I say, pointing out the window and the trouble with the door.
Taylor grunts in agreement and starts to sniff around the store, literally. We all stand still while he assesses the smells, but his frown and the shake of his head tells me everything I need to know. “Sorry, Ruby. I just can’t pick up anything amongst the smell of the sugar. All this crushed candy and the different flavors are muddling everything up. Nothing stands out.”
I’m really not surprised. I can tell just by looking that nothing can be saved. All the products are damaged beyond salvation. I look into the kitchen to find that the bags of sugar have been slashed, the colorings were emptied over the sugar, creating a rainbow mess, and the flavorings were poured out over the floor. The machines have been smashed beyond repair as well. I can tell the arms of the candy puller were used to break the display cabinets. A shiver of despair covers my body, and I wrap my arms around my waist, hugging myself. “Not your fault, Sheriff, but thanks anyway.”
“I’ll continue to ask around to see if anyone saw anything, but I wouldn’t get your hopes up. If you come across the caster, you make sure you let me know. And, Rubes, I’m off tomorrow if you need help cleaning up.”
“Thanks, Taylor, I appreciate it.”
He walks out, leaving Mom, Dad, Bram, and Regan to survey the damage.
“Oh well, nothing to be done for it now. Luckily we were redoing the store anyway,” Dad comments, trying to be positive.
“I would have liked to have kept the inventory. Do you know how busy I’ll be trying to restock this place? You know I love making candy, but I don’t think I will be sleeping any time soon,” I complain.
Mom just waves her hand and the store instantly empties. All the mess, broken glass, trashed candy, and ants are gone, and a blank shell, empty and barren, is left behind. “There, fixed. Now it’s a fresh, clean slate for Bram to work with and less work for us. Honey, you know we will help as much as we can,” she says, her voice echoing through the empty shop. Putting her arm around my shoulders, she starts to issue orders like a drill sergeant. “Bram, you and Gerald have the store, yes?” He nods at her. “Regan, you go back to the manor, I know you’re busy. Alastair, you go with him and help with what he needs. Ruby and I will head back to her place and write a list of everything we need to make and start on the inventory. We may need to make a trip to Toronto to get supplies since we have lost everything. Maddock can take you, since we are all busy and he has some amends to make,” she says, turning to me.
I snort in disgust. “I can’t even get him to look at me, Mom, even when I just about spliced myself when teleporting. What makes you think I can get him to take me shopping?”
“I will make it a coven decree. He will have to do it. Before you go, we will make a protection potion for him which will make it impossible to drape the negativity spell over him again. You can add it to a drink and give it to him on your trip. We will anchor it with a drop of your blood, Ruby.”
Regan snorts. “Sounds a bit like a love spell, Mom. I know Maddock is into Ruby, but don’t take away his free will.”
“No, nothing like that,” she argues. “This will allow Ruby to feel if he is tampered with at any stage, but the potion itself is strong and should protect him permanently. We may need to get it into every one of the townspeople so that individuals cannot be messed with. I will talk to the mayor and see if I can have it added to the town water supplies, which may be the easiest way. It will protect the residents and any of the tourists visiting the town against negative influences.”
