Desert Magick: Superstitions Read online

  While they prepared a snack, Daisy said, “As you know, my ancestral line goes well beyond those who call themselves witches today. Or the more popular term of Wicca. In fact, that’s a relatively modern religion loosely based on our original beliefs. And I mean very loosely.”

  Noah nodded.

  “I sound like I’m teaching a class in paranormals. Inherents 101. Classroom three. Would you like to enroll?” Noah laughed but he seemed interested so she continued as she stirred the cocoa mixture over the blue flame. “Mortal witches don’t have access to our spells, other than what little they’ve found on Tarot cards and a few other indiscriminate places. So back in the day, they had to improvise. Paranormals like me, inherent witches—we’re born with magick in our blood, even if a talent is so subtle we don’t notice.”

  “Subtle? Like what?”

  She gave the chocolate mixture a boost with a small inferno spell. “Like getting a bad feeling when entering a place and turning around. Then later finding out there was a robbery or murder going on at the same time. Stuff like that.”

  “Isn’t that just intuition?”

  Daisy poured the cocoa into cups. “Some is just human intuition passed down from caveman DNA or whatever. But someone who gets gut feelings a lot and is always right, well, that’s usually an inherent witch of some degree. Meaning they had at least one ancestor with magickal powers.”

  Noah carried the cups, while Daisy took the plate of cookies and put them on the antique trunk that served as their coffee table. A beveled sheet of glass protected it from spills.

  “So what about that harm no one creed,” Noah said as he sat on the couch. “How do inherents make sure no one uses magick to hurt others,”

  “We don’t. That’s a Wiccan creed.” She sat beside him and took her cup. “Each witch has the right to decide his or her path. Like any paranormal. Or human, for that matter. Most of my ancestors chose to do good things with their magick and teach those morals to their kids. Most inherents use their skills trying to help make this world a better place. After all, we have to live in it too.”

  “Most?”

  She gave him a sideways glance then took a sip of cocoa before continuing. “My mother’s great-grandfather used magick to topple businesses so he could make a profit. Ever heard of a little thing called the 1929 stock market crash?”

  “You’re kidding.”

  “Nope.”

  Noah shook his head and gave her sly glance. “Why, Daisy Rhiannon Hammel-Kavanaugh, I didn’t know you could do something like that.”

  “Sure. Well, I’m not so adept at stuff that huge. Grandpa Owen, as he’s known even to my generation, was a rare breed. That’s what my mother called him, anyway. Among other things.” She smiled and Noah chuckled. “He was still alive when Mom was a little girl. She said he became so paranoid others were trying to take his stolen wealth that he gave himself a heart attack. He was almost ninety by then so who knows.”

  Noah whistled. “What about his wife?”

  “She left him several years prior to his death. When she found out how he’d gotten rich. Went to her coven right away for a handparting.”

  This witch equivalency of a divorce was explained to Noah before their handfasting. Then they had a regular wedding for his side of the family, since none of his relatives knew anything about Daisy’s paranormal bloodline.

  Daisy took up one of the oatmeal cookies and nibbled as Perky waited for crumbs to fall to the tile. “After Grandpa Owen died, Grandma Mary spent the rest of her life trying to fix the damage, volunteering and donating money to charitable causes. But it was pretty much too late for those who’d lost everything during the depression.”

  Noah fingered his cookie. “That’s a huge burden for anyone to take on, much less an elderly woman.”

  “Yeah. Mom said Grandma Mary was miserable from what she remembered. And the poor woman died still trying to reverse what Grandpa Owen had done. Even on her deathbed she was uttering reversal spells. Not that they did much good. They’re not exactly reliable. Can’t change the past and all that shit.”

  “How come I haven’t read of Grandpa Owen? If he was as rich as you say, wouldn’t his name be in some history book?”

  “Oh, he never wanted fame. He knew the dangers if too many people found out about us. He did like money, though. Wealthy usually got attention, especially back then, so the family tweaked a few things here and there, kept our name under the table, so to speak. We’re not exactly novices at hiding our identities.”

  Noah swallowed a bite of cookie and gave her that crooked smile she loved so much. “These are probably the best you’ve ever made.”

  “Thanks. If there’s one thing a witch knows how to do, it’s cook.”

  They both laughed.

  At that moment, Daisy felt a presence and she shivered. She couldn’t explain the sensation, other than it made her blood freeze. Hands touched her in an intimate way. She gazed at Noah, who gave her a worried look. His hands were nowhere near her body. The sensation grew stronger and she felt herself giving into it.

  She fought to stay conscious, calling on a resistance spell that seemed to dance around in fuzzy lines inside her head. The spell began to slip from her and she grabbed on with a force that left her with a throbbing head. Someone cried out in Gaelic and she realized the words came from her own lips.

  That was enough to break the link, or whatever held her, and she fell forward onto Noah’s lap, stunned.

  Someone spoke to her through a fog and she forced herself to listen. Just when she thought she understood, the voice disappeared and she couldn’t remember what he said to her.

  “Daisy?” Noah said in a panicked voice. “Shit. Are you all right?”

  Hands lifted her upright and held her shoulders. She stared into Noah’s face. “What?” she said. Her voice sounded as though she’d just woken from a long sleep.

  “I’m getting you to a doctor,” he said.

  She placed a restraining hand on his arm, her strength returning. “No. I’ll be fine. Just give me a minute.”

  They sat on the couch, Noah’s arm around her shoulders, until she recovered. She reached for her cup but Noah grabbed it and put it to her lips.

  “I’m fine.”

  Despite her protests, he held the cup for her while she drank. Her hands trembled and she probably would have dropped it if not for Noah’s support.

  “What happened?” he said in a quiet voice.

  She took in a long breath to steady her nerves. “I think I was attacked.”

  “Attacked? By the ghost?”

  Those thoughts sent a chill through her. “No. I don’t think so. Ghosts aren’t usually strong enough for that kind of contact.”

  “I didn’t see anyone. You looked like you fainted. Are you sure you’re not coming down with something?”

  “He touched me. I felt hands. Invisible hands.” Fear began to transform into rage as she saw Noah’s worry. “I need to find out what this thing is. Or who.”

  “I’ll help. Anyway I can.”

  The anger in his voice gave her confidence and she nodded. “I know you will.”

  Whatever this thing was, she’d fought it off. This time.

  Chapter 6

  Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner

  Noah sat watching Daisy as she sipped her cocoa. She’d convinced him she was okay. And, truthfully, she felt somewhat triumphant beating her attacker away. Though part of her feared he would return, and next time, she might not be so victorious. She hid her doubts from Noah and gave him a smile.

  He finally said, “So I guess this means there are others besides witches?”

  “Others?” She sometimes grew hungry after using certain spells, and beating back her attacker was no exception. The cookies tempted her so she took one and chomped into it. Noah grinned when crumbs dribbled onto her breasts. He reached over to assist her in cleaning them up and she giggled. “Stop that,” she said, glad for his distraction. “You’ll make me
drop more.”

  He chuckled and Perky barked. “There are others, right? Fairies, unicorns, vampires?”

  Daisy shifted her weight on the couch so she could face him. “Noah, I thought when you found about me being a witch, you’d figure it out.”

  His brow furrowed and he scratched at his cheek, just below his pronounced cheekbone. “Well, I guess I did. But until this ghost thing, you’ve never mentioned anything specific about other beings. Until recently, I just figured paranormal was another word for inherent witch. And I’ve never answered the door to some fairy or elf.” He smirked. “At least not that I know of.”

  “Very funny.” She gave him a playful slap on the arm. “But seriously. They exist. Not in the way they’re usually portrayed in books or films.” She really liked that he was so interested. Finally. Her mom had told her she’d need to be patient with any mortal she took up with. But five years?

  “So a vampire doesn’t drink blood?”

  “I didn’t say that. Their practice is a bit gross, if you ask me. But they don’t prowl the night, looking for innocent victims.”

  “What then? They’re just out trolling for sex?”

  Daisy laughed. “I wouldn’t put it past some of them.”

  “You’ve met vampires?”

  His astonished look made Daisy realize just how innocent Noah was about her world. Sudden guilt crept up that she hadn’t disclosed more. Since he’d accepted her, paranormal blood and all, she just hadn’t thought much about it. He hadn’t asked so she assumed he knew.

  “No,” she said. “But I’ve heard stories. Mom met one once. They’re difficult to locate. Keep to themselves in barren parts of the world mostly. Like Iceland, Greenland, those sorts of places. That’s why they’re so pale. That, and the fact they’re born with some sort of rare anemia that allows them to digest blood to take the iron into their bodies.”

  “So, they don’t burn up in the sun?”

  “They get sunburned. Just like anyone else without a lot of melanin. But no, they don’t go poof.”

  “So what about that whole bloodlust, mesmerize and kill your victims thing?” Fingers of one hand wiggled at her.

  “Fable,” she said with a smile. “Mostly started with Prince Vladimir Dracula the third. A real piece of work. Had it in for one of my dad’s ancestors—Grandma Elizabeth, we call her—who dated a guy from Greenland, a vampire. Anyway, Vlad wanted Grandma Elizabeth to marry him, not some Greenland outcast. When she refused, he went berserk. Started this whole bloody war, chopping off people’s heads, staking them, gross stuff like that. Became known as Vlad the Impaler.”

  “Yeah, I’ve heard of him.” Noah took a cookie. “Was he a real vampire?”

  “No. Just insane.” She took a sip of cocoa. “Most people have heard of him in one form or another. But what you didn’t hear, and won’t learn in any mortal history lesson, is that Grandma Elizabeth had Vlad executed. Well, she had the church do it. She was so involved with his whole mess that the church accused her of being a witch, the only real witch ever accused as far as we know. Anyway, her boyfriend—”

  “The vampire from Greenland.”

  “Yeah. The church accused him of murdering humans and drinking their blood like some said Vlad had done. Being a true vampire, he did drink blood, but only from goats and pigs and other animals, and never enough to harm the beasts. Vampires don’t usually drink from humans unless they’re desperate because human blood tastes awful to them. And they don’t kill. Well, some probably kill. That’s true of any race. But vampires don’t kill humans for their blood like the movies portray.

  “Anyway, this Greenland guy had very pale skin and stayed out of the sun to avoid burning, so you can see where this was leading. Eventually Vlad’s story and that of the Greenland people’s got mixed together and that’s pretty much the vampire lore people hear today. Grandma Elizabeth got her boyfriend safely away from the church, but they broke up and she eventually married a witch.”

  Noah gave Daisy a thoughtful gaze. “So, Vlad the Impaler’s story is true? Somewhat? He did drink human blood?”

  “Nobody knows for sure. But like I said, he was a nut job. What matters is that the church believed he did and executed him for it. Who knows how many more people would’ve suffered at his psychotic hands.”

  “Wait. Wasn’t he fighting for the church at the time?”

  “Very good, history boy.” She finished the last bite of her cookie, took a sip of cocoa, then put her cup down. “Didn’t take much for Grandma Elizabeth to turn the church against him after what he’d done and with all the paranoia going on back then. She disappeared afterwards, taking her boyfriend with her. Probably pissed off a lot of church officials who were trolling for a good old-fashioned witch-hanging.”

  Noah shook his head and chewed on his cookie.

  “I told you my family had a colorful past.”

  “You weren’t kidding. So, what about these Greenland peoples. Are they human? Or witches?”

  “Neither. They’re paranormals but they’re descended off one of the cousin monkey trees.” She chuckled. “At least, that’s what we call them.”

  “You mean they’re descended from a different human line?”

  “Not human, exactly, but close cousins. Closer than chimpanzees, obviously. But not close enough to breed with the rest of us.” She leaned close. “Though I hear they make great lovers. The men are quite endowed. Not much else to do when it’s below freezing outside, I guess.” She grinned.

  Noah chuckled and gave her a hungry look that quickly changed to a thoughtful gaze. “Probably why your Grandma Elizabeth liked him so much.”

  She laughed. Witches never fell into the sexual stigma that plagued other societies, even during centuries past.

  “Why haven’t archaeologists found evidence of these human cousins? Another branch of the evolutionary tree that survives today would be huge news.”

  Daisy gave him a slow suffering look and raised a brow.

  “Ah. Not exactly what paranormals would want.”

  “We’ve had to hide our existence from you nosy mortals for a very long time.”

  “I’ll show you nosy.” Noah dove under her sweatshirt and had her bra half off when the doorbell rang. That sent Perky in a fit of barks as he ran the distance between the front door and his parents.

  “Crap,” Daisy uttered. “Probably some neighbor kids selling candy or something equally useless. I’ll get rid of them.” She pulled her bra in place and headed for the door, while Noah cleared their snack items. “Hush, Perky.”

  The dog quieted and Daisy traipsed through the kitchen then the living room, which they used as a game area for Noah’s vintage pinball machines. Once she reached the front door, she took a deep breath, ready to say no, even if it happened to be an adorable little girl. When she opened it, a tall, stately redhead stood on the porch, peering in through the security screen.

  “About time,” the woman said.

  “Bridgette?”

  “Yes. We have a problem.”

  Chapter 7

  Telepathic Witch

  “What’s going on?” Daisy said in a low voice as her heart knocked against her ribs.

  “Well,” Bridgette tapped a manicured nail on the security screen door. “If you’ll open this damn thing and let me in, I’ll tell you.”

  Noah strode up and placed a comforting arm around Daisy’s shoulders. “Can we help you?” he said, obviously missing the introductions.

  “It’s all right,” Daisy told him. “It’s Cousin Bridgette. You met her at our wedding. Come in.” She reached for the key in the nearby tray and opened the security screen to let the woman inside.

  In their youth, Daisy had been jealous of Bridgette’s statuesque five-foot-nine frame and mane of red curls. Those flaming locks and bright green eyes made her look like the stereotypical Irish gal. Bridgette, of course, had complained about frizzy hair and freckles, until she got boobs and began to attract a slew of cute boys. Daisy h
adn’t seen her cousin since her wedding. And a few months ago, Bridgette had moved from California to Banff, Canada to live with Cousin Sally.

  “Thanks,” Bridgette said as she stepped inside. I’ve got a couple suitcases in the car. Would you mind?” She held out a key to Noah. A rental tag dangled from it.

  He took the key. Once he went outside, Daisy exchanged a brief hug with her cousin and scolded her for staying away so long. Oh, they’d called and emailed but it wasn’t the same.

  Bridgette began a barrage of breathless ramblings. “I’d forgotten how warm the desert is in winter. I must’ve acclimated damn fast to the Canadian climate. Shucked my coat as soon as I stepped outside. The airport was packed. Took me nearly an hour to get a fucking rental. They’ve really built up around here. I hardly recognized this area. And I almost missed your house. All these newer homes look alike.” She leaned toward the screen door and called, “Be careful with that one, Noah. I’ve got—breakables in it.”

  “Breakables?” Daisy said with raised brows.

  “Better than shouting about dangerous herbs and spell books all over your fucking neighborhood.”

  Daisy chuckled. “Good thing we know how to get through customs with that stuff. Why don’t you come in and sit. Noah can handle a couple of suitcases.”

  “Thanks.” But Bridgette stood her place until Noah brought the bags inside and locked the door. Then she watched as he made a beeline through the kitchen and turned right to disappear into the hall.

  “Bridge?” Daisy said, a bit disturbed with her cousin’s odd behavior. The woman was usually cool in just about any situation, not the type to lose her concentration.

  Bridgette sauntered over to one of Noah’s pinball machines and ran her fingers down the silver trim. “Hmm. Nice. I used to play Xenon when I was a kid.”

  “Are you okay?”