Page 4 of Air Of Mystery (Witches On The Hill #4)

The volume made me cringe as he was standing very near to me. But I held my breath, tried to keep my dress’ skirt from snapping in the wind, and waited.

“Don’t you dare pull witchy shit on me!” His eyes swung around the area as he searched for me. “Come back, damn it!”

Silently, I called on my element and it answered.

Around me the wind shrieked, and the thunder from the gathering storm grew louder, adding another level of protection and cover to my glamour.

After a few minutes of looking around for me, a visibly shaken Charlie got back in his jeep, backed out of the parking space, and drove away.

I had never held a glamour for so long, and as soon as I could no longer see his jeep, I dropped it. Slowly, I walked over to a nearby bench; my legs were shaking from what that spell had cost me. No sooner had I sat, when the clouds opened and it began to rain.

Who says the old gods don’t have a sense of humor?

“Damn it,” I muttered.

It wasn’t a downpour, and at least the thunder had stopped. Unfortunately, this was a steady rain, and I was drenched within moments. While I sat there trying to summon the energy to get up and leave, Charlie tried to call me. In fact, he called my cell phone three times.

I let all of his calls go straight to voice mail.

Resting on the bench at the scenic overlook, I worked on regulating my breathing and trying to recoup my spent energy.

My shoulders were quivering, and sweat was running down my back after doing such a large elemental spell.

Holding a glamour that long was exhausting, and now I was paying for it.

Mentally, my mind felt like oatmeal. Physically, I was wiped out.

An SUV pulled up in the spot where Charlie had been parked, and I watched as a woman with dark red hair climbed out. She wore fashionable oversized glasses, jeans, and a dark raincoat. Without a word, she snapped open an umbrella, walked straight to the bench, and sat down beside me.

“Do you need help, sister?” she asked politely as she gazed across the water.

A fellow Witch, I realized with a jolt.

“That’s some real power you threw down,” she said conversationally. “I felt it all the way into the village.”

Shaking with fatigue, I merely nodded in response.

“I’m Amanda Parker,” she said. Turning her head, she gave me a small smile. “And you’re safe with me.”

She was telling the truth. This woman—this Witch—was strong but she was also kind. Instinctually, I knew that I was safe with her. “I’m Skye,” I said.

“Merry meet,” she said cordially. “How can I help you, Skye?”

“Well…” I began with a shaky laugh. “I might need a ride home. Or maybe a towel.”

Her clear green eyes assessed me. “That glamour wasn’t the first magick you cast today.”

“No, it wasn’t,” I said, swiping my wet bangs out of my eyes.

Her nose wrinkled. “I hope it won’t offend you when I tell you that you smell of sulfur. You’ve been exposed to some pretty potent dark magick, my friend.”

“It’s been a busy day.” Experimentally I lifted the short sleeve of my dress and sniffed. It did smell like sulfur. “Ick.” I grimaced at the odor.

She stood and offered her hand. “How ‘bout I help you get cleaned up, dried off, and get you a hot meal, before I take you home.”

“Thank you.” I clasped her hand, stood, and immediately wobbled. “Sorry,” I said, sagging against her.

“I’ve got you.” She hooked her arm around my waist and led me to her car.

Before I knew it, I was in the passenger seat, and Amanda was slipping behind the wheel. “Buckle up,” she reminded me as she started the engine.

I did and sat there looking at the woman. It was odd but it felt as though I knew her. “Do you make a habit of rescuing strangers, Amanda?”

“Sometimes. It’s in the Beaumont blood to guard and protect others, you might say.” Her lips twitched slightly, as if what she’d said was some fabulous joke. “But you’re not a stranger to me. You’re a fellow Witch, and your sister Kenna happens to be best friends with my youngest sister.”

Kenna’s BFF was Angela Desroches. Another bespeckled witchy red head...whose maiden name was Beaumont . I blinked at the discovery. “Angela Beaumont-Desroches is your sister?”

Amanda nodded as she pulled out of the parking lot. “I think you may know my other sister, Arianna, as well.”

I nodded in response. “Arianna Beaumont, the archaeologist. I interviewed her a few years ago about discovering the Reaver’s treasure and the haunting.”

“Correct.”

“And you’re all cousins with the Midnights…Drusilla, Gabriella, Camilla and Estella.” My head fell back against the head rest as I chuckled. “Small world.”

“It is, isn’t it?” Amanda agreed.

“So where are we headed to, Amanda?” I asked.

“You’re coming with me to my house. We’ll get you patched up in no time.”

“Sounds good,” I said tiredly.

“I should warn you however,” Amanda began, “my house is not what you’d call...typical.”

“I investigate haunted houses for a living,” I assured her. “I doubt your house has anything I haven’t seen or experienced.”

Amanda smiled at that. “Okay...just don’t say I didn’t warn you.”