Page 3 of Bewitched By the Headless Horseman (The Bewitching Hour #1)

The horse whinnied, and Stevie craned her neck to get a better view as the psychopath hopped down from his stallion, the sound of his boots against gravel crunching. Her gaze raked down his muscular form, and she set the thought on fire that his body looked good .

As he edged toward the ghost, it was like a scene from a movie, the anticipation, the wondering which direction this would play out even though she had a pretty decent hunch. If there was a bowl of popcorn beside her, she would’ve been reaching for it as she watched on.

The Horseman lifted his pumpkin, his bicep flexing beneath his tight shirt, while the other ghost flipped him the middle finger the way he had at Stevie.

Taking a cocky step forward, the Horseman hurled the flaming jack-o’-lantern at the ghost’s chest. The guy stilled, his body frozen, his coloring changing from ivory to orange like flickering embers.

The Horseman effortlessly freed his sword from the sheath at his hip.

With one fatal swing, he sliced it clean through the ghost’s neck.

No scream. No blood. Nothing. Not gruesome at all, to be honest .

The Horseman reached into the ghost’s chest and ripped out his pumpkin.

He then picked up his prized head from the ground before placing it on his own neck.

“Real tough guy,” Stevie muttered under her breath as she stepped back onto the pavement to get to her house.

The Horseman whirled around, the head he’d just placed on his neck no longer there, seeming to have vanished.

What in all the witchy magic ? He faced her, and she blinked, realizing that even though he was without a head again, he could sense her, possibly somehow hear and see her, since the Eye was open.

“He’s such a tough guy that he stood me up for our date,” Stevie rambled while fishing out her phone from her purse and walking at a normal pace, pretending as though she was like the general public, unable to see ghosts.

“This world sucks sometimes. Sucks the life right out of people .” Unless they’re taking heads instead of sucking .

The Horseman’s boots didn’t crunch across the gravel, nor did his stallion’s hooves.

Yet she could feel them both watching her.

Trying to appear casual, she whistled to herself as if she didn’t notice he was somewhere behind her being his head-stealing self.

And so what if he could notice her? It wasn’t like he could touch her and rip her head off for himself. Her head would remain happily in place.

Yet she still didn’t want him to follow her home and get stuck with a demonic spirit who was akin to something that would come straight from the Hollow.

As she turned the corner, she lost her cool and took off running in case he decided to tag along.

Her boots weighed her down, and she stumbled, but it didn’t stop her from hurrying to the duplex on the next street.

Roxy stood outside Stevie’s door on all fours, wagging her fluffy tail.

Stevie drank in deep breath after deep breath, her chest heaving, perspiration dripping down the back of her neck. “Looks like you beat me again. Sorry it took me so long. I got caught up with Sleepy Hollow’s nightly guest .”

Stevie’s phone dinged, and she glanced at the screen. Reese. The edges of her lips curled up.

Just wanted to say you’re even cuter in person, and I can’t wait to see you again.

Likewise. And thank you for the pie. I’m not sharing it with anyone.

On part two of our date we can share something else then.

Stevie arched a brow. A tap came at the window of the other half of the duplex, startling her.

She rolled her eyes when she found Lucia waving from her and Gideon’s bedroom.

Her sister-in-law lived on one side of the duplex and Stevie on the other.

With the rent being cheaper this way, she’d been able to move out of her parents’ house a couple of weeks ago. Finally.

“Delivery.” Stevie shook the bag in front of Lucia. “And apparently the Eye of the Hollow is alive .”

Lucia’s gaze widened and Stevie waited a few seconds for her to open the door. She stood in nothing but an oversized Wolverine T-shirt that fell just above her knees. Her jet-black hair was thrown up into a messy bun on top of her head.

“The Eye opened?” Lucia gasped, taking the bag from Stevie while staring up at the red glowing spot above them. “Witch’s tits! I wasn’t expecting it to happen in our lifetime.”

“That’s not all. I left the restaurant and crossed paths with Mr. No Good, and—” Hoofbeats piercing the neighborhood reverberated around them, and Stevie clutched the pie box tighter.

“Seriously? He’s like a vulture you can’t get rid of.” Stevie grasped her sister-in-law by the arm and pulled Lucia inside the duplex. She slammed the door shut and locked it. Roxy was already behind them, silent, looking toward the window.

“What is it?” Lucia asked.

“Shh!” She put her finger over her lips. “The Headless Horseman is coming.”

Lucia arched a brow. “I didn’t need the quiet signal.”

Stevie held her breath until the hoofbeats picked up and faded before releasing a sigh. It wasn’t abnormal to hear the stallion as she’d heard him over the years riding up and down the streets. But just in case, it was better they weren’t in the same proximity again.

Lucia set the bag of food on the floor and placed her hands on her hips.

“Can we talk now?” she whispered. “I only feel Roxy’s presence.

” Besides being one of the most powerful witches in Sleepy Hollow, a little psychic ability pulsed within Lucia’s blood.

But she couldn’t see the ghosts the way Stevie could.

“His Headlessness is gone.” Stevie angled her neck to peek inside the empty bedroom. “Where’s Gideon?”

Lucia batted her hand behind her. “In the living room playing his new video game with his headphones on.”

“We could be getting our souls sucked out by a band of demons and he wouldn’t hear a thing.” Stevie rolled her eyes. “As I was saying before we were rudely interrupted, the Eye is open and I can talk to the dead now.”

Lucia rubbed her chin. “Hmm. Not much different than in the movies for a seer then.”

“I’m waiting for you, Lucia,” Gideon purred, his annoying voice drifting down the hallway.

“The game’s done, I put Maxine in the kitchen, and I’m undressed.

” Maxine was Gideon’s plant that resembled a cross between a Venus flytrap, the one in Little Shop of Horrors , and the snapping flowers from the Super Mario video games.

Lucia had given the plant to Gideon as an anniversary gift one year, and he’d babied it ever since.

“Be there in a minute. Just telling your sister goodnight,” Lucia yelled over her shoulder as Stevie wrinkled her nose.

“And you owe me stamps!” Stevie added.

A couple of grumbled curses came from the living room.

“I’ll let you get to that ,” Stevie said to Lucia, “and we can discuss more tomorrow.”

“That we will do. The owner did bless the house recently, but I’ll put up some stronger wards tomorrow.”

“I’m glad to have my own personal witch next door.” Stevie smiled, cracking open her exit, then bolting inside her half of the house. The pie rattled again, most likely crumbs by now, but still devourable.

As she locked up for the night, a thought struck her. If the heads vanish when the Headless Horseman puts them on, then where do they go?

Stevie shrugged and looked down at her pie—somewhat intact. “Time for a much-needed dessert after this night.” She held up the box in a toast. “To the next thirty days and helping any ghost who asks for my assistance.”