Page 5 of Bewitched By the Headless Horseman (The Bewitching Hour #1)
“Please don’t tell me she brought that spicy kind,” Gideon groaned, scurrying toward the back of the house to go outside where their dad was barbecuing.
“Nothing she brings is that spicy,” her mom barked to his back, then turned to Stevie. “He’s twenty-five and still acts like he’s fourteen.”
“To be fair, I can do that sometimes too.”
“We all can.” Her mom smiled and led Stevie to the leather couch, patting the spot beside her. Roxy lay on her back against the fur rug, staring up at the rotating fan—her own personal entertainment.
As her mom reclined into the cushions, Stevie studied her, remembering when her parents first discovered she could see ghosts. Then finding out her mom held an ability too, one she hadn’t confessed to Stevie until that moment.
Once a month, her mom’s heart would begin to die, and she’d have to replace it if she wanted to continue living.
Before coming to Sleepy Hollow, her mom hadn’t known what she was exactly, only that she needed a fresh, healthy heart from someone so she didn’t keel over and die.
She’d tried both dying human and animal hearts, neither of which worked properly.
At least not until Stevie’s dad had located a witch in Sleepy Hollow who could put a specific spell on a pig’s heart each month to do the job.
Lucia’s aunt—Ginger. Her mom still didn’t know what she was, but regardless, Stevie loved her.
“Dad’s been cooking a lot lately,” Stevie said, staring out the window as her dad tossed the spatula in the air and caught it as if he were auditioning to be a juggler at the circus. The sound of his punk rock music drifted through the walls from outside, something Stevie had grown up on.
“He’s now found a new dream profession once he retires from the dentist office.” She laughed. “Did you bring Roxy with you?”
Hearing her name, the fox rolled onto her side and pawed through her mom’s ankle. “She’s near your feet.”
“We miss you, Roxy, and you know you’re welcome here any time.” Her shoulders sagged as she sighed. “First Gideon, who by the way I never expected to leave, then you. I miss you both.”
“If it wasn’t for Lucia, I think Gideon would’ve died here.” Stevie grinned.
Her mom straightened and clasped her hands. “More importantly, the Eye of the Hollow opened last night. I always sort of believed it was a story, but I guess not.”
“Definitely not.” Stevie turned to face her mom, propping her elbow against the couch cushions. “For the first time, I had a couple of ghosts return my one-way conversation, I watched the Headless Horseman take a head, and not much else yet.”
“The Headless Horseman ? That asshole?” her mom gasped.
“I’ve told you since you were younger to steer clear of that demon ghost. I have no room to talk because of my past, but Ginger confirmed that none of the souls lingered who I took hearts from.
” When her mom discovered ghosts were real, she’d been terrified that some of the souls might not have passed on.
But that self-loathing case had been closed when she repented with one of the priests.
Her mom had done it for survival though, not just eating hearts to eat hearts like a vicious beast. And technically, it wasn’t eating—only swallowing them.
“I will. It was just something I had to see. Kind of like those people who want to go into places that are supposedly haunted.” Except for seers, no one had seen the Horseman, but psychics, mediums, witches, and priests had all attempted to rid Sleepy Hollow of him in the past. Yet like a virus, he wasn’t easy to get rid of.
“Just be careful with the ghosts. Even if they can’t touch you, that doesn’t mean a pervert can’t waltz into your bathroom.”
Stevie wrinkled her nose. “Gross, Mom!”
“Well, it’s true.” She pursed her lips. “Moving on, Gideon said you went on a date last night. It wasn’t Alex, was it?”
Alex didn’t have a job and played video games all day at his parents’ house. “I would never go out with any of Gideon’s friends. Ever. And it was a meeting that I guess turned into a date. Or a five-second date. We’re supposed to finish it.”
“Does he know you’re a seer?” her mom asked, worry lacing her tone.
“No, we haven’t gotten that far yet. But he did buy me a pie that almost matched my favorite color.”
Her mom tilted her head and studied her with concern. “I’m just thinking about your ex-boyfriend’s reaction who we shall not name.”
Stevie had dated Mr. Piss-Baby for a few months before telling him, hoping his reaction would be thrilled—it wasn’t.
“Don’t worry about me confessing all my sins to Reese right off the bat.
” Just because Sleepy Hollow held a good number of paranormal residents didn’t mean one went around spilling what they were to strangers.
Reese could be a werewolf for all she knew.
“Oh,” Stevie continued. “Back to the Headless Horseman. I forgot to mention that something strange happened. Once he put the victim’s head on, it vanished into thin air! So maybe he doesn’t have a collection after all?”
“Unless they appear in a collection somewhere else...” Her mom pursed her lips again, mulling something over.
“When I get a new heart, it pushes out the old withering one. It could be that his body needs the head, but that doesn’t explain why it would disappear.
” She took a deep ragged breath, her eyes closing briefly.
“Are you all right, Mom?” Stevie asked, grasping her arm.
“I’m fine. I’ve just been tired today is all.”
The door opened and Stevie’s dad came in carrying two trays filled with smoked sausage. “Jack, let me get one of those.” Her mom hopped off the couch and grabbed one of the trays.
“Looks great, Dad.” Stevie took the other tray to the granite kitchen counter.
The music outside turned louder, only it was deep and slow beats pulsing through the walls. Her dad shook his head while raking a hand through his gray hair. “Your brother comes by here every day and still puts on shitty music.”
“It’s as if he never left,” Stevie sang.
Lucia came inside, clutching a few glass jars of purple seasoning. Her gaze found Stevie’s and she drew an invisible line across her throat. “No more Horse Man?”
“Makes me think of a legitimate horse that is a man.” Stevie lifted a finger. “But! I’ll officially be off the hook once the next new moon is finished and I’m invisible to him again.”