Page 31 of Cursed (Witchbane #8)
“I was thinking that all the people we’ve passed walking are tourists, but maybe they’re just working off their last meal.” Seth wiped sauce from his cheek after a particularly messy bite of his sandwich.
The casual pace was a strange transition from the danger of the past few days. Seth reminded himself that they could go slow, since for once no one was chasing them and nobody’s life hung in the balance.
“I’ve already got the tickets for tomorrow, so we don’t have to worry about getting anywhere too early,” Evan told him as they finished their meals and chucked the plates into a nearby trashcan. “I’m trying to make this as chill as possible.”
“Thank you. I think we both need that.” There might have been a time when Seth resisted admitting he needed a break, but Evan had gotten him past that.
They headed for Mystic as the sun set.
“Caden and the others are in the back room,” Nash greeted them from behind the bar. “Go join them. I’ll be with you as soon as I wrap up a couple of things.”
Seth and Evan ordered drinks and then wandered toward the private room. Caden, Teag, Tristan, and Rowan greeted them when they entered.
“Glad you made it,” Caden said. “I’m the unofficial host while Nash does his bar stuff, so come on in, fix yourselves a plate, and say hi to everyone.”
The snack buffet in the center of the room held serving trays of charcuterie, nachos, stuffed jalapenos, avocado fries, and more. Pitchers of orange punch sat at the end of the table with glasses.
“That’s a Savannah concoction, Chatham Artillery Punch,” Caden told them. “Brandy, whiskey, rum, champagne, and lemons, plus sugar. Treat it with respect—it’ll knock you flat on your ass if you’re not careful!”
Seth and Evan filled plates, and Evan took a glass of the punch before heading to join Rowan, Tristan, and Teag at a nearby table. Seth stuck to soda and only had a taste of Evan’s drink since he had to drive back to the RV.
“Recover from yesterday?” Teag asked as they sat.
“Mostly,” Seth replied, and Evan nodded in agreement. “Took it easy this morning, slept in, then did some sightseeing. It was nice to have downtime. Doesn’t happen very often.”
Over in the corner, someone played guitar, working their way through a popular list of hits across the years quietly enough that conversation didn’t come to a halt.
“I will fully admit to not getting up before noon.” Teag bit into a stuffed jalapeno. “I’ve learned my lesson with reaction headaches.”
Rowan nodded. She sipped her drink and nibbled a few nachos. “I took my time getting up and about. We threw a lot of energy around last night. That takes time to replenish. No sense going back to Charleston and being completely wiped out.”
“The energy in the city should feel a lot lighter, even for people who aren’t ‘sensitive’ to spirits,” Tristan said. “We helped a lot of ghosts get their vengeance and pass on. That makes a difference.”
“Thanks again for taking that awful carving back to Charleston,” Evan said and suppressed a shiver. “I’m glad Cassidy has ways of getting rid of things like that.”
“You’d be surprised how often things like that come into Trifles and Folly,” Rowan replied. “Sorren and Donnelly make sure they’re taken care of—permanently.”
Caden joined them with a full plate of goodies. “Can I talk shop long enough to give you an update?”
“Sure,” Seth said and the others nodded.
“Raids were carried out at Vernon’s main restaurant on wage and hour law violations plus health code, so it’s shut down permanently,” Caden told them.
“Then the feds raided Vernon’s cargo ships,” Caden said.
“Turns out his import/export company had some serious lapses in their paperwork. They found a lot of questionable items like unidentified meat, questionable ingredients for magic and gourmet consumption, as well as ritual items of dubious provenance. Looks like he transported cargo for some of the other witch-disciples, so he was involved in para- pharmaceuticals and trafficking, which should link back to the disciples you’ve dealt with, and might cause problems for the ones still on the list. But it’s all shut down now.
The police got an anonymous tip that the monster restaurant was using horse and illegal game meat,” Caden continued, and the little smile on his face gave Seth a clue about who might have made the report.
“The monster restaurant had a ‘suspicious’ fire and burned to the ground. No one could find any payroll records. And the old turpentine plant Vernon used for his ritual blew up last night,” he added.
“Just to be absolutely certain that all the supernatural energy is wrapped up, Sorren and Donnelly will drive down and make sure everything is shut down properly,” Teag added. “No loose ends.”
“So, it’s over?” Evan sounded like he was afraid to believe the good news.
Caden and Seth nodded. “Vernon’s dead, the sacrifice wasn’t made, the ghosts moved on, and his coven members are dead or with the Alliance awaiting judgment,” Seth said.
“I’ll update Cassidy,” Teag said. “She’ll be glad to hear it.”
“Psst,” Rowan got their attention and jerked her head toward the stage. “I think something is going to happen.”
Tony had replaced the previous guitar player. Pax sat at the table nearest the stage, with eyes only for his boyfriend.
Tony played a couple of upbeat tunes that got the small group of guests smiling and tapping their toes to the familiar, happy songs. Once he had their attention, Tony pivoted to a popular love song, and his gaze honed in on Pax, who seemed to be completely wrapped up in the song.
When he finished and the applause died down, Tony set the guitar down and looked to the small group of rescuers. “Thank you all for everything you risked, everything you did to save the man I love. I’m grateful beyond words.
“But I also realized that time waits for no one. There’s no perfect time to ask this, but Pax, will you marry me?”
Pax gave a delighted squeal and rushed toward Tony, who caught him in his arms, kissed him, and twirled him around. Everyone in the room clapped and cheered.
“Yes, definitely yes,” Pax said when they finally separated. “Forever yes.”
Nash signaled a server, who brought goblets of champagne for the group. “This round is on the house,” he announced as everyone took a glass.
“To Pax and Tony. May your love always shine brightly.” Nash raised a toast. The others called out their congratulations as they lifted their glasses in a salute. Pax and Tony beamed, holding each other’s goblets as they drank.
Seth snuck a look at Evan, who was clapping and happily caught up in the moment.
I want that for us someday. When the hunt for the witch-disciples is over.
It seems like tempting fate to get married before the quest is done, though.
I want a happily-ever-after with Evan, where we buy a real house, get a dog, and live out a quiet, monster-free rest of our lives.
I’ve made assumptions, but we haven’t really talked about it. I know Evan’s in it for the long haul, for life. Does he want to get married sooner—or at all? Not everyone wants a ring, but I’ve always thought it would be nice. Not as much staking my claim as making a promise.
It’s a talk we need to have. Just to make sure we’re both on the same page. Things have been happening so fast since we got together; it seems like we’re always running for our lives. Maybe this little break we’re taking is the perfect opportunity.
Everyone moved to cluster around Pax and Tony, sharing hugs and well-wishes along with joking advice and good-natured teasing. The happy couple beamed.
Evan elbowed him. “You know, a week ago Pax and Tony hadn’t met any of us, and now it’s like we’ve all been lifelong friends.”
“Getting rescued from the diabolical clutches of an evil witch is a real ice breaker,” Seth replied, managing to keep a straight face.
Eventually, people drifted back to their tables. Pax and Tony caught Seth and Evan before they sat down again. “Thank you again,” Tony said. “I’m sorry I didn’t believe you right away.”
“It’s definitely a truth is stranger than fiction kind of story,” Seth replied. “Even when people have wondered about the deaths in their families, there’s a big leap from ‘died under odd circumstances’ to ‘sacrificed by an immortal killer witch.’”
“True,” Pax agreed. “But thank you for sticking around and saving my ass.”
“I second that thank you,” Tony replied, slipping an arm around his fiancé. “I can’t believe this is what you do all the time.”
Seth and Evan exchanged a look and both shrugged. “Not exactly on either of our career plans, but we have a chance to put something right and stop bad things from happening. So here we are.”
“Do you know where you’re heading after this?” Pax asked.
Seth shook his head. He and Evan only had a few of the witch-disciples left to tackle, but where they would go next would depend on what their research turned up. He needed to check in with Milo and see if he had anything new for them.
“It’s a short list, but we haven’t picked one yet,” Evan said. “We’ll figure it out.”
“Did you see some of the sights?” Tony and Pax followed them back to the table, and a waiter took new drink orders.
Seth and Evan took turns filling them in on what sightseeing they had done earlier in the day and which historic locations they were heading to the next day.
“You’ve definitely hit my top picks that I’d suggest to someone coming here for the first time who didn’t have a long stay,” Tony replied. “Savannah really does have something for everyone.”
The next few hours passed surprisingly fast, a rare opportunity for a night out with friends. Seth didn’t realize how much he missed those outings, something their current life didn’t frequently offer an opportunity to enjoy.
Maybe we can chase down the bad guys and manage a little more downtime between life-threatening adventures, he thought.