A Handful of Skulls (Here Witchy Witchy Book 9) Read online

  Liz’s head lifted just the slightest from her phone screen, reminding me she was still in the room.

  “Mario and I will come up with a plan today. Until then, stay low,” he demanded. “Be somewhere safe tonight.”

  I sighed. “I’ll be with the wolves tonight.”

  “I said safe.”

  “Well, I think I’d rather take my chances with a pack of werewolves on a full moon than a possible underground coup.”

  He was quiet for a moment. “Point taken. I’ll check in with you later tonight.”

  I hung up and put the phone in my pocket.

  Liz raised a brow. “What’s the headline?”

  “Apparently, I’m a king killer now.”

  Her smile died. “She didn’t.”

  “Oh, she did.” I motioned to the screen. “Levi’s a bit concerned about my safety.”

  She nodded. “With good reasons. Shit, she basically put a giant target on your head.” She paused. “A bigger target. Maybe we should put you in protective custody.”

  “Don’t even joke. I’m going to finish this case with you. The threats will come, they will go, and life will be fine.”

  She shook her head. “Keep telling yourself that, Abby.”

  And I would, because some days, that was the only way I was going to get through.

  I closed out the window with the screen up. “I’m going to be unreachable tonight.”

  “Running with the wolves?” She raised a brow. “Dangerous night to be up there.”

  “I’d explain, but I’m hoping the problem will be over tomorrow.” I could hope. I wasn’t sure what was included in handing my part of the back over to Simon, but hopefully, it was simple.

  “Right.” Liz shook her head. “I’m going to go file some paperwork in my office. I’ll let you know when Agent Landry gets here.”

  “Much appreciated.”

  She stood and left the office, leaving me in the silent space. I took a moment to appreciate it before I went back to the computer screen.

  I opened the tabloid again and sighed. ‘King Killer,’ that was an interesting title to have that I hadn’t earned. I shook my head. What was I going to do about this? Samuel was bound to see it. So was Hannah.

  I was in such deep shit.

  By noon, Landry hadn’t shown up yet. So I opted for lunch and to make time to see the creepy doll. Now I was standing in front of the creepy doll. Her face was curled up in a terrifying grin, her eyes seemed to be alive, and her hair was wild and seemed to be missing patches. The light of the protective circle around it glinted off her porcelain skin. She was creepy, alright.

  “Well, now what?” I asked Merick.

  “Now, we cleanse it and see if we can figure out who sent it to you.”

  I shook my head. “Cleanse it and destroy it. It was Hannah who sent it to me. She has a hit out on me.” At some point, all of this was going to sink in. Hannah, the tabloid title, the fact that I was currently a wolf alpha.

  “This was a waste of time. You should have just destroyed it.”

  Merick sighed. “We want to study it first.”

  “Why? It’s a cursed doll sent by a crazy witch turned vampire.” I glanced at him, wondering what he was thinking. “There’s not much else to know about it.”

  “You don’t want to know what the curse is for?” Merick raised a brow. “Or how powerful it is?”

  I shook my head. “She’s out to kill me because I killed Ira. It’s going to be at least powerful enough to get me near death.”

  “You ruin the fun of curiosity.” Merick looked at the doll. “She’s a powerful thing, Abigail. I haven’t seen anything this powerful in ages.”

  I waved a hand in front of his eyes. “So, cleanse it and destroy it. It’s calling to you.”

  He blinked a few times. “So it is.” He nodded.

  I turned to leave the room, but I hesitated. I swore I heard my mother’s voice calling me.

  ‘Abigail, oh Abigail, mommy brought you something.’

  I closed my eyes, trying to fend off the false voice. It didn’t sound like her at all. It was too high pitched, too sweet. It was wrong.

  “Mommy bought you a doll. Don’t you want to play with it?”

  No. I didn’t. I was never a big fan of dolls. I wrapped my hand around my pentagram and cat charms and warmth filled me, pushing away the imaginary voice.

  “It’s calling to you too, isn’t it?

  I nodded. “It is, but Hannah forgets herself. She doesn’t know me. She knows nothing about me, so she can’t have control over me. Cleanse it, and burn the fucking thing.”

  “Rodger that.” Merick nodded, and we both walked out of the room. He closed the door behind us. “It’s creepy.”

  “That it is. It’s the least of our worries right now.”

  Merick shook his head. “What could be worse than a cursed doll?”

  “Have you seen the tabloid headline for the day?”

  He snorted. “You know I don’t read those.”

  “Stephanie brought into question if I was a ‘King Killer’ or not, on if I had killed the King of Vampires.”

  Merick was quiet for a moment. “And your response?”

  “One day at a time, wolves, case, Hannah, then I’ll deal with it. That’s all I can do.”

  He smiled. “You know that the Cult has your back.”

  “The cult wants me to join before it truly has my back.” I tapped my chin for a moment. “Which may not be a bad idea. Hannah is trying to use magic to kill me. That’s a misuse no matter what rules you play by.”

  Merick nodded. “We could send Cult after her.”

  That wasn’t such a bad idea at the moment. It would keep her busy and out of my hair for a bit. “An interesting thought for sure.”

  “But…”

  “Oh, I knew there was going to be a ‘but’ involved.”

  “You’d have to join the cult.”

  As we’d already discussed. “Let me think on it. It seems I’m already an honorary member, but as you know, I don’t do covens.”

  “This is no regular coven, Abigail. You know that.” Merick shrugged. “Just think about it and think about what they have to offer you.”

  And what I had to offer them. I already had a lot on my plate. Could I also be at the beck and call of the cult’s priests and priestesses?

  “Okay, I need to head to pack grounds. I’ll be back some time tomorrow morning.” I glanced at my phone. “Hopefully without any fresh bite wounds on me.”

  He gave me a worried look. “A full moon night?”

  “Long story. I promise I’ll be careful.” I started toward the exit of the house. “Good luck with the cursed doll, Merick. Remember, cleanse it.”

  He bowed his head. “Of course.”

  I shut the door behind me and went to the Hummer. It was going to be a long night. I sent Simon a text to let him know that I was on my way and turned the Hummer on.

  I closed my eyes and said a little prayer to the goddess to protect me tonight because I wasn’t sure what I was getting into or what I should expect.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  I pulled up to the paved lot and got out. Simon stood at the edge of the forest, his hands on his hips with a smirk on his face that I wasn’t used to seeing. It called to something inside me, telling me that he was dangerous, but he was mine.

  The shirtless chest probably helped that impression.

  I shook myself out of my daze. “To what do I owe this greeting from the pack master? You certainly look a hell of a lot better.”

  “Lycan healing does wonders. It grows stronger as the full moon rises. Tomorrow you won’t even be able to tell that I was in a nasty fight.” He reached his hand out, and I wrapped my fingers into his. “Unlike your bites. I’m sorry.”

  I shrugged one shoulder. “I’m a witch, they’re healing already.”

  He pulled me into a hug, and I took a moment to relax into his embrace. We didn’t get moments like this of
ten, so I liked to soak up the ones we had.

  Simon leaned down and kissed me. It wasn’t a gentle kiss either. It was full of passion, and I returned it eagerly until someone cleared their throat.

  “I do believe we have packs waiting for us,” Travis interrupted, and I let out a dramatic sigh.

  “Could you not have waited until the kiss was done?”

  “Could you two find a fucking bedroom?” There was teasing in Travis’ rough voice. “Simon is full of hormones right now. Let’s not give the pups a display, okay?”

  I pulled away and couldn’t stop the red from crawling up my cheeks. “You’re right. Let’s go.”

  Simon pulled me back by my hand. “Just remember to be gentle, don’t freak out, and once the wolves take off, you can head back to the cabin. No one actually expects you to run with them, but you needed to be here.”

  I nodded. “I’m going to try my best. I’m sorry, I really didn’t want to take over the pack, but I wasn’t going to let Luke kill me.”

  “Yeah, I think that would have been upsetting for both of us.” Simon nudged me. “Stay with us tonight. After your case, we’ll have you give me your pack, and it’ll all be one happy family again.”

  Maybe. There was part of me that worried about lurkers in the pack. There might still be someone loyal to Luke, but were they strong enough to take Simon out?

  I looked at how well healed Simon seemed to be. The only sign of his fight was fading marks across his chest. No. If Luke couldn’t take him out in a fair fight, neither could any of his pack mates.

  Simon kept my hand and led me to the pack grounds. That tingling welcoming sensation of my magic felt wonderful as I crossed over the lines. Maybe tonight wouldn’t be so bad. The wolves could run, and I could bask in the magic of the full moon.

  I let out a content sigh and met Simon’s gaze. A look of wonder crossed his face with a small smile. “What?”

  “I love how happy you look when you cross that circle. It almost gives you a glow.”

  “I didn’t know it was that obvious.”

  Simon let go of my hand and motioned to the small gathering of wolves waiting. “Go to your pack.”

  “Simon, I don’t know what I’m doing.” I couldn’t keep the shake from my voice. “What if one of them decides to challenge me?” What if they decided to eat me? I wasn’t going to ask that out loud.

  “I’m right here,” he promised. “I won’t let them kill you.”

  That was kind of comforting. I took a deep breath and walked closer to the group while Simon waited to the side with Travis.

  I looked at the group. They were of mixed ages, races, heights, genders. They were all human, staring at me, waiting for something. I didn’t know what to say. ‘I’m sorry I killed your pack leader,’ probably wasn’t a good way to go.

  “Go, enjoy your run. Enjoy the full moon.” Was what I came up with. I wasn’t a wolf, I was a witch, but I knew how good the full moon felt and how good it was to be free under it.

  One woman threw her head back and let out a howl that shouldn’t have been capable of coming out of a human throat. Soon each person followed, and human skin was overtaken by wolf fur, and instead of being surrounded humans, I was staring down more than a dozen werewolves. They all slowly started toward me. My instinct told me to back away, but something told me they weren’t going to hurt me. One by one, they rubbed against me, bumping my hand with their heads before they took off into the woods.

  I stood there and watched the incredible sight. Simon stood next to me. “Good job.” He smiled. “My turn.” He walked to the crowd of people standing off to the side of the house.

  Travis came up to me. “Watch. This is part of him. He’s wanted to show you his alpha side for a long time.”

  I’d seen his wolf before, but Travis was right. I’d never seen Simon on a full moon. I’d expected Simon to say something like I did. But he simply stepped in front of the group and let out a howl. There was something demanding in his voice, but it seemed to call to everyone around him. They followed his call, Travis included.

  The howl echoed through the night. Simon looked over his shoulder and gave me a killer grin before his body seemed to shift under his skin and threw him forward on all fours, completing his transformation with a burst of fur. Smooth, painless, complete. He met my gaze in his wolf form before taking off into the forest. The pack followed him without any sign of hesitation, leaving me alone in the clearing.

  I gave it a few moments for the wolves to scatter on their hunt. The few howls that were in the night disappeared as they went further into the woods. I walked to the middle of the clearing and sat down to bask in the moonlight.

  I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths. I tried to let go of the tension in my body. If I could let the moon’s energy fill me, then maybe I could focus more on what was going on around me.

  Focusing on my limbs, I tried to imagine the negative energy flowing out of me. Images flashed in my mind, and I forced myself to push them away. The doll. Hannah. Ira. Samuel.

  They couldn’t hurt me here. They had no power here. I put my hands on the ground and buried my fingers into it.

  They had no power here. It was my magic here.

  I reached out for it and felt it there. The warm, familiar feeling of it came over me. I smiled as it ran over my body. I was safe here.

  I was welcomed here.

  I started to think that I could stay here and not have to worry about the outside world and threats that waited for me. It was a breath of fresh air.

  I went to take a breath, and my body refused. My pentagram and the cat charm on my chain started to heat up as if something was trying to attack me. But my circle wasn’t broken. The magic wasn’t disturbed.

  Images flickered in my mind of Samuel ripping the heart out of the warlock and tossing it at my feet. Hannah’s shrill laughter echoed in my head. “Come, little Abby, come play with me.”

  She shouldn’t have been able to get into my head. She’d never drunk from me. Her magic shouldn’t have been that strong.

  The doll came into my vision, almost as if it were alive. “Don’t let him hurt me, Abigail.”

  The voice was broken and distorted like the first recording I’d heard.

  No.

  They had no power here. I refused to give them power here. I forced myself to swallow my fear. Merick was getting rid of the doll. The creepy thing came closer in my vision.

  Except I wasn’t where it could touch me. This was trickery, magic.

  I was in the woods. Safe.

  I forced my lungs to take in a breath as I dug my fingers further into the earth.

  “With this dirt, I cleanse myself in the name of the goddess.” I forced the words out of my throat. “I call on the cleansing energy of the moon, bathe me in your light, oh goddess. Let me feel the embrace of your power and your healing.” With each word, I felt Hannah’s magic slip further away. I refused to let her have the power here. I could protect myself from her and all she wanted to do to me.

  “With the light of the full moon, I beg for the healing of the goddess, push this evil from me,” I whispered the words and focused on the feeling of dirt between my fingers, the small grains of sand, the moisture that it all held.

  This was nature. This was grounding. Hannah could only cast illusions here. She wasn’t physically here, or my circle would have stopped her.

  “Make me pure once more,” I demanded my eyes to open.

  There I sat in the middle of the clearing. My heart was pounding and sweat beading down my forehead as I tried to relearn how to breathe.

  That was one of the most terrifying things I’d experienced in a long time. She’d tried to take over my mind. My pentagram and the charm had helped, but I had to call on my own magic to shove her away.

  I didn’t think I’d ever sleep again.

  At the thought, exhaustion started to eat at me, but I wasn’t ready to give in. I wanted to soak up the power and the healing the
goddess offered through the moon. I wanted the peace I had prayed for and used my magic to call to me.

  Laying down in the dirt, I looked up at the moon and smiled. Up here in the mountains, I could see the stars. My eyes started to close, and I allowed myself to fall asleep under the watchful eye of the moon.

  I woke up curled against a warm body. As I stirred, arms wrapped around me and pulled against a naked chest. My eyes flickered open as I remembered that I had fallen asleep outside and not in a bed. And certainly not with someone else.

  I went to push myself out of bed, and the arms held me tight.

  “Come on, Abby, the sun just came up.” Simon’s groggy voice calmed me down. “Stay just a little longer.”

  “Okay.” I settled back into his arms and relaxed. Chances were that he had brought me back inside after he was done with his run. I wasn’t going to complain, because at least I didn’t wake up covered in dew. Simon snuggled his face into my neck. “How was your night?”

  I closed my eyes and just enjoyed him. “Well, I let myself just enjoy my magic and the moon. It was wonderful and relaxing.” I wasn’t going to mention Hannah’s magic attack, because it didn’t matter at this point. I fought her off. She found that she wasn’t welcome here. “Yours?”

  “We hunted some deer, had a good run, and came back to find our witch sleeping on the ground.” He chuckled, and it rolled through his chest.

  I paused in my thoughts. “’Our’ witch?”

  “Well, you’re currently the alpha of the other pack, and you own the magic around the land. I think that makes you ‘our witch’” He met my gaze. “Does that bother you?”

  I thought about it for a moment. “No, not really. It just kind of threw me off. I’m not typically anyone’s anything. Hell, it took us forever to refer to each other as boyfriend and girlfriend. Levi hardly claims me. I have no coven.”

  “Is that something you want?” He raised himself up on one arm and looked at me.

  “I don’t know. Currently, my life is in danger far too often for me to even think about being anyone’s anything.” I laughed. “Last night was the first night of peace I had in a long while.”