Witch’s Web

I wasn’t exactly sure how I felt about joining, but Rowan—my grandmother—was a longtime member and she wanted me to belong. So I decided to humor her, and when she pointed out it was a good way to establish connections with some of the more powerful members of the witchblood community in the area, it made more sense.

Killian was going with me. Even though he was a wolf shifter he would be allowed to attend events since we were engaged, although he wouldn’t be allowed into regular meetings. Once we were actually married, he’d be able to apply for adjunct membership to attend all the balls and parties.

I studied the dresses I had bought for the occasion. I usually was good about making up my mind, but at the store, I couldn’t decide between two that looked like they might fit the occasion. One was a cobalt blue sleeveless gown with a square neckline and an empire waist. It was pretty, dotted with tiny crystal beads, but it didn’t feel like me now that I had it hanging in my closet. It still had its tags on, so I could return it if I decided not to wear it. I had bought it because it seemed like a dress one might wear to a fancy ball, but now, I wasn’t all that excited over it.

The other, I liked a lot, but I wasn’t sure if it was appropriate for the occasion. It wasn’t a full-length gown, but tea length. Plum purple, it was a retro-1950s swing style in chiffon. With cap sleeves and a sweetheart neckline, it cinched in at the waist with a side-sash, and flared into a swing skirt. The style was much more “me” and I knew I’d be more comfortable in it, but I wasn’t sure it was fancy enough.

“The hell with it,” I said, hanging the blue one in my closet where it would be safe from stray cat hair. “I’m going to be comfortable. If I don’t fit, then so be it.”

I could dress it up by taking the sash off and adding a silver belt, topping it with a silver and black shawl. I’d wear a pair of strappy silver sandals with three-inch platform heels, and a flowing hair style.

Relieved that I’d made up my mind, I dug out a silver clutch. Finally, with nothing left to do but bathe and dress, I went downstairs to eat lunch. Why my nerves were so on edge confounded me, but they were, and I was certain that frozen pizza and another latte would solve that.

***

The pizza was personal size, thank gods, or I would have eaten every slice and bloated myself up. As I finished off the last piece, my phone rang. I glanced at the caller ID. It was Ari, my best friend.

“Hey, woman, what’s up? I haven’t heard from you in a couple weeks.” I missed hanging out with Ari, but given her marriage and my engagement and the fact that both of us worked demanding jobs, we weren’t able to catch up as often as we wanted.

“I know. It’s wedding season and I’m slammed. But I wanted to see if you were free on Sunday. I have something I need to talk about—nothing regarding us, so don’t worry—but I need you to be my sounding board. I can’t hear myself think.”

She sounded preoccupied. We’d both recently had run-ins with the Mothman and I wondered if it was still affecting her memory. She’d had several memory lapses since then, and though Dr. Fairsight told her that it was nothing to worry about, I knew Ari was concerned.

“Are you all right? I can make time this afternoon if it’s—”

“No, not an emergency, so don’t worry over me. It’s nothing about Meagan’s health, either. It’s just…something to do with my family has come up and I’m not sure exactly how to approach it. I’m not even sure what to think about it. And on a situation like this, I want an outside opinion. Meagan’s too close to the subject, given she’s my wife. Sunday would be best for me, if you have some time you can spare.”

I chewed on my inner cheek. I could hear the worry in her voice, but if she said it wasn’t an emergency, I believed her. “Sunday’s fine, I think. Let me grab my date book. Can I call you back in a couple of minutes? I’m just finishing up lunch. I just ate an entire personal-size pizza and I could eat two more, I’m so nervous.”

“That’s right! Tonight’s the Witch’s Ball.”

“Yes, and I’ve finally decided what to wear, regardless of whether it’s considered proper attire. All right, give me a couple and I’ll ring you right back.” I punched the end talk button, carried my dishes to the sink, rinsed them and put them in the dishwasher, then headed to my office.

As I settled at my desk and opened my planner, I noticed that tomorrow was the new moon. I was planning to perform a spell then, to uncover a secret that was driving me nuts, but I’d think about that later. I called Ari back.

“Sunday’s clear. The only thing I need to do is pack for the camping trip. If you can come over in the afternoon, you can help me.” I dreaded packing. Though I was looking forward to the camping trip on one level, I was also nervous. I wasn’t the camping type. And I had no idea of what to pack. Although Tad, my boss, had promised to bring all the tents and gear, so at least we didn’t have to worry about any of that.

“How about two p.m.? Would that work?”

“That’s fine.” I penciled her in at two, smiling. “Remember when we were kids and all we had to do was run over and knock on each other’s door and say, ‘Want to go play?’ Those were easier days, for sure.”

“I remember,” Ari said with a laugh. “Adulting is hard. But at least we live in the same town again. I missed you all those years you were married to Ellison and living in Seattle.”

“I missed me too,” I said. “You think he’s behaving himself? The cops would tell me if they let him go free from house arrest, wouldn’t they? Considering he attacked me?”

“I would think so. But maybe you should call the cops and ask them.”

“I’ll think about it,” I said. “See you Sunday!”

“Good luck at the ball, Cinderella. Just don’t leave your glass slipper on the stairs.”

“I’ve already got a prince, I don’t need another,” I said with a laugh. “My love to Meagan.”

“Give Killian a smooch from me.” Ari hung up.

I sighed and glanced at the clock. Killian would be home by six-thirty. The ball started at eight. It was two-fifteen now. I had taken the day off to prepare, and now I wished I hadn’t. I glanced outside. It was a balmy sixty-four degrees and partially overcast, a typical June day for western Washington. Deciding to occupy myself by washing a couple loads of laundry and cleaning the kitchen, I gritted my teeth and dove in.

***

I had just finished bathing when Killian arrived home, bringing his plastic-covered tux with him. I gave him a quick kiss before he went to jump in the shower and wash his hair.

“Go, now. And can you groom your beard? It’s getting a bit…” I blurted out, then winced. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—”

Killian had been growing a beard. It had reached a length that was a little beyond my comfort level, but since it was his face and his beard, I hadn’t said much about it until now. But tonight was important to me and my mouth was working faster than my brain.

“A little too ZZ Top?” he asked with a grin. Killian was a moderately tall man—around six feet, with wheaten hair that fell to his shoulder blades in a tangle of curls. He was stocky, muscled and strong, and he had the most gorgeous green eyes that matched my own. He was far older chronologically than I was, given he was a shifter and had been born on May 8, 1900, but we were close in age in other ways.

“Yeah, thanks. I didn’t mean to criticize—”

“No problem. I just wanted to try it out for a while. But Star, one of Mrs. Jefferson’s cats, decided that my beard was a feather toy today and almost gave me a close shave with her claws. I had already planned on going back to a close beard and mustache.” He pulled me into his arms and gave me a long kiss, his beard and mustache tickling my face. Then he let go and stripped out of his clothes. Killian was a veterinarian, and I loved that about him. It had been my experience that men who loved animals tended to be good hearted in general.

As he headed into the shower, I sent a silent thank-you to Star and wished her many happy playtimes. It was far better for someone to make up their own mind rather than be cajoled by their mate on matters of personal grooming.

I toweled off and settled down at my vanity, using my detangling brush to brush out my hair. My own hair was back to being raven black—its original color. I’d asked Ari to dye it back a couple weeks ago, and she had added highlights of blue and purple to make it resemble a raven or a crow. I pulled out my blow dryer and, after drying my hair, gathered back layers on both sides into a braid that would hang atop the rest of the length. I fastened the top with the antique silver hair barrette that Killian had bought for me. It was beautiful and ornate, and looked like it belonged in some period piece like Downton Abbey. Only I didn’t have a lady’s maid to do my hair for me.

After styling my hair, I applied my makeup. I went for blues and purples—a heavy runway eye, and a blackberry lip lacquer. The look suited me. I’d had my nails done a few days before with gel polish, and had chosen black with glitter to resemble stars against the night sky.

As I was dressing, Killian came out of the shower. I stared at him, wondering if we had time for a quickie. He was hot. He had scars from all the animals he had tried to help, and a scar along his cheek from his brow down to near his mouth that gave him a roguish look. At one time, he’d been trying to help a lynx, and it had slashed at him before he managed to calm it down. The scars had healed well, but were still visible. He might be a wolf shifter, but he had a feline feel to him, though he was extremely pack-oriented.

Every time I saw him naked, I wanted to jump his bones. He was as good and attentive a lover as Ellison had been bad and derisive. Killian made me feel desirable. I never felt like he was looking at another woman, comparing me to her. Oh, we both noticed attractive people, but my jealousies had faded during the past year and a half we’d been together.

“You checking out my junk, lady?” he asked, laughing, waggling his cock at me.

I grinned. “Don’t I always? You’ve got the best junk around. I just wish we had time before the ball, but we don’t.”

“We could skip it and stay home,” he said, but I knew he was joking. Killian knew how important tonight was for me, and he’d even been the one to suggest he wear a tux after Rowan had warned him that it was a formal affair. But he could have begged out of it, given he was a shifter and not witchblood.

I walked over to him and turned around. “Zip me, please?”

He slowly zipped my dress, pausing to press his lips to the nape of my neck. I started to lean back into his arms with my back against his chest, but he stopped me.

“I’m still damp. You don’t want your dress spotted with water. By the way, that looks good on you. I like it.” He finished toweling off, used my blow dryer to dry his hair back into a curly mane, then started to dress.

“Thanks,” I said, sitting on the edge of the bed so I could buckle my sandals. I was a size sixteen now—I’d barely been able to keep my body at a 14 while I was with Ellison and he never let me forget that I didn’t fit his idea of the ideal wife. But my body seemed comfortable at a size 16 and I was settling in, my weight evening out at this point.

I was also going to the gym a couple times a week to get into better shape. I didn’t care if I lost weight, I just wanted to be fit and healthy enough to run a mile without getting winded and to go hiking without my knees complaining. I was also taking a tai chi class in preparation for a beginner’s karate class. I wanted to learn some martial arts because several times now, my job had proven dangerous enough for me to learn how to defend myself on a physical level as well as a magical one.

“So, how long does this shindig last?” Killian slid into his boxers and then his slacks. He zipped them up halfway, stopping to put on his shirt and tuck it in. The tux looked good on him, even if it did look out of place. He slid on a low-cut vest over his shirt, buttoning it up. I held out his jacket and he slid his arms into the sleeves. He straightened the peak lapels and looked as dapper as I had ever seen him. A pair of cap-toed shoes, a black bow tie, and silver cufflinks completed the look.

“Am I ready for the ball?” he asked, spinning.

I nodded. “You look mighty fine, Mr. O’Connell. Again, thank you for going with me. I honestly don’t know what to expect, but whatever it is, I hope we don’t end up regretting this. Rowan said we should be fine. Just steer clear of politics, especially on the local level.” I draped my shawl around my shoulders and picked up my clutch. “All right, I guess I’m ready.”

We headed downstairs, where we fed Xi and Klaus before leaving, and then out to Killian’s Expedition. As we eased out of the driveway, I once again hoped this wasn’t a mistake.