Chapter Thirty
HARMONY didn’t have time to calm King, no matter how much the power of three unnerved him. “I have to go,” she said. “My sisters and I need to interpret the message in that mural . . . together. We sense the mural’s there for a reason.”
“Are all witches psychic?” King asked. “Or are you unusual in that you’re psychics in addition to being witches?”
“The two often go together. Don’t tell me; you don’t believe in psychics any more than you believe in witches or ghosts, right?”
“I believe you brought something frightening to life in this place.”
“You narrow-minded son of a . . . witch.”
“You’ve got my mother down perfectly,” King said.
“I was talking about Gussie. You can’t seriously blame me for her?”
“I can blame you for bringing her out of hiding.”
“Excuse me, I shut her up. She’s probably less malevolent now than she’s been in years, because I’m here. And she’s more constrained now that my sisters are here.”
“Then explain what happened to Reggie. That never happened before.”
“Reggie’s never been here before. Morgan said accidents always happen around you. They also happen around your daughter. And Gussie’s been wailing for a century around the Paxtons. You can’t blame me for that.”
“Yet, what a coincidence. You come here for vintage clothes and end up taking care of our ghost . . . You want to tell me what’s really going on?”
“It’s . . . complicated.”
“I’m listening.” King sat beside her, took her hand, and rubbed his thumb over the Celtic ring. “I usually say ‘it’s complicated’ to a woman looking for a commitment. It’s called evasion. So, you want to tell me why my ghost shuts up when you show up, plus you’re wearing a ring my grandfather described as one Nicodemus brought home from one of his seafaring jaunts?”
More than anything, Harmony wanted to lay her head on King’s shoulder and hear him say he believed in her. She was glad he’d picked her out of the clone line. “I’m sure there are thousands of rings like this in the world.”
King kissed the back of her hand. “I’m waiting.”
“Okay. I found the ring in the hem of a gown I bought at a yard sale. When I put it on, I saw this castle in my mind, so I came here, and that’s the truth. I think the gown and ring belonged to someone who lived here.”
“Maybe the other half of the ring was in the sleeve?”
“Stop baiting me and tell me what you know about the ring.”
“I like baiting you. When you get mad, your shoulders go back so your breasts pop out and call my name.”
“Always thinking with your man brain.”
“So what if you pictured this place? Why did you come?”
“When I put the ring on, I saw the castle in discord, and I fainted. I know you’re gonna think this is nuts, but I saw coming here as a psychic mandate from the universe, as if there was something here that only I could fix. Though everyone in Salem knew the place was haunted by a witch . . . except you . . . I came the following day.”
King touched her brow with the back of his hand. “I don’t like that you fainted. Are you okay?”
“The darkness sucked me in. I’m fine . . . Tell me about the ring.”
He played with her ring. “Nicodemus brought Gussie gifts when he came home from the sea. When he brought the ring, she’d peeked, and expected it, but he didn’t give it to her. She was never the same.”
Harmony sighed. “Which is why she wants vindication.”
“Vindication? That has all kinds of meanings, and how do you know that’s what she wants?”
“She told me . . .” Harmony read King’s blatant disbelief. “I was wondering what she wanted, and the word came to me, as if she said it, with her icy breath on my neck.”
King sat straighter. “Is she the reason for the sudden freezes around here?”
Harmony nodded. “You get cold when she shows, because she’s stealing your energy and body heat. You felt her long before I got here, didn’t you? Admit it.”
“Hell,” he said, running a hand through his hair. “I felt her when I was a kid, but nothing bad happened. As a matter of fact, I had some close calls. I almost drowned once, and I’d swear someone colder than the sea brought me to the surface.”
“Like she saved Jake today. When did your accidents start?”
“After college.”
“When you were a man like Nicodemus. Gussie likes children but not men.”
“Or young women,” King observed.
“Because a young woman likely got the other half of the ring.”
King sat back in his chair. “That actually makes sense.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
“I wonder whose half you have.” He lifted her hand and placed it against his face.
“Don’t try making up now.” Harmony reclaimed her hand. “I have the half that belonged to Lisette, the girl he gave it to.”
“Lisette? You know that because . . . you sensed it?”
“Wearing the gown, Lisette’s name came to me, and I envisioned her sewing something in the hem. I checked and found the ring.” Harmony thought about that for a minute. “Maybe Lisette sent me here. If Gussie was upset with her, those empty picture frames might have held pictures of Lisette. I need to tell my sisters. I’ll be in the parlor.”
Her sisters were watching Aiden clean the wall. “Is he using a toothbrush?” Harmony asked.
Destiny shook her head. “It’s smaller than a toothbrush.” She crossed her arms. “He says he’s an artist.”
“Will somebody, please, get this artist a scrub brush?” Storm called from beside him.
Destiny and Harmony looked at each other and grinned.
“I see something!” Storm said. “Harm, Des, come here.”
“Aren’t you standing in the artist’s light?” Destiny asked her.
“No,” Aiden said. “She’s fine. You know, I think this is a mural.”
“No kidding, Rembrandt.” Storm tried to spike his hair, but Aiden didn’t seem to mind.
Harmony touched the colors on the clean bottom corner. “What makes you think it’s a mural and not a regular painting?”
“The paint strokes I’ve uncovered so far are pretty damned big. Might take up the whole wall, which means you may as well go to bed. “I’ll be at this all night.”
Storm finger-wiped a spot on his cheek. “I’ll stay up and help.”
“She stays,” Destiny said, “and the wall won’t be what gets done.”
“Bitch!” Storm snapped, and Aiden chuckled.
Destiny shook her head. “I’m off to bed. Coming, Sis?”
Harmony turned to go, but King leaned against a door-jamb, arms crossed, an aura of male need about him. His long frame was invested with tension, his square chin high, the light in his whiskey eyes hot, hungry, and provocative. “I’ll be up later,” she said.
Storm hooted, and Destiny shook her head. “Sisters!”
As Harmony closed in on King, he unfolded like a lazy panther sighting prey. She cupped his cheek, and he placed his hand over hers and slid it to the back of his neck as he brought their lips together.
“Ahem! You’re not alone,” Storm called.
“Train shed?” Harmony whispered low and throaty. “Chugga chugga.”
“We’re being spontaneous, now, right?”
“King, if you announce spontaneity, it’s boring.”
“Hey, no woman has ever called me boring.”
“You had sex with women in comas.”
“You’ve cured me. Or ruined me.”
She took him by the hand. A few minutes later, they were about to cut through the toy room. “Hold on, McBullseye.”
“I know. My ass is throbbing.”
“Just your ass? How disappointing.”
“Don’t give me any sass.” He led the way to the train shed. “The toy room didn’t seem bad tonight.”
“Duh. Because we cleansed it today. It’s full of positive energy now. Witches are good for something.”
“I can think of several delightful things.”
The brightly lit train shed housed an amazingly well-preserved steam engine, its wheels as tall as her. The engine and parlor car capped a hill, each car balanced on opposing downward slopes, its track curved like a horseshoe that ran beneath giant doors at each end. “This is ingenious,” Harmony said.
“You think the train’s amazing, wait till I get going!” He climbed on the engine and rang the bell. “It was a dark and stormy night,” he whispered as he pulled her up and into his arms.
“The storm does lend our clandestine meeting a certain panache, but I’m still mad at you. I did not set Gussie loose.”
“I apologize. I’m spooked after what happened to Reggie.”
“You’re a good dad.”
“Sure am, for a whole day and a half now.”
“Let’s leave the guilt and regrets behind. Show me the parlor car.”
“Not before you take a tour of the engine.”
“This is not the engine I’m interested in.”
“How many people can say they got laid in a Boston & Lowell steam engine?”
“Well,” Harmony said, raising his shirt, “when you put it that way . . .” She kissed the line of hair from his navel to his zipper.
“Come here, Hellcat.” King pulled her face up to his.
“Open your mouth and show me a witch’s passion to match a devil’s desire.”