Charmed to Death Read online

  CHARMED TO DEATH

  By Rose Pressey

  “Rose Pressey’s book are fun!”

  Janet Evanovich

  Praise for Me and My Ghoulfriends by Rose Pressey

  “Rose Pressey spins a delightful tale with misfits and romance that makes me cheer loudly.”

  Coffee Time Romance

  “Her characters are alive and full of quick witted charm and will make you laugh. The plot twists keep you turning the pages non-stop.”

  ParaNormalRomance

  “I absolutely loved this book! It had me chuckling from the beginning.”

  Fallen Angel Review

  Halloween LaVeau finds herself in the middle of a murder mystery. As the leader of the Underworld, she has to find the person responsible for the horrific crime spree before it’s too late. With her family and friends in jeopardy she needs all the help she can get solving the mystery. She gets magical assistance in the most unexpected way, but will it do more harm than good?

  Rose Pressey’s Complete Bookshelf (click title to preview/buy)

  Paranormal P.I. Series

  What the Hex?

  The Hex With It

  Chase Charley Series:

  Book 1: For Old Crimes Sake

  Book 2: Seems Like Old Crimes

  Haunted Tour Guide Mystery Series:

  These Haunts are Made for Walking

  A Walk on the Haunted Side

  Haunt the Haunt, Walk the Walk

  Walk this Way, Haunt this Way

  Take a Haunted Walk With Me

  Hauntin’ After Midnight

  Haunted Vintage Series:

  Book 1 – If You’ve Got It, Haunt It

  Book 2 – All Dressed Up and No Place to Haunt

  Book 3 – Haunt Couture and Ghosts Galore

  Book 4 – Haunted is Always in Fashion

  Book 5 – If the Haunting Fits, Wear It June 2017

  Maggie, P.I. Mystery Series:

  Book 1 – Crime Wave

  Book 2 – Murder is a Beach

  Book 3 – Wipe Out June 2017

  The Halloween LaVeau Series:

  Book 1 – Forever Charmed

  Book 2 – Charmed Again

  Book 3 – Third Time’s a Charm

  Book 4 – Charmed, I’m Sure

  Book 5 – A Charmed Life

  Book 6 – Charmed Ever After

  Book 7—Once Upon a Charmed Time

  The Hadley Wilds Series:

  Book 1: Dead Girl’s Guide to Style

  The Rylie Cruz Series:

  Book 1 – How to Date a Werewolf

  Book 2 – How to Date a Vampire

  Book 3 – How to Date a Demon

  The Larue Donovan Series:

  Book 1 – Me and My Ghoulfriends

  Book 2 – Ghouls Night Out

  Book 3 – The Ghoul Next Door

  Book 4—Ghoul of My Dreams

  The Mystic Café Series:

  Book 1 – No Shoes, No Shirt, No Spells

  Book 2 – Pies and Potions

  Book 3 — Spells a la Carte

  The Veronica Mason Series:

  Book 1 – Rock ‘n’ Roll is Undead

  A Trash to Treasure Crafting Mystery:

  Book 1 – Murder at Honeysuckle Hotel

  Book 2 – Honeysuckle Homicide

  The Haunted Renovation Mystery Series:

  Book 1 – Flip that Haunted House

  Book 2 – The Haunted Fixer Upper

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form, (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, incidents, places, and brands are the product of the author’s imagination and not to be construed as real. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  Dedication

  This is to you and you know who you are.

  Acknowledgements

  To my son, who brings me joy every single day and is the love of my life. To my mother, who introduced me to the love of books. To my husband, who encourages me and always has faith in me. A huge thank you to my editor, Eleanor Boyall. And to the readers who make writing fun.

  Index

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 1

  For the time being I was still the leader of the Underworld. Though I had no idea how much longer this would last. In fact, everything about my life was up in the air. I had no idea what to do or how to get myself out of this paranormal pickle.

  “Halloween LaVeau?” the tall blonde in the skin-tight pencil skirt asked.

  I pushed to my feet. “That’s me.”

  I’d been sitting in the too-dark waiting room of the National Vampire Association building. Oddly enough, it was located here in Enchantment Pointe. Or maybe not so oddly. After all, this was a paranormal town… the paranormal town. Enchantment Pointe was the headquarters for paranormal people everywhere. Not only the witches and vampires, but rumors that werewolves were moving their headquarters here too had been swirling for some time. I’d spoken with them about this, but they were so indecisive.

  I thought it would be a great idea to have everything located in one easy location. Offices close to the manor would be the best option, in my option. Sure, it was convenient for me, and I wouldn’t deny that was my main reason for wanting it. Shouldn’t the receptionist know who I was? They had my photo hanging in the lobby, for Pete’s sake. I’d been sitting right under it while I waited. By the way, it was a terrible picture of me.I’d squinted my eyes and had a lopsided grin that looked more as if I was in pain than happy to have my portrait taken.

  The receptionist eyed me up and down. I would say she quirked an eyebrow, but they were so sculpted I couldn’t quite make out her expression.

  “Follow me.” She motioned and then turned on her heel.

  I hurried my step to catch up with her. Shouldn’t she slow down and wait for me? That was what a good hostess would have done. I followed her down the long, dark hallway. A faint yellow glow illuminated from the small light fixtures above. I might recommend a higher wattage, but that was just me. The end of the corridor was completely dark. I hoped we weren’t going all the way down there.

  “Excuse me, do you have more lights in this place?” I asked.

  She didn’t glance back, but didn’t answer. Was that any way to treat the leader of the Underworld? A few more steps and she abruptly stopped. A windowless door was in front of us. It looked like all the other doors down that hallway. None of them were marked. It could be a dungeon behind that door for all I knew. A dungeon with torture devices. Was this some kind of setup? Everyone wanted the Book of Mystics and I trusted no one, so this could be another attempt to get it from me.

  The blonde glanc
ed over her shoulder at me and flashed a toothy grin. Her pearly white fangs were on full display. Yes, now I was really rethinking coming to the National Vampire Association headquarters. Even more so now that I had willingly followed this woman down a darkened hallway. And I was alone. What was I thinking?

  I could have at least invited someone to come along with me. Namely, Nicolas Marcos or Liam Rankin. Not only were they witches, but they were also vampires. Nicolas was the leader of the Enchantment Pointe Coven and Liam Rankin was the leader of the New Orleans Coven. Rarely did they hang out with the other vampires. Was there a reason for that I wasn’t aware of? Sometimes I even forgot they were vampires. The only time I remembered was when Nicolas started eyeing my neck with longing in his eyes.

  Nicolas and I lived in Enchantment Pointe full time. I’d grown up here and only recently realized how paranormal this town truly was when I’d become the leader. I suppose since I’d been terrible at witchcraft from an early age my mother never thought to tell me all that was going on with the paranormal world. Sure I was aware of the paranormal stuff, but it was just that I had no idea so much was happening in Enchantment Pointe. My mother figured why bother me with such things when I was a terrible witch anyway, right? I guess I’d proved her wrong.

  A few seconds more of staring and then she snickered. What was so funny? She opened the door and then motioned for me to enter. Should I really go first? Did she know I was the leader? Regardless, I got the impression that she didn’t care. I expected for her to slam the door shut and lock it once I stepped into the room. Thank goodness that wasn’t the case… yet. After I stepped into the room, she walked in behind me.

  There was a long table with about twenty chairs around it in the middle of the room. So far, we were alone in the room. Again, there were no windows and dim light. At least I wouldn’t be totally alone in the room, although she wasn’t exactly the first choice I would have selected to wait in there with me. As I stepped across the space I heard the click of the door. I spun around to see that she had left me alone in here. Instantly I became claustrophobic. Air had been sucked from my lungs. The walls were moving in on me. Okay, I was being dramatic, but that was what the panic attacks did to me. I couldn’t help it. I ran over to the door and twisted the knob. Thank goodness she hadn’t locked me in there. I would have completely lost my mind.

  Actually, it would have served me right for coming here alone. What a dummy. Lesson learned though… I hoped. What would I do now? They expected me to wait around in here? Already it felt as if the air was leaving the room. I supposed I could just sit down and act calm. That was what the leader of the Underworld should do and it would be the wise thing to do. I suppose I could distract myself with my phone. Reading the news? Checking Instagram? I wasn’t known for always doing the wise thing. I released a deep breath. I’d leave the door open.

  Now that I was alone in this confined space I decided to go ahead and have a seat. Maybe it would calm my nerves and help me by being in a more relaxed position. Then again, maybe I would be more vulnerable sitting down. What was I thinking? I had nothing to worry about. I was the leader of the Underworld. Not that it mattered one bit to the vampires. They weren’t exactly happy with me. So it was understandable that I was a little suspicious of their motives. Nicolas knew I had a meeting here. If I didn’t return he would come looking for me. The vampires wouldn’t want me to use my magic on them… and I would if I had to.

  Nonetheless, I pulled out the chair and sat down at the table. I was right at the end so that I could get a good view of the entire room. I didn’t want anyone sneaking in on me and maybe attacking my neck for a little afternoon treat. Again, what was I thinking? I was beginning to sound way too paranoid. Panic had definitely set in. I tapped my fingers against the top of the table and then glanced at my watch. I tried to look at my phone, but I was too distracted by my anxiety.

  What was taking them so long? I’d already been in there for a minute. Shouldn’t they be there? Actually it was rude of them to be late. I suppose they were punishing me. They thought they’d teach me a lesson. They couldn’t expect me to wait much longer. I shifted in the seat and looked at my watch again. Okay, now it had been a minute and thirty seconds. Should I just take off? I was beginning to feel like I couldn’t breathe in this room. Why didn’t they have windows? Oh, yeah, the whole vampire thing.

  I fidgeted in the chair for a few moments longer, and just as I was about to check my watch for the third time, noise caught my attention. When I looked over at the door, I saw people all filing in one by one. The men and women came into the room and took their places around the table. The group had dressed professionally for the meeting—all of them in some form of business attire. Maybe this was more serious than I realized.I realized this wasn’t a casual chitchat. They watched my every move the entire time, which gave me the creeps even more. Chills covered my body and I had a difficult time breathing.

  I sat up a little straighter, hoping that it would give the illusion that I was confident, self-assured, and completely in control. On the inside, I never felt that way. I tried, but there was always doubt. I didn’t know why. I could blame my mother. She’d given me quite the complex when I was a child. Regardless, I knew she had only been trying to protect me. I guessed I felt as if being the leader was way over my head. However, I’d been able to handle it pretty darn well, so when would I finally stop thinking this way? Oh, well, I supposed as long as the vampires didn’t know, then I was good.

  I just wanted to find out why they had me here, get it over with and then get out of there. Then I could finally see some sunshine again. Oh how I longed for blue skies again. Sure,it had only been a few minutes, but that was what happened when I let the panic attacks take over. Okay, it had only been like twenty minutes since I arrived, but I was freaking out.

  The head of the vampire association was a woman with long dark hair. In only a couple long steps she crossed the room. She was dressed in a form-fitting black blazer with matching skirt. Her black four-inch heels were to die for. Were they Christian Louboutins? Never mind. I needed to focus. Cassandra Delaney had only recently had she been appointed to lead the vampires. She took the seat at the other end of the table, so even though it was a long table, we were sitting across from each other. Our eyes locked on each other’s.

  I kind of wanted to wait for her to start doing the talking, but I figured that was a bad move on my part because it wouldn’t look as if I was in charge.

  So I continued to stare her down as I asked her, “To what do I owe this pleasure today? Why have I been invited to your lovely office?”

  That was when I focused on each and every person at that table, making eye contact. It kind of worked because it looked as if a few of them felt a little bit uncomfortable with the way that I stared at them. Maybe I had done something right after all. I supposed that self-esteem boost spell I did before I got here had really worked and finally kicked in. Now I made a decision. No more doubting myself. I was the leader now and I had to stop second-guessing myself. I would be strong and confident from here on out. Sure, people would always tease me for being the formerly bad witch, but I was okay with that. I could handle good-hearted teasing. My witchcraft was so good lately and I definitely wasn’t complaining. My spells had been bad for so many years I had honestly lost all hope and figured I was just a bad witch. However, now that was the complete opposite. I just had to keep that up for the rest of this meeting.

  A smile slid over Cassandra’s face, exposing her fangs. “Thank you so much for coming, Ms. LaVeau. We all appreciate it.” She looked at the rest of the group, as if signaling for them to respond as well.

  I smiled and nodded. “You’re welcome.”

  “Yes, thank you so much for coming. We’re happy to see you,” the group said at the same time.

  Did they prepare that statement? Whatever.

  “Well, I really appreciate that, thank you, but I do have another appointment.” I glanced at my watch. That wa
sn’t true, but I said it anyway. “So I kind of need to get this meeting rolling, if you don’t mind. Not to rush you all or anything.”

  I really just wanted to get out of there.

  “Of course, of course,” she said, again flashing her fangs as she smiled. She placed her hands on the table and folded her fingers together. “Well, as you may know—actually, I know you do know—there have been several murders of vampires lately, and, well, we want to find out what’s going on. We feel threatened and we want to put an end to this madness.” She stared straight at me without blinking.

  I knew what murders she was referring to, but I’d also looked into them and realized that they weren’t connected in any way to the fact that the victims were vampires. And I told her as such. I wasn’t a detective. I’d reviewed the Underworld detective’s findings, and they seemed accurate to me. I had concurred with his findings that the murders weren’t connected.

  “I appreciate that you have looked into them.” She smirked.

  I knew she was being sarcastic at this point.

  She continued, “But we feel differently. I think if you will give this a chance and look into the real facts behind this you will see otherwise. And you’ll see that there is a real danger. And as you’re the leader of the Underworld, we deserve for you to look into this.”

  Well, there was no pressure there. The entire room was staring at me with the tips of their fangs pointing out over their bottom lips. Were they trying to intimidate me? Actually, it was kind of working, but I didn’t want to let them know that. They had a valid point. If they really felt that these murders were connected then I supposed it deserved another look. However, I wasn’t a private investigator and I wasn’t even trained in law enforcement, or criminal anything for that matter. How was I supposed to know? Sure, I had the help of Underworld detectives like Liam, Nicolas, and others. They had been detectives when I’d met them. That dark and stormy night when Nicolas had shown up at my door. Little did I know he’d been sent there because I was the new leader. I’d discovered the Book of Mystics earlier that day. Liam had shown up the next day. The brothers had a fierce competition with each other. It was better now, but still there somewhat. The rest was history. I would just have to ask them for help. They could look into this further. There had been detectives who had checked it out, but one more glance over it couldn’t hurt, right?