Almost Charmed Read online

  If this was a guest, he would think I was so rude. In my defense though he should have gone to the front door first. If he knew what I had to deal with then this man wouldn’t blame me for being a bit testy. I guessed I could’ve asked his intentions in slightly nicer tone.

  The man tossed his hand up in a wave then headed our way. He seemed friendly enough. Nicolas and I met the man halfway across the yard.

  “I’m sorry if I startled you,” I said. “But I wasn’t expecting a guest.”

  “I’m sorry I went to the door but no one answered.” He motioned.

  That was strange that I hadn’t heard the bell. The chimes on the doorbell played Little Richard’s Keep A Knockin’ But You Can’t Come in. That had been my mother’s idea.

  The man held a clipboard. “Are you Ms. LaVeau?” he asked, looking at the papers.

  “Yes, I’m Ms. LaVeau,” I said.

  I always answered that question hesitantly

  “Okay, well, we’re here to set up the fireworks.”

  “Excuse me?” I asked with wide eyes.

  “You ordered the fireworks for a wedding,” he said.

  “I didn’t order fireworks,” I said.

  “I can show you the order right here.” He handed me the clipboard.

  “My mother said,” I said under my breath after checking the paper. “I told her nothing elaborate. Fireworks are elaborate.”

  “You getting married?” the man asked.

  “Yes, we’re getting married.” I pointed to Nicolas.

  Nicolas shook the man’s hand.

  “Congratulations. The fireworks are already paid for so you might as well go through with it.”

  I wasn’t sure that I agreed with that.

  “Can I get a refund?” I asked.

  “Sorry, no refunds,” the man said.

  My mother probably paid him to say that.

  “All right, well, where would you like to set them up?”

  “How about way over there.” He pointed using the clipboard.

  “That’s fine,” I said.

  “Can you do it on the right side of the property because we’ll be having the ceremony over here on the left.” Nicolas asked.

  “Not a problem,” he said.

  “Is this dangerous in any way?” I asked.

  “Absolutely not. We’ll be here to take care of everything.”

  “I don’t want anyone to catch fire or anything to burn down,” I said.

  “Nothing like that will happen. I just need you to sign this waiver though.” He gestured toward the clipboard.

  “What does this say?” I asked.

  “It just states that you agree that we aren’t responsible in case anything burns down. Or if anyone is harmed.”

  “You just said nothing like that would happen.”

  “Just be on the safe side.”

  “Just to be on the safe side would mean we have no fireworks at all.” I signed my name reluctantly to the page.

  “Thank you very much,” he said. “And if you need anything or have any other questions just let me know.”

  The only other questions I had right now was that I was calling my mother and telling her I was unhappy with her fireworks order. What else did she have planned?

  Chapter 2

  The moment was finally here. My nerves were overwhelming. My legs quaked and my arms shook too. I felt dizzy. The music had started and it was time for me to walk down the aisle. My gorgeous gown was white with silk. It had beads along the front and back with a long train. I wore a lace veil with a crown.

  People sat in the backyard of LaVeau Manor waiting for me to walk down the aisle. Nicolas was standing at the end of the aisle. Liam, his best man, was beside him. Were we really going through with this? I had said yes when he asked me to marry him. I wanted to get married. And I loved Nicolas. I inhaled a deep breath and prepared myself for the biggest moment of my life. Yes, this was even bigger than when I’d discovered I was the leader of the Underworld.

  The backyard was decorated with white chairs and a white runner that led to an ornate arch covered with white roses. My mother had actually gotten married here not long ago, in the same spot, so it seemed perfect that I would be married here too. It was a beautiful spring day. The sun shone in the bright blue sky.

  The weather was perfect for this occasion. There was absolutely nothing that would keep us from getting married this time. Even the ghosts seemed to be staying away. Or they could be here, and I didn’t know it, but as long as they were quiet, I was fine with that.

  My best friend Annabelle Preston was my maid of honor. She looked beautiful in her pale pink dress. It was form-fitting with tiny straps and tiny little beads around the trim. Her blonde hair was up in a French twist and she held her bouquet of pink and white roses.

  My heart beat fast as the music played. It was time for me to go down the aisle. Annabelle’s dad Noah was walking me down the aisle. I hadn’t seen my father for years.

  “Are you ready?” Noah asked.

  I released a deep breath, hoping that I wouldn’t faint.

  “I’m ready,” I said.

  He looped his arm through mine and we turned around the corner of the manor. My heart pounded as we made our way over to the gathering of guests. When the music started, we headed down the aisle. Everyone stood from their chairs and turned their attention to me. I’d never had this many people watching me. Having all eyes on me was extremely unsettling.

  Right away I spotted Pluto sitting on one of the folding chairs. I wasn’t surprised that Pluto had taken a seat. Thomas sat next to him. Pluto hissed at Thomas. My familiar looked handsome in his beige suit and blue tie. The clothing colors brought out the green in his eyes. Today his hair was caramel colored with blonde highlights. I never knew what shade Thomas would have from one day to the next. Nearby a raven perched along one of oak tree branches. His cawing captured my attention. Was that some kind of omen?

  Had the day gotten hotter or was it just me? I just hoped I didn’t sweat in the dress. My thoughts were all over the place. I should be thinking about marrying the man I loved. But I knew it was just the anxiety taking over. Once the wedding was over we would have a fantastic time on our honeymoon. A tropical paradise with fun in the sun.

  “Are you doing okay?” Annabelle’s dad asked.

  “I’m all right,” I said out of the corner of my mouth, trying to smile at the same time.

  Before we took another step a loud bang rang out. Then another one. Followed by several more. Everyone screamed and jumped from their chairs. They hit the ground. Some crawled under chairs while others attempted to make it to the manor for cover.

  When I looked toward the river, I saw the fireworks shooting into the sky. Who even had fireworks at a daytime wedding? This was a catastrophe and that was putting it mildly.

  “Everyone calm down,” I yelled. “It’s only fireworks.”

  My mother ran over to me. “What’s happening, Halloween?”

  “The fireworks you ordered are now going off.”

  She clutched her chest. “This wedding is going to kill me yet.”

  I spotted the man who I had spoken with earlier. He stood in stunned silence.

  “What’s going on?” I asked.

  “A technical glitch. Sorry about that. We should have it under control soon, and don’t worry, there will still be fireworks left.”

  I didn’t even want the fireworks to begin with.

  “Just get them to stop. We haven’t even gotten married yet.”

  I’d barely finished the sentence when the loud ruckus stopped. I released a deep breath. Thank goodness that was over. I hoped the fireworks had finished for good though.

  “Everyone, please take a seat,” I yelled. “Everything is fine.”

  In the chaos surrounding me I had no idea who was even around. Faces were blurred. I was having a panic attack. It was no wonder. I’d already been stressed before the fireworks incident. My vision cleared just a b
it. Enough to see Annabelle’s father in front of me again.

  “Should we start over again?” he asked.

  “I suppose we have no choice but start over,” I said.

  “Well, you always have a choice,” he said.

  I released a deep breath. “I’m ready to start over.”

  Somehow the music started again. I was still in a daze though, like I was in a tunnel and only saw two steps in front of me. The guests attire and appearance didn’t look nearly as put together now. Hair styles were tousled and clothing askew.

  Nicolas stood at the end of the aisle, looking probably exactly like me, dazed and like he was about to faint. Liam stood beside him. Even with the chaos, they both looked absolutely gorgeous in their tuxedos. The minister smiled and waited for me to finally reach the end of the aisle. This must have been the craziest ceremony he’d ever taken part of. It seemed as if this trip was taking forever.

  My mother sat at the end of the aisle staring back at me while wiping tears away at the same time. It had taken over an hour at the salon to pile my mother’s blonde har into the sky-high updo. Somehow through the madness she’d managed to keep her hair intact. Was she using some kind of magic? I hadn’t sensed any in the air, but with my emotions out of sort perhaps I wasn’t picking up on it. No doubt the people sitting behind my mother wouldn’t have a clear view of the altar. Her silk dress was a gorgeous shade of blush pink.

  Coven members from different areas and people who worked in the Underworld along with other family members sat along each side of the aisle. Coven members sat on Nicolas’ side, but no family members. There was a reason for that.

  After what seemed like an eternity, we reached the end of the aisle. I thanked Annabelle’s father and he stepped away, taking a seat on the front next to my mother. Annabelle smiled.

  “You look beautiful,” I said.

  “You know you’re gorgeous,” she said with a wink.

  Nicolas and I held hands as the minister started to speak.

  “We are gathered here today to celebrate the love of Nicolas Marcos and Halloween LaVeau.”

  My mother sobbed from over my shoulder. I didn’t turn around and look at her because that would only make matters worse. For a split second, I looked at Nicolas and noticed a funny expression on his face. It was unlike any look I’d ever seen from him. And now I was starting to get a bit nervous. What was happening? The minister was still talking but it was as if everything was muted.

  Things were kind of getting dizzy. I really hoped that I didn’t faint right here. That would be embarrassing. I needed to just inhale and exhale, taking some calming breaths. Now was the part where I was supposed to repeat after the minister. I said my vows and smiled at Nicolas. He still had that strange look on his face. Now it was his turn.

  But instead of saying that he vowed to honor and respect, blah, blah, he said, “Hallie, I’m sorry, but I just can’t do this.”

  Couldn’t do what? What was happening? Now I really thought I would faint. My legs wobbled and my heart thumped wildly. Things were spinning even more, and the edges of my vision grew dark.

  “You can’t do what?” I managed to mumble.

  “Hallie, can we go talk in private?” Nicolas asked.

  I didn’t want to look at the wedding guests, but something made me do it anyway. I glanced back at the audience of friends and relatives staring at us. Some people had wide eyes of shock while others had mouths open. My mother looked like she might pass out at any moment as she clutched the tiny white chair.

  I peeked over my shoulder at Annabelle. She looked stunned as well. Liam stared down at his shiny black shoes. Had he known Nicolas was going to do this? And if so, why hadn’t he said anything? Now I was furious. I had a mixture of hurt, fear, and anger all at once. I didn’t think I’d ever felt that way.

  “Sure, we can talk.” I turned to everyone and said, “We’ll be just a moment, please, if you can wait.”

  People mumbled and some nodded. Clearly, they had no how idea how to react. Neither did I. Not waiting for Nicolas, I started down the aisle. Humiliation overwhelmed me as everyone watched my walk back down the aisle. I sensed Nicolas’ presence right behind me.

  It seemed to take forever to get out of there. This was not how I’d anticipated us walking out of the wedding. I’d thought we would be hand in hand, smiling and married. Now my heart beat fast and everything was basically in a fog. Nicolas and I stepped into the kitchen. Where would we even start? I spun around and faced him. He looked sick and I knew I felt sick.

  “Okay, so what’s going on, Nicolas? Why did you do this?”

  “Can we just sit down?” He gestured.

  “I don’t want to sit down. You can sit down if you want but I don’t want to. I want to stand.” I tossed the bouquet of flowers onto the counter.

  “Okay, fine, we’ll stand,” he said. “It’s just that you know what I want to talk to you about.”

  “Know what that you want to talk to me about?” I asked. “Why don’t you just say it?”

  “About you being the leader of the Underworld,” he said.

  Oh, no. Not this again.

  “I thought we had moved past that,” I said.

  “I just don’t think I can do this anymore, Hallie.” His face was etched with sorrow.

  “Do what anymore?” I asked, crossing my arms in front of my chest.

  “After what happened to my mother, I can’t deal with this from you too.” His voice wavered.

  “You can’t deal with this?” I repeated as if to clarify what I’d heard.

  “There’s always going to be someone coming after you and I just can’t live my life worrying about that and looking over my shoulder all the time. I have to step back.”

  Fury and hurt raced through every vein in my body at the same time. “You’re saying you don’t want to be married?”

  “If you quit being the leader of the Underworld right now then I’ll walk down the aisle with you this very second, but unless you quit, I can’t go through with this wedding.” His words didn’t waver this time.

  This wasn’t exactly fair. He was giving me an ultimatum? Something that I had to decide in the next ten seconds? I loved Nicolas and I would definitely give up being the leader of the Underworld for him, but I didn’t like the fact that he was giving me an ultimatum. Today it was a request to give up my leadership status, but what would it be tomorrow?

  I tossed my hands up. “I just don’t understand this, Nicolas. Your problem is me being the leader of the Underworld now, but what if I give that up and then you decide on something else that you don’t like? I have to give that up too? Why don’t we have any compromise? I’m willing to meet you halfway but I just don’t want our marriage to start with this.”

  He ran his hand through his hair. “I just don’t think I can make a compromise on this thing. But I promise it will be the only thing.”

  Just hearing him say that made me realize even more that what he told me wasn’t true and I just couldn’t make this huge decision in only a few seconds. I needed time and I wished he would’ve told me this before the wedding. Before all our friends and family gathered in the backyard. Before we had the cake and all the decorations. Before we had booked our honeymoon. Before I’d planned to spend my whole life with him.

  Chapter 3

  I wasn’t sure what to say. Where did we go from here? I stared at Nicolas and wondered how we had come to this. What would I tell everyone? How would I go on with my life?

  “That’s why you don’t want to marry me? Because I’m the leader of the Underworld?” I studied his face.

  Somehow, he looked different to me now. As if I was seeing him in an all new light.

  “I don’t understand why you won’t compromise with me.” He stepped forward, but I held my hand up to stop him.

  “You do understand the meaning of compromise, right?” I asked. “Because I told you I was willing to do that.”

  “What does that mean?”
Nicolas asked.

  “It means that we can take further security precautions. I can still be the leader but you don’t have to worry as much.”

  He shook his head. “That will never work.”

  “So what you’re saying is inevitably, I’m doomed,” I said.

  “That’s what I think, yes. I told you from the beginning I didn’t want you to be the leader. Liam pushed and pushed, and this is what happened. This was so typical of him. Everything in his life has always been about him and what he thinks is best. Not what is best for everyone else.”

  “I don’t see it that way.” I crossed my arms in front of me.

  “No, of course you wouldn’t.” His voice was full of resentment.

  “I don’t like your tone and I think you’re being unfair,” I said.

  “You don’t know him,” Nicolas said. “You think you do, but you don’t know him.”

  “I think I know him as well as I know you. Which obviously isn’t well at all. I’ll tell everyone that the wedding is off.” I was finished with this conversation.

  “Hallie, I wish you wouldn’t do this,” Nicolas said.

  “I wish you wouldn’t do a lot of things,” I snapped.

  “I’m leaving Enchantment Pointe,” Nicolas said.

  I walked over to the kitchen door, turned around and looked at him one last time. “If you come to your senses you can call me. Otherwise, I assume since you’re leaving Enchantment Pointe then you no longer want to be the leader of the Enchantment Pointe Coven.”

  He stared at me in silence for several moments before turning around and walking in the other direction out of the kitchen. Was he walking out of my life forever? Just a few moments earlier I’d thought he would be with me for the rest my life. How could he leave so easily?

  With my hand on the doorknob, I stood there for a moment wondering what I would do next. Nicolas had walked away, and I was going to let him. I couldn’t forgive him for waiting until the last minute to tell me the wedding was off and for giving me an ultimatum. I wasn’t sure I would ever get over this.

  Some of the guests were looking back at the manor, probably wondering where I was and what was happening. I didn’t think they could see me standing in the kitchen peering out at them. All of a sudden Thomas’ face popped up in front of the door’s window. I screamed and jumped back.