Charmed Ever After (The Halloween LaVeau Series Book 6) by Rose Pressey Page A

I’ll be right there.”
    I left money on the table for the waiter who’d had to deal with me not ordering. I decided to wait outside for Annabelle. It was already almost eight o’clock, so I knew that Nicolas and Liam definitely weren’t showing. This was not something they would have ever done and I knew they were in trouble.
    “Hang on, guys, I’m coming to get ya.”
    People looked at me strangely as I dashed out of the restaurant. A few people walking down the sidewalk cast a glance my way, but they soon turned their attention away when they realized there wasn’t an emergency.
    Traffic passed up and down the street. I looked at each car hoping to see Nicolas or Liam, but now I held out little hope. Was there an accident? I felt alone and scared as I waited against the brick building. 
    Soon Annabelle pulled up to the curb and I hopped in. She zoomed away from the curb and we headed toward the manor.
    “They still aren’t here?” she asked.
    I could have made a snarky remark, but my snarkiness just wasn’t in top form tonight.
    “They never showed up,” I said. “I have a bad feeling.”
    Annabelle cut the right turn sharply and I shifted in the seat. “We’ll find them, don’t worry.”
    I tapped my fingers nervously against the leather seat.
    “You’re giving me a panic attack with that tapping,” Annabelle said, glancing over at me.
    “Sorry, I’m just anxious.”
    “We’re almost there. Hang on,” Annabelle said.
    “We should park a little way down the street so that she doesn’t see your car.”
    “Good idea,” Annabelle said as she passed the driveway.
    We pulled over on the side of the road a little bit down from the manor. No other cars were on the road. The isolation became eerily evident now that we were in this situation. It always felt as if eyes were on me when I got anywhere near the manor.
    “We can walk back down there to see if we spot Nicolas’ or Liam’s cars in the driveway. Maybe she got rid of them already,” I said.
    “Don’t have such morbid thoughts,” Annabelle said as she cut the ignition.
    We walked down the side of the road toward the manor. We paused when we reached the gate. This time it was open. The gravel on the side of the road crunched under our feet. The sound of insects and the occasional bird taking flight from a nearby tree was the only other sounds. Millions of stars filled the sky above us. I felt as small as an ant under the expanse of the universe. 
    “The fact that this gate is open is a little unnerving,” I said.
    Annabelle leaned over slightly and peeked down the driveway. “It seems like a trap, doesn’t it?”
    “Like she’s the spider and we’re flies falling into her web. Nevertheless, I don’t think I have any other option.”
    Annabelle swallowed hard. “I guess you’re right.”
    We stepped closer and nothing happened. I waved my arm across the gate’s sensor and then my leg. It looked like I was doing the hokey pokey. That made us a little braver, so we moved even closer to the gate. I expected once we stepped inside that it would close on us. Monique was probably watching through the surveillance camera. Annabelle and I paused by the gate.
    Finally, I stepped forward, waving an arm and leg again. Nothing happened. That overwhelming since of being watched didn’t leave me. It sent chills up and down my spine. It was almost as if someone was draining my energy as I stood there. Could it be as simple as that? Witchcraft was always such a complex thing.
    “Are you ready?” I asked.
    She pushed her shoulders back. “Ready.”
    I held my breath as we stepped through the gate. To my surprise, the gate remained open. Monique was probably playing games, giving us a false sense of security. The tree branches began waving wildly. The trees swaying made a whistling sound as if they were talking to me and saying how glad they were to see me again. Yet there was another message—no doubt it was a warning to be careful. With