Spell of the Ball (8 Magical Halloween Reads) Read online

  “By using you as a donor for her blood transfusion.”

  “Jesus. Blood transfusion? I told you she’s nuts. It wouldn’t work anyway. Only the spring has the power. But listen, Kelly, and believe me, there was nothing even remotely close to love between Candy and me. Seriously, it was just a few dates in high school.”

  “Used her for casual sex and then swept her aside, got it.”

  “No. It wasn’t like that either.”

  “Don’t worry. I’m just giving you a hard time. That stuff doesn’t matter to me.” At least I tried not to let it bug me. It was time to grill Candy about the other bears. “And what about your mom’s bears that showed up in town today, Miss Bear Stalker? Were you going to capture them, too?”

  “Those bears are werebears? My mom’s circus bears? No way! Her bears are with her…someplace in Europe.”

  “I wouldn’t bet on it,” Morgan said. “Kelly used a spell to free them. Now they’re right here in Caldron Falls.”

  “My mom will be coming for them. You are all going to be really screwed once I tell her you were the witches responsible for taking her bears away.”

  Professor Bologna interrupted his daughter. “Ursula’s bears are in Caldron Falls? This cannot be happening. Candy, those bears are vicious. They’re absolutely insane. This changes everything.”

  “Hmm. I think it’s time to make a deal. Gabe, I heard you whispering to Kelly. Something about a spring? You said, ‘only the spring has that power’. What spring?”

  “Spring? You heard wrong,” Gabe growled.

  The professor’s face lit up. “The legend! It must be the Ojibwe legend of the magic spring! That’s the place where warriors were transformed into werebears. Then it’s true! All these years of research...” Something in him changed when he realized the possibilities. “Take me to that spring, Gabe. I must see it.” Without warning, he slipped a small pistol from the jacket of his lab coat and aimed it at Morgan. “Put the wand down, young lady, or your friend gets it. As long as everyone does as I say, I won’t be forced to use this gun.”

  “Better listen to my dad. You think I’m crazy? He’s got your crazy.”

  “Hold on a sec, Doctor Bologna.” I slowly lowered my wand. “I thought you weren’t exactly okay with your daughter kidnapping a werebear for nefarious purposes, and now you pull a gun in order to learn Gabe’s secret? What’s your agenda?”

  “If this was thirty years ago, I’d tell you that my agenda is purely academic—a borderline obsessive curiosity I suppose, but nonetheless academic in nature. It’s true, I seduced Ursula to get close to the bears, but it’s also true that she imprisoned me with her bears when she found out I was only using her. I grew to hate those bears. She eventually kicked me out after I served my time in circus bear hell. Now, I’ve learned Ursula’s bears are here and you can bet they will remember me. Hell, they may be hunting for me as we speak. Listen, Candy, the last thing I want is for my only child to become a bear. However, if I were the one to become a bear like Gabe, I would be able to protect you. Plus, it might be my only way to survive Ursula’s circus bears.”

  “I don’t think the spring works like you assume it does, Professor,” Gabe argued.

  Oscar waved his gun like he was shooing us toward the door. “We’ll see. Pick up your friend and let’s get moving.”

  Gabe picked up Ezzy’s limp body and slung her over his big shoulders. I didn’t care for the way Candy was eyeing up Gabe’s hot, naked body. I had to think of something to say to her. “You know something, Candy. I don’t think you and Gabe ever had anything meaningful. Otherwise, he would have taken you up to the magic spring. Like he did with me.”

  Candy tore her eyes off of him and glared at me. “Yeah, well, I’ve had that plenty of times.” She pointed at Gabe’s flaccid member. “It may be a Porsche, but it may as well be a Geo if the driver can’t figure out how to handle it.”

  Morgan had apparently decided to keep score between me and my rival. “Ooh, that was pretty harsh. Candy takes the lead, and I’m ready to call this contest in her favor.”

  “Not so fast. Sounds to me like Gabe didn’t find anything exciting down your dirty, dead end road. It’s clearer than ever to me now. You didn’t have anything special with him like I do. We have awesome sex. That’s because I’m the one he truly loves. He doesn’t hold back, not even his ninth inch. I’m talking the mind-blowing, think-you’ve-died-and-came-back-to-life kind of sex. Truly, it’s incredible.”

  “Ouch!” Morgan made tally marks in the air. “Upon further review, fifty points is awarded to Gryffindor for that smack down. Kelly wins.”

  Gabe sealed the deal by pulling me over with his free arm, kissing me passionately. I don’t think it was accidental when he swung Ezzy’s ass in Candy’s face.

  The professor waved his gun once again. “Knock it off. Use your powers, witch. I’ve seen how Ursula uses a miniature broom, I’m sure you have one, too. Take us all to that spring. We don’t have time to waste.”

  “Actually, I’ll need my wand for that.” He didn’t need to know about the tiny broom I had hidden in my pocket. I’d use any excuse I could to get my wand back.

  “Very well.” The professor nodded and I bent down to retrieve my wand.

  Chapter 9

  At some point during our transport through time and space, Esmeralda was freed from Gabe’s shoulder. She landed with a graceless “thump” on the muddy shore of the spring. Because Gabe and I were familiar with the area, the full moon provided more than enough light to find our way.

  You would think this would end with the professor and his daughter diving into the magic water, returning as werebears. I have to be honest, I really didn’t care what they did. My mission was to free Gabe. And the sooner these oddballs were out of the picture, the sooner I could focus on the impossible objective, returning the circus bears to Ursula.

  I always say expect the unexpected. That night was no exception, things turned out a little differently.

  The moonlight penetrated the clear magic water and reflected on the white stone bottom. The glow projected an ethereal light show. “It’s beautiful here in the moonlight, Gabe. It’s like a miniature version of the northern lights.”

  Gabe picked up Ezzy and sat her upright against a tree. “I never thought of it like that, Kelly. You’re right.”

  Esmeralda’s soft mumbling and moaning made me wonder if the fall shook her free from the sedative’s power.

  “Is Ezzy okay?” Morgan asked, kneeling down to check her over.

  “Hey!” Gabe squeaked and jumped away from Ezzy. “Easy on the merchandise!”

  “She’ll be fine,” Morgan said. “She just grabbed two handfuls of werebear balls.”

  “I’m going to have to fight these women off of you. You should make a habit of carrying a spare set of clothes in a backpack, Gabe.”

  The professor stooped down and tested the water temperature with his hand. “So, this is it. According to the legend, I need to swim to the bottom. When I come back up, I’ll be able to change into a bear. Isn’t that right, Gabe?”

  “Shh! Listen.” The professor held his head up and cupped one ear. “I heard splashing. I think someone is in the water.”

  “Here, let me light this place up.” I drew a circle in the air with my wand and repeated the words, “Lucreat lux.” The tip flashed, instantly bathing us in a dazzling light. There was something splashing around in the pond all right, a beaver.

  “Shoo!” Candy smacked the water with a stick, but the blasé beaver paddled slowly across the surface, undaunted by Candy’s harassment. “Shoot it, Dad. I can’t jump in the water with a giant rat.”

  “I’m the one going in, not you.” The professor placed the pistol in his daughter’s hands. “Don’t let them do anything stupid.”

  “Really? Might as well shoot them now,” Candy joked.

  The professor stripped down to his boxers and waded into the spring. He held his arms out and made his way slowly to dee
per water. “Be careful, Dad!”

  “What’s the worst that could happen? If it doesn’t work, I’ll still be myself.” The water rippled around his neck. “I’ll be right back.” Those were his parting words before his head disappeared under the surface.

  I whispered to Gabe, “Gabe, we need to come up with a plan. I can handle these two, but we still need to figure out what to do about Ursula’s bears.”

  “I’m pretty confident I can break the curse so they can have their shifter ability again.” Gabe pointed to the professor’s body slicing through the glimmering depth of the spring. “This spring won’t do anything for Professor Nutjob, but it’ll work on a werebear. Just let me know when you want me to round them up.”

  We watched the professor dive down to where the skeletal remains of an old hemlock covered the bubbling water source. He grabbed a branch to hold himself down as he looked in to the dark crevice, the source of the sacred water. He waited too long and when he finally attempted to resurface, he got snagged by the tree. Suddenly, the professor was in a life and death struggle.

  “Damn it. He’s caught on the branches. Another damn midnight swim and another chance to drown, just like the last time.” Gabe was ready to dive in, but Candy beat him to the water. She was going to help her dad. I noticed the pistol laying on Candy’s discarded jeans and I quickly picked it up. There was no way those two were getting it back. I was bound and determined to make sure the nutty professor and his crazy daughter had lost their advantage.

  Ezzy stumbled over to the shore where we watched the underwater drama unfold. She noted Gabe’s nudity. “Now this is what I’m talking about. I hope I’m not too late to get in on some of this.” Her hands clumsily floundered around as she tried to peel off her leather outfit.

  Morgan took Ezzy’s arm over her shoulder and led her back to the tree. “Candy showed up and shot you with a tranquilizer dart.”

  “You mean to say I’ve been drugged and didn’t even get to enjoy it?”

  While Morgan attended to Ezzy, Gabe and I watched Candy free her father. They rocketed up and broke the surface, gasping for air. As soon as they finally crawled onto the shore, Gabe checked to make sure they were okay. When he returned, he whispered, “Whatever your plan is, now would be a good time to kick it off.” He nodded to me. He was right, and I knew exactly what to do. I took out my mini-broom and prepared to transport everyone back to the institute.

  “Gabe, gather up our nocturnal swim team. Morgan, get Ezzy on her feet. We’re going back to the institute. I’ve got a plan, and I need to make a couple of phone calls.”

  Chapter 10

  Morgan secured the cage’s heavy latch. The resounding clink was satisfying. “Karma’s a bitch.”

  I briefly and quietly explained my plan to Gabe, Ezzy, and Morgan. Once they were on board, I walked around the corner to make a quick call to Randy and Gertie.

  “So, what’s the grand plan? You know we’re probably already able to shift into bears. You can let us go, and I promise we’ll leave,” Candy whined from the cage the moment I stepped back into her line of sight.

  I lowered my wand and Gabe unloaded the pistol as he winked at me. “Gabe, do you want to tell them?”

  “Sure. Here’s the deal, Candy. I tried to tell your dad that the spring does not simply create werebears. It only has the power to create a were-being that manifests your true spirit animal. Aren’t you curious to see what you’ve become? Who knows? You could be a graceful swan and your father a wise owl.” Gabe was taunting Candy. Even he wasn’t above dishing out some payback.

  “I think you’re bad mouthing some nice spirit animals, Gabe,” Morgan said.

  “All you have to do is feel the energy inside and focus. You’ll notice that it builds up very quickly, then the shift happens. It will be hard to control at first, but eventually you’ll master it. When you get to that point, you may never shift again if you don’t want to.”

  “I can’t wait!” The professor closed his eyes and held onto the cage bars. “Come on, Candy. Let’s see if we can shift.” Candy copied her father’s actions. Together, they gritted their teeth and grunted.

  “Don’t hurt yourselves!” I couldn’t help but laugh. It really served them right for knowingly capturing Gabe, planning to take his blood, tranquilizing Ezzy, and of course, pulling a gun on us. “Show them how it’s done, baby.”

  Gabe stretched and feigned a yawn. “Easy.” He blinked and the change occurred. It’s a sight that never ceases to amaze me. One second, Gabe was there in all of his sexiness. The next second, a bear was in his place. I never realized the American black bear can have a variety of color phases. Other than jet black, they can be chocolate colored or white and of course my favorite, cinnamon—Gabe’s color. He leaned forward and became the majestic jumbo sized furball of my dreams.

  “Aw, what’s wrong, Professor? You guys aren’t changing.” I was perhaps a little over the top with sarcasm, just a tad, but it was too fun not to. “Try harder people! I know you can do it!” They both gripped the cage so hard their knuckles turned white and they grunted like constipated gorillas. “What do you think, ladies? Can they do it?”

  “I say we run some experiments on their conniving asses,” Ezzy said as she rubbed her swollen thigh. “That fucking dart was no joke. Morgan, hand me that dart rifle. Time to light their asses up.”

  “No, no. We can’t stoop to their level.”

  “Speak for yourself, sister. I’m not above turning them into pincushions. Ugh! I guess I did promise to stick with your plan.” Ezzy climbed onto Gabe’s back like she was a cowboy getting on his horse. “Don’t get too excited, big boy, this is only until I find my broom. Your bear thinks my broom is up by the spring. I don’t even remember going there.” Just before they disappeared down the corridor, she shouted, “I’ll be back with your special order. Ciao.”

  “Thanks, Ezzy. Be careful, Gabe.” I gave them a little wave, then my attention returned to the prisoners. “While they’re out taking care of something, there is someone I want you to meet. I’ve called her in here to help you get through your first shift. You could say she’s a specialist in paranormal creatures.” I called over my shoulder, “Oh Gerr-tie! You’re up!”

  Gertie donned one of the white lab coats and approached the cage. “I hear you two are having a difficult time shifting? No worries, it’s normal to experience some anxiety your first time. Sometimes that anxiety can cause some serious performance issues. I’ve got just the ticket for shiftile dysfunction.” Gertie took a small velvet bag from the pocket of the coat. “Oh, I nearly forgot. You’ll never guess who I ran into when I arrived in town tonight, a group of very talented and likeable grizzly bears.”

  “No! Don’t tell me you brought them here! Not with us locked in a cage like this. Dad, tell her how bad they are!”

  Gertie feigned surprise and concern. “Really? Because I had a very interesting conversation with them. They were very grateful for being set free from that cruel circus life and were quite surprised when they saw Candy in the town square. I believe they said when they rushed toward you, they were trying to greet you. Or maybe they said they were trying to eat you. Ah, you know how hard translating Bearish can be. Anyway, they weren’t very happy when they saw you shoot Gabe with that dart. And when they saw your dad hauling him away, they really got upset. Apparently, there’s some bad blood between those bears and your dad.”

  The professor interceded, “Please, just help us shift. It’s our only way to survive.”

  “Okay! Relax.” Gertie opened the bag and poured a small amount of pink powder in the palm of her hand. “Now, concentrate. Try to shift.” Candy and her father doubled their earlier efforts. Gertie drew in a deep breath and blew the powder in their faces.

  Once the two prisoners stopped coughing and gagging, they fell to the floor of the cage. “What? What was that stuff?” Candy’s voice was uncharacteristically meek.

  The professor crawled close to the bars. “How long will i
t take?”

  “Just relax. It’ll make it much easier to shift. Candy, did you know those circus bears are really werebears that can’t shift back? Those poor creatures told me they were cursed by your mother. It takes a lot to upset me. Isn’t that true, Kelly?”

  “Oh, that’s certainly true. The only thing that makes you mad is cruelty to animals…and paranormals.”

  The cage shook violently from the inhabitants convulsions. It only took minutes for the professor and his daughter to change into grizzly bears.

  Our conversation was interrupted by a crack of thunder. A cloud of green smoke appeared and out of it stepped Randy with a witch I had never seen. She was a tall, thin, dark haired woman. She was dressed in black from head to toe. In one hand she held a wand and a bullwhip in the other.

  Randy loved to act a part. “Hello everyone! Say hello to the legendary Ursula. She put a BOLOB out for missing paranormal circus bears, so I contacted her and told her a couple may have been captured.”

  Morgan, Gertie, and I greeted her in harmony. “Hello, Ursula!”

  “What’s a BOLOB?” Gertie asked.

  “Be on the lookout for bears,” Randy replied.

  “Great. More cheerful witches. This one, who calls himself Randy, tells me you’ve captured two of my missing bears.”

  “Yep! Got two of ‘em right here in this cage.” I slapped my hand on the cage door.

  “Hmm. You sure they’re mine? How would you really know?” Ursula seemed skeptical.

  “Most definitely. Gertie can communicate with bears and she swears they shifted.”

  “Is that right, Gertie?”

  “Yes, ma’am. A bit disoriented, but they definitely were shifters, and now stuck in bear form.”

  “Good. Thank you. I suppose you expect some type of reward now,” Ursula grumbled.

  “No. No reward expected,” I answered.

  “Hold on. There is one thing.” Randy whispered something in Ursula’s ear.

  “Fair enough. Consider it done.” Ursula raised the whip and brought it down expertly. The long whip straightened out and made a distinctive sound of a gunshot. The green cloud returned and when it drifted away, Ursula, Candy, and the professor were gone.