Maudlin's Mayhem (Bewitching Bedlam #2)(73)

Chapter 20





AS WE STARED up at the inn, it occurred to me that Ralph and I were getting dangerously close to starting a feud that could filter down through the ages. The Gallowglasses and the Greyhoofs could easily end up rivaling the Hatfields and the McCoys, and that wasn’t exactly the legacy I wanted to leave. But Honey had to go, and then, maybe we could talk some sense into the satyrs and get them calmed down. By we I meant Aegis and me, with Delia for backup.

“All right, you ask Lihi to tell me when you have Ralph’s attention. He needs to not see me sneaking in.” I hid behind one of the baby cedars that hadn’t had a chance to grow up nice and tall yet. It was six feet high and wide enough so that nobody should notice me from inside the house. If I was lucky, Honey wouldn’t come along on the outside to give me away.

Sandy nodded. “Heading in. Leave it to me.”

I didn’t know how she was going to distract him, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to know. Satyrs were horny buggers, and flirting was probably the most expedient route, but somehow, I really didn’t think Sandy had any interest in playing that game. We had caroused with satyrs for a long stretch after burning the vampire village, but those days were over and gone.

She headed into the inn and I leaned back against the tree, waiting. It was chilly, and it smelled like rain was coming, but I just ignored the weather, focusing instead on what I needed to do. I had my salt. I had the directions. All I had to do was climb the stairs, find the third room on the right, and then find Honey’s grounding root. She couldn’t very well carry a planter around with her all the time—it would look too weird.

A few minutes later, Lihi popped onto my shoulder.

I jumped. “Damn, girl, you startled me!”

She giggled. “Sorry, but it just kind of works that way. My mistress has distracted the satyr and it’s safe for you to go in now. You might want to be cautious. I think the stairs squeak.”

I nodded. “Thanks. Okay, go back and keep an eye on Sandy, if you would. I want to make certain she’s safe.”

As Lihi vanished, I darted across the lawn and softly took the porch steps two at a time. The screen door also squeaked—I remembered that from before, so I opened it slowly, easing it back so it wouldn’t make any noise.

The front door was ajar—Sandy must have left it that way for me and I blessed her heart. I slid inside and, seeing no one at the front desk, quickly crossed the foyer to the staircase leading up to the second floor. I began tiptoeing up the stairs, freezing as a faint squeak echoed on the third step. But nothing happened, and nobody appeared, so I continued up till I was standing in the hall. Now, all I had to do was find Honey’s room and we’d be done with this mess.

“Third door on the right.” I counted the doors and found myself in front of door number 205. “Okay, Miss Honey, we’re going to have ourselves a li’l bit of fun here,” I muttered as I took hold of the handle and turned. Except the door didn’t open. It was locked.

Hell, now what should I do? I could pick locks but I didn’t want to spend the time at it. I could melt the lock but that would be a little obvious and a stray spark might accidentally torch the inn and that wasn’t what I was after.

I paused, staring at the handle. Then, before I could figure out what to do, Lihi appeared again. “Sandy sent me back up to you. Ralph’s getting bored, but she still has his attention.”

A wave of relief flooded through me. “Lihi, can you get in there and open the door? Is there a deadbolt or something you can unlock?”

“Back in a flash.” She vanished and a moment later, I heard a soft click, and she reappeared. “Try it now.”

Once again, I turned the knob and this time it opened. I slipped inside, closing the door behind me. One look around told me this was Honey’s room. There were short shorts on the floor, along with a couple tank tops and what I figured were dirty underwear. A half-eaten sandwich sat on the nightstand, and a glass that had probably contained milk, though now just emanated a sour scent. Wrinkling my nose, I pressed forward, looking around for anything that might contain her grounding root.

“Looking for this?” The voice came from behind me.

I whirled to see Honey entering the room. She was carrying the same planter she had been when I saw her a couple days back, and the look on her face was no longer either charming or wide-eyed naive. In fact, she was about as naive as my lecherous cousin Kenny.

“So, you just couldn’t leave well enough alone? Ralph’s right. You’re a nuisance.” She moved into the room, her gaze fastened on me.

“And Ralph’s an asshole, as are you. We don’t care for Dirt Witches much around here. I’ll give you one chance. Gather your things and leave.” Hands on my hips, I decided that the best defense was a good offense, and I knew how to put up a good offense. “I’m the High Priestess of the Moonrise Coven, and we run this island. Your kind? Not welcome. At least not if they’re like you. I know you cast that spell on me.”

She moved into the room, holding the planter by her side. I backed away, quickly running over the things I could do. I needed to incapacitate her—hopefully without hurting her—and salt that damned root.

Honey set the planter down on the desk near the door. Her eyes narrowed, she took a step toward me, reaching in her pocket to bring out three roots. Crap. She was going to cast some sort of spell on me.