Broom and Gloom Read online

  "You're right," I said. "I hadn't thought of that."

  "This is going to be your inn, sweetheart. You can run it the way you want."

  "I think I'm going to do breakfast every day from seven until ten, and then do a tour. After that, the main house will be closed to guests. What do you think?"

  "I think that's a great idea."

  Chapter Three

  All of the materials were delivered the next day, and we had the trucks drop everything in the garage and behind the house. I didn't want to take the chance of anyone seeing them sitting around in the driveway even for a day.

  Once all the deliveries were made, and we were sure no one was around, Remy got started. It was one of the most amazing things I'd ever seen. The level of magic he had to use to accomplish his task was nothing short of a miracle. I could feel the power emanating from him.

  It was like he was conducting an orchestra. There were boards and nails flying through the air, but it was so graceful. The construction almost looked like a dance.

  The project took all day and into the early evening. He built the outer structures first, and then went inside and finished the interiors. Drywall, plumbing, and electrical work were all done with incredible speed. I augmented his magic when I could, but most importantly, I brought Remy drinks and snacks. Meri even stuck around outside to watch while also protecting Remy from getting hurt.

  I watched with amazement as Remy ran the electrical lines and plumbing to connect each of the bungalows to the house's main utilities. He peeled back the grass and dug up the ground with a flick of his fingers, laid the materials, and then covered it all back up again. Even when you looked closely, it was as if the ground had never been disturbed.

  "I guess we know what is on the agenda tomorrow," Remy said when it was all completed.

  "You're going to take a long rest. I can't believe you pulled that all off today. You've got to be tapped out."

  "We need paint, flooring, furniture, and I'm sure you'll want to decorate it,” he said with a deep breath.

  "That's true, but I don't have to do it all tomorrow," I said. "We've got a little while until Halloween. I didn't expect you to do this all so fast."

  “Anything for you,” Remy said.

  "Well, how about if I make you some dinner? I'll wash your clothes while you take a shower,” I offered.

  "No need. I brought a change. I figured even with using magic, I'd need it."

  I went inside while Remy went to his car to grab his bag. The house must have been happy with our decision because the fridge and pantry were full. Thankfully, that included everything I needed to make fettuccine Alfredo.

  Remy came through the back door and set the backpack he used for an overnight bag on one of the kitchen chairs. "Oh, good, there's food."

  "Yep, the house is pleased," I said and held up the block of parmesan cheese in my hand.

  "I guess that means I'll get hot water,” he said with a smile.

  "And I'll get salmon," Meri said.

  "Yes, Meri. You can have smoked salmon and bacon tonight, if you'd like. My guys are going to have a feast tonight."

  "You're the best," Remy said and kissed me on his way by.

  "You're all right, I guess," Meri added.

  "Hey, you be sweet. I can still rustle up some kibble,” I teased.

  "Ugh," was his response. "Fine. Thank you, Brighton."

  "Wow, that was amazing. I don't think you've ever said that to me before."

  "A little over the top?" Meri asked.

  "Yeah, just a little," I said with a chuckle. "Hang on, and I'll get your dinner first."

  While Remy showered and Meri ate his dinner, I got busy making pasta and sauce. I'd used store-bought pasta in the past, but since I'd learned how to use magic to make cooking easier, I decided to make fresh instead.

  It was surprisingly easy when you took the actual manual labor part out of it. By the time Remy was out of the shower, I had the pasta almost done and the sauce going in a pot.

  "Need any help with anything?" Remy asked as he walked into the kitchen.

  He smelled like citrus and mint, and I figured he must have brought his own soap and toothbrush in his bag. It made sense. If he was too tired after expending all that magic, he could crash in one of the spare bedrooms.

  "If you want garlic bread, you could do that," I said.

  "Is it in the freezer?"

  "No, I don't have any of the frozen stuff. There's an artisan loaf in the pantry, butter in the fridge, and garlic powder in the cabinet over there,” I said and pointed at the one I kept the spices stored in next to the sink.

  "Oh, we're going fancy,” he said and headed for the pantry.

  "I mean, if it was really fancy, we'd bake the bread and crush some fresh garlic," I said.

  "This is fine for me if it's fine for you."

  "It's better than frozen," I said.

  "Hey, I like the frozen stuff. Especially the five-cheese Texas toast."

  "I'll keep that in mind," I said. "Sorry I don't have any. You could check the freezer anyway. Maybe the house will bless you."

  "Nah,” he said, but he looked at the freezer for a few seconds. "You know what, let's just see."

  Remy opened the freezer, and sure enough, there was a box of his favorite in there. He pulled it out with a smile.

  "I guess the house really is happy with your work," I said. "You want me to preheat the oven?"

  "Nope. I've got this."

  Remy took the slices of frozen cheesy bread out and arranged them on a large plate. He waved his hand over them a few times, and the smell of garlic filled the kitchen. "It's the perfect temperature too. Not too hot." He grabbed a slice and took a huge bite.

  "Hey now," I teased. "You're going to ruin your dinner."

  "There's no chance of that. I'm starving. Exhausted too."

  "Well, let's get you fed, and then you can rest. I assume you don't mind just staying here tonight? If you're that wiped out, I'd rather you not drive home. You can have your pick of the guest rooms."

  "I was hoping you'd say that," Remy said. "I would have called a taxi before I drove home."

  "There are no taxis in Coventry."

  "Well, then I would have called Amelda."

  "That's okay," I said with a chuckle. "You can just stay here. No need to call your grandmother."

  "She's warming up to you," Remy said.

  "I know. I'd just rather make sure I stay on her good side until after the wedding."

  "Why after the wedding?"

  "I don't know. It just seems like she's less likely to kill me off if I'm family."

  He laughed. "Brighton, you already are family, and Amelda would never kill you."

  "So, that's really it? You and I getting married is going to end the centuries-old feud between our families?"

  "That's really it."

  Remy took the garlic bread to the table, and I mixed the pasta and sauce together before taking it over as well. I was astonished at how much Remy ate. I didn't even think a non-zombie human could consume that much. Leftovers were not happening.

  After dinner, Remy went to sleep almost immediately. I, on the other hand, was wide awake.

  I decided to go out to the bungalows and look around. If nothing else, I figured I could start getting a feel for how I wanted to decorate. My initial idea was to tie them as closely as possible to the way Hangman's House looked.

  Before I committed to that, I wanted to make sure it was really what I wanted. After all, the bungalows were a blank slate, and I could do anything I wanted with them.

  I went out the back door as quietly as possible. So quietly that I didn't even wake Meri. He was on the sofa snoozing on his back with his paws up in the air. I didn't think it was possible to sneak past Meri, but he, just like Remy, had a very full belly.

  The night air was cool and crisp. Sometimes the days were still warmer, but at night, you could definitely tell that fall had descended on Coventry. The rustle of the le
aves in the trees around my property told me they were beginning to dry out. Their color would begin to change soon, and Coventry would be lit up in beautiful shades of crimson, amber, and canary.

  If you walked straight back from the house, you'd eventually get to the main bungalow. I'd decided on having one large building that could accommodate a bigger family or group and several smaller satellite ones. There was one of the smaller buildings on either side of the large one and then two more behind them all.

  My first stop was in the biggest of the new structures. I walked inside and tried to imagine it decorated and full of furniture. I had to decide if I wanted to go with a rustic look or something more opulent.

  I could envision both wide plank floors with white walls and deep, dark wood flooring with brocade wall coverings. The dark wood and brocade seemed to fit the theme of a haunted bed and breakfast better. I'd give them all of the atmosphere they could handle, but I'd also heavily ward the bungalows to keep any real spirits away. Well, as many of them as I could. It was Coventry, after all. There was bound to be something out there strong or smart enough to defy my protection spells. I just hoped it didn't have much interest in bed and breakfast guests.

  It was when I was walking from the big bungalow to one of the smaller ones that I heard a noise. The hair on the back of my neck stood up, and I instantly knew I wasn't out there alone.

  Whoever or whatever it was moved again, but they remained on the other side of the building where I couldn't see them. An icy chill ran down my spine and alerted me to the fact that it wasn't a nosy human neighbor I was dealing with.

  Something not of the human world stalked me in the shadows.

  "Hello," I called out.

  It seemed like the thing to do. Maybe, I reasoned, the icy chill thing was because it was a strong spirit and not because it was malevolent. Perhaps it was a guardian soul or something coming to bless my new endeavor. Or maybe I was just rationalizing because I suddenly found myself terrified.

  It moved again.

  "Hello," I said. "Okay, I'm going to go back into the house now."

  With that, I heard it run around to the side of the building, but because of where I was standing, I still couldn't see it. I began to wonder if I could even get back to my house without whatever it was getting between me and the safety of my back door.

  I began to shake with fear as rivulets of cold sweat ran down my back. Just when I didn't think it could get any worse, I heard a faint sound off in the distance. No, it had come from the house. There was a scratching coming from the house. Was my whole property being invaded by malevolent spirits?

  There was a flash of movement in my kitchen window. Something dark was moving around in there. My eyes focused on the dark shape.

  Meri.

  It was him scratching at the back door. He couldn't get the door open to get to me, and I didn't think I could run to him. Whatever was out there with me had him freaking out, though.

  I summoned as much magic as I could muster. I couldn't focus, because of the panic. The thing was moving toward me.

  With one deep breath, I was able to get it together enough to use my power to open the back door. Meri shot out and sprinted toward me.

  "Run, Brighton,” he said. "Run."

  I shouldn't have looked back as I made my way to the door, but I did. The hulking, gray demon with its claws and veiny wings emerged from the shadows. I stopped. There was no way I could just leave Meri out there with that thing.

  "Meri," I called out to him.

  "What are you doing, Brighton? Go in the house."

  I started to run back to him.

  "No,” he yelled, and I froze in place.

  Not because he'd told me to stop, but because I literally couldn't move. He'd used magic to cement me where I stood.

  "Meri, let me help you."

  "Go back in the house,” he said and waved a paw through the air.

  When he did, I flew through the air, but I landed on my feet by the back door. As soon as my feet touched the ground, I could move again.

  The demon took a swipe at Meri, and I realized I was distracting him. He was right. I needed to go into the house before I got myself killed.

  No sooner had I shut the back door when there was a brilliant flash of white light. The sound of rolling thunder filled the night. At least if any of my neighbors had seen it, I knew they'd have thought it was just a storm.

  I opened the back door again and saw Meri sauntering toward the house. At least I thought he was sauntering, but it turned out he was actually staggering.

  Before Meri had dispatched it, the demon had gotten in a swipe. Meri's shoulder was damaged from the claw marks. Part of his tail seemed to be missing too.

  "Meri!" I cried out.

  "I'm all right,” he said.

  But no sooner had he walked through the back door, and my brave, demon-fighting familiar dropped to the floor.

  I rushed over to him, and checked to see that he was breathing. He was, but Meri was out cold. I remembered he couldn't die, but I didn't want him to suffer. I held my hands over the wounds and tried to heal him, but pain shot through my fingertips and up to my elbows.

  I cried out, but Meri didn't wake up. My hands felt like they were on fire, but I couldn't see any flames. The pain was intensifying, and I started to panic.

  The only thing I could think of was to get to Remy. Not only was the pain in my hands and arms getting worse, but I could feel it creeping up to my shoulders. It was spreading, and I knew if I didn't get help soon, the agony would consume me.

  I was halfway up the steps when the dark thoughts began. My mind created scenarios of what I would have to do if the pain spread too far, and I couldn't make it to Remy's room. I shook it off. I had to keep going. People needed me.

  By the time I burst into Remy's room, I was sobbing. The pain was so bad that I had to fight not to start screaming.

  "Remy, help me," I cried out and fell to my knees as the burning torment crippled me.

  He was out of bed and next to me on the floor in a heartbeat. "What happened?"

  "Meri. Hurt by a demon. I tried to heal him," was all I choked out before the screaming began.

  Chapter Four

  My ears were ringing as the pain began to subside. I could feel the soothing white light spreading through my body while Remy chanted his healing incantation.

  It was only minutes before I could speak again, but it felt like hours. My first thought when my mind could function again was what kind of agony Meri had to be in, and he was all alone downstairs.

  I stood up on wobbly feet and took a deep breath. “We have to help Meri.”

  “You stay here and catch your breath,” Remy said as he stood up.

  “No, I need to get to him.”

  Remy grimaced, but I could tell he knew there was no arguing with me. I was going to my familiar.

  “All right, but you let me help you down the stairs.”

  “Fine,” I said.

  By the time we got to the top of the stairs, I was already feeling a ton better. I still let Remy help me down to the first floor.

  We went into the kitchen, and Meri hadn’t moved. His breathing was ragged, and his eyes were closed.

  “He can’t die,” I said “But he has to be in so much pain.”

  “Just sit down and relax,” Remy said. “I’ll help him.”

  Remy knelt down and began to chant his spell over Meri. I couldn’t just sit there, so instead I went to the refrigerator and got out the package of precooked bacon.

  Thirty seconds in the microwave, and Meri was on his feet again. “Is that bacon?”

  He looked as good as new and ran over to where I was taking the plate out of the microwave. “I wanted to make sure you had a snack when you woke up,” I said.

  I put the plate down on the floor and let him eat. Remy was looking out the front door, his hand was on the knob. He was about to go outside.

  “Meri destroyed it,” I said as he began
to turn the knob.

  “I know,” Remy responded. “But I would feel better if I checked it out.”

  “I’ll go with you,” I said.

  “Me too,” Meri added.

  “You should stay here and rest,” I said.

  “If you don’t need to stay here and rest, then I don’t either,” Meri answered.

  “Okay, let’s go then. We should get this over with and then all get to bed.”

  We walked out the back door together, and there was a weird feeling buzzing in the air. It was like expectation or anticipation just hanging there. I kept thinking that something was going to pop out at any moment.

  It wasn’t quiet either. Even though I’d never seen a cicada in Coventry, I could hear them going crazy in the tree line behind the new bungalows.

  They’d started as soon as we stepped out the back door, but I hadn’t heard them before. I didn’t know if it was a good sign or a bad omen, but what I did know was that they grated on my nerves.

  “What’s wrong with the cicadas?” I asked as we made our way across the back yard to the new buildings.

  “Well, either they are loud now because something else is out there, or they were quiet earlier because of the demon,” Meri said. “I guess it’s a toss-up.”

  “And of course, we’re not going to know until it’s too late,” I said.

  “That’s not true,” Meri said. “I wouldn’t leave you to discover another demon that way. If you’d taken me with you before, we could have avoided that whole scene.”

  “You were sleeping peacefully, and I wasn’t expecting to encounter a gigantic hell beast in the yard.”

  “It lured you out,” Remy said. “If it was powerful enough to hurt Meri that way, then it was powerful enough to trick you that way.”

  “That does make sense,” I said. “Why else would I have needed to check out the bungalows alone at night? But are we falling for the same kind of trap now?”