Page 5 of Bewitched By the Headless Horseman
Just wanted to say you’re even cuter in person, and I can’t wait to see you again.
Likewise. And thank you for the pie. I’m not sharing it with anyone.
On part two of our date we can share something else then.
Stevie arched a brow. A tap came at the window of the other half of the duplex, startling her. She rolled her eyes when she found Lucia waving from her and Gideon’s bedroom. Her sister-in-law lived on one side of the duplex and Stevie on the other. With the rent being cheaper this way, she’d been able to move out of her parents’ house a couple of weeks ago. Finally.
“Delivery.” Stevie shook the bag in front of Lucia. “And apparently the Eye of the Hollow isalive.”
Lucia’s gaze widened and Stevie waited a few seconds for her to open the door. She stood in nothing but an oversized Wolverine T-shirt that fell just above her knees. Her jet-black hair was thrown up into a messy bun on top of her head.
“The Eye opened?” Lucia gasped, taking the bag from Stevie while staring up at the red glowing spot above them. “Witch’s tits! I wasn’t expecting it to happen in our lifetime.”
“That’s not all. I left the restaurant and crossed paths with Mr. No Good, and—” Hoofbeats piercing the neighborhood reverberated around them, and Stevie clutched the pie box tighter.
“Seriously? He’s like a vulture you can’t get rid of.” Stevie grasped her sister-in-law by the arm and pulled Lucia inside the duplex. She slammed the door shut and locked it. Roxy was already behind them, silent, looking toward the window.
“What is it?” Lucia asked.
“Shh!” She put her finger over her lips. “The Headless Horseman is coming.”
Lucia arched a brow. “I didn’t need the quiet signal.”
Stevie held her breath until the hoofbeats picked up and faded before releasing a sigh. It wasn’t abnormal to hear the stallion as she’d heard him over the years riding up and down the streets. But just in case, it was better they weren’t in the same proximity again.
Lucia set the bag of food on the floor and placed her hands on her hips. “Can we talk now?” she whispered. “I only feel Roxy’s presence.” Besides being one of the most powerful witches in Sleepy Hollow, a little psychic ability pulsed within Lucia’s blood. But she couldn’t see the ghosts the way Stevie could.
“His Headlessness is gone.” Stevie angled her neck to peek inside the empty bedroom. “Where’s Gideon?”
Lucia batted her hand behind her. “In the living room playing his new video game with his headphones on.”
“We could be getting our souls sucked out by a band of demons and he wouldn’t hear a thing.” Stevie rolled her eyes. “As I was saying before we were rudely interrupted, the Eye is open and I can talk to the dead now.”
Lucia rubbed her chin. “Hmm. Not much different than in the movies for a seer then.”
“I’m waiting for you, Lucia,” Gideon purred, his annoying voice drifting down the hallway. “The game’s done, I put Maxine in the kitchen, and I’m undressed.” Maxine was Gideon’s plant that resembled a cross between a Venus flytrap, the one inLittle Shop of Horrors, and the snapping flowers from the Super Mario video games. Lucia had given the plant to Gideon as an anniversary gift one year, and he’d babied it ever since.
“Be there in a minute. Just telling your sister goodnight,” Lucia yelled over her shoulder as Stevie wrinkled her nose.
“And you owe me stamps!” Stevie added.
A couple of grumbled curses came from the living room.
“I’ll let you get tothat,” Stevie said to Lucia, “and we can discuss more tomorrow.”
“That we will do. The owner did bless the house recently, but I’ll put up some stronger wards tomorrow.”
“I’m glad to have my own personal witch next door.” Stevie smiled, cracking open her exit, then bolting inside her half of the house. The pie rattled again, most likely crumbs by now, but still devourable.
As she locked up for the night, a thought struck her.If the heads vanish when the Headless Horseman puts them on, then where do they go?
Stevie shrugged and looked down at her pie—somewhat intact. “Time for a much-needed dessert after this night.” She held up the box in a toast. “To the next thirty days and helping any ghost who asks for my assistance.”
Chapter Three
A loudthumpsounded and Stevie jerked up in bed. She frantically looked around, her eyes practically glued shut from sleep, until her gaze landed on Roxy. The fox stood beside the bed, hopping up and down as her tail wagged, her nails clicking against the floor.
“You don’t even eat.” Stevie yawned, stretching her arms over her head before shoving the covers off her legs. “So why are you waking me up this early?” She glanced at the time on her phone where a reminder had popped up about breakfast at her parents. Kneeling on the floor, she ran her hand over the outline of her pet’s back, and in a posh British accent, she said, “Oh, right, I forgot about that. Apologies, Foxy Roxy.”
