All the Pretty Witches (A Hannah Hickok Witchy Mystery Book 6) Read online

  All the Pretty Witches

  A Hannah Hickok Witchy Mystery Book Six

  Lily Harper Hart

  HarperHart Publications

  Copyright © 2021 by Lily Harper Hart

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  1. One

  2. Two

  3. Three

  4. Four

  5. Five

  6. Six

  7. Seven

  8. Eight

  9. Nine

  10. Ten

  11. Eleven

  12. Twelve

  13. Thirteen

  14. Fourteen

  15. Fifteen

  16. Sixteen

  17. Seventeen

  18. Eighteen

  19. Nineteen

  Mailing List

  About the Author

  Books by Lily Harper Hart

  Books by Amanda M. Lee

  1

  One

  “Stop trying to romance that goat!”

  Hannah Hickok, her flaxen hair flying, slid through the slats in the animal paddock at Casper Creek and jabbed her finger at her black lab Jinx. She was deadly serious.

  Jinx, however, didn’t seem to care. He barked as he chased one of the goats Tyler James kept on hand to entertain the younger visitors at the Kentucky tourist trap. He was in his glory. The goat wasn’t nearly as thrilled as the dog.

  “Jinx!” Hannah slapped her hand over her eyes when she realized the dog was trying to mount the goat for the third time in ten minutes.

  Her boyfriend, Cooper Wyatt, chuckled as he rested his arms on the top fence bar and watched the show. Laughter had been in short supply in Casper Creek over the past few days and anything he could find to distract himself from the horror that had descended upon them was a welcome respite.

  “Jinx!” Hannah flapped her arms and turned to face her boyfriend. “Are you going to help?”

  Cooper’s only response was to shrug.

  “Is that a no?”

  “Hannah, he’s just being a dog,” Cooper pointed out. He was a fan of the goofy canine, even if Jinx occasionally treated Cooper with utter disdain. In the dog’s mind, Cooper was convinced Jinx believed he was trying to steal Hannah’s affection and attention. Things had been calmer between them of late. That didn’t mean Jinx wasn’t thrilled to wreak havoc whenever the opportunity arose.

  “He’s ... molesting ... that goat.” Hannah’s cheeks were pink. Cooper had no idea if it was from embarrassment or physical exertion. Either way, he liked seeing the color. She’d been far too pale as of late.

  “Molesting?” Cooper arched an eyebrow, his gaze drifting to the man who wandered out from inside the barn. “Hannah thinks Jinx is getting fresh with your goats.”

  Tyler, an animal lover of the highest order, held out his hands as if to say “so what” and offered up a cheeky grin. “I hate to break it to you, Hannah, but the goats molest him when they’re feeling bored. It’s hardly one-sided.”

  Hannah straightened. “They do?”

  Tyler nodded as he moved to join them at the fence line. “It’s normal. They get excited chasing one another. Apparently it’s not just the thrill of exercise.”

  Hannah’s mouth dropped open. “That is ... sexual harassment.”

  Tyler choked on a laugh. “Oh, you’re so cute.” He flicked his eyes to his best friend and found Cooper grinning. “Don’t you think she’s cute?”

  “I think she’s the cutest thing in the world,” Cooper agreed as he lightly tugged on a strand of Hannah’s hair. “As for Jinx, the goats don’t seem to mind.”

  “Um ... that goat is running from him.” Hannah was having none of it. “How would you feel if you were the goat?”

  “That depends on how cute I found the dog.”

  “Oh, geez.” Hannah rolled her eyes and focused on her faithful furry companion. He was the one thing she brought with her when she fled her old life and started anew in Casper Creek months before. She’d been at rock bottom then, a cheating boyfriend who also happened to be her employer in the rearview mirror, and she’d been anxious for the breath of fresh air that she thought a change of scenery would bring.

  She had no idea how much her life would change over the course of a few weeks.

  In short order, she’d found out the grandmother who left her Casper Creek was a witch who had passed on a bevy of powers to her. That grandmother, Abigail, remained behind in her ghostly form as a guide of sorts. She’d joined a coven, fought off numerous monsters, and fallen in love with the security chief. Her new life didn’t even resemble her old life.

  Except for Jinx. The dog had been her best friend for years. She would protect him with her life. That didn’t mean she wasn’t occasionally scandalized by his behavior.

  “It’s okay,” Cooper reassured her. He wasn’t talking about the dog, something she recognized. He was talking about everything else.

  Unbidden, Hannah’s eyes drifted to the window above the brothel. Under normal circumstances — something Casper Creek hadn’t been blessed with since she landed in town — the room was rented out for bridal parties and drunken nights of revelry. Now the consciousness of a powerful witch from the past had taken over the space. The fact that she currently looked like a teenager made things all the more uncomfortable.

  Tyler followed Hannah’s gaze. “Has anyone seen Bettina today?”

  Cooper shook his head. “She’s been holed up there all day. I’m not even sure if she’s eaten. I want to yell at her to keep Angel’s body in good shape for when she reclaims it, but I’m not sure how wise it is to order a powerful witch around … especially since there’s no way for me to force the issue.”

  “I’ll talk to her,” Hannah said in a resigned voice. “I’ve been worried about the same thing. It’s only been a few days, but her eating habits are sporadic.”

  Cooper reached over and squeezed Hannah’s shoulder. “You don’t have to. I know she makes you uncomfortable.”

  “She makes all of us uncomfortable.” Hannah’s lower lip poked out. She wasn’t a pouter by nature, but recent events had her feeling down. “We’re stuck with Bettina until we find out where Amelia went.”

  “Any ideas on that?” Tyler queried.

  Hannah held out her hands and shrugged. “You know what we know. Amelia took over Stormy at some point. Boone shot Stormy. She disappeared. That’s it. We haven’t heard a single word from her since, and it’s been days.”

  “Has anyone talked to Astra?”

  The question had Hannah cringing. “Not willingly.”

  Cooper held back a sigh, but it took effort. “I checked on her, and not because I was worried.” Since Astra, a powerful dark witch, was his ex-girlfriend, he was constantly trying to make sure Hannah didn’t think he harbored any lingering feelings for the woman. She had been injured in the melee at the creek when the truth came out about Bettina and Amelia, though, and he felt the need to make sure she didn’t succumb to her injuries ... or some form of petulant melancholy. They would likely need her to fight with them if another battle presented itself.

  “And?” Tyler prodded.

  “And she’s angry,” Cooper replied on a shrug. “She thinks she should’ve known that Stormy was going to be more trouble than she was worth.”

  “We all knew that even befo
re Amelia took over her body,” Hannah lamented as she sank to the ground. She expected Jinx to race to her for some loving. Instead, the goat he chased made a beeline for her, plopping his rear end on her lap and fixing Jinx with a defiant look.

  Cooper laughed. “She’s like a cute little dog that likes to ram her head into people’s butts.”

  Tyler joined in his friend’s laughter. “Yeah, that’s Kid Holliday. He’s got a way with the ladies.” He offered Hannah a wink.

  She attempted a genuine smile in response and failed. “He’s sweet.” She wrapped her arms around the goat and gave him a hug. She hated feeling so defeated, but it was an emotion she couldn’t shake of late.

  Cooper studied her for a moment, his heart constricting. He hated seeing her so sad. He knew she was worried about Angel, and what some big magical battle could mean for the people she loved, but he refused to let her sit around and feel sorry for herself.

  “Hannah, you can’t keep doing this.” He ducked through the fence slats and settled on the ground next to her. His hand automatically went to the goat’s head to pet him, but before he could make contact, Jinx muscled in and planted himself on Cooper’s lap. It was a clear message to the goat ... and maybe Hannah as well. That move was enough to elicit a genuine giggle from Hannah, something Cooper found he was profoundly grateful for.

  “See, life isn’t so bad.” Cooper poked Hannah’s side and earned another half-smile. “Jinx is now my buddy because he wants to make you and the goat jealous.”

  “I’m just glad you guys are getting along,” Hannah admitted, stretching her neck to look back at the apartment above the brothel. “What do you think she’s doing in there?”

  “Well, given the books she liberated from your place, I think she’s researching her sister,” Cooper replied. He wasn’t certain now was the right time to get into a heavy discussion, but he saw no point in delaying it. They had to talk about their problem, and now was as good of a time as any. “We’re going to need her to take down Amelia.”

  Hannah nodded. “Yeah. I just don’t want to lose Angel in the process. I mean ... it’s just as likely that Amelia will take down Bettina as the reverse.”

  “No, it’s not.” Cooper refused to indulge that sort of defeatist thinking. “Bettina has us in her corner. The sisters no longer switch from good to evil. Bettina is the good one.”

  “Is she, though?” Hannah had trouble fully embracing that narrative. “She doesn’t act like she’s good. I mean ... her affect is flat, and she looks at us like bugs she’d like to swat away.”

  Cooper wanted to argue, but he’d noted the same weird response from Bettina on more than one occasion. “She wants to end her sister and essentially go to sleep forever. To me, that’s the better outcome. We still don’t know exactly what Amelia wants, other than to kill her sister and exert as much magic as possible to take control of Casper Creek. I’m pretty sure that’s the exact opposite of what we want.”

  “I get that.” Hannah was calm as she regarded him. “I know you’re right. I just have so much fear coursing through me. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to be feeling.”

  Cooper was right there with her. “I’m not sure either,” he admitted. “We’ll figure it out, though.” He reached over and brushed his thumb against her cheek, doing his best to ignore the way Jinx kept throwing his weight against Cooper’s chest in an attempt to get him to stop touching his mistress. “I promise we’re going to find a way out of this.”

  “We definitely are,” Tyler agreed as he leaned over and snagged Kid Holliday. “You need to get up. Go find your brothers and sisters and plot your revenge on Jinx.”

  As if understanding what he was saying, Jinx narrowed his eyes.

  “Oh, don’t look at me that way,” Tyler chided. “You’ve been a menace all afternoon. I don’t know why you bother. You know that means they’re simply going to gang up on you tomorrow. Then you’ll cry and act pathetic. It’s not very dignified.”

  Jinx continued to stare at him a minute longer and then he shifted from Cooper’s lap to Hannah’s crossed legs, throwing his impressive bulk at her as he got comfortable.

  “Mama’s boy,” Tyler taunted, causing Cooper to grin.

  Jinx didn’t look bothered in the least to have the insult tossed at him. Instead, he rubbed his head against Hannah’s neck and dared either man to try to invade his turf.

  Cooper had battled enough with the dog to know that he wasn’t about to cede territory at this point. Rather than push things, he blew out a sigh and focused on the window to Bettina’s current dwelling. “How about I order takeout, pick it up, drop off some to her, and we hunker down for the night?” he suggested to Hannah. “I think you could use a break from all the worrying you’ve been doing.”

  Hannah most definitely needed a break from serious thought. “That sounds great.”

  “Then I’ll make it happen.” Ignoring Jinx, he leaned over and kissed her cheek. “It’s going to be okay,” he whispered. “I swear we’re going to figure this out.”

  And, because she both wanted and needed to believe him, Hannah simply nodded. They would figure it out. They had no choice.

  COOPER FOUND HANNAH IN THE living room, books spread out around her, when he returned from picking up dinner.

  “More research?” He cocked an eyebrow. “Baby, I know you don’t want to hear it, but I think you would’ve already tripped over something if there was anything to find in those books.”

  Hannah nodded. “I know. It’s better than doing nothing, though.” She closed the book she was perusing and rose. “We have to get Angel back. If we don’t—” She didn’t finish the sentence. She couldn’t.

  Cooper didn’t need her to explain how dire things were. He was well aware. Angel was trapped in her own body, caught beneath the surface of a foreign invasion with Bettina taking over. Angel’s parents remained in the hospital after a car accident, their current condition baffling doctors. He was terrified the physicians would try something extreme to wake up the parents — and inadvertently cause harm — because they couldn’t understand why they didn’t wake up.

  He could hardly go into the hospital and explain that it was magic keeping them in stasis. Bettina ensured she would be able to fully control Angel without outside interference, and part of that was keeping the parents unconscious. Cooper both hated and admired Bettina for the move. He couldn’t imagine dealing with terrified parents who couldn’t wrap their heads around the change in their child’s demeanor on top of everything else. That would only make things worse.

  He had the food completely unpacked before he realized Hannah had become distracted at the window. Rather than call her to him, he padded over and joined her, shifting the curtains so he could better see what had gotten her attention.

  Bettina, dressed in the clothing of today’s teenagers, stood in the middle of Main Street. She didn’t look to be doing anything except staring at the moon. She was motionless, to the point where she reminded Cooper of a statue.

  “That’s eerie,” he noted.

  “She does it every night now.” Hannah shook her head and turned a rueful smile to him. “She’s kind of like a robot.”

  He smirked. “A robot?”

  “She keeps to a routine and has no emotions.”

  “I prefer Data to her.”

  Hannah’s forehead wrinkled. “What data do you like? Are you talking about numbers?”

  “Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation.” He poked her stomach. “I’m a big fan of Star Trek, in case you didn’t know.”

  “I didn’t know that. Are you a Trekkie?”

  “I don’t know if I would go that far,” he hedged. “I just like the show.”

  “Do you go to conventions?”

  “No.”

  “Would you go to a convention if they held one locally?”

  He allowed the curtain to fall back. “I don’t know. Why? Do you like Star Trek?”

  “I like Star Trek. I’m probably not as know
ledgeable as you. I think I’m more of a Star Wars girl, although I love all fantasy and science fiction for the most part. I love comic book movies.”

  “You do?” He found delight in the conversation. It was so much lighter than the things they’d been relegated to talking about of late. “Who is your favorite superhero?”

  “Oh, that’s hard. I love Wonder Woman.”

  “I like Wonder Woman, too. The movie was good.”

  “I love the Hulk, too. Oh, and I absolute love Wolverine. Hugh Jackman is hot, like total beefcake.”

  Cooper made a face. “He’s a hero, not beefcake.”

  “You say tomato.”

  His grinned widened. “Who else do you like? I’m guessing Thor. He’s beefcake, too.”

  “Yes, but I like my beefcake darker. Blonds don’t do a lot for me. His body is fantastic, though.”

  “This is a whole new side of you,” Cooper teased as they sat at the table.

  “Who is your favorite superhero?” Hannah was honestly curious. Anything that could distract her from the real world was welcome at this point.

  “Female or male?”

  “Does it matter?”

  “Yes.” He was solemn. “I judge female superheroes on their outfits and men on their snark.”

  Hannah’s mouth dropped open. “You can’t judge female superheroes on their outfits.”

  Cooper mocked confusion. “Says who?”

  “Um ... everybody who believes sexism is bad.”

  “You just said that you like Wolverine because he’s hot.”

  “I said he’s hot, but I like him because he’s a hero.”

  “Oh, well ... .” His grin was mischievous. “If that’s the case, Wonder Woman is hot — and her outfit is only part of it — but she’s a total hero so she’s my favorite female superhero because of that. As for the men, it’s a tossup between Batman and Ironman. Batman has the toys and cool mystique, but Ironman has the snark.”