Carve My Pumpkin (The Night Realm: Halloween Marked #3)

Chapter 14

FOURTEEN

COLETTE

“I’m gonna get sacked, and then everything I’ve been working for will be for nothing.” I threw my arms up and dropped down onto the couch. I let my head fall back against the cushions.

“It can’t be that bad.” My mother sat down beside me. Her voice was soft and sweet as she spoke to me with a light smile playing on her lips. “I have all the faith in the world in you.”

“That’s a hell of a lot more than I can say for Mateo.” I grabbed one of her knitted blankets off the couch and balled it up on my lap. “I’ve been trying everything I can think of and nothing is working, even going door to door on the island. I mean, what if she’s not even on the Island. And Mateo is so annoyed, but it’s unfair to treat me like this is my failure. He’s been trying to find her for almost a year, but I’m magically supposed to succeed in two weeks?”

Susan sat across from me and rested her elbows on her knees. “I still maintain it’s not your job, so if you fail at it, can you really be held responsible?”

I nodded. “Unfortunately, yes. I know his personal life is not my problem, but at the same time, I’m his assistant, so basically I do keep track of his life and I am supposed to help.”

“I still think it’s a gross misuse of power. I’m sure I can bring him around to see the error of his ways.” Sylvie arched her eyebrows at me. “Leave it to me.”

“Thank you so much. But that is the last thing I need.” I hung my head and shoved my face into the blanket.

“I still think it’s romantic.” Gertie gazed into the flicking fire and folded her hands under her chin. “But imagine how he must be feeling. He knows there’s a perfect match for him out there, and yet she hasn’t emerged yet. I mean, what if she knows and is hiding from him? That would be . . . heartbreaking.”

I dropped the blanket and gave a heavy sigh. “I know. And if she’s actively hiding from him–like intentionally–then how the hell am I supposed to find her? I just need a better idea for how to find her.”

“Magic.” Constantine’s deep, rumbly voice ripped through the quietness of the living room. We all jumped and turned toward his voice to find him walking through the door. “You should try using magic.”

I pressed my hands over the now pounding beat of my heart. “You have got to stop doing that.”

He always seemed to just appear out of nowhere when no one expected him.

“Doing what?” He genuinely looked confused.

“Never mind.” I shook my head. “What do you mean by magic?”

He shrugged. “We live on an island full of magic, so why not use it? Talk to Peggy Bow.”

“That’s . . . brilliant.”

He nodded once. “I know.”

The clock above the fireplace dinged and it broke the moment.

Gertie jumped to her feet. “We have to go. It’s book night at the library.”

Sylvie glanced at the clock, then grabbed her coat off the arm of the chair. “Fauna, you know you’re always invited, but no pressure.”

Heat rushed to my mother’s cheeks as she shook her head gently. “I couldn’t possibly.”

“It’s okay, Mom.” I knew she hated leaving the house, and I hated seeing her in any kind of distress. “Some other time.”

She leaned over and gave me a light kiss on the cheek. “Of course. Am I doing better at going out?”

We all nodded immediately, because she was doing better. But we couldn’t expect a complete change overnight. She needed time.

I smiled. “Mom, you went out on home décor contest night. That was huge. You did so good. I’m so proud of you.”

Her face turned bright-red. “Thank you. Now, go, you all enjoy your night.”

“SHOTGUN!” Susan yelled, then bolted for the front door.

We all rushed out the door and piled into my car. Susan took the front seat just as she’d claimed inside. I climbed into the driver’s seat, then turned to look for Constantine only to find him in the middle of the back seat with Gertie and Sylvie on his sides. I bit my lip to not laugh. How those two managed to get the two-thousand-year-old vampire in the middle seat was beyond me. I needed some of that skill to help me with this soulmate hunt.

Constantine saw my face and just shrugged, but a little smile was on his face. “They get car sick.”

I smiled and turned back to face forward, then turned the car on. The girls were chatting very animatedly about something, but my mind was spinning with the possibilities of using magic to find his soulmate. I wondered what a spell could do, or a potion, or a magical charm. Maybe this isn’t over. Maybe I can keep my job. Maybe the future will work out for both Mateo and me. He’ll get his love and I’ll get my dream job.

“Earth to Colette.” Sylvie snapped her fingers in my ear. “You’re about to miss the turn to the library.”

“Oh shit.” I slammed on the brake and yanked the wheel to the right. The car lurched to the side and the tires screeched.

“My immortal life just flashed before my eyes,” Constantine muttered.Then he chuckled. “Thank you.”

“Sorry, sorry.”The car lurched to a stop just in front of the library. “Sorry, guys. I’m just?—”

“We know. Distracted.” Gertie shook her head as she slid out of the car. “But next time someone else is driving. I don’t know how much more I can take on that rollercoaster ride.”

“Seconded,” Susan groaned and practically rolled from the car.

Sylvie straightened her back. “You all are weaklings. It was fine.”

But when she began to walk, there was a slight sway to her steps, and she staggered to the side as she climbed the stairs to the library. Guilt mixed in among the stress I felt, and I groaned to myself. Sylvie pushed through the double doors, and I followed her into the library. She pulled her wand from her pocket and flicked her wrist. All the lights in the library flicked on and candles appeared out of nowhere. Flames burst from the top and bathed the room in warmth. Gertie swayed past Sylvie with her own wand in hand. She hummed a little tune, and when she flicked her own wand, light music started playing.

Susan moved to stand next to me. “I can’t believe how popular this thing is.”

“Hey, everyone wants to meet their favorite book characters and now they can.” I watched as Sylvie took up her spot on one side of the library and Gertie took up hers on the other.

The doors opened and people started to filter in.

Including Mateo.

It was difficult to think that any woman would stay away from him or hide from the fact that he belonged to her. He wore a long cream-colored wool coat, black turtleneck, and black pants. He gave everyone he passed a big smile and a friendly wave, like he was the nicest guy in the world. But when he spotted me, his face fell into a grimace. He marched to my side like it was a death sentence.

I just wished him hating me made me less attracted to him.

“Ms. Rothchild.” He gave me a nod by way of greeting.

“Mr. Vauntero.” I gave him a smile, and he gave me a sideways glance as though the smile was unexpected.

“Are you sure about this?” He glanced around at the supernaturals lining up with their books in hand.

I started to walk through the stacks of the library, and he meandered next to me. I lowered my voice to a whisper, “This is where we’ll find the introverts of the Island. They don’t want to go to parties and be around all that noise. They prefer a quiet night at home.”

I nodded. “I see your logic. And the books?”

“What introvert doesn’t want to meet their favorite character? I mean, come on.” I motioned toward Sylvie and Gertie. “When they read an excerpt from a book, the character will pop out and they can interact with them for about twenty minutes before the magic wears off.”

“That’s kind of brilliant.” The corner of his lip pulled up in a half-smile. “How do we look for the soulmate marks?”

“Well, I have Sylvie and Gertie checking each person as they bring their books up. Then you and I will move around the room and take any others that might have held back.”

He nodded. “All right. Are you sticking with me tonight?”

I tried to hide my shock at his question. Most of the time Mateo wanted away from me. First I got a compliment and then a request to stay near him. I wasn’t sure if the sky was falling or if hell had frozen over, or maybe pigs were flying outside . . . but Mateo was being kind of . . . nice.

I kept myself composed. “Of course, Mr. Vauntero.”

“Who is that?” He pointed toward Gertie as she read from the book.

Golden sparkles flowed from the book and whirled around her. A hand emerged, then an arm, as though the character was crawling from the pages. She sat the book on the table and the golden sparkles swirled around the character’s arm as though about to pull him out. A taller man with dark hair and striking eyes came from inside the pages. He wore a regency-style waistcoat, light-colored slacks, and tall riding boots.

“Oh, um, Mr. Darcy is a crowd-pleaser.”

The group of women closest to Gertie began to clap and move in closer to him.

Mateo’s eyes widened. “I didn’t realize.”

“He’s the original book-boyfriend.”

I loved everything about this event. It wouldn’t be so bad if Mateo’s soulmate was an introvert. She would ground him and keep him calm in the crazy world he lived in.

“And remind me again what is a book-boyfriend?” He watched as Sylvie read another book and a huge guy with blond hair and blue eyes flew from the pages. Tattoos covered his neck and arms, and he held a sword loosely at his side.

I chuckled. “Tell me you don’t read romance novels without telling me you don’t read romance novels.”

“That obvious?” He looked me up and down. “No tablet glued to your side tonight?”

I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone and wagged it at him. “I have my spreadsheet right here.”

He rolled his eyes but I saw the smirk on his face. “I should’ve known.”

“Yes, you should have.” I chuckled. “I like to always be prepared.”

“At least this time I’m not being badgered by real boyfriends.” He gave me a sour look and I almost felt bad.

Almost.

“No stone left unturned, right?” I tried to sound light, but the truth was I’d turned over a shit ton of stones and there wasn’t anything under them.

He glanced around at all the book characters and the partygoers. The people were so happy and the music was a hit. He strolled away from me and left me to keep working. I moved around looking at arms and checking people off my list.

Constantine appeared beside me, silent and stoic as ever. “He’s lucky to have you.”

I glanced across the room as half the supernatural women here surrounded him like he was their book-boyfriend. “I’m not sure he sees it that way.”

Constantine shrugged. “Since when do men know what’s good for them?”

“Fair point.” I frowned. “But I don’t know if he knows that.”

Just then Mateo excused himself from his group and walked over to where we stood. He gave his brother a serious look. “Constantine.”

“Little brother,” he said by way of greeting. “Behave.”

“Don’t I always?”

“Hardly.” Constantine walked away, leaving us there alone.

Tension settled between us, and I didn’t know what to say. Mateo cleared his throat. “How many more rocks do we have to turn over?”

“Not many,” I answered honestly. “But I have a few more ideas up my sleeve.”

“You better, Ms. Rothchild. Time is running out.”

“Why do you do that? Why do you call me Ms. Rothchild instead of by my first name like nearly every other employee and executive at Prescott Tech?”

His brows sunk low beneath his glasses and a low growl slipped through his clenched teeth. “Is there really harm in wanting to keep professionalism between us?”

“You called me Colette Saturday night,” I said before I could stop myself. I had no idea why this had affected me as much as it had but it did.

“It got your attention faster.” His cheeks flushed the slightest pink. “What is the point of this tonight?”

“I told you already?—”

“The real reason, Ms. Rothchild.”

I crossed my arms over my chest and looked away from him. He wouldn’t like the truth and I wasn’t interested in getting myself more in trouble. “My murder board has a strategy, Mr. Vauntero.”

“And I’d like to hear it.”

“How convenient.”

He sighed long, hard, and loud. Then he hung his head and stared at the ground. “Can we just not do this right now?”

I flinched. “Do . . . what?”

“Fight.” He turned his head and looked down at me with soft eyes. “I am sure you’re as exhausted by the constant verbal warfare as I am right now. Can we just answer questions honestly for a minute?”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Okay. Why do you call me Ms. Rothchild instead of by my first name like nearly every other employee and executive at Prescott Tech?”

“I am the only executive at Prescott Tech – Lexington included – whose executive assistant must travel with them. I realize you haven’t experienced that with me and I haven’t traveled since my accident, but my assistant and wind up spending nearly every single day together. We share airplanes, car rides, and sometimes even a hotel room when there’s no other choice. I call you Ms. Rothchild to start so that we can establish a professional working relationship where the lines are not blurred. And yes, that is because you are a woman. I may have a reputation for being a rake, not undeserved entirely, but I do not cross those boundaries with my assistants. While I may be a feminist, I am not into guys so I do not need to set the same precedent with them but I assure you, I made Dennis jump through some hoops of his own before I moved to calling him Dennis.”

I blinked then cleared my throat. “Oh. Um . . . that’s logical. Thank you for answering that.”

“Your turn.” He arched one eyebrow and with one hand subtly gestured around the library. “What is really the point of me being here this evening?”

I grimaced. “I don’t think you’ll like that answer.”

He scowled. “I don’t like not knowing it either, so you might as well tell me the truth in case it serves us better in the future.”

“Fine.” I took a deep breath then glanced around to ensure we were alone. “I have been . . . wondering if, by chance . . . maybe . . . your soulmate is actively hiding from you. From us.”

His eyes widened.

“As you said, you have a reputation for being a rake. Regardless of how true or deserving that may or may not be, it’s the reputation people know. And you’re not exactly here often enough to give people a different viewpoint.” I stopped as three women I went to high school with walked by us, smiling and batting their eyelashes at Mateo without slowing down. “For example, those three have said rather salacious things about you in the past about you being a rake and how every girl should steer clear to protect their hearts. And yet, in the last hour you’ve been here socializing like a nice, normal Vauntero they’ve completely changed their opinion of you.”

He glanced over at the women in question then frowned and looked around the room. He let out a humorless soft laugh. “So this was about character reformation?”

“I’m not saying your soulmate dislikes you and is hiding, I’m just saying if there’s a small chance she is then it wouldn't hurt to try and correct that.” I chuckled. “Because despite your sour disposition with me I am well aware of how charming and friendly you are with other people. Let’s call it a PR stunt, mmkay?”

“And you think this is going to work?”

I smiled and held my head high. “I have all the faith in the world in my abilities.”

“That makes one of us.” He pointed to his watch then walked away from me.“Time is ticking, Ms. Rothchild.”

And I was just starting to feel bad for him . . . that was gone in a flash.