Black Magic is Taboo For Good Reason: Diva Delaney Mysteries, #12

By Anni Jayde

A mysterious mob boss from Chicago is hellbent on eliminating Diva Delaney and he'll stop at nothing to get the job done. She'll have to travel to the UK Council headquarters to speak to someone who might be able to shed some light on the coven her nemesis comes from.

During her meeting with the reclusive warlock, Diva accidentally triggers an event that will irrevocably shape her future. Any attempts to alter her fate will bring dire consequences. She's going to have to let it run its course and see what the eventual outcome will be.

No one will be exempt from her war with the gangster. Any of her friends, family members and random acquaintances could become a target. Diva will need to discover her foe's secret identity if she hopes to have a chance to take him down before he can destroy her. He's so well guarded that the task won't be easy, but no one can hide from her physic abilities forever.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Seize The Night Agency
• Release date: Nov 16, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393684312

Book preview

Chapter One

STILL FEELING SHAKY that someone had just tried to kill me, I didn’t protest when Haydn picked my chair up and guided me over to it. I held Geddon to my chest and sank down onto my seat. The kitten was shaking just as much as I was, but at least he’d stopped hissing and spitting at everyone. He uttered a low growl at Haydn, warning him to keep his distance.

Nina Rivers and Richard Privet had come to check on me when they’d sensed the magical blast. So had my cousin, Courtney. The ghosts hovered off to one side, whispering worriedly to each other.

Wyatt and Wade Westmore teleported into my office to join the party. Courtney said there was some kind of explosion in here, Wyatt said. His eyebrows rose when he saw the charred ruins of the letter bomb scattered across my desk.

Courtney had called Wade to inform him about the attempt on my life and he must have called his brother. Wade had his arms wrapped around Courtney from behind and he towered over her protectively. My cousin was close to tears at my near brush with death, but she staunchly refused to give in to her emotions. We need to find this mob boss and dismember him asap, she said.

We will, honey, Wade promised her soothingly.

White spots danced in front of my eyes at the thought of seeing someone being dismembered. Haydn took Geddon from me so I could put my head down on my desk. Take deep breaths, love, my enemy said while stroking a hand up and down my back.

I need to get back to my bakery, Nina said regretfully. She peered through the blinds to see she had some customers lined up. I’ll check in on you tomorrow, she promised, then let herself out.

I’d best be going, too, Mr. Privet added. He was understandably disturbed by the letter bomb. If he’d still been in my office when it had exploded, he could have been hurt. He nodded at us politely, then left.

That spell must have been powerful if it was felt all the way across the street, the sheriff said as he examined the ashes. It would have taken a lot of strength to pull it off. I doubt many conjurers could have crafted something like that.

The white spots faded and I sat up straight again. I was bemused to see my familiar cradled in the crook of Haydn’s arm. Lying on his back, the kitten was staring spitefully at the white handkerchief that poked out of the top of the warlock’s suit pocket. Grabbing hold of it, he pulled it down to his mouth and began chewing it into submission.

Haydn glanced down with a rueful look, but decided not to rescue his beleaguered handkerchief. He had more worrying problems right now. This warlock has proven to be far more dangerous than we’d anticipated, he said. There has to be a way for us to identify him and bring him to justice.

I saw a seal with a crest on the letter before it exploded, but I didn’t get a good look at it, I said. Maybe you can rewind my memory and freeze the image so we can all see it.

That’s a good idea, Wyatt said with a grin. You’d make a good detective.

Except for your pathetically weak stomach, Maryanne added. The spirits cracked up at the withering look I gave her, but their laughter sounded forced. They were almost as rattled by the bomb blast as I’d been.

Haydn placed his hand on my shoulder and I brought up the memory of the letter a moment before it had opened. Extracting the image from me, the warlock tossed it at the wall. I swiveled my chair around and we all examined the seal.

I can’t quite make it out, Reggie complained. What’s it meant to be?

I think it’s a bear standing over the body of a warlock, Wyatt said, unknowingly answered the ghost as he squinted at the blob of red wax.

Now that he’d mentioned it, I could see it as well. The bear was snarling and had one paw raised with its claws ready to rend and tear. The body it was hunkered over appeared to be male and was wearing a robe and a pointy hat. I don’t remember seeing that in the book of crests that I had to study, I said. I took my cell phone out and snapped off a photo of the image. The Latin inscription beneath the crest wasn’t clear enough for me to be able to read it, not that I could read Latin anyway.

Neither do I, Haydn murmured. Geddon had managed to extract the handkerchief. He was currently shredding it with his back feet and growling as he chewed it to death. He was cute, but I couldn’t help but compare him to his father. Satan had clawed and bitten me exactly like that far too many times for me to count by now.

Maybe it’s a crest from a coven that’s been disbanded, Wade mused. I bet the Keeper at the UK Council Headquarters would be able to tell us for sure.

Who or what is the Keeper? Jess asked. I was just as curious as she was and repeated her question.

Hardly anyone gets to see him, but he keeps the records of the covens up to date, Wyatt explained. He guards the room where the crests are created. No one is allowed in, except the council leaders and the conjurers who seek permission to form a new coven.

This was all news to me. It highlighted just how little I knew about the magical world that I lived in. Do you think he would agree to see me? I asked.

Haydn shrugged a shoulder and handed Geddon over to me. Perhaps, he said and frowned at his bedraggled, once pristine handkerchief. Your hellcat may keep his prize, he added dryly. If my services are no longer required, I shall return to my store. Wyatt knew where to find him if he needed him and he didn’t try to stop the warlock from leaving.

So, this is your familiar, huh? Wade asked, pointing at Geddon warily. The feline stopped chewing on the handkerchief. He looked over at the warlock, waiting for him to say whatever was on his mind.

Yep, I confirmed. His name is Armageddon, or Geddon for short.

Wade’s mouth quirked up in a smile and Courtney snickered. Something tells me he’s going to be a force to be reckoned with when he grows up, the Texan drawled. The kitten began to purr since he hadn’t been disrespected for once. My cousin must have warned him that Geddon could understand what people were saying.

You’ll need to put in a request to see to the Keeper through the UK Council leaders, Wyatt warned me. He might just be curious enough to allow you entry to his inner sanctum. You’re fast becoming a legend among our kind.

She’s always been legendary in Hollowood Grove, Fran said slyly.

Legendary for embarrassing herself, Jess added with a smirk and they giggled at my sour expression.

Don’t worry about the time difference, Wade said. Someone will take a message and pass it on to the councilmembers. London was around eight hours ahead of us, which made it hard to arrange meetings.

Nodding my thanks, I was engulfed in Courtney’s arms as she gave me a fierce hug. Thank God you managed to contain that blast, she said when she let me go. We would have found pieces of you stuck to the walls, floor and ceiling if you hadn’t put that shield up in time.

I made a face at the vivid image that came to my mind and had to struggle against the urge to barf. Thanks, cousin, I said in a fake grateful tone. I really needed that picture in my head.

We’d better go, or we’ll be late for dinner, she warned me. It was her last night at the Delaney mansion. Tomorrow, she would move out and we would only see her at the mansion intermittently. Eve was spending more and more time with Liam Pentland as well. It had been decided that everyone in the family would have to turn up at the Delaney manor for Sunday dinner. It was mandatory and we would need a good excuse to be able to get out of it.

It was past my usual closing time by now. I waited for everyone to leave, then locked my front door. I cleaned up the ashes with a spell, but the faint smell of charred paper hung in the air. It was a reminder of the death I’d barely managed to avoid.

The mob boss had fired the first shot in the war that he was apparently waging against me. I’d been instrumental in shutting down one of his illegal gambling rings in Chicago and he wasn’t happy about it. To make matters worse, I’d helped rescue Roger Mayhew and his family from their imprisonment. Roger owed the mysterious mob boss a lot of money. He was being monitored by our Council now, so nabbing him again wouldn’t be easy.

The gangster’s number one lackey, Kennard Emerson, had warned me that I would now be on his employer’s hit list. It seemed he hadn’t been exaggerating about that. The mobster had me in his crosshairs and he wouldn’t hesitate to end my life. If he couldn’t get to me, it was my greatest fear that he would use my family and friends to punish me instead.

Chapter Two

GEDDON WASN’T ABOUT to relinquish the handkerchief that he’d stolen from Haydn. He growled at me when I tried to take it from him. Okay, the hanky is yours, I said in capitulation. You killed it and it belongs to you now. I carried him to my Mercedes and placed him on Jess’ lap when she turned solid. He clutched the tattered fabric in his paws and continued to chew on it.

Do you really think the Keeper will see Diva? Reginald asked his cohorts from their usual seats in the back.

Probably, Fran replied, but she sounded doubtful. He’s a weird old recluse from what I’ve heard, but she has a good reason to want to speak to him.

I’d get Lilla to call the UK Council if I were you, Maryanne suggested. A request like that would be better coming from a coven matriarch. Especially someone of your grandmother’s fame and prestige. I glanced into the rearview mirror to see the other two nodding along with her.

The Three Stooges had been my friends ever since I’d first learned I could see ghosts. I’d long ago gotten used to their strange, outdated clothing. Fran’s outfit wasn’t so bad. Her overweight body was crammed into a blue dress with white polka dots. She had a matching bow in her red hair that was styled in big Shirley Temple type ringlets. It was an odd choice of clothing for a woman in her thirties. It would have looked more at home on a little girl.

Reggie was slim to the point of scrawniness. He wore his black hair slicked back from his narrow face. I was pretty sure he’d been a weasel in a former life and that some of his animal genes had remained with him in this incarnation. His clothing was unmistakable as being from the seventies. His shirt was purple satin with paisley prints and his pants were black and tight. He wore a chunky gold necklace with a peace symbol dangling from it that nestled against his bony, hairless chest. He’d been in his twenties when he’d been cruelly murdered. His killer had never been caught.

Maryanne was a standout in her white Marilyn Monroe dress, slightly askew platinum blonde wig and uneven bright red lipstick. She’d been in her fifties when she’d fallen off a cliff and had died. She was a couple of decades too old for the outfit, but she was stuck with it for eternity now.

Jess had them all beat with her eighties garb of a hot pink t-shirt, acid wash jeans and matching electric blue eyeshadow, headband and legwarmers. Her crimped blonde hair was the crowning glory from the era of her death.

What are you smirking about? my bestie asked me suspiciously.

Nothing, I lied as badly as always.

Just tell us, Reggie said crossly. You know we’ll get it out of you eventually.

I was just thinking about Geddon stealing Haydn’s handkerchief and ripping it to shreds, I said, avoiding their eyes as I pulled into our driveway.

He’s so cute, Jess said, then tickled the ferocious beast on his belly. Aren’t you? she cooed. Who’s the cutest little kitten I’ve ever seen?

Ugh, now Jess is using baby talk, Maryanne said in disgust. We’ll all be doing it soon. We’ll be the laughingstock of Hollowood Grove.

I was well acquainted with being a laughingstock, so I already knew how that felt. Glad my distraction had worked and I’d avoided offending the spirits by laughing at their style of clothing, I pulled to a stop beneath the carport. Grabbing Geddon and my purse, I climbed out. My car door had barely closed before claws raked across my calf. I let out a yelp of pain and looked down to see my grandmother’s cat emerging from beneath my car. Damn you, Satan! I shouted as the specters cracked up yet again.

I couldn’t teleport to safety while I was holding Geddon. The one and only time I’d teleported him, he’d been so dizzy and disoriented that he’d barfed all over both of us. Satan looked up, saw my familiar and growled horribly. His son arched his back and fluffed out his fur. Geddon’s yowl was high-pitched and far from scary as he did his best to frighten away the far larger feline.

Backing away from Satan, I unlocked my door with magic as the imp prepared to launch himself at my familiar. From the intense look in his green eyes, he was going to do his best to kill his rival. The door swung open and I darted inside, then kicked it shut just in time for Satan to thump against it. His claws raked against the wood as he slid to the ground. Geddon huddled against me with wide, frightened eyes as we listened to the horrible monster growling outside.

The phantoms drifted inside, wiping away spectral tears of laughter. You need to keep Geddon away from Satan, Jess said while trying not to erupt into fresh giggles. He clearly doesn’t like having another cat on his turf.

Now do you see why I have to leave you here when I go to the mansion for dinner? I asked my furry friend as I limped over to my blue velvet chair and sank down onto it. Grumpy and out of sorts, Geddon leaped from my lap to the ground. He dropped Haydn’s hanky on the floor and marched into the kitchen in search of food. I quickly doctored my wounds with the smelly gray healing paste, then fed the kitten. I had enough time to wash up, but I had to forgo coffee before teleporting over to the mansion.

Your grandmother heard about the letter bomb, Bryce said in a solemn tone when Jess and I appeared in the foyer. As always, he’d been waiting for us to arrive. Somewhere in his seventies, he was as devoid of expression as he was of hair. He’d died wearing his uniform of a black suit, white shirt and white gloves. He’d been in the service of the Delaney Coven for a century, half of which had been performed after his death.

Is Lilla angry? Jess asked as the other three specters swept into the house to join us.

I believe Mrs. Delaney is more frightened than anything, the butler replied.

The idea that Lilla Delaney could be frightened of anyone was hard to believe. She was usually the one who instilled fear in others. Yet I saw what Bryce meant when I entered the dining room. The whole family was here for once and they all wore the same tight-lipped expression.

It had to be you, Grandma said when I slunk over to my seat. Her hexing hand was twitching with the need to punish someone. Neither Eve, nor Courtney would become enemies with a mob boss, she went on. These things only ever happen to you.

I know, I said miserably as Inga wheeled our meals in on a cart. German and in her sixties, she was stout, had gray hair and spoke little English. I waited for her to hand out our plates and to vanish back into the kitchen before continuing. Wade and Wyatt think you should contact the Keeper at the UK Council Headquarters and ask for a meeting with him. He might know which coven the mobster comes from.

Courtney said you took a photo of the crest, Grandma said and gestured at me to hand over my cell phone. Let me see it, she commanded. I took my phone out and brought up the photo of the letter bomb, then passed it to Courtney. She handed it to Eve, who glanced at the image before passing it to Grandma. Taking a good long look at the photo, Grandma handed the device to Aunt Janet. After both of my aunts had examined it, Aunt Isabel passed it across the table to me. Does anyone recognize that crest? Grandma asked.

I’ve never seen it before, Aunt Isabel replied. She was going gray and had put on a bit of weight during the past decade. Her hair was in desperate need of styling and she tended to wear frumpy clothes.

Her sister nodded in agreement. Janet looked a decade younger rather than two years older than her sibling. She toyed with the black pendant that boosted her power enough to cast a spell that kept her looking younger than she really was. She would be turning fifty soon, but she was too vain to age gracefully. Her hair was dyed black and sat above her shoulders in a trendy style. Unlike Isabel, she wore far more