Page 73 of Coven of Corpses

“Shut your fucking mouth about it and help us get everyone calmed down and out of here, and we’ll give you all the details.”

“This is about the witch we saw in the woods, isn’t it?”

“I repeat, help us get everyone out of here and we’ll give you the full story.”

“Are they about to kiss?”

That had been Hilari, Brady’s wife. Everyone stopped talking and turned to look at Cody and Ollie. Cody still gripped Ollie by the shirt, holding him close. Only to everyone else, it looked like Demmy holding Ollie close. Demmy, who had once dated Ollie.

“Oliver?” Dave said. “What’s going on between you and Demetrius?”

Right. And Ollie, who was now engaged to Cody’s younger brother.

Ollie looked down to where Cody still held a fistful of his shirt. “Um, just a little discussion about the events going on here in town.”

“Events?” said Madison, Roman’s uptight wife. She fixed Roman with a hard look. “You said all of that was over now. You promised me what happened to you and Summer could never happen again.”

“It’s not,” Demmy said quickly. “I promise. It’s not what happened before.”

“Which means it’s something different?” Summer asked, looking between Cody and Demmy. “What is it this time?”

Cody had a brief memory montage of the time she had run away from home in Utah and caught a bus to stay with them. The same time Nicolae, the alpha werewolf, had staged a takeover of the town. Even from where he stood, Cody saw the spark of interest in her expression. He wished she lived closer. She’d make one hell of a Critter Catcher.

A knock on the door saved him and Ollie from having to respond. Since he was nearest the door, Cody released Ollie and gave him a gentle shove back before he turned to open it. He didn’t even bother to look through the peep hole or ask who it was, he was just grateful for the interruption.

“It’s witches this time?” Jugs said as he barged through the door, wide shoulders bumping it farther open and nearly knocking Cody on his ass. Agatha, his veterinarian girlfriend, and a previous Critter Catchers client, was right behind him. She was followed closely by Clarabell, who wore a black hoodie over a white t-shirt with the X-Files logo, faded black jeans, and her Doc Martens decorated with flying saucer stickers.

“I had to let Jugs know,” Clarabell was saying, looking down as she adjusted the messenger bag around her shoulders. “I ran into them at Margie’s, and he started asking me questions.” She looked up and came to a dead stop at the sight of everyone staring at her. “Oh.”

Cody winced as he stood in place, still holding the handle of the door.

“Oh, shit,” Jugs said quietly as he looked at the packed living room. Then he pulled a wide smile up from somewhere inside him and delivered a surprisingly delicate finger wave. “Hi, Bower family. Haven’t seen most of you since the wedding. This is Agatha, my girlfriend.”

For their part, everyone in Cody’s family returned his greeting with their own, although a bit subdued.

Before anyone could think of something to say, Dexter, Grant and Mac’s twelve-year-old son, said in a creaky voice, “Was Uncle Demetrius going to kiss that other man?”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Demetrius felt that, between himself, Cody, and Oliver, they’d managed to stem the worst of the outbursts from the Bower family members. Well, most of them. Roman and Madison were always going to be rigid outliers, so he didn’t count them. And Jugs, Agatha, and Clarabell had scurried into the kitchen to look for some refreshments for themselves. Dave had approached Demetrius and asked point blank if anything might was going on between Demetrius and Oliver.

“Nothing’s going on between Demmy and Oliver.” He waved a hand up and down Cody’s body and said in the sassiest tone of voice he could manage, “Would Demmy need anything other than this to keep him happy?”

Dave gave him a scrunched up expression of disgust, then cocked his head. “Wait. Did you call him Oliver?”

“Yes?”

“That’s really nice you used his actual name instead of that nickname.”

“Oh, right. That. I’ve been trying lately, but it comes and goes. Maybe don’t get used to it.”

“Yeah, okay.” Dave looked over his shoulder to where Cody and Oliver were talking together in low tones with Clarabell, Jugs, and Agatha, who had all returned from the kitchen. Demetrius had to admit it did look a little suspicious to see himself so involved in a conversation with his ex-boyfriend. Was this what it looked like to Cody? He would have to remember that in the future.

Also, his ass looked pretty damn good in those jeans. He’d have to remember that, too.

“Is what Jugs said true?” Dave asked. “Is there a witch in town?”

“Yeah, but it’s not like you think.”