Read Online Charmed & Deadly by Candace Havens - Free Book Online Page A

hours putting wards around the house, making it invisible to the magical eye. No need to have their covens ruin our fun.
    In the basement the spook crew helped me get everything that could be used as a weapon out. All that was left was a table and two chairs. Oh, and the washer and dryer.
    My mom keeps everything tidy, even in the basement. There are only boxes and a couple of wardrobes filled with clothes and shoes. I swear she had half of Neiman Marcus stuffed in there. I didn’t think her Michael Kors sweaters would make much of a weapon, but the Manolos with the spiked heels could be dangerous.
    I did all of this and some major research before they arrived. I’d discovered that none of this had anything to do with money or hostile corporate takeovers. It was a centuries-old feud that had started over land in Bulgaria, though the specifics of the disagreement were never disclosed. The Dragomirs and the Krasimirs had been fighting since 1708. Funny thing is, both of the family names mean “beautiful peace” in English. Bunch of idiots who never once, in all of those years, tried to sit down and talk to one another.
    Argh! That was about to change. I decided Constantine Dragomirs and Lilyana Krasimirs would solve their differences, or die trying.
    They had black cloth sacks over their heads and their hands were handcuffed behind their backs. They’d been yanked out of their beds. Constantine wore a blue robe over Elvis pjs and I bet he wasn’t expecting to be kidnapped first thing in the morning. Lilyana wore a red silk robe over a little shortie set of the same material.
    This was going to be so much fun. Nothing like a little peace conference to take my mind off Garnout.
    I bound their powers again before the pair stepped over the threshold of the door. The only magic in this house would be done by me. No one from the outside would be able to locate them, and they wouldn’t be able to get past the wards. They also couldn’t physically hurt one another by strangling, breaking necks, or any of that fun stuff.
    The “investigators” (Cole begged me to stop calling them the spook squad) moved Constantine and Lilyana down the stairs to the basement. The cops had also installed cameras and microphones so we could keep track of what was going on.
    The witch and warlock were shoved into chairs, and the bags were yanked off their heads. As their eyes came into focus they both jumped up and backed away from each other. Their mouths were covered with duct tape.
    I slid into calm bitch mode.
    “Okay, kiddies. Here’s how this is going to work. You will sit down and discuss your differences in a calm and nonviolent fashion. I don’t care how long it takes. You aren’t leaving here until there’s some kind of truce.” I motioned for them to sit again.
    Lilyana was pretty with her black hair and milky white skin, but she wasn’t about to take orders from anyone. She gave me a look that could stop global warming.
    Constantine had dark brown hair with graying tips. It almost looked frosted. He was tall, at least six-three, and he wasn’t interested in playing my game.
    “Tell you what. You sit down, and I’ll rip that tape off your mouth.” I winked at Lilyana. She gave me another arctic stare.
    I shrugged. “Doesn’t matter to me.” I walked toward the door and motioned for the two investigators in the room to come with me.
    Lilyana grunted. It was the best she could do under the circumstances. Then she sat down.
    “Same offer goes for you.” I pointed to Constantine. Even with tape on his mouth, he was kind of cute.
    He sat down, too. “See, it’s all about compromise.”
    Reaching out I grabbed the tape on both of their mouths and ripped.
    “Mother of god! Are you insane?” Lilyana screamed. “Do you have any idea who I am? You will die for this treachery!”
    I snorted. I love playing with bad witches. “Doubt it. Yes, I know who you are. And if you think about it, you know who I am. You also realize that