Naughty Halloween

“We should go look for them then! They could be in trouble!” I said, feeling worried about my friends. I was lucky to have found Alex and Angélique.

The room suddenly went dark again.

Erik snapped his fingers, and several candles lit up.

“They will be fine, I’m sure nobody will get hurt,” he said, leaning in close.

“We should stay right here,” he whispered seductively in my ear.

I liked the idea of staying here, but I didn’t like the idea of my friends floating around lost.

“We can’t. We have to find them and make sure they are okay,” I protested.

Erik moved my hair to the side and started trailing kisses down my neck. The pleasurable tickles made me shiver.

“No, we don’t, they are all right,” he said between kisses and started to undress me.

“Erik!” I gasped when he already had me on my back on the bed, trailing his hand along my almost naked body while kissing my breasts.

“Yes, love?” he said while he continued to trail his kisses lower, stripping me of my thong.

“We really shouldn’t,” I said, even though I had already surrendered.

“If you say so,” he said. He stopped.

I screamed in horror when he looked up at me and backed up against the bedpost.

He was missing his eyes, and blood was running down his face from the empty eye sockets. He smiled at me, showing razor-sharp teeth.

“You wouldn’t mind letting me borrow an eye or two?” he asked, raising a knife.

When I dashed out of bed, I suddenly found myself in a new setting.

I was in the courtroom of the headquarters.

I was standing before the Dux Umbra and the rest of the council.

When I looked down at my hands, they were in chains, and I was completely naked.

I tried to crouch and hide from their gaze, feeling beyond embarrassed and scared.

“Bella Isadora Rosqvist, you stand before us accused of witchery. What have you got to say in your defense?” the old lady next to the Dux Umbra said with a chilled voice.

“I am not a witch, I am an umbra vernandi just like you,” I said desperately.

“Only fire can cleanse you of your sins,” the Dux Umbra said with a wicked grin.

The whole council was laughing as I got dragged up onto a pyre.

“Please, I am not a witch,” I cried repeatedly as the pyre was lit and the flames started to rise.

Everything went dark, and the heat was gone, but my cheeks were wet from my tears.

***

“Everything’s all right, Bella, it was just a very wicked dream,” Erik said, hugging me close to him.

I heard him mumble in the arcane language, but I didn’t catch what he was saying.

I pulled out of his arms and backed away, remembering the horrifying image of him without eyes and with sharp teeth.

When the candles lit up his face, I saw it, and it was as handsome as ever.

“It was just another one of Aurora’s pranks,” he said.

I rushed back into his arms, seeking comfort.

“Why would she do that? That was so cruel,” I sobbed.

“Some people find it fun to get scared,” he reminded me while he stroked my hair.

“I just want this night to be over already,” I whispered.

Erik chuckled. “Let’s just sleep then. There are no more curses or enchantments. I’ve just made sure,” he promised.

***

Light seeped in through the window as I opened my eyes. Erik had his arm around me, still sleeping.

I was surprised I had still gotten a good sleep after that eventful night.

My phone vibrated on the nightstand. Probably what had woken me up.

There were texts from Aurora telling me to come join the Halloween brunch in the greenhouse.

I put on a pair of black yoga pants and a fluffy oversized pink knitted jumper that I found in the closet.

It was a chilly but sunny autumn day. Dew covered the lawn that we walked across to get to the greenhouse.

The greenhouse was full of orange and yellow flowers along with all kinds of pumpkins.

There were also a lot of people here that I didn’t know, but Erik seemed to know.

I felt relieved when I caught sight of Ellie and Rebecka.

I went to the buffet table and grabbed a plate. It was truly a spectacular and imaginative display.

There were pancakes, sandwiches, fruits, different flavored oatmeals, and toppings. All with a sort of orange, red, and yellow theme.

There was also a tower of cupcakes in black, orange, and white. I looked at the cute little ghost cupcake I had picked out as I walked toward my fellow umbra friends.

“What a fun night, right, Bella?” Ellie said with delight as I sat down.

I looked at her, trying to detect sarcasm.

“You’re kidding, right?” I asked.

Ellie laughed.

“No, I had a blast,” she said, and she meant it.

“It was surely an experience,” Rebecka said, not looking as amused.

“Where did you get your clothes from?” she asked suddenly, surprised.

She and Ellie still had their Halloween costumes, just without the makeup. We hadn’t planned on staying the night.

“Found some in the closet in the room. I figured it was all right for me to borrow them,” I admitted.

“Lucky! You haven’t seen Alex, have you?” Ellie asked.

“I saw him with Damion’s sister, Angélique, when I was a ghost.” I shivered at the memory of being dead.

A sweet, flowery scent suddenly hit me, and white hair fell like a curtain at my side.

“Alex is still sleeping,” Angélique said, hanging over the table at my side before she sat down.

“You and Alex slept together?” Ellie asked, surprised.

“If you mean slept as in slept in the same bed, then yes. We didn’t have sex,” Angélique answered up front.

“That’s even stranger,” Ellie said, staring at Angélique in disbelief.

“Does Alex have a betrothed, lover, or girlfriend, as you say nowadays?” Angélique asked.

We all looked at her with suspicion for her strange choice of words.

“You’re going to have to ask him yourself. He doesn’t talk much about the women he sees,” Ellie answered.

She knew him the best, after all.

There was a dangerous twinkle in Angélique’s eyes.

“Oh well, maybe I’ll see you at the Samhain celebration tonight,” she said with a sweet and polite voice while she got back up.

“I wonder what she is. I can’t read any energy from her at all,” I said, confused.

She felt so familiar. It was really odd.

“Me neither,” Ellie and Rebecka answered simultaneously.

“Bella, I’m really sorry if my pranks were too much for you,” Aurora said as she came to join us.

“I’m just glad it’s all finally over,” I admitted.

“You’re staying for Samhain tonight, right? I won’t be playing any more pranks,” Aurora promised.

“Yes! We are!” Ellie said enthusiastically.

Rebecka and I looked at her, surprised. “We are?”