Witch Way Now: A Paranormal Romantic Comedy (Raising Hell Downunder Book 4)

by Rhiannon Hartley

  Beatrix made a small noise in the back of her throat, and she looked like she wanted to say something else. Instead, she looked at her watch. "Are you ready to go back?" she said. "We need to grind up those cloves to go with the dehydrated mint. There's an incantation that goes with it. They can't do it without me."

  "Yeah," Jacob said, packing up his laptop and sighing again. "Yep, I'm ready."

  ✽✽✽

  "So, I heard that there's quite a waiting list for your products," Jacob said as they walked through the long grass and shade of the trees. "But I was wondering if you might let me make a special purchase."

  Beatrix looked up at him, surprised. She had been pulling pieces of bark off a stick and pointedly not looking at him. "You...you want to buy my stuff?"

  "For my mum," Jacob said quickly. "Not that I don't think men can be into skincare. It's just... My mum, she's always trying some new cream, some new procedure or whatever, and I'd like to get her something that really works. She puts up with a lot. She deserves something nice."

  Beatrix was silent for a moment. "Ordinarily, I definitely wouldn't let someone who wasn't a close friend jump the queue," she said. "Especially not a property developer."

  "I thought you said I wasn't completely evil," Jacob pointed out, but he could already see the laughter in her eyes.

  "Well, that does help," she admitted. "And it's a bit too cute that you want to give your mum a nice present. If I said no to that, I'd definitely be evil."

  "And that's my job, after all," Jacob grinned.

  "I'm starting to think maybe it isn't,' Beatrix admitted. "Maybe you're...okay. For a developer."

  "Oh wow, I didn't realise you liked me so much," Jacob said, pretending to blush. "I don't know how to take such a huge compliment. You're making me all giddy!"

  "Stop it!" Beatrix said, whacking him on the arm with her stick, but she was laughing. When she laughed, her whole face seemed to come alive with joy, illuminating everything around her. "I'll make your mum a gift basket. I've never met her, but if she has to put up with you - and your brother and dad - then she definitely deserves it."

  "Thanks," Jacob said. "Looks like there are some serious perks to being bound to you."

  "Oh, it's nothing but perks for you," Beatrix said airily. "You get to stay at my house, eat my food. What do I get?"

  Jacob pretended to think. "The pleasure of my company?" he suggested. "Eye candy?"

  "That," Beatrix said, "is not a perk."

  "Oh, come on," Jacob teased. "You're starting to like me."

  "Tolerate," Beatrix corrected. "I'm starting to tolerate you."

  And that? Well, that was a start.

  ✽✽✽

  "So, you want things for your mother," Beatrix said. "What did you have in mind?"

  "I don't really know, actually," Jacob said, looking at the little bottles in their neat cardboard boxes stamped with Beatrix's logo. "Don't suppose you've got anything that will make her look twenty years younger? That's what she always says she wants."

  Beatrix laughed. "Not even magic can do that." She paused. "Well, technically it can, but you have to do some pretty dark stuff. I think she'd have to drink chicken's blood every three hours, so—"

  Jacob must have grimaced because Beatrix stopped talking abruptly. "How about Smooth Moves? It's our anti-wrinkle serum," she said, holding up a small bottle. "It's pretty much Botox, but the results last as long as you keep using it, and you can still move your face. Which I think is a huge bonus."

  Jacob snorted. "I don't think her forehead has moved in ten years, but she'd definitely like that."

  "This one evens out your complexion," Beatrix said, handing him another bottle. "That's what we're making today, with the mint. Don't worry, it smells a lot better by the time it's finished."

  "Good. Because right now? I was on the Rugby team in high school, and I gotta say, the locker room after practice smelled better."

  "Of course you were," Beatrix said, rolling her eyes. "You went to one of those elite schools, played Rugby..."

  "Well, I wasn't very good," Jacob said. "My brother, Tom, was a star. They put me on the team, hoping I'd turn out like him. But I didn't. They didn't let me forget it, either."

  Beatrix nodded slightly as though in understanding. "It can be a lot of pressure, living up to a family name," she said unexpectedly. "My mother? She's pretty well known, in the magical community. For her power, her knowledge, her wisdom. She always hoped I'd turn out just like her, but..."

  "She must be very proud of you," Jacob offered. "Building your own business like this."

  Beatrix laughed out loud, but it wasn't a happy laugh that illuminated her face. No, this was a bitter laugh of someone who had been disappointed for a long time.

  "Not so much?" Jacob asked.

  "Nope," Beatrix said. "I bet that there are peace-loving hippie parents out there who are more proud that their kid turned out to be an arms dealer."

  "Ouch," Jacob winced. "But, why? I mean, you have your own business. And it's been so successful!"

  "That makes it worse, as far as she's concerned," Beatrix sighed. "My mother is a traditionalist. She's always lived on a commune with other witches and warlocks, not much technology, barely any contact with Ordinaries. She thinks I'm betraying my heritage just by having Ordinary friends. And selling my potions? That's pretty much sacrilegious. She doesn't believe in money. Her commune has some weird deal with a local farmer where they barter for anything that they can't produce. It's all very paleolithic."

  "That must be tough," Jacob said, trying to imagine what it would be like to have a parent who thought that his mobile phone was an act of heresy.

  "It was," Beatrix said, turning her face away. "When I was growing up, going to school in homemade clothes, trying to explain that I didn't have a computer at home, let alone the internet. I didn't have a lot of friends." She shook her head. "Except for Onyx, anyway. Back when he was...not Onyx. He always thought it was cool that I lived out at the commune; he was jealous. But I would have done anything to live in a house with a TV and a shower."

  "That's..." Jacob let out a breath. "I didn't know it was like that, for you."

  She shrugged. "It is what it is," she said stoically. "But I'm an adult now. I can make my own choices." She looked at the little shelf of bottles. "Oh, and your mum definitely needs this. It's our signature overnight treatment. Everyone who tries it says they can't stop stroking their face the next day."

  Jacob took the cue and didn't press further about Beatrix's unusual upbringing, but he couldn't resist one more question.

  "Do you still see her?" he asked. "Your mum, that is."

  "Oh yeah," Beatrix said, looking at him as though he were mentally deficient. "I mean, she's my mother. Just because she disapproves of every single one of my life choices, it doesn't mean she's just going to cut me off. Actually, she keeps trying to set me up with her friend's sons. Warlocks," she confirmed. "It's been pretty funny."

  "Oh, that's why you won't have dinner with me then? Because I'm not a warlock?"

  Beatrix laughed. "Trust me, that's not even in my top five reasons for not going out with you, Jacob Jones."

  Jacob laughed. "Come on, your mum wouldn't approve of me. Doesn't that make me appealing and forbidden?"

  "Oh man, if my mother knew you were bound to me..." Beatrix grimaced theatrically, making Jacob smile. "She'd lose her shit. Honestly, she'd come down here and undo it herself. And trust me, she wouldn't care if you suffered organ damage in the process."

  "So you haven't told her?"

  "Absolutely not!" Beatrix shook her head firmly. "Like I said, it wouldn't go well. And you don't want to meet my mother. If you thought I was maybe a little prejudiced against developers, then..."

  "Ah, I see where you get it from," Jacob nodded. "I guess if you grew up on a commune, a developer would be pretty much your worst nightmare."

  "Something like that," Beatrix agreed. "If my mother ran the world, we'd all still
be hunter-gatherers living in caves, and we'd be bloody grateful for the privilege."

  "Wow," Jacob sighed. "And I thought I didn't always see eye to eye with my dad."

  "But you still want to work with your dad," Beatrix pointed out. "The family business, and all."

  "I do," Jacob agreed. "It's hard sometimes, but... It's harder to imagine doing anything else. I never even really considered it, to be honest."

  Beatrix made a soft noise and looked away. She put the little bottles into a cardboard box and tied it up with a pale blue ribbon.

  "Here," she said, handing it to him. "For your mother. For putting up with a family of developers."

  "Thanks," Jacob said, taking the box from her. "What's the damage?" He pulled out his wallet, and Beatrix frowned.

  "Don't worry about it," she said, her cheeks flushing as though embarrassed.

  "Are you sure?" Jacob said. "Because you should know, this means I'll have to try even harder to take you out to dinner now."

  "You should give up on that one," she insisted.

  "Nah," Jacob said, smiling as he picked up the box. "I like a challenge."

  10 Beatrix

  As Beatrix sat at her desk, signing a pile of invoices that Onyx had given her before slinking away without making eye contact, she was thoughtful.

  Jacob hadn't been lying about wanting to protect the bushland on the site next door. Or if he was lying, he had gotten his father and brother into an elaborate ruse to back it up, and she didn't think he'd go that far to try to impress her. No, it seemed to be true. She supposed that logically speaking, not every single property developer on earth had to be evil. Some of them were even probably quite nice, decent people. Like Jacob appeared to be. She thought, just for a moment, that it was kind of a shame that they were meeting under these circumstances. If only they had been introduced at a party or something, then maybe...

  Beatrix shook her head, biting her lip. That was a stupid thing to think. Jacob was charming (and very aware of it), kind to his mother, willing to stand up to his father and brother when necessary (and they were absolutely the kind of jerks that Beatrix imagined all developers were), and he looked seriously good in a loose gym tank. But that didn't mean it would be a good idea to let anything happen. After all, she didn't do relationships. Jacob wasn't worth breaking that rule for. Was he?

  But he hadn't been lying about the sustainable development. He definitely deserved a few points for that. Even if she still had absolutely zero intention of going to dinner with him when this was all over.

  The laptop in front of her let out an electronic tone, and a reminder popped up. Shit.

  Beatrix fumbled out her phone and looked around frantically for somewhere she could make the call privately. Could she go outside? Not when she was bound to Jacob, she couldn't. Wincing slightly, she dialled the number. It wouldn't do to be late.

  "Hi, Mum," Beatrix said when the phone picked up.

  "Beatrix, my daughter," her mother's voice was as rich and full as ever. "You sound troubled. What ails you, child?"

  "Oh, nothing," Beatrix said quickly. "Really, it's nothing. How are you?"

  "Don't lie to me, daughter," Agnes said severely. "I can always tell when you're lying, can't I?"

  Beatrix thought back to her childhood - especially her teenage years - and frowned. Her mother could always tell when she was lying.

  "It's not a big deal," she said, hedging. "It's just, I think I told you that some of the land near me was rezoned, and, well—"

  "And those foul developers are swooping in like vultures, ready to destroy the earth with their accursed three-lane highways!" Agnes pronounced dramatically, like a prophecy she had made was coming true.

  "Something like that," Beatrix said. "But it's not all bad, I mean, the site around my property is—"

  "That beautiful bushland around you is going to be defiled by some Ordinary with no sense of beauty, of magic, of the importance of life," Agnes cut in, increasingly impassioned.

  "No, no," Beatrix said quickly. "The guy who owns it, he wants to do a sustainable development, so he'll actually keep some of the bushland, and—"

  "Oh, my daughter, you are hopelessly naive sometimes," Agnes said with a deep sigh. "These people cannot be trusted. You cannot trust anyone who does not know magic."

  "I really do think he's telling the truth," Beatrix finished lamely. How could she explain that she knew that without telling her mother about the bond? And she sure as hell wasn't about to let that one slip. Not unless she wanted her mother to appear with a ceremonial sword to hack Jacob away from her, regardless of the consequences.

  "You've communicated with this predator?" Agnes sounded aghast. "You've let yourself be taken in by his lies? Beatrix, my child, I thought I had raised you better than that."

  Beatrix decided to let that particular comment slide and not tell her mother that being raised to distrust all outsiders hadn't actually been terribly beneficial in life.

  "No, it's just I've seen the plans, and—"

  "You clearly need my help," Agnes said, her voice rich, soothing, and utterly smothering. "You can't stay there. You need to come home. This is where you truly belong."

  "Mum, you know I can't live with you and the others anymore," Beatrix said, her voice firm, but she squeezed her eyes shut. She hated saying no to her mother, even now. "You know why I needed to move out. I need my own space, and now with my business..."

  "A perfect time to get rid of it!" Agnes said. "Such a horrible idea, selling our secrets, our knowledge, to Ordinaries! I did think you'd grow out of this fascination with the Ordinary world. You're not getting any younger, it's time to come home. To be with your community."

  Beatrix screwed up her face. "This is my home now," she said, swallowing hard and wishing that the phone line would cut out. "I like it here. And I'm not giving up my business. I'm not giving away any secrets. I'm just...doing something I'm good at, that helps people. I got an email from a woman the other day. She had struggled with acne for years. Started using my products, and it cleared right up. She says she can smile at herself for the first time in fifteen years."

  "Well, of course it worked," Agnes said. "Your skill with potions is commendable, but you shouldn't be selling it."

  "We've been through this, Mum," Beatrix said, suddenly feeling very tired. "It's not evil to sell things. It's not even evil to make a profit. I'm not hurting anyone. No one is being exploited."

  "I just don't know why you would go against our traditions, our values, our community," Agnes said mournfully. "So much talent and you squander it this way."

  "I'm not squandering anything," Beatrix said. "I'm happy, really."

  "Happy," Agnes repeated. "How could anyone be happy, living alone the way you do. In that house filled with electrical wires and WIFI and blue teeth, and goodness knows what else. Away from your people, surrounded by Ordinaries, and—"

  "I'm happy," Beatrix said through gritted teeth. She didn't want to admit it, but her mother had a point. She did get lonely, sometimes. But it sure as hell beat living in the commune, with never a peaceful moment, never a second's privacy. She'd never, ever go back to sharing her living space. Not with one of the warlocks her mother kept pushing on her, not with anyone. Well, except Gumbo. And currently, Jacob and Prada. But that was due to an extremely unfortunate set of circumstances and not due to her choice. Beatrix swallowed down her frustration. "How's the community going?" she said, searching for a change of subject. "How was the solstice?"

  "Oh, it was wonderful!" Agnes began, eagerly latching on to extolling the virtues of the commune. "The way we all came together in the spirit of change, of the wheel of the year. You could see the power, the magic in the air. I've never felt so alive!"

  Beatrix rubbed at her temple with her free hand, but she was glad to have distracted her mother from her personal failings. She listened as attentively as she could, putting in a "uh-huh" here and a "that must have been nice" there as often as seemed to be necessar
y. When her mother ended the call, Beatrix slumped down onto her desk face first. The polished timber was cool against her hot cheek, and she wanted nothing more at that moment than to simply stay there forever. Her curtain of red hair blocked out the world, and she didn't have to do anything, say anything, or face anyone. Desk-land was an excellent place to be.

  A soft sound made her raise her head. There was a cup of coffee in front of her.

  "I thought you might need this," Jacob said, smiling sheepishly and raising his own coffee cup.

  "Were you eavesdropping?" Beatrix frowned, but she gratefully picked up the cup just the same.

  "Not intentionally," Jacob assured her. "Just... I don't know, maybe it reminded me a little of when I try to talk to my parents sometimes. They love me, they want the best for me, but sometimes it's like talking to a brick wall. It's hard for them to imagine that I'd want anything other than what they want for me."

  "Amen to that," Beatrix said, raising her coffee up ironically. "My mother, she's..." Beatrix trailed off. "She wants the best for me. I know she does. But in her mind, the best would be moving back to the commune, shacking up with some warlock and popping out a few kids. Making potions in the communal workshop, giving up Ordinary things like money, the internet, Netflix..."

  Jacob snorted. "I get that, kind of," Jacob said. "I mean, well, you heard what happened this morning. My dad and I have some...disagreements when it comes to property development. He doesn't get why I'd ever want to do anything long term. Why I'd want to build things, look after them, see them grow, rather than just...make money."

  "At least he doesn't want you to marry a warlock," Beatrix muttered, and Jacob laughed out loud.

  "Well, given the only one I've met is Wade, I'm bloody glad of that," he said, grinning.

  "Trust me, Wade is better than most," Beatrix said, shaking her head.

  "That's truly terrifying," Jacob said, still grinning. "If it makes you feel better, my dad - and my mum - are desperate for me to marry the right sort of girl. Someone who went to the right school and has the right kind of friends and family. My brother Tom has a fiancée, and she's all of that. But I haven't... Well, I haven't been too keen on anyone they've introduced me to."