The Magic of Discovery: Emerald Lakes Book One

by Britt Andrews

  With little ears out of hearing distance, I leaned in and answered, “Do I have eyes in my head? They’re all gorgeous. The broody bad boy one is a jerk, though. They drove up from Portage Falls, but I’m not exactly sure why they’re here. I didn’t want to seem too nosy, and I’m sure someone will get that information out of them before the day is up.”

  Miranda nodded. “I saw the broody one talking to Mr. Phipps. He looked like he was enjoying their conversation though…”

  “Well, I put him in his place, so I hope he cuts the shit. Anyway, let me grab your moonstone.”

  Turning around, I grabbed a hold of one of the drawers that lined the lower wall behind the sales counter. Think old time convenience stores, long wooden bars, wooden shelves lining the wall, drawers, and cupboards underneath a countertop. That’s what I was working with. Pulling open the drawer, I grabbed the small purple velvet cinch top bag.

  “This one has matured a lot in the past six months. It’s been charged under eleven moon cycles, including a super moon and a blood moon. It should really help you get more restful sleep and keep your stress levels under control. Just set it on your nightstand with your other herbs and crystals. On full moon nights, I would leave it somewhere that it’ll get direct light so it can recharge. Bring it in every so often when you think of it, and I can do a cleanse.”

  She held her hand out, and I dropped the bag into her palm. Pulling apart the cinched top, she retrieved the faintly glowing milky stone. Running her fingertips over the smooth surface, she let out a breath, and when she met my eyes, hers were brimming with tears. “Oh, no. Honey, what’s wrong?” I whispered, not wanting to alert Anna to our conversation.

  My oldest friend looked to the ceiling and took a few moments to get herself under control. “It’s been a rough couple of months, girl. Thanks for this. Anna is such a great kid, but single-momming is not for the faint of heart, let me tell you. I don’t know what I’d do with myself if she was anything like I was at her age. I’m just thankful my parents have been helping me out as much as they’ve been able.”

  Miranda was one of the strongest women I had ever known. Her ex-husband had up and left both her and Anna a couple of years ago. He’d been having affairs the entire time they’d been together, and one day he just took off and never contacted either of them again. His loss, in my opinion, because my best friend was stunning. Shoulder-length brown hair, beautiful chocolate eyes, and a tall, toned body? What kind of man just walks away from that? The tears welling in her eyes let me know just how hard of a time she had been having, and I felt like shit for not realizing how difficult things had been.

  “Oh, honey.” I reached out and took her hand in mine. “You’ll get through this. Let me stop over one day next week, and I can hang out with Anna if you want to catch up on cleaning, or I can bring Maven to occupy her so I can help you with whatever. I’ll bring wine?”

  “That actually sounds like exactly what I need. I’ll text you and let you know what our week looks like.” She slipped the stone back into the bag and called out for Anna. The little blonde bounded around the corner from the back of the store and skipped her way up to us, sans ice cream cone.

  “Maven!” I scolded. His little face peeked out from behind the same corner Anna had just emerged from, my frisky fox desperately trying to lick away the sprinkles all over his face.

  “I hope that you offered that to him and he didn’t just take liberties and help himself?” I questioned, crossing my arms over my chest and trying not to laugh.

  “He said he’d help me finish it before it all melted and made a huge mess.” She shrugged her little shoulder. She’d always said Maven talked to her, so that wasn’t anything new. Imagination was a serious thing for kids.

  “He did, huh? Well, so long as he didn’t just steal it from you.”

  “Alright, baby. Let’s get out of here. Saige is coming over next week to hang out with us, so you’ll see her then.”

  “Yep, and I can’t wait! See you guys soon. Just let me know what day works.” I lifted my hand in a wave as they walked out, calling their goodbyes as the door swung shut.

  The rest of the afternoon passed quickly with lots of gossip and chatter. New members to the community always brought everyone out of the comfort of their homes. It was nice though. I got to see a lot of people I hadn’t seen in a while. As I counted out the deposit after closing up shop, I couldn’t complain. Maybe these new guys would keep boosting my sales, and I could continue checking them out along with the rest of the town.

  When Maven and I got back to the cottage, the temperature was still pretty nice, which was perfect because I needed to do some fixing to that poor flowerbed that looked near death’s door. Mave scampered into the cottage through his little fox door, no doubt on the hunt for his dinner. After I walked my bike over to the garage, I took the clipboard off of the gardening shed for Frank and Arlo and checked off a few things that customers had requested.

  All of our spring tree blooms were in their full glory right now, the fragrant aroma swirling through the air with each burst of wind. I made my way through the loose pea gravel pathways that separated our many gardens and flowerbeds. Stopping in front of the wilted flowers, I knelt down and brushed my hand over one of the drooping plants.

  Gold and green wisps began sparking to life out of my fingertips until I looked like I was holding a sparkler in each hand. The twinkling tendrils gently caressed the stem from the ground, all the way to each leaf and each droopy petal. I closed my eyes, letting the connection I had with the earth search for the problem. The bed was well fertilized and watered, and I could sense the earthworms beneath my knees doing their part to keep the soil fresh. Pushing further into the connection, a sense of distress hit me. Maybe some kind of pest? I would have to talk to Gran about it later, see what she thought.

  The gold swirls vanished, and I shoved both of my hands, palms down, into the dirt. I released a little bit of magic, the gentle brush of it sliding down my arms and into the soil, deep enough to get to the roots of the plants. I was aiming to give them just a little boost until I could figure out what exactly was going on. Using too much magic could kill these babies and give me one hell of a headache, and I was not game for either one of those outcomes. Satisfied when they started to perk up, I withdrew my hands and stood up, dusting my palms off on my jeans.

  Walking back toward the cottage, a whiff of garlic and butter hit me, and my stomach gave a rumble. I pulled the screen door open, the hinges creaking with age, and slipped inside. Striding into the bathroom, I stepped up to the sink and set the water to warm. I mindlessly scrubbed my hands together, the apple cinnamon scent of the soap filling the air. Unbidden, my mind drifted back to those delicious mages above my shop. Their lease agreement was just a month to month deal, so who knew how long they’d be staying? And was I really lonely enough that I actually cared?

  Once my hands were rinsed and dried, I found Gran rapping along with ASAP Rocky while she shook her little ass and stirred a pot of spaghetti sauce. I didn’t even try to stop my laughter when she belted out that she loved bad bitches and that was her fuckin’ problem.

  “Welcome back, child. Dinner will be ready in a few. I trust that the renter arrived and everything was good to go?” she inquired as she took the boiling pot of pasta to the sink to strain.

  “Yep. All four of them...” I mumbled, but I should’ve known Gran’s bat ears would hear the tail end of that reply.

  “Did you say four?”

  “Yeah, four guys showed up. I’ve got the signed lease agreement in my backpack for you. I showed them where everything was and that...” I was cut off as she dropped the whole pot of spaghetti in the sink, noodles bouncing up and sticking to her shirt and arms. She sprinted over to me and before I could step back from her craziness, she put her hands on my arms.

  “When do I get to meet them? What are they like? Are they mages or humans? How old?” She machine gun questioned me at a rapid-fire pace that would
make an auctioneer jealous.

  I grabbed her hands and pulled them back down to her sides.

  “Alright, alright, you thirsty bitch. Let’s set the table, and I’ll tell you all about them. How’s that?” I proposed, and she squealed and ran back over to the stove.

  Well, this was going to be a really fun dinner.

  Gran and I enjoyed a delicious feast of salad, spaghetti, and sexual innuendos with a side of red wine. Just how we liked it. I filled her in on the four men, and she was already hungry to set her eyes on these new specimens. Her words, not mine.

  I was pretty exhausted from the excitement of the day, so I quickly picked Gran’s brain about the flowerbeds. She seemed as puzzled as I was, but Gran was an extremely knowledgeable and powerful green witch. She was my mentor, and if anyone could figure out a plant problem, it was her.

  Reassured we’d get to the bottom of this, I headed up to my bedroom, Maven keeping pace with me as I climbed the stairs. He always slept in bed, pressed against my side, and sleeping was his favorite thing to do. I pushed the door open, and he effortlessly jumped onto the mattress before curling into a ball on top of my boho-inspired multi-colored quilt, draping his tail across his eyes. Good night to you too, sir.

  My room was full of bright colors - pinks, oranges, greens, blues. Wicker and dark wood accents were spread throughout. The master bedroom was pretty large, and I had a huge wall of windows that allowed the sun to shine in all day on the plants that dangled out of macrame plant pot holders. I dropped my backpack onto the bright pink loveseat in the corner of the room. Eyeing the pile of clothes on top of my inviting bed, I decided I better hang them up in the closet. Otherwise, they’d just get moved to the love seat for days and get wrinkled to hell.

  My phone pinged in my back pocket as I opened up a dresser drawer to pull out a clean nightgown to wear to bed. Do not even judge me for that; nightgowns were created by a saint of a woman who liked to catch a breeze, and they’re comfy as fuck.

  I held my phone up in front of my face and saw a text message alert from a number I didn’t recognize. Pressing my thumb on the little chat bubble icon, a smile started to grow as I read the message.

  Hey, this is Kai. Would you be willing to give us a tour of the town tomorrow?

  Hmm. Well, tomorrow was Sunday, so the shop was closed. Other than checking out that flowerbed problem with Gran, my schedule was pretty much wide open. I typed out a response, debating on sending it. Fuck it, I thought. Kai was a jokester and a serious flirt, so I pressed my thumb down on the send button.

  Me: What’s in it for me?

  I held my breath as the message went from delivered to seen, and the three little dots danced as Kai responded to my message. While I waited, I quickly stripped down and slipped my nightgown over my head. A moment later, his reply came through. Flopping down on my back, I picked my phone back up, laughter tumbling out of my chest as I read the first line.

  Kai: Aside from the pleasure of being in my direct vicinity for a couple of hours, we’re thinking of doing a barbeque picnic down at the park for dinner. We’ll probably head down there around 3 to enjoy the weather and hang out. Would you like to join us? I’m an excellent griller, one of my many talents.

  Me: That actually sounds really fun. I can meet you guys at the apartment at two. An hour will be plenty of time to show you around, and then we can walk down to the park. We can discuss those other talents in more detail tomorrow ;)

  I was grinning so hard I thought my face was going to freeze like this.

  Kai: I can’t wait. See you at two.

  Feeling like a sixteen-year-old girl, I set my phone down on my nightstand and trailed my fingers along Maven’s fur for a few moments before I made my way to the master bathroom. While I went through my bedtime routine, I couldn’t stop grinning to myself and hoping that these guys could be new friends... and Kai might be a little more?

  “I love eggs, I love toast, I love bacon, but I love Fish’s mom the most. Rise and shine, my sleepy friends, I don’t wanna hear Sloane bitch and moan. We’re here in Emerald Lakes, get up bitch, I made pancakes!” I bellowed out my improvised song as I ran from room to room slapping all of their lazy asses with my spatula. Ignoring the groaning and cuss words, I danced back out to the kitchen.

  Breakfast cooked, yoga done, shower time. Crushing it. I flexed my right arm and mentally high fived myself. Running a hand through my dark hair to swipe it back and out of my eyes, I stepped into the bathroom and turned on the shower to heat up.

  I had just stepped under the stream of hot water when I heard the door open. Cam called out, “Sorry, bro. Fish is in the other one, and I have to piss like a racehorse.”

  “That’s fine, but don’t you dare shit while I’m in the shower. Not. Cool,” I said sternly, receiving a deep chuckle in reply from the other side of the shower curtain. I got to work washing my body and asked, “Did Sloane come out yet?”

  “I heard some movement coming from that room, but I haven’t seen him yet.” Cam put the toilet seat down, and a moment later, the sound of running water filtered through the bathroom as he washed his hands.

  An icy spray poured from the showerhead, I yelped and jumped back as Cam’s laughter and choked apology echoed throughout the room.

  “Brooooo, my nuts just abandoned their happy dangly nest and moved into my stomach!”

  “I’m sorry, dude. I didn’t realize that would happen. I thought that was like a myth or something.”

  Myth, my ass. “Let’s go over the plan for the day during breakfast. Everything is cooked, and I’ll be out in a few.” The door clicked closed, and I finished rinsing off in the now lukewarm water.

  Stepping out onto the soft yellow bath mat, I grabbed my towel from the hook next to the shower and roughly rubbed it over my head, soaking up most of the water before quickly wiping the rest of myself dry and securing the towel around my hips. I mindlessly went through the motions of getting ready, a routine I’d gotten down to about three minutes. Spy life will quickly make you into a time-efficient machine. All the while, long red hair, green eyes, and an ass that wouldn’t quit kept cycling through my brain in rapid fire flashes. Just as my dick started to respond, a loud voice from right outside of the door yelled, “Quit jacking off and get your ass out here, K.”

  That grumpy fucker.

  “I was just thinking about you, Sloaney baby. You know I can’t stop once that happens,” I called out as I pulled the door open so fast that Sloane fell through the doorframe and right into me. I laughed as he pushed me back into the bathroom, the smile on his face letting me know he wasn’t really upset. The grump only ever smiled around us, and we’d been a part of each other’s lives for so long now that I knew him nearly as well as I knew myself.

  I wrapped my arms around his waist, returning his smile. Sloane leaned in and whispered, “Are you hungry, K?”

  His face was so close to mine that our lips were damn near touching, our breath mingling. I swallowed roughly, the air suddenly feeling turbocharged. Damn this libido!

  “Starving,” I breathed.

  Sloane’s hand dropped down to rest on my ass before he roughly gripped me, pulling me into his body. “Good,” he said softly, but there was nothing soft about the hardness pressed against me, or his personality. “Because some cheery asshole made breakfast.”

  His grip tightened briefly, and I struggled to contain the groan that wanted to come out of my throat before he released me and headed to the kitchen. It had been a while since we had fucked around.

  Adjusting the towel, I sped into my room to get dressed. My dick was rock hard after that shit with Sloane, and I had every intention of dropping my towel and rubbing one out. Then I heard the voices of my friends and the clanging of plates and silverware. I always make them amazing meals, and they don’t even have the decency to wait on the fucking chef? You never take another man’s kill; the hunter gets the first bite!

  Those bitches are not going to start eating without me. Rol
ling my shoulders back, I commanded my cock, wilt, you beautiful steel sculpture. There’s no time for shenanigans. It didn’t work. Rifling around in my dresser, I snatched some gray sweats and stepped into them. Sloane’s voice carried into my room, saying something about delicious pancakes that sank my boner like it’d been hit with an enemy torpedo. Pulling the door open, a feline growl rumbled out of my chest, the sound easy to hear despite the guys’ laughter.

  “Chill, K. We’re waiting. You know we love how you take care of your pack,” Cam cooed when I stalked into the dining room, my eyes flashing yellow.

  Storming over to the plate of pancakes, I stacked three of them up and ripped a huge bite out of them as I flopped down into a chair. Now that I’d had first dibs, my body calmed, so I nodded to signal the rest of the idiots could go ahead.

  My thoughts drifted once again to Saige, the way she effortlessly bantered and flirted with me through text, how she made me smile. Something told me that she would be different from any other witch we’d ever met, and I couldn’t wait until the guys figured out that she’d be coming to hang out with us today. Gods, I really am so damn smart sometimes. Most of the time. Yeah.

  “What are we going with for a cover story, Cam?” Fischer asked as he carried the plates to the sink.

  “Last night I was checking out properties in Kingstown since that’s where Larson got stopped by that revulsion spell. There’s a warehouse there that has been vacant for about a year. If they ask, we can tell the townspeople here that we’re from Radical, and we were sent on a scouting mission for a possible business expansion. It’s believable because Rad did just acquire that mega complex in Texas. We can say we wanted to stay here because we didn’t want to deal with seeing any competing firms or giving away that we’re looking at the property.” As he talked, Cam scrolled through his phone, handing it to me after he’d pulled up the listing.