by Amy Boyles
Thorne’s lips curled into a whimsical smile. My heart thundered in my chest. What would he say? Would he say he wanted to just be friends? Or would he tell me something different? Would he say he thought we should go out?
His eyes glinted, and he leaned forward as if he would kiss me. I held my breath.
“Charming, would you—”
His radio crackled. “Chief?”
Thorne scowled. He yanked the radio from his belt. “Go ahead.”
“The suspect has confessed to everything. You’d better get down here.”
“Copy that.”
Without thinking, which I absolutely should have, my voice leaped from my throat before I had a chance to stop it.
“Did Rots confess? He said he was using the crystal to drain Witch’s Forge of its power?”
Anger flashed in his eyes. “You know, I wasn’t going to mention one word of the fact that your scent was all over the botanical gardens, or even that I caught a glimpse of you and your family escaping over the gate when I arrived.”
My blood froze. “You saw us?”
He nodded. “I did.”
My hackles rose. “Well, what were we supposed to do? We had to find the device since Rots had moved it and I knew you’d be ticked if we were searching so we just did it. Go ahead and arrest me if you want to, but we did the right thing. I don’t regret it.”
He chuckled, which irked me even more. “What?” I snapped. “What’s so funny? I admit to being a criminal and you laugh?”
He nodded. “I’m not going to arrest you. What you did was stupid, yes, but I’m not going to arrest you. It was reckless, careless and you could’ve gotten yourself killed, but in my book you’re a hero.”
I slowly peeked up at him from under my lashes. “A hero?”
He nodded. “Absolutely. A reckless one, but a hero.” Thorne rose and offered his hand. “Come on.”
I squinted at him. “So you’re not arresting me?”
Frustration crossed his face. “Not today. But keep asking me that and I might.”
“So I should stop talking about it.”
“I would if I were you.”
I pressed my lips to a thin line. Our gazes locked and we each laughed.
“Let’s get you back home,” he said.
We walked hand in hand back to the house. A fissure of glee raced up my arm, and I felt lighter, as if I could walk on air.
He let me go at the house without a word about a date or anything like that. It was okay. One day at a time was fine with me.
He said one last thing before disappearing into the night. “Thanks for calling me. If you hadn’t, I wouldn’t have been able to trace you to the botanical gardens.”
“How’d you find us? I never told you.”
He pointed to the house. “I just followed the scent.”
Now that was talent. We said good night, and I went inside to find Mama, Rose and Reese together. Reese beamed when I entered.
“How’d things go with Jamison?” I said.
“Great,” she confessed. “I think there’s a chance for us.”
I smiled. “Wonderful.”
Rose exhaled a sigh of relief. “Finally. Now I can take off this wig I’ve been wearing.”
She reached up and yanked off a piece of hair that looked exactly like her own. My jaw dropped. “You’ve been wearing a wig?”
“Didn’t you wonder why my hair never got frizzy?”
“I figured it was menopause,” Mama said.
Rose scoffed. “No. It was the wig. Thank goodness for that.”
Mama fluffed her hair. “Well, looks like tonight was a win-win. Everything worked out, and Charming didn’t come any closer to satisfying the prophecy.”
I groaned, remembering the nautilus shell in my pocket.
“What is it?” Mama said, her voice snapping.
I cringed. “About that. I’m afraid what you said might not exactly be right.”
“Tell me. Now.”
I screwed up my courage, preparing to tell Mama about the visit from Hildegarde.
Chapter 24
Things for Reese and Jamison worked out indeed. Within a few short weeks the two were getting married. I had to admit I was proud of myself. Though Reese might’ve started out as sort of a mail-order bride, she’d transformed into an honest-to-goodness much-loved bride for Jamison.
“Charming, so glad you and your family could come.”
Mama, Rose, Pig and I peeked in on the bride before the wedding to exchange hugs and well wishes.
“If it hadn’t been for you, I never would’ve met Jamison. I’m so blessed to be here.”
I hugged Reese tight. “So glad we could attend.”
“Oh yes, Pig is excited for the chocolate fountain,” Rose said.
Reese laughed. She leaned down and smiled at Pig. “You are welcome to as much chocolate as you’d like.”
Pig snorted in pleasure.
Reese peered behind us. “You didn’t bring Broom?”
I shook my head. “No. Bringing one magical creature is enough for us.”
Reese giggled and gave us another round of hugs. “See y’all after the ceremony. Enjoy yourselves.”
We left Reese and headed toward the seating area. “Charming,” Mama said quietly, “don’t forget. You’re not getting out of my sight. Not for a moment.”
I rolled my eyes. Ever since she discovered I’d received the nautilus, Mama had kept strict tabs on me, wanting to know everything from when I was in the bathroom to who I was matching that week and what sort of witches they were.
“You only have one more gift to receive—the gift of fire. It won’t be because of me that magic fails,” Mama said.
“Yes, Mama. Trust me. I’m doing my best not to add any more gifts to my collection. Broom and Pig are enough.”
“Me personally, I’m waiting for when the nautilus wakes up,” Rose said.
“Wakes up?” I said. “I received more water power and it didn’t wake up.”
Rose shrugged. “Mark my words, that creature will come out of its shell one day. Maybe not now, but eventually.”
Mama fluffed her hair as if what Rose said wasn’t likely to happen anytime soon. “Let’s find our seats.”
Magic shimmered in the air during the ceremony. Literally. As Jamison, an air wizard, and Reese, a water witch, said their nuptials, the spell that gripped Witch’s Forge retracted even more. I glanced out the window and watched as some of the biting kudzu’s grip on the town shrank into the background.
A smug smile flitted across my face. I had to say I was proud of my work. Bringing witches and wizards together was healing this town.
I loved watching every minute of the ceremony. The light in Jamison’s eyes revealed he was truly in love and the shadow of Corley no longer existed for him.
When the nuptials were finished and the crowd had moved into the reception area, Jamison twirled his new bride over to me.
“You did great, dudette,” he gushed. “Love her with all my heart.”
Reese splayed a hand over Jamison’s chest. “Love him, too.”
I embraced them both. “So glad.”
The couple floated off to greet other wedding guests. I sighed and relaxed against the wall.
“Looks like I was right after all.”
I glanced up to see Thorne smiling down at me. My heart leaped into my throat. With the arrests of Rots and Dash and then Thorne having to deal with the stolen and destroyed property from Duvall’s, I hadn’t seen him much in town. Like, at all, really.
But I knew he’d been in Witch’s Forge. After all, Thorne couldn’t leave. He was bound to the place, and nothing would change that.
At least not for a long, long time.
I smirked. “Right about what?”
His lips coiled into a devilish grin. “Right about the fact that she was a mail-order bride.”
I shrugged. “So what if she was? Did you notice the town shimmers a little more? The
magic here grows stronger. I can feel it.”
“If I had magic, I’m pretty sure I could feel it.”
Our gazes snapped together and we laughed. It felt good to be near him, watching the light dance in his eyes as he laughed. The tension between us melted, and I felt a sloppy smile plaster itself to my face.
“Haven’t seen you around,” I murmured.
He raked his fingers through his thick, wavy locks. “I’ve been busy. I have to apologize for that. I meant to see more of you.”
The intensity in his gaze made my heart patter against my throat.
“Oh,” I croaked nervously, “you have?”
He nodded. “Listen, Charming, I was wondering—”
An announcement over the loudspeaker cut him off. “All y’all single ladies, it’s time for me to throw the bouquet.”
Reese stood on a balcony waving a knot of roses and lilies high in the air. “All y’all come down.”
Before I could protest, Thorne gently pushed me forward. “Go ahead. We’ll talk later.”
But I wanted to talk now. Find out what he’d tried to ask me twice. Argh. How annoying.
But instead of arguing, I took my place on the floor beside Rose and Pig.
I glanced at the swine, who seemed to grin happily at me. “You know she’s a pig, right, Rose?”
Rose bristled. “Just because she’s a pig doesn’t mean she doesn’t have the right to a happily ever after.”
I shrugged. “Okay.”
Pig snorted and just because I was in all the feels about love, I scratched between her ears. She leaned into my fingers, and I had to extend the scratch a bit longer.
“Are y’all ready?” Reese said.
“Yes,” the crowd cheered.
She turned her back. “One. Two. Three!”
On three, the bouquet sailed through the sky, almost looking suspended in the air. Which, given that we were a crowd of witches, I hoped no one was using magic to make sure they caught it.
The flowers fell, and I swore it looked like they were coming straight for me. I reached out and up, ready to catch, when another hand snatched them from the air.
Horrified, but doing my best not to show my irritation at whoever had been rude enough to snatch the flowers, I glanced over.
A small woman with flowing red hair, sparkling blue eyes and pale skin smiled innocently.
“Why, I’ve been waiting my entire life to catch that bouquet.”
Rose grabbed my hand. “Do you know who that is?”
“No.”
“It’s Frankie Firewalker,” she whispered.
I couldn’t contain my gasp. Frankie Firewalker was my mother’s nemesis. Not that I knew much more than that, but that’s what I’d been told.
Frankie, who was easily in her midforties but without one blemish on her skin, sailed over to me and smiled.
“You’re Charming Calhoun, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” I said slowly.
“Wonderful,” she gushed. “I’ve just caught this beautiful bouquet, and I’ve traveled to Witch’s Forge for you—for your help.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my mother seething. I could practically hear her screaming, Don’t take anything from Frankie! No gifts.
“What sort of help do you need?”
Frankie took my arm and laughed. “Why, I need a matchmaker, of course.” Her eyes glittered. “Find my soul mate, if you please.”
I uncuffed my hand from hers and took her arm in mine. “If you’d like.”
“Be careful what you’re doing,” Rose whispered.
There was nothing for her to worry about. This was my job, after all.
I closed my eyes and focused on Frankie’s soul mate. The images of three men flashed in my head. The first two were familiar. I’d seen them in town. The last face I recognized all too well.
I sucked air and dropped her hand.
“Three,” I whispered. “You have three possible matches.”
Which was practically impossible. I only ever saw one person for a witch or wizard. But three? Matching didn’t get much stranger than that. But I didn’t have time to ponder it.
Frankie clapped her hands with glee. “Wonderful! Then we’ll do a dating game. For all of Witch’s Forge to enjoy. Do you know the three men?”
I swallowed a knot in the back of my throat. My gaze slowly slid around the room until it landed on Thorne—the third possible soul mate for Frankie Firewalker.
My voice trembled. “I know them,” I said. “I know the three.”
Thorne raised a glass of champagne to me, and my stomach knotted as I realized I might just have to hand him over to Frankie Firewalker.
Magical Dames and Dating Games
A Southern Belles and Spells Matchmaker Mystery Book Three
Chapter 1
“You can’t honestly tell me that you’re going to help Frankie Firewalker find her soul mate, are you?”
I ignored my mother while I sat in the kitchen of the magical house that happened to have a mind of its own. Literally. I stirred sugar into a cup of coffee, mainly because I knew it was bad for me and what I really needed at this moment was something bad for me, as often bad things made me feel better.
At least sugar made me feel better. Some of the time. Like when I was stressed or when my mother was staring at me with a look of absolute disgust in her eyes.
I stirred to avoid looking at Mama, who I knew was angry with me regarding the whole Frankie Firewalker situation.
Frankie Firewalker, who’d walked right into a wedding, caught the bouquet and asked me to match her.
Frankie Firewalker, my mother’s arch nemesis supposedly, and a woman who’d been matched with a certain vampire.
“Charming Calhoun,” Mama said sharply. “Are you listening to me?”
I picked up the sugar dispenser—it was the kind they have in diners with the little silver flap on top. I tipped it over and let a long stream of the glittery white powder fall right on into my coffee.
“Charming, would you like some coffee with your sugar?”
My great-aunt Rose placed an empty cup near mine. If Rose Nylund from the TV show The Golden Girls had actually been a real person, that would be my great-aunt. Every word out of her mouth sounded exactly like the TV Rose.
Like it did now. “I, for one, would like coffee with my sugar. Charming has the right idea. After that wedding I could use a little pick-me-up.”
I continued to ignore my mother and focused on filling Rose’s cup with the sweetener.
“Pig likes sugar, too.” Rose fluffed her white hair. “Maybe you can give her some.”
I finally broke my silence. “You can’t give a pig sugar. That can’t be good for her.”
Pig, of the small potbellied variety, pranced in, practically smiling. She snorted in delight, as if sugar was the greatest invention since sliced bread.
I glared at her. “You’re not getting sugar.”
My mother rapped her knuckles on the table. “Charming, are you going to answer my question? You’re not seriously thinking about matching Frankie Firewalker, are you?”
I sighed and raked my fingers down my face. “What choice do I have? Frankie appeared at a very high-profile wedding. Then she caught the bouquet.”
Mama snorted. “With magic. She caught it by using magic.”
“That’s for sure,” Rose said. “What other forty-year-old woman out there was even close to catching the bouquet? No one. Only Frankie. I think the reason she caught it was because she used the magic in her groin.”
I shot Mama a confused look. Not once, not ever, had I heard of groin magic. Surely Rose was making that up.
Mama cleared her throat. “Rose, what are you talking about? Groin magic?”
“Oh, you know, where your real female power comes from.” She waved a hand in front of her. “Your groin magic.”
I shook my head. If there was one thing that Rose thought way too much about, it was her groin and post-m
enopausal hormones.
“Anyway, since you asked, Mama, the answer is yes, I’m going to match Frankie Firewalker. I was hired by the town of Witch’s Forge to help folks find their soul mates. Frankie has three potential matches in town.”
Mama sucked air. “Three?” she said in disbelief. “You’ve got to be joking. I’ve never heard of anyone having three. Rose, have you ever heard of that?”
“Well, I could have matched with five men.” Rose twirled one of her short white curls around her finger, seeming to delight in the conversation. “Not that I used a matchmaker. I didn’t need one. Not with my harem situation going on.”
“Okay!” I quickly interrupted. I wasn’t interested in hearing anything about a male harem and Rose. “Frankie has three potential matches. I saw them when I touched her.”
Mama picked up her empty coffee mug and pointed toward the sink. The cup zipped into the basin, the water turned on, and a dishrag lifted and washed it.
“You’ll want to add soap,” Mama said to the magical objects.
The dishrag wrapped around a squeeze bottle of soap and squirted a few drops into the cup.
Satisfied, Mama turned back to me. “You need to hand Frankie the list of names and tell her to meet the men in her own free time. There’s no reason for her to stay here, in this town.”
I smirked. Now the claws came out. She hated Frankie.
But that wasn’t what bothered me right now. I didn’t particularly want Frankie staying either, but it had nothing to do with Mama.
It had to do with a certain vampire, one I was slowly growing feelings for.
I know in the past I’d disliked Thorne. I hadn’t trust him, not in the least. But something had changed between us and I’d softened toward him. My heart had unlocked, and I found that I wanted to get to know him better.
Not that we’d had any time to get to know each other. We hadn’t. Not at all. But as soon as an opportunity opened for us, Frankie had appeared at a wedding for a witch and wizard I’d successfully matched, and demanded I touch her hand to find her soul mate.
Which I did.
The odds that she would have more than one match were 534,788 to 1. The odds that one of her matches would be Thorne Blackwood were even higher, 1,243,433 to 1. That’s what I’d calculated at least. I never thought that Thorne would match to an older woman.