Witchin' Sugar

by Lissa Matthews

  Could I try a reveal spell? Had she written anything that could be revealed? Was it even worth trying?

  Reveal to me your secrets

  Illuminate things long past

  Give life to words forgotten

  Shed light on spells once cast

  Nothing. Not a word appeared.

  But I couldn’t shake the feeling that the enchanted bowl and cups and spoons meant something and that I was meant to find them. I didn’t know what or why and it was as maddening as the ghosts downstairs.

  I placed the papers back in the trunk, but kept the pans and bowl and other things out. I would take them to the kitchen and maybe something would click and I’d know what I was supposed to do. Until then… I would be baking my usual batch of sugar cookies and this time, I would use a ghost cookie cutter.

  Seemed only fitting.

  Chapter Five

  What I found in my kitchen almost had me running for the hills.

  Three cats. Larry, Barry, and Shari.

  Three ghosts.

  Three Wickeds. Oh dear Goddess, no. Not the Wickeds.

  And my two sisters.

  “Any luck?” Kandy asked, hope in her voice.

  “Nope.” That wasn’t exactly true. I had a few items floating into the room behind me. I’d tried to pick them up and carry them from the attic, but one by one, they drifted out of my arms.

  They settled on the counter as though ready to be used. I felt an urgency from Gertie’s belongings that was quite unnerving.

  “She still had those?”

  “Where did you find them?”

  “Did you find anything else?”

  The questions were rapidly fired at me from Cane Lady, Bowler Hat, and Ms. Remarkable. I’d changed her name in my head because of the transformation I’d witnessed earlier.

  “They were in the same trunk as the recipe. I hadn’t noticed the bowl and stuff before. Do they mean something to you?”

  “No, but Gertie didn’t go anywhere without those.”

  “How long did you try to steal the recipe?”

  “We followed her for several weeks, but she kept that recipe on her person. I watched her tuck it away in an inside pocket of whatever she was wearing.”

  “That’s what made it so difficult to swipe.”

  I had so many questions, but the ones at the top of the list had nothing to do with Gertie and her recipe or the ghosts. I wanted to know why the Wickeds were in my house.

  “We heard the demons talking and wanted to see the spirits for ourselves.”

  “I like walking through ghosts. It makes me feel all tingly and they get all wobbly. See?”

  It was rather freaky to see a little blue creature skip her way through the corporeal body of a ghost. Especially one as seemingly grumpy as Cane Lady. And wow… She did get all wobbly as her form came back together.

  “So, is this a past time for you?” I asked the Wickeds.

  “No. Only for me.”

  “And which one are you?”

  To be honest, I didn’t care. I also didn’t realize, until Morgan entered Kandy’s life, that there were such things as Wickeds. In most cases, Wickeds were servants to demons and some weren’t treated very well at all. These three were under the protection of Morgan and his brothers and only bound to them so no one else could get ahold of them and abuse them again.

  But they definitely lived up to their name. They could and had caused all sorts of mischief.

  “Well, as you can all see, I’m perfectly fine. You can go now.”

  “Have you come up with a plan?” Kandy asked.

  “No, but I’m getting closer,” I lied.

  “We should meet for dinner and brainstorm. We might be able to come up with something.”

  “We should. See if Bethilda will let us borrow one of her private dining rooms.”

  We could have it at my place.

  My heart stopped for a moment at the sound of the velvet voice in my head. How do you know what we’re talking about?

  I just know. What do you say?

  I don’t think doing it at your place is the best idea.

  Consider it the second date.

  A dinner party is a second date.

  If I say it is, yes. Besides, I’ve missed seeing you.

  The words curled themselves around my heart and sank down into my belly. The demon was going to be the death of me.

  Is that a yes, love?

  Fine. Yes.

  You sent them, didn’t you?

  Sent who?

  Wickeds.

  I don’t know what you’re talking about.

  But the giggling from the three blue creatures told me all I needed to know.

  As did the sly smile on Kandy’s face.

  Ky seemed oblivious to the machinations going on around her, and the ghosts were busy whispering about Gertie’s enchanted baking paraphernalia.

  What a day.

  *

  “I still think we should seek out Baba Yaga.”

  “Give me one good reason, Ky. Just one.”

  “’Cause she could get rid of the ghosts in no time and we wouldn’t have to be banging our heads trying to figure something else out. I mean, haven’t we learned already that we’re not powerful enough to fix all the messes that show up around town?”

  She had a point, but it wasn’t one that I was willing to concede just yet.

  “Do you think it was safe to leave the ghosts with the recipe and the other stuff?”

  “Larry the Cat will keep them in line. Especially after what they did to Shari before.”

  “Barry’s probably just watching television.”

  “All he’ll be watching is Hallmark Christmas movies.”

  “Oh Goddess…” Ky groaned. “He’ll be impossible after that.”

  “How much longer does Christmas in July last?” Morgan asked, seating himself at one end of the dining room table. Merrick settled himself at the other end. Their brother, Max sat beside me and across from Kyla.

  She snuck glances at him and he ignored her. That was far different than his siblings. And hers, come to think of it.

  “Until the end of July.”

  “That’s a long time.”

  “So, can we talk about something other than ghosts and how to get rid of them? I’m a bit sick of it.”

  “Of course, love. What would you like to talk about?”

  “Um…”

  Five pairs of eyes stared at me. I didn’t have a topic in mind. I just knew I didn’t want to talk about the things going on back at my house for a little while.

  “How about we talk about our new business?” Kandy offered.

  “I didn’t think we’d decided to actually do it.”

  “Why not? We’d be good at it. We know everyone and they know us. We don’t really have much else going on at the moment, so, why not?”

  “Would there be enough people getting married, or dying, for us to have an event planning business?”

  “It doesn’t just have to be weddings or funerals. There are other things to celebrate.”

  “Maybe Blue Balls Falls needs a matchmaking service, instead. Oh wait… It’s got one. Demons and Wickeds and a witch collaborating to get another demon and witch together.”

  Kandy snickered. “Oh please. It worked, didn’t it?”

  Ky glanced around. “What are you talking about?”

  It didn’t occur to me until right then, that lately, something had been off about Kyla. She seemed lost inside herself a lot and that wasn’t like her. She was the bouncy one of us. Sure, Kandy was bouncy, too, but in a different way. Ky was the youngest triplet and we’d looked out for her and it made me rather sad that I didn’t realize something had changed and she had lost a bit of her bounce.

  “What about a bakery?”

  “Blue Balls Falls has a bakery.”

  “That’s only open for a few months a year.”

  “True.” Witchin’ Spice Bakery, Broo’s place, was open from mid-
September through the end of November, specializing in pumpkin everything. She had toyed with the notion of keeping it open all year round and adding other things to the menu, but the kitchen and bakery itself had other ideas.

  Since Broo’s arrival, not only had she brought more of the outside world in, but it seemed more of the town’s enchantments had awoken. Like the bakery. It knew when it was time to open and when it was time to close. It knew its purpose and had been created accordingly.

  I’d forgotten about most of them, but as with many things, just the right thing at just the right time had a way of creating magic all its own.

  “What do you say, Kay? Between us, we make candy, cookies, and cakes.”

  Kandy wasn’t wrong. It was a pretty good idea and with more people visiting the town again… We could even do events on the side if we wanted.

  Why does it feel as though you’re waking up for the first time in a long time?

  How do you know that’s what I’m feeling?

  I can read your emotions through your thoughts.

  I guess I need to be more deadpan in my thinking.

  Was Merrick correct? That whole waking up comment? Maybe the last couple of years had been exactly that. Not only was the town waking up again, but so were its residents.

  No one had mentioned that maybe the Wicked Shitz had cast a spell over Blue Balls Falls, but once they were dealt with, it certainly seemed as though the sunshine had come out from behind the clouds.

  It stood to reason that something as horrible and heinous as the murder of Broo’s mother in the bakery would dim the magic, but I don’t think I’d realized quite how dim the years had been. We’d always been told that dark magic left traces.

  Once over the initial shock, though, we’d picked up our lives and moved on, never talking about it, never looking toward the dark, covered windows of a once lively place.

  It was funny how something as simple as a pumpkin spice cheesecake bakery could make a small, magical town come alive.

  “Should we open an actual shop or keep with the pop-ups?” I asked, remembering how fun it had been last Fall when everyone came out with goodies from their stores and the festival style atmosphere. We’d had fun as a town, as a community of magicals again.

  “Oh, I think the pop-ups are a good idea. I mean, who could walk by and not want a cookie?”

  You’re happy.

  Am I?

  Yes.

  I glanced around the table. Very little food had been touched, but the conversation between my sisters and I had been nice. We hadn’t sat for a meal, around a table, in a longer than I cared to remember.

  And to think, we had demons to thank for it.

  You’re welcome, love.

  I tried not to roll my eyes, but failed miserably because even though I wasn’t looking directly at him, Merrick’s deep laughter sounded in every corner of my mind.

  Bane of my existence.

  But a lovable one.

  Keep telling yourself that.

  Chapter Six

  Rolling out cookie dough soothed my nerves. Normally. Today, not so much. Today it was like beating a dead witch and I’d never even liked that saying. I mean, who comes up with shizz like that?

  Anyway…

  I’d woken up this morning to find my three unwanted ghostly guests floating around my bed. I’d screamed so loud and long I was sure to have awaked half the countryside.

  My sisters had appeared in the midst of it and shooed the ghosts away and once I’d caught my breath, it had been suggested that I should bake some cookies. It always made me feel better and both Kandy and Ky were right. Cookies always made things better.

  But now as I rolled the dough to within an inch of its sugary life while glaring at the ghosts and Wickeds playing some strange game amongst themselves, I wasn’t finding any peace or soothing of frayed nerves. No, I just got more and more frustrated with the rolling of the pin one way and back the other.

  What was I going to do? How was I going to get rid of the ghosts? And even if I could figure it out, where was I going to send them? It’s not like I could put them back into the recipe. I mean, could I? No. No, I couldn’t. But without alerting Baba Yaga, what was I going to do with them?

  Would you like me to lift the protective spell around the house?

  And then there was the demon. He was always in my head. He was always listening to my thoughts. It was like I had no privacy. Ghosts, cats, Wickeds, sisters, and demons. There was always someone or something around and… Okay, not always. This had only been going on for two days now. But where was my quiet, cookie making life?

  For all that my sisters and I were sociable together and with some people in town, we were, by nature, solitary women.

  But we were thinking of opening a bakery of sorts and being in town more.

  We were surrounded by other magicals and well, demons.

  There were others in our lives now and it was weird, and I wasn’t sure I liked it.

  Of course, you do.

  Bane of my existence, remember?

  But that at least makes me something to you.

  Shut up. And why would I want you to lift the spell around the house, other than the fact that it was high handed?

  So the ghosts can get out of your hair for a little while.

  As I told them, they can’t go floating around town. That wouldn’t be safe for anyone. At least, I don’t think it would.

  I can confine them to the property.

  But if others see them, there will be questions.

  Can ghosts be seen in the sunlight?

  That was a pretty good question. Could they?

  Don’t you have demonly things to do? Things that don’t involve talking to me all day?

  I do, but why would I want to? I’d rather talk to you.

  Won’t you lose your job?

  If I fulfill my destiny as your mate, I’ll lose my job anyway.

  You will?

  “I will.”

  For the second time, I screamed. Only this time, it wasn’t long and it was accompanied by me tossing the rolling pin in the air.

  Thankfully, Merrick caught it and laid it on top of the counter beside the flatter than flat square of cookie dough.

  “Okay, love. That’s it.”

  “What’s it?”

  He smiled and blew me a kiss, then gave a wave of his hand. “Ghosts? Outside. Now.”

  Three faded images looked in Merrick’s direction with surprise. At least, I think it was surprise. It could’ve been fright or constipation for all I knew.

  “You mean it?”

  “Aww… Do they have to go outside?” asked one of the Wickeds.

  “Yeah,” a second one pouted. “Do they have to? We were having fun.”

  “We were just about to run through all three of them to see if they’d go back together the right way after or if they’d have a different head on different bodies.”

  “All of you can go outside. You’re confined to the yard, though. There’s a circle of protection that will keep you in.”

  “How will we know where it is?”

  Merrick smiled what I guessed his demon smile would be, all beautiful and evil at the same time. “You’ll disintegrate into a pile of nothing.”

  “Well, that doesn’t sound very nice.”

  “But I wonder if it would hurt?”

  “I wonder if we’d reform into these bodies?”

  “Whatever these are, they’re not bodies.”

  “C’mon, ghosts,” cried the Wickeds in unison. “Let’s go find out.”

  With what was certainly shock on my face and gratitude in the slump of my shoulders, I stood by and watched as three thieving spirits and three blue Wickeds left out the door and into the sunlight beyond.

  Their beings faded away, but every so often, a shift in the air could be spotted.

  “Well, that will be an interesting game of hide and seek,” I said, slamming the kitchen door shut and trying my best to forget any
of them existed at all.

  “Are you going to be alright?”

  “Yes. Thank you, Merrick.”

  His smile lit up my whole life. “That’s the first time you’ve used my name.”

  “It is, isn’t it?”

  “It sounds lovely rolling off your tongue, love.” He stepped closer and leaned down to press his lips to my ear. “Say it again.”

  “I…”

  “My name, love. Say it again, right here, against my skin.”

  I felt foolish and entranced at the same time. “Merrick,” I whispered.

  He shivered and placed a tender kiss to my temple. “Yes. Lovely.”

  With that, he was gone.

  I’ll be back in a while to check on your guests.

  The kitchen with its silence was unnerving. What the hell was wrong with me? I didn’t want anyone around, but the first moment I had alone, I didn’t like it.

  “Kandy,” I spoke into the room.

  She would hear my call. She would sense my need to see her.

  She would show up as soon as she —

  “Hey. What’s up?” she said, flouncing into the room from the hallway. Each time I saw her nowadays, she was smiling. She was bright, and she was happy.

  Falling in love suited her.

  “Merrick said if we actually get together as mates that he’ll lose his demon job.”

  “Yes.”

  “You knew?”

  “Well, not until recently. Morgan’s been around more and more and more. I was beginning to think he didn’t trust me, so one day I asked him what was up. And he said there’s a transition in place because he’s mated now.”

  “So, there’s someone who’s going to take over for him?”

  “I think so, yes.”

  “Do you feel bad? I mean, that he’s not going to be a demon anymore?”

  “I don’t know. I probably should. I mean, I think he enjoyed it. Does it change how you feel about Merrick?”

  “What do you mean? I don’t feel any way about Merrick?”

  “Oh, you don’t lie very well, Kay. I know you feel something, and I know it’s something good.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Because I’m your sister. I’m part of you.”

  “Well, I know that, but… I don’t want him to lose his job.”