“I wish you the best of luck with that old buddy. If anyone deserves happiness, it’s you,” Jasper said, clapping him on the back before he said his good-byes.
Several hours later, Alec’s heart sped up when he heard his doorbell ring. “Right on time,” he murmured as he made his way to the front door. Only when he opened it, he was shocked to find Serena standing there instead of Cole, Sarah and Sophie.
“What the hell are you doing here, Serena?” he asked in a voice full of anger and frustration.
“Hello, Alec. Since tonight is all about love, I thought it only fair that Sophie sees you for the rat bastard that you truly are. I mean, it’s only fair,” Serena insisted as she began chanting.
An underdog, I am not, but let them be damned,
For you will shift from a wolf into a rat bastard of a man,
During the night you will no longer be alone,
For on the next full moon, you’ll find your true home,
The dark will hear your horrifying roar,
But no one will come to aid when they hear your groan,
This is my wish for the lying, thieving bastard who stole my heart,
Since yours now belong to another, so mote it be!
Before Alec knew what was happening, he had shifted from a human into his wolf form and ultimately into a mouse. Stunned by Serena’s streak of vindictiveness, he was surprised to realize that he was no longer in his home, but instead in Sophie’s closet.
“What the hell, Serena? I demand you reverse your spell now,” Alec shouted, but his plea fell on deaf ears. The witch who had stalked him day and night was no longer in sight.
# # THE END # #
To check out all the side splitting books in the Magic and Mayhem Universe, go to https://magicandmayhemuniverse.com/
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a positive review or rating on the site where you purchased it. Reader reviews help my books continue to be valued by resellers and help new readers make decisions about reading them. You are the reason I write these stories and I sincerely appreciate each of you!
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~ Isabel Micheals
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Witch With An Axe To Grind
If you want a SNEAK PEEK of Witch With An Axe To Grind to find out what happens next, then keep reading.
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EXCERPT: WITCH WITH AN AXE TO GRIND
What do you get when you mix one sleep deprived witch, one rat bastard of a wolf, a gentleman's club, and a little Dark Magic? A Witch With An Axe To Grind!
Sophie O’Malley would do anything for a good night’s sleep. Yet, it seems to keep alluding her because of the party mongers occupying her closet. When she comes face-to-face with three Mouseketeers in trouble, her life is suddenly flipped upside down.
Alec Stone has been cursed by a manipulative, vindictive witch dabbling in Dark Magic, who just happens to be his ex-lover. When he suddenly finds himself stuck in Chez Parée Deux, he’ll need to enlist the help of his new friends, if he has any chance of ever seeing his mate again.
Sophie and Alec’s worlds collide when they’re both hexed by a witch with evil desires.
Spells will be cast. Secrets will be unveiled. Deals will be struck. Battles will be fought. But only the last woman standing will be willing to risk it all.
Witch With An Axe To Grind is an over-the-top novella based on some of the wonderful characters found in Robyn Peterman’s Magic & Mayhem series.
CHAPTER 1
Serena still couldn’t believe Alec had dumped her almost five months ago using the oldest line in the book—It’s not you. It’s me.
The moment the words left his succulent lips, she wanted to smack him upside the head like Cher had Nicolas Cage in the movie, Moonstruck. He was an idiot for letting a witch of her caliber go without a fight. Then, adding insult to injury, he had gone and fallen in love with that witch of a cow, Sophie, who had almost been killed by her deranged father.
Why in the hell do men always fall for the damsel in distress? she thought, slamming her coffee cup down on the counter hard enough to almost shatter it.
“Someone’s in a bad mood this morning,” her cousin, Brittney, said with a gleam in her eye.
“Can-it, Brit. I’m not in the mood for your antics this morning,” Serena replied with a glare that would have put fear in the Goddess herself.
Unfortunately, her cousin was utterly unfazed by her bad temperament. When she picked up the wooden spoon on the counter, put it up to her lips like a microphone, and started singing at the top of her lungs—Tell it to my heart. Tell me I’m the only one. Is this really love or just a game, Serena knew she was doomed to hell.
Rolling her eyes in disgust and trying to hold back the traitorous memories of Bobbie Carelli breaking up with her at their school dance of all places, while Taylor Dayne was blaring through the sound system, Serena finally regained her composure and asked the question that had been plaguing her since she initially heard the words spill out of her cousin’s mouth. “How in the Goddess’s name do you know a song from 1988 that made its debut when you were just a pup in diapers?”
Noticing how uncomfortable her cousin looked, Brittney knew there was a story behind the song because Serena’s amber eyes were suddenly laced with Dark Magic and she looked as though she wanted to kill someone. But instead of heeding the warning glare, she smiled and said, “The same way I know Devo’s Whip It! You know some believe that song refers to BDSM play, especially when he yells, ‘Crack that whip’. Were you and your friends ever into whips and chains?”
“I’m going to crack something over your head if you don’t stop,” Serena hissed. How it was possible for her cousin to pick the two songs from the eighties that stirred up her most painful memories was still a mystery. Was she using magic to manipulate her like she had Jasper until he caught on to her lying and scheming?
Serena wasn’t sure how her cousin had stumbled onto those two particular songs, but the Dark Magic coursing through her veins wanted to come out and play by zapping the annoying, little witch in the ass with an energy ball. Yet, she resisted. For now, at least. It was obvious the months she’d listened to Alec whining about finding a mate and ignoring what, or maybe she should say who, was right in front of him had taught her a modicum of patience.
What chapped her ass the most was that she had helped save that twit of a witch from her father and then been forced to absorb his Dark Magic. While she appreciated the boost to her powers, she hadn’t intended on losing the brass ring. She was convinced that it was only a matter of time before Alec came to his senses. He’d remember how they burned up the sheets and come running back to her with his tail between his legs. She’d make him work for it of course, but eventually, she’d take him back because they were meant to be together.
“Why are you still pining over wolf boy?” Brit asked in a whiny voice that grated on Serena’s nerves.
“The same reason you’re still pining over Jasper,” Serena snapped in a dry, no-nonsense voice. While she was happy her cousin had returned to Bass Ackwards, Tennessee, it hadn’t reduced her sudden urge to strangle the younger woman in an effort to put them both out of their misery.
“Touché, dear cousin. Touché,” Brit replied with less enthusiasm than she had earlier.
Sighing deeply, Serena finally turned and looked at the beautiful blonde with piercing, amber-colored eyes that were identical to hers. People often thought they were sisters instead of cousins, which was ironic given more than a decade separated them in age, and their mothers couldn’t stand one another.
Serena knew that the only reason her cousin had returned to Bass Ackwards was to reclaim Jasper’s heart, but unfortunately, her plea had fallen on deaf ears. It se
emed as though cheating on your betrothed was an unforgivable crime that sentenced you to a life of regret and loneliness.
Maybe that was the case for most people, but she and Brit weren’t most people. They were young, beautiful women who had their whole lives ahead of them. There was no question in her mind that they would eventually prevail and win their heart’s desire. Granted, it might take a bit of ingenuity and a little hocus pocus, but in the end, she would be Mrs. Alec Stone.
“I know that look on your face. I’ve seen it a million times over the years. What are you plotting?” Brittney asked.
“Hmm. That’s for me to know and you to find out,” Serena countered with a devious smile that lit up her entire face. Giving Brit a pointed, yet determined look, she finally asked, “Are you ready to win back our men?”
“Of course. It’s the only reason I came back to this hell-hole. Well—that and the fact that Salvatore dumped me for some redheaded vixen shortly after we left this Goddess Forsaken town.”
“Wait! I thought you said she was his mate,” Serena inquired with a raised eyebrow.
“Mate. Schmate,” Brit said in a horrible Irish accent as she waved her cousin’s comment away with a flick of her wrist. “It’s all nonsense if you ask me. I don’t believe for one minute that the Fates only created one person in the universe for each of us. You don’t either, so quit giving me that look.”
“What look?” Serena asked, innocently.
“That appalling look of disbelief written all over your face. You know as well as I do that we make our own fate, which is the reason you’re going after Alec with guns blazing.”
“Okay. You’ve got me there,” Serena said with a chuckle.
“Now that that’s settled, tell me how we’re going to win our men back,” Brittney eagerly asked.
“Fine. Sit down and I’ll tell you what I have in mind.”
* * *
Three weeks later and Serena had yet to make any leeway in her plan to convince Alec she was his one and only. She’d done everything the experts had suggested and then some. She’d reflected on what had gone wrong, worked on improving herself, and then made her move. In an effort to gain some perspective, she’d given Alec some space, which had turned out to be a crock of crap because he didn’t think about her one iota during the time they were apart. Instead, he’d been focusing on how to get that mouse of a witch, Sophie, to accept the fact they were mates.
In thinking about what had gone wrong, the answer was always the same. Sophie had entered their lives and ruined her Happily Ever After. Unfortunately, this was only obvious to her because when she tried to explain her revelation to Alec over dinner and a night of seduction, it only angered him more. When she tried to soothe his anger by giving him more attention (aka: seducing him in the bedroom), her plan only backfired and caused him to storm out of her house.
At a loss of what to do next, Serena sat at her kitchen table deep in thought. She had never been so frustrated in all her life. She was trying to get her ex back, not send a man to Mars. How hard could it be to get one hound dog to succumb to my desires?
Serena hadn’t realized she had spoken her last thoughts aloud until Brittney said, “Obviously, harder than you had expected, given the look on your face. Maybe you should implement a plan to start flirting with other guys around town. It might shock him into realizing what he’s lost, or it might push him further away. Either way, you’ll at least know where you stand.”
“I know where I stand, Brit,” Serena said through gritted teeth.
“Are you sure about that because from where I’m sitting, it looks like you’re not even on the playing field?”
Annoyed and angry by the smirk on her cousin’s face and the fact she was right, Serena threw caution to the wind and released her Dark Magic. Although she considered it a love tap, the yelp and anger rolling off of Brittney said otherwise.
“Ouch! That hurt!” Brit exclaimed. “What in the Hades is wrong with you? I was just pointing out the facts.”
“I know, but I didn’t ask for your opinion,” Serena said with a deadly, serene smile that had her cousin backing up a few steps.
“You’re going to regret smiting me when I get Jasper back and Alec is waiting for Sophie at the end of the aisle because you failed to gain his attention,” Brit said with a huff and a knowing smile.
Serena knew in that moment her cousin was up to something. Whether or not, the crazy plan she’d hatched in that pint-sized brain of hers would work, remained to be seen. Yet, it was worth a try because right now it was the bottom of the eighth and her nemesis was in the lead. She needed a home run and she needed it NOW.
“What are you up to, Brit?” Serena asked, cautiously.
“I thought you’d never ask,” her cousin excitedly replied, as she poured herself a glass of lemonade and took a seat at the kitchen table. “Last night when I couldn’t sleep, I started channel surfing. You know, I didn’t realize how much crap is on television in the wee hours of the morning. You would think if you’re trying to sell something, you’d do it during prime time when everyone is awake.”
Exasperated by her cousin’s inability to stay on track, Serena finally snapped and yelled, “Brit. You’re getting off point. Now, tell me the plan for Goddess’s sake.”
“Oh. Yeah. Right. Anyways, I came across this infomercial by the Broke-Back Doctor.”
“Wait! Don’t you mean the movie, Broke Back Mountain?” Serena quickly inserted. “Moreover, what does Broke Back Mountain have to do with getting Alec and Jasper back? You do realize they’re not gay, right?”
“Duh! It wasn’t the movie Broke Back Mountain. It was an infomercial by the Broke Back Doctor. He was explaining how to get your ex back using his tried and true method,” Brittney said in a matter of fact voice that brokered no argument.
Sighing in frustration, Serena began rubbing her temple to try and hold off the mother of all migraines. How in her moment of weakness had she thought Brit would have come up with an idea to save her relationship with Alec, only proved her desperation and how far she had fallen down the rabbit hole? Trying once again to reason with her cousin, she took a deep breath and said, “Brit, could he have been the Break-Up Doctor, instead of the Broke Back Doctor?”
“Breakup. Breakdown. Broke Back. It’s all the same to me. My point is he had a plan to win our ex-boyfriends back, so I ordered the videos,” she said with a triumphant smile. “They’ll be here tomorrow. I paid for expedited shipping.”
At a complete loss for words, Serena simply banged her head on the table in defeat. Well, metaphorically speaking, she did. In reality, she simply stood, put her glass of tea in the sink, and walked away before she said a spell that would send her cousin down her own dark, rabbit hole to Never-Never Land.
“Wait! Don’t leave. Let me tell you what he said,” Brit yelled, as she quickly stood to follow.
Knowing that the younger woman would never give her a moment of peace until she heard her out, Serena grabbed the aspirin out of the medicine cabinet, returned to the kitchen for a glass of water, took a seat at the table, popped the aspirin in her mouth, and slowly began to drink the water. Then she waited, as patiently as a cat about to catch a mouse, for the rest of the story.
Smiling gleefully, Brit said, “The Broke Back Doctor starts out by explaining how his videos will pinpoint why we’re failing to get our men back and how we might be actually pushing them further away with our actions. This is important Serena because we might be killing any chance we have with Alec and Jasper without realizing it.”
Serena really looked at the desperation in her cousin’s eyes and wondered if her eyes mirrored that same desperation. Deep down, she knew Brit had screwed up by cheating on Jasper and the likelihood the man would ever take her back was slim and none. If she were truly being honest with herself, she knew he would never take her cousin back, but she didn’t want to be the one to destroy the young woman’s hope because it also meant destroying her own.
&n
bsp; It meant that she would have to let Alec go, which she just wasn’t ready to do. It was nice having someone to talk to and lean on when you were down and out. Someone who picked you up, dusted you off, and believed in you. Alec had given her all of those things and more, which was the reason she couldn’t let him go without a fight. Therefore, she’d try what Brit and this Broke Back Doctor suggested, but if it didn’t work, she’d have to use a little hocus pocus to bring Alec around, even if it meant getting rid of Sophie in the process.
END OF EXCERPT
If you want to know what happens next, don’t forget to grab your copy of Witch With An Axe To Grind today.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
After years of reading romance novels and getting lost in characters’ worlds, Isabel Micheals finally decided to try her hand at writing. Inspired by Lucy Kevin’s Four Weddings and a Fiasco, she summoned her courage, got to writing, and submitted her first novel. Now she’s been bitten by the writing bug and hopes to make a career of it. Isabel encourages you to join her on this amazing and exciting journey as the characters in her head come to life.
In addition to her creative side, she’s a geek who loves being whisked away into alternate realities, whether it be contemporary, new adult, young adult, historical, paranormal, or real life. Everyone has a story, so be sure to drop by often and see which stories are keeping Isabel up at night, as she pounds away on the keys writing her next book.
If you can’t wait that long… then send Isabel a note through email because she loves chatting with readers, especially when it involves books and romance. Or better yet, sign-up for her newsletter to stay up on the latest news and participate in some cool contests.
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