Every Witch Way but Wicked

by Barbra Annino

  So much more.

  She opened her eyelids and smiled into his face, an inch from hers. “You’re alive,” she said, and heard the dreaminess in her voice.

  He laughed and she felt his rumbles, too. It was good. Better than good. It was marvelous.

  Other laughter sounded, masculine mixed with feminine. She snapped her head up and saw Sep and Nina standing at the end of the bed, so close their shoulders touched, grinning as if she and Caz were their entertainment. A foot apart from them, Rutledge crossed his arms, a small smile cracking his face that she was beginning to find handsome.

  Next to him was the frowning doctor who’d ordered her out of the room last night.

  “I’m afraid you need to get up from the bed,” a woman’s voice said, sympathetic.

  She pushed up on her elbows and looked at the nurse at her side of the bed. The one who’d left her alone with Caz. She was smiling softly, her eyes misty and her smile goofy, as if she were looking at cute kittens.

  At least the nurse wasn’t in trouble, Emma thought, and turned back to Caz. “You’re better.”

  “You healed me.”

  “The transfusions healed you,” the doctor said. “It just took longer than we had hoped.”

  Caz smiled at her. “You told me to heal. I heard you and I obeyed you. Simple as that.”

  She laughed.

  “Right,” the doctor snapped. “You healed because she ordered you.”

  “Not just that.” Caz kept his gaze on Emma’s, and she couldn’t look away. He’d almost died last night, this beautiful, sexy man. “She kissed me, too.”

  “That must’ve been one hell of a kiss,” the doctor said, but his voice wasn’t admiring.

  “Earth women are good kissers,” Sep said.

  Nina laughed and so did the nurse. Even Rutledge chuckled. Caz just beamed at Emma, and she beamed right back at him.

  She was a daughter of the moon, but right now she felt like her heart was a sun inside her, shining so brightly she must be incandescent.

  “Do you mind getting out of bed,” the doctor said, “so I can check my patient?”

  She thought of kissing Caz first. The way he grinned at her, she suspected he thought the same thing. Instead she twisted and got out of bed.

  Later. They’d have time for kissing later.

  They’d have time for everything.

  *

  In the waiting room after a quick pit stop, the atmosphere was different. Rutledge wasn’t there, just Nina and Sep, discussing a Snickers bar cake he planned to make. Emma was content to sit quietly, the sun shining through the windows on them. And she was shining right back at the sun. Shining at the world.

  She couldn’t remember ever being this happy. Over a man, too. Her mother and grand-mere would think something was wrong with her. They’d never felt like this over a man.

  But then, they’d never met a man like Caz.

  A man she suspected was more than a man.

  A man with his own secrets.

  A man whose blood anomalies weren’t just because of a poison.

  A thought wormed into her mind, and she stood. The sunshine didn’t darken, but inside her it did, a heated anger simmering. “Julene. She did this to him. We need to stop her before she tries to kill him again.”

  “No need to worry about her,” Nina said.

  “It’s taken care of.” Sep grinned again. He was the king of grinning. An obviously happy man who reveled in his life, his wife and his job.

  “When? What happened?”

  “While you were sleeping, Rutledge and I decided to visit the lady.” Sep gestured toward a window.

  “They made me stay in case the doc kicked you out of the room.” Nina’s mouth twisted into a dislike for the doctor that Emma shared.

  “Rutledge suspected the blond wasn’t what she seems,” Sep said.

  Emma’s stomach lurched. Her legs felt weak and she plopped down onto the sofa, her hands clasped on her lap. “He thinks she’s … an alien?”

  “She’s something. She has a house on the other side of Lake Mendota from the Foundation. While we talked to her, she made it storm above us. Nowhere else. Freaky.”

  “I wish I’d been there.” Nina’s voice held a wistful note. “If Sep says something is freaky, it’s super freaky.”

  “She said she’s descended from the goddess Aphrodite.” He gestured toward Emma. “She said you’re descended from a different goddess. And Caz was descended from the god Jupiter.”

  “Me? A goddess?” Emma’s laugh sounded tinny to her ears, and she cut it off. “Never heard of anything so crazy. Except…” She looked at Nina and raised her eyebrows. “Aren’t all women goddesses?”

  Sep snorted, and Nina gave him a look that made him quickly say, “Not all women. Just Nina.”

  “That was a hail Mary pass,” she said.

  “Hail Mary? Is she another goddess?”

  Nina jabbed her elbow into his ribs. “It’s a football thing. A long pass made in desperation, hoping whoever catches it will make a touchdown.”

  Emma watched them and smiled, even as a wave of sadness swamped her. She’d have to quit her job soon. It was too bad. She’d only had it for one day, but she liked the job. She liked the people. Even Sep.

  But she’d seen the way Rutledge had looked at her moments ago. His eyes sharp and probing even as a smile had cracked his leathery face.

  Her blood … she wondered if it showed abnormalities.

  She didn’t want to end up in a cell in the basement of the Foundation, locked in one of the small rooms.

  Not that she feared it would come to that. She could use her … skills on him. If necessary, call her mother and grand-mere as reinforcements.

  There was a reason people called them the beguiling Lemarchal women.

  Like their goddess ancestor, they were hunters. And their prey was man.

  But she’d already hunted, bagged and gotten her man. And what a man. A son of Jupiter.

  And she’d done it without any weapons. She’d only needed a kiss.

  The End

  About Edie Ramer

  I was a huge reader as a kid. My mother read to us as a child, and when we were old enough, she took us to the library often. With money so tight, it’s affecting libraries as much as other parts of government. It’s important for children to read. It matters. I’m happy to be able to contribute in a small way.

  A multiple-award winning author, Edie Ramer writes paranormal and sci fi romance about cats, dead people, dragons and aliens with attitude. Sep, Nina and Baron Rutledge from The Kiss appeared in GALAXY GIRLS, which, along with her other books, is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords and most online e-tailers. She also has a short story in ENTANGLED, A PARANORMAL ANTHOLOGY, with all the proceeds going to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

  To find out more about Edie and her paranormal romances, visit her at edieramer.com, like her on Facebook, and follow her on Twitter and Google+.

  ORION’S MOON

  by

  Terri Reid

  Chapter One

  “Orion, get back here.” Cassidy Maguire chased after the disobedient dog through the narrow path between the young trees. “Get back here right now!”

  Orion, who looked like a Golden Retriever that had been dipped in black ink, turned his head back and looked at her. He stopped for a moment, his tongue lolling happily out of the side of his mouth, grinned at Cassidy and took off further into the woods.

  “Orion!” she yelled again. “I don’t have time for this nonsense.”

  She knew the dog was in no danger—all of her acreage was securely fenced, but since the day he had wandered onto her property, malnourished and cautious, she felt the need to keep an eye on him. She didn’t want him wandering out to the road in front of her property. The cars zipped past the farmhouse at too high a speed to be able to stop for a dog. And she never wanted him to feel abandoned again.

  She ran her hand through her long
auburn curls and sighed. How long had it been since she had allowed herself to come outside and enjoy the crisp fall air and the bright blue sky? A yellow leaf swirled down from the top of a maple tree and twirled to land at her feet. She bent over and picked it up, noticing the tinges of red that were splashed on the edges. Soon fall would give way to winter and the earth would rest for a season.

  But she knew there was a lot to do before she could rest.

  “Orion!” she called again.

  She went over her ‘to do’ list in her head. There were herbs to gather before the frost, which had been threatening for days, covered the hills and pastures with icy white. There were a few more tinctures to prepare. She still had to make juice from the final crop of apples and she needed to check the beehives to make sure they were prepared for winter.

  Sighing, she sat down on a felled tree amidst the golden and red leaves carpeting the ground and shook her head. It wasn’t the list that was bothering her, she finally admitted. It was the feeling that had been tugging at her mind for the past few weeks. The urgency to prepare—but what in Merlin’s name was she supposed to be preparing for?

  A lithe black cat hopped up next to her on the log and rubbed demandingly against her arm. Cassidy absently stroked the cat while she looked out over the pasture below, watching Orion’s black tail waving like a flag between the clumps of overgrown brush as he followed a new scent.

  “He’s going to be covered in burrs again,” she said.

  The cat responded with a frank meow.

  “Yes, Regulus, I know you told me not to keep him,” she said to the cat. “But really, we both know it was because he was a dog, not because you had a vision.”

  The cat meowed plaintively.

  “Yes, he does slobber when he drinks.” she admitted, “but not everyone can be as delicate as you.”

  The cat sniffed and Cassidy grinned. “You are such a snob.”

  Orion came hurtling back towards them, his eyes filled with delight at seeing his best friend, Regulus, next to his beloved mistress. He spat out a gnarly apple he’d been carrying and showered the cat with slobbery kisses.

  “See, he loves you, Regulus.” Cassidy smirked. “You can’t buy that kind of affection.”

  Her words, uttered so carelessly, brought a sharp, painful memory to mind.

  Benjamin. Her heart was still tender from his betrayal. “You can’t buy affection and you can’t buy love,” she whispered sadly, as she bent and fastened the lead onto Orion’s collar. “And you can’t buy faithfulness either.”

  Orion leaned up and licked her neck, his tail wagging in sympathy. “You’re right,” she agreed with a pat on his back. “The best kind of love is freely given.”

  Chapter Two

  The kitchen smelled of fall. Cassidy inhaled the combination of lavender, cinnamon and marigold petals that were heating in olive oil in the double boiler and smiled. Fall in a bottle, she thought.

  The farmhouse kitchen looked more like a laboratory with stainless steel counters, a large walk-in refrigerator, a commercial oven and shelves filled with empty containers waiting to be filled. Although, there were some vestiges from the kitchen that the original farmhouse owner would have been familiar with—herbs hanging from the ceiling, red peppers drying on wreaths, a block of beeswax on the counter and a ceramic bowl of brown eggs just gathered that morning.

  Orion was busy getting in the way. No matter where Cassidy moved, Orion was there, looking up at her with adoring eyes, his large tail thumping his approval. She bent over and rubbed his ears. “You aren’t being very helpful, you know,” she said. “I have a lot of work to do.”

  He rolled over and offered her his tummy for a good scratch. He obviously wasn’t too worried about her work.

  But Cassidy’s work was more than just creating herbal remedies and running a very successful Internet business. Her work was a family tradition. Throughout the history of Ireland, the Cassidy clan were the traditional healers and physicians to the chiefs of County Fermanagh, the Maguire clan, and then to other chieftains in the north of the country.

  The protection of the chieftains and the Maguire name had saved her family from the troubles that had befallen so many others of their kind throughout the world. Because the Cassidy clan was more than a clan—they were a coven. They proudly traced their bloodline back to the father of wizards, Merlin, and felt they were duty-bound to use their gifts for the betterment of those around them.

  Cassidy had long felt that her gift was the gift of healing and she used it in the salves, lotions, tinctures and herbal medicine she produced. She had cousins who had far more wondrous gifts, in her opinion. They could cast spells, read the thoughts of others, influence someone’s thought and travel through the void, getting places in moments, rather than hours or days. Her mother had always felt she had other gifts; she only needed to have the confidence to use them. But Cassidy was sure those were the words of an indulgent mother, not a High Seer.

  “Besides, I can make a mean lip balm,” she said, grinning. “Just call me super witch.”

  However, just as all of her cousins and the rest of her family, she lived under the ancient oath: “An it harm none, do what thou wilt.” She had vowed to only use her gifts to help others, and never for profit or gain of any kind. And she had been naïve enough to think others felt the same way she did.

  The phone rang and she turned the double-boiler down before she answered it.

  “Hello?”

  “Blessed be, Cassidy, me darling,” her mother’s soft lilt melted away the miles.

  “Ma, how are you?” she asked, sitting down on a stool next to the island.

  “Oh, I’m as right as rain and twice as good looking,” her mother replied with a chuckle. “But it’s you I’m worrying about.”

  Orion came over and placed his head in Cassidy’s lap. She absently stroked his head. “Why are you worried about me?”

  “I’ve been having dreams,” she said.

  Cassidy sat upright. Her mother was a gifted seer and her dreams had power and meaning.

  “What did you see?” she asked.

  Her mother sighed. “Well, as you know, the dreams are cloudy when they’re for family. But, I see a male figure. A dark male figure coming into your life. In the dream I think I see a wolf or something canine.”

  Cassidy looked down at Orion, whose tongue was hanging out of the side of his mouth, and grinned.

  “He’s to bring you love,” her mother finished.

  Cassidy smiled sadly. “Aye, Ma, I’ve already met him,” she said. “And he’s loyal, affectionate and protective.”

  “Have you now? He sounds like a gem.”

  “But he’s a dog.”

  “In what way, darling? What has he done to make you think that?”

  “No, Ma,” she said. “He’s a dog, a real live, four legs and a tail dog. You dreamt about me getting my dog.”

  “Oh,” her mother said with a sigh. “I was so hopeful you were getting some romance in your life.”

  “Well, if it makes you feel better, I’m sleeping with him.”

  Her mother chuckled. “Well, better than the snake you were sleeping with here in Ireland.”

  Cassidy didn’t respond.

  “Oh, darling, I’m sorry. That was a stupid thing for me to say,” her mother said. “Is your heart still bruised then?”

  “Ma, my heart is broken,” she replied. “I don’t think it will ever be the same.”

  “Oh, no, darling, it’s but bruised,” she said. “To have your heart truly broken you have to have a great love. And that one was too self-absorbed to ever produce that kind of bond.”

  Cassidy sighed. Perhaps her mother was right. But if her heart was only bruised, so were her pride and her ability to trust. “But, Ma, he was my first,” she said.

  “Aye, and I’m sorry for that because he took what was precious from you,” she said. “But there’ll be another who will touch not only your body, but your heart. And that
will be your true first experience with love.”

  “How did you get so smart?” Cassidy asked.

  “Oh, I’ve always been smart,” her mother replied. “It’s only now you’re realizing it.”

  Cassidy laughed and Orion wagged his tail in response. Then she stood and walked to the bay window that overlooked her acreage glowing golden in the afternoon sun.

  “So, what’s happened to Benjamin?” she asked.

  “Ah, well that was the other reason for my call,” her mother said. “Somehow he’s been able to escape from custody and the Garda are now looking for him in County Cork.”

  A frisson of fear crept up her spine. “And do they think he might be able to leave the country?” she asked.

  “Well, they’re not saying he can and they’re not saying he can’t,” her mother replied. “It would be a long way to come just to find you.”

  Cassidy nodded slowly. “Aye, but he knows who betrayed him.”

  “Who betrayed who?” her mother asked angrily. “He secretly put drugs in your herbs and wanted you to ship them overseas for him. If you hadn’t had that vision, you’d be in jail as well as he.”

  Cassidy nodded. “I was a fool,” she said.

  Orion knocked against her, looking for more attention. “But now I’ve a new man in my life who wants only my company, some kibble and an occasional rawhide,” she added.

  “Do be careful, darling,” her mother said. “And tell your new man he’s to watch out for you.”

  “Thanks, Ma, I will,” she said. “Blessed be, Ma, I love you.”

  “Blessed be, me darling. I love you too.”

  Chapter Three

  The moon was in its waxing stage and it was only days until the Hunter’s Moon would appear. The Hunter’s Moon had been historically used to by early settlers to hunt through the night in order to obtain enough food to last through the harsh winters.

  Cassidy stood in the middle of the orchard, wrapped in an oversized sweatshirt, flashlight in hand, while she waited for Orion to do his evening business outside. “Come on, Orion,” she called. “You’ve sniffed that bush at least three times. Go ahead and go to the bathroom on it. Some of us are freezing.”