by Gina LaManna
Long Isle Iced Tea
Magic & Mixology Mystery Series, Volume 4
Gina LaManna
Published by Gina LaManna Publishing, 2017.
This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.
LONG ISLE ICED TEA
First edition. November 2, 2017.
Copyright © 2017 Gina LaManna.
Written by Gina LaManna.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Long Isle Iced Tea (Magic & Mixology Mystery Series, #4)
Acknowledgments
Synopsis
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Epilogue
Author’s Note
Thank you...
Islanders, this book is for you!
For updates on new releases, please sign up for Gina’s newsletter on her website at GinaLaManna.com
Acknowledgments
To the Islanders!
SPECIAL THANKS:
To my fiancé, Alex! 11/11—make a wish! я тебя люблю!
To my family—for always being an inspiration.
To Stacia—for your spreadsheets!
To my fabulous proofreader, Connie!
To my awesome cover designer—Sarah at Sprinkles on Top Studios.
And above all, to my readers. Without you, there wouldn’t be a Ranger X or Lily!
Synopsis
STAR LIGHT, STAR BRIGHT, the first star I see tonight...
A childhood chant turns near deadly for Lily Locke when she’s swept into The Faction’s latest triumph—the overthrowing of the hidden, magical city of Wishery.
When Ainsley and her team at MAGIC, Inc. beg Lily for her help, she agrees, taking on a load of problems that pile up faster than she can say Abracadabra. A new revolution in black magic stumps the island’s burgeoning Mixologist, while a haunted house, a surprise birthday party, and rising familial troubles back on The Isle compete for her already-limited time and attention.
Lily’s barely hanging on by a thread, juggling life, love, and the pursuit of magic, when islanders start disappearing—one at a time. When a man warns her the next disappearance is imminent, Lily must crack the curse...before she’s next.
I wish I may, I wish I might...have the wish I wish tonight.
Prologue
“Star light, star bright,
The first star I see tonight.
I wish I may, I wish I might,
Have the wish I wish tonight.”
I closed my eyes and made a wish as per the tradition of human children everywhere. I felt Ranger X’s grip around me tighten until I opened my eyes and looked at him.
“What’d you just do?” A streak of curiosity flitted through his eyes. “That sounds like a spell.”
“Don’t be silly. It’s just a nursery rhyme.”
“Did you make a wish?”
“Of course! Close your eyes,” I instructed him. “And make a wish, too. That’s the rule.”
“What did you wish for?”
I gave him a playful swat to the chest. “I can’t tell you that. Everyone knows wishes don’t come true if you say them aloud.”
“But—”
“Just say the chant and make a wish.”
X did as I suggested. He closed his eyes, and I watched as his lashes fluttered against his cheeks.
“What’d you wish for?” I asked.
“I wished—”
“Shhh—” I interrupted him by swallowing his words with a kiss. “You must promise you’ll never tell.”
“But—”
“Do you want your wish to come true?”
He fell into silence. “More than anything.”
“Then keep it locked away in here.” I tapped his chest. “And let the world work its magic.”
“Magic?”
“What else would you call it?”
“Fair enough.” He closed his hand over mine, locking it against his chest. “I promise.”
Chapter 1
IN A TIME WHERE THE very existence of our Isle had been threatened, the things we’d known and loved broken, and the relationships we’d cultivated shattered—one man had managed to offset all of it. The fear, the danger, the stress of life had been cast aside for one night.
Leaning in, I pressed my lips to his and let the whisper of passion speak for itself. From within me came a longing, a burning need for Ranger X to know this feeling, to understand what this night meant to me.
X deepened the kiss as his hands slid over my waist, pulling my hips closer to him as we curled on the blanket underneath the stars. The evening had begun with a picnic, a surprise meal prepared by him and finished with a shared bottle of wine as the moon sparkled above the waves of Lake Superior that surrounded this enchanted island.
“You are so beautiful, Lily.” X whispered against my cheek, following the pause with a press of his lips to my forehead. “I love you more than all of this.”
“This?”
“This island, this lifetime, this...” He spread one arm wide and encompassed the weight of the world around us, the sugary sand against the shoreline, the inky blackness of the waters, the milky glow of the constellations above. “This. You are my everything.”
My arms circled his neck, and we curled closer in our private, snug hideaway against the side of the volcano. We’d climbed for hours to reach this nook, not far from the Library of Secrets. We’d had lunch with the Witch of the Woods and taken directions from Glinda’s fairies before stumbling upon the privacy that would soon be ours.
Here, tucked into the highest point on The Isle, we’d played under the waterfall and eaten fresh fruits and berries before settling down for a light meal of crackers and cheeses, meats and olives. Then we’d sipped wine to the setting sun and rang in the night tucked into a blanket with our limbs entwined.
“This place is magic.”
“I thought you might enjoy it.” Ranger X pulled himself into a sitting position. “May I?”
Without waiting for a response, he poured the last of the wine into the glass nestled onto a makeshift tree-stump table. As he did so, I took the moment to study his long, stunning physique clothed as always in black from head to toe.
When he caught me looking, I made a big show of sitting up, adjusting my nightshirt, pretending I hadn’t been staring. Technically, the shirt belonged to X. The last few months I’d taken to wearing his old button-ups as sleepwear because the material was soft and smelled of him.
When we slept apart, there was something comforti
ng about having his clothes wrapped around me. Plus, I had the added bonus that came when he spied me in an article of his clothing: the satisfied, primal look that took over his face, brimming with possessiveness.
I liked being his.
“You’re cute.” The wine gave me a pleasant sort of buzz, my stomach warm and my heart warmer. I reached out for him, grasping his cheeks between my hands and landing a kiss on his lips.
He chuckled, and then murmured a few suggestions in a low voice, dry and gravelly, that sent shivers over my spine.
I followed his gaze as he glanced at his shirt on me, specifically at the button near the top that’d popped open during our embrace. I moved to close it, but his hand came up and circled around mine instead.
Nestling in, I rested my head on his chest. This whole evening had been planned by X—the food, the hike, the location. An evening getaway, just the two of us with no work and no distractions.
Nothing except for us and the quiet of the world.
One night where, finally, peace settled in, and the darkness stayed away.
At least, until morning.
Chapter 2
“THANK YOU, so much.” I circled my arms around Ranger X’s neck as my bare toes sank into the white sand outside of the bungalow. “I had a wonderful time.”
X surveyed the area around us, the morning sun just barely rising. We’d spent the night in the cave wrapped around one another, a warm and delicious cocoon, before he’d woken me in the still-dark hours to make the early morning trek back. He’d claimed the sunrise would be worth it. I argued that sleep would’ve been more worth it.
“I’m sorry we had to get moving so early; if we weren’t still on the training schedule—”
“I know, I know. Zin tells me about it every day.” I rolled my eyes, smiling at the reference to my cousin, a newly minted Ranger who might very well marry her job. She’d already fallen in love with it. “You’re the boss, and you have a job to do. I should get back to work, too.”
“Wait, Lily. I have something for you.”
I let my hands slide back from around his neck and raised an eyebrow.
X moved from one foot to the next before clasping his hands behind his back. His eyes shifted to look out over the lake, watching the orange glow of the horizon.
“What is it?” I asked. “Is something wrong?”
“No.”
“Do you need help?”
“No.”
“Are we going to play this game all day?”
“No.”
“Just say it then,” I said. “Spit it out.”
Ranger X sighed, reached into his pocket, and retrieved something small. “I’d like to give you something. I’m not any good at this—sorry.”
“What is it?”
He grasped my wrist, guided my hand until it flipped palm up, and then pressed something hard and metal into my skin. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I want you to have—”
“A key?!” I retracted my hand enough to expose the small, tarnished metal he’d placed there. “Where does this lead?”
“To my house.”
“Your house? Where you live? In The Forest? Where you sleep at night? And shower? And eat?”
A flicker of amusement crossed his face. “That would be my house.”
“Well, gee.” I flipped the key over again and examined it. “I don’t know what to say.”
“I told you I’m bad at this. I’m sorry—if it makes you uncomfortable, or if you don’t want it, just say the word, but—”
“Are you kidding?” I flung myself at him and let my arms do the rest. “I love it! I’m so touched, X, really. Thank you. I’ll use it wisely.”
After catching my flying hug, he tugged me closer still. “You’re sure it’s not too soon? I didn’t want you to feel uncomfortable or rushed.”
“I’m surprised,” I admitted. “With your job and your skills, you’re pretty...uh, anal about locking up everywhere—no offense. Are you sure you want me to have it?”
“I’m positive.” His hand ran through my hair and came to rest on my back. “I had it made for you.”
I frowned. “What does that mean?”
“It means you’re the only person who’s allowed to use it.”
“Ah, a spell. But how—”
“Liam has a contact on the mainland. Specializes in complicated locks and defense systems.”
“Of course he does,” I said with a smile. The key felt warm to the touch, and now that he mentioned it, I could sense the magic sizzling around it. “And if I lose it?”
“If you lose it, it will combust and incinerate everything within fifteen feet.”
I gawked at him, then shoved the key toward him. “That’s horrible and dangerous! I can’t be trusted with this.”
His eyes crinkled. “A joke. If it’s lost it becomes useless. It’s enchanted to only work for you, so if anyone else gets ahold of it, it won’t do them any good.”
I smiled up at him and let my hand close around the key. “So, what am I supposed to use this for?”
“Whatever you desire. If you ever need a place to stay, and I’m away or at work, you’re welcome to let yourself inside. If you need any supplies, you’re welcome to help yourself. If you want—”
“—to swing by for no reason and surprise you with one of these?” I leaned onto my tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his lips. “Is that okay, too?”
His arms tightened around my waist as he returned it with a deeper one. “I was hoping you would ask, and I think the answer to that is obvious.”
Humming, I practically hopped into the bungalow a few minutes later, once I’d finished my goodbyes with X. Our trip had been nothing short of incredible.
I had fresh air in my lungs, a lightness in my chest, and a key in my pocket. I had an amazing man who loved me, a family that supported me, and a career for which I’d been born.
Absolutely nothing could dampen today. Nothing, except—
“What’d the idiot give you now?”
I pressed a hand to my chest, startled by Gus’s growly voice. I’d been so intent on humming my way inside the purple and pink shuttered building that I hadn’t noticed him sitting there. The bungalow served as both my place of employment and my place of residence, and Gus came with the package.
“What idiot?” I turned to face Gus with a frown. “You’ll have to be more specific.”
“That lovesick puppy who had his hands all over you.”
“Oh, Gus.” I sidled over to my mentor and sat on the bench across from him. “Are you feeling jealous that I spent the night away from here?”
“I used to think that man had manners. Thought Ranger X might be the last soul on this island with any ounce of chivalry, aside from myself.”
“He is the most chivalrous person I know, and the least idiotic. What’s got you upset?”
“Chivalry ain’t sticking his tongue down a woman’s throat in public.”
“He kissed my cheek!” I fought off a rush of warmth to my face, and I stood up, kicking my bench back. “You need to relax. We’re all adults here.”
Gus fussed some more, busying his hands as he chopped something that looked like dried lizard’s tail into dust. “It’s about time you made it back. Mixologists shouldn’t be gallivanting around the island without protection.”
“Gus, the sun is barely up. Ranger X is more protection than I’ll ever need. Plus, it’s good to take time off now and again. I need to explore and understand the island that I’m supposed to help.”
Gus struggled to agree.
“Would it help if I said I brought something back for you?” I reached into my travel belt, a nifty little gadget used to carry first aid vials while traversing The Isle, and removed a baggy full of the bright red flowers that could be found growing only on the sides of a volcano. “I harvested some Fire Birds...”
Gus took one of the Fire Birds and burped it. An impressive flame shot from its petals. I watched as he sur
veyed the size, shape, and color of the fire. The health of the plant. The sturdiness of the bloom.
Finally, he gave a nod. “Not bad.”
“Not bad?! We looked for hours to find the best ones! You have to admit these are prime specimens, and—”
Both Gus and I turned to watch the commotion storming through the front door. Zin, dressed in her leather pants and dark tank top, her severe bob swishing around her chin, stomped into the storeroom.
She glanced up, caught Gus and I watching her, and scowled. “What are you looking at?”
While Gus made himself busy studying row after row of the colorful canisters along the wall, I was stuck matching Zin’s gaze and struggling for a response.
“Why are you smiling?” she asked. “What do you have to be happy about?”
“Gee,” I murmured to Gus. “She’s even crankier than you.”
Gus muffled a snort as he studied a tin filled with bright purple leaves. He popped the lid open, sniffed it, and then grimaced. He placed the jar back on the shelf as Zin hurled more questions our way.
“Where were you last night?” Zin asked. “I thought—”
“Hold on,” I said, raising my hands in surrender. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Zin snapped over a loud exhale. After a pause, she shook her head. “I’m tired. It’s nothing.”
“Are you sure?” I pressed. “You seem pretty upset for it to be nothing.”
“I haven’t been sleeping well, okay? Leave me alone!”
“Does this have anything to do with Trinket?” I asked. “Did you have another argument with your mom?”
“It’s nothing. Forget it.”
Gus’s shoulders stiffened along the back wall, frowning as he swirled a pearl-colored liquid around in a vial. He hated when people brought drama into the store—it’s a place of business, he’d say. Not a psychology office.
I ignored him and eased onto the bench next to the room’s center table. “Sit down and tell me what happened.”