Endangered Spells (Witches Academy Series Book 6)

by S. R. Mallery

  Yet Ellen did finally drift back to her cheerier self. Just in time for the Gambit House Coven’s large event for its members and their guests, to celebrate the final end of the Rebecca Newell Author murders. Special, well-designed invitations were sent out, and since Gillian was one of the people recognized as helping with the case, Ellen was thrilled. She even said to her daughters, “Girls, you can invite your fellas if you want. I won’t say anything about your choices ever again.”

  “Really, Mama? Even my Josh?” Carly asked.

  Gathering her girls close into a group hug, Ellen answered. “Yes, really. I realize I’ve been a fool. After all, your father married a human, didn’t he? So, of course, Carly and Gilly, you can bring along your beaux.”

  “What about me? Can I bring Joselyn?” Stevie asked.

  They all laughed.

  “Yes, dear, you can. Provided she’s on a leash,” Ellen replied.

  Glowing inside from her mother finally accepting Nate, Gillian actually was looking forward to the event. Being honored herself wasn’t all that important but having Nate by her side without nasty side-glances from her mother was a huge accomplishment.

  But soon, she discovered she had a new problem. After inviting Nate to the event and letting him know she was the main person to be recognized, his reaction over the phone hit her like a slap in the face.

  “That’s great. Unfortunately, Chief Hutton told Adam and me that he needed us to interrogate someone involved in a robbery that just happened this morning.” He paused a beat. “So sorry, Gillian. But you have a blast. You so deserve this.”

  Her own silence lasted several seconds. After all this, is he going to end up being a big mistake?

  “Gillian? Again, I’m sorry. As I said, this just came up, and orders are orders.”

  “But I was told Chief Hutton is going to be at the event himself.”

  “Not necessarily. He told us he probably would also be at the station.”

  “Sure. Fine. See you later,” she said crisply and hung up, suddenly completely depressed.

  * *

  The instant most of the coven members entered the Gambit House, they remarked how nicely it had been decorated for the occasion. Everywhere, colorful, swooping streamers gracefully hung from the ceiling. Freshly lit candles were placed in ornate wooden holders on every wall, and off to one side, a long table was covered with a new, beautiful tablecloth and platters heaped high with food.

  As packed in as a crowded New York City subway car, Gillian noticed Chief Hutton had actually shown up. Annoyed, she even had a mind to go over to him to ask him why he insisted on making Nate do an interrogation on this day of all days. Then she stopped. Maybe Nate was more bothered about her connection with witches than he let on. Maybe he was having second thoughts about their relationship.

  Seeing Carly holding hands with a fully recovered Josh and a collared Joselyn slowly rubbing her beak against Stevie’s ear as she sat so well behaved on her sister’s shoulder was certainly gratifying. Yet, as the general hubbub of talk remained alive and well, a flood of insecurities siphoned through her. Her love/hate relationship with having so much power, her father and Sarah Good telling her one thing, her mother another when it came to love, felt as if it was all coming to a head.

  All of a sudden, the crowd hushed as soon as Phoebe McCann stepped up to the podium and tapped on the microphone to quiet people down.

  “Everyone, thank you all for coming to our very special event. And much thanks to the decorating committee. You did a splendid job.”

  Applause circulated throughout.

  “Now,” Phoebe continued, “I would like to first thank our very own Gillian Good for helping the police so much in the Three Authors case—at her own risk, I might add.”

  The crack of claps nearly jolted Gillian off her seat.

  “Gillian, come up here, please, to receive your award,” Phoebe said, grinning.

  So now she likes me?

  Up at the podium, Gillian took the beautifully engraved certificate, received a short kiss on her cheek from Phoebe then returned to her seat as a wall of vocal support followed her.

  Phoebe held up one hand. “All right, all right. Settle down, please. I would now like to thank two other people.” She waited for silence. “Det. Adam Springer and––”

  Adam’s here?

  “My own son, Nathan Meeks.”

  WHAT? Her heart felt as if it might explode in her chest, Gillian couldn’t stop a couple of tears from gathering.

  Applause and Joselyn’s, “Pretty girl, pretty girl!” came next. Then, from out of nowhere, both Adam and Nate stepped over to the podium.

  When Phoebe presented them both with certificates, Adam got a warm handshake, Nate, a big “Mama Bear” hug. Then Nate turned around and looked over at Gillian. Giving her the biggest wink, he head signaled her to follow him somewhere else.

  “Go to him, dear,” Ellen said softly, one hand on her daughter’s arm.

  Are we in an alternate universe? Rising, Gillian quickly made her way over to him in the hallway.

  Wrapped up tight in his arms, she couldn’t help saying, “I don’t understand. You’re Phoebe’s son? So, does that mean you’re a—”

  “A warlock?” He chuckled. “Yes, ma’am, I guess it does.”

  “But I was losing my powers and that only happens if I fall for a human,” she said.

  “Who told you that?”

  She paused. “My mother. My mother whose life was ruined by a crazy witch, who was kicked out of the New Orleans Witch Academy.” Suddenly, she remembered Sarah Good’s advice. “Be open to true happiness,” she said softly.

  “You got that right,” he muttered and leaned in for a kiss.

  Yet suddenly, she pulled back. “You complained about not being good at clues. Why was that happening?”

  He shrugged. “I was upset about that, of course, but eventually realized the case was just difficult. That happens sometimes. But I never lost my real powers.” He searched her eyes, as if waiting for her to realize something.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You’re a smart person. Think about it.” He deposited a couple of gentle kisses on one side of her neck.

  “If you want me to think at all, please don’t do that,” she half-moaned.

  He leaned back with a chuckle. “How about now?”

  With her head slightly cocked, her mind spun. “Wait. Wait. I was rescued from being hurt in a car crash, found a toy gun that later saved me, you happened by at Didion Park just in time to protect me, I kept finding my father’s old notes from out of nowhere, all of which gave me wisdom. And in the end, you rescued Joselyn and me from Sammy and Billy.” She stared at him in disbelief. “Was all that from your spells?”

  He smiled.

  “Anything else you helped me with?” she asked.

  He pulled her even closer against him. “Yes, ma’am. A couple of more things.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like having you get clumsy and spill wine over yourself at that meet-up with Adam. Having seen him in action before, I know what a flirtatious, unprofessional jerk he can be with the ladies. And then there was––”

  “What?” she probed softly.

  “I was so happy to help your sister, Carly, at one point.”

  Her eyes widened. “What? You caused her to throw up so she wouldn’t sky-dive?”

  “I guess so,” he said with a tiny shrug.

  Her mind whirling, she shook her head in disbelief. “Wow. You might be even more talented and powerful than my papa was.”

  “Don’t know about that. Let’s just say, the two men in your life had and have some talents.”

  This time, when he finally kissed her, she no longer worried about anything else. Why should she? She had all the answers she needed.

  * *

  Click here to leave a review for Endangered Spells (Witches Academy Series Book 6). There are more books in this series by other authors. Check out the enti
re Witches Academy series by clicking here.

  Click here to learn more about my other novels.

  ~ S.R. Mallery

  THANK YOU

  Thank you so much for taking the time to read Endangered Spells (Witches Academy Series Book 6). I certainly hope you enjoyed it. If you did, I would truly appreciate a short review about it on Amazon and/or Goodreads.

  I would love to hear from you directly as well. You can find me at:

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  OTHER BOOKS BY S.R. MALLERY

  The Dolan Girls – In 1800s Nebraska, where ladies of the night, brutal outlaws, colorful land rushes, and Buffalo Bill’s Wild West shows are the norm, can a whorehouse madam and her schoolmarm daughter both find true love?

  Ellie & The War on Powder Creek – It’s 1891 and The Dolan Girls western romance saga continues. It stars the feisty Ellie Dolan Parker, who finds herself caught up in the middle of the Wyoming Cattle Wars. Filled with Rich, greedy cattle barons, crooked politicians, a major kidnapping, local ranchers in life-threatening danger, and a troubled marriage, this story is a colorful portrayal of a forgotten time. A time when these events and people filled the newspapers.

  Unexpected Gifts – Can we learn from our ancestors? In this 2017 Readers’ Favorite Gold medal winner, a confused college student learns about life from her ancestors’ journals, as she reads of their time during Vietnam, Woodstock, McCarthyism, the Great Depression, their arrival on Ellis Island, and fighting as Suffragists.

  Trouble in Glamour Town – Murder. Corruption. Romance. Movie Stars. A modern-day TV shoot ‘em up? No. It’s 1926 Old Hollywood, and a film producer is gunned down in cold blood. In comes Rosie, a pretty bit-player, who, in spite of her stage-mother’s expectations, just longs to be happy. Silent screen idols Clara Bow, Gloria Swanson, Lon Chaney, and Rudolph Valentino float in and out, as Los Angeles’ corruption is exposed, the era described, and a chase to find the killer revs up before there’s another hit.

  Sewing Can Be Dangerous and Other Small Threads – History, mystery, action, and romance are all rolled into one book in this 2016 Readers’ Favorite Gold Medal winner. These short stories follow drug traffickers using hand-woven wallets; a U. S. slave sewing freedom codes into quilts; a cruise ship murder mystery; hiding Christian passports in Nazi Germany; Salem Witchcraft quilt curse; the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, and a 1967 Haight-Ashbury love affair gone horribly wrong, just to name a few.

  Tender Enemies – It’s 1941 in New York City, a time before Pearl harbor, when Nazi spies are everywhere in the U. S. and no one knows who’s working for whom. In comes beautiful Lily, paid to gather intelligence by setting up a “honey trap” for Joe Stiles, a supposed German infiltrator. Problem is, she soon faces a danger she isn’t prepared for––falling in love.

  Tales To Count On – Whether it’s 500 words or 5,000, these stories, where sad meets bizarre and deception meets humor; where history meets revenge and magic collides with gothic, will remind you in the end, nothing is ever what it seems.

  Genteel Secrets – What do a well-bred Southern Belle and a Northern working-class Pinkerton detective have in common? Espionage…and romance. At the start of the U.S. Civil War, while young men begin dying on American battlefields and slavery is headed toward its end, behind the scenes, female undercover work and Pinkerton intelligence are alive and well. But in the end, can this unlikely Romeo and Juliet couple’s love survive, or will they be just another casualty of war?

  Snippets In Time – Drift back in time with award winning S. R. Mallery, as she presents some excerpts––or “snippets”––from her different books. They range from an American family saga to full, historical adventures involving sewing; from a U.S. Civil War Romeo and Juliet couple defying all odds to a 1926 Old Hollywood romantic murder mystery; from both a colorful Western romance and a Nazi spy romance thriller to short stories that keep you guessing.

  Tea, Anyone? (A Brooke & Abby Cozy Mystery Book 1) - How do two modern, quirky, twenty-something gals solve murders in a small, cozy USA town? Easy. With a little time travel, some humor, and a lot of hard work. When the skeptical Brooke first meets the psychic Abby, she’s not impressed. But with the help of her comfort cat, her middle-aged roomie, her childhood friend, and a hunky detective hinting at a sweet romance, Brooke not only accepts that Abby has real gifts, it’s clear that these five people and one cat make up a crack team. Got tea, anyone? In 1773, the Boston Tea Party sure did. Find out why going back in time helps break the case!

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  First off, much gratitude goes to my editor, Patricia (P.C.) Zick, who, besides checking my sometimes ill-informed grammar, always makes sure my work is logical, succinct, and understandable. She also does all the formatting for my books. Much thanks also goes to Ada Frost, for her fabulous cover designs, and Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene, for her extremely helpful book, Speak Flapper: Slang of the 1920s.

  Last, but definitely not least, to my husband, Richard, much thanks and love for always supporting my neurotic need to write and do research, as well as putting up with my constant ruminations about it all!

  Patricia Zick – The Manuscript Doctor

  Ada Frost

  Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Let me introduce myself. I’m a USA Today bestselling author and two-time Readers’ Favorite Gold Medal winner, who, as my fans say––“brings history to life.”

  As for my bio, I’m as eclectic as my characters. I’ve been a singer, a composer, a production artist, a calligrapher, a quilt designer, and an adult ESL/Reading/Accent reduction teacher. But for the past several years, writing historical fiction made me feel like I had come home. It was where I received various awards, and in addition, got to do my second love: research.

  Still, being eclectic, I’ve also always loved mysteries––cozy, mainstream, cop shows/books, magic, romance, thrillers, you name it. So recently, after I decided to dip my toe both into the cozy mystery world, and now, with this book, Endangered Spells, which contains romantic witchery mixed in with murder, I faced the jackpot question: How do I mix some historical research with these two other genres?

  Easy-peasy. Time travel. Just here and there of it is inserted into my cozy series, and now, in Endangered Spells, it comes in the form of several prophetic dreams about the Salem Witchcraft Trials. Dreams which give my main modern day character, Gillian, some solutions to ease the angst in her life.

  BONUS EXCERPTS

  Samples From My Last Book,

  Tea, Anyone? (A Brooke & Abby Cozy Mystery, Book 1)

  Blurb:

  How do two modern, quirky, twenty-something gals solve murders in a small, cozy USA town?

  Easy. With a little time travel, some humor, and a lot of hard work.

  When the skeptical Brooke first meets the psychic Abby, she’s not impressed. But with the help of her comfort cat, her middle-aged roomie, her childhood friend, and a hunky detective hinting at a sweet romance, Brooke not only accepts that Abby has real gifts, it’s clear that these five people and one cat make up a crack team.

  Got tea, anyone? In 1773, the Boston Tea Party sure did. Find out why going back in time helps break the case!

  Excerpts:

  At first Brooke and Abby aren’t totally in sync…

  Today was the day. After Brooke researched the list of psychics Abby had claimed helped the police, she and Henry persuaded Larry to set up an appointment with Chief Bruner, to talk about the new cloth sack murder case––with Abby. But as she and her neighbor drove to the small police department’s headquarters, someone help me popped up in Brooke’s mind at least three times.

  From the start, the ride over didn’t look promising. First off, Abby didn’t
pick up Brooke in her great-uncle’s fabulous looking Packard. That would have been cool. No, Abby’s car du jour was a red 1979 Toyota Corolla rust bucket, pinging and rattling everywhere as she maneuvered through Hillside’s side streets.

  The more Brooke watched her neighbor at the wheel, the raspier her breaths became. Abby’s driving? Complete disaster. Turning constantly toward Brooke as she chatted away, at one point she even gestured toward some trees. OK. But then the car also started to steer toward them as well. “Ever notice how those trees look like they’re touching the roof?” Abby asked.

  No way was Brooke going to look at the stupid trees. “Let’s just get there in one piece, okay?” she snapped. Able Abby? This is suicide.

  “Yes, Brooke.” Abby clutched the wheel tighter. Then giggled.

  It turned out that was just the beginning. Abby’s parallel parking reached a whole new level in the Driver’s Not To Do Manual. Humming, she seemed to enjoy sawing her way into a curbside parking space. Completely off track with her first back up, she then moved forward two inches, backed up again. When she obviously realized she was still off, she repeated the whole procedure––six more times.

  “I think we’ve arrived,” Brooke said finally.

  “You sure?” Abby asked, looking like she was happy to do another five rounds.

  “Yes, we’re definitely here,” Brooke practically growled.

  In the lobby Brooke, still breathing hard, pushed the elevator’s UP button once. Then again. And again. And again, faster and faster, Morse-Code style.

  “I think the elevator has heard you,” Abby said softly.