Magic and Mayhem: A Collection of 21 Fantasy Novels

by Jasmine Walt

  I yawned the whole way home from school and was looking forward to taking a nap. What a fun Friday night. I’d had weird dreams about burning bodies and killing monsters ever since I came home from Indiana. I woke up drained, on edge, and unable to go back to sleep. I blamed it on my new slight obsession with reading through the witchcraft books.

  After napping and eating dinner with my parents, I went to the barn. Amanda was putting her grooming box away at the same time I was getting mine out. She and I were the only ones at the barn right now; other people had more social things to do on a Friday night. She smiled hello and gave me a tiny wave before sneaking out the door.

  I got to work right away, brushing and exercising both of my horses. I looked out the doors every now and then to see if I could spot Bob, but he wasn’t there. Nerves settled in my stomach. What was keeping him from his oak tree?

  At nine-thirty, I said goodbye to Mystery and planned to go home and sleep. I stepped out of Mystery’s stall and felt a shift in the energy. Suddenly the barn door flew open, and my heart leaped out of my chest. Ethan burst through and ran straight to me. He put both hands on my shoulders and looked me up and down.

  “I’ve been calling you for hours!” he panted, as if he had been running.

  “Well, I’ve been calling you for days!” I snapped, looking into his brown eyes.

  His brow furrowed, and he leaned away.

  “Sorry,” I said. I looked out the open door into the parking lot. I hadn’t heard the gravel crunch, and I didn’t see a car. His shoes and clothes were muddy and blood dripped down his arm. I looked him straight in the eye. “How did you get here?”

  “I ran.”

  “Ran? From what?”

  He cast his gaze down. “I can’t tell you.”

  I took a step back, anger flashing across my face “What the hell is going on? You tell me to call you, don’t answer, and then you show up all muddy and bloody and can’t even offer me an explanation!”

  Ethan’s brown eyes widened. “Anora…” he started. His head jerked toward the door, and his face tightened. He moved closer. “I didn’t mean to make you mad,” he started, stealing a glance out the door again.

  I let out my breath. “I’m not mad at you.”

  “You have every right to be mad.” Ethan put his hand on my waist. I resisted the urge to shiver. “I’m glad you’re okay.” I put my hand on his chest. He pulled me to him. My breasts brushed against his firm muscles. My heart skipped a beat, and my lips parted. I stared into his gorgeous eyes. “I’m sorry I didn’t answer. Some…something came up and I, uh, couldn’t.”

  I clenched my jaw, not trusting myself to not kiss him. I waited for him to explain. He opened his mouth, closed his eyes, and shook his head.

  “Are you all right?” he asked, looking down at me.

  I raised an eyebrow. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

  He shook his head. “Just making sure.”

  My hands slid down his chest, settling on the curve of his hip. Ethan relaxed at my touch. Howls floated through the air, spooking the horses. I tensed, thinking of the dog-creature. Get it together. They’re just coyotes.

  Ethan broke away, jaw tense. “I won’t bother you,” he said and looked out the door like he expected someone to be there.

  “You’re not bothering me,” I said, moving my gaze to the parking lot. I dropped my mental shields a bit. Something dark was lurking. I suddenly wanted to leave.

  “Good,” Ethan said with a smile, turning back to me. I took my hands off his waist and gently pulled his right arm to me. Blood stained his sleeve.

  “What happened?”

  Ethan stiffened. “I fell,” he finally said.

  “Sure you did,” I mumbled and lifted the material of his shirt to reveal a long, jagged tear in his skin. The bleeding had slowed so I didn’t think he’d need stitches, just regular first-aid care. “Can I take care of this?” I asked him.

  “You’re okay with blood?” Ethan asked, raising his eyebrows incredulously.

  “You really should stop stereotyping me, Ethan,” I said with a half smile and went into the tack room to get my horse first aid kit.

  “Thanks.” He looked outside nervously again. “Do you want to hang out?” he asked suddenly.

  “Yeah,” I said. Ethan was a curious thing. I tipped my head and looked at him. An attractive, curious thing. He hadn’t shaved in a few days, and the scruff looked good on him. “What do you want to do?”

  His gaze met mine. “I don’t care. Whatever you want.”

  “Want to go back to my house?” I asked.

  “Sounds good,” he said as I opened the first aid kit. He looked out the door again. “Listen, can you do that after we leave?”

  “Sure,” I said, confused by his behavior. I closed the kit, locked up the barn, and walked with Ethan to my car, making small talk as I drove home.

  “So you didn’t answer my calls just because I didn’t answer yours?” Ethan asked suddenly. I turned into my neighborhood.

  “Of course not. I left my phone in the car.” I pointed to the backseat. “It’s in my purse. I forgot about it actually. It’s been in here since I got out of school.”

  “Oh, good,” Ethan said. I parked and opened the garage door. Thankfully, no one was home yet. Mom, Dad, and Harrison must have gone out to eat after Harry’s football game.

  “Come on, let’s get you cleaned up before you get infected,” I said.

  Ethan looked at his arm. “It’s not that bad.”

  “Yes it is. It’s packed with dirt.”

  He shrugged and followed me in. Hunter ran over to greet me but stopped and barked when he saw Ethan. “It’s okay, sweetie,” I told him. “Ethan is a friend.” Slowly, Ethan crouched down and let Hunter sniff him. After deciding he wasn’t a threat, Hunter wagged his tail and licked Ethan’s face before returning to me.

  “I’m no dog expert,” Ethan said as he stood, “but isn’t he a lot bigger than normal?”

  I nodded. “Yes. I don’t know why, but he kept growing and growing until he outweighed me. He’s healthy though, and even at his large size, his joints are fine, which is a common problem with Shepherds.”

  “He’s cool.” Ethan petted Hunter again. “He looks fierce.”

  Ethan curiously looked around as we walked up to my room. He sat on the edge of my bed, next to the first aid kit. I pushed my long hair behind my shoulders and carefully rolled up the hem of his sleeve.

  “Oh,” I said out loud. Ethan turned, eyes meeting mine. “You’re all scratched up,” I said, though I was sure he was aware of the claw marks going across his shoulder and down his back. What the hell happened to him?

  I cleaned his cut in silence, unable to keep my mind from wandering back to the dog-creature in the woods. Had it attacked Ethan? I couldn’t really ask him about it in the off—okay, great—chance it didn’t.

  I disinfected the cut, wrapped it with gauze, and gathered up the dirty bandages to throw away in the bathroom. When I came back into my room, I noticed a tattoo on Ethan’s left arm.

  It was pentagram. In between the four outer points of the star were zodiac symbols: Capricorn, Aries, Pisces, and Scorpio. A cryptic eye stared at me from the center of the star. I let my gaze linger on it, deciding I would ask about it later.

  I walked past Ethan, closed the bedroom door, and opened Romeo’s cage. “So you really can’t tell me what happened?” I asked as I sat down on my bed next to Ethan. He turned towards me, his beautiful brown eyes staring intently into mine.

  “I really wish I could. Please believe me,” he said quietly. His eyes told me he was telling the truth. I closed mine to read his energy: He wasn’t lying.

  “What are you doing?” he asked.

  “Thinking.” It wasn’t a total lie. I opened my eyes and found his face inches from mine. With my guard being down and him being so close, I got hit with a wave of his emotions. I felt powerful, yet sad and lonely all at the same time. I hate having to lie all th
e time, was spoken in my head. Startled, I jumped back. That never happened before.

  “You okay?” Ethan asked gently.

  “Yeah.” I took a deep breath. “I’m fine. Just tired.” I put my head in my hands. What was going on? I felt Ethan’s warm hand on my shoulder. I raised my head and turned toward him. I wished I could tell him the truth. I wanted to tell someone.

  “I’m glad you’re back from Indiana,” Ethan said.

  “I’m glad to be back.” I smiled. Though we’d had very little face time, all the hours spent on the phone together made me feel very comfortable around Ethan. He smiled too and reached over to push my bangs out of my face.

  Our eyes locked. His hand slid down my back and around my side. He twisted toward me, and I put both of my hands on his waist. He moved his other hand down my cheek and behind my head, gently pulling me towards him. He leaned in as if to kiss me but suddenly stopped an inch from my face.

  “You have tarot cards?” I turned to follow his gaze. Sure enough, my cards were sitting on my nightstand.

  “Yeah.”

  “You any good?”

  I wasn’t sure if he was being serious. “Um, I’m not sure yet. I got them for my birthday.”

  “Oh.”

  I gazed back into Ethan‘s intense eyes. There was something different about him, something I couldn’t place. Ethan snapped his attention to Hunter, who pawed at the door.

  “He needs out,” I said, though I was sure it was obvious. I was a little disoriented when I stood; the energy between us was unlike anything I’d experienced before. Silently, Ethan followed me down the stairs, through the house, and out onto the deck. Hunter leaped down the steps and dashed to the back of the yard. A dome of shining stars topped the crystal clear night. Goosebumps broke out over my arms when the breeze blew.

  Ethan stepped close behind me. His aura meshed into mine, blanketing me in warmth and comfort. I closed my eyes and relished in the quiet safety. I didn’t even realize I was slowly leaning back into him until my head rested on his firm chest. His arms automatically wrapped around my waist. Everything felt so right.

  “Anora,” Ethan began, his voice heavy with longing. I turned to face him, and with his arms still locked around me, I was pressed tightly against his body.

  “Yeah?”

  He stared unblinking into my eyes. The emotion he was holding back threatened to unravel. His grip on my waist tightened, and he looked away, stoic once again. A gust of cold fall air rustled my hair and made me shiver. Ethan’s strong arms tightened again around me, trying to keep me warm. Feeling his gaze upon me, I looked back into his eyes.

  The wind blew my hair into my face, and Ethan gently tucked it behind my ear. Gingerly, he pulled my face towards his. Without needing any direction, I moved closer and let him kiss me.

  My heart skipped a beat the moment his lips met mine. Everything faded, and it was just the two of us standing in the night. My arms flew around him, wanting to be as close as possible. His tongue slipped past my lips, and I opened my mouth, wanting more. Tingles of desire wound inside me, warming me. I clung onto Ethan like my life depended on it, kissing him harder and harder. I never wanted to stop.

  We didn’t even notice a car pulling into the driveway until a door loudly slammed shut. Startled, I jumped back and saw Harrison, looking annoyed, making his way towards us.

  “Annie, you parked in front of my spot again,” he complained. He let himself in through the gate and hesitated slightly when he took in the sight of me with Ethan, who still had one hand resting on my back.

  “Harry, Ethan. Ethan, Harry,” I said quickly, looking back and forth from Ethan to my brother. Hunter raced over to greet Harrison.

  “You must be her brother,” Ethan said as he took a step in Harrison’s direction.

  “Yeah.” Harrison straightened up. To my delight, Ethan introduced himself with perfect ease.

  “Where are Mom and Dad?” I asked Harrison.

  “Mom got called into the hospital for an emergency. Dad took her.”

  I nodded. They might not be home for a while. “Want to go inside?” I asked Ethan, who nodded and followed me in. A crash came from above us. “It’s probably my ferret,” I said before I quickly dashed up the stairs to see what Romeo had knocked over. My can of colored pencils and several books were on the floor. Romeo innocently sniffed at me as I picked them up. I scooped him up and raced back downstairs, hoping Ethan didn’t feel weird around Harrison.

  I could hear a conversation going between the two. I slowed to listen. They were talking about football; Harrison was giving Ethan a hard time about being a Chicago Bears fan. I tried to sneak in the kitchen unnoticed, but Hunter ran over to greet me, acting as if I had been gone longer than the few minutes it took to deal with my trouble-making ferret.

  “I’m going to a party at Luke’s,” Harrison told us. “Want to come?”

  “I think I’ll pass,” I said. “Have fun and try not to get sick this time. And call—”

  “—me if you need a ride,” Harrison interrupted, rolling his eyes. He said bye to me and Ethan and went up to his room.

  “Who’s your friend?” Ethan asked.

  I almost looked behind me to see who he was talking about before I realized he meant Romeo. “Oh,” my cheeks turned slightly red, “Romeo.” I turned and motioned towards the stairs.

  I sat on my bed next to Ethan and let Romeo jump out of my arms. Ethan’s eyes met mine, a small smile pulling up his lips. He leaned in and kissed me again. My arms wrapped around him, and we fell back on the bed, making out. He moved between my legs, holding himself up on his elbows. Not even a minute later, his phone rang.

  “Just ignore it,” he said as he slid his hand over my thigh.

  “Okay,” I panted, bending my knees and wrapping one leg around him. But when his phone rang again, Ethan sighed and pushed off of me, answering his phone.

  “Hello? Yeah, I’m fine.” He paused. “Can it wait?” Another pause. “I’ll call you back.” The voice on the other end was a man, and he sounded angry. “Yes, sir,” Ethan said bitterly and hung up. He looked at me apologetically. “It’s my dad; he’s, uh, having some sort of crisis. I have to go help him.”

  I knew that was a variation of the truth, but I wasn’t even going to ask. Dammit. I didn’t want him to leave. I ran my hands over my messy hair. Maybe it was a good thing. I didn’t know Ethan that well, and this wild attraction was making me want to do things I’d never done before.

  “That’s okay. I’ll drive you,” I offered.

  We drove together in silence. Well, not total silence since Motley Crue was playing, but I was enjoying Ethan’s calming presence too much to talk. Ethan lived in a two-story brick house not too far away from the barn. I put the Prius in park.

  “What are you doing tomorrow?” he asked me, turning to unbuckle his seatbelt.

  “Sleeping in and going to the barn. And maybe seeing my friends.”

  “Can I take you out?”

  “Sure.” My face lit up. “Where are you taking me?”

  “Don’t know. But there will be no mud, blood, or mystery, I promise.”

  “But what if I like mud and mystery?”

  Ethan smiled and gave me a kiss goodbye. “Call me when you’re done at the barn, and I promise I’ll answer,” he said before he closed the door. I smiled the entire way home.

  Too excited to sleep, I sat cross-legged on my bed and opened the Book of Shadows. The first half was filled with magical information. The second half was filled with spells, potions, and charms. I flipped to the latter. My eyes scanned a truth spell. Well, that would be one way to know what was going on with Ethan. No, that would be wrong. Anyway, who knew if this would even work?

  There were a few pages of spells involving horses. Before the spells was a little paragraph explaining that horses were considered the most magical of all animals and because of that, “otherworldly beings” were most attracted to them. Luckily, horses were rarely harmed be
cause those same beings highly respected and feared them. Just being around horses was said to enhance one’s psychic powers.

  Well, that explained a lot. I skimmed over the horse protection spells, jotting down ingredients in my own journal that I needed to buy. I flipped to a spell titled “Boil Water in 30 Seconds.” Curiously, I read the spell. The first step was to light three yellow candles, which I had hidden in a big box in my closet. I had shipped all of Aunt Estelle’s things back to my house in Indiana. I rooted around in the box of spell and magic items and set the candles on the floor, with each candle representing a corner of a triangle.

  Next, I had to put a bowl of water in the center. I took Hunter’s stainless steel water bowl and put it in the middle. The final steps were to put both hands over the water and envision energy flowing from the air around me and into the water, heating up the molecules at a very fast rate. I extended my hands and closed my eyes to help me concentrate. I felt a little silly at first, but through my closed eyes, I started to see flickers of red and purple energy flowing rapidly around me. I imagined that light shooting down into the bowl. I gasped when I opened my eyes and saw the water bubbling. I dipped my finger in the bowl and quickly pulled it out.

  “Oh my God,” I said and leaned over the bowl. The water was really boiling.

  I put my hands over my mouth and stood up. “No. No way.” I looked at the bubbling water again. “This is so freaking amazing!” I said to Hunter and Romeo, since they were the only ones in the room. I wanted desperately to call Laney and tell her, but what would I say? I would sound crazy for sure. She would have to see this to believe it.

  I wrapped a shirt around the hot metal bowl and dumped it in the bathroom sink. I turned the cold water on and let it run over the bowl to cool it down before I refilled it and put it back.

  On a magical high, I eagerly flipped through the book. Just when I thought this night couldn’t get any better, I found a spell for banishing nightmares. For this to work, I needed to put lavender—for peace, calming, and help sleeping, basil, bay— both for protection, mugwort—for strength, and Saint John’s Wort —to ward off evil spirits, in a blue sachet and put it under my pillow.