Spell of the Ball (8 Magical Halloween Reads)

by Deanna Chase

  I smiled at how well my last minute plan worked out. “You know, it really makes me feel good to reunite a family.”

  Chapter 11

  Randy turned the corkscrew and gave it a tug until the cork popped free. He filled our glasses and looked up at the night sky. “It sure is nice up here. This old millhouse is the perfect retreat for us. We always end up on this stone patio.”

  “So, how long will it be before Ursula figures out who her new werebears are?” Morgan asked.

  “It’s just a temporary magic transformation, I’d say a few days, then it’ll hit them hard. They won’t remember anything about tonight. It will be like none of this ever happened.”

  The porch lit up like it was hit by lightning. “Ezzy! How’d it go?”

  “I’d say it was a success. The bears hopped into the spring and the magic of it dissolved Ursula’s spell. After all their years in captivity, they were finally able to shift back into humans. They started chatting right away, but we have no idea what the hell they’re saying, but when we mentioned Ursula’s name, they just scoffed. I suppose they know a witch can’t place a Class A Hex on the same person twice, so they have no fear of her.”

  “So we’re done, right? It really all worked out, right?” I could barely believe myself.

  “It seems so. Perfect Karma for each of them.”

  “Now what do we do with these twelve werebears?”

  “You have to transport them to the last place they were when you cast the spell, Romania. It puts some distance between us if anything should come up later.”

  “Do you know where—” I started to ask.

  “Speaking of the werebears, there they are now,” Randy interrupted, pointing to the trail that led to the spring.

  “You may want to get your cameras ready because you are about to get a treat.”

  Gertie gulped. “Sweet Jaysus! Now that’s something you don’t see every day.”

  My giant bear lumbered into the yard, bathed in the magical blue-white glow of the full moon. He was surrounded by twelve naked men, each of them an absolute specimen of mouthwatering hotness.

  “My calendar came to life!” Randy cheered. “Excuse me while I get a closer look.”

  “Feast your eyes for a few,” Ezzy tapped her foot, “seconds. Okay, say goodbye to these sexy beasts.”

  “Goodbye, sexy beasts!” Gertie cheerfully waved.

  Ezzy spun her broom and mumbled. After the werebears flashed away to Romania, she came closer to me. “I’m glad I found my broom, riding a werebear in leather pants was more uncomfortable than I could have imagined. I need to get out of these and check some things out. I may have rubbed the skin right off of my ass and thighs. Argh! You don’t even want to know how everything else feels.” Ezzy went into the house and she called out, “Hey witch! Don’t call me, I’ll call you.”

  I literally jumped in the air from the shock of hearing a gunshot. I turned around and saw Randy snapping a bullwhip. “So, that’s what you asked Ursula for? A bullwhip?”

  “A magic bullwhip, otherwise known as a dragon’s tongue. Who knows when something as kick-ass as this might come in handy?” Randy cracked the whip again with even more enthusiasm. Tiny bolts of lightning shot out and streaked over the yard. “This...is…fucking…awesome! Imagine if we took it and our wands trick or treating around the block.”

  “Don’t even think about it! I’ve had enough magically induced mayhem to last a while, thank you very much!” I prayed he was only joking.

  “Ooh! Let me try,” Gertie begged.

  “Randy, it’s shooting out everywhere! Put that thing away before you hurt someone,” I scolded.

  “Yeah, that’s what he said,” Randy snarked back.

  “Come on, Randy. Let me play with your whip,” Gertie whined.

  “And that’s what he said also.”

  Gabe came up the stairs and nudged me off to the side. He rolled his big head while I rubbed behind one of his ears. “I think you should get changed, if you know what I mean,” I whispered. More than ever I wanted to stay in Caldron Falls permanently. I knew I would be making a decision sooner rather than later. In my heart, I already knew the answer.

  Click here for Hex the Halls, our bewitching holiday anthology. Release date: Nov 17th.

  About the Author

  USA Today Bestselling Author Melanie James is the author of more than a dozen books. She grew up in western Pennsylvania before heading off to Chicago, seeking new adventures. She found life in a big city fun for a while and even met the love of her life there. Melanie quickly tired of the hustle and bustle of the concrete jungle and settled down with her one true love in northeast Wisconsin.

  Melanie has two kids, three step-kids, a beautiful daughter in-law, and the cutest grandbaby. She also has two dogs and two cats that often make appearances in her books.

  She loves to hear from her readers and fans. You can connect with her online:

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  If you enjoyed reading Karma Inc., she’d be eternally grateful if you’d let the world know!

  Review it.

  Tell other readers why you liked the book, or any of her books, by leaving a review on Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes & Noble, or your blogs. Reviews are of the utmost importance when it comes to distributors and retailers. They also help new readers make informed decisions when selecting a new book or author.

  Recommend it.

  You can help others find this book by recommending it! It’s easy. Just tell them! Seriously! Social media is a great platform to spread the word in reader groups and discussion boards. If you love the books or leave a review, feel free to let her know at authormelaniejames@gmail.com so she can thank you with a personal email. Your support means more than you’ll ever know! Thank you!

  Want to know more about Kelly, Ezzy, Gertie, and Randy? Be sure to check them out in the Literal Leigh Romance Diaries or Gertie’s Paranormal Plantation.

  One Charmed Evening

  A Halloween Laveau Short Story

  By Rose Pressey

  Leader of the Underworld Halloween LaVeau is attending an award ceremony. Brothers Liam and Nicolas have been nominated for Coven Leader of the Year. Things take a strange turn when ghosts and magic collide during the ceremony. There will be no awards given out if Halloween doesn’t gain control of the event.

  Chapter 1

  Being the leader of the Underworld was no easy task. It required making decisions, solving problems, honing my witchcraft, and keeping peace with quarreling wand-wielding witches. There certainly wasn’t any glitz and glamor. People probably thought I traveled a lot for the job, jetting from one dazzling city to the next. Totally not the case. I tried to stay home as much as possible. The fast-paced life wasn’t for me.

  Big cities shouldn’t be an issue, but in reality, I was just a small town witch. The simpler things in life made me happy. That was why I tried to stay out of the public eye as the leader. Sitting in front of the large stone fireplace back at LaVeau with a good book and a cup of hot cocoa was all I wanted. I’d take that over being in a huge ball room, wearing a red silk gown, and drinking champagne any day.

  Besides, a couple sips of bubbly made me goofy. It was eight p.m. on a Saturday night and I found myself in Manhattan. That was a long way from Louisiana. I’d never been to New York City until recently. I was in awe of the buildings, the people, and the pace. My life moved in slow motion compared to everyone here. Homesickness was getting the better of me right now. Right now I’d even settle for going back to the hotel room and taking off the too-tight, pinching-my-toes high heels.

  Supporting Nicolas Marcos and Liam Rankin came before my screaming feet though. Sadly, I had to get through tonight before I could even get on the plane tomo
rrow and head back to Enchantment Pointe. That was the little town I called home…a place that had more witches than any other place in the whole country.

  Tonight we were gathered at the Grand Crown Hotel. I couldn’t believe that the board members had organized such an extravagant event. Of course I had never been invited before, so this could be the norm for all I knew. Up until now I’d been the worst witch in history. The awards given out tonight were for the good witches. The ones who didn’t burn down buildings or accidentally turn people into frogs just by casting one little, bitty spell. But I digress.

  Tables covered with beautiful white tablecloths dotted the room. The space in the middle of the room was a reserved for the beautiful dance floor. A giant chandelier hung overhead. It sparkled and shimmered over the floor. Mirrors lined the walls with ornate trim decorated every inch of the walls and ceilings. The cream colored walls and gold tinted ceiling added ambiance.

  My name is Halloween LaVeau. With my birthday being All Hallows’ Eve, my mother decided that was the perfect name for me. Of course, it helped that we were also witches. Yes, a black cat lived with me, and a large black cauldron took up space in my kitchen, waiting for the next spell. All that was missing was a flying broom. I could’ve had that too if not for the fact that I hated flying. Getting on the plane to Manhattan was bad enough, but forget about just a tiny little stick hovering through the air.

  Nicolas sat next to me at the table. We’d been dating for a while now. Things were going well and that made my heart happy. Nicolas looked dashing tonight in his black tuxedo. The black of the suit matched the dark color of his hair. His blue eyes sparkled under the soft lights of the ballroom.

  Nicolas shifted in his seat. Uneasiness flowed all of him in waves. I wasn’t sure if it was the crowd he disliked, or the award ceremony. Maybe it was both. The whole reason for this visit was because Nicolas was up for Coven Leader of the Year. He’d been through a lot to get to this position and he deserved the recognition.

  To make a long story short, Nicolas’ mother had been the leader of the Underworld, but she had been tragically murdered. My great aunt had left me LaVeau Manor. The Book of Mystics had been hidden there. Nicolas and his half-brother Liam had come to the manor to destroy the book. In hindsight, I could see why they’d want to do get rid of it. Everyone wanted to be the leader, which made the book in high demand. They figured if the book was gone, then everyone would be safer. That wasn’t the case though. The Underworld needed a leader. Thank goodness I’d convinced the brothers of such.

  Speaking of Liam, he was up for Coven Leader of the Year award too. The brothers seemed to be encouraging each other, but underneath it all there was a sibling rivalry there. I knew they were probably really competing. The brothers had been investigators in the Underworld. When they came to LaVeau Manor I soon realized that they would be better suited as coven leaders. When the positions in Enchantment Pointe and New Orleans became available, I knew they had to take the jobs. Luckily, they had agreed with me.

  Liam sat at the table next to us. He’d worn a tuxedo too, and looked almost identical to his brother—both incredibly gorgeous. The similarities stopped with the dark hair and blue eyes though. Their personalities were vastly different. Nicolas was more down-to-earth and a little reserved. I’d describe Liam as more of the bad boy type. A little dangerous, yet sexy.

  Surprisingly, Liam had brought a date. I’d never met her before tonight. Apparently this was their third or fourth date from what I’d heard. Liam wasn’t exactly chatty about his social life, but it was none of my business anyway. Though I couldn’t help but be a little curious.

  After meeting Liam’s date, I wasn’t quite sure if I liked her or not. She seemed a little standoffish, but maybe she was just nervous. Then again, would I like anyone Liam ever dated? More than likely I would be critical of anyone he had a relationship with. Kristin Fallon was pretty with long blonde hair and big brown eyes. Her turquoise silk dress hugged her curves in all the right places. When she caught me staring at her I smiled, but she looked away without returning the expression.

  Nicolas leaned in closer to me. “Do you think they’ll start soon?”

  “I think so,” I whispered back.

  He tapped his fingers against the table. I hated to break it to him, but the coven leader award would probably be announced last. They had a lot of other award categories before his. I didn’t recognize many people in the room tonight. Just the witches from Enchantment Pointe and some of the ones from the New Orleans coven. I really needed to get out more and meet more people. I did recognize the board members though. They liked to keep a close eye on me, looking for any mistakes I might make. Actually, they had quite a few to choose from since I took on the leadership position. Things had turned around for me though and were working out nicely now.

  Other than our nerves, I suppose the evening was nice. I was looking forward to enjoying this time with Nicolas. I wouldn’t tell Nicolas, but I couldn’t decide on who should win the coven leadership award. Luckily, it wasn’t left up to me. Both brothers had done so much and I was glad that they hadn’t asked me to make the decision. Not to mention the other leaders nominated who were equally deserving.

  As I took another sip of champagne, I felt eyes on me. When I looked over, Liam was watching me. He winked and smiled. A big grin immediately spread across my face. We made eye contact for a while, but then I sensed someone’s gaze fixed on me. When I glanced to Liam’s left, I noticed his date was glaring at us.

  Trying to avoid an awkward exchange, I shifted my gaze out across the dance floor. My best friend Annabelle Preston was dancing with her boyfriend Jon. He was also an investigator with the Underworld. Annabelle wore a red strapless, ankle-length dress. Her blonde hair was pulled up into an exquisite up-do. She wasn’t a witch, although she had a natural talent for helping with spells. Annabelle worked in my mother’s bath and beauty shop back in Enchantment Pointe. Annabelle helped mix up the potions.

  Annabelle used to be terrified of anything paranormal, but she was coming around now. She especially liked that there were no spells allowed while we were in here tonight. I guess she felt safer that way. She didn’t mind the potions at Bewitching Bath and Beauty, but anything else made her nervous. Actually, there was no way we could have magic here tonight with this many witches in one place. It would be chaos.

  Sitting at the table across from us was the other witches up for the coven leader award. I didn’t know them well. In fact, I’d only met them one other time. One man was from Florida, the other man was from Texas and a woman from Virginia. I’d noticed that they’d been watching us a lot. They were probably wondering if I had any say-so in the selection of tonight’s winner. I could assure them that I had no input. That would have been completely unethical. Sure I hoped either Nicolas or Liam to win, but I wasn’t about to fix the judging.

  In spite of the fun setting for the evening, something felt off. I usually had a sixth sense about these things. I wasn’t sure what was causing the chills along my arms or the nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach, but I hoped it wasn’t serious. If spells were banned from the building, then what else could it be? Maybe I was just nervous about the award. That had to be it.

  “Hallie, are you okay?” Nicolas waved his hand in front of my face.

  “What?” I asked, looking at him with probably a dazed look.

  “I’ve been asking you if you’d like to dance. You looked as if you were a million miles away,” he said with a concerned look in his eyes.

  “I suppose I was just daydreaming,” I said, flashing him a reassuring smile.

  Nicolas and I hadn’t been dating all that long, but he was already starting to know when something was bothering me. Hiding it from him was almost impossible. The last thing I wanted was for him to worry though. He was already nervous enough thinking about the award. He wanted to win, but if I knew Nicolas, I knew that he really wanted Liam to receive the award. Even with the rivalry.

 
“I’d love to dance,” I said.

  Nicolas pushed to his feet and extended his hand to me. We walked around the table and he guided me to the dance floor. I must admit that I felt a bit like Cinderella in this dress. All eyes were watching me. Being the leader sure did catch a lot of attention. That was something I wasn’t comfortable with yet—probably never.

  When I glanced back, Kristin and Liam were watching us as we stepped onto the dance floor. The next thing I knew, they were on the dance floor too. I hoped this didn’t turn into some kind of dance off between Liam and Nicolas. I was lucky to walk in high heels, asking me to do any kind of advanced dance moves was completely out of the question. So far things hadn’t gotten out of hand and I hoped it stayed that way. As we spun around the room, it truly felt as if I was in a fairytale with Nicolas. Until that strange feeling hit me again.

  Someone was watching me, but not in a casual way. I already knew people were keeping an eye on me, but this was different. The feeling had a bad vibe attached to it, flowing across the dance floor in a wave and swirling around my body. When I glanced over again, I spotted Kristin staring me. This time she couldn’t pretend that I hadn’t seen her. Our eyes locked on each other. Finally, she smiled and the music stopped. That was weird.

  “You didn’t tell me you were such a good dancer. Since when did learn those moves?” Nicolas asked, pulling my attention away from Kristin.

  “Yes, well, if I could have used magic to make me not have two left feet I would have tonight.”

  He laughed. “You move like a ballerina.”

  Once the song stopped, we stepped to the side of the dance floor. Liam and Kristin moved over beside us. Unfortunately, the brothers were talking, leaving me standing there with an awkward silence with Kristin. I suppose I should talk to her. What would we discuss? The weather?