Magic & Malice

by Annabel Chase

  I clucked my tongue. “All these unruly women,” I said. “Does no one do your bidding?”

  He kicked me hard in the leg and I winced. “Do you want your death to be slow or quick? I was intending to be merciful but that can change.” A slow grin emerged. “Even better, I can start with your daughter. I’ll be kind enough to let Mom watch.”

  I strained against the ropes. “Don’t you touch a hair on that girl’s head or I will come back from the grave and make your life a misery. Such is the power of the One True Witch.”

  Thunder rolled again and another lightning strike succeeded it.

  “Can’t say I’m very impressed with what I’ve seen so far,” he said. He brandished his knife and crouched beside me. “Would you like me to bring her over here or would you prefer to move over there?”

  I spat in his eye. “I’d like you to untie me, so I can kick your troll-sized ass.”

  He rose to his full height and swung his arm back, just as thunder pealed again. Lightning cracked the sky and made contact with his metal blade. Stone’s entire body snapped and fizzled. He dropped the knife and clutched his chest before collapsing in a heap.

  “Mom!” Marley bypassed Stone and dropped to her knees beside me. She set to work untying my bindings.

  “Marley, thank the gods,” I breathed. “How did you get loose? Is Raoul here?” I scanned the area behind her for any sign of my furry friend.

  “No, I did it myself.” Her face was shining.

  It was then that I became aware of the silence. No thunder. No lightning bolts. The storm had stopped as quickly as it had started. I glanced up to see that the sliver of moon was visible again, pinned to its dark blanket. I’d had that experience once before, when I’d broken through the suppression spell my father had placed on my magic. My spirits lifted.

  “Marley Rose,” I said, bursting with joy. “Did you use magic?”

  She threw her arms around me. “I did! I feel it, Mom. It’s the craziest sensation.” She studied her arms as though she could see the magic coursing through her veins.

  “How did you make the storm happen?” I asked.

  “I didn’t do it on purpose,” she said. “I was panicking that he was going to kill you and that I had to save you, and my body practically exploded.”

  I kissed her forehead. “Well, I think Stone is the one who exploded.” I peered over her shoulder at the still body on the ground. I had no idea whether he was unconscious or dead. Right now, I didn’t care. My daughter was safe and that was all that mattered.

  Marley gave me a sly grin. “What was that thing you said earlier about not wanting me to harm anyone for your sake?”

  Cheeky girl. “There is an implied life-or-death exception to that statement.”

  The crunch of leaves told us that we weren’t alone. I squinted between the trees to see the glow of amber eyes. A large wolf stepped into the clearing. He paused next to the body and observed the knife. I knew what was coming next.

  “Avert your eyes, Marley,” I said quickly.

  The wolf shifted into the sheriff. It didn’t hurt that he was stark naked and looked damn good standing there.

  “Granger,” I said. Tears pricked my eyes.

  He rushed forward, his expression a mixture of relief and worry. “What in the hell happened, Rose?”

  Marley turned toward him with her hand over her eyes. “Maybe someone can magic you a pair of pants and then we can talk.”

  “I don’t have my wand,” I said. “I left it in the car.”

  “Nobody panic,” Deputy Bolan’s voice cut through the darkness. “I’ve got his emergency clothes right here. He’s not an easy wolf to follow when he’s moving that fast.” The leprechaun tossed a drawstring bag at the sheriff.

  “I wasn’t panicked,” I said. “In fact, I was enjoying the free show.”

  The sheriff leaned forward and kissed me before pulling the clothes from the bag and quickly putting them on. I burst into laughter at the sight of the T-shirt with a witch silhouette and the words ‘Witch Slapped’ emblazoned across the front. Even better, the shirt was paired with neon yellow shorts.

  “Deputy, we need to have a word later about this emergency kit,” the sheriff said.

  The leprechaun stifled a laugh. “I didn’t pack this one, boss.”

  “Can you find out if Stone is dead?” I asked.

  “He’s alive, but barely,” the sheriff replied.

  “The healer is on the way,” Deputy Bolan said. “As soon as the sheriff got a hit on your location, we called the healer’s office. We didn’t know what state we’d find you in.”

  “How did you find us?” I asked. I wasn’t even sure which part of Starry Hollow we were in.

  “I found your car unlocked,” the sheriff said. “No way would Rose leave her car unlocked, I said. She’s too suspicious of everyone to do a trusting thing like that.”

  I smiled. “So you decided to go full wolf?”

  “It was the fastest way to track your scent,” he replied.

  “Stone killed Hattie,” Marley said. “Mom figured it out, so he planned to kill us, too.”

  I heard a low growl as the sheriff’s gaze flickered to the body and back to us. “I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner, Rose.”

  “You couldn’t have known,” I said. “He covered his tracks really well.”

  “Not well enough for you,” the sheriff said. “How’d you manage to knock him out?”

  I smiled broadly at my daughter. “Ask this one here.”

  “I came into my magic,” Marley announced proudly.

  “You’re kidding.” The sheriff pulled Marley in for a hug. “Look at you, little witch. Taking after your mama already.”

  “It must’ve been a psychological barrier after all,” Marley said.

  Deputy Bolan nudged Stone’s arm with his tip of his boot. “He’s really out. What’d you do to him?”

  “Electrocuted him with lightning,” Marley said, completely blasé.

  Deputy Bolan whistled. “Stars and stones.”

  “Starry Hollow had better watch out,” I said. “I think she’s going to be one powerful witch. Aunt Hyacinth is going to lose her kaftan.”

  Marley clapped her hands. “Black Cloak Academy, here I come! This is the best belated birthday present ever.” She glanced down at the locket around her neck. “Sorry, Dad. You’re cool, too, but my heart was set on being a witch like Mom.”

  The sound of the healer’s voice echoed through the forest.

  “We’re here, Cephas,” the sheriff called.

  The healer appeared in the clearing and immediately took in the scene. “I think I can guess who won the fight. I take it he’s alive?”

  The sheriff’s expression darkened. “He’s lucky I’m a law-abiding citizen.”

  “That’s kind of implied with that shiny star you usually wear,” I said.

  He gave me a gruff kiss on top of the head before joining Cephas by the body. The three men got busy with the suspect and the crime scene, while Marley and I continued to sit huddled together against the large live oak, waiting for a ride home. The live oaks were beautiful trees that my father had mentioned often enough during my childhood that I knew about them. He’d lived here most of his life, with his beloved trees and his magic. Then briefly with his wife and his daughter. And now I was here with mine. It struck me that the circle of life wasn’t perfectly round. It was more of a weird zigzag pattern that eventually reunited with its beginning.

  “Thank you for saving me,” I said.

  “You’d have done the same for me,” Marley replied.

  “Never doubt that for a second.” I heaved a sigh of gratitude for this moment. To have my daughter not only alive and well, but thriving. “I’m so proud of you, not just for the way you handled Stone, but for the way you are all the time. You’re a remarkable young woman, Marley, and the world is fortunate to have you.”

  Marley elbowed me gently. “You’re only saying that because I’m y
our daughter.”

  “No, you’re much more than that, Marley Rose,” I said, placing a kiss on her forehead. “You’re my hero.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  “I can’t wait to stay the night at Linnea’s,” Marley said. “Bryn and Hudson are going to go nuts when they see me with my wand.” She brandished the antique wand given to her by Aunt Hyacinth.

  “Be careful with that wand, Marley,” I said. “That’s a family heirloom.”

  “I know,” Marley said, whooshing it around the room. “I can’t believe she gave it to me. Why not her own kids?”

  “That’s something you’ll have to ask Aunt Hyacinth.”

  “Can you teach me how to change the color of the flowers outside?” Marley asked. “I want to do rainbow colors.”

  I glanced hesitantly at the clock. Granger was due in less than an hour and I still needed to get ready. I knew Linnea and Rick would be here soon to pick up Marley. At least her bag was packed.

  “We can do a few minutes, but that’s it,” I said.

  Marley lifted PP3 off the sofa. “You can watch,” she said.

  “Bring his leash,” I said. “You never know when he’ll get a second wind.”

  “Mom, he’s ten,” Marley said. “Even if he gets a second wind, that only means he’ll move at slightly faster than a glacial pace. Besides, we both have magic now. We can trap him in a bubble or something.” She rubbed her nose against his. “Right, boy? Magic bubbles!”

  We left the cottage and wandered over to the nearest flower patch by the white picket fence. I produced my wand. “Which color first?” I asked.

  “Purple stripes,” Marley said. “I want patterns, too.”

  “Oh, boy. Creative and magical.” I shook my head. “I’m frightened already.”

  At the word ‘frightened,’ Marley’s expression clouded over. “So Mom, is Stone going to recover from the lightning strike?”

  I realized that she felt conflicted about what she’d done to him. “Yes, sweetheart. He’s alive and well, and going to spend the rest of his life in prison.”

  “There’s enough evidence to convict him?” she asked hopefully.

  “The sheriff thinks so,” I said. “There’s his confession to us and the proof of purchase of the potion from Devil’s Claw. The ingredients exactly match what was found in Hattie’s system. Turns out there’s no such company as Pippin Enterprises in Starlight City either. The whole story about a company buying him out was a fabrication. And Fern is willing to testify about her relationship with him.”

  “He seemed so nice in the shop,” Marley said. “He let me go first.”

  “Probably to minimize eyes on his purchase,” I said. “The sheriff spoke to the gardener, too, and he can testify that he saw Stone in Sampson’s room the day of the murder, probably searching for the key to the cellar. He didn’t realize it was Stone at the time. He only saw the brightly colored shirt.”

  “But I thought he didn’t end up using the key,” Marley said.

  “He didn’t,” I said. “But every bit of evidence helps the case against him.”

  “I feel sad for his family,” Marley said. “The kids are going to be without their dad.”

  I tipped up her chin. “Marley Rose, you are not responsible for that tree nymph’s imprisonment. He chose to murder someone. Premeditated. The worst kind.”

  “Between this and Holly, you were right,” Marley said. “Magic doesn’t make everything easier.”

  “But sometimes it does.” I glanced at the flowers. “Which color and pattern did you say? Purple stripes?” As I raised my wand, PP3 began to bark and run in a circle.

  “What is it, boy?” Marley asked, kneeling beside him.

  I tried to figure out what had the Yorkie so spooked, but he was too excited and kept bumping into Marley’s leg as he ran.

  A little mother-daughter magic before the real magic happens? Raoul appeared from the side of the cottage.

  I don’t know what you’re talking about, I said.

  I saw the kid’s overnight bag and the new candle you bought, the raccoon said. I know what that means.

  Stop snooping!

  “Oh, PP3, that’s just Raoul,” Marley said, petting the dog. “You know him.”

  PP3 had no interest in the raccoon. He continued to bark.

  Uh oh. Incoming, Raoul said, looking skyward.

  “Incoming?” I repeated, confused. I followed Raoul’s gaze to a small gray and white object in the sky. The winged object was careening toward us at a high rate of speed.

  “Duck!” Marley yelled.

  We all ducked as the creature swooped over us. It circled back and landed on the fence post. I dared to lift my head and saw the cutest winged kitten in the history of adorable kittens.

  “Bonkers!” Marley exclaimed. Her excitement was contagious. She ran to the creature and kissed the top of its head.

  “A random flying cat really is bonkers,” I said.

  “No, that’s her name,” Marley corrected me. “Bonkers. I know because she told me.” She beamed proudly, stroking the kitten’s delicate wings. PP3 looked about ready to have a stroke.

  I looked from Marley to the winged kitten. “She’s…?”

  Marley nodded. “That’s right. Bonkers is my familiar.”

  I didn’t have time to process this development because Linnea pulled into the driveway, ready to take Marley back to Palmetto House for the night.

  “Can Bonkers come, please?” Marley begged.

  If Linnea was surprised to see a winged kitten on the fence post, she didn’t show it. “Of course,” Linnea said. “What kind of witch would I be to separate you from your familiar?”

  “You can do me that favor whenever you like,” I said wryly.

  Raoul glowered at me.

  “Where’s Rick?” Marley asked.

  “Back at the house with the kids,” Linnea said. “They’re in the middle of building a house of cards and I risked the entire operation if Rick left.”

  “I’ll be right back,” Marley said. “I need to get my bag.” She dashed into the cottage, leaving the door open behind her.

  “Thanks so much for having her,” I said.

  “Our pleasure,” Linnea said. “I’m so happy her magic finally manifested. What do you think was the holdup? The potion she used on Holly?” I’d already told Florian about Marley’s actions, which he’d clearly passed along to his sister.

  “Based on what the therapist said, a psychological block is the most likely culprit,” I replied. “Marley had a lot of conflicting emotions. She felt guilty about what she’d done to Holly and, on top of that, she’d been building up her birthday in her mind for so long that the reality became too much for her. She became frightened of her own potential.”

  “So how’d she manage to break through the block?” Linnea asked.

  “The same way I broke through the suppression spell back in New Jersey,” I said. “Unconditional love.”

  Linnea smiled. “She’ll make an exceptional member of the coven, like her mother.”

  My laugh turned into a cough. “I don’t think you’ve been reading Hazel’s reports.”

  “Hazel is a middle-aged curmudgeon,” Linnea replied. “I’m sure you’re making great strides. If you don’t mind, I can show her a few spells while she’s over. I think it will be nice for me to have someone to share magic with.”

  I felt an unexpected pang of guilt. It never occurred to me that Linnea might feel wistful over her children not inheriting magic. I only knew how it affected her relationship with Aunt Hyacinth.

  “Marley would absolutely love that,” I said. “I can tell I’m going to have a hard time keeping up with her.”

  Marley emerged with her bag in tow. “Ready! Come on, Bonkers.”

  The winged kitten flew to the car but settled on the roof.

  “I think she intends to follow by air,” I said.

  PP3 ran to the car and growled. A raccoon, a Yorkie, and a winged kitten. Ro
se Cottage was going to have quite the menagerie.

  “Winged cats are very rare,” Linnea said. “This is a good omen. Mother will be pleased.”

  “Marley’s pleased,” I said. “And that’s really all I care about.”

  Linnea smiled. “You’re so right, Ember.” She squeezed my arm. “Have fun tonight. Say hi to Granger for me.”

  Did everyone in Starry Hollow know what tonight entailed? Argh! “I will.” I kissed Marley before she got into the car. “Remember your manners.”

  “I’m not the one who needs reminding,” Marley said sweetly. She climbed into the passenger seat and blew me another kiss. I waved until the car and its flying kitten companion were out of sight. My daughter had a familiar of her own. I could hardly believe it.

  Boom-chicka-bow-wow. Raoul began to gyrate in a circle.

  Stop! I ordered. You’re banished for the night. Go submerge yourself in garbage. Cover your face in banana peels and call it a facial.

  No need to be rude, he sulked. Fine. I’m going, but I’ll be back bright and early for the details.

  “No details!” One menacing look from me and he took off for the woods. I hurried into the house to prepare for my date with the hottest werewolf in town.

  I darted upstairs and changed out of my clothes, slipping on a sheer white robe and nothing else. I spritzed perfume and then used a quick spell to turn on Bruce Springsteen and set the mood. I danced around the room with my wand, shooting magical energy wherever I saw fit. I used a spell to fix my hair and makeup. I even used magic to light a candle—the height of decadence—or maybe laziness. The jury was out on that one.

  When the doorbell finally rang, I used a spell to open the front door so that I could maintain the boudoir mood. I was surprised I didn’t hear a peep from PP3 downstairs. He usually growled at the sheriff. I smiled to myself. Even the dog was finally getting on board.

  “I’m upstairs,” I yelled. I positioned myself on the bed and tried to find my sexiest pose. What a time to discover that I didn’t really have a sexy pose. I lowered my head so that my hair dipped over my eye. Thin strands of hair immediately got tangled in my eyelashes and I tried to pull them out before the sheriff saw me. When I glanced up, it wasn’t the sheriff looming in the doorway.