Careful What You Witch For

by K. J. Emrick

  Plus, she really wanted to take a stroll around the grounds of Stonecrest with Lucian.

  “All right,” she said. “Let’s go.”

  Taking her coat from its hook on the wall, she followed him out. They were a dozen steps or so away from the house when the door slammed itself closed.

  He looked back over his shoulder, stumbling a few steps before he stuffed his hands in his pockets and kept going. “I suppose I’ll have to get used to things like that.”

  “Things like what?” Addie asked innocently.

  “Uh-huh. You know what I’m talking about. Witchy things. Doors that close on their own. Ghosts. Things like that. I suppose I’ll have to get used to it all, if I want to keep spending time with you.”

  Her heart sped up, and she tried to tell herself it was the leisurely pace they were setting across the front lawn. “So… you want to spend more time with me?”

  He made her wait for the answer. He kept his gaze on everything except her, and even then she felt like he was staring into her soul. Why did this man have to be so cute?

  “Yes,” he finally said. “I mean, I sort of understand that you’re a witch and your life is so much more complicated than mine and there’s things going on with you and your sisters that I might never understand, but yes. I want to spend time with you, Addie Kilorian.”

  They were walking across the gentle slope of the east side lawn, just walking, with the forest not that far away. The leaves had turned into a multicolored pallet for autumn. The air smelled fresh and crisp. The day was just warm enough that she felt like she could stay out here forever to enjoy it. Neither of them had the time, but maybe someday they would.

  Maybe someday she would show him the path through the woods that led to the lake. Or the statue garden on the other side of the house. Or the marker stone that sat above the entrance to the system of caves under the ground where they walked.

  Well. Maybe not that. At least, not for a while.

  In another few steps he stopped, and took her hands in his, and his eyes met hers. In those eyes Addie felt a special kind of magic building between them. The kind she hadn’t felt in a very long time.

  Then he leaned into her, and somehow she was leaning into him, and their lips brushed together faintly as he tilted his head that way and she…

  She kissed him.

  He was taller than her, and she had to push up on her toes to do it properly, and for a moment she felt like she was flying. This wasn’t actual magic. Not a spell being read from a book or a potion boiling in a cauldron. This was the magic of the heart. The magic between a man and a woman who find each other in the craziest of circumstances. Magic more powerful than anything a witch could do.

  Yeah. That kind of magic.

  Then, in the far back recesses of her mind, there was fire.

  It was there and gone again, an explosion that flared out in a burst of light and heat and a roaring sound that filled her ears. It surprised her, and she rocked back on her heels, and the kiss was over just like that.

  His eyes searched hers. His hands held hers tightly.

  “Wow,” he told her.

  She had to agree. “Yeah. Wow.”

  That burst of light was something new. Curse her Irish eyes, Addie thought to herself. What was that? Never in her life had she kissed a guy and had that kind of… reaction. It had been so real. So intense. Ever since this man had come into her life she had known there was some kind of connection between them. Something stronger than two strangers thrown together in the middle of a murder mystery. The universe was telling her that Lucian Knight was special to her in some way.

  Was this what it felt like to be in love?

  If it was, she wanted more.

  Addie leaned forward, reaching in to make that connection again…

  …until Lucian broke the spell by talking.

  “So you’re a witch,” he said, rather unnecessarily in Addie’s opinion. “And, I’m not, but I want you to know that I’m not helpless. I’m a pretty good police officer. There’s things that the law can do that maybe even witches can’t.”

  She didn’t know whether to punch his arm for deciding now was a good time to discuss who was and who was not a witch, or to throw herself into his arms and crush his lips with hers, or to cast a spell that would take away the power of speech for both of them so that all they would have left was the kissing.

  With a sigh, she reminded herself that she was a grownup, and sometimes the grownups had to talk.

  But there was definitely going to be more kissing later.

  “I’m not sure what you mean, Detective Knight,” she said, playfully twisting her fingers into his. “I know you’re a police officer. I know I’m a witch. You’re a man, I’m a woman, we’re here all alone in this beautiful sunshine. Sounds like the ending of a romance novel to me.”

  “Except, this is real life, and I know there’s something wrong.”

  Now she really wanted to punch him in the arm. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean… earlier. Back at the lodge. You and your sisters helped me close a really big murder mystery, and then you just took off. I could tell something was wrong. I would have come out here to ask you about it sooner, but there was paperwork to do and judges to talk to, and I had to make sure that Eileen… I mean Bethany… was going to be released. She’ll have to answer to a court later for all of this, but I have a feeling no one’s going to want to press any kind of charges against her under the circumstances.”

  “That’s good. I’m glad she’ll be okay.” Addie was glad to hear that Bethany’s life wasn’t going to be ruined over this. She’d lost so much already. She couldn’t concentrate on that bit of good news, though, because now she realized what Lucian meant by there being something wrong. His cop instincts had told him something was up when the sisters had bolted from the scene of the arrest so quickly. She was going to have to do some fancy backpedaling to keep from telling him about Kiera’s missing son. “As for there being something wrong, that’s just me and my sisters. Always into everything.”

  She tried for a laugh, but it sounded tinny and false in her own ears. She wasn’t fooling Lucian for a minute.

  “Look, Addie.” He caught and held her hands fast. “It’s all right that you have secrets. Everybody does. I imagine that witches have more than most. Still, I’m here. I’m standing right here and I’m offering to help. Just let me in.”

  She had the next lie ready on her lips. It was right there, and if she’d threaded some of her Life Essence through the words then he would have no choice but to believe anything she said. It was a simple magic, and it wore off quickly, but for right now he would smile and tell her he understood, and maybe even kiss her again. Then, he would leave.

  Maybe it was that thought that changed her mind for her. She didn’t want him to go. She definitely didn’t want this moment to end. Then again, she found that she didn’t want to lie to him either, magic or no magic. She wanted to trust him. She wanted to open up to him.

  That fire in her brain was something she wanted more of.

  She wanted to let him in.

  So she did.

  It took her a while to get the whole story out in a lightly edited version. Kiera, pregnant at a very young age by someone who was no good for her. Giving the child up so that he could have a chance at a decent life. She had to explain a little bit about how magic worked for him to understand how Kiera could have seen her son lying in a motor vehicle wreck, and when she did his eyes grew wide.

  “I was at that accident. Out on Old Lutherfud Road, right? The driver disappeared and he’s still missing. So that was Kiera’s son?”

  Addie nodded, hoping she wasn’t revealing confidences that her sister wanted kept. She knew she could trust Lucian. She could feel it with everything in her, and it was more than that very pleasant bit of fireworks she had felt earlier. She didn’t know if she could convince Kiera that she was right about letting him further into their lives, and God alone
knew what Willow would think about her doing this, but as far as she was concerned she had never been more sure about anything in her life.

  This was the right thing to do.

  He stepped into her, very close, until she could feel the heat from his body against her skin. “We have a few leads on that accident, Addie. If you’d told me what was going on, I could have helped sooner. Let me help now.”

  She looked up into his eyes again. This man was something special.

  “Are you sure?” she asked him.

  “I’m sure. I want to help.”

  “Be careful what you wish for,” she said, her smile wry and full of secrets yet to be revealed.

  “I think I might have found everything I’ve ever wished for,” he told her. “Right here.”

  This time his kiss stole her breath away. For one long, luscious moment it was just the two of them. The world slid away for Addie as she watched colors burst behind her eyes.

  Breathe, she told herself. You have things to do.

  Later, she answered herself. This first.

  This.

  First.

  Epilogue

  The sunlight hurt his eyes.

  How long had it been since he’d been outside? He didn’t even know. He couldn’t remember anything, for that matter.

  He didn’t remember being inside, for that matter. Or leaving wherever he’d been. He just suddenly found himself right here, in the daylight, with the sun so bright that it hurt.

  The last thing he did remember was the car accident. He remembered the car in the ditch, upside down, and the pain and the blood and then there was the woman standing there, singing to him.

  A headache spiked through Alan Pierson’s skull. Every time he tried to think about that woman it hurt and then there was a moment of blackness, and more of his memory slipped away.

  Was there a woman at the accident scene?

  He couldn’t remember.

  No. It was just him. The car wreck had given him amnesia, or something, and now his brain was all twisted up. He couldn’t remember where he’d been all this time or even how long it had been for that matter. It had been… days. He knew that much. Or at least he thought so.

  Where was he, even?

  He was walking down a sidewalk. Small houses and colorful businesses were squeezed in tight, side by side, up and down the street. He’d passed by a bait and tackle shop, and a small bookstore, and a café called the Hot Cauldron. He didn’t recognize anything here. Maybe he’d been here before, and maybe he hadn’t. He didn’t recognize any of the faces of the people who passed him by, either. Some of them smiled even as they turned away again. None of them paid him any attention.

  There was no reason for them to, of course. Whatever cuts and bruises he should have gotten in that car accident were gone now. He was dressed in someone else’s clothes, but the jeans and the blue v-neck sweater both fit him perfectly, as if they’d been bought specifically for him. He was just another guy on a street, in a town that he didn’t know.

  In another dozen steps he found a house with a handmade wooden sign out front, swinging from where it was tied to the branch of a small tree. “Shadow Lake Maple Syrup,” the sign said.

  Shadow Lake.

  That’s where he was.

  He stared at that sign. Where in God’s name was Shadow Lake?

  Then he flinched and pressed the heel of his palm against his temple as a sudden jab of pain went straight through his skull. It was gone as quickly as it came, and in its place a flood of memories came rushing back at him, and he suddenly remembered who he was. He remembered why he was here. This was Shadow Lake, and this was where he belonged.

  This was where his mother was. She was here.

  He’d been looking for her, and then there was the accident, and the woman who sang to him…

  More pain, and his memory changed again. Or didn’t change. He wasn’t sure.

  There was the car wreck, and there was now, and there was nothing in between.

  At least he knew where he was now. He knew why he was here.

  Alan turned around, seeing the town with new eyes. This was where he was supposed to be. It had been a very long road for him to get here, but somehow, he felt there was still more to it, but he didn’t care. None of that mattered anymore.

  His mother was here, in this town, and he was going to finally meet the woman who had given him away.

  “I’m coming, mother,” he whispered into the wind. “I’ll see you soon.”

  He started down the sidewalk again. That café he’d passed back there seemed like a good place to start looking. Now that he knew what he was looking for, it wouldn’t be much longer.

  The breeze caught his words, his promises, and carried them along the streets and through the narrow spaces between the buildings. They hummed through the trees, between the branches, causing a shower of colorful leaves to fall in their wake. His words slipped past the birds and the squirrels and the other animals that stared and twitched their ears and wondered what they had just heard.

  Alan’s words swirled around on themselves, twisted and turned and dispersed on that wind. They were there to be heard, if someone knew how to listen.

  Kiera knew how to listen.

  Deep in a trance, casting her senses wide across the landscape of Shadow Lake, she heard something. She heard a promise.

  She heard her son.

  The End (For Now)

  Notes:

  Irish Phrase - Go Away Outta' That! A term used to convey disbelief or displeasure with something. That's Unbelieveable! Are you serious?

  Newgrange is a Stone Age (Neolithic) monument in the Boyne Valley, County Meath, it is the jewel in the crown of Ireland's Ancient East. Newgrange was constructed about 5,200 years ago (3,200 B.C.) which makes it older than Stonehenge and the Great Pyramids of Giza.

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  About the Author’s

  K.J. Emrick

  Kathrine Emrick writing as K.J. Emrick is the author of the popular Darcy Sweet Cozy Mystery series and the Pine Lake Inn Cozy Mystery series.

  Strongly influenced by authors like James Patterson, Dick Francis, and Nora Roberts, Kathrine Emrick dreamed of being an author for the majority of her life.

  She never quite gave up on the idea of being a published author and at the age of 51, thanks to the self-publishing explosion, she finally realized her dream. Her maturity allows her to bring a variety of experiences and observations to her writing.

  She lives in beautiful South Australia with her family, including several animals. Kathrine can always be found jotting down daily notes in a jo
urnal and like many authors, she loves to be surrounded by books and is a voracious reader. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family and volunteering at the local library.

  Her goal is to regularly produce entertaining and noteworthy content and engaging in a community of readers and writers.

  To find out more please visit the Kathrine's website at kathrineemrick.com or her Amazon author page.

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  S. Joseph Wells

  S. Joseph Wells is a native of Northern New York, where his gift for writing was born and raised not far from the Canadian border.

  He spent several years there working in law enforcement before returning to his true passion…writing. It seems his imagination has always run on a short leash, bringing him to places where fantasy and reality mix, places where the most interesting characters live and love and play and tell him their stories with a cheeky grin or a malevolent smirk.

  When he isn’t completely losing track of time while walking down the twisted pathways of plotline and prose he is hanging out with his family, nurturing the imaginations of his three sons and repeating every Canadian joke he hears to his very patient and very beautiful wife (who happens to be from Canada).