by T J Green
“You’re allowed to,” Alex said. “It was risky, but it paid off.”
“I’m getting plates,” El said, heading out the door. “Newton, sit down, relax, and get drunk with the rest of us.”
***
The next day, Alex and Avery left relatively early and headed back to Spriggan Beach, strolling hand in hand across the dunes and onto the flat sands.
The sky was a pale, watery blue, as if the storm had scrubbed the colour from it. The beach was strewn with driftwood and seaweed, and the remains of the blackened wood from the bonfire sat in a soggy pile. The tide was out, and birds settled in the shallows and pulled worms from the wet sand.
“Hard to believe, isn’t it, that there was such a massive storm and almost a mass kidnapping last night?” Alex observed, pulling her close as he turned to face her.
“It’s surreal! It feels like a dream.”
He smoothed her hair from her face. “We’ve gained some good friends out of this.”
“Do you think the Nephilim are friends?”
“I think so. Different, yes, but still friends. And of course, there’s Ulysses and Oswald. Oswald’s a funny little man, but I like him.”
“One of life’s eccentrics,” Avery agreed. “And I like Eve and Nate, too. Do you think things will be okay with Newton? I’m worried about him. I mean, I know he came round last night, but long term?”
“He’ll always wrestle a bit with what we do,” he mused. “But he knows we act with White Haven’s best interest at heart, and ultimately, he’s on our side.”
Avery nodded absently. “I hope you’re right.” She hesitated a second and then said, “I was really worried for a moment last night, in case their magic worked on you.”
He winked. “Our spell worked, really well. I could hear their song, but I could control my emotional pull towards it. You won’t get rid of me that easily.” He wrapped her in his arms, pulled her close, and kissed her until she was breathless. “In the meantime, let’s go for breakfast and have an epically lazy day. We deserve it.”
***
Over the next day or so, the papers and local news were filled with stories of Lughnasadh and the storm.
Unclear footage from camera phones showed strange shapes on the beach, and there was a report about a group of men who became confused and tried to go swimming at the height of the storm. They described how a few locals helped bring them to safety, and that was about all that was said. Quite a few speculated about angels of darkness and aliens on the beach, but most of the speculation died down quickly to muted rumblings.
Sally and Dan were full of questions for Avery on Monday morning, and the tourists who came in the shop couldn’t keep the excitement out of the voices about the quaint little town and the beach activities. Every now and again someone mentioned the film The Wicker Man, and Avery tried hard not to giggle. And then she thought of what might have happened, and that sobered her up pretty quickly.
Ben appeared in the store halfway through the afternoon, bringing cakes.
Dan smiled in approval. “You know how to make yourself popular around here.”
“I always aim to please,” he said, helping himself to a cake. “So … Saturday was fairly epic.”
“Did you film it?” Avery asked, worried over whether to be worried or not.
“The weather was too bad,” he said, shaking his head. “Impressive storm.”
“A friend helped,” Avery said impassively.
“And the weird, winged creatures over the sea?”
“Our new friends, the Nephilim,” she said, quietly.
“Okay,” Ben said, nodding in understanding. “Well. The calls keep coming. There are still more spirits in White Haven and other towns. Any suggestions as to who could help us, if needed?”
“I haven’t had a chance to ask yet, but I will. I promise. It’s just been a bit busy around here.” Underestimation of the year.
“All good. By the way, Briar called Cassie. She’s starting with her next week.”
Avery smiled with genuine pleasure. “That’s great! I look forward to seeing her there.”
“And as for me,” Ben said, heading to the door, “I’ll be in touch. I have a feeling things aren’t going to stay quiet here for long.”
“Is that wishful thinking?” Avery called.
“It’s good for business,” he said, and then waved goodbye.
Dan rummaged in the bag, pulled out a cake, and took a huge bite.
“Glad to see your appetite hasn’t suffered after the weekend, Dan,” Sally said, smothering a smirk.
“My appetite for cake is fine, not so much for women. But he’s right, you know, your friend, Ben.”
“Is he?” Avery said, wondering where this was leading.
“Oh yeah. I don’t think White Haven will ever be normal again.”
Avery groaned. She had the horrible feeling he was right. And then she allowed herself a smile.
What’s so great about normal? Absolutely nothing.
End of Book 3 of the White Haven Witches.
White Haven Witches Book 4 will be out later this year.
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Author’s Note
Thank you for reading Magic Unleashed, the third book in the White Haven Witches series.
Thanks again to Fiona Jayde Media for my awesome cover, and thanks to Kyla Stein at Missed Period Editing for tidying up my draft.
Thanks also to my beta readers, glad you enjoyed it; your feedback, as always, is very helpful!
Thanks also to my launch team, who give valuable feedback on typos and are happy to review on release. It’s lovely to hear from them—you know who you are—and their feedback is always so encouraging. I’m lucky to have them on my team! I love hearing from all my readers, so I welcome you to get in touch.
If you’d like to read a bit more background to the stories, please head to my website, where I’ll be blogging about the books I’ve read and the research I’ve done on the series—in fact, there’s lots of stuff on there about my other series, Tom’s Arthurian Legacy, too.
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About the Author
I grew up in England and now live in the Hutt Valley, near Wellington, New Zealand, with my partner, Jason, and my cats, Sacha and Leia. When I’m not writing, you’ll find me with my head in a book, gardening, or doing yoga. And maybe getting some retail therapy!
In a previous life I’ve been a singer in a band, and have done some acting with a theatre company—both of which were lots of fun. On occasion I make short films with a few friends, which begs the question, where are the book trailers? Thinking on it…
I’m currently working on more books in the White Haven Witches series, musing on a prequel, and planning for a fourth book in my Tom’s Arthurian Legacy series.
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