“Jasper. Are you listening to me? I thought you were bringing back-up. Why is Roger here?” Alec exclaimed.
Jasper looked down at his Alpha and scoffed at his rude attitude before saying, “Who else would I have brought? Sophie explained that Serena was pissed because you dumped her for good, literally turned you into a mouse because she thinks you’re a rat bastard, and dropped you in the middle of The Red Light District. Or, was it the Den of Sin? Or, maybe it was a gentleman’s club? It doesn’t really matter. It’s all the same.”
Taking in deep breaths and praying to the Goddess for patience, Alec tried again. “I still don’t understand why you called Roger,” he insisted.
“Hello. You’re stuck in the Den of Sin; and he’s a sex therapist. Isn’t it obvious? Who else would I have called?” Jasper asked with a mischievous glint in his eye.
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe Zoe—or Zara—or Zelda—or Fabio—or Baba Yo Freaking Mama. Pick one. Any one,” Alec yelled. “No offense, Roger,” he quickly said in an effort not to hurt the man’s feelings.
“None taken,” Roger said in a calm, soothing voice.
"I guess, but they're witches and warlocks. What would they know about The Red Light District and how to get you out? Although now that I think about it, Fabio would have been helpful given his manwhoring ways, but that’s beside the point. Anyways, when Roger heard you were in Chez Parée Deux, he was a little envious. So, be nice," Jasper demanded in a harsh whisper, running his fingers through his hair and sighing in frustration. “Besides, I’ve got my own problems. Last night Brittney glamoured herself and tricked me into dancing with her. If my wolf hadn’t picked up on her scent, we would have been doing the mambo between the sheets. It’s become clear to me that she’s as crazy as Serena. Not only did she trick Sheriff Buford into showing up at Don Juan’s, but he almost shot Dillen, Ariel and me. What is up with these psychotic cousins? You’d think no one has ever told them no before.”
When Alec wrapped his head around everything Jasper had just said, he was livid. “What do you mean Sheriff Buford almost shot you last night? Has Brittney fallen off her rocker?”
“Amongst other things,” Jasper replied with a disgruntled sigh. “Not only does she keep professing her love for me, but it seems as though she’s now taken to playing dress up. When I called her on her bullshit, she said a spell that quickly transformed her back to her normal self. Well, maybe normal isn’t quite the word I’m looking for in this situation. Let’s face it. They’re both bat-shit crazy and we need to do something about them before things get out of hand,” Jasper insisted.
“In case you haven’t noticed, things are already out of hand. I’m a damn mouse. My night with Sophie was ruined, and if we don’t figure out a way to lift Serena’s curse, I’m going to live the rest of my life in Chez Parée Deux,” Alec exclaimed.
“Fine. Pipe down already. At least you’re stuck in a gentleman’s club. It could be worse,” Jasper countered.
“As a mouse. It couldn’t get any worse,” Alec yelled.
“You need to calm down. All this animosity is getting us nowhere. Let’s just figure out how to get you out of this mess and then we’ll deal with the evil cousins,” Jasper said, as he ignored Alec’s rant and turned to address everyone in the room. The moment he laid eyes on the beautiful, auburn-haired woman trailing behind Sarah and Cole, he knew he was a goner. His heart rate sped up, sweat broke out near his temple, and he felt a little dizzy. The woman was mesmerizing and his wolf wanted to make his presence known.
“Jasper. Did you hear what I said?” Alec shouted.
“I heard you. There’s no need to yell,” Jasper replied, never taking his eyes off the stunning woman who had just entered the room. He wanted her something fierce, but knew he needed to play it cool. He wouldn’t fall head-over-heels in love again the way he had with Brittney, especially with the beautiful, dark haired woman with soulful, whiskey colored eyes who could easily own his heart. He’d learned his lesson a long time ago and refused to be made a fool of ever again.
Chapter 3
The moment Claire walked into the farmhouse, she knew her life was about to become complicated, and it had nothing to do with the three mice staring at her with hopeful looks like she knew all the secrets to the universe. Nope, it had to do with the sexy giant who looked like he wanted to eat her for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The way he licked his lips and eyed her like pray sent shivers down her spine. His midnight black hair, muscular thighs, and enticing, ice blue eyes that resembled cold steel made her want to climb him like a tree, but she had vowed years ago to stay away from players like the one taking her breath away. She was here to help Sophie and Alec. Plain and simple.
When she came back to her senses and realized that she would need to be the voice of reason in all of this chaos, she cleared her throat and said, “Alec. Do you remember what Serena said when she was casting her spell?”
It took Alec a few minutes, but he finally said, “She mentioned something about the night being all about love and that it was only fair for Sophie to see me for the rat bastard that I truly am. She insisted that she wasn’t an underdog and commanded me to shift from a wolf into a rat bastard of a man. She stated that I would no longer be alone during the night because on the next full moon, I’d find my true home.”
“Good. Do you remember anything else?” Claire asked, hoping there would be a clue in his memories of how to break the spell.
“Yeah. She stated that no one would come to my aid and this was her wish for the lying, thieving bastard who stole her heart,” Alec said matter of fact.
“Wow. She’s really angry with you. You’re lucky her spell only turned you into a mouse, given how much Dark Magic she possesses,” Sarah whispered.
“I couldn’t agree more,” Claire said. “I sense that she didn’t do more because she’s still learning to tap into the Dark Magic, but make no mistake, once she does all hell will break loose.”
“Then we need to reverse her spell and shut her down before that happens,” Alec said with determination in his voice.
“Since the spell is really about the love triangle created between you, Serena and Sophie, my suggestion would be for Sophie to try and reverse the spell,” Claire insisted. She knew they wouldn’t like her answer, but her visions only dealt with the truth. The couple before her may not realize it yet, or accept it, but they’re destined to be together. Maybe one day, I’ll be lucky enough to find my true, one and only, Claire thought as she glanced toward Jasper before quickly averting her eyes.
Jasper knew Claire had been eyeing him from the moment she walked into the farmhouse, which made his wolf want to do a happy dance. Hell, he would have been happy to join in the party if they didn’t have to bail Alec’s ass out of this mess. There would be plenty of time for courting when they’d dealt with the evil cousins from Hell. Lost in thought, he’d almost missed Sophie’s reply to Claire’s suggestion. When he’d tuned back in, he couldn’t help but smile. Sophie was like a breath of fresh air. Her feistiness was going to keep his Alpha busy for years to come.
“Wait! There’s no love triangle here,” Sophie vehemently replied.
“She’s right. The only woman I’m interested in is Sophie,” Alec growled, directing his heated gaze toward his mate until she could no longer maintain eye contact. He knew she was flustered and feeling a little light-headed because he could feel every emotion rolling off her beautiful body. She was intrigued, aroused, and quivering with desire. He wanted to wrap her in his arms and take her upstairs, but in his current state that wasn’t possible. Therefore, he needed to channel all his anger toward Serena, and his desire and love for the woman in front of him toward getting out of this mess.
“Maybe so, but my instincts are still telling me that Sophie is the only one who can reverse the spell,” Claire insisted. In all her years of being a Seer, she never understood why some couples remained in denial about their true destiny. If Sophie thought being Alec’s mate was a
n issue, wait until she discovered her true destiny. The minute she had shaken the young woman’s hand, she knew things would get worse before they got better. She just hoped Sophie was strong enough to weather the storm. While she couldn’t directly advise her, she could steer her in the right direction and be the support her new friend would need. All of them were in for a bumpy ride if Serena had her way.
“I agree,” Jasper said. “Besides, what do we have to lose? She is a witch after all and who better to reverse the spell of a witch than another witch.”
“Are you sure we shouldn’t ask the triplets for help? They were instrumental in defeating our psychotic father,” Sarah asked.
Before Claire could respond, Jasper said, “If this doesn’t work, then we call in the big guns. I mean really. What could possibly go wrong?”
“From your lips to the Goddess’s ears,” Sophie murmured under her breath.
“Good. Now that we’re all in agreement, what do we do next?” Jasper asked, enthusiastically.
Claire wanted to smack the overzealous wolf upside the head. It was obvious his eagerness was making Sophie nervous. Or, maybe it was the way her face suddenly turned pale. The one thing she knew after years of being a Seer was that in order for this to work, Sophie needed to relax and let the magic flow freely through her body. It quickly became apparent that wouldn’t happen in front of all these people, so in a soothing voice, she suggested that Sophie join her outside for some fresh air.
When they reached the porch, she turned the young woman to face her and softly said, “I know you’re scared, but I believe in my heart of hearts that you can do this. You just need to believe in yourself.”
Unable to speak, Sophie simply nodded in agreement, even though she still had her doubts. Sure, she had practiced casting spells over the years, but nothing of this magnitude. Alec’s life was at stake if she failed, but on the other hand, it was at stake if she chose to do nothing. She hated being stuck between a rock and a hard place. Once again, her father’s greed for power had created an unbearable situation that had brought harm to someone that she cared about.
Claire watched in silence as Sophie battled with herself and the decision she needed to make. There was no doubt in her mind that she would make the right choice. She just had to wait for the young woman in front of her to come to the same conclusion. Claire knew the moment she had by the determined look on her face. It was time to cast a spell that would reverse Serena’s harmful magic.
By the time they walked back into the living room, the Sun had set and everyone was quiet. Claire turned to Sophie, smiled and said, “Do you have any candles?”
Before Sophie could answer, Sarah responded. “There’s some in the kitchen. Let me grab them. Is there anything else we’ll need,” she asked in a soothing voice, as if she were afraid anything louder would spook her sister.
“Yes,” Claire replied with a warm smile. “We’ll also need a glass the same height as the candles, some salt, and water, of course.”
“Got it!” Sarah replied, grateful for Claire’s guidance and calming demeanor.
A few minutes later, she returned with salt, a glass, water and three candles. One was red. One was green, and one was black. Claire figured they might as well use all three given that Serena had exhibited hate and envy, as well as used Dark Magic in her spell, which meant they’d be covered on all bases.
“Thanks, Sarah. These are perfect,” she replied with a smile.
Claire knew it was time to cast the circle. She turned to Sophie, who had been quiet the entire time and whispered a few encouraging words that only she could hear. When Sophie acknowledged what she was saying, everyone was instructed to cast a circle around the dining room table. Alec was placed on one side of the table while Armand and Iggy were placed on the other side. When everyone was in place, Sophie followed Claire’s instructions to a tee.
First she put the candles into the glass and filled it with water so that it was almost covering the candles. Second, she sprinkled salt into the water around the candles and said the following words:
Oh Goddess on high
Please grant my wish this night,
As I add a smidgen of salt, transform this water until it’s pure
So that we may harness its power to heal and cure.
When the water and salt started glowing a bright purple color and sparks started to appear, Claire knew the spell was working and encouraged Sophie to continue.
A spell was cast by a spiteful witch,
Who dabbles in Dark Magic to scratch an itch.
An honorable wolf has been damned by her curse,
And transformed into a rat bastard of a man with a simple verse.
Since her web of wicked lies was spun with a baneful will,
We beg you this night, to help us remove her harm and ill.
Sophie and the rest watched as the water began emitting positive energies. The longer she repeated the second verse, the more energy built up in the circle until it looked like a rainbow. When the candles burned down to the level of the water and sputtered out, Sophie instinctively took them out of the water, held them out horizontally with both hands toward the center of the table and said:
By the power of the Goddess, this harmful spell I now negate,
As it’s way past time, to return things to their rightful state.
So mote it be!
When Sophie spoke the last words of the spell, she also broke the candles in half. Like a bolt of lightning, the harmful energy that had built up in the circle was released in a burst of bright, lavender lightning. When Sophie finally mustered up enough courage to open her eyes, she gasped at the sight before her.
Chapter 4
Brittney was fit to be tied the next morning. Her plan had fallen apart like the Gerber daisies that once surrounded her cousin’s cottage. It seemed the more Serena invoked her Dark Magic the more things continued to wilt away. She couldn’t believe Jasper had recognized her so quickly. The next time, she’d be sure to mask her scent. He was pissed now, but if she gave him a little time to cool off, things would eventually calm down and he’d be amenable to her idea of them getting back together. Before that goofball Sheriff Buford showed up, he was about to admit his true love for her. She had felt it with every fiber of her being. But alas, her plan had been spoiled by that lunatic Sheriff who really needed to mind his own damn business.
Deep down, she knew he hadn’t meant all of the mean, spiteful words that were spouting out of his mouth. If she were truly dead to him and they were over, he’d have found a new bed mate by now. It had been six long months and he was still single. There was no way in hell she was going to overlook that little fact. Nope. All she needed was a little time and a better plan. Maybe the Broke Back Doctor had some more ideas up his sleeve. If she were being honest, she hadn’t finished the first video. Maybe if she went over them with a fine tooth comb and took some notes, a plan would emerge of how to win her man back. Yeah. This was a good plan.
Lost in her own thoughts, she was startled when Serena came bursting through the door. Her cousin had definitely fallen off the ledge. Brittney had never seen her so angry. The Dark Magic swirling around the room was enough to make her take a few steps back. Mumbling incoherently as she paced back and forth, Brittney was almost afraid to speak. Unfortunately, she needed to understand what bug had crawled up her cousin’s ass.
“What in the Goddess’s name is going on? Why are you so angry?”
“She reversed my damn spell, Brit. How was she able to reverse my spell so easily? I swear, I’ll make her pay.”
“Okay, let’s try this again. Who are you talking about?”
“Sophie, you dimwit,” Serena snapped.
“Hey. Not nice. There’s no need for name calling,” Brittney said, as she put a little more distance between her and Serena. It was obvious the woman had lost her damn mind. Why couldn’t she have been born in a normal, loving family, instead of this freak show? Her mother and aunt didn’t spea
k because of some nonsense that happened before she and Serena were even born. She’d had to sneak around her parents to communicate with her cousin, who was the only person who had ever been a true friend to her. Yet, the crazy look in Serena’s eyes had her almost regretting her deceit.
“Don’t try my patience tonight, Brit. It wouldn’t be in your best interest. Besides, your lover boy, Jasper, was there as well, helping her.”
“What?” Brittney quickly asked.
“That’s right. You heard me. Jasper helped the witch reverse my spell. From what I could tell, he also had a boner for the auburn-haired beauty who was helping Sophie with the chant. Guess he’s moved on to his next bootie call and you’re not it,” Serena said with a mischievous glint in her eye, relishing the defeated look on her cousin’s face.
It was times like these when Brittney wished she had her own Dark Magic to wield, so she could knock that smirk off of her cousin’s face.
“Don’t let her get to you. She’s just miserable and wants company. We’re going to win him back. It’s like you were saying earlier, he hasn’t moved on because he’s still in love with us,” her little Devil said in a soothing voice that immediately brought her comfort and restored her confidence.
Magic and Mayhem: Witchin' Up A Spell (Kindle Worlds Novella) (Magick & Chaos Book 5) Page 3