Witch Kissed (Old Sarum Witch Cozy Mystery Series, #1)

by K. E. O'Connor

  “You have a love life?” asked Gabriel with a smile.

  “Oh, no, I didn’t mean I was interested in you. I didn’t mean you were my love life.” A blush spread from Bryony’s neck up to her hairline in a matter of seconds. “It’s just that my sister thinks every man is in love with me.”

  Gabriel looked at the flowers on the counter. “There is evidence to support her belief. Every time I drop by you’re getting presents from other suitors.”

  Bryony blinked. Gabriel almost sounded jealous. In a way, she wished he was. He was kind and intelligent and always took the time to speak to her whenever he was around. And then there were his angelic good looks. Every time she saw him she found herself blushing and stammering over her words. Bryony shook the thought out of her head. It was impossible. The two of them could never be together.

  “I get gifts because I’m kind to people and help them with their problems when they come to the store,” said Bryony, knowing that was not entirely true. “There’s nothing wrong with being nice.”

  “Absolutely not. I’m a big fan of nice,” said Gabriel. “But surely one of them must take your eye.”

  “None of them do.” Bryony lowered her gaze. “As you heard Ivy say, we are far too busy with the Love Cauldron to consider dating.”

  “That’s a shame,” said Gabriel. “I don’t like to think of you being lonely.”

  Bryony realized there were tears in her eyes. “I’m not lonely. How can I be lonely when I have this store to run and Ivy to keep an eye on, and then all of my aunts just down the road? And then there’s Sweetie.”

  As if on cue, a sharp tapping sounded on one of the window panes at the front of the store. An enormous light brown colored hawk was perched on the window sill, one large amber eye peering in suspiciously at Gabriel.

  “And there she is!” Bryony was pleased to have the distraction and hopped up from her seat to open the door. Sweetie launched herself off the window sill and straight into the store, landing delicately on Bryony’s right arm, her vast wings almost engulfing her head.

  “I’m still surprised you have a hawk as your familiar,” said Gabriel. “I thought cats or toads were the usual choice.”

  “They are, but we found each other. I couldn’t abandon Sweetie when I discovered her thrown out of her nest. Maybe Fate intervened and decided we needed each other. It’s the first magical hawk I’ve met. But she took to the magic like she was born to do it.” Bryony fussed with Sweetie’s feathers, oblivious to the razor sharp beak and large claws inches from her.

  Gabriel stood and moved his hand to stroke Sweetie’s feathers. She snapped her beak at him in warning and shuffled on her feet.

  “Don’t mind her, she’s all bluster,” said Bryony.

  Gabriel lowered his hand. “I believe her bluster. And I’d like to keep my fingers attached to my hands.”

  “Sweetie won’t bite you, unless I tell her to,” said Bryony. “She knows we’re friends.”

  Ivy strode back into the store, Spike by her side. “You’re still here.” Her dark gaze hardened when she saw Gabriel.

  “Sorry to disappoint you,” said Gabriel.

  “You need to go,” said Ivy. “We have business to do and if you’re hanging around here bothering my sister, it causes us problems.”

  “He’s not bothering me.” Bryony shot an apologetic look at Gabriel.

  “I was leaving anyway,” said Gabriel. “Always a pleasure to see you, Ivy.”

  “Yes, it’s the highlight of my day when you drop by for one of your little chats.” Ivy stroked her hand casually down Spike’s back several times.

  “I’ll see you soon, Bryony,” said Gabriel. “Keep an eye out for any illegal charms that might cross your counter. Let me know if anyone tries to sell you anything they shouldn’t.”

  “Of course, will do.” Bryony hurried to open the store door and waved goodbye as Gabriel strolled down the street.

  “You’re so obvious,” said Ivy.

  Bryony turned from the door with a sigh. “What do you mean?”

  “Mr. Perfect. It’s so obvious you like him.”

  “Why wouldn’t I like Gabriel? He’s a nice guy.”

  “You know what I mean.” Ivy moved behind the counter. “You’d marry him and have his babies in a second if he asked you.”

  “No, you know I wouldn’t,” said Bryony. “You’re all the family I need. Plus mom and our aunts.”

  Ivy’s dark gaze settled on her sister. “If he really is the one for you, I won’t stop you from being with him.”

  “I will stop myself.” Bryony walked over to the counter and grabbed hold of her sister’s hand. “You know that can never happen.”

  “But if he makes you happy, truly madly head over heels in love happy, you deserve that.” The coolness in Ivy’s gaze melted away.

  “Just as you do,” said Bryony.

  “Which is something I am not interested in,” said Ivy.

  “Just as I’m not interested in Gabriel.” Bryony squeezed her sister’s hand. “Although it would be nice, to have someone. For us both to have someone to love.”

  “You never know, we are amazing witches. Perhaps we will be the generation who figures out our own family curse. If we break it, we’d not only be able to find love but so would everyone else in our family.”

  The Thornheart family curse was an ancient and powerful one. If Bryony or Ivy fell in love, the other would become sick. The same went for any of the Thornheart women.

  “I’m not sure how I feel about our mom having a boyfriend,” said Bryony.

  “I’m more worried about Aunt Lilith finding love,” said Ivy. “I imagine she has a thing for fire breathing demons with horns.”

  “Aunt Lilith would make an interesting choice when it came to a life partner.” Bryony grinned at her sister. “And maybe you’re right, we will be the ones to break the family curse and all of us will be free to love without any consequences.”

  “There are always consequences when it comes to love,” said Ivy.

  Chapter 3

  Gabriel strode away from the store, his thoughts muddled and his heart doing somersaults. It happened every time he spoke to Bryony. He knew he should keep away from her. She was always sweet to him and happy to answer his questions, but every time he tried to take the next step in their friendship, she would freeze him out.

  He’d invited her for coffee, and out to lunch, even dinner. The simple offer of a walk around the local enchanted park had been turned down. Gabriel knew Bryony wasn’t dating, and she’d never dated the whole time he’d lived in Old Sarum. He didn’t want to admit defeat. There was something about her that drew him in and he felt he’d never be truly happy until he had her by his side.

  Gabriel shook his head and ran his hands through his short dark blond hair a few times. Maybe she’d put a spell on him? But he couldn’t imagine Bryony ever doing something like that. Her sister, Ivy, he could easily imagine jinxing someone or making their life a misery by dropping a love potion in their tea and then having their desires unrequited. Ivy could be spiky and scary.

  Gabriel had heard a few rumors about the Thornheart witches since he’d moved to Old Sarum a year ago. None of the women in the family were in relationships. Maybe that was how they liked it. They didn’t want men in their lives messing things up and causing problems. But he was sure he’d seen interest in Bryony’s blue eyes. And sometimes, when she smiled at him, when she let her guard down for just a second, he was certain she liked him too.

  Gabriel sighed. The timing might just be wrong. He knew how busy she was with the Love Cauldron; it was the most popular magic store in Old Sarum, and rightly so. The Thornheart witches were a powerful, ancient coven of witches; their legends and abilities stretched back to when records first began. Some of their blood was believed to have been mixed with both demons and demigods, creating a powerful magical mixture that sometimes leaned towards the darker side. Gabriel always thought Ivy had the darker elements in her
magic and Bryony counteracted that with her innocence and sweetness.

  He stamped along the cobbled street, feeling like an idiot. He wasted so much time thinking about Bryony and how he could win her over. Maybe he was wasting his energy. Gabriel hadn’t missed the looks he got when he walked through Old Sarum from the other female residents. As a former archangel, he had the physique of a Greek God, although he tried not to show it off, and his Charm Police uniform kept it well hidden.

  But every time Gabriel considered dating somebody else, his heart felt as if it shrivelled in protest. He didn’t want anybody else, only Bryony Thornheart would do. And if that meant waiting until she was ready then so be it.

  His right hand tingled, signaling a message coming in from one of the members of his squad. Gabriel extended his arm and opened his palm. A holographic style image shot upwards, standing about a foot high, a shimmer of bright light and color. It was Chad Thunder, his second-in-command.

  “Go ahead, Chad,” said Gabriel.

  “Just had a report of some illegal magic cast on the other side of the border.” Chad’s deep voice echoed through the magical connection.

  Gabriel frowned. “What kind of magic?”

  “Not certain at this point,” said Chad. “From the initial reports, it sounds like dark magic. Possibly a curse.”

  “Why would someone be casting dark magic in red blood land?” Gabriel scrubbed at his chin. This activity was illegal and dangerous. Humans were fragile. Not only did they break easily, but magic had a heightened effect on them. You could never be sure what a spell would do to one of them until you’d cast it.

  “Unknown at this time. Shall we send a team over the border and investigate?” asked Chad. Despite his professionalism, there was a hint of excitement in his tone. It was not every day the border of Old Sarum was crossed.

  “Yes, we need to get over there and dispel the magic before it gets out of hand,” said Gabriel. “I’ll come with you. We need to make sure there’s been no permanent border damage so we don’t have any red bloods stumbling into Old Sarum.”

  “Understood. I’ll meet you by Maggie Wing’s tavern in ten minutes. The magic was cast behind it.”

  “See you there.” Gabriel closed his palm, severing the connection with Chad. He rolled his shoulders. His nearly obsessive thoughts about Bryony would have to wait. He had a job to do.

  Chapter 4

  “We’ve been summoned to dinner.” Ivy walked from the back of the store towards the counter where Bryony was working on a new spell concoction. “We need to be there in an hour.”

  “I want to finish this spell before we go,” said Bryony.

  “What’s this one?” Ivy leaned over the counter and inhaled the mixture of herbs Bryony was chopping. “There’s a lot of rosemary in there.”

  “I’m looking for a cure for backache,” said Bryony. “We’ve had three cases through the door in the last month. I’m sure what we offer helps, but I want to give them some herbs to get rid of the pain for good.”

  “Backache, how dull,” said Ivy. “We'd make better money if we sold more exciting charms and spells.”

  “And then we really would have Gabriel in the store every day checking up on what we are doing,” said Bryony. “You would hate that. The magic we use works and it keeps people happy. We don’t need to start dabbling in the darker stuff.”

  “I like dabbling in the darker stuff,” said Ivy.

  “For now, you’re going to have to focus on the dull backache remedy stuff,” said Bryony. “Give me a hand and we won’t be late getting to dinner.”

  Despite Ivy grudgingly helping Bryony, it was exactly an hour later when the girls dashed out of the store, turning the lock, and moving the sign to closed. Spike and Sweetie accompanied them as they sped along the narrow cobbled street their store was on, right in the heart of Old Sarum. The evening air was already cool and splashes of autumn peaked out, hints of deep red and bronze on the trees as the leaves slowly turned, admitting defeat and accepting autumn was on its way.

  “Mom will not be happy you’ve made us late,” said Ivy.

  “We’re only late because I had to clear up your mini explosion when you added too much yarrow to the mixture.” Bryony’s hands moved to her scorched hair. “I’m lucky to have anything left on my head.”

  “A simple spell will solve that.” Before Bryony could protest, Ivy snapped her fingers and pointed at her sister.

  Bryony batted her hands around her head, trying to remove the spell that flowed over her. “That’s not fair. I wanted Mom to see what a troublemaker you really are.”

  “She already knows that,” said Ivy. “At least I didn’t turn your hair green.”

  “You know that was an accident,” said Bryony. “And we were only five years old. I didn’t have full control of my abilities back then.”

  “Maybe I don’t have full control of my abilities now.” Ivy smirked. “Relax, you’re as beautiful as ever. Men will still fawn over you.”

  Bryony glowered at Ivy. “You know they only fawn over me because of our silly curse. It’s as if I’m the one fated to activate it.”

  “Men do arrive at our door as regularly as junk mail seeking you out,” said Ivy. “And they only need to hear your voice and it’s true love.”

  “But it isn’t,” said Bryony. “If they weren’t under the curse’s influence, none of them would be interested in me.”

  “I can think of at least one blond loser who would still be interested,” muttered Ivy.

  Bryony twisted a strand of her magically colored hair around one finger. This worried her. Did Gabriel genuinely like her? Or was the curse working its evil charms on him?

  She waved at Mr. Brewster as they passed his house on Coval Lane. He was sitting on his small wooden porch, watching the world go by. Mr. Brewster was two hundred years old and descended from a species of now extinct dragon. It was wise not to get too close to Mr. Brewster when he had an off day. He had a habit of belching foul smelling smoke at inappropriate moments.

  They turned the corner onto Henge Way, the exact center of Old Sarum. It was the most magical streets in the village and had been home to the Thornheart witches for hundreds of years.

  “I’ll race you to the house.” Ivy sped off, Spike at her heels.

  “Not fair, you didn’t even count down.” Bryony laughed as she hitched up her long skirt and chased after her sister, Sweetie soaring over her head and shrieking with alarm at the girls’ behavior.

  They reached the dark green front door at the same time. It was surrounded by a swathe of late summer roses. Ivy pushed open the door into the warm incense infused hallway, which was littered with family photographs and pictures of familiars loved and lost.

  “Girls, is that you?” Bryony and Ivy’s mother, Adeline, poked her head around the door of the kitchen, her dark hair hidden under the bright red headscarf she always wore when she made dinner. Adeline's honey colored cheeks had a light dusting of flour on them, and her eyes crinkled at the corners as she spotted her daughters.

  “No, it’s the Dragon Wraiths of London come to eat your flesh and pick the marrow from your bones,” said Ivy. She kissed her mother on the cheek.

  “You always say the sweetest things, my dear.” Adeline engulfed Ivy in a hug, before releasing her and kissing Bryony on the cheek, being careful to avoid Sweetie, who was perched on Bryony’s shoulder. Adeline stepped back, her pale blue gaze running over her daughter. “What magic are you hiding under?”

  Bryony grinned. Their mom could always spot a spell. “It’s all thanks to Ivy. She tried to burn my hair off.”

  “Not true.” Ivy walked into the kitchen, closely followed by Spike, his nose raised as he inspected the smells drifting around the room. “But her ridiculously perfect blonde locks were getting in the way. She needed a crop.”

  “Children, magic is not something to play with.” Aunt Lilith appeared at the bottom of the stairs as if by magic. It most probably was. Her floor length bla
ck dress moved around her like smoke, fitting to her tiny form, her hands hidden under long bell sleeves. The color emphasized her pale skin and jet black eyes. Her hair was loose and hung like a silky dark curtain around her face. Aunt Lilith could be difficult to spot, happy to use magic to change her appearance to suit her mood. This evening, she favored the Morticia Addams look.

  “We weren’t playing, Aunt Lilith. But Ivy decided to go crazy with a certain herb and I bore the brunt of it,” said Bryony, giving her aunt a hug.

  “What’s for dinner?” asked Ivy, inspecting the contents of some of the pots on the table in the center of the large open plan kitchen. The kitchen floor had a slope to it and was covered in grey slate tiles. The units were old oak and had been handmade to fit the uneven dimensions of the room. There were bunches of dried herbs scattered everywhere, on surfaces and hanging from the wall, and the pleasant scent of a sweet apple pie drifted from the large range set on one side of the room. In addition to the delicious smells and piles of herbs, four black cats sat amongst the cheerful chaos in the kitchen. They were the house’s familiars; Herbie, Vixen, Fluffy, and Lucifer.

  Bryony walked over to the cats and stroked them each in turn, making sure to show Lucifer, Aunt Lilith’s familiar, the proper respect. He lived up to his namesake’s reputation.

  “Your mother conjured up the first of the autumn pumpkins.” Aunt Odessa drifted through the kitchen door, the number of flowers in her hair having increased since the last time she saw the girls in the store. She gave them both a peck on the cheek. “Pumpkin soup to begin with, followed by stew and dumplings. And you can most likely smell what’s for dessert.”

  “What’s in the stew?” asked Ivy.

  “It’s beef,” said Adeline. “But don’t worry, I’ve made you a separate vegetarian version.”

  Bryony grinned at her sister. For all her eccentricities, Ivy had been a strict vegetarian since they were children. She couldn’t stand the thought of animals being killed so people could eat them. Bryony wasn’t sure if that restriction stretched to some of the dark magic Ivy dabbled in. Those spells often required a blood sacrifice.