Magical Midway Paranormal Cozy Series Books 1-3

by Leanne Leeds

  I didn’t know how to react to his declaration. I don’t know that I believed it when he said it. I really thought that Gunther was only interested in me because he just hadn’t been around anyone of his own kind that would give him the time of day as a half-witch.

  As I looked at him, the pain and emotion playing in ripples across his face, the deep feeling rolling off him in waves toward me, I wondered how I could have dismissed my friend. How I could have missed it.

  “Gunther—”

  “Wait. Let me talk. You owe me that much.”

  I nodded and waited.

  “Today, you did more than that. For the first time ever, you took my feelings seriously, and yet in that same moment, you threw them all back in my face. It hurt,” he said. Gunther winced as I felt an explosion of pain shoot across the air at me. “I thought I was prepared to just be friends, to have you treat how I feel for you as some joke—”

  “Gunther, I don’t think it’s a—”

  “It is a joke to you. I know it is, but you’ve been my friend, and so I dealt with it. I hoped in time as you adjusted to this new reality that you would become more comfortable with who you are. I told myself that once you were, you’d see me differently. You’d start using your talent for seeing possibilities with us instead of with… well, everything else.”

  I winced under the projected onslaught. Waves of hurt, anger, confusion, and his broken heart washed over me. Whatever Gunther had been hiding from my intuition he now unleashed all over me so there would be no misinterpreting his words. It was like a dam had burst.

  I didn’t know how I had gotten how he felt for me so wrong. I was wrong, though. I could feel it. He was utterly in love with me, and he wasn’t working to hide it anymore. It was pouring over me, and it was so intense my eyes teared up.

  “Gunther, I ignored your feelings because I knew that as soon as you walked into Impy, a thousand witches smarter and more beautiful than me would line up to go out with you,” I told him. “I didn’t want to get in the way of you finding the perfect woman.”

  “I already have,” he said quietly.

  “Oh, man, dude, I am so far from perfect. What did Wayland call me? A heat merchant?”

  The corner of Gunther’s mouth turned up in a slight smile.

  “You really didn’t mean what you said about Bolt?”

  “I wish I could remember what I said to you, Gunther, but I don’t. I don’t have any idea what words I said to you. I can guess, though, if those words made you doubt me.”

  “I didn’t, really,” he said, leaning forward. “I was just hurt. I was angry.”

  “I get it. It’s okay. How about I forgive you if you forgive me?”

  “Done.” Gunther reached out his hand between us, and I leaned forward to pump it once.

  “Again, I’m really sorry if what I said hurt you.”

  “I’ll live,” he told me, smiling widely. I felt all the love and pain recede back into him. It was like dust being sucked back into a vacuum cleaner, and I could feel him stuffing down the chaos of emotions once again.

  “I wish you wouldn’t do that,” I told him.

  “Do what?”

  “Shove everything you feel down like that,” I told him. Getting up from the chair, I stood up and moved to sit next to him. The air tingled with energy as I closed the distance between us. I grabbed his hand and held it firmly. “I’ve never felt as close to anyone in my life as I do to you, Gunther. Surely you know that.”

  Gunther squeezed my hand but remained silent. His breathing had become shallow, and I could feel a fog of hopefulness surrounding him.

  “I… I haven’t really let myself feel anything more than friendship for you. I guess I stuff, too,” I smiled. “I knew that we both had our circuses and our family obligations, and I just never really entertained the idea that we could find a way around them to have anything more than a friendship.”

  “I think we can,” he said. “I think you and I can do anything, Charlotte. After all, one day we’ll be the two most powerful witches in the entire world. Surely, one of the benefits of that has to be that we can find a way to make a relationship work.”

  I snickered despite myself, and Gunther laughed.

  As our laughter faded, I looked into Gunther’s eyes and wondered how I could’ve ever thought I would be able to avoid falling hard for this man.

  Maybe it wouldn’t work out.

  Maybe I would get my heart broken when he became ringmaster, and we could never be together.

  Maybe I would be alone, pining for him once this was all over.

  But feeling how much he cared about me, and knowing how much I cared about him, I realized this was unavoidable from the beginning.

  I had to try.

  Even if it broke my heart someday.

  “I do care about you, Gunther. A lot. I’m sorry if my avoidance of the issue has come off like indifference or rejection. I didn’t mean for it to. I just didn’t see a way this could work. But I’m willing to try.”

  I could detect a surge of disappointment I didn’t say those three little words back after his opening decalaration, but Gunther stuffed it down quickly. I refused to feel guilty, and I was grateful that he accepted what I had to give for now.

  I just couldn’t go there yet. I had barely allowed myself to think about us romantically before.

  I needed time.

  “It can, Charlotte. I know it can. I really want to try, too.”

  “I’ve never really done this before,” I told him, blushing.

  “Done what?”

  “Any of this. Boys, a boyfriend… I’ve had a lot of first dates. But that’s it.” Gunther put his arm around me, resting my head on his shoulder. He felt warm and safe… And oh, man, he smelled good.

  “That’s okay, Charlotte, I’ve never done it, either. We’ll figure it out together. Deal?”

  “Deal, Mr. Makepeace,” I told him, sighing.

  7

  “You are two days away from being brought up on charges, and you decided to get a boyfriend now?” Anya asked me after I informed her of the conversation between Gunther and me. She had been claiming almost since the beginning we would get together someday. It seemed only fair to let her know she was right.

  May as well get the smug satisfaction over with.

  “Maybe Charlotte just wants to ensure he can visit her in prison,” Faleena told her. The werebear female had reacted strangely to my announcement, but when I poked further into her reaction empathically, her thoughts and emotions folded up like a flower. “Though I can’t believe she chose that boring Makepeace boy over that sexy elf she was running around with yesterday.”

  My eyes narrowed. Wasn’t it just yesterday that Faleena was talking down about elves in general, and Bolt specifically? Now he’s the sexy elf?

  “I don’t know what happened yesterday,” I told Faleena. “I think it was just too much wine affecting me.”

  Anya looked at me strangely. I stared at the naiad hoping that she wouldn’t divulge my secret immunity to drunkenness, a secret I did not want more widely known for the moment. Her eyes flashed to Faleena, and then back to me. The naiad’s expression looked troubled for a moment and then smoothed out as she laughed.

  “Witches are pairing up all over the place, it seems,” Gunther said as he walked upon us. He immediately draped his arm lightly around me and leaned down to give me a light kiss on the cheek. I blushed. “Scout has a new relationship as well.”

  “With a witch?” I asked, surprised.

  “From Impy,” he said. “The rumor is she’s quite close to the Witches’ Council.”

  “Why would that have anything to do with anything?” Faleena asked sharply. “Are there witches not close to the Witches’ Council? Besides you all and your little migrant rebellion, I mean.”

  I was beginning to genuinely dislike Anya’s friend, but despite my extensive witch and lawgiver and ringmaster powers, I couldn’t quite figure out what it was about the wereb
ear that bothered me.

  “I think some are closer than others,” I responded.

  “Charlotte, we should go and say hello. We are all witches, after all, and it’s the proper etiquette in a situation like this since you and I are considered leaders,” he said. “If you’ll excuse us, ladies, even in the midst of controversy we must stand on polite protocol.”

  We said our goodbyes and made our way toward the Jamboree, leaving Faleena looking annoyed as we walked away.

  “Is it my imagination, or was Anya’s friend a little too defensive about Scout’s new witch girlfriend?” Gunther asked me as we walked toward the front of the Magical Midway.

  “Are you developing intuition, Gunther?” I asked him.

  “Everyone has intuition, Charlotte. Yours may be profoundly powerful, but I’ve got a little, you know.”

  “Not enough to know I wasn’t really into Bolt,” I told him sweetly and felt Gunther’s arm tense around me.

  “You’re not going to let me forget that for a while, are you?”

  “Nope. Girlfriend perogative.”

  “I like that,” he said and gave me a squeeze.

  “What?”

  “That you just called yourself my girlfriend.”

  “You’re going to be one of those boyfriends, are you?”

  “Ooh, I think I like that, too,” he told me as he laughed.

  “You’re right, though. There’s something about Faleena that just doesn’t seem… I don’t know. Right? Normal? I can’t figure it out, honestly. But I’m having a tough time liking the woman.”

  As we stepped across the boundary that separated the Magical Midway from the Werebear Jamboree festival grounds, Bolt emerged from the trees and walked straight for us.

  “There is no way this is happening again,” Gunther mumbled angrily as he dropped his arm from around my shoulder and rapidly moved with his hand. As he clapped them together, I felt a shimmering curtain descend around us. It was pink, and it smelled like roses. “That should fix him.”

  “What did you do?”

  “A love protection spell,” he said as we moved closer to the elf. “If he’s using his seduction glamour on you to cause these blackouts and dizzy spells, this should prevent that. For the next couple of days, you won’t be able to be attracted to anyone other than me.”

  “That’s… kind of… coercive, Gunther,” I told him, my independent female bubbling up indignation within me. “You could’ve asked, you know. Actually, you should have asked.”

  “It’s just a shield, you can break it if you want to. It was the fastest thing I could come up with that I thought would work,” he said. “Besides, it doesn’t really affect you unless you want it to. It’s not like people don’t see it coming when you cast it. The rose smell is almost overpowering.”

  While that was true, I still wasn’t sure I was okay with it.

  I was sure I wasn’t okay with what Bolt was doing to me, though, so I didn’t remove it. If I stopped to examine my feelings about it, I reluctantly admitted that having a boyfriend throw a shield around me in an instant seemed kind of cute.

  Especially at the rate I kept becoming a target.

  It’s estimated that one hundred and eight billion people have lived on the planet. As I watched Bolt walk up to us, seven and a half billion people were alive on the planet, give or take. That’s 6.9% of those who have ever lived.

  Once, paranormals had been 1% of the population.

  Now, according to the census the Witches’ Council took every three years, we were just.0005%.

  Only thirty-seven and a half thousand paranormals, give or take.

  On the whole planet.

  And yet I kept meeting ones that wanted to do me in. I wondered what the statistics were surrounding that?

  “Well, it seems I’ve been displaced by the very one you rejected yesterday, Charlotte,” Bolt said as he met us on the path. “You are very fickle with your men, Ringmaster. Paired up with one day, and onto another the next.”

  The tea rose fog shimmered and energy buzzed around Gunther and me.

  Your boyfriend’s shield is repelling the elf’s magic, Samson said.

  Decided to come with us, did you?

  I am quite ashamed that I could not help you yesterday. I do not like feeling ashamed. That’s not a familiar feeling, you know. Whichever side of the boundary you choose to be on, I will be on that one as well.

  What about the Magical Midway? Doesn’t that leave them in danger?

  We are too close to the Werebear Jamboree for a specific attack from the Witches’ Council. Too many people would see. The circus will be fine without us for a few hours. Just remember the sunrise and sunset rule. We must return before the sun dips below the horizon.

  “What do you need, Bolt?” Gunther asked the elf.

  “Scout would like a word with you both,” he responded pleasantly. “He asked me to accompany you.”

  “What a coincidence!” I said. “We were just on our way to his camp. We have been told a witch from Impy is attending the Werebear Jamboree and we thought we would pay our respects.”

  “Of course you did,” Bolt smiled. “If you’ll follow me then.”

  I don’t like this, Samson said.

  Me, neither, Uncle Phil broke in.

  Is there anyone left at the Magical Midway guarding anything?

  I’ve asked the ghosts to leave the haunted house and patrol the grounds, Samson said. If they spot anything, they can teleport instantly and let me know. We’ll be able to rubber band back to the Magical Midway with no delay.

  Gunther and I followed Bolt further into the forest. The path turned from the more populated camping areas into a much denser section of trees. The sunlight struggled to shine through the thick canopy, and the air grew chill and moist.

  “Hurry along,” Bolt called over his shoulder. “You wouldn’t want to be late, now, would you?

  “How can we be late if no one knew we were coming?”

  Bolt didn’t respond.

  The path grew darker, and large werebears now lined either side. Each held a weapon while standing at attention, and their eyes followed us suspiciously.

  Samson, I can bring Gunther back with me the same way I brought Mark back from the Makepeace Circus, correct? Just grab his hand and say the magic word?

  Yes, why?

  I just want to make sure. I don’t know that we’re in any danger, but the atmosphere out here is feeling little ominous. If I must leave quickly, I don’t want to leave him out here alone.

  Aw, that’s very cute, Samson said. Then he sent a retching noise into my mind.

  Cut it out, cat, and let me concentrate.

  Samson grew silent, but I could still feel his presence in my mind. After yesterday’s isolation, it was good to feel the accompaniment of my familiar riding shotgun. Just as the forest grew so dark I questioned whether we could see our way forward, fires illuminated the path, and a cave appeared through the trees.

  The werebear guards along either side of the path grew bigger the closer we got to the cave. Their weapons shined in the glow of the fires.

  “Not the most cheerful place to hang your hat,” I commented as we stepped into a clearing in front of the cave. The mouth of it was at least ten feet tall and twenty feet wide. The mountain that capped it was the outer ring boundary of the top of the mesa.

  “I’d welcome you to my home,” Scout said as he emerged from the darkness within the cave. “But this isn’t really a friendly visit, is it? And it shouldn’t even be my home anymore.”

  “Well, we started out on a friendly visit,” I told him cheerfully. “We understand that you have a witch staying with you, and we wanted to come and pay our respects. If it’s about to turn unfriendly, Scout, it’s not because of us.”

  “Oh, I doubt you have any respect for me, ringmaster,” a dark-haired woman stepped out from behind Scout. She was dressed head to toe in black, wearing a crown of woven branches. The ends of those branches were r
ed as if they had been dipped in blood. “I am a huntress witch. Your kind has despised my kind for generations.”

  “I’m not sure if you’ve heard about me? But I’m new here. I don’t even know what a huntress witch is, much less have any reason why I should despise you.”

  “They’re witches that hunt and kill prey, Charlotte,” Gunther said as he squeezed my hand and pulled me closer to him. “They track and kill the weak for sport, for honor, and—”

  “For a price when the motivation for the hunt is honorable,” the mysterious woman finished. “My ancestors have picked off the weak members of your circuses for generations now. Your protections are so strong and so great that victims from the magical fairs are the most prized of all the prey.”

  “Well, that’s really dark and disturbing,” I told her.

  “The paranormal world is not all unicorns and cotton candy, ringmaster,” the woman said. “I enjoy the dark corners where the unicorns fear to enter.”

  “This is your girlfriend?” I asked Scout.

  “My partner, Devana, is much more than a girlfriend,” Scout sneered as he wrapped a powerful arm around the menacing woman and jerked her toward him. I felt a wave of impatience explode out from her for just a second. A moment later, it was gone, covered by something that felt sort of like affection.

  Sort of.

  Scout’s intense attraction and lust for the woman was clearly legitimate. Devana’s feelings for him?

  Maybe not so much.

  “What did you ask us here for, Scout?” Gunther asked when Scout didn’t expand on exactly why Devana was much more than a girlfriend. “We’ve done what we came to do. What do you want?”

  “I want to know why your little girlfriend was running around my Werebear Jamboree telling everyone how much she hated my brother,” he responded. “The elf here told me that it was clear to everyone that she despised him.”

  Devana glared at Bolt and then looked away.

  For a moment, I thought about coming up with some kind of cover story, but at the last second, I decided to just be honest with him. I did not understand at this point who had killed Scout’s brother. A conspiracy swirled around his murder, but I had no proof Scout knew.