"Score one for CeCe," Camille yelled, as she took another sip of her wine. Her friend was on cloud nine.
She turned and looked at the crew of misfits. "I'm sure you guys had dreams before you died. Tell us about them."
Jeb was the first to speak. "I always wanted to be a mortician."
"Really?" Zeb asked excitedly. "I always wanted to run to be a funeral director. Maybe, we could go into business together."
"That's not a bad idea. What about you, Reb?" Jeb asked.
"Well, I thought I'd use my science degree and help Fabio perfect his zombie cream. I've also asked Precious to marry me and she's agreed."
"Shut the front door," his brothers said in unison.
"Congrats, man. I can't wait for the wedding," Zeb said. "You're choosing me as the best man, right?"
When everyone laughed, Zeb shrugged his shoulders and finished eating his raw steak. Part of the agreement with them remaining amongst humans was that they had to give up brains. Turns out it wasn't even a sacrifice because none of them liked brains. Said it made them too loopy, especially if the person was a druggy.
"What about you, honey?" Reb asked Precious.
"I've always wanted to run my own construction company. There's just something about a power tool that's always gotten me hot and bothered. The only reason I never pursued it was because my parents were old fashion. I can hear my mother now. "Precious, young ladies were meant to marry and have children. No man wants a woman who's too muscular. It's so unattractive. We don't want you ending up a spinster like Maude. You'll see that I'm right as you get older. A woman's place is in the home cooking, cleaning, and taking care of her family."
"Wow! That's the biggest load of crap I've ever heard," Bertie replied. "I've always wanted to be an interior designer and Leon owned a construction company before he died. Maybe, you two could go into business together and keep it in the family. What do you think?"
"Sound like a plan to me," Precious said excitedly.
"What about you, Scawdy?" Cecelia asked. You've been extremely quiet.
"I was a doctor in my previous life and enjoyed helping people. I wouldn't mind picking up where I left off."
"Now that they've chosen a profession, where are they going to live? While I'm not opposed to them staying in Bass Ackwards, I have a feeling that if they attract other zombies who are roaming around out there, it's going to alarm the humans in town. Not to mention, some of the others are going to stick out like sore thumbs," Dillen said.
"I vote we all go back home to Boner Falls. It's a small community where the people are accepting. If you ladies worked your magic and helped them forget we'd died in a previous life, we could blend in, especially if we used Fabio's zombie zest cream."
"You know, that's not a bad idea," Fabio said. "If Reb helped me with the formula, I bet we could improve it enough that they wouldn't stick out like sore thumbs. Camille and I are starting up a production company, so we would check in on them from time to time. If the spell also prevented them from craving human flesh, then we'd kill two birds with one stone. What do you guys think?"
"Damn Daddy-O! You've really thought about this. I like, but will Baba Yo Pain In My Ass go for it?" Zelda asked.
"Watch it Zelda, I heard that," Baba Yaga said, as she appeared with her minions on the Witches Council. "We've been discussing your situation and the Council has agreed that Fabio's plan is feasible. But be forewarned, if any of you screw up or test my patience, I'll send your ass back to hell before you know what hit you."
Cecelia had tried to maintain her poker face, but Baba Yaga's threat had caused her anxiety to resurface. "You can't," she quickly. "If they die, we die too."
Baba Yaga ignored the gasps in the room and focused all her attention on Cecelia. "Relax, my child. I told you, the Council and I have been discussing your situation. It was decided that since you were willing to sacrifice yourself for another, we would untangle your life forces. You're all free to live your lives as you see fit. No one's going to hell if one of them screws up."
"Oh, thank the Goddess," Cecelia said, before collapsing in the chair and crying. Even though she had no regrets, her decision had weighed heavy on her conscious. The more she thought about it, the harder it became to contain her emotions. When she started sobbing, Dillen was right there to comfort her. How she had gotten so lucky was still a mystery, but she'd spend the rest of her life proving to Dillen that she was worthy of his love. It may have taken a Zombie Apocalypse to bring them together, but she'd make sure that good ole' fashion love would keep them together.
# # THE END # #
To check out all the side splitting books in the Magic and Mayhem Universe, go to https://magicandmayhemuniverse.com/
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a positive review or rating on the site where you purchased it. Reader reviews help my books continue to be valued by resellers and help new readers make decisions about reading them. You are the reason I write these stories and I sincerely appreciate each of you!
Many thanks for your support,
~ Isabel Micheals
Follow this link to see more books in the Magick & Chaos series.
Next Book in the series:
A Witchin’ Winter Solstice Gone Wrong
If you want to know more about how Cecelia, Camille and Symone took on Scroogess in A Witchin’ Winter’s Night, then keep reading. Scroogess will get her own happily-ever-after in A Witchin’ Winter Solstice Gone Wrong.
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EXCERPT: A WITCHIN’ WINTER’S NIGHT
Cecelia loves Christmas. It’s her favorite holiday of all time. Maybe, it’s because she spends the majority of her year as a necromancer reviving the dead. Or, maybe it’s because the Fates misunderstood her true destiny. Either way, she refuses to dwell on the present or the past. Instead, she simply hosts the best Christmas Eve party her friends have ever seen.
Scroogess Ebesneezer is the new Christmas Witch in town. She has a score to settle with three meddling witches who have been a thorn in her side since the day they met. When she discovers they’ve been abusing their powers, she decides to exact her revenge.
The challenge is simple. Shop with the humans on Christmas Eve without using their magic. Or, spend the next five-to-ten years in the pokey as retribution for their crimes.
There’s only one problem. It seems as though Scroogess has been harboring a secret of her own. When Cecelia, Symone, and Camille uncover it—it’s game on.
Warning: A Witchin’ Winter’s Night involves a Sugar Plum Fairy whose Christmas crazy. Two witches ready to do battle in Wally World. And, three ghosts determined to help a witch find the Spirit of Christmas.
Note from the Author:
A Witchin' Winter's Night takes place between Witchin' Up A Spell and Witchin' Up The Dead.
CHAPTER ONE
Cecilia had waited an entire year for this night. She couldn’t believe it was finally Christmas Eve. Her favorite night of the year simply because it was always wonderful reconnecting with her best friends, Symone and Camille. Although she was born a witch, Christmas was her favorite holiday. Maybe, it was because there were times her job as a necromancer could have some real Debby Downer moments. Yes, she still experienced overwhelming joy when two loved ones were reunited because it wasn’t his or her time. But lately, she had been getting some weird requests. Like the guy who wanted to bring back his pet crocodile, so he could murder his wife and feed her to the beast. Um... Not only no, but hell no. Then, there was the woman who wanted to only revive her husband's penis. Not her husband, but his penis because she wanted to take one more spin on his poll. Yeah, not happening in this lifetime or the next.
It didn’t matter how spooky she made the front of her house look, they just kept on coming. You would think a Zombie’s hand rising up out of a grave would deter them a little
. She definitely needed to reconsider Symone and Camille’s suggestion and get rid of the candy. Now that she had gained some distance from the situation, it did seem more inviting than scary. She’d have to work on that after Christmas.
But that was neither here nor there because it was Christmas Eve. The air was filled with hope and Christmas cheer. No one was begging her to bring back a loved one from the dead tonight—at least not yet. Even though she had heard it all over the years, there always seemed to be one person who managed to surprise her with their over the top request. It wasn’t always easy being a necromancer, especially during Halloween. But like every other witch in the world, she had accepted her gift and rolled with the punches. It just seemed lately, the punches were coming faster and harder, which made it difficult to catch her breath at times.
However, tonight, she wouldn’t dwell on the past or the dead because once again it was Christmas Eve. A time of hope, joy, and magic. A night where anything was possible. She had been planning all year and couldn’t wait to see her friends’ faces when she told them what she had in store for them tonight. She just hoped they would be as excited as she was, which was saying a lot because she was pretty darn excited.
She had already conjured up the perfect Blue Spruce Christmas tree that was currently sitting in front of her bay window waiting to be decorated. She had decided to go with a new Christmas tree theme this year, which incidentally coordinated with her favorite Christmas ballet, “The Nutcracker”. If she were being honest, she had always been infatuated with the Sugar Plum Fairy. There was just something about the character that was so majestic.
While most people decorated earlier for Christmas, like before Halloween and definitely after Thanksgiving, she still preferred to wait until Christmas Eve. Not only did it make the moment feel more special, but also less commercialized. Although she looked thirty, she was much older and remembered when Christmas was more about the love for one another and the time spent together than the presents. Unfortunately, things change over the centuries and it made her a little sad to admit that she too had fallen down the rabbit hole of receiving, or in her case, conjuring up materialistic gifts. Yet, with every holiday came a renewed sense of hope that she would get back to the true Spirit of Christmas.
Before Cecelia could finish her musings, the doorbell rang. Swinging open the heavy, mahogany door decorated with a wreath the size of Manhattan, she screamed at the top of her lungs with joy when she saw her two best friends standing on her front porch. Quickly hugging them, she smiled and said, “Come in. I can’t believe you’re finally here.”
Symone looked gorgeous in a short, red, sequined dress with white faux fur at the top accentuating her voluptuous breasts. She had a matching red, sequined Santa hat, and a killer pair of red Gucci leather knee-high boots with faux fur. Her boots had a four-inch heel that would have made any Fashionista proud. Her short black hair framed her beautiful mocha face and to finish off her ensemble, she wore long black gloves that went up to her elbows. There was only one difference between them and the ones Marilyn Monroe would have worn back in her hay day. Her friend had cut off the hand part of each glove.
Camille was equally as gorgeous going with the quintessential fifties pin-up girl look. She wore a long, black Vera Wang evening gown that accentuated every curve on her body. Like Symone, the top of her dress was decorated with white, faux fur and accentuated her voluptuous bosom. Although her shoulders were bare, she had ramped up the elegance of the dress by adding black sleeves with white, faux fur that started just below her shoulder and extended down to her wrists. They were sleeves that could easily be removed. The fifties black hat with a large red and white stripe looked like something the airline stewardesses would have worn decades ago. To top off the look, she sported a sexy, red pair of Manolo Blahniks that had Cecelia salivating at the mouth. Goddess, she loved expensive shoes.
She wasn’t dressed to shabby either, even if she did say so herself. She had elected to wear a simple, yet elegant, above the knee black Coco Chanel mini dress that was accented with white, faux fur at the bottom, as well as around the wrists and neck. She complimented the outfit with matching black tights, red, Gucci ankle boots, and a swooping red and white hat that brought her fiery, red hair to life. To say they all looked fabulous was an understatement. There was no doubt in Cecelia’s mind that an outsider looking at them would have assumed they had just walked off the runway because that’s how gorgeous they looked tonight.
“Girlfriend, you look amazing,” Symone exclaimed. Hugging her again.
“So do you. I love the dress. Maybe you’ll let me borrow it sometime?” Cecelia asked with a hopeful plea.
“Only if you’re good and finally agree to go out on a date with that hunk of burning love, Dillen,” Symone replied with a knowing smirk.
“Don’t start! I told you there’s nothing between Dillen and I,” Cecelia quickly denied.
“Honey, if you’re describing the sparks that go off between you two like the Fourth of July every time you’re in a room together as nothing, then you’re right. There’s nothing going on between you,” Camille said, sarcastically.
“Exactly! That’s what I’m talking about,” Symone agreed, with a shit eating grin that made Cecelia want to smack her.
“Focus ladies!” Cecelia demanded. “Tonight is not about Dillen. It’s about decorating, shopping, binge watching Christmas movies, and celebrating the Spirit of the Season—together. So quit trying to derail me.”
“Fine, but we’re not letting this go,” Symone and Camille grumbled simultaneously.
“Now, who wants to know what I have planned for tonight?” Cecelia asked with glee in her voice. Bouncing up and down on her Gucci ankle boots, she could no longer contain her excitement. “Okay ladies, I know we normally shop until we drop—literally, stuff ourselves with Christmas goodies, and then binge watch Christmas movies, which you know is the highlight of my evening. But, I thought tonight, we’d try something a little different. You know, switch things up a bit.”
“Should we be afraid?” Symone asked skeptically.
“Good question,” Camille chimed in, as a tinge of fear appeared in her sparkling, green eyes. “She does have a fanatical gleam in those fiery, green eyes.”
“Oh pipe down! I haven’t fallen off my rocker. Yet,” Cecelia countered. “I just thought it would be fun if we tried something new this year. Besides, we’re adventurous women and it’s about time we had a change in our routine.”
“How much of a change are we talking about?” Camille asked with a raised eyebrow. “You haven’t done something crazy like gotten rid of the sugar cookies, have you? You know how much I love your homemade sugar cookies. In fact, I wait for them all year round. I swear the Fates missed their calling when it came to you. Instead of saddling you with the job of necromancer, you should have been a baker. You could have had a cute little shop on Main Street that was constantly full of eager, paying customers, and I could have scooped up all of the leftovers, of course.“
“Of course,” Cecelia said in a dry, sarcastic voice.
“Hey, it could’ve been a beautiful dream. Well, at least for me anyway. Just think about it. If you had taken up baking, there would have been no need to avoid Dillen the way you have over the last couple of years.”
Sighing heavily, Cecelia rolled her eyes and in a warning tone said, “Camille, let it go. I told you, we are not a match made by the Fates. I’m a necromancer, he’s a shifter, and never the two shall meet. I don’t know why you keep harping on this.”
“How do you know what the Fates have in store for you?” Symone asked. “You keep telling us to let it go, but every time you see the man, it’s obvious you haven’t let anything go. The heat emanating between you two could set a building on fire. I’m with Camille, I don’t understand why you just don’t give the man a chance. What could go wrong?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Everything? You guys make it sound like it’s so easy, but it’s not. Yes, I
might find Dillen interesting. I’ll also admit that he’s somewhat attractive, and I might have had a few naughty dreams with him replacing my sex toy—Roger the Rabbit. Um… I--I meant replacing the main character in my naughty dreams, but that’s beside the point. I bring the dead back to life, and when men usually discover that’s my healing power, they run for the hills,” Cecelia huffed.
“Honey, just in case you haven’t noticed, there aren’t any hills around here for miles. So, I don’t know where these men have been running, but I assure you it was not for the hills. Maybe you’ve just been picking the wrong man, as evidenced by the fact that you’re not dating Dillen. Oh, and kudos on the sex toy. Glad you finally took our advice and visited the Triple XXX store on the outskirts of town,” Symone said with a mischievous grin and wink.
“I must agree with her on this one, but you should really think about giving your boy toy a name. It makes the dirty deed feel more personal. You know what I mean? Maybe you could call him Mr. Feel Good. Or, Mr. Bob. Maybe, the Pleasure Monster. Ooh, I got it. Peter Cottontail. You know… because of his bunny ears,” Camille chuckled, as she admired her new fingernail polish. She had chosen a stunning red that matched her cute hat. It was a deep, sensual color that made her feel sexy on the inside, as well as sexy on the outside. She could have totally been a fifties pin up girl back in the day. It also allowed her to ignore the crazy, concerned looks her friends were sending her way.
“Enough about Dillen already. I’m trying to tell you what we’re going to do tonight for fun. Let’s get our Christmas cheer on and leave the men at the door,” Cecelia demanded.
“You meant man, right? Because the only man we’ve been talking about is Dillen, which is why you’re so eager to change the subject,” Symone said with a knowing smirk.
Witchin' Up the Dead: Magic and Mayhem Universe (Magick and Chaos) Page 9