Bake or Die

by January Daphne

  That would trip him up, I thought. Connor would never say that to anyone, let alone a woman he could barely stand.

  Connor licked his lips, scooting closer to me. “I was so scared when I saw you go under at the lake. For a second, I thought I lost you.” Connor smoothed the palm of his hand along my face and down my neck. “I’ve thought about you every single day since you left. You are…” He paused, a slight smile appearing on his lips. “I can't believe I’m saying this—”

  “Then don’t,” I cut in. “You don’t have to say it.”

  But he did have to say it.

  I’d commanded him to.

  “I’ve got to say it, Willa. I need you to know.” Connor’s hands rested on my shoulders. He was so close to me, close enough to feel his breath on my forehead. “Willa, you’re the apple of my eye and the wind beneath my wings. I finally get why people say things like that. That’s what you are to me.”

  My heart shattered as the weight of his confession hit me.

  “I wish you hadn’t said that,” I whispered.

  I gave him one more command—one I’d tried before. It had been the only command that didn’t work.

  Stop loving me. I studied his face, watching what he’d do.

  He paused, his hands sliding around to my back. “It feels so good to hold you again, Willa.” Was it my imagination or was he moving closer?

  I made the mistake of looking at his lips—soft and sensual, a lot more sensual than any man’s mouth ought to have been.

  He was going to kiss me.

  And I was totally going to let him.

  Unlike Connor, it wasn’t a spell that held me captive. It was my heart.

  My selfish, irrational heart.

  I loved him. He was strong and sweet and loyal. He was so serious, and I loved those moments when he let his guard down. It was such a thrill every time I managed to put a smile on his face. I loved how he always did the right thing. I loved that even if he’d known about the love spell, he would’ve still gone into that freezing cold lake to pull me out.

  That was the man he was.

  I did trust him. Completely.

  It was me who couldn’t be trusted.

  I knew I needed to stop this kiss, but it was as if all the common sense in my brain went up in smoke. “It’s not real, Connor,” I said, forcing the words out before I changed my mind.

  “What’s not real?” Connor breathed, his lips grazing mine.

  “How you feel about me. It’s not real.”

  He chuckled softly. “Don’t tell me how I feel.”

  And then his lips were on mine, his hands sliding into my hair and down my back. In one breathless movement, he pulled me close, so I was right up against his body.

  I gave in because…

  Well, because I wanted it.

  Darn you, Connor McGregor.

  I wrapped my arms around him and moved my lips against his, deepening the kiss.

  “Oh, wow, um, Willa, Connor—I didn’t know you were home.” Sam’s voice cut through all the fuzziness, bringing everything back into razor sharp focus.

  Connor released me, heat simmering in his eyes.

  I sat up and covered my mouth, as if that would undo me making out with a guy who was basically my love slave. I looked over the back of the couch and saw Sam and Wes standing in the kitchen. Sam fumbled with the zipper on her purse, while Wes set his armload of groceries on the counter.

  He snuck a peek at us and smirked. “Guess we should’ve knocked.”

  I bolted to my feet. “Hey Sam. Um, we were—”

  “I saw what you two were doing.” Samantha said. “Kind of hard to miss.”

  Wes snickered as he unpacked the bags. “It looked like fun.”

  16

  Connor didn’t stay for dinner. He seemed anxious to leave, and Willa gave him a chilly goodbye. It was a shame since Wes made the most amazing cedar plank salmon and a salad with candied walnuts and pears. Wes and I didn’t mention Willa’s make-out session we’d walked in on, and my sister didn’t bring it up. Instead we made small talk—chatting about our favorite TV shows and what flavor cupcakes Wes should make for the bakery.

  After we got the kitchen cleaned up and Wes turned in for the night, I dragged Willa down to the bakery with the excuse of needing to check on the oven temperature.

  The real reason was that I wanted to talk to Willa without worrying about being overheard. I liked Wes, but there were some things I wasn’t ready to discuss with him.

  The wooden steps leading down to the bakery were wet from melting snow, and I had to grip the rail to keep my Ugg boots from slipping.

  Once we got down to the bakery, I paused to unlock the back door. “What’s the deal with you and Connor? You two were groping each other like teenagers. And why was he wearing your t-shirt and my old sweatpants? What happened today?”

  “I don’t want to talk about it.” Willa headed straight for the oven area, but I wasn’t letting her off the hook that easily.

  “Is this how it’s going to be?” I demanded, trailing after my sister. “Me asking questions and you freezing me out? Are you mad at me? I have no idea what I could have done.”

  Wordlessly, Willa snatched up the welding gloves and yanked off the metal oven door. Inside, the bottom of the oven blasted red hot.

  I tried again. “Willa, talk to me.”

  Willa didn’t bother to check the temperature with the infrared thermometer. Instead she grabbed an armful of logs off the shelf and thrust them into the inferno. Then she whirled around to face me. “You want to talk? Fine. Let’s talk about how that love spell you wrote got Mom killed, and now the murderer is collecting supplies to perform the knot spell on me—and who knows how many other people.”

  “Hey, Willa—easy,” I said, grabbing her arm as a myriad of sparks shot out of the oven opening. “What are you talking about?”

  Willa shook my arm off, poking the metal peel into the oven to push the logs directly into the fire. “I’m talking about how this is your fault,” she snapped. “You’re such a witch prodigy that you ended up writing the One-Ring-to-Rule-Them-All version of a love spell, and like an idiot, I used it.” She dropped the peel on the floor with a clatter and shoved the iron oven door back in place. “And someone not only found out about that spell, they also discovered that the two stupid little Craven sisters hid it in some trunk without any magical protections.” She ripped off her welding gloves and tossed them on the shelf. She swiped her bangs out of her eyes, smearing soot across her forehead. “This whole thing is so messed up, Sam, and I don’t know how to fix it. I might already be under the spell.”

  I picked up the long handled peel and leaned it up against the concrete wall under the awning. “Come on,” I pressed my hand on her back and steered her back into the bakery. “Let’s talk about this inside.”

  Willa’s sneakers left muddy footprints on the checkered tiles of the kitchen. My Ugg boots were just as soggy.

  She went to the paper towel dispenser and yanked a handful paper towels out. Leaning up against the kitchen sink, she scrubbed off the bottom of her shoe. Then she dropped it on the floor, clamping down on it with her foot and hastily wiping up the mud.

  I stood there a moment, wondering what the best way was to keep the conversation going without Willa shutting down. She was worked up right now, and I couldn’t make sense of what she was ranting about.

  Finally, I said, “What happened with that love spell, Willa?”

  She bent to pick up the towel and grabbed another one from the dispenser, this time wiping up my footprints. “It’s not just a love spell. It’s a full-on mind control spell. It doesn’t just make a person fall in love with you, it makes them do anything you want. All you have to do is think a command and the person obeys. The worst part is, they have no idea. They’re under the impression that they’re still in control of their actions.”

  I folded my arms. “There’s no spell on earth that powerful.”

  “Th
ere wasn’t until you created it,” Willa said.

  “That’s impossible.” I shook my head. “We were just having fun. We were messing around, making spells up.”

  Willa wadded up the paper towels and dropped them in the trash. “I told you before. The spell you wrote worked.” She rubbed her palms over her face. “It worked, Sam, and I can’t undo it.”

  I listened to the hum of the bakery refrigerators, letting Willa’s words sink in. “You used it on Connor, didn’t you?”

  My sister nodded, blinking back tears.

  “Why’d you do it? We promised to never use any love spells. Mom made us swear,” I said.

  Willa’s blue eyes looked absolutely miserable as she stared at the ground and kicked at the checkered tile. “I wanted him to like me.”

  “Oh, Willa.” I sighed. “OK. Let’s not fall to pieces. We’re Craven witches. We can figure this out.” I pulled a metal tray off one of the racks and peeled back the plastic wrap. It contained a batch of chocolate chip cookies Wes had made earlier today. We were planning on selling them tomorrow, but this conversation definitely required cookies. “Come on.” I nodded to the cafe area. “Sit down.”

  I slid the cookie sheet on one of the tables. Then I plopped down on the chair and kicked the opposite one out from under the table as a silent invitation to Willa. “If I remember correctly, that love spell used knot magic. You can usually undo those by untying the knot.”

  Willa shoved her hands into the pockets of her yoga pants and slouched down on the chair. “Not your knot spell.”

  “You tried?”

  She glared at me. “Of course, I tried. You think I wanted the town sheriff to be my love slave the last twelve years?”

  I stared down at my hands folded in my lap. “How far have things gone between you two?”

  Even in the dim light spilling out from the kitchen, I could tell Willa was blushing.

  She shifted in her chair. “We’ve never slept together, if that’s what you’re asking. I couldn’t do that to him. I-I don’t know why I even let him kiss me today. Back in high school, the only reason I did the spell was so I’d have a date to homecoming.”

  I helped myself to a cookie. “Do you even like him?”

  “What difference does that make? It’s not like I can date him. That would be so messed up.” Willa drummed her fingers on the table. “I’ve spent months trying to undo that knot—every day until we left Denali. I’d used Connor’s hemp necklace for the spell, which you’d think would be pretty easy to untie. I didn’t make the knot that tight. Unfortunately, it’s the magic that’s keeping the knot in place. I’ve tried everything to destroy that necklace. I’ve burned it, buried it, left it out under the full moon. I’ve tried performing counter spells to undo it. Nothing worked. I was hoping the distance would cause the spell to eventually fade.”

  “Where’s the knot now?” I asked.

  Willa rubbed her temple, a sour look on her lips. “It was in the trunk with the notebook.”

  “Wonderful.” I leaned back into the chair. “Does Connor know about any of this?”

  “I don’t think so,” Willa said.

  “You’ve got to tell him. Even if we can’t undo the spell, he should know. That way he can try to stop loving you,” I said.

  Willa rolled her eyes and swiped a cookie off the pan. “Yeah, that conversation is going to go well. ‘Hey Connor. Remember when you suddenly noticed I wasn’t invisible and asked me to homecoming? You were under a love spell, and you still are. Hope the last twelve years haven’t sucked too much for you.’ I can’t tell him I brainwashed him to love me. He’s the sheriff. We have to work with him.”

  I finished my cookie and grabbed a second one. “How about you start with not making out with him on the living room couch?”

  “I didn’t mean to.” She made a face. “He was just being so sweet, and I missed him. Why is he so attractive?”

  I softened. “So you do like him?”

  Willa sighed. “Yes.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me about this years ago?” I reached across the table and set my hand on hers. “You’re not in this alone. We both have powers. We’re supposed to help each other with this stuff.”

  Willa didn’t pull her hand away. “I didn’t want to have to ask my little sister for advice on a spell I did to make a boy like me. That’s embarrassing on so many levels. I just wanted to pretend it never happened.”

  “You can’t run away from this,” I said.

  She quickly wiped her eyes with her forearm, probably trying to hide her tears from me. “I didn’t mean for the spell to last forever. I was almost relieved when Mom sent us to boarding school.”

  “When did you notice that the spell was controlling Connor’s actions?”

  Willa sat back, crossing her ankles. “I noticed about a week after the dance. I could tell by the way he acted. Anything I thought, he did it. If I wanted him to call me, he would. If I wanted him to hang out with me, he’d make plans. If I wanted him to kiss me, he’d do it no matter where we were or what we were doing.”

  I pondered Willa’s words. “Have you ever thought that maybe it’s not the spell? Maybe he really likes you.”

  Willa let out a bitter laugh. “Yeah, right.”

  I gathered up my hair, dropping it over one shoulder. “Connor doesn’t seem like some mindless zombie when he’s around you. What if none of this is from the spell?”

  “You have no idea how much I wanted that to be true, but it’s not. I’ve tested it—back in high school and today. If I tap into the magic, I can make him do anything without even saying a word. That’s what makes the spell so dangerous.” She leaned forward, lowering her voice. “So here’s the bad news. When I was at the lake with Connor looking for clues, someone took my boots. I think they’re planning to use my laces to cast the spell on me. Maybe they already have.”

  I frowned. “Why were your shoes off?”

  Willa wiped chocolate crumbs off the corner of her lips. “Because I went into the lake. I saw pieces of Mom’s memory floating on the surface. They looked like colorful bubbles. When I touched them, I saw what Mom went through in her last few minutes. She was being interrogated about the location of that spell.”

  I frowned. “But Mom didn’t even know the spell existed.”

  Some of the light faded from Willa’s eyes. “She didn’t know consciously. Subconsciously, I think she suspected that the guest cabin was the place we did all the things we didn’t want her to know about. Judging from the state of the loft, I’d say the murderer put two and two together.”

  “How did Mom end up drowning, anyway?” I wondered aloud. “The murderer didn’t have the knot spell yet.”

  Willa narrowed her eyes. “I think the murderer has some way of controlling people—some form of water magic. We’re definitely dealing with something supernatural.”

  I pushed out my chair and grabbed two mugs off the shelf behind the register. “I have some theories on who could have been responsible for this.”

  “I do, too,” Willa said, more comfortable now that the conversation had moved away from her love spell debacle. “George Huber’s looking pretty guilty to me. He found the body, and it was right by his property. Also, the killer didn’t leave footprints. He’s a swan shifter, so maybe he flew into the lake. I don’t know how Mom would have gotten into the lake without leaving tracks though.”

  “Indiana Jones is a swan shifter?” I found a jar of loose leaf green tea and spooned it into two meal tea infusers. Then I dropped one in each mug. “That really lowers his coolness factor.”

  Willa snorted. “I know, right?”

  I flipped the lever on the coffee machine to fill both mugs with hot water. “I found out that him and Rosie are dating. That means he probably had access to Rosie’s spare keys to break into the cabin. I don’t think he killed Mom, though. For one, what would his motive be?”

  Willa swiped the cookie crumbs she made onto the floor. “Maybe Mom found ou
t that George Huber was a swan shifter and he killed her to cover up the truth and preserve his reputation.”

  “Can you be serious for five seconds please?” I handed her a steaming mug.

  Willa accepted the mug. “I’m totally serious. Just because we had crushes on him as kids doesn’t mean he’s innocent.”

  “It’s not that,” I said. “I’m honestly asking you to give me a valid motive for him to resort to murder.”

  She gazed into the mug, tugging on the tea ball chain. “The murderer wanted the love spell. I got that much from Mom’s memories left in the lake. Who wouldn’t want to get their hands on a powerful spell like that?”

  “It could be Rosie,” I said softly. I hated even saying it aloud. “She has keys. She probably spends a lot of time at George’s place. She knew a little about magic, even if Mom never shared the specifics. And apparently, she has a drinking problem. I saw Misty Sullivan today buying booze for Logan’s party and she made a crack about how much Rosie liked to drink.”

  Willa winced. “You really think she’d do that to Mom—to us?”

  “If my spell is as powerful as you’re implying, maybe getting that spell was her motive,” I said. “A mind control knot spell would probably come in handy when you have a crazy ex-husband.”

  Willa shook her head. “I don’t know. That seems extreme.”

  “If you want something bad enough, you’ll do anything you can to get it. In those instances, logic goes out the window.”

  “Like casting a love spell on a boy,” Willa said.

  “You were a kid, and you didn’t know it was irreversible.”

  Willa ran a hand over her cropped hair. “What party?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “You said Misty was talking about a party.”

  “Oh, right.” I crossed one leg over the other. “Logan Graves, the owner of the Denali Goddess resort chain, is having a mixer tomorrow night for the local business owners. I told him we’d go.”

  Her eyebrows lifted. “You’ve met him?”

  “He came by today.”

  Confusion lined Willa’s forehead. “You think he has anything to do with this?”