Spell Maven Mysteries- The Complete Series

by J L Collins

  Wow. And here I thought I knew everything about the guy. “That is… quite the torrid affair.”

  Many footsteps came running down the staircase as Aunt Bedelia peeked her head out from the kitchen. “Oh hello, Gwennie-Bee. I hadn’t realized you were here,” she said. Judging by the steam covering up her bright red glasses, she was hard at work, helping Aunt Ginevra with dinner.

  “Lyanna, dear! I require your assistance with this very large basket of potatoes that need to be peeled!”

  Lyanna sighed, dropping a kiss to Isobel’s forehead before heading back into the kitchen. “We shouldn’t be much longer.”

  “Mom you have got to come upstairs and see the present haul! I’ve never seen anything like it!” Fiona-Leigh said in a rush, her blue eyes wide as her and Lyra and Sean came cruising around the corner into the sitting room. “They’ve got everything stacked halfway to the ceiling—it’s crazy.”

  I sighed. “Of course they do. Leave it to the Brady women to hoard a years’ worth of presents for one night with the grandkids. As I was saying, this is the first Winter Solstice with the family, so I was hoping we’d keep the tradition of lighting the Yule log and exchanging gifts then.”

  “Sorry lass, but Mama and Dad have been beefing up the presents since Sean was born. You remember his first Winter Solstice, right?” Isobel said, smiling over at him. At over six-feet tall and seventeen, he was more a man than a little boy. He rolled his eyes.

  To be honest, I’d completely forgotten about it until just now. “Right. The year they bought him that self-propelling baby seat? Didn’t that thing blow up at some point?”

  Erie shrieked as Isobel’s face went pale. “Oh my cauldrons, I remember that! Dad accidentally ran into it and it cracked like a whip before shooting across the manor and out through one of the windows into the garden. Thank Merlin that little Sean wasn’t in the darn thing. It had you more nervous than a Vampire at a bonfire for several weeks after, didn’t it Issie?”

  “Quick, Fiona-Leigh, before they start taking out the baby photos again,” Lyra hissed at Fi, and the three of them tip-toed backwards out of the room as Erie clapped Isobel on the back hard, still shaking with laughter.

  I leaned back, letting the warmth from the sweet hyssop tea fill me up as I closed my eyes. For the first time in a long time, I felt like I was home again.

  2

  Trouble At The Menagerie

  Bright light hit my closed eyes all at once as the sound of curtains being wrenched back filled the room. “Rise and shine, lasses!”

  “Ugh. Is this really necessary?” I groaned, rolling over to get away from the commotion.

  “Go away,” another voice across the room groggily called out.

  “Do you two know how early I have to get up to make all this happen?”

  I turned to look over my shoulder only to see my cousin, Reaghan, standing there looking as beautiful and impatient as ever.

  “Rea. Come on. Not all of us feel the urge to follow a ten-step morning routine at the butt-crack of dawn.” And honestly, knowing my cousin, that was probably the watered-down version of it.

  She flipped her perfect waterfall of honey-colored hair over her shoulder and gave me an indifferent look.

  “It’s eight o’clock in the morning—hardly the ‘butt-crack’ of dawn as you so eloquently put it. Mom and Aunt Bee are preparing breakfast for everyone. Even Erie is on her way back after dropping into work earlier. I suggest an invigorating shower to wake you up. The children are all downstairs and anxiously awaiting Fiona-Leigh to join them.”

  Fi grunted at the mention of her name and the covers on the bed across from me were pulled even tighter over the lump of her body. “Just a few more minutes.”

  Reaghan’s heels clicked over closer to me. “I’ll let Mom know you’ll be down shortly.”

  And with that, she flounced out of the room, shutting the door behind herself.

  I closed my eyes for a moment, relishing the comfort of the blankets wrapped around me, before pushing them away. “I hate to admit it, but she’s right. We should probably go ahead and get up. I’ll take my shower first.”

  A pillow was flung in my general direction. “Your cousin is the worst.”

  I couldn’t help but chuckle, my throat still dry from sleep. “Our cousin,” I corrected her, yawning. “Just imagine what she was like when she was your age. If the Danann House had a yearbook, her face would’ve been right next to ‘Most Likely To Annoy the Crap Out Of Everyone.’ Except with as smart as she is, she decided she would rather be a Stepford wife. To each and every one of her husbands. Or now, her boyfriend.” I shook my head as I got up to stretch. “I don’t like calling my family names or anything… but Reaghan has always been drawn to the more affluent men, if you know what I mean.”

  From somewhere underneath her covers, Fiona-Leigh snorted. “A gold-digger, in other words.”

  I shrugged. “Your words, not mine. I won’t be long.”

  Breakfast at Brady Manor had never been this much of an affair in my entire life. The long dinner table was filled to the brim with enough food to feed a dragon, with the seats around it just as full. Uncle Gardner was at the head of the table as usual, with Aunt Ginevra at the other end, both of them wearing identical smiles. I wasn’t a mind-reader like my Aunt Bedelia was, but I could imagine their happiness to have the whole entire family here for the first time, ever, having something to do with it.

  “This is insane,” Fi whispered to me as she spread one of my aunt’s homemade jams across a fluffy biscuit. “Normally we just eat a bowl of cereal and go about our merry way.” Leave it to my daughter to call out my lack of cooking skills every chance she got.

  I dug into the hash bake, savoring the taste of the potatoes, tomatoes, mushrooms and sausage. “Which makes this breakfast all the more special and delicious. You’re welcome.”

  As much food as we started with, there was hardly any left over by the time everyone had finished up. Even Uncle Gardner seemed to be surprised as he stood up, placing his hands on the table. “Well now. It looks as though everyone thoroughly enjoyed their meal. Thank you both, Ginevra and Bedelia, for the wonderful breakfast. The first of many more to come, I’m sure. I have to get going, but I hope you all have a good day. And try not to get into trouble,” he said, glancing in both me and my younger brother Tristan’s way.

  Tristan folded his arms. “Why are you looking at me? I think I’ve been well-behaved, considering… What?”

  The adults at the table, myself included, all laughed before everyone started pushing away to get up. As always, Tristan, Erie and I all worked together to clear the table, sending the dishes and silverware into the kitchen and into the large copper sink to wash themselves.

  I caught Erie’s gaze and smiled at her, sticking my wand into my back pocket. “What are your plans for the day? I still have to go out shopping at some point before the Solstice. Maybe we could make a day of it?”

  Jax, who seemed to have come out of nowhere, ran up to me, drooling and excited, with Reaghan’s youngest son, Declan, chasing after him.

  “I’ve never seen one like him!” Declan declared, squealing as Jax dodged him time and time again, weaving in and out between our legs before running in the opposite direction.

  “He’s very special. One of a kind, in fact,” I said, speaking of my furry little guy’s mutt lineage. With the part wiry, part fluffy white fur that stuck out in tufts around his ears, and his yipping bark, who knew what he was? I certainly didn’t care as long as he was happy and healthy. And stayed out of the toilet.

  Declan nodded, giving me a partially toothless smile. “Cool.” He ran off too, leaving me a little nostalgic for when Fiona-Leigh was six.

  Erie was quiet, checking the watch on her wrist before turning away.

  “So, what do you think?” I asked her.

  “Hmm?”

  “About going out today? Did you want to, or do you have other plans?”

  She sighed and
I immediately moved to stand in front of her. “Are you okay?”

  There was a faint smile on her face, but I knew her too well for that. “Yeah, I’m okay. Just a long morning, I guess.”

  “Do you want to talk about it?” I asked, putting my hand on her shoulder.

  The rest of her face just barely peeked out from behind the white-blonde pieces of hair framing it. “I had to rush back to the Menagerie this early this morning. We have this nest of Sylphs that were left homeless and some injured when their tree was hit by lightning a couple of nights ago. We’ve been taking care of them of course. The poultice we used seemed to be working really well and yesterday morning they were all actually up, trying to walk around though their wings were still too weak to fly. Full of sass, as they usually are.” The fragment of a smile disappeared.

  “But Melanie, one of the other girls that works with me, was staying overnight last night and went to check on the bunch of them. As well as they were doing, something must have gone wrong. We must have… overlooked something. The poor things didn’t make it. Melanie called me right away and that’s where I was this morning. I’m just…” she sighed, shaking her head, “I don’t understand it. It was like the lightning drained them somehow. And there was no fire or anything—no burn marks on them.” Her shoulders rounded as she slumped forward. “I hate when this happens. You’d think with all the magic we have access to, that sickness and injuries would be a thing of the past.”

  Poor Erie. She always took her patient’s deaths so personally. I sighed. “I know what you mean. I wish there was something I could say to make you feel better, girl. You know I’m no good in situations like this. But I know one thing—it wasn’t your fault. You are good at what you do. The best, in fact, and I’m not saying that because I’m biased, I’m saying that because it’s true. No one cares and gives as much of themselves to the charge of these creatures as you do, Erie. Sometimes these things happen, and it’s out of your control. It’s totally normal to be upset and feel guilty even, and I wouldn’t want to invalidate your feelings. But at the same time, you shouldn’t beat yourself up over it. Okay?”

  Erie shook her head. “When did you become the wise one, hm?”

  “Don’t worry,” I laughed, shaking my head too. “I won’t take your title. I just know a thing or two about heaving around guilt.”

  “Speaking of wisdom…” Erie began, the smile popping back up on her face. “When are you going to learn to spill the beans about this thing between you and sexy dead-people expert?”

  My eyes darted around the room. This was definitely not a conversation I wanted anyone to overhear. “Sh! And seriously, you have got to stop calling him that. His professional title is Medical Examiner,” I said slowly. “And for the millionth time, there’s nothing to tell. We’re dating. He’s cute and funny and sort of perfect. And that’s that.”

  “Oh, come on,” she hissed, pulling me into the walk-in pantry. “You gotta give me more than that.”

  I took in the desperate look on her face. What the heck—if it would make her feel better even temporarily, then why not?

  “Fine. Things have been going well. Really good, actually.”

  Her pale eyebrows found their way to her hairline. “Is that so? And how good is really good? Have you… ya know,” she made a gesture with her hands that left me gagging.

  “Gross, Erie. What are you, twelve?”

  She giggled. “Just answer the question!”

  I rolled my eyes, though the heat that flooded my cheeks was probably a dead giveaway. “What do you think?”

  Some sort of noise issued from her mouth and Erie clutched onto me tightly, her nails like talons refusing to let me go. “Seriously? Oh my god, Gwen, look at you! Your face is like a tomato. So how was it? How was he? You’re going to give me details, right?”

  I leveled a look at her. “What if I asked you about Houghlin? Would you really want to tell me something private like that?”

  She waved me off like it was nothing. “I’d highly recommend a night spent with him, except I’m married to the guy so there’s no way in the world I would actually say that. He’s great in bed, obviously. The man is as tall as a tree.”

  “Okay, okay. Never mind. Forget I said anything.”

  “You keep your secrets if you must,” she said with a big old grin on her face. “I’m just glad you’re finally getting laid.”

  “Erie!” I knocked my head back against the wooden shelf of herbs, rubbing the sore spot immediately after, while Erie laughed and stepped back into the kitchen still wearing that laugh.

  All jokes aside… I had to agree with her.

  3

  In The Flesh

  After making plans to head to the Market with Erie later, I hung out in the sitting room with Tristan. Jax was snoozing on the floor in front of me after whining when I wouldn’t let him up on the couch.

  I gazed at the fire, watching the embers flicker above the roaring flames. Cozying up with some hot tea and some Netflix didn’t sound like a half-bad idea, although there was nothing close to television, much less Netflix, in Spell Haven. It was probably the biggest drawback, considering.

  Tristan was gushing about his Fairy girlfriend, Brennrie, and how she was all excited about the upcoming Winter Solstice Ball. “I told her she could pick out whatever dress she wanted—my treat. She really ate that up.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Tris, how exactly do you plan on paying for that? It’s not like you’re rolling in the coins anymore.”

  My brother had been under strict house arrest since the summer, for his own safety. When you’ve spied on a dangerous and stabby group of supernatural creatures in the Dark Market who think you’ve killed their leader, sometimes the only option is to hide away under lock and key. Tristan wasn’t exactly the stay-at-home kind of guy, either. Even when he was a kid he was hardly ever caught inside. No, my little brother would’ve much rather gone cave-fishing or headed to the Market to flirt with all the older girls. He wasn’t cut out for the hermit life.

  Tristan laughed, folding his hands behind his head as he thunked his heavy boots on the edge of the table. “No need to worry about my financial situation any longer, Gwennie. I’ve got it all taken care of.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Really, I do.”

  “Do explain your most recent scheme. I’d love to hear it.”

  He fixed a soured look at me, but it slid into something lighter and more mischievous. Which let’s be real, should’ve been his middle name.

  “I’ve got my finger on the pulse of the Market, big sis. The actual Market,” he quickly added, seeing the look on my face. “I’m not getting anywhere near the other place. Though that won’t be a problem for much longer.” Tristan took a long sip from whatever Muldoon’s Shock Syrup-laced concoction he’d put together in the kitchen. “Denbigh is running a couple of side businesses, and he needed some help. Let’s just say that business is good on that end, and I see some real opportunities for expansion.”

  “Tristan,” I groaned, a second away from smacking myself in the forehead. “Please tell me you’re not talking about his gambling ring in the back of the cafe?”

  He recovered from the slip of shock, his eyes narrowing. “How do you know about that?”

  “Denbigh. I mean, I sort of put it together and he told me more or less. Arcas plays sometimes, so I’ve been in the back and I’ve seen it myself.” Gambling wasn’t technically illegal in Spell Haven, per se, but it was supposed to be heavily regulated, which is much more than one could say for what was going on at Denbigh’s. The hobgoblin had quite the assortment of both games and clientele. Even some of the former Dark Market goers had drifted over to Denbigh’s for a drink and a round of Bonnaboo. Whatever that was.

  In the kitchen, I could hear Aunt Bedelia and Isobel laughing. “So, your big ticket is with some flimsy gambling gig? Even you can do better than that.”

  “Oh, thank you, Princess Rosea,” he muttered, referring to the
infamously spoiled Fairy princess in Arcadia, where the Fae ruled. “Like I said, it’s given me some ideas. In fact, once the Dark Market is stripped down and done away with, plenty of people are going to need jobs. People who would normally want nothing to do with me anymore.”

  “And you plan on stepping in as the benevolent employer?” I pursed my lips. Of course Tristan would come up with some cockamamie idea like this. “Haven’t you had enough of people wanting your head on a silver platter?”

  “But it won’t be like that. You’ll see.” The look on his face took me way back to when he was a kid and sulked in his room when he didn’t get his way. I half-expected him to stick his tongue out at me.

  Above our heads, the sound of many feet clambered on, apparently the cousins were chasing after one another.

  Deciding that I didn’t want to spend the morning arguing with my brother, I switched directions. “So, how is the dismantling of the Dark Market going, anyway? Has Uncle Gardner kept you updated with everything?”

  He fell for the diversion immediately, leaning forward in his seat. “Pretty well from what he’s told me. They have all the necessary paperwork, the warrants all signed, yada yada. Things definitely ramped up after the new Keeper of the Pages was named, and they recovered The Book of the Wise. All that MARC manpower was diverted back to investigating the Dark Market and its top dragons.”

  I nodded. “Wow. It sounds like they finally have all their ducks in a row.”

  Tristan raised a brow at me. “Their what?”

  Sometimes I forgot which euphemisms were from which realm. I’d nearly had an aneurysm trying to talk my way out of explaining what ‘hairier than a werewolf’s apron’ meant to Sully.

  “Never mind. So, what does all this mean for you? With the Dark Market out of the picture, I imagine Uncle Gardner will let you take a few steps outside again, right?”