A Broom Too Far

by Mara Webb

  A Broom too Far

  A Wildes Witches Mystery Book 2

  Mara Webb

  Copyright © 2019 by Mara Webb

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Thanks for Reading

  1

  A buzzing sound on my nightstand had woken me. I opened my eyes and strained to see as the blazing sun flooded the room. It was winter now, so that meant it was at least nine in the morning. I answered my cell phone.

  “Hello?” My voice was croaky, it was obvious I had been woken.

  “Sorry Nora, did I wake you? I was just checking that you wanted to cycle today, not run. It’s hard work attaching the bikes to the car, so I didn’t want to mess about with it if we’re running.” Brent sounded very enthusiastic.

  We had been training together for the Sucré triathlon for a couple of months. It was exhausting but I enjoyed spending time with him, and it got me out of the house and exercising.

  “Yeah, bike please Brent. The kittens were hissing at something for about an hour in the middle of the night and I struggled to get back to sleep. That’s why I slept in. I’m looking forward to today though! Ten miles out, right?”

  “Sure is! Then all the way back home. I’ve mapped out a great route for us, I thought I would pack a picnic lunch. Make it a bit more romantic than eating a sandwich sat on some dirt.” I could hear him smiling as he spoke.

  We weren’t officially dating but I had feelings for him that grew stronger every day. Of course, he didn’t know I was a witch. I wasn’t sure when I was supposed to bring that up either.

  “See you in an hour! I just need to drink a gallon of coffee to perk myself up. Bye!” I hung up and jumped out of bed.

  I knew I couldn’t eat a huge breakfast before a morning of cycling, but I couldn’t go out hungry either. Quin, my cat familiar, was close behind me as I walked out of the bedroom and to the top of the stairs. The kittens were charging after each other, racing around the ground floor. Once they were caught, they would tumble about in a fuzzy wrestling ball, then shoot off into running again.

  As their magic was growing, they were now able to wriggle their noses a little and throw obstacles into each other's path. One kitten just added a dining table with chairs to the entryway of the house so that the others had to navigate their way through wooden legs as they ran. Another kitten added a paddling pool with an inch of water to the lounge. They wanted to keep their feet dry so quickly changed direction to avoid it.

  Quin and I looked at each other and sighed.

  “Do you think I’m too soft on them?” he asked me, looking down at his litter of familiar students with misty eyes.

  Was he going to cry?

  Six kittens had fallen asleep on top of a wand they had found in a neighbor's house. Somehow, they had transformed themselves into familiars. As Quin was the teacher at the familiar boot camp that had designed many of the training courses, he was trusted with the task of guiding these tiny, furry students. He was very proud of them and would get emotional at almost anything they did.

  It was cute, but also baffling. Yesterday one of them had somehow tracked dirty paws across the ceiling and Quin had burst into tears that they had mastered flight.

  The sound of my feet treading on the top step alerted the kittens that I was on the way down. Six pairs of eyes were suddenly on me and the morning chorus of excited shouting began.

  “Breakfast! Breakfast! Yes, so hungry! When did we last eat? So hungry! Yes, yes! Fish and milk and ham and milk and milk! Yes, yes!” The kittens sang in loud chorus. Being familiars meant that they could of course speak. A blessing and a curse when you are a tired witch that had hours of cycling planned for the day.

  A white kitten with ginger patches was shouting “Eggs!” and walking in circles around my legs as I lowered myself off the bottom step. This seemed to be the only word she knew, that and ‘Waffles’. We were getting worried. We had decided to name her “Chomps” in tribute to the frantic way she ate.

  One of the fiery, orange patches on her back was now electric blue. Her powers were growing. I looked over at Quin and he was already crying with delight.

  I had lost control of my day already and I had only been awake for fifteen minutes. The kittens insisted that they needed to eat first for reasons such as ‘So hungry, it hurts where the food isn’t’ and ‘Why aren’t we eating yet?’ I would have a more peaceful morning if I met their demands.

  Once Chomps, Jinx, Echo, Howl, Delphi and Mark were happily eating, I could prepare food for myself. Quin had a slice of turkey breast but was so busy crying as he watched the kittens that he hardly touched it. I toasted a bagel, added some cream cheese and hurriedly ripped off chunks with my teeth. I needed to brush my teeth and get my things for the day organized before Brent got here.

  I had started to feel more like a real athlete since I bought proper cycling gear. I had thermal tights to keep my legs warm in the colder weather, they were also breathable so as my body heated up, I didn’t cook. The skintight jacket over my shirt also helped with the look. I had muscle tone now and felt grateful that my outfit could show off my figure on my exercise dates with the handsome police officer.

  I ran into the bathroom, remembered to shut the door and double checked it was locked. I didn’t need seven cats asking me questions as I washed my face. I looked at my reflection in the mirror, just like every other time I did this, my aunt Edith appeared.

  I had first moved into number thirteen Charm Close after my aunt had died. I had inherited her house and her magic powers after she was murdered by someone she knew and trusted. Witches can appear in mirrors at their home, so Edith would visit me daily and I would talk to her about my weird dreams or dates with Brent.

  She had also been the head of a high council of witches and wizards here in Sucré. I had taken her place as a council member and after her co-council Benjamin Rooper was arrested for her murder, we had a vacancy. We had recently narrowed down the applicants to just one and they would be attending their first meeting soon.

  Unfortunately, Edith was unable to speak, but she could listen and give responses using her hands or facial expressions. We were trying to learn sign language using an online course I had found so that we could communicate more easily.

  She seemed to have mischief on the mind this morning as every time I mentioned Brent, she started making kissing faces.

  “We are just going out for a bike ride; we won’t be that close to each other for most of the day!” I protested. She made the kissing pout silently.

  “You know we haven’t kissed yet. I doubt today will be the day. Anyway, I was just letting you know I will be out until the afternoon, try to keep the cats inside the house if you can, they’re a nightmare to find now that they have stronger magic.” She nodded in agreement, giving me the thumbs up to signify that she would try her best.

  The kittens were now able to climb up walls, smooth walls covered in plaster, as if it were
a horizontal sprint track. If they escaped again, they could go literally anywhere. Nothing could contain them now except Quin and Edith working together with their magic to prevent them getting outside.

  I said goodbye to Edith and jogged to my closet to get changed. Fresh minty breath and my skintight outfit, I was ready to go just in time. Brent knocked on the door. Quin ushered the litter of familiars into the basement so that they wouldn’t start talking in front of a human and I rushed to greet him. He could never come in because of the kittens.

  “Good morning, Nora. You look great. I would never have guessed you had a rough night,” Brent said. Officer Brent was so sweet and attentive, nothing like my estranged husband, Greg.

  “Thanks, I think that means the caffeine kicked in. Should we get going?” I was already pulling the front door closed behind me. I had a backpack with a bottle of water and a bag of peanuts slung over one shoulder and was bouncing down the stairs to get to his car.

  “Does today’s route start from the house? Or do we need to drive somewhere first?” I asked.

  “We leave from here, I figured I could show you some new jogging routes along the way. Sucré is really beautiful if you know where to go.” He seemed giddy as he spoke, like a child with a secret they could barely contain. His eyes were brighter today.

  “Let’s make a move then!” I tried to match his energy levels, but I struggled. We worked together to unclip the bikes from the back of his car and secured the helmets onto our heads. “Lead the way.”

  We only spoke a few words as we put some distance between us and the suburban areas of Sucré. Brent gave some historical facts about a statue we had passed in a park. It was otherwise silence. “Nora,” he yelled from a couple of yards ahead, “just through this wooded area now and then when we get to a clearing, that’s our ten-mile mark. Our lunch spot!”

  I followed him into a wood. I had been a little apprehensive of entering any dense area of trees since the council and I had fought a giant spider-like creature a few weeks back. When we had frightened it away it had run off towards a forest, but I couldn’t be sure of what else lurked nearby. I had packed my wand into my backpack, just in case.

  In an instant we were surrounded by the trunks of incredibly tall trees, the ground was crunchy under the wheels of our bikes from fallen leaves that were still warm brown in color. The further into the trees we got the more wonderful the view became. We cycled across man made bridges over streams, navigating through natural paths between branches and vines.

  The air was fresh, and I felt like I could take deeper breaths out here. I followed Brent across the shaded forest floor until we reached a clearing. It was breath-taking. He dismounted and began to unpack his backpack. He unfolded a picnic blanket with a waterproof side and spread it out across the grass, populating the tartan with homemade falafel wraps, fruit, and cookies. It was the most romantic thing anyone had ever done for me.

  The large meadow was surrounded by trees on three sides, a slowly moving river was the fourth border edge. The grass was so vibrant and healthy, I couldn’t believe that winter had left his place so untouched. It felt like a spring afternoon was in full bloom. The river was wide and gentle, the sound of the water lapping over rocks in its path was the only thing I could hear over the distant tweeting of birds.

  “I made us lunch. Come sit with me.” He was trying to read my face, I was awestruck. “It’s amazing isn’t it. I come here sometimes, a hidden gem.” Brent was right.

  I sat on the blanket next to him and took a bite out of the wrap he had handed to me. It was delicious, but that could have been because I was so happy here that my magic was enhancing its flavor. The grass around us was sprinkled with Lily Turf, their lilac-purple flowers dotted over the field of green around me. Part of my witch training with O.W.L, the Online Witch Learning school, was to learn the names of wildflowers and plants that could be used in potion making.

  “I made these last night, white chocolate chips and macadamia nut, those are your favorite, right?” Brent said as he held out the box of cookies.

  I sank my teeth into the first one, the buttery richness mixed with the sweetness of the chocolate and crunch from the nuts. I was already on my second before he spoke again.

  “I’m glad you like them Nora. I wanted to make today special, you deserve good things. It would be an honor to be the one to give them to you.” He smiled at me and leaned a little closer.

  Was this about to be it? Our first kiss? He is going to kiss me for the first time, and I am covered in crumbs and melted chocolate.

  He reached out a hand and softly brushed the crumbs off my lip with his thumb, on the final stroke he left his thumb against my mouth.

  It’s happening!

  I leaned towards him; I could almost feel the heat from his breath mixing with mine in the space between us.

  “Argh!” I yelled. “I can’t breathe, argh!” I quickly stood up and grabbed my throat. “I can’t breathe!”

  But I could breathe, I was able to speak. What was happening? Then I remembered.

  Quin.

  As our bond grew stronger, I was able to communicate with my familiar without words and across great distances. I wasn’t the one that was gasping for oxygen, it was Quin. Something was hurting Quin. I needed to get home.

  2

  “I’m fine, honestly. It was just an overreaction. The pill is making me feel a bit drowsy already so the quicker I get home the better really,” I lied. I had told Brent that I had been stung by some mystery insect and that I was having an allergic reaction to it. Not as severe as anaphylaxis but serious enough that I needed to get home immediately.

  He had packed antihistamines as a precaution, that was Brent all over. Thoughtful and prepared. He had given me a dose of the medication and his water bottle to swallow it with. I regretted not having thought of a better lie, the drug was making me feel a little sleepy and I didn’t know what threat I would be facing back at home.

  Brent poured concern over me. Any other time that would have been sweet and lovely, but he was going to slow us down if he didn’t stop fussing.

  “Are you sure we don’t need to take you to a hospital Nora? Better safe than sorry.” He was worried and I was digging deeper into the lie to placate him.

  “Yes, I feel better already you know. Just need to sleep it off.”

  We were cycling back towards the house much faster than we had on the way out to the meadow. I think the wand in my backpack was helping with that. It wasn’t that our legs were moving faster but the wheels of the bike were spinning as if we were rolling downhill.

  Despite no greater physical exertion, my heart was pounding faster with each passing minute.

  Quin.

  I couldn’t feel a connection with him anymore, the shortness of breath I had experienced in the meadow was gone and I feared the worst.

  What could have happened? Why can’t I sense him now?

  We were within sight of Sucré now. Almost flying over dirt paths and tarmacked roads as we hurried back to Charm Close. I hadn’t decided which lie I was going to tell to get Brent to stay outside this time. I needed him to get into his car and get away as quickly as possible for two reasons.

  The first reason was that I didn’t want him to be exposed to magic, at least not yet. We weren’t serious enough and I wasn’t sure what his reaction would be. What if he was disgusted? What if he was an undercover witch hunter or if he told someone who told someone else and brought danger to my door?

  The other reason was that I didn’t know what I would face when I got home. Quin was in trouble, but he had magical powers. What chance to Brent have against something that could overpower Quin? I couldn’t bear the thought of him getting hurt because of me. How do I get him to go home?

  We had crossed the invisible border that separated the suburban areas of Sucré from the wilderness that surrounded it. Our bikes rushed across sidewalks and roads, houses and small businesses a blur either side of us. My brain was work
ing overtime to come up with a believable story that would get Brent home. I was foggy and distracted.

  As we approached Charm Close, I could feel a lump in my throat.

  What about the kittens? Where are they?

  We rolled passed number seven, number nine, number eleven, and then pulled up finally outside number thirteen. My house. The front door was wide open.

  “Nora don’t go inside. Someone has broken in, it isn’t safe. I’ll call it in to the station, we can have more officers come to look around.” He was trying to help, but more humans getting in the way was the last thing I needed.

  “Oh! I gave a key to my cousin last time she visited. She mentioned that she might drop in this week, so she has obviously just forgotten to close the door behind her. She is from a small town too so just doesn’t worry about safety like city folk.” I felt confident about this lie, it didn’t really hurt anyone, and I could get Brent out of here.

  “Her name is...Julia. She owns a bakery. She wanted to test out some new recipes on me and I made a promise and we barely see each other so I should just go in alone and eat brownies and fudge and—”

  A sound inside caught my attention. Just in time really, I was getting over excited with creating untrue nonsense about a fictional cousin, it was becoming unmanageable. I ran into the house and slammed the door behind me. I re-opened the front door.

  “Thanks for today, really. Dinner tomorrow? Your place? I will bring dessert!” I needed to save my cat family, but I also didn’t want to lose Brent in my haste.

  “That sounds great. Call me later, tell me how that sting is doing. I can drive you to the doctor if you need.” He paused for a second. He didn’t want our date to be over and truthfully neither did I, but I had to get inside.