Too Hexy For Her Broom

by Susan Hayes

  “Not exactly.”

  Connell quickly popped a gravy drenched French fry into her mouth while Snuffy patted her hand. “Breathe, Breeze.”

  She huffed out a breath through her nose and munched on the fry. When she was calmer, she picked up her fork, and speared her last morsel of cheesecake, pinning it to the plate like she was re-enacting a scene from Conan the Barbarian.

  “More fries!” Connell called out to the wolf Shifter behind the bar. Orion’s head snapped up, and within a few seconds, another platter of poutine was delivered by Orion’s younger brother, Hunter.

  She’d idly noted that both men were hotter than could possibly be legal, but she wasn’t interested in anything about them except their ability to keep her plied with carbs. Connell was the only guy she wanted, and that was just one more thing she needed to come to grips with. Too bad the universe wasn’t giving her a chance to process the insanity her life had become.

  Only once she was carb-stable did she look at her uncle again. “Explain what you meant by not exactly. The last time I checked, death was pretty cut and dried. You’re either dead or you’re not.”

  “You know what Schrödinger's Cat is?”

  “Who cares about a stupid cat?” Snuffy muttered into his beer. It was his second, and Breeze was fairly certain her familiar was not even close to sober. Lucky fuzzball.

  “I know what it is. Thought experiment. Cat in a box. Device that can kill the cat also in the box. Device randomly samples for…something. Radiation? If it finds it, dead cat. No radiation, live cat. Seal the box and ask the question, is the cat dead or alive? The answer is it’s both, until someone opens the box and observes the contents, thus causing one of the alternatives to become reality.”

  “Who the fuck is this Scrotum-dingle guy and why does he hate cats so much?” Snuffy demanded.

  “That’s not important.” She glared at Fisk. “I’m still waiting for an explanation about my parents that doesn’t involve quantum physics. All you’ve told me so far is that you’re a Blackfin and I’m a Blackstone, and we’re family. Oh, and my parents loved me and yet they made you swear not to come looking for me. Me. Your flesh and blood, who grew up thinking I was alone in the world!”

  Connell handed her a milkshake. “Drink, lass. You’re bending the silverware again.”

  She looked down at her hands. Sure enough, two forks and a spoon were now twisted into exotic new shapes. She checked the table and then frowned at her familiar. “Put it back.”

  He shoved a paw out of sight. “I didn’t take anything.”

  “Snuffy Wuffles the Turd, you put that back.” She waved her fingers at him and a flurry of sparks chased over her hand. “Now.”

  “But…shiny!” He slipped a twisted spoon back onto the table and sighed. “So shiny.”

  “Stop distracting me, or I’ll zap you bald and toothless,” she turned her attention back to her uncle. “And I’ll do the same to you if I don’t get an answer soon.”

  “Just like your mother.” Fisk grinned. “Goddess, how I’ve missed you all.” His smile faded a moment later. “This place was once protected by a coven of witches. Your mother and two others. It’s been that way for centuries.”

  “Because Wyrding Way is a source of powerful magic, right?” she asked.

  “Because Wyrding Way is exactly what this place is. Wyrd is another name for Fate, and Fate is one of the most powerful forces in all creation. Killer body, too, and a temper that can flatten forests, but that’s another story. This is one of her power sources.”

  And she was charged with protecting it?

  “The coven protects it, and in exchange, they get a small portion of its power, but only while they are nearby. This Father of Shadows needs to be here to be tap into it, which is why he’s trying to run us off again.”

  “Again?” This was news to her.

  “If it’s who I think it is? Yeah, again. He’s a powerful warlock named Frank Frellshingle. The Father of Shadows thing is new, but it’s got to be him.”

  “Is this where you finally explain to me why my parents aren’t dead?” She kept eating. Thank the Goddess for her fast metabolism or she’d need a new wardrobe by morning.

  “Frellshingle tried to destroy your mother’s coven just before you turned thirteen. It didn’t go well for him. In retaliation, he employed some of the darkest magic there is, and he stole just enough local power to alter their fates. Your parents, along with the rest of the coven and their husbands, were cursed.”

  “Fuck me bald. Is that what happened? That’s bad. So bad. No wonder they didn’t tell me,” Snuffy muttered.

  “He didn’t have enough power to curse you or the other two girls, but we assumed he’d come for you once you were alone and unprotected. You were too young to be able to defend yourselves. He would have killed you.”

  “But he didn’t,” she said, finally starting to understand what had been done to her, and why.

  Connell laid a hand over hers. “Thank the Goddess for that.”

  “You didn’t die because Fate was royally pissed off someone was messing with her mojo. She stepped in with a solution…of sorts. This is where, if you forgive the expression, things get weird. I don’t understand exactly how it all worked, I’m a Shifter, not a warlock, but basically, Fate sent your parents to a point beyond the reach of the curse, then she, with help from Baba Yaga, sent you and the other two young witches away. The high witch had your memories and your powers altered, Goddess only knows how, so Frellshingle couldn’t find you until you were ready to take your place as protectors.”

  “No contact, because if anyone found me, or if I remembered too much, it would let this asshole track me down.”

  “The only way to keep you safe was to stay away.” Fisk gave her a haunted, broken look and reached across the table to her. “I’m sorry, Breeze. Your parents made me swear on all I hold dear that I wouldn’t do anything that might endanger your life. I helped them fake their deaths. Even capsized their boat myself after they left with Fate. I did everything they asked, but you have to believe me, not knowing where you were or how you were doing has haunted me every day.”

  “We were all told not to look for any of you. Not ever,” Sassy piped up.

  Breeze realized that while Fisk was talking, most of the townsfolk had drifted over to listen. Judging by the looks on their faces, none of them had known the whole story. Her uncle had carried this secret for years. To protect me. She swallowed past the lump in her throat and took Fisk’s hand in her free one. “I believe you. You protected me so that I could come back someday and protect all of you.”

  “And the Goddess sent me here to help you do that,” Connell chimed in.

  There were murmurs of confusion and surprise from around the pub. “The Goddess sent you?” “Why would she do that?” “What can you do?”

  “I can protect my mate.” He stated with a confidence she wished she shared. “And I’m an agent of P.I.T.A.’s undercover division. At least I am for now.” He glanced over at her and smiled. “This will be my last mission. I’m retiring.”

  Holy hell. He was giving up his career? For her? “Are you crazy? You love your job.”

  “You already know I’m crazy. And I’ve recently discovered I love someone more than I love my work.” He leaned in and kissed her in front of everyone. “Care to guess who that might be?”

  “You can’t love me, yet.”

  “Wanna bet? I’m a Shifter. Once we find our mates, we’re all in.”

  Fisk snorted. “That’s not what you said this morning.”

  “I was in denial.” Connell shrugged. “I got over it.”

  “Well, I haven’t gotten there, yet.” She smiled. “But I’m working on it.”

  “Took you long enough. When I found my Rose, I claimed her in less than an hour,” Fisk said.

  “You are such a liar. I made you wait an entire day.” A large, curvy woman with sun-kissed skin and a tumble of dark curls marched up to Fisk and pok
ed him in the shoulder. “And I made him get a haircut, too. Forgive this idiot for not introducing us, yet. I’m Rose. I met Fisk after you’d gone into hiding, so we’ve never met.”

  “Hi. Nice to meet you.” She shot a look of annoyance at her great uncle. “Any other family you forgot to mention?”

  “None.”

  “Good, then I need to hear the rest of this explanation.” She looked around the room at the gathering of Shifters. “Then, we’re going to make a plan to protect this place, and everyone in it.”

  “Tell her, Fisk, and for once in your life, keep the story short and simple.” Rose rolled her eyes. “This one loves to spin a tale that takes an hour instead of two minutes.”

  “I’ve waited thirteen years to tell this story,” Fisk grumbled. But he straightened and gave Breeze’s hand a squeeze. “Your parents aren’t dead, Breeze. When Frellshingle messed with their fates, he created a new outcome, one where they died. He didn’t specify how they died, though. Only that they would cease to exist. That’s the loophole Fate used. She sent them to another, possible future, one where you and the other girls defeat Frellshingle, thus ending the curse. Until that happens, they don’t exist. But if you’re successful, it would be safe for your parents to come back.”

  “So that line about ‘If I find a way to win, Fate has promised you’ll see us again?’ is literally true?”

  “It is. If you defeat him. If you don’t…” He shook his head.

  She put the rest together on her own. “If I don’t, then that possible future can’t exist, and they’ll be gone forever.” Fuck a duck. No pressure there. If she didn’t get this right, she’d lose everything, and so far, she hadn’t even seen this Father of Shadows.

  “And the other two witches? Fern and Luna? I’m going to need them to win, right?”

  “You will. They’ll return to this place when it’s time for them to reclaim their roles, just as you did. At least, that was the idea.”

  “If there’s anything left for them to return to.”

  Connell kissed her cheek. “We’ll make sure of that, little witch. It’s what the Goddess sent us here to do.”

  She didn’t know if it was arrogance or faith that made Connell so damned sure of himself, but she envied his confidence. She wasn’t so sure this was going to work out. Not much in her life ever did.

  “I guess it’s time we came up with a plan to send creepy-hood dude and the featherheads the flock out of town.”

  Chapter Twelve

  After years of acting on his own, Connell was out of practice coordinating a group attack, and he’d never tried to turn a bunch of civilian shifters into an overnight army before. He’d had to kibosh the squirrels’ ideas of a pinecone ballista, and some of the pixies were pouting because they were stuck on lookout and messenger details, but all in all, it was going pretty well.

  They’d spent last night making plans and gathering information. He knew the names and abilities of every adult Shifter in town, and he’d split them into three groups. The largest group would stay in town and deal with any Shifters who accompanied the warlock when they came back to enforce the deadline. A smaller group was watching the island. It might be warded, but the orca pod was patrolling the coastline, and the pixie patrol had volunteered to do fly-overs and report what they saw. The third group was mostly non-combatants, protected by some of the stronger Shifters. Anyone who couldn’t fight would be a safe distance away long before any trouble was likely to start. He smiled to himself. Well, almost everyone who couldn’t fight. He had a surprise waiting for the gull Shifters when they waltzed into town. The feathery fuckers wouldn’t know what hit them.

  He would have preferred to take the fight to the warlock, but there wasn’t any way to bring their makeshift army across the water without being seen long before they reached the shore. They needed the element of surprise, so their best bet was to make it look like they were leaving without a fight.

  Fighting here came with risks, but if Breeze blew up part of the town while saving all of it, that was a chance everyone was willing to take. Well, everyone except Breeze. His little witch was putting more pressure on herself than anyone else, and he wished he could find a way to ease her burdens.

  She’d stayed up half the night making plans and talking with the people she’d been tasked to protect, all while trying to come to grips with the truth about her parents, her life, and her destiny. She was the strongest woman he’d ever met, and that included some of the biggest, baddest agents in either P.I.T.A or T.G.I.F, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t struggling.

  They’d gone back to her place sometime after midnight. It smelled of pine cleaner and he’d spotted all sorts of changes to the furniture, but he’d been too distracted to pay much attention. He’d carried her up to her room, intending to leave her there to sleep, but she wouldn’t let him leave. One look at her sad eyes and he’d joined her in the bed, making love to her until they were both too tired to do anything but sleep.

  Once dawn came, they were both awake again. As much as he would have preferred to keep her safe in bed, he’d known he couldn’t. She had to protect the town. He had to protect her.

  “How’s it going?” Eleanor set down a fresh mug of coffee on the table in front of him.

  They’d taken over the bakery as a base of operations. It was in the middle of town, had plenty of windows so he could see the street outside, and Eleanor and her staff had kept them all supplied with a steady flow of coffee and pastries while they put their plans in motion. Plus, there was something soothing about being surrounded by soft pink walls adorned with pictures of the town’s citizens at various functions. It was a nice reminder of what they were fighting for, and the scent of freshly baked bread and other treats was a definite plus.

  “I think we’re as ready as we can be. How are our guests doing?”

  The elk Shifter smiled. “They’re fine. I’ve got them settled in the back, out of sight until the time comes.”

  “Perfect. Thank you.”

  Eleanor gave him the warmest smile he’d gotten from her since arriving. “No need to thank me. You’re part of the family now, Connell.”

  She drifted away before he could get his brain working again. Holy Goddess in a G-string, he was family? Two days ago, he’d been nothing more than a source of tourist dollars. He took a long look around himself, at the bakery and the people in it. They were worried, but they were also determined to fight for their homes, and each other. Family. Home. The words danced a dizzying jig through his mind, making a mess of his plans and preconceptions.

  Mating Breeze meant staying here. He knew that. But what he hadn’t understood, until just now, was that by staying, he was choosing not just Breeze, but this place and everyone in it. This wasn’t her home, it was theirs, and so was the fight to protect it.

  He left his coffee on the table and went looking for Breeze. He needed to see her, hold her, and make sure she knew that whatever was coming, he’d be beside her every step of the way.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Breeze had spent a good part of the morning strengthening the spells around town and adding new layers of protection. Snuffy had proven to be a decent magical instructor, which made sense given he knew more about her abilities than she did.

  She had most of her memories back, now. At least, she thought she did. It was impossible to be sure. The problem was it would take time to sort through all the new information floating around her head, and time was in short supply. Which was probably why Creepy-hood had shown up when he did. He and his flock of troublemakers knew they were running out of time.

  “This sucks!” She hurled another bolt of dark-ish magic at a tree, reducing it to splinters. The road out of town was now lined with craters and tree guts, which she was sure was going to piss off any local environmentalists and the logging companies. She’d have to fix the mess later, if she survived that long. Not to mention, she probably owed the dryads a couple of dozen vegan cupcakes for traumatizing their be
loved forest.

  “That’s the best you’ve got? Dark magic comes from a dark place. You need to get really pissed if you’re going to go all the way dark. Moody blue isn’t going to put a dent in that hooded douchebag.”

  “I am a witch, not a freaking space monk with a laser sword. I’m trying my best.”

  “There is no…”

  She zapped a couple of sparks at Snuffy’s ample ass. “if you finish that sentence, I will not be responsible for what happens to you.”

  “Ow! I’m just trying to help,” Snuffy grumbled.

  “Telling me to get mad over and over isn’t working. What else have ya got?”

  She caught a whiff of chocolate and woodsmoke a moment before a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist. Connell.

  “You’re making quite a mess out here. You making progress?”

  “Not really. I can’t seem to fully tap into my dark magic. Anger isn’t working.”

  He nuzzled the side of her neck, and every cell in her body melted into gooey bits of molten lust. She reached behind her and got a glorious handful of hard glut and pleated fabric. Goddess save her, he was wearing a kilt again.

  “Hmmm,” he nibbled his way up to her ear. “That’s a problem. Maybe anger isn’t the key. You used dark magic yesterday, right? In the kitchen?”

  “That’s what Snuffy says. I was too busy losing my shit to really notice.”

  “Definitely dark magic,” Snuffy confirmed.

  “So.” He paused to give her earlobe a little nip and she had to bite back a whimper of need. Her man was dangerously sexy. He could do more with his mouth than some guys could do with their entire bodies and a store full of battery-operated joy toys.

  “So…what?” The question came out more a breathless gasp than a question, but she was frankly surprised she could speak at all.