Couture and Curses
Page 14
Twenty minutes later, we were on the road out of Unicorn Saddle Ridge. Harmony and I sat in the backseat, Peaches in the cat carrier wedged between us. Meryl, Clark, and the other female agent sat in the middle row, all on their phones, trying to reach various SPA departments. Caleb had called the hospital but the nurse at the desk told him he’d have to wait for a healer to call him back and to expect a wait thanks to a Shimmer Bus derailment. For a moment, I worried the sorcerer might have had something to do with the accident, but Caleb discarded that theory after listening to the radio and overhearing that the driver of the bus had fallen asleep at the wheel.
“Well that’s not entirely a relief,” I said under my breath. “I ride the hexin’ thing every day.”
Caleb’s fourth agent drove at top speeds but the drive still seemed to take a lot longer than it had on the way to the safe house and my fingers drummed on my thighs as Caleb sped through the Seattle Haven streets.
“How did he even get into the house?” I asked when things quieted down. “I thought you said any tracking spells would redirect him to an SPA holding cell.”
Caleb cleared his throat. “I was told the deterrents had been set up, but a tracking spell is the only thing that makes sense. These plans came together so quickly … it’s possible the request for the spell is still sitting on a supervisor’s desk.”
Meryl coughed, concealing a grin. “Ah, bureaucracy. That’s the real killer here.”
“I don’t know,” Harmony interjected, one hand resting on Peaches’s carrier. “The sorcerer said he had some connection to you, Stace. Because of the curse. He might not have needed a tracking spell. He already knew where you were.”
“Maybe. But then why did he use one to send the flower delivery boy to my door?”
Meryl leaned forward, poking her head in between the driver and passenger seats. “Ruiz, is it possible what you recalled was actually a location spell, not a tracking spell. It must be hard to tell the difference between the two after they’ve already faded.”
Harmony frowned. “I’m not following.”
Meryl sat back and then twisted in her seat to face us. “A location spell would be like GPS for witches. Lots of delivery places use them to make sure deliveries get where they’re supposed to go. It’s possible that delivery boy didn’t know the way to Ana’s building, and the shop owner used a location spell to help him. Whereas a tracking spell is much more in depth and follows a person, thanks to some kind of article of clothing or hair or whatever, and isn’t location-dependent.”
Ruiz didn’t say anything for a long moment, but then quickly informed Caleb he’d follow up with the flower company in the morning to see if that was common practice for their deliveries.
I sagged back against the seat. It wasn’t all that comforting to think that some shadow had followed me everywhere I’d gone since the attack at Aurelia’s. Somehow, the thought of a tracking spell was less invasive.
Ruiz pulled into the hospital parking lot, and we all drew in a collective breath before disembarking the SUV. Caleb naturally took the lead and went to the desk to speak with Aurelia’s healer. After a few moments, he signaled for us to wait and then disappeared down the hall.
No one said anything as we waited for news. Minutes ticked by, each one slower than the last. Finally, Caleb rounded the corridor, and when he met my eyes, he burst into a wide smile. “She’s waking up!”
A cry broke from me and I collapsed into his arms.
He cradled the back of my head as I cried against his shoulder, all of the emotions flowing from me in blubbering sobs. “You did it, baby. You saved her.”
Two weeks later, Caleb accompanied me to what was supposed to be CeeCee’s going-away party at the office, only to discover, upon entering Luna, that it was actually a surprise birthday party for me. Harmony had made the arrangements with CeeCee in secret and used CeeCee’s departure from the firm as the cover story for a big group gathering.
Marcus, the managing partner of the chic eatery, had gone all out, helping with the decorations and even having his award-winning chef create a signature meal in my honor. Guy, Harmony’s bartender friend, created a truly inspired cocktail for the occasion that featured strawberries, chocolate, vodka, and a little splash of magic, and insisted we all drink.
And while it might have been my birthday soiree, the real guest of honor was Aurelia. The curse had broken and she’d been able to return home less than forty-eight hours after the sorcerer had been defeated.
In the week following the showdown at the SPA safe house, we’d learned that the sorcerer was named Earl Whittley, a thirty-three year old prodigy from the Chicago Haven. After speaking with his last roommate, Caleb learned that he’d been in Seattle for six months, searching down some rare tome to add to his collection. The roommate claimed not to know anything about the Heart of Poseidon, but did admit that often times he would find Earl bringing home stray animals only to never see them again.
The SPA’s advanced dark magic team had worked tirelessly to figure out what he’d done to the sapphire, but had trouble as there was so little of it left, and whatever magic it contained appeared to have vanished. Some things about Earl would remain a mystery, but everyone agreed that he was good and truly gone, even if no one was quite sure where.
“Since I thought this was your party, I do have a little something for you,” I told CeeCee when things had died down. A handful of guests remained behind, nursing Guy’s specialty cocktails and snacking on the leftover cake.
“You didn’t have to do that,” she said, even as she made grabby hand motions at the gift bag I produced from under my seat at the table.
She tore into the tissue paper with gusto and pulled out the custom travel mug I’d had made for her. It was white with aqua writing up the side that read “Boss Witch” in a bold font.
“Shake it!” I told her.
She did, and the lettering changed in a shower of gold sparkles, reading “And Don’t You Forget It!”
She laughed and shook it again, changing it back. “I love it!”
“I figure it’ll put a good amount of fear into your new underlings,” I teased.
She cooed and clapped her hands together. “I have underlings!”
We laughed together and ordered another round.
“Are you excited?” I asked, fishing a strawberry from the bottom of my martini glass.
“I am,” she said with a sharp nod before puckering up to take a long sip of her own drink. “And you know,” she said, leaning in conspiratorially, “I could get you a pretty sweet discount if you ever wanted to use the ballroom for, say, a wedding.”
“Good to know. I’ll make a note—” I stopped mid-sentence, the full weight of her suggestion hitting me. Warmth spread over my cheeks even as my gaze found Caleb across the room, chatting with Patrick and Harmony.
Aurelia appeared and sat on my other side, giving CeeCee a knowing smile. “What’s this about a wedding?”
Oh, stars. Here we go.
***
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Thank you so much for reading Couture and Curses! I hope you enjoyed the story. Anastasia and Harmony’s adventures (and mishaps!) continue in Wedding Bells and Deadly Spells, the last book in this trio of magic mysteries. I may add more to the series in the future, but for now, book three will wrap this story arc and send us into our next adventure (hint: we’re headed back to the Beechwood Harbor Manor).
Pre-order your copy of Wedding Bells and Deadly Spells today and it will arrive on April 12th, 2019!
Thank you and happy reading!
~Danielle Garrett
www.DanielleGarrettBooks.com
Also by Danielle Garrett
Return to Beechwood Harbor today by visiting www.DanielleGarrettBooks.com
About the Author
As a lifelong bookworm, Danielle Garrett has always loved dreaming of fantastic places and the stories they have to share. Through her love of reading, she’s followed along on hun
dreds of adventures through the eyes of wizards, princesses, elves, and some rather wonderful everyday people as well. This lifelong passion led her into the world of writing and she has now achieved the dream she’s held since the second grade and become an author herself.
Danielle lives in Oregon, and while she travels as often as possible, she wouldn’t call anywhere else home. She shares her life with her husband and their house full of animals. When she’s not writing, she can be found serving as the dedicated servant to three extremely spoiled cats or chasing down the most recent item the puppy has turned into a chew toy.
Visit Danielle today at her website or say “hello” on Facebook.
www.daniellegarrettbooks.com