First Moon : A Reverse Harem Tale (Lovin' the Coven Book 1)

by Jacquelyn Faye

  I blushed. "I can see that. Damn angels, taking all my credit."

  "Credit you never wanted…"

  "Nope. Let the angels keep it."

  "What really sold them is the little girl remembering the sweet angel in her head. She said the angel tickled her and kept her warm."

  I blushed again. Right before I started crying. At least they were happy tears. That was a nice change.

  "Where'd everybody go?"

  "Josie went off with Candace. The doctor gave her the rest of the night off to see Josie home safely. I think he might have been playing matchmaker there. You made a new friend. Doc Shapiro is a good one to have."

  "My third human friend in town."

  "You should make more. Lot of good people in this town."

  "I noticed that. I'll try."

  He nodded. "You need a ride?"

  "I don't think so. I'm good now that I had some electrolytes and a nap."

  "Okay. I'll let Jimmy know you're heading home. Visiting hours are over."

  "Where's Dennis?"

  "With Jimmy. He's going to keep an eye on him tonight. I told Candace to stay with Josie until you got home. You might want to keep her there tonight though, and not for nefarious reasons. I don't think any of us should be alone. I even dragged Dwight out of the woods to stay at Jason's."

  "That's pretty smart."

  "Thanks. I have my moments."

  "Unless one of them is the killer."

  "But then we'll know."

  "That's pretty fucking morbid, Chief."

  "Thanks. I have my moments. Come on. I'll walk you to your car and test it for incendiary spells."

  "Thanks. I don't think I could magic open a door lock right now."

  He stood up and scooped me up off the bed. I squeaked and threw my arms around his neck. "I can walk you know."

  "I know. But this is much more fun."

  "I'm heavy."

  "Yeah, you are. You need to quit eating at the diner…"

  "Chief Dick, if you think–"

  He silenced me with another kiss.

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  I unlocked my front door without checking for magic. Josie and Candace would have done it already. Walking into my living room, two heads popped up over the back of the couch. They were lying next to each other, watching a Christmas movie.

  "Just me," I called out.

  "Welcome home."

  "Welcome back, Lady."

  I walked over and plopped my ass down in the love seat. "It's Dot, Candace."

  They were lying under a blanket. Candace was in front of Josie, being the little spoon. Not that she had much choice. The girl couldn't big spoon a teaspoon. I briefly wondered how she treated patients at the hospital. Unless she stashed a step stool in every room.

  She ran to the kitchen and returned with a glass of white wine. I got a little shock when she handed it to me. "Uh, thanks."

  She smiled and nodded, crawling back under the blanket.

  "How you feeling?" Josie looked at me over the arm of the sofa.

  "Better after the cat nap. Chief told me he's pairing everybody up until the killings are over. Glad you two made it safe."

  "Yeah. The doc was nice enough to give Candace the rest of the night off."

  I could hear Josie pretending to be shocked. I chuckled a little into my wine.

  "Do you live alone, Candace?"

  She tore her eyes from the movie and looked up at me. The girl's eyes were too large for her face. She almost looked like an anime character. "Yes."

  "Stay here tonight, if you don't mind. I agree with Chief. Nobody stays alone."

  "Thank you."

  "You're not the killer, are you?" I said half-jokingly.

  "No, Lady."

  Well that makes me feel a lot safer.

  Josie shot me an angry look.

  "I was kidding!"

  Candace poked Josie in the ribs. "She is wise to ask. She does not know me."

  "I was giving her a look for the stupidity of the question. Like a killer is going to admit to being a killer. Let's just hold a coven meeting and ask everybody."

  "That might not be a bad idea. The Chief is planning on interviewing everybody anyway," Candace answered deadpan.

  I shrugged. "At least we would get it out of the way. I'm tired of getting blown up, shot at, and if I lose another witch, I'm going to torch the whole damn town."

  Candace looked over at me a little fearful. "You feel that strongly about us?"

  I gulped but nodded. "Yes. You're my damn coven. I'm supposed to protect you. Instead my boyfriend got shot protecting me. If I find out who is responsible for all of this… The Lady as my witness, I will rain hellfire down upon them and scorch them from this earth."

  Candace didn't look afraid. She looked happy.

  "What?" I asked her.

  "Just happy. The last high priestess was very nice, but she didn't feel like you do. She was too enamored with her husband. We were a broken coven long before her murder."

  "That's just sad. Love is supposed to make you better, not consume you."

  "That's very wise."

  "I have my moments. Mostly not, but there are some." I took a sip of my wine. It wasn't overly sweet. I kind of liked it. "I'm hungry. Do we have any chips and salsa?"

  "No. And nothing in this house either. I looked." Josie sounded a little grumpy.

  "Guess I should replace the fridge and do some shopping, huh?"

  "I'll make you a deal. You buy the fridge and I'll stock it."

  "Nah. I got it. I'll order one from the Depot and have it delivered. I'll just do the whole appliance package. I meant to do it the other day, just never seem to have the time…"

  "I know, sweetie. I'm grumpy because I'm hungry and nothing is open in this town this late."

  "Want me to run to the gas station?"

  "No. I'm tired anyway. It's way past my bedtime."

  "Then I'll order appliances in the morning and take you guys to the diner for breakfast. Deal?"

  "Deal," Josie answered happily.

  "Lady, you do not need to buy me breakfast."

  "Go to sleep, Candace. Don't argue."

  "Yes, Lady."

  Chapter 22

  Waking up and realizing you're not alone while a murderer is on the loose was more terrifying than I would have expected…

  I screamed and sat up, flipping the comforter off me, Josie and Candace were sound asleep on either side of me. Sometime during the night, they had crawled into bed with me and curled around me like a couple of puppies. They both screamed and looked up at me.

  "What?" Josie yelled.

  "Nothing. You scared me."

  "The frigging heater went out. We woke you up when we came in here last night. You lifted the covers and told us to get in and shut up."

  "Yeah. I don't remember that."

  Candace didn't say a word, just buried her face back in my tummy and hugged my leg. I sighed and laid back down, running my fingers through her hair. She really was a puppy. I imagined her with a tail, wagging furiously.

  "What's wrong with the heat?"

  "I don't know. The thermostat says it's on, but it's not making the usual noise."

  "I'll call a repairman. It's probably as old as the house. Why didn't you just magic your room to be warm?"

  "This was more fun," Josie answered.

  I laughed and ran my fingers through her hair, as well. She snuggled against me, too. "There's just one flaw in your logic."

  "What?"

  "I have to pee. Let me up."

  "Noooo. Five more minutes."

  "You're going to get wet."

  "Kinky."

  "Ew, Josie. That's gross."

  She just chuckled and rolled over, letting me get up. Candace must have been listening, she let go of my leg and lifted her head off my stomach. That took a lot of the pressure off, but not enough. I slipped off the end of the bed and ran into my bathroom. The linoleum was freezing.

  It was e
arly, too early to call a repair company. I needed to grab some socks out of my dresser. Next time I was in town, I needed to buy some slippers.

  I flushed and pulled my pajama shorts back up. Stopping to wash my hands, I noticed my face had completely healed. I breathed a sigh of relief. No more raccoon eyes.

  "Anybody want a pair of socks?" I called out as I entered the bedroom.

  "Wearing them."

  "No thank you, Lady."

  I grabbed a pair and sat on the edge of the bed, pulling them on. "Get up, lazy butts. I'm hungry."

  Josie groaned, and Candace sat up, rubbing her eyes with her palms. She really was too cute. The tips of her ears poked through her hair. "Any faerie blood in your family, Candace?"

  She nodded but didn't elaborate.

  "Really?" Josie asked her.

  "Yes." She stopped rubbing her eyes and looked up at her, shyly.

  "Don't look at me like that. That's awesome. And really rare. I've seen true elves before, they visited the coven back home. I've never met a witch with faerie blood though."

  "You don't hate it?"

  "Hell no. That's friggin' cool."

  I couldn't even begin to describe the look of relief on her face. She looked like she was about to cry. My gut told me Candace had a much harder life than we could imagine. I made a mental note to ask her about it sometime. She looked over and shot me a questioning look.

  Instead of telling her it didn't bother me, I scooted closer to her and gave her a hug. This time she did cry a little. "You are always welcome in our home. Got it?"

  She nodded against me.

  I let her go and headed into the kitchen to order appliances. Grabbing my phone from where I'd left it plugged in to charge next to my laptop, I glanced at the screen. I'd missed a bunch of calls from Freddy Johnson over the past two days. He even called again that morning. Instead of listening to the message, I dialed him back.

  He picked up on the first ring. "Johnson Brothers."

  "Morning, Freddy. Sorry I missed your calls."

  He chuckled. "That's okay, Miss Blackwell. Heard you had some difficulties."

  "Yeah. You could say that. So, what's the bad news?"

  "Well, I've got your estimate."

  "Lemme hear it."

  He told me. I whistled. It was almost double than what I'd been expecting.

  "Yeah. The scope of work is quite large. I can cut back on the quality of some of the materials and requote you."

  I thought about it.

  In for a penny, in for a pound.

  "Will this be the bookstore I've always dreamt of?"

  "Probably, and more."

  "Do it. How long?"

  "One week to demolish. Probably two to three months and you'll be set to open."

  "Then get to work, Mr. Johnson," I added lightheartedly.

  "Will do."

  "Need me to drop off a check?"

  "Need you to sign off on the quote first, then a deposit. Then if you want to take out a construction loan, it can be set up to pay in increments as the work is completed."

  "No loan. I have funds available."

  "Then a deposit check for ten percent. You can pay as we go."

  "Sounds good. I'll be at the Cedar Falls Diner in about an hour, I can bring my checkbook if you'll be in the area."

  "See you there."

  The line clicked dead and I smiled. That was one thing I could knock off my list. I needed to find a book vendor and ten million other little things, but at least the store was finally going to be a reality.

  I opened my laptop and went to the Depot's website. I quickly migrated to the appliance package section and clicked the one I liked. Black stainless-steel would look nice. I paid and set up delivery, knocking a second thing off my list. It had already been a productive morning…

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  "I need a steak omelet and some pancakes."

  Marge stared at me over her check pad. "You're not going with the usual?"

  "No. My body says I need a steak omelet. Who am I to argue?"

  She laughed and wrote it down. "What about you, Josie?"

  "What is scrapple?"

  "If you don't know, I wouldn't order it."

  "Um. Okay?"

  "Picture a pig's insides, ground up into a loaf, sliced, and fried."

  "I'll have what Dot's having…" It was the first time I'd seen Josie turn green.

  "Good choice. I told Herb not to put that shit on the menu. We have like three people a year order it. Mostly on a dare. Stinks up the whole damn diner."

  "What about for you?"

  Candace seemed unsure. "Fruit crepes?"

  "Good choice. I'll have your food out shortly."

  "Do you eat meat?" Josie asked Candace.

  "I have. I don't care for it, though."

  I smiled when they weren't looking. They sat next to each other on the other side of the booth. They really did make a cute couple. Candace took a sip of her tea and leaned against Josie. I wasn't sure if it was a sign of affection or if she just wanted her warmth. I don't think Josie cared, either way.

  The chime over the door rang and my contractor walked in.

  "Hey, Freddy."

  "Morning, Miss Blackwell."

  "If you don't call me Dot, I'm not signing."

  He gave his deep earthy chuckle. "Morning, Dot."

  "Much better. Sit. Coffee?"

  "No, thank you. I really do need to run." He opened a manila folder and set it and a pen from his shirt pocket in front of me. I signed it, dated it, and handed it back to him. My checkbook-slash-wallet and phone were sitting on the table in front of me. I'd never been a fan of purses. I flipped it open and tore out the check I'd written out to him at the house. He looked at it, nodded, and slipped it in the folder with the quote. "Pleasure to do business with you, ma'am."

  "Do you want the key?"

  "If you have it on you."

  I reached into my pocket and pulled out my ring, sliding the key off and handing it to him.

  "Now, I'm off. The demolition crew will start tomorrow. Have a dumpster coming in."

  "Have fun."

  "Oh, I will. I'm looking forward to this."

  "Not as much as I am."

  He nodded, tipped his hat, and lumbered back out the door.

  "How much did that cost you?" Josie sounded sad.

  "Only ten percent down."

  "Which is?"

  "Still a lot."

  "What are you going to name it?" Candace shyly asked.

  "First Moon Books."

  Their expressions told me I'd picked exactly the right name.

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  "You're sure I'm not hurting you?"

  "You could lay on top of me and it wouldn't hurt. You're fine, I promise."

  I was nestled into Jimmy's side, lying on his bed. It felt a little strange to be in the house he shared with Dennis. I'd been so excited when I'd gotten his call, I drove right over after dropping Candace and Josie back at the house.

  He had a flat screen television mounted to the wall and was watching some movie about really tall blue people on another planet. It was entertaining, but I didn't want to start watching from the middle of the movie. I was more there for snuggling. He was home. He was alive. I was very, very happy. Ecstatic even. I buried my face in his chest and closed my eyes. He even showered.

  "You okay?"

  I nodded without looking up. "Just glad you're home."

  "You and me both. Doc kept coming into my room to ask me questions about you."

  That concerned me a little. "You didn't tell him you're a witch, did you?"

  "No. But I think he has his suspicions."

  "Great. Do the guy a favor…"

  "No. Don't worry about it. I think he's just trying to piece together everything in his head. I mean what you did… That was epic. I'm very proud of you. I think Doc Shapiro wants to start the First Church of Dot."

  "That scares me even more."

  "Not me. I k
now I'd be first in line to worship at your feet."

  "You have a foot fetish?"

  "Honestly, I couldn't think of any fetish I wouldn't have if you're involved."

  "I don't know. There are some pretty icky ones out there. You should see some of the porn Josie watches. Gross."

  "Well, if she ever breaks up with Candace, we'll have to set her up with Dennis. He can be freaky, too."

  "I can hear you guys," he called from the living room.

  "Go to sleep, Dennis," Jimmy retorted with a laugh.

  "What kind of freaky?"

  "I'll tell you later. Remind me to tell you the story about the watermelon at the picnic."

  "Yep. Can still hear you. And don't you dare tell her that story."

  I laughed and sighed in contentment. I was even half-tempted to cancel my date with Chief. I'd mentioned it to Jimmy earlier and he swatted me. Right on the ass.

  I rubbed my hand over his belly, the taut muscles playing beneath my fingers. I couldn't even imagine how many sit-ups he must do in a day. Especially with all the beer he drank. I slid my hand down his thigh and back up his stomach, slipping under his T-shirt. He wasn't hairless, but he wasn't hairy, either. I could feel it, but it didn't grow in thick patches. Not even lower. His back and his butt were completely bare.

  He must have been enjoying the tummy rubs. With my head on his chest, it was easy to notice the change in his breathing. The front of his sweatpants began moving, too.

  I slipped my hand lower, tugging the knot at the waistband. Thankfully it wasn't done in some funky fireman knot. It pulled apart just like the ties on a shoe. I let go and lightly scratched my fingernails over the skin just above. His hips curled just a tiny bit. I'd found his sweet spot.

  I put my palm back on his belly and started rubbing in circles again, moving lower each time, my fingers sliding under the elastic of his pants. Eventually, they found their way into the denser hair above his cock. I stopped moving and ran my fingers through it, gently stroking. His breathing sped up a bit more and so did the throbbing in his shaft. He'd grown hard as steel.

  "That's fucking hot."

  "What?" He had trouble speaking

  "How hard you get when I play with you."