“Are you sure about this?”
Meg nodded. “Like I said before, I always trust my instincts. So, here we go. My mother and I are both witches.”
Connor took a step back. “Wait a minute. Witches? You mean, real witches? As in, you can cast spells?”
Meg nodded.
Connor’s eyes widened. His mouth, meanwhile, remained closed.
Meg waited impatiently for a response. When she didn’t get one after a few seconds, she broke the silence between them.
“Connor, can you please say something?” she asked.
“Wow,” he replied.
She bit the corner of her lip. “I was hoping you would say a little more than that.”
He took a deep breath. “Sorry. I’m just trying to wrap my head around it all.”
“I understand. It is a lot to process.”
“You can say that again.” He took a deep breath. “So, how many spells can you cast?”
“I’ve never counted,” Meg said. “But I’d say a few hundred.”
“Have you ever cast a spell during one of our murder investigations?”
She nodded. “Quite a few, actually.”
He scratched his chin. “That explains a lot.”
“I have to admit. Having magical powers has come in quite handy over the years.”
“I’ll bet.” He smiled wide. “What a cool ability to have.”
Meg’s eyes lit up. “Do you really believe that?”
“Absolutely. I wish I could cast spells,” he said.
Meg smiled. “I’m so happy you feel that way.”
He threw his arms out. “Of course, I do. Why wouldn’t I?”
“It’s safe to say that my father reacted much differently when my mother told him about her powers.”
“He sure did. But let me assure you, I am nothing like your father. I’m certainly not going to run out on you.”
“That’s a relief. Especially considering how worried I was about telling you the truth.”
“Trust me. I know how hard it can be to come clean. To bare your soul. I’m glad you did, though.” Connor looked like he had more to say, but he just couldn’t get it off the tip of his tongue.
Meg tried to help him out. “How about you? Is there something you want to tell me?”
He nodded.
“What is it?” Meg asked.
It took some effort, but Connor was finally able to untie his tongue. “Your instincts were right.”
“They were?”
He nodded. “I am a werewolf.”
Meg’s eyes widened, but she didn’t say a word.
While she tried to figure out how to respond, Connor decided to speak up.
“I’m aware that it’s a lot to chew on, so I’ll give you a little time to let that news sink in,” he said.
Much to Connor’s surprise, Meg began to chuckle.
Connor’s brow furrowed. “What’s so funny?”
“I was just thinking how crazy it is that we have both been holding onto a big secret all this time.”
“It is pretty incredible,” he said. “It feels good to finally have it out in the open, though.”
“Let’s be honest. You’re only saying that because I didn’t freak out.”
“Of course. That said, I’m glad we were both able to keep a cool head.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Meg said.
Connor replied with a playful tone, “Now that we’ve revealed our deepest secrets, what do you want to do now?”
Meg licked her lips. “I don’t know about you, but I could really use a donut.”
“I was about to suggest a kiss, but a donut sounds delicious too.”
Meg shrugged. “Why not have both?”
“What a great suggestion,” Connor said.
Connor then leaned in and gave Meg a kiss.
The End.
Horrible Halloween Hazards
Chapter One
“Trick or treat.”
Meg Walton looked at the kids that were standing on her doorstep. One was dressed up in a witch costume. The other was wearing a werewolf costume.
Meg had seen a lot of different costumes that evening, but that particular pairing really struck a chord in her. There was a very specific reason for that. To start, Meg was a real-life witch. Meanwhile, her fiancé, Detective Connor Smith, was a werewolf.
Of course, those little kids at the door didn’t realize that. Both Meg and Connor kept their true identities a secret from the general population. Besides, right then, those children just cared about getting some candy.
Meg gave the kids a smile and placed a couple of pieces of chocolate in their bags.
The children then said thank you.
As the kids walked away with their parents, Meg closed the front door of her apartment.
After that, she turned around and headed back over to the couch, where Connor was sitting.
“Talk about cute,” Meg said.
Connor nodded. “That’s a special age. And an incredible night. I remember how great it was to be a kid on Halloween”
“It was almost as much fun as Christmas.”
“Exactly. I used to spend all day looking forward to the candy that I was about to get. Then I’d be in chocolate heaven for the next two months.”
“Two months? Did your candy really last that long?” Meg asked.
Connor’s nose scrunched. “Wait. Yours didn’t?”
Meg shook her head. “No way. I would polish off every piece of chocolate in under a month.”
Connor chuckled. “You didn’t waste any time, did you?”
“Of course not. Girls don’t mess around when it comes to chocolate.”
“Based on what I’ve seen, you’ve carried that philosophy into your adult life as well.”
Meg threw out her arms. “Why wouldn’t I? Chocolate is magic.”
Connor smiled wide. “It’s fitting that you, of all people, would use the word magic.”
“What can I say? Chocolate casts a spell on my taste buds.”
Connor stared off into the distance. “If only those little kids realized that witches and werewolves weren’t just imaginary.”
“It’s probably better that they don’t know the truth,” Meg said.
“I can’t argue with that. And they aren’t the only ones who are better off in the dark. Let’s face it. The general population is not prepared to handle the knowledge that magic is real. Or that werewolves aren’t just mythical beasts.”
“They certainly aren’t.”
Connor turned his focus to the bowl of wrapped treats that Meg was holding.
“That candy sure looks good,” he said.
Meg stared at one treat in particular. “All this talk about chocolate made me hungry.” She bit the corner of her lip. “Then again, these are supposed to be for the kids.”
“What if we each only have one piece of candy? There will still be plenty left for the children.”
Meg scoffed. “Just one piece? I wish I had that kind of willpower.”
“I’ll tell you what. Take one piece and then I’ll hide the bowl from you,” Connor said.
“Do you really think that will work?”
“Let’s find out.”
Chapter Two
It was a good plan. Although, things didn’t work out quite the way that Connor thought they would. By the time they were done, Meg and Connor ended up eating a handful of candy. At that point, Meg cast a spell that teleported the bowl of treats to the other side of her apartment. With the candy out of her sight, she was finally able to stop fixating on chocolate.
That said, it turned out that Meg and Connor weren’t the only ones who had food cravings that evening. Around eight o’clock, Meg’s cat, Penelope, woke up from her nap. As a nocturnal creature, nighttime was when Penelope was the most active.
Shortly after her stomach began rumbling, Penelope demanded some food from Meg. Not surprisingly, Penelope ate every bit of food that Meg gave her. When her bowl was e
mpty, Penelope asked for a second helping.
While it wasn’t uncommon for a cat to request multiple rounds of food, Penelope was far from a normal feline. In fact, Penelope was Meg’s grandmother.
Before you get too confused, allow me to explain. A few years ago, when Penelope was still a human being, she found that old age was not being kind to her. It became very apparent that her body was going to give out on her soon. So, she decided to take drastic measures. She asked her daughter and granddaughter to perform a very special spell for her. That magical incantation ended up transferring Penelope’s soul into the body of a kitten.
Ever since then, Penelope has gotten a new lease on life. She has really embraced her role as a pampered pet. In fact, over the last few years, she has become sassier than ever.
Meg had plenty of firsthand experience with that. Penelope had been bossing Meg around for a quite a while.
The same thing could not be said about Connor. Throughout most of his relationship with Meg, he had believed that Penelope was just a normal feline. It was only recently that Meg revealed the truth to him. Not surprisingly, this new reality took some getting used to.
That particular evening, after listening to Penelope demand a second helping of food, Connor stared at the cat with wide eyes.
“You are completely amazing,” Connor said.
“That’s what I keep telling Meg,” Penelope said. “Although, she doesn’t seem to like me reminding her of that.”
“Because you do it constantly,” Meg replied. “You know, a little humility goes a long way.”
“I’ll have to take your word for that,” Penelope said. “I have no time for humility.”
“What are you talking about? You’re a cat. You have all the time in the world,” Meg said.
“That’s not true. I have a very busy napping schedule to keep up with,” Penelope said.
Meg laughed as she shook her head. “You’re ridiculous. Just admit it. There’s plenty of time for you to learn some humility.”
“Fine. I do have the time. I just don’t have any interest,” Penelope said.
“Why does that not surprise me?” Meg asked. “You are definitely set in your ways.”
“Hey, I’ve found something that works for me. I don’t see any reason to switch things up.”
Throughout most of the conversation, Connor was content to sit back and let Meg and Penelope banter back and forth. At that point, he felt like he had to speak up.
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Connor remarked.
“I’ll bet you haven’t,” Meg said.
“You have to admit, I know how to keep things interesting,” Penelope said.
“You certainly have sass to spare,” Meg joked.
“You can phrase it however you’d like. But the fact is, there’s rarely ever a dull moment when I’m around,” Penelope said.
“I agree with that,” Meg said.
Penelope looked at Connor again. “Now, let’s get back to the topic of compliments. A woman can never have too many of those in her life.”
Meg folded her arms. “You’re shameless, you know that?”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Penelope replied.
“It certainly isn’t a good thing,” Meg said.
Penelope turned to Connor. “What do you think?”
“You’ll have to ask me again later. I’m having a hard time coming to grips with this whole talking cat thing,” Connor replied.
“Really?” Penelope asked.
“Why do you sound so surprised?” Connor wondered.
“Because you’re a werewolf. And as a fellow paranormal creature, I just assumed that you wouldn’t flinch when you found out that talking cats were real,” Penelope said.
“You were wrong about that,” Connor said. “I’m still having a hard time believing my eyes.”
“All right. Well, while you’re busy trying to make sense of this, I’m going to take another nap. It takes a lot of energy to be this sassy,” Penelope said.
Chapter Three
As Penelope headed into the bedroom to take her cat nap, Meg and Connor snuggled on the couch in the living room. Right then, Meg expected her fiancé to have all sorts of opinions to share. Instead, Connor didn’t say a word. He just stared out into the distance with his mouth hanging open.
Meg gave Connor a few seconds to sort out his thoughts. When ten seconds ticked by without him saying a word, Meg decided to break the silence.
“On a scale of one to ten, how shocked are you right now?” Meg asked.
“Ten,” Connor said.
“That’s what I figured. Your jaw dropped in a hurry.”
“Of course, it did. You own a talking cat…that also happens to be your grandmother.”
“When you put it like that, it does sound pretty crazy.”
“Let me tell you something. I’ve seen a lot of wild things during my time on the police force. But this takes the cake.”
“They certainly don’t prepare you for a situation like this at the police academy.”
“Isn’t that the truth?”
“I have to admit. I’ve seen an entirely different side to you this evening. I’m used to you taking everything in stride.”
“Trust me. This is completely uncharted territory for me.”
“I understand. I mean, I was pretty taken aback when my grandma asked me to transfer her soul into the body of a cat.”
“I imagine. That isn’t something you hear every day.”
“No. Honestly, most people go their entire lives without hearing a sentence like that.” Meg stared deep into Connor’s eyes. “Are you going to be okay?”
He nodded. “Yeah. I just need more time to process everything.”
“That’s understandable. It has been an interesting night to say the least.”
“You aren’t kidding,” Connor said. “I mean, I’ve been so focused on your talking cat that I’ve barely spent any time thinking about how you have magical powers.”
“This isn’t as surprising as you’d think. Penelope does has a way of commanding the spotlight.”
“I’ll say. And by the looks of it, she loved being the center of attention,” Connor said.
Meg nodded. “She ate it up, all right.”
“I know I keep going back to this, but I’m just having a hard time wrapping my head around what it must be like for you to live with a talking cat…that is also your grandma.”
“It has definitely taken some getting used to.”
“Especially since you two are so different. I mean, you’re so soft spoken. And she’s not.”
“That’s a polite way of putting it.”
“What a stark contrast in personalities.”
“Don’t remind me. Sometimes, it’s hard to believe that we’re related.”
“You have one thing in common, at least. You both know what it’s like to be a witch.”
“That’s true.”
“Speaking of witchcraft, I actually have some questions that I’ve been meaning to ask you.”
Meg’s eyes widened. “Really?”
Connor nodded.
“Oh. Okay. Well, what do you want to know?” Meg asked.
“I’m curious about your magical powers,” Connor said. “How many different spells do you know?”
“I’ve never counted them all. But if I had to guess, probably over a thousand.”
Connor’s eyebrows rose. “Wow. That’s so many. It sounds like there’s a spell for everything.”
Meg shook her head. “Not everything.”
“Really?”
“My powers do have limits.”
“Like what?”
“I can’t read minds.”
“That’s a shame. A spell like that would really come in handy during a murder investigation.”
“It sure would,” Meg said. “Speaking of which, I can’t influence anyone’s internal feelings. Or control them from the inside.”
“You
mean, like forcing a suspect to turn themselves in?”
“Exactly,” Meg said. “Amongst other things.”
“Is there anything else you can’t do with your powers?” Connor asked.
“I’m sure there’s a bunch of other things. I can’t just think of any off the top of my head. After all, I didn’t know you were going to ask me these questions.”
“Sorry if I’m being nosy. I’m just fascinated.”
“It’s fine. Is there anything else you want to know?”
“As a matter of fact, there is.”
“In that case, keep the questions coming.”
“How often do you cast spells?”
“Honestly, not as much as you’d think.”
Connor’s nose scrunched. “Why not?”
“My mother is pretty adamant about keeping our true identities a secret from the general public. That would be difficult to do if I was casting spells left and right.”
“I agree. That said, you told me a few days ago that you’ve used magic during a few of our previous cases.”
“Technically, yes. Although, I try to avoid it if I can. But there have been a few times when casting a spell has been the best option.”
“I can’t believe you’ve been performing magic all this time without me noticing.”
“Frankly, it has been a lot of work hiding my secret. And there have been a number of close calls.”
“I’ll bet. What would you say was the closest call?”
Meg searched her mind and came up with an answer. “One time, I was in the middle of a séance spell when you knocked on my door. I had to cut that spell short in a hurry.”
“Wait a minute. Did you just say séance?”
Meg nodded.
“Wow. A spell like that would be really helpful during an investigation.”
“You’d think so, but a lot of times the murder victim doesn’t know nearly as much information about their killer as you’d expect.”
“That’s a shame.”
“It really is.”
“Although, I have to say I’m impressed. You must have amazing focus to be able to perform a séance and ask a murder victim questions at the same time.”
“Actually, that spell takes so much energy that it requires two witches to pull it off. Truthfully, most of the most powerful spells can’t be performed alone.”
Halloween Witch Cozy Mystery Ten Book Set Page 61
