Baffling Blend

by Kennedy Layne

  He accepted me for me.

  It was that simple, yet that complicated.

  It would also help to have someone around Leo other than me who knew to be on the lookout for danger, which meant that I’d be telling Heidi all about today’s events, too.

  “My bags are already packed,” Liam said quietly. “My sister is doing great. She’s healing, and it’s also time I get back to the station before Otis decides that he wants to come out of retirement. Besides, he’s been driving Eileen crazy.”

  I couldn’t help but smile, which was exactly what Liam had intended with his list of reasons he should drive home today. I knew one hundred percent that he was coming home for me.

  “How about you drive home safely, keep Leo from overdosing on catnip, and you can tell me about everything once I get to the cottage?” Liam suggested, hinting that he wasn’t alone wherever he was taking my call. “I’ll even pick up dinner.”

  “That sounds perfect,” I replied in agreement, already relaxing a little bit now that the tension was easing from my shoulders. “Drive safe.”

  We disconnected the line, and I realized that Leo had fallen quiet while I’d been talking with Liam. A quick glance in the rearview mirror showed him lying on top of his numerous premium organic catnip bags and containers. He looked exhausted, with his tongue hanging out of the left side of his mouth while two of his paws were sticking straight up in the air. All the stress of being the one had finally caught up with him.

  I spent the rest of the drive going over our options, but it wasn’t like we could do anything but remain quiet. Maybe splitting the coven in two was the right choice. Having something to do was better than giving up hope altogether. Plus, it wasn’t like they’d lost their magic. They’d only lost the ability to communicate with their ancestors.

  As for Bridget Gablore, I was just relieved to know that she hadn’t been trying to kill my mother. This entire mystery had led us in a different direction, but we’d somehow still ended up being in the middle of it all.

  As for the dreamcatchers, they were something that would have to be dealt with sooner rather than later. They were very powerful artifacts that could definitely be used in a harmful manner if they fell into the wrong hands. Rye and I hadn’t signed up to be the gatekeepers of supernatural relics, but it was more about being in the right place at the right time to avert a travesty.

  Speaking of averting travesty, my mother had taken a pretty big gamble on bringing Beetle up to the coven. It wasn’t like I was one to give advice about who to tell and who not to tell about our family secret, but I wasn’t sure Beetle could handle the truth. It was one thing to read about witches, vampires, and werewolves in folklore, but it was something entirely different to know they actually walked among us.

  Raven?

  “Yeah,” I replied softly, darting my eyes to the rearview mirror. Leo was stretching out even more on top of his beloved treasure. All four paws were up in the air now, and he was in the middle of a pretty big yawn. “Everything okay?”

  You’re not too bad at being a witch.

  Leo barely got the last word out before he was snoring once again. He usually wasn’t one for compliments, but he’d just given me the biggest one of them all. I understood that it was his way of thanking me for not blowing his cover, but it was also his way of saying that we made great partners.

  And we did.

  There was no other familiar who I would rather have by my side than Leo.

  No matter what stood in front of us, I would do whatever it took to ensure that Leo wasn’t used as a weapon. The coven would manage without the Windsor Stone, and their lives would go on as normal. Whether or not the stone was split in two, nothing of any meaning would change the outcome of today’s events. Aunt Rowena would keep busy by searching for a way to revive life back into the entire stone or even half of it, thus keeping her out of our lives here in Paramour Bay.

  Leo would be able to continue his effort to stop the squirrelpocalypse, I would continue to help the residents with their so-called holistic needs, and our lives would go on as usual. The drive home wasn’t too bad, and it wasn’t long before I saw a sign that greeted us with open arms—Welcome to Paramour Bay.

  Chapter Eighteen

  “Are you absolutely positive that no one is going to find them?” I asked Rye for the tenth time two days later. Beetle was minding the teashop while I took care of some unfinished business, which just so happened to be right outside of the bakery. “I’m still having a hard time accepting the fact that Ivan is allowing us to use the cemetery as some sort of magical artifact repository.”

  Rye, my mother, Liam, Heidi, and myself had managed to haul most of the paranormal artifacts that I’d gathered from the antique shop to the cemetery. There was a special crypt made of a mineral only found in meteorites, harvested from a famous impact site in Siberia. Those walls absorbed magic like a sponge. The properties of the stone apparently protected the dreamcatchers from storing enough energy in order to be used properly. No one would be getting premonitions transmitted to them from the dreamcatchers anytime soon.

  At least, that was our combined hope.

  “I’m positive,” Rye replied, shielding his eyes from the morning sun. The meteorologist actually predicted that the temperature might hit sixty degrees, letting us know that Mother Nature was once again being her unpredictable self. He’d been on his way to see Bree when he spotted me and Leo next to the lamppost. “Raven, I want to thank you for keeping my secret. I know we haven’t seen eye to eye on a lot of stuff lately, but hopefully that can change.”

  No guilt surfaced at keeping Leo’s secret.

  It was mine, too.

  No one would ever know what we’d discovered up in Windsor.

  Don’t let this cheater fool you, Raven. He was counting cards, as usual, and Ivan fell for one of his bluffs. Instead of paying up, they struck a deal. Listen, can we get back to the fact that you’re about to ruin my—

  “I understand,” I replied to Rye regarding his relationship with Bree. Leo had been about to mention his plan for protection while walking around town, and then Rye would have inevitably asked why such security was needed. I’m sure I could chalk it up to Leo’s theatrics and the squirrelpocalypse, but I’d rather not have to go that far. “I’m not sure how long you have before Aunt Rowena figures it out, but at least you have time to decide how to break the news to her. Oh, and are you sure Bree has no idea about me?”

  “None,” Rye assured me, still holding his hand up to his forehead for a bit of shade. “Only me, and that’s as far as I’ll take it for now. I don’t want her to be in any danger. I love her, Raven.”

  “It’s only a matter of time before Wilma and Elsie figure it out,” I warned, knowing what those two were like when the gossip mill started turning. “You better at least forewarn Aunt Rowena that you’re dating someone before word reaches back to her. You know how she hates surprises.”

  You know what I hate?

  I shot Leo a glare, which had him plopping down on his haunches with irritation.

  “Leo is in rare form today,” Rye said, a hint of curiosity in his tone. “Is it because of the warm temperatures today? Are the local squirrels beginning to stir?”

  “Something like that.” I gave Rye a big smile, grateful when I saw Liam walking our way. Speaking with Rye for too long with Leo in this type of mood was just too risky. “Hi, Liam.”

  “Good morning, sunshine,” Liam replied, leaning down to greet me with a kiss. He then shook hands with Rye, keeping up the pretense that he knew nothing about Rye’s relationship with local baker. “Are you heading in for one of Bree’s bear claws? I promised Eileen that I’d bring one back for her, so don’t take the last one.”

  Liam shot me a wink over his shoulder as he basically led Rye into the bakery, leaving me to finally be able to complete one very important task today.

  Task? More like theft, Raven. You’re taking away my protection. I’m a target now! This chic
kadee could be my salvation. All I need to do is somehow convince all of my enemies—which is every witch and warlock in the coven, plus Skippy and his ninja squirrels—to wear feathered hats.

  “I hate to break this to you, but you’re not getting Skippy or his friends to wear feathered hats,” I said wryly, finally holding up an array of colorful feathers that I’d had Ted acquire from his unique sources. I even waved them in the air, smiling when I finally saw movement from the bird’s nest. “As for the target on your back, I don’t look at it like that. I view it as a tool in our arsenal should we ever really need help. Let me put it in terms you’ll relate to—you’re the last line of defense.”

  Leo’s bent whisker began to twitch as he mulled over my analogy. While he thought over changing his mindset, I waved the feathers slowly in the air. Pretty soon, the chickadee had hopped up on the side of his nest. He began tweeting in either annoyance or excitement. It was one of the two, but I was hoping it was the latter.

  I get what you’re saying, Raven, but there is no way that you’re going to make friends with Satan’s feathered mini-dragon. Think about it. He’s been watching humans walk around proudly for the last week wearing feathers in their hats like they were some sort of hunting trophy. You’re basically saying that Skippy would suddenly become my friend after seeing me wear one of those hats with the squirrel tails hanging down from the back. See what mean?

  The chickadee took that moment to divebomb us, but not for nefarious reasons. He spiraled down and grabbed the pink feather before barely missing Leo’s head as he swooped back up to his nest. Of course, Leo had was now lying flat on the sidewalk as if he were in that Alfred Hitchcock movie.

  It all starts with one, Raven.

  “We are not being attacked by birds.” I shifted so that I could look up at the nest without the sun hurting my eyes. Just as I’d predicted, the little determined chickadee was stuffing the pink feather in his nest just so. He then flapped his wings and looked down at us. “Come on down, Mr. C. I’ve got more colors.”

  Mr. C? He gets a title, but I don’t? No fair, Raven.

  Mr. C flew down once more, this time grabbing a red feather. He tweeted merrily as he made a wide circle with his gift clasped tightly in his claws, eventually landing back in his nest.

  Look at you, luring that bird down with feathers and conning him into being nice to the old biddies who wear what is left of his friends in their hats.

  “Leo, no one killed the birds to get those feathers,” I explained as I pointed the remaining feathers in my hand his way. “You can find feathers all over the place, if you look hard enough. It’s like when you lose fur. It might look like you got into some battle and lost your life at home, but those are just tufts of very large hairballs collected from when you shed.”

  Leo managed to raise himself so that he was leaning back on his haunches, warily keeping an eye on Mr. C. He continued to collect the colorful feathers one by one that Ted had managed to acquire for me. It took around ten minutes, but the chickadee was finally sticking the last feather into his nest. It just so happened to be green, which was my favorite color.

  You might have taken away my one chance of having a personal bodyguard, but you’ve opened my mind up to new possibilities, Raven. They’re endless!

  “That wasn’t my intention, Leo.” I cautiously waited for him to explain what he meant, knowing he usually managed to miss what I was trying to convey. “Having friends instead of enemies was what we were going for here. I mean, Mr. C just wanted a bit of color added to his home. He might be a bird, but he’s certainly a stylish one.”

  You’ve convinced an enemy that we could be friends!

  “Mr. C was never our enemy, Leo,” I said rather sternly, not liking where he was taking this conversation. “He was only trying to collect feathers to decorate his home. He never intended to harm, and he technically didn’t hurt anyone. You’re missing the point of being nice to someone out of the kindness of our—”

  Leo lifted his backend and stretched with what appeared to be a huge smile on his face. His whiskers lifted with that Cheshire grin of his, exposing his crooked incisor as he began to wiggle his butt in eagerness. It wasn’t that hard to figure out that he’d come up with some sort of plan that would inevitably backfire.

  “Leo, what are you up to now?”

  I’m going to go enjoy some fresh air, the warm temperatures, and ponder over the endless possibilities of how to stop the squirrelpocalypse. It means buying a barrel of acorns as a peace offering, of sorts. Skippy and his ninja squirrels won’t know what hit them!

  “Skippy is way too smart to fall for a barrel of acorns.”

  We’ll see, but I like where you were going with this lesson.

  “It wasn’t a lesson,” I countered adamantly, trying to figure out a way to salvage the damage I’d inadvertently done. “I was just making a point that being kind to others is important.”

  Yeah, yeah. I hear you. Kindness goes a long way, which is why I’m off to take some of those edibles that Beetle brought into the shop today over to the spawn of Satan. If I work it right, I can convince that orange cretin to keep a lookout for any unwelcome witches or wizards meandering through town. She’s two storefronts down, so that’s a good enough amount of time to give me a heads up to skedaddle.

  Liam came out of the bakery with two cups of coffee, handing me one of them as he eyed Leo walking away with a little jiggle in his step. There was no stopping him when he got this way, and he would no doubt figure out the hard way that conning a squirrel or bribing another cat would only end in disaster.

  “Leo looks rather pleased with himself,” Liam said, resting his right arm around my waist as he began to walk with me down the sidewalk. “Do I even want to know?”

  “Nope,” I replied with a smile, leaning into him as we followed slowly behind Leo. “You only need to be concerned if you start seeing acorns being fired out of trees, Cupcake attacking random strangers, and Mr. C deciding to change the décor of his nest.”

  Liam parted his lips to ask me probably several questions that came to mind, but he thought better of it. Wise choice for a man in his position. I laughed and took a sip of my coffee, hoping that the beginning of spring maintained the warmth of the sunshine that had finally decided to show itself in Paramour Bay.

  Don’t you worry, Raven. I’ve got things under control. This spring is going to be epic!

  ~ The End ~

  Mirrors and mischief might not be the best combination in the next delightful tale of the Paramour Bay Mysteries by USA Today Bestselling Author Kennedy Layne…

  Click Here

  The quaint coastal town of Paramour Bay is once again hosting their annual garage sale, and Raven Marigold is happily participating for the first time with two tables of gently used items and select pieces of clothing. She’s taken special care to ensure that no magical auras remain on the items that she’s included for sale, and she is quite confident that her first time joining in on the sale will go off without a hitch.

  Raven hadn’t counted on her familiar taking his annual battle with the local squirrels population to a new level, resulting in a collapsed table, a broken mirror, and a trapped phantom who leads Raven and the gang onto their next murder mystery that might not reveal the fairest of them all.

  You’ll want to put down your trusty dustpan and broom for this enchanting whodunit that might or might not result in seven years of bad luck for the residents of Paramour Bay!

  Books by Kennedy Layne

  The Widow Taker Trilogy

  The Forgotten Widow

  The Isolated Widow

  The Reclusive Widow

  Hex on Me Mysteries

  If the Curse Fits

  Cursing up the Wrong Tree

  The Squeaky Ghost Gets the Curse

  The Curse that Bites

  Curse Me Under the Mistletoe

  Gone Cursing

  Paramour Bay Mysteries

  Magical Blend

  B
ewitching Blend

  Enchanting Blend

  Haunting Blend

  Charming Blend

  Spellbinding Blend

  Cryptic Blend

  Broomstick Blend

  Spirited Blend

  Yuletide Blend

  Baffling Blend

  Phantom Blend

  Office Roulette Series

  Means (Office Roulette, Book One)

  Motive (Office Roulette, Book Two)

  Opportunity (Office Roulette, Book Three)

  Keys to Love Series

  Unlocking Fear (Keys to Love, Book One)

  Unlocking Secrets (Keys to Love, Book Two)

  Unlocking Lies (Keys to Love, Book Three)

  Unlocking Shadows (Keys to Love, Book Four)

  Unlocking Darkness (Keys to Love, Book Five)

  Surviving Ashes Series

  Essential Beginnings (Surviving Ashes, Book One)

  Hidden Ashes (Surviving Ashes, Book Two)

  Buried Flames (Surviving Ashes, Book Three)

  Endless Flames (Surviving Ashes, Book Four)

  Rising Flames (Surviving Ashes, Book Five)

  CSA Case Files Series

  Captured Innocence (CSA Case Files 1)

  Sinful Resurrection (CSA Case Files 2)

  Renewed Faith (CSA Case Files 3)

  Campaign of Desire (CSA Case Files 4)

  Internal Temptation (CSA Case Files 5)