The Cursed Crow and the Deadly Hex

by Kelly Ethan

  Whitburn latched onto Hannah’s ankle and yanked hard.

  Hannah screamed and stumbled back, letting go of Xandie who raced to the side of her grandmother.

  Colin jumped out of the shadows and latched onto Hannah’s skinny ankle with sharp teeth. He mumbled around the limb, “you won’t hurt my Elspeth. Bah, you taste like tuna.”

  Screeching, Hannah danced around, shaking her leg like a crazed aerobics instructor.

  Colin flew through the air and landed at the base of a large bush covered in shadows.

  Xandie watched as a slim hand pulled the silent pug into the shadows. Maybe someone was watching out for them?

  “You better not have hurt a hair on my prize-winning little boy. Or you’ll regret it,” Elspeth growled, her face lengthened slightly as her teeth grew canine points.

  “Your cheap theatrics don’t impress me. And I’m not surprised that monstrosity of an animal went down so easily. Isn’t the old saying ‘you get what you pay for?’ Cheap and shoddy should be your middle name, Elspeth,” Hannah sneered at the Harrow witch and rubbed her rapidly swelling ankle.

  “At least I’m not a thief or a con artist or a killer. Both you and your father can lay claim to those titles.”

  “Filthy lies,” Hannah screamed at Elspeth. “My father was an amazing man, and you killed him. Now all of you will pay.” Hannah raised her hand and showed Elspeth a black ball. “Remember these, Elspeth? Absorber hex. The same hex my brother used to level Paladin Headquarters. These babies are the pride of my arsenal. Once I hit you with this, you’ll absorb all the energy and electrical impulses around you until you go supernova. Poetic, I thought.” Hannah raised a hand but screamed as a bullet came flying out of nowhere and hit her flesh.

  “I think my mom might have something to say about you killing us.”

  A slim woman, with chin length brown hair and bright, amber eyes, stepped out from the underbrush, rifle extended, Hannah in her sights.

  Xandie knelt next to her grandmother and untied the last of Elspeth’s knots. She stared at the shooter. Miranda Harrow, her mother. The woman seemed larger, more dangerous, but then the last time Xandie had seen her mother was over twenty years ago, when she’d been five. Well, except for when the mysterious shooter had showed up in Harrow House’s garden, and even then, she hadn’t been certain it was her mother.

  Elspeth scooted away from Xandie until she stood by herself. She held her empty hand up in the air. “Here I am, Hannah. The woman you hated most in this world. What ya gonna do about it?”

  “I’ll kill you. I don’t care how long it takes. You and your family always ruin everything. My plan, my life, my family.”

  Miranda noted where Elspeth now stood and hefted the gun to her shoulder.

  A raised scar on the side of her mother’s face from her temple down past her jawline mesmerized Xandie. Whatever had happened to her mother, she hadn’t escaped unharmed. Heck, Xandie had no clue if her mother even remembered her.

  “What do we have here? Seems like I’m not the only one feeling unkind to the Harrow bloodline.” Head ASP agent sauntered out onto the bluff, a trio of younger agents behind him.

  “Let me guess, the humans want a piece of me, too? Or is it my amulet you’re after?” Hannah sneered and waved at the three pieces of the amulet strung around her neck. “But you’re out of luck. These are useless for widespread use until that hag gives up the last piece.”

  The black-suited agent strolled up to Xandie. He smirked and tapped her forehead with two fingers. “Nope, if you have a beef with the Harrows, have at it. I just want these two.” He pointed to Xandie and her mother. “I couldn't care less what happens to anyone else or whatever shonky supernatural artifact you’re after.”

  He leaned in and Xandie smelt the stale onions he’d eaten as he whispered to her, “told you. I’m like a bad penny. I always turn up and get what I want. You lose, Harrow.”

  Miranda smiled, her teeth uncannily similar to Elspeth’s now sharply pointed canines. “Oh, I wouldn’t say that, Malcolm. You know I’m always prepared and this time I bought friends.” She gestured with a jerk of her jaw and with a swirl of wind, a group of gold dragons materialized in human form next to the younger ASP agents. “Remember these gentlemen? Turns out they have a prior acquaintance with you. They were delighted to answer my call for reinforcements.”

  A young, muscled man with a shining crop of bright gold hair, bowed to Xandie. “Ladon sends his compliments. He couldn’t be here, but he sent his best guards to help with a little ASP clean up.”

  Ladon was a Hesper, a gold dragon who’d helped Xandie when dragon matriarch, Marjorie Penne, was poisoned. He’d escorted the same ASP agents away when they had tried to force her to act as bait for her mother.

  “You see, Malcom, I did some digging while I recuperated at Paladin Inc. All your funding’s been pulled. An investigation has dug up very illegal ASP practices. Your cronies are in jail and there’s a warrant out for you and your thugs. You’re finished and so is your hold on me and mine.”

  Malcolm spat on the ground and raised a black 9-millimeter Sig Sauer pistol and pointed it at Miranda. “I will take you down first before I let you take me in.”

  “Oh, I have nothing to do with it.” She pointed over his head.

  A loud screech overhead had Malcolm flinching, his weapon forgotten, as golden claws plucked him off the ground. The dragon soared into the night sky, a thunder of dragons behind the leader, all carrying a cursing ASP agent each.

  “The dragons have orders to drop the ASP asses to Paladin Headquarters. They won’t be seeing the sun for a long time.” Miranda grinned and hefted her rifle to her shoulder again.

  “Neither will you.” Hannah raised her hand, her little black ball clasped tight. “I’m sick of all these interruptions. This is about me and my father’s revenge against the Harrow bloodline. You’re all going to die, and I can’t wait to enjoy the sight.” The Morrigan killer calmly raised her hand above her head, letting the Harrows take in the sight of the onyx colored ball.

  “Geronimo.”

  “Oh no.” Still kneeling where a bound Elspeth had laid, Xandie covered her eyes as Theo the cat, with his pet imp, Horatio, pounded to a halt in front of Hannah. The imp brandished a sharp shiny toothpick sword.

  “Interfering humans, a talking cat and a dead woman with a gun? This is all you’ve got?” Hannah screeched her defiance and drew her arm back to throw the hex. Just in time, a shaggy brown bear bounded over the top of her, knocking the killer to the ground.

  The shaggy brown bear lumbered across to Xandie and shoved her gently down with a massive shoulder. He plonked next to her and shielded her with his massive bulk.

  He must have stood at least eight feet tall on his hind legs, but laid down next to her, he looked like a shaggy mound of muscle. The bear had a distinctive shoulder hump and a large dish-shaped face. And the animal was currently making a purring noise as it tried to nuzzle into her.

  “Braun?” The bear made a huffing noise Xandie took for assent. “Wow, you really don’t need to worry about winter clothing, do you?” She ran a hand over his warm, shaggy coat.

  Hannah slapped the ground. “No, I refuse to let you win, Harrow.”

  “For goodness sakes, woman. Put a hex in it.” Buchanan flicked off an invisible barrier hex, as Jackson and their agents blocked Hannah’s access to Xandie and her family. A semicircle of muscled men enclosed Hannah, forcing the hex bombs from her hands. Buchanan handcuffed her with spelled manacles. “We all missed this one. The intelligence branches will get an ass whooping.”

  He handed Hannah Proctor off to one of his men, no squabble over jurisdiction necessary as Braun was in bear form. Buchanan stood in front of Elspeth and gently lifted her to her feet. “I swear you’re harder to hag-sit than Houdini.”

  “I have skills and I’m not afraid to use them. I could have taken her, but Xandie would have ended up as collateral damage. I’m not losing any more family members.�
� Elspeth’s gaze shot to a stiff Miranda Harrow, who looked as though she’d disappear again at any moment.

  Buchanan followed her gaze. “Go easy on her. She still doesn’t have all her memories back yet. I found out that Paladin Inc. had been hiding her until she was one hundred percent recovered, but like you, she refused to stay hidden.”

  Elspeth harrumphed. “Harrows have minds of their own.”

  Buchanan snorted. “Really? I would never have guessed that.”

  Miranda Harrow stepped closer to Xandie and cocked her head. She handed her rifle off to a leather-clad agent and moved forward until she stood in front of Xandie and her tame bear shifter. She crouched and reached a trembling hand out to her daughter’s cheek.

  Xandie held her breath, her nerve endings twitching. “Mommy?” Her world teetered on the edge of a sob.

  Miranda Harrow ran a hand over Xandie’s disheveled hair. “I couldn’t remember you for such a long time. But there was a gaping hole inside me. Something or someone was missing. Then I heard about this new Librarian in Point Muse, finding bodies and solving mysteries. It shocked a few memories loose. Little things were coming back. By then, I’d already run from ASP and Paladin Inc. took me in. I don’t remember everything, but I know I love you, Xandie.” She looked at it at Elspeth. “You, too, Mom.”

  Elspeth sniffed as a tear ran down her wrinkled cheek. “Has anyone seen my hipflask?”

  Xandie let relief flow through her and bellowed out a snort of laughter, joined eventually by her mother and Elspeth.

  The PIG and Paladin agents started squabbling over who’d walk Hannah Lynch down to the waiting SUVs but ceased sniping at each other for a moment to stare at the Harrow women cackling like a trio of ancient witches. It was enough to make them all take giant steps backward.

  With a popping of joints, the bear’s form shivered and shrunk down to a human-sized, naked Police Chief.

  Xandie blinked a few times, but hastily averted her eyes when her newly found mother cleared her throat and moved both of them out of touching distance. She’d always known Zach Braun was a large shouldered man. Now she knew there was not an ounce of fat on him, only pure muscle. Xandie fanned her now flaming cheeks. Suddenly, the prospect of a coffee date with the Police Chief was a little more serious.

  Jackson strode over to the shifter and threw his ankle length overcoat at the naked man. “For Hecate’s sake and all of our future mental states, cover up.” The PIG agent switched his gaze to Xandie and then sighed when he caught her watching them. “A guy knows when he’s beat. Happy hunting, shifter.”

  The agent strolled up to Xandie and her mother. He inclined his head in greeting to the silent Miranda Harrow. “The Paranormal Investigative Group has ceded all control of the situation and any information pertaining to the Morrigan Coven over to Paladin Inc. Our involvement ends here.”

  “No reason to stay in Point Muse then?” The man had infuriated her with his wiping of her memory and the fact that PIG had a file on her. But without him she’d never have found the Harrows and her mother or Theo.

  “No. Everything’s resolved. Everything.” He stared at Braun for a moment before turning back. “But if you ever need me, I mean PIG, just call.” He doffed an imaginary hat to the Harrows in a salute and ambled off.

  “Jackson?” Xandie called out, causing him to turn in enquiry. “Thank you. For all your help.”

  He waved and disappeared with some of the Paladin agents and the handcuffed Hannah Lynch.

  Braun slipped the overcoat on and stretched, making sure it covered his naked body. He winked at Xandie when he caught her watching.

  Xandie fought the fiery blush spreading over her cheeks and nodded her thanks for his furry protection. The bear shifter was growing on her.

  She switched her attention back to her family. Miranda had made her way over to Elspeth and they stood holding hands, quietly conversing. It was surprising when the two women stood next to each other how strong the family resemblance was. The same Harrow eyes, the same stubborn chin and that glint in the eye of mischief and mayhem. Her mother’s had dimmed, but it wouldn’t take long for her to regain all her memories. Elspeth would see to that. How they’d explain this to her staid, normal father, she had no idea. But that was a problem for the future.

  “It’s okay. I’m all good. Now let me at that killer dame.” Colin wobbled out from under the bush, swaggering like he was drunk on Witchshine until he found Buchanan’s feet. Where he collapsed with a loud, reverberating belch. Followed by an outpouring of tuna-scented muck on the Paladin’s boots. “That quack, Amelia, might be right. I don’t think fish agrees with me.”

  “Elspeth!” Buchanan bellowed and cursed as he shook the tainted mess off his feet.

  Her grandmother just cackled and completely ignored the Paladin. A normal state of affairs for the duo.

  Xandie nodded, exhausted, but relieved. The world was back to normal…as normal as Point Muse could get.

  Elspeth was safe, her mother returned, and another killer uncovered.

  Another Point Muse murder solved…

  For now.

  The end.

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  The Cursed Crow and the Deadly Hex

  About the Author

  My world is small town magic, mystery and mayhem, with plenty of snarky laughs along the way.

  With an overactive imagination and a love of all things that go bump in the night, it was natural to write cozy paranormal mysteries, but I also love paranormal romance. No matter the genre, I love sarcastic heroines who like to save the day and solve the puzzle.

  With a busy and chaotic household, writing is my outlet for madness. I live in Australia and when not writing, I can be found plotting my next fictional murder or chasing after the family’s ferocious hellhound.

  Visit me today at my website or say hello on Facebook or Twitter.

  Website:

  https://www.kellyethan.com

  ALSO WRITTEN BY KELLY ETHAN

  COZY PARANORMAL MYSTERY:

  Point Muse Cozy Paranormal Mystery Series

  The Wicked Witch and the Christmas Chaos

  #0 The Pernicious Pixie and the Choked Word

  #1 The Killer Knight and the Murderous Chairleg

  #2 The Dastardly Dragon Killer and the Poisoned Breath

  #3 The Murderous Monster and the Stony Gaze

  #4 The Cursed Crow and the Deadly Hex

  PARANORMAL ROMANCE

  Miss Predictable

  Mr Muse

  Mr. and Mrs. Monster

  NON FICTION

  Heart and Craft

  CHRISTMAS CRACKERS: A Paranormal Cozy Mystery Collection.

  It’s time to get your jingle bells on and celebrate the holiday season with a whole lot of fun and a little bit of murder with the Christmas Crackers Cozy Mystery Collection. This limited-time festive collection of holiday whodunits includes 12 new paranormal cozy mystery novellas from twelve of your favorite authors…happy holiday reading!

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