Victoria shooed her away. “No sneaking frosting off the cake,” she said. “We need to wait for everyone else to arrive. Come on, let’s get the wine from my car.”
Grumbling, my mom allowed Victoria to guide her away from the cake and out of the kitchen. With a sigh, I turned to face the sink. From the looks of the tall stack of dirty dishes, Victoria and Ma had been cooking all morning and well into the afternoon.
I, on the other hand, had spent the day at the spa, much to Victoria and Ma’s surprise. Heck, even I was surprised. A month ago, I would have kicked and screamed at the idea of taking a day to myself, terrified that my magic would get me into trouble again. But after the events of the past few weeks, I felt more at ease. I hadn’t heard a peep from my ex-husband, or his new fiancé, since that fateful afternoon in The Witch’s Brew. According to Victoria, who had no qualms about Facebook stalking him, they had already moved to Vegas. Briefly, I wondered if the Order had anything to do with his silence over what had happened at the coffee shop.
Speaking of magical things…
I glanced towards the kitchen door, making sure no one had wandered in. When I was positive that I was alone, I closed my eyes, reaching for the energy that always seemed to be thrumming just below the surface of my skin. It crackled to life and, when I opened my eyes, purple tendrils of energy, along with several small sparks, erupted from my fingertips. With a satisfied smile, I eyeballed the dishes and recalled a cleaning incantation I had read in my grandmother’s grimoire.
“Air, water, fire, and earth,” I recited. “Drive away all dirt and grime. Only the clean may reside here.”
I directed my energy at the stack of dirty dishes in the sink and they slowly lifted in the air. Purple energy swirled around them before they neatly stacked themselves on the counter, sparkling clean.
“You’re getting really good at that,” a voice murmured near my ear. I yelped and jumped about a foot in the air before whirling around.
Aidan stood before me in his trademark flannel shirt and jeans, dark hair still slightly damp from a shower.
“Haven’t we talked about this before?” I asked archly once I was sure my heart wasn’t about to leap out of my chest. “No sneaking up on a woman when she’s clearly preoccupied.”
With a wave of my hands, the energy around me slowly dissipated.
“Sorry,” Aidan said with a grin. “I thought you heard me come in.” He leaned in to give me a kiss on the cheek, which had my face flushing.
We had been on a total of two dates over the past few weeks. Well, Aidan called them dates. To me, they always felt more like interrogations. There was still so much I didn’t know about the hidden magical world of Clover Pointe. Thankfully, Aidan seemed willing to answer most of the questions I threw his way. And I had a lot of questions. A lot.
Aidan handed me a square package wrapped in shimmering silver paper.
“For me?” I asked, my lips quirking. I shook the box, trying to guess at its contents before carefully peeling off the wrapping paper. My smile widened when I saw what it was.
“My own grimoire,” I breathed. It was bound in soft leather, much like my grandmother’s. The front cover was embossed with intricate flowers and vines, and the pages were made from a thick, yellowed parchment. I smiled again, reaching up to give Aidan a kiss on the cheek.
“It’s perfect,” I said.
“I’m glad you like it,” he responded. His gaze wandered over to the ginormous cake sitting on the kitchen table and he raised a brow in amusement.
“I see Amelia’s been at it again,” he said.
“This is her idea of fun,” I said with a shrug and Aidan laughed in response.
“Any luck tracking down Julianna?” I asked, placing the grimoire on the kitchen counter. According to Aidan, the demon had fled when it was clear that her mistress was losing. She had managed to slip past Aidan’s guard while he had been distracted by me and Lilith’s fight.
“No,” Aidan responded, shaking his head. “There’s been no trace of her. But we’ll keep looking.”
I nodded, worrying my lower lip with my teeth. Although Aidan had assured me that she posed little threat to us now that Lilith was gone, the fact that the demon was still out there made me nervous.
“What about your mom? Is she still recovering?” Aidan asked.
“Some days are better than others,” I said. “Her memory is still a little foggy. And she’s still wondering why our family’s magic skipped over her.”
Aidan nodded, a grim look in his eyes.
“I’ll do some more digging,” he promised and I let out a small breath.
There were still so many unanswered questions, but I was confident that the answers would turn up sooner or later, especially with Aidan’s help.
“Heidi!” Ma called from the living room. “Our guests are starting to arrive. And this wine isn’t going to drink itself!”
I smiled to myself, taking one last look at my new grimoire before leaving the kitchen with Aidan.
I wasn’t sure what midlife had in store for me, but I knew it definitely wouldn’t be boring.
Thanks for Reading
Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed My So-Called Magical Life, don’t forget to leave a review on Amazon or on the website of your choice. If you’d like to get in touch, or if you encounter an error or issue with this eBook, please don’t hesitate to let me know at [email protected].
About the Author
Lanie Williams is obsessed with all things magic and paranormal, from empowered witches and mysterious fae, to fearsome shifters and scheming gods. When she’s not dreaming up new adventures for her characters, you can find her buried in a good book or guzzling coffee. She lives in the desert with her partner and two grumpy cats.
My So-Called Magical Life Page 10
