by Amy Boyles
In that same instant the fog vanished. As the smoke cleared, I realized that Blake and his men had gone, too, disappearing into whatever magic he had used to bring him here.
I glanced around at my family and friends. They were bruised, their clothing ripped. I saw Mama not far away, and I rushed over to her, throwing myself in her arms.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
She nodded. “I’m fine. I am.”
Tears streamed down my eyes. “He did it. Blake said that he had Father killed.”
Mama squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. When she opened them, they were damp. “I had a feeling in my gut that he had. I’m glad we know.” She took my hand and squeezed. “Because now we can do something about it.”
Leopold and Thorne strode up. “Are y’all okay?” Leopold asked.
I nodded. “Fine.”
“I would say that I’m angry at you for leaving the house, Charming,” Leopold said in a scolding voice, “but I’m relieved that you found Thorne. If it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t have found him, and we wouldn’t have been prepared for the vampires’ attack this morning.”
“Yeah, what happened?” I said.
“I’ll answer that,” Pepper said, supporting Axel under the shoulder. “Mr. Jingles told me you were in danger, but when we reached the carnival, Blake saw and followed us. We were about to enter the trailer when he attacked us, which is what caused the trailer to tip over.”
“Then everyone else heard the commotion and rushed over,” Leopold explained. “That’s how we managed to get here so fast.”
“Well,” Betty said, sauntering up with her smoking pipe sticking from her mouth, “we got the heart. We’ve got two and Blake has zero.”
Pepper frowned. “He said he had an idea of where to go next.”
“He’s probably exaggerating,” Betty said, but the apprehension in her eyes suggested that she was worried.
“Either way,” Axel added, “we’ll find the heart and we’ll find Blake. Next time I’m afraid we’ll need an army with us.”
Thorne extended his hand. “You can call us anytime. If you need me or any of my men, reach out and we’ll be there to help.”
Axel glanced up at him, and a shock of hair fell in his eyes. He brushed it aside and gave Thorne a look full of mischief. “Is that a promise, Vampire?”
A slow smile tugged at Thorne’s lips. He extended his hand, and Axel shook it, both men touching their forearms together. “That’s a promise, Werewolf,” Thorne said, smiling. “One that I plan on keeping.”
“I’ll hold you to that,” Axel replied.
Though we were weary, we all laughed. I was ready to leave when screaming caught my attention.
“Don’t hurt me,” Samson Magnum yelled. He was warding off Kimberly, who slowly padded toward him.
“Kimberly,” I yelled. “What are you doing?”
She shot me a confused look. “Why, I’m getting my revenge for him tying me up, the sucker!”
“I thought you changed everyone who was afraid,” I said to Betty.
She shrugged. “I may have left somebody out.”
“Excuse me,” Thorne said. He rushed over to Samson, took him by the collar and lifted him off the ground. “You are under arrest for murder and attempted kidnapping. Come with me.”
Samson shrieked as Thorne led him away.
Betty crossed to me and tapped my shoulder. “Don’t worry, I made sure the fear would wear off him eventually. He’ll be lucid when he stands trial for his crimes.”
“Good,” I said. “Now let’s get out of here. This carnival gives me the creeps.”
We returned to the house, but the whole time I wondered when I would see Blake Calhoun again. Because next time there would be a fight, and I was certain only one of us would make it out alive.
Charming
Everyone stayed the rest of the day, but by the next morning they were heading home. Leopold left first. Thorne gave him a big hug, which made my heart blossom like a rose.
“Stay safe, Charming,” Leopold said after embracing me. “Take care of yourself, and I look forward to you coming to visit us. I know it would make Isabella happy.”
The invitation made me so happy I could feel myself glow. “Thank you, I would love that.”
He held my hand and squeezed it. “Please do. You’re important to Thorne, which means you’re important to me.”
We hugged again before he slipped into his sports car and disappeared down the road.
Next it was Betty, Axel and Pepper’s turn to leave. Axel was all healed from his battle with Thorne and the vampires, thanks to Betty and Rose. They made him some sort of onion poultice that they placed on his shoulder. It smelled horrible but seemed to work magic on his sore muscles.
“Thanks, Thorne,” Axel said, taking the vampire’s arm. “You were a huge help. I would be happy to have you on my side any time of day.”
Thorne smiled widely. “Me, too. You’re a formidable ally, Werewolf. And you,” he said, turning to Pepper, “keep this man in check. Don’t let him run off and get himself hurt. Call us first if you need help finding more pieces of the heart.”
“Yes, sir.” Pepper smiled. “And you be sure to take care of Charming; she’s a good one.”
Betty hugged Rose. “Are you going to keep the pink in your hair?” Rose asked her.
Betty fluffed the pink side. “I think I will for a while. I like it.”
“It suits you,” Mama said. “I wanted to make sure all of y’all know how thankful I am that you came to us. Blake Calhoun is a monster and I don’t know if Charming told y’all, but he is responsible for my late husband’s death. He must answer for his crimes.”
“He will,” Axel said. “We’ll make sure of it.”
We had just finished our goodbyes when Mr. Jingles bounded down the hall and leaped into Pepper’s arms. “Mr. Jingles,” she exclaimed. “Coming to say goodbye?”
“I think he wants to go with you.” I rubbed the cat’s head and felt the vibration of purring. The faint hum under his silky fur reminded me of home and comfort.
“Go on and take him home,” Rose said. “We have a full house already.”
“Well, it’s a her, for one thing.”
“Oh, should I change her name?” Betty asked.
Pepper shook her head. “No, she likes it.” A cautious look fell over her face. “But are y’all sure—about me taking her?”
I nodded. “We are.”
So Pepper, Axel, Betty and Mr. Jingles hopped into Axel’s Land Rover and headed out of Witch’s Forge, back toward home.
Mama and Rose went inside, leaving Thorne and me alone. He glanced down at me. “So, how are you feeling about your power?”
I kicked at a pebble on the ground. “I still don’t know what happened with Samson. Was he really Kimberly’s soul mate, or did he plant the image there after pulling forth some information about Kimberly?” I tipped my face toward Thorne. “Let’s face it—he’s an incredibly powerful wizard without scruples. I wouldn’t put much of anything past him. He killed sweet Arnold simply to have power.”
Thorne rubbed his chin. “From what I understand, Arnold became power hungry after finding the heart. The power did something to him, as it did to Samson.”
I sighed and rested my head on Thorne’s arm. “I don’t think the power did anything to Samson; I think his heart was black to begin with.”
I thought about him being Kimberly’s soul mate and remembered what Pepper and I had talked about—about whether or not I could see my soul mate and if it was Thorne.
I admit that curiosity flowed through me all the way to my toes. I reached up to Thorne, my hand ready to clasp his arm in a gentle way. All I wanted to do was see, find out the truth.
Thorne spoke. “I’m glad I’ve found my soul mate. I don’t need to look any farther.” His silvery eyes flashed down at me.
I glanced up, my breath hitching. “What?”
He shrugged. “Don’t you t
hink we are—soul mates, I mean? Yes, you drive me crazy and most of the time I want to spank you—gently, of course—but you’ve had me tied up in knots since the first moment we met.”
My mind whirled. “Are you serious?”
Thorne’s lips cracked into a smile. “I’ve lived a long time. I don’t lie, and I don’t toy with women’s emotions. Yes, I think I belong to you.”
I couldn’t breathe. I didn’t know what to say. “And I”—I gulped—“I think I belong to you as well.”
“Good,” he said gruffly. “Glad we got that settled.” He turned me away from the house and headed down the street.
“Where are we going? I thought we were going back to my house.”
Thorne smiled seductively. “After what we just admitted? No, I think you’re ready to come to my house and learn all my deep, dark secrets.”
My eyebrows shot to peaks. “Secrets?”
He winked. “I’ve got a cave buried underneath that holds all of them.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Yes, I am, but there is a lot in my house that I want to show you, things that will help you understand me and my kind.”
My chest filled with warmth, and I smiled up at him. “Lead the way; I want to know all your secrets—every last one.”
Pepper
Mr. Jingles made herself right at home, finding a slash of sunlight to bathe in. Seeing that made me happy. When we got to the house, Axel immediately built a fire and I made coffee. Our home smelled of smoke and ground beans, the scents wrapping around me like a warm blanket.
Mattie the Cat scampered down the stairs and squinted at me. “Y’all have been gone forever. I had to tell that ogre y’all keep in the woods that you were on a quest, and then Hugo kept coming up and trying to play with me.”
I laughed. “So you weren’t exactly happy.”
“No, I was not,” Mattie said.
“Well, meet your new sister.” I pointed to Mr. Jingles. “Her name is Mr. Jingles.”
Mattie glared at me before crossing to the cat and sniffing her. Mr. Jingles batted at Mattie playfully. She stood still for a moment before batting back.
“Looks like they’ll be friends,” Axel said.
“Thank goodness,” I murmured. “I was worried.”
“I wasn’t,” he crowed.
I elbowed him playfully before sighing. “Well, we’ve got two pieces of the heart under lock and key.”
Axel brushed his lips in the spot behind my ear. “Blake will be harder to defeat next time. We have to stay ahead of him.”
I started to speak when Betty appeared in our living room. “Have you ever thought about knocking,” I said, miffed.
She scowled. “It’s not like I’m showing up in your bedroom.”
“I might have been half-dressed,” I said.
“Well then, be sure to put your clothes on before you come downstairs. I might be here, waiting,” she snapped.
“That is not helpful.”
“Betty,” Axel said gently, “what can we do for you?”
Betty thumbed her jawline. “Since we’ve been finding the pieces of heart in towns with magical-like people, I think we may have a head start on the next place to go.”
Okay, so at least she was here for a real reason. “Where is that?”
“A place called Silver Springs. There’s a family of witches who live there, and an old nemesis of mine.”
I cocked a brow. “An old nemesis?”
She waved me away. “Yes, we’ll talk about that later. But I say we go to Silver Springs and meet the Apel family.”
I glanced at the warm fire and inhaled the smell of coffee. As much as I wanted to stay, there was too much that needed to be done.
I nodded to Betty. “Lead the way.”
My grandmother whipped her hand in the air and created a magical portal. “I’ll go first. Stay close to me; you don’t want to get lost on the way.”
As we slipped into the portal, I prayed that Silver Springs would indeed hold the piece of heart we were looking for.
Extra Stuff
Thank you so much for reading THE YELLOW-BELLIED SCAREDY CAT. I appreciate each and every one of y’all taking the time to read my books.
* * *
Pepper and Axel’s adventures continue in A MESS OF SIRENS. They will team up with Dylan Apel from Bless Your Witch. Click HERE to nab your copy.
If you never want to miss a release, be sure to sign up for my newsletter. Click HERE.
And if y’all have never met Dylan, you can start reading her story in Scared Witchless. Order HERE.
And…I love to hear from you! Please feel free to drop me a line anytime. You can email me [email protected].
Also by Amy Boyles
SERIES READING ORDER
* * *
LOST SOUTHERN MAGIC
THE GOLD TOUCH THAT WENT CATTYWAMPUS
THE YELLOW-BELLIED SCAREDY CAT
A MESS OF SIRENS
KNEE-HIGH TO A THIEF
* * *
BELLES AND SPELLS MATCHMAKER MYSTERY
DEADLY SPELLS AND A SOUTHERN BELLE
CURSED BRIDES AND ALIBIS
MAGICAL DAMES AND DATING GAMES
SOME PIG AND A MUMMY DIG
* * *
SWEET TEA WITCH MYSTERIES
SOUTHERN MAGIC
SOUTHERN SPELLS
SOUTHERN MYTHS
SOUTHERN SORCERY
SOUTHERN CURSES
SOUTHERN KARMA
SOUTHERN MAGIC THANKSGIVING
SOUTHERN MAGIC CHRISTMAS
SOUTHERN POTIONS
SOUTHERN FORTUNES
SOUTHERN HAUNTINGS
SOUTHERN WANDS
SOUTHERN CONJURING
SOUTHERN WISHES
SOUTHERN DREAMS
SOUTHERN MAGIC WEDDING
* * *
SOUTHERN GHOST WRANGLER MYSTERIES
SOUL FOOD SPIRITS
HONEYSUCKLE HAUNTING
THE GHOST WHO ATE GRITS (Crossover with Pepper and Axel from Sweet Tea Witches)
BACKWOODS BANSHEE
* * *
BLESS YOUR WITCH SERIES
SCARED WITCHLESS
KISS MY WITCH
QUEEN WITCH
QUIT YOUR WITCHIN'
FOR WITCH'S SAKE
DON'T GIVE A WITCH
WITCH MY GRITS
FRIED GREEN WITCH
SOUTHERN WITCHING
Y’ALL WITCHES
HOLD YOUR WITCHES
* * *
SOUTHERN SINGLE MOM PARANORMAL MYSTERIES
The Witch’s Handbook to Hunting Vampires
The Witch’s Handbook to Catching Werewolves
The Witch’s Handbook to Trapping Demons
About the Author
Hey, I’m Amy,
I write books for folks who crave laugh-out-loud paranormal mysteries. I help bring humor into readers’ lives. I’ve got a Pharm D in pharmacy, a BA in Creative Writing and a Masters in Life.
And when I’m not writing or chasing around two small children (one of which is four going on thirteen), I can be found antique shopping for a great deal, getting my roots touched up (because that’s an every four week job) and figuring out when I can get back to Disney World.
If you’re dying to know more about my wacky life, here are three things you don’t know about me.
—In college I spent a semester at Marvel Comics working in the X-Men office.
—I worked at Carnegie Hall.
—I grew up in a barbecue restaurant—literally. My parents owned one.
If you want to reach out to me—and I love to hear from readers—you can email me at [email protected].
Happy reading!
riends
