by Zoe Arden
"Even if Beggars Forest is on fire," Zulubar had said, according to Melbourne, "you must remain with Kyrab."
After Melbourne had assured him he would not budge from Russell's apartment, Zulubar had hurried to Goblin Territory and arrived just in time. His people were still rejoicing today at his return, as well as the official announcement of a legitimate heir to the throne, the child he and Kyrab were to have.
Upon learning of their secret marriage, people had cried out for an official marriage ceremony as well. One which they could attend, as was the custom. Zulubar had initially refused, but under Kyrab's influence had changed his mind. He had even called us this morning at home, placing a special order for a multitiered wedding cake just for the event. He had left the design up to us, which Eleanor had taken as a compliment, but which unfortunately was stressing her out so much that she'd begun biting her fingernails, something which Trixie informed us she had not done since she was ten.
"You go in the back and figure it out," I told her. I'm sure whatever design you come up with will be lovely. My dad can help you, and Trixie and I will stay out here and man the counters and the register." She still looked uncertain. I knew that deep down the problem was that she wanted to do everything. If she could, she would man the counters, run the register, make the cake, and do everything in between.
"Come on," my dad said, linking arms with her. "You don't want Natalie Vargas asking any more questions about Sheriff Knoxx, do you? Because you know she will."
Eleanor finally relented and went into the back with my dad. The morning rush never ended, and two hours later, Trixie and I were exhausted. Our throats were both sore from answering so many questions, and we had sold out of all of our vanilla joy cupcakes as well as our tuxedo romance cookies.
Colt came in a little after noon. We were still busy, but it had dimmed slightly. I went around the counter to greet him. He took my hand and kissed it, and I was overly aware of the ring on my finger.
"So, I'm officially back in Sweetland," Colt said. "My undercover assignment is over. Dean Lampton is surprisingly tickled with the outcome."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, now he doesn't have to worry about finding a way to ensure the survival of the goblin species. They went from no heirs to three heirs in the blink of an eye."
"It doesn't solve the problem forever, though," I said.
"But it does buy them some time. Quite a bit of it, actually. And in the meantime, some of COMHA's doctors and scientists have agreed to work with the goblins and help them figure out a solution."
"That should make them happy, especially Sheriff Knoxx."
Colt lifted an eyebrow. "He's still not thrilled with the idea of being an heir to the royal throne, is he?"
"No, but he has settled into the idea a bit more. I think part of it is Eleanor. She likes the idea of being a queen."
"Is he going through with the ceremony?"
I nodded. "I think so. After Zulubar saved his and Eleanor's lives—well, all our lives, I suppose—he feels like he owes him."
Colt nodded. "I was thinking that now that all of this is over, you and I might set a date."
I tried to smile but couldn't quite make it. "Um..."
"Uh oh," Colt said. "I know what that 'um' means."
"I haven't changed my mind or anything like that," I assured him. "It's just that... well... I guess it never really hit me before how many secrets you have from me. I just need a little more time to adjust to the idea that you can't tell me everything that goes on in your life."
"Ava... it's just the job, that's all. You know everything else about me."
"Yeah, but so much of you is the job. I feel like there's this big chunk of you that I barely know."
He sighed. "Look, I can't say that I'm happy pushing things off, but I do understand. Take as much time as you need, I'll be here waiting.
"Thanks," I said and kissed him.
A loud cry echoed from the back room just then and Rocky, Tootsie, and Snowball came running out faster than rabbits. Eleanor came running after them. She was covered in frosting.
"What happened?" I asked her as she waved her frosting-laden hand in the air.
"I was working on the first tier of Zulubar's cake and these three came in through the back door, knocked the cake over, and ran off."
I looked at Snowball, who was rubbing against Natalie Vargas' legs. Yes, Natalie was still in the bakery. At times like these, she never left.
"Tootsie stole Snowball's tuna," Snowy said.
"Rocky stole Tootsie's bacon," Tootsie said.
"Tootsie stole Rocky's bacon first," Rocky said.
Suddenly, they all started to chase each other again. Natalie gracefully opened the front door so that they could make their exit without causing further destruction, and I looked at Eleanor. She had globs of white frosting stuck to her eyelashes, her nose, and her hair.
"I think we've created three monsters," I said. "Cute monsters, but monsters nevertheless." I started laughing.
Eleanor laughed with me.
"Back to square one. I didn't like that first tier anyway. I can do better."
She returned to the back room. I said goodbye to Colt.
"Oh, by the way," Colt said with one foot out the door. "Dean says if you ever steal one of his files again, he'll send you to Siberia." I laughed, but Colt's face remained impassive. "I don't think he's kidding."
The door chimed as it closed behind Colt. I drew in a deep breath.
"Next in line," I shouted and returned to my place behind the counter.
* * *
Epilogue
.
"Hold still," Eleanor said, fixing the sheriff's tie.
"I am holding still," he said. He was getting grumpy again.
"It would go faster if you would stop moving."
"I'm not moving, you are."
Eleanor sighed and stepped back. She looked Sheriff Knoxx up and down with an appraising eye. "Perfect. Now the robe."
Sheriff Knoxx groaned. "Do I have to wear the robe?"
"Zulubar said it's part of the ceremony," I told him.
He glared at me.
"Hey," my dad said, "you're either in for a penny or in for a pound. You've already made your choice, there's no going back."
"What if you had a pound of pennies?" Trixie asked. "Would that be the same thing?"
We all laughed. Watching Sheriff Knoxx, I thought he was more nervous than angry right now, but it was hard to tell sometimes. His mood alternated between frustration and embarrassment to outright irritation.
There was a knock on the door, and Kyrab poked her head in.
"The ceremony's about to begin," she said. "Zulubar is waiting for you to take your place." She smiled at him. "I'll see you out there."
He sighed, and Eleanor kissed his head. "Go get them, your Highness," she said.
He seemed to perk up at the use of the term.
"That's the first time anyone's ever called me that," he said, smiling sheepishly.
"Well, you better get used to it," Eleanor said.
Sheriff Knoxx shook his head. "No one's going to call me that unless I actually am king. What did Zulubar say my official title was? King-the-Second?"
"That's right, because you're the second in line for the throne after his son or daughter."
He grunted. "King-the-Second," he said to himself and the corners of his lips began to turn up. Eleanor slipped a large purple and blue robe over his shoulders.
"So, you're Queen-the-Second?" he asked.
"That's right," she said and put a matching purple and blue shawl over her shoulders. It was more of a mini cape than a shawl, really.
"Shall we?" Sheriff Knoxx asked as the horns sounded from outside. He offered her his arm and she took it.
They walked out into a massive crowd that must have numbered at least ten thousand. Me, Trixie, and my dad followed after them. I saw Lucy and Melbourne sitting together and waved, slowly making my way toward them. There wa
s a man dressed all in black—he looked somewhat out of place—sitting nearby Lucy. There was something oddly familiar about him, but I couldn't quite place it.
Zulubar was waiting for the sheriff and Eleanor at the royal stage that had been set up. A long purple carpet had been rolled out that led up to the stage, where four thrones sat, one each for Zulubar and Kyrab, one each for Sheriff Knoxx and Eleanor. When the ceremony was finished, there would be a massive party.
Every goblin in the territory was in attendance, as well as several witches and wizards. I knew that Dr. Dunne was here somewhere. He'd fully recovered from his injuries and was back in charge of Sweetland Hospital.
My dad went off to sit with Sadie, and Trixie took the seat beside Melbourne. I grabbed the one next to Lucy as Zulubar began his speech. From what I'd heard, it was going to be at least an hour long and may contain a sonnet or two.
I settled back in, getting as comfortable as possible, and wished that Colt could be here. He wasn't on an undercover assignment, but he was doing something that he couldn't go into details about.
Lucy whispered to me, "That man is staring at you." She nodded toward the man dressed in black, and I suddenly realized where I recognized him from. He was the bartender with the egg-shaped head I'd met at Mack's. He looked quickly away when I turned to him, pretending that he hadn't been watching me the whole time. A minute later, he got up and walked away.
I shrugged to Lucy. "He's probably just bored," I said and returned my attention to the stage. Sheriff Knoxx and Eleanor had just taken their place at Zulubar's side. The ceremony had officially begun.
* * *
THANK YOU
for reading my book and
i hope you have enjoyed the story.
Royal Witch Curse is Book 9 in Sweetland Witch Series.
If you have enjoyed reading Royal Witch Curse , I believe you will be interested in checking out the next book.
I have enclosed a sneak preview of the next book.
Is FREE on Kindle Unlimited. (around 330 pages)
Check it out below . . .
* * *
PROLOGUE
Natalie Vargas looked around the empty ferry dock, searching the darkness for Mack. He had to be here. Mack was nothing if not punctual. Even when they'd dated, so many years ago it seemed like another lifetime, he'd never been late for one of their evenings out. Not once. So, when he still hadn't shown up after five minutes, she began to worry.
"Mack?" she called out tentatively.
It was after nine now, and the place was the deserted. The last ferry off the island of Heavenly Haven had left over an hour ago, and the remaining boats that would return them to Florida's mainland were closed up for the night. People didn't linger at the ferry docks after dark. It wasn't that they were dangerous—nothing in Heavenly Haven was particularly dangerous, the island was quite safe—but there was nothing to do here when the sun went down.
The beach was nice, and people walked along its shores even during the middle of the night sometimes, but those people were few and far between. Most of the tourists who came here preferred to see the beaches during the day. They wanted to laugh and play in the water, not stare out at the vast, black ocean, which never looked more menacing than it did at night.
She walked along the pier, still searching. The sand just beyond the pier was a bright tan color. Even in the darkness, the sand stood out. She looked just past it, onto the beach itself, looking to see if she could make out any figures. She couldn't. Dark structures loomed at the edge of the beach as it began to meld with the streets and town—restaurants, gift shops, that sort of thing—but no people that she could make out.
She turned back around to face the water and walked to the top of the pier where the wooden dock widened into a square. There were benches all along the deck, installed for those awaiting the ferry's arrival. She sat down and took a breath.
If her husband, Bill, knew she was here, he'd lose his mind. She'd begun dating Bill when she and Mack had been on the verge of breaking up but had technically still been a couple. The first time Natalie and Bill went to see a movie, she and Mack hadn't been out on a date in about three weeks, and he hadn't kissed for even longer. Their conversations had consisted of two-minute phone calls that were neither thrilling nor heartfelt. They had become something of a routine, a perfunctory operation performed out of guilt rather than desire.
"What'd you do today?"
"Nothing much."
"Wanna get together later?"
"Can't, I'm busy."
There would be a sigh of relief at this last part, as neither of them had really wanted to get together, yet neither of them had the courage not to ask. When she'd finally broken it off with Mack, there had been tears on both sides, sincere despite their strained relationship. She and Mack had been high school sweethearts, after all. It was hard not to take the breakup emotionally, even if they'd both known it was over for some time.
Bill had been relieved when she'd told him she'd ended things with Mack. They'd begun dating more regularly and had married just after college. She'd lost touch with Mack but had always wondered about him. He'd disappeared off the island for a while, probably gone in search of himself or some other foolish twenty-something adventure. Kids in their early twenties and late teens were always going on foolish adventures.
When he'd opened his bar on the island, just outside their hometown of Sweetland Cove, she'd been surprised but happy to learn he was still alive. He hadn't married, or so she'd heard, but she'd never sought him out to find out for sure. She'd heard some rumors, made some assumptions, and left it all at that. She had no interest in the past. Yet when he'd sent her the letter that had gotten her here, she'd been unable to tell him no.
She was glad he had his own business, but she had no reason to step inside of it. His bar wasn't meant for people like her, anyway. It was on the outskirts of Sweetland Cove, almost so far out that it didn't qualify as part of the town itself. It was meant for high-ranking officials traveling through Heavenly Haven on business. Humans were not allowed in there unless accompanied by someone in the magical world, though any witch or wizard was welcome so long as they weren't there just to drink and get loud.
From what she heard, Mack's Bar was not the type of place you wanted to get drunk in; it was the type of place you went to meet someone for unofficial business—the type of business that had to get done yet could never be put on record.
"Mack?" Natalie called again, wondering for the millionth time why she was here. She had no interest in him; she loved Bill. She just couldn't tell him no when he'd asked for her help. Not without finding out what this was all about, at least.
She heard a creaking noise. Her head snapped around, and she found herself staring at an approaching figure with an egg-shaped head and a large body. She stood up and drew in a breath, held it, and let it back out. "I was beginning to wonder if you were still coming," she said.
"Why would you wonder that?" Mack asked, his voice low. He was trying to keep their volume down.
"You're late," she told him. "You're never late."
He stepped out of the shadows and smiled softly at her. Some people found him strange looking; she had always thought him handsome.
She had never been very good at reading him, though he'd been a master at reading her. There were times when he'd been able to almost read her mind, though of course that had come later in their relationship and had hurt things rather than helped them.
"I wasn't late," he told her. "I was already here when you arrived. I watched you walk up the dock and sit down."
"Why didn't you say something?" she asked, angry. This was just like him.
"I wanted to make sure you weren't followed."
She rolled her eyes. "Of course, I wasn't followed. Why would anyone want to follow me? What is this about, anyway?"
"I need your help."
The moonlight reflected off his pale skin, making him look almost ghostly. She shivered and wrap
ped her arms around her body.
"That's what your letter said, but that's fairly vague. Help with what?" Her throat had gone dry. She licked her lips and forced her voice to remain calm. The last thing she wanted was for Mack to see how nervous she was around him.
He looked around before answering, as if checking to make sure they were really alone. "Someone's after me," he finally said, his voice just above a whisper. She had to step closer to hear him.
"After you?"
Her heart was pounding in her chest. She didn't like this. She wasn't one of those people who found late-night meetings and clandestine affairs exciting. She liked order. Bill gave her order. Mack had always given her chaos. Well... maybe that wasn't fair. The chaos had only begun in the latter part of their relationship. When they'd first started dating, things had been perfect.
"I have something," he said. "Something... dangerous."
"If it's dangerous," she said, "then maybe you should get rid of it."
"I wish I could."
"Why can't you?"
He paused before answering and took a step closer. "This thing I have," he licked his lips, "I've had it for some time now. I can't just let it go."
"Wh-What is it?" she asked, not entirely sure she wanted to know.
"I can't tell you," he said.
"Then why are we here?"
"I need you to hide it for me. Just for a while." He reached into his coat pocket and began to pull something out.
Natalie stepped back, already shaking her head no. "Whatever it is, I don't want it."
He paused, his hand still in his pocket. She could see part of a box poking out.
"It won't hurt you," he said. "Not in and of itself, anyway. And no one will know that you have it."
