by Cherie Marks
His intense gaze wavered between beautiful amber and sinister black, and I knew the curse was all too real. But he seemed to be trying to tell me something with his eyes.
Once I was beside Widdlewon, I noticed he barely reached my boob-level, but I had no desire to laugh any longer. Instead, tears began to fill my eyes, and I started to fight the people holding me next to him.
But the minute one of the guards put a knife to Ethan’s throat, I stopped struggling. Unlike the other guards who were clearly under a spell, this particular guard was clear-eyed and very aware of what he was doing.
“There’s a good girl. Wouldn’t you rather he be alive and feral than completely dead? Now, let’s get on with the ceremony.”
A robed person entered the room from a side door, and my heart hammered in my chest. This was real. I was really about to marry a pint-sized asshole, and there was nothing I could do about it unless I wanted Ethan to die. My breathing became erratic, and I barely held my tears in check.
Sacrifice.
I caught a glimpse of the other side of the room where my parents sat, tied up and gagged, tears in their eyes.
Sacrifice.
I had to sacrifice to save them all. I would marry this monster, and then I would kill him.
The person in the robe stood in front of us now, and even his face was completely obscured by the brown cloth he wore. I wasn’t even going to be able to look into the face of the person who would ruin my life forever.
As the music of the church organ died, the congregation fell silent, and we all waited for the robed person to begin the ceremony.
“Shift.”
I paused mid-breath, not sure if I’d heard the person in the robe correctly.
Widdlewon leaned forward, “Excuse me?”
“Shift, Celia! Shift now!”
The robed figure threw back the hood and revealed herself. It was Baba Yaga.
But how?
Suddenly, the back doors flew open and a rowdy group armed with swords and knives burst inside, led by a large, burly man with a round, jovial face. I could only imagine this was DeLuise. In the center, I recognized the familiar face of Della as well. She had known of a plot to stop the ceremony.
Every one of the guests stared in shock, but the minute I woke from my stupor, I pulled free of the goons and hurried toward Ethan. Chaos broke out behind me.
Spells began to fire back and forth between Widdlewon and Baba Yaga, and people were chasing after me. I needed to shift, and I needed to right away.
I closed my eyes and tried, but as usual, nothing happened. Then, I caught sight of Ethan. His eyes were the beautiful, crystal brown that I never got tired of seeing. Those eyes had looked on me with love just hours before, and now, I wanted to be able to look into them for the rest of my life. I wanted him to be my partner, my mate, my love for the rest of our lives together.
Just as arms clasped around me, with no effort at all, I felt myself suddenly running on all fours. The arms were gone, and as I darted around the room, no one could hold onto me for a second.
I leapt in the air, aiming my claws for the terrified guard who’d dared threaten Ethan’s life. I sunk them into his chest and snapped my teeth over his throat. With a rip, he was no more. That’ll teach him to threaten anyone I love.
I couldn’t believe I’d just admitted that to myself. I loved Ethan. I loved him, and I didn’t want to be apart from him anymore.
I used my claws to release Ethan from his bindings, and he immediately shifted beside me. Together, we took out a multitude of guards, doing our best not to kill the ones who were be-spelled, only knocking them out. When we were finished, a multitude of royal guards lay incapacitated around us.
We dashed to free our parents and made quick work of getting them to safety. I would reunite with them after all this was over with, but for now, I wanted them out of harm’s way.
When we turned back toward the fray, only Baba Yaga and Widdlewon remained. They were facing off, but no spells were being thrown.
Ethan and I shifted back to human form, and he said, “That’s her. That’s the witch who freed me. What I don’t get is why she seemed to be out to get me every step of the way back.”
Baba Yaga shouted, “Look, here, Widdlewon! Your days as ruler of this kingdom are over.”
“And who’s going to stop me? That shifter? He’s nothing! Cursed to be wild by me. At the snap of my fingers, I could remove his head from his body.”
“Yes, but aren’t you just jealous of his ability?”
“What are you talking about? I’m a freaking warlock! I don’t need any other abilities.”
“Haven’t you always wished you could shift? I mean, you are half-shifter after all. Isn’t it kind of sad that you can’t even come close to that satisfaction? You’ll never be the man Ethan is. And that’s a fact.”
With a wild roar, Widdlewon lifted his arms and threw a curse directly at Baba Yaga. It flew straight and true, but at the last second, she lifted her arms and the robe fell back, revealing two, metallic armbands—a la Wonderwoman—and the curse rebounded onto Widdlewon, knocking him to the floor.
He writhed on the ground as she stood over him and said, “Don’t mess with THE witch, bitch! You’ll lose every time.”
His pain must have been excruciating, but with a final gasp, Widdlewon died from his own curse.
“It’s gone.” Ethan turned to me. “My curse has been lifted. I can feel that it’s gone.”
“That’s wonderful! You’re free.” A thought occurred to me. “And now you don’t need me any longer.”
His gaze met mine, and I couldn’t read him in that moment. I wanted to hear him say that he still wanted me, but I didn’t want him to feel forced. I wanted him to choose me, not sacrifice the life he could have without me.
Arms suddenly encircled me, and I turned to hug my mother, and then my father.
My father pulled back and said, “Toricellia, we are so proud of you.”
“How can you be? I left you to take my punishment for ten years.”
“No, you didn’t. It was all part of Baba Yaga’s plan.”
“What? I don’t understand?”
Baba Yaga approached at that point, the robe completely replaced by a neon green halter dress that fell in a layered fashion to her thigh. Over that, she wore a neon pink, netted crop top that fell off of one shoulder and showed the straps of the dress. Colorful belts encircled her waist, and she still wore her Wonderwoman bracelets.
“Nana Johanna and I kept you hidden in Assjacket all these years until Ethan and you could grow up a little bit. You weren’t ready to take on Widdlewon and his minions until now. Your parents were on board, and let’s face it, the accommodations weren’t that disagreeable.” She turned her attention to Ethan. “And I was never trying to kill you. If I’d wanted you dead, you would be right now. I was just trying to slow you down so that you could see how well Celia and you worked together. If you ask me, I don’t think I did half bad. All in a day’s work.” She patted her over-permed hair, clearly proud of what she’d done.
I stared in disbelief. Once again, I was the last one in the room to catch on, and I didn’t like that feeling. I glanced at Ethan, and again, I wondered if he’d just been playing a part all along.
“How much of this did you know?”
“None of it. I was as in the dark as you were.”
“Well, I guess we’re all free to go our own way now. No reason to force anyone to do anything they don’t want to anymore.”
That self-assured smile returned to his face, and he said, “You know I always know what you’re thinking before you act.” He rested his hands on my shoulders. “Celia, I want you to be my mate, but I won’t force you. It’s your choice. Just know, that I love you, and that I’ll take care of you for the rest of your life—here, in Asscrack, or wherever—I just want to be with you.”
My chest felt like it might burst in that moment. His words were exactly what I needed to hear,
but I didn’t reveal my excitement just yet. No reason to put away my smartass ways just yet.
“I guess I might stick around, get married to the man I love, and maybe start a school for the servant class. You know, typical, summer vacay kind of stuff.”
I wrapped my arms around him and whispered in his ear. “I love you, too.”
Epilogue
A year later, Ethan and I were married in a beautiful ceremony in the main hall of the castle. All of our friends were there and looked amazing. The wedding brought many tears to many eyes because it was beyond gorgeous, and the feast afterward was the talk of the kingdom for many years after.
Evie and Dane were there with their adorable son Orion, who at one-year-old was already using his magic to make cranky unicorns appear out of nowhere at a moment’s notice. He just fell over with laughter at his handiwork as his mother and father did their best to fix things before they turned to complete havoc.
Liz and her squirrel shifter were doing quite well ghostwriting stories for a big time, bestselling author, of whom they could never disclose the name, but let’s just say, they were wealthier than all of us combined.
And Cara and Finn had opened a chain of curse-breaker stores. They often journeyed on business trips to find new and undiscovered items to break any and all curses. Needless to say, they were quite successful. Oh, and Cara was expecting their first child in about six months. Needless to say, Finn was a nervous mess of a panther shifter.
As for Ethan and I, we were taking things slowly. My school was a huge success, and the kingdom of Wicked was growing because of it. Small businesses were popping up as the servants realized their skills could be put to excellent use making money. It was quite the booming economy.
Oh, and Della was coming along in her lessons too. With a few more years’ practice, her cursing might be as fantastically, frizz-fucking colorful as mine. Well, maybe I could use a few more lessons myself.
Needless to say, I finally understood matehood, and one look at Ethan was sure to send me into a swoon. Yeah, I know, ick-factor 9! But, I liked that he had my back, and no one was going to hurt him on my watch. Come at me, bro!
Yet, that’s what love did to a person. It could push you to achieve things you never thought you would, and it could tame even the wildest of beasts. I don’t care how jaded you are, love is the cure for everything. The Beatles said it best. “Love is all you need.”
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Note From the Author
Thank you so much for taking the time to read There’s No Place Like Wicked!
All reviews are appreciated.
Keep up with new releases and get a FREE copy of The Vampire Next Door by signing up for my Reader’s Club Newsletter here: Happily Ever After the Write Way Newsletter
I know exactly how to be a bad girl:
1. Be born that way
2. Have notorious parent
3. Be real witch to everyone.
But, I’ve got to be good now because in between teaching Chemistry at the local high school in Assjacket, West Virgina, I have to save all humanity from the forces of evil and…blah…blah…blah…keep the Halloweeneedtokissourassesgoodbye apocalypse from happening. With the help of an off-the-charts, smoking hawt instructor/boss, I might just have a fighting chance—if I can stop drooling over his naked chest. Dane Calvin agreed to teach me how to use my abilities responsibly, but he’s never met a witch as hard-headed as me. And, of course, it doesn’t help that the last time I used my powers it ended in tragedy, so forgive me if I’m a little magic gun-shy. I might be made for wicked things, but when he’s watching, I’ve got to be good because Wicked Is As Wicked Does.
Carrasandra Reed knows life has dealt her a raw deal. Now, she's in Assjacket, West Virginia to make things right. She's got to find a way to get her hands on an impossible-to-find stone, and the best plan she's got is to fake amnesia until it surfaces. Just one little kink in the con. The gorgeous panther-shifter, Finn Bryant, isn't buying her act one bit. He's on to her, but she'd rather he get on top of her and make all her troubles fade away.
With a little bit of lu...no...strike that...no need to go there. With all her skill and con-artistry, she might just be able to pull off the greatest con of her life, free herself from her misery, and give herself a chance at happiness.
Book List
Also by Cherie Marks
Wicked is As Wicked Does (Book 1 in the Wicked Hearts Series)
Show Me the Wicked (Book 2 in the Wicked Hearts Series)
The Fae Next Door (Book 1 in the Love Next Door Series
The Vampire Next Door (Book 2 in the Love Next Door Series)
Lost in New Falls (Book 1 in the Lost in Love Series)
Lost in Christmas (Book 2 in the Lost in Love Series)
Into the Fire (Book 1 in the Sizzle in the Kitchen Series)
Wicked Jackal (Woodland Creek Series)
Thief of Sanguardia (Skeleton Key Series)
Shadow of Ruin (The Complex Series)
And writing as C. C. Marks
Edge of Mercy
Heart of Mercy
End of Mercy
Range of Mercy
Mercy
Out of Mercy (coming 2017)
About Cherie Marks
Twitter: http://twitter.com/cheriemarks
Facebook: Author Page
Website: http://www.authorcheriemarks.com/
It all started with an old fashioned typewriter. When my family brought it home, for the first time, I knew what I wanted to do. All those stories rolling around in my head could finally get out. The press and click of the keys were satisfying in their own right, but when I pulled out a finished page, I knew this was for me. Since then, I've graduated to a laptop, but the stories still find a way out.
I'm a breast cancer survivor, a teacher, a wife, a mother, and a writer. I continue to strive for less procrastination and more tact. The battle wages on.
