by Amy Boyles
“And the cold?” Amelia said. “It’s getting colder every day out there. If we don’t hurry, we’ll end up freezing like popsicles.”
I crossed to the door and opened it. A frigid blast of air cut straight through me. “She’s right. It’s getting worse. But since I’ve got the power of the heart or whatever, will that right itself?”
Betty frowned. “It should. It should work that way. I say we give it a few minutes and see if it changes.”
“And if it doesn’t?” I said.
“Then we might have a problem,” Betty admitted.
Axel threaded his fingers through his hair. “My mom is great at elemental magic. She might be able to help.”
“That’s if she doesn’t get arrested,” Amelia said.
Cordelia kicked her.
“What?” Amelia’s gaze flickered around the room until it landed on Axel. Her face crimsoned. “Oh. Sorry.”
“That is another problem we have.” Axel glanced at Betty. “Garrick said the prison wraiths might make the arrest.”
For the first time since I’d met her, Betty paled. She quickly righted herself and glanced at me. “Okay, kid. For the first few days you’ll feel different, and you will be more powerful. But after that everything will sort of slough off. You’ll go back to normal.”
“Why’s that?”
“It’s your body acclimating to the new power. Completely normal. Don’t forget. You are the conduit for the heart to create Magnolia Cove. Use your power wisely. Being connected to the heart will give you a boost, but the connection mainly exists to keep our town the way it is—magical.”
A warm bubble of happiness filled me. Of all her granddaughters Betty had trusted me with the heart. Of course that could be because the heart was a crusty old man and out of the three of us, I was the only one who wouldn’t kick him in the face. I mean, Cordelia probably would have already.
“So that’s it?” I said.
Betty shrugged. “Pretty much. The fire knows things and may be able to help you if you get stuck on certain problems. All you have to do is ask and it will help.”
I scoffed. “Right. That’s if I want my head chopped off.” I glanced at Axel. “Should we go talk to your mother?”
He held a jacket for me to slip into. As always, the man was one step ahead. “Let’s go.”
When we reached Axel’s house, his mom had dinner on the table. The four of us sat and enjoyed a simple meal of spaghetti and meatballs.
“The real meal is in a couple of days,” Karen said. “Tomorrow I’ve got to start preparing.” She turned to me. “What are you doing tomorrow, Pepper?”
I forked a meatball. “I’ll be open half the day at the store.”
Her face lit up under a million-watt smile. “Well then you must come with me to the Christmas market in town. I hear Magnolia Cove has the most wonderful Christmas market.”
I quirked a brow. “Will wonders never cease. I didn’t know anything about that.”
Axel swiped a napkin down his mouth. “We have a Christmas market.”
Which was great because I still didn’t have a present for him.
“Well,” Karen said slowly, “I tell you what—why don’t we walk around tomorrow afternoon, have a great time of it.”
“Sounds good.” I chewed a big, beefy bite of meatball. I almost moaned from the savory flavor. “So, Axel and I were wondering something.”
She quirked a brow. “When a good time is to get married? I can consult my tarot cards.”
Axel coughed. I was pretty sure I turned purple. “No,” he said, recovering. “The temperature keeps dropping. It’s about twenty degrees out there. When I’ve checked the weather, the temp’s not supposed to be that low.”
“Ah,” she said. “You think something magical is going on.”
“We do,” I admitted. “At first we thought it was connected to Betty Craple’s power—which is officially broken, but we don’t know why. But now we think it’s a separate event.”
“Can you help us fix it, Mom?” Even though his voice wasn’t pleading, Axel’s eyes were.
He was a powerful wizard, but even some things were beyond him—like the weather.
“I’ll be happy to.” She leaned over and squeezed Roger’s shoulder. “Care to help with this? I could use all I can get.”
Roger beamed. “No one’s better than your mother when it comes to atmospheric spelling. No one. She’s better at it than most wizards.”
“Thanks, Dad,” Axel said, his voice teasing.
“Aw, son, you know you’re a fantastic wizard. No one’s taking that from you.”
Something dark flashed across Axel’s face. Was there something I didn’t know about him? Probably there was an entire world I didn’t know about Axel, but this seemed to be something more—some sort of secret.
Axel clapped his hands. “Mom, that was great. Now. Who’s ready for dessert?”
A little while later Axel drove me home. He’d taken a detour at the Prophecy Pools. We sat in the idling Rover watching the sparkling waters.
“So how do you feel?” He turned toward me. “Now that you’ve got the heart fire in you.”
I glanced at my fingers. “It’s strange. I almost feel as if I could do anything.”
“Bend the glass in the window.”
My jaw dropped. “I don’t know if I could do that.”
“You can. Just believe.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’ll try, but only because you’re asking.”
“Just don’t shatter it. Mending glass isn’t my specialty.”
I laughed at the curling smile on his face. I pressed my fingertips to the frigid surface. “We really are going to be frozen unless we do something about this weather. People won’t know how to act.”
He chuckled. “It is the South. Even a hint of cold and folks go into hibernation.”
I winked at him. “Yet there are still people who wear flip-flops no matter the weather.”
He laughed. “That is true.”
It was. It could be thirty degrees and you’d see people in shorts and flip-flops.
“You’re avoiding the task,” he gently prodded.
I sighed. “Okay. Okay. Bend glass. Bend a spoon. Pretend I’m Neo in The Matrix and jump into one of those Agent guys.”
“I never said that part.”
I tipped my head back and laughed. Our gazes cemented, and I felt the weight of his presence like a boulder pressing on my chest. I swallowed a knot in my throat and focused on the window.
I touched the pads of my fingers to the smooth surface. I closed my eyes and thought about it bending, pulling toward me.
A low rumble filled the car. My fingers snapped back. I gasped as my eyelids fluttered open.
Axel whistled. “Impressive.”
The glass had bowed inward, exactly as Axel had asked for it. It wasn’t too deep. Not enough to shatter.
It had worked. “That is so cool.” I couldn’t hide the elation from my voice. “Wow. Do you think I could make a tree bend?”
“I wouldn’t push it.” Axel tipped his head toward me. “See if you can press your finger through it.”
“You’re kidding.” I shifted closer to him. Suddenly the cab filled with the heady aroma of leather, coffee and pine. I wanted to swim in Axel’s scent.
“I am definitely not kidding.” He blew warm air into his cupped hands and rubbed them. “Press your finger through, but you have to keep your eyes open.”
“No fair. I love doing magic with my eyes closed.”
“You’ll do better if they’re open.”
I scoffed. “Says you.” But I smiled.
Axel was all business. “Your finger.”
I rolled my eyes but did as he said, gently pressing my finger into the hard surface. “It’s not working.”
“That’s because you don’t believe. You have to see your finger do it.”
“What if my finger gets stuck and the glass ends up cutting it off.”
“Way to see the positive.”
I punched his shoulder lightly. In one sweeping motion, Axel cupped my face and dragged my lips against his. The kiss was deep, making me tingle all the way to my toes. I lost myself. I swear I heard him in my head.
You can do it, Pepper.
But I’m so worried.
Get over it.
When he released me, Axel pointed me toward the glass. “Go for it.”
Apparently all I needed was a good smack in the right direction. Without overanalyzing it, I poked my finger through the solid sheet.
“Oh dear Lord, I’m doing it.”
It felt like I was moving through brick or stone. It was solid but gave with enough pressure. Before something bad happened, I pulled my finger out.
“See? You could do it.” Axel smiled widely. “Now fix the glass.”
I managed that easily. When it was done, I sank back and sighed. “If only I could work this sort of magic without the fire burning brightly inside me.”
“You can. You know that.”
I groaned and sank onto the seat. “Not this discussion again. ‘You’re a head witch. The only thing that limits you is your mind.’ I know, I know.”
“Great. If you know so much, we can head back to your house.”
“I didn’t say I knew everything,” I grumbled. “But there is something I’d like to know.”
Axel put the SUV into drive. “And that is?”
“What would you like for Christmas?”
He shook his head. “Nothing. Don’t bother getting me anything.”
“I have to get you something.”
He shrugged. “Why? I didn’t get you anything. I mean, I just returned, Pepper. We’re back but we need to go slow, figure things out so that I don’t screw it up again.”
“You’re not getting me anything for Christmas?”
The look of surprise on his face shocked me. “No. Am I supposed to?”
What? Axel wasn’t getting me anything for Christmas?
How could he not get me a present? Why wouldn’t he get me a present? What was wrong with him?
Well, I wasn’t going to let his stupidity stop me. I would get him a present—I would get him the best present ever, and then he would feel terrible for not getting me anything.
And he should feel terrible because after all he’d put me through, I deserved something awesome—like diamonds.
Okay, maybe not diamonds, but still something awesome.
I decided to cover my tracks with my infinite smartness. “Oh no, you don’t have to get me anything. I don’t want anything. That’s great. Now I don’t have to worry about getting you anything. Perfect. You know, since I hadn’t bought you one.”
“I thought so, too.” He sighed. “It’s good to just relax into us. Not worry about all that other commercial stuff, don’t you think?”
“Sure. I think it’s great. Let’s just focus on the holiday, on spending it together and not worry about all that other stuff.”
He stretched his arm and pulled me toward him. I wanted to bite his nose and not in coy way. I wanted to sink my teeth into his flesh like a werewolf.
But I didn’t. I smiled and grinned and decided I would get him the best Christmas present ever just to show him what the holiday means to me.
We reached the cottage and said our good nights. I gave him a quick kiss. I didn’t exactly want him to know I was ticked, but I also wanted him to know I was ticked.
Y’all know what I’m talking about, right? When you’re mad and want the other person to know, but you also don’t want them to know?
Anyway, that’s what I did. I waved as he drove off and tried not to think about my bruised ego too much. The best way to get over hurt is to just go ahead and shove it aside, I always think.
So that’s what I did.
I was about to climb the porch steps when a horrible creaking sound came from above. I peered into the dark sky in time to see a dripping candy ribbon crash in front of me.
The house rumbled and creaked. The front door flew open. Betty, Cordelia and Amelia rushed outside.
“What’s going on?” Another line of ribbon slopped to the ground like a slug.
“The ribbon,” Betty yelled. “It’s breaking and taking the house with it.”
I shoved up my sleeves and narrowed my gaze. “Not if I can help it, it’s not.”
SEVENTEEN
“If we don’t do something fast, the house will be in trouble,” Amelia said.
“The heart,” Betty croaked. “It can’t be moved without magic.”
I flashed her a look of fear. “Do you think the house will crush it?”
She worried her bottom lip. “I don’t think it will destroy the heart, no, but it could hurt it.” Betty yanked my arms and pulled me down to eye level. “Pepper, I can’t do anything to stop this. Not me. But you…you may be our only hope.”
I swallowed a knot the size of Kansas. Once again, no pressure. No pressure to save Magnolia Cove. No pressure to save Christmas. Heck, why doesn’t someone pop out and say, It’s time to save the world, Pepper.
“It’s time to save the world, Pepper,” Betty said.
I rolled my eyes. “Quit reading my mind, or being melodramatic.”
“Okay,” Betty admitted. “But you’ve got to hurry. I can’t stop it even though I created it.”
I glanced at Cordelia. My cousin strode forward. “I’ll help.”
Amelia stepped over a pile of gooey candy. “Me too. What else are sweet tea witches for?”
I extended my hands. My cousins clasped mine. In order to do this I would have to tap into the power of the fire. There was no way around it. The peppermint mess had been a spell Betty created. I couldn’t wipe out the ribbon with the bottomless bag, so I had to find another way.
That other way was straight through the heart.
I searched and poked, prodded and felt deep within me. Quietly burning like a pilot light lay the flame. I fueled it, forcing it to flame bright. The power unfolded like a flower.
Since my hands were locked in my cousins’, I couldn’t break free to wield magic from my palms.
Instead I did something completely strange yet second nature. I thrust out my chest, basically aiming my heart at the house. The ribbon’s response sent an earth-shattering quake snaking to my feet.
The ribbon recoiled as if it had been touched with white-hot flames. It lashed into the sky as if searching for a foothold. It reared and bucked. It didn’t want to do what I wanted, but I wasn’t going to let it stay.
“Go. Vanish.”
The red and white gooey ribbon whipped up, lifting high. The sound was hideous—creaking and crackling on an epic scale. I gave it one more burst of power, and the ribbon disappeared in a flash of light.
I exhaled. My hands slipped from Cordelia and Amelia’s. My knees shook. So much power. So much absolute raw power existed in the ancient fire. It was good that much of magic didn’t hang around for a long time in someone’s body. What you could do with it was mind boggling…and I hadn’t even tapped into it fully.
“Pepper!” Amelia flung her arms around me. “That was awesome. You did great! Wow!”
“Yeah,” Cordelia high-fived me. “So amazing. I’m really impressed.”
Betty came up last. She wrapped me in a hug. “I’m proud of you, kid. Time you started smoking a pipe.”
Wait. What?
“Why would you say that?”
She released me. I swear a tear tried to squeeze from her eye. She knuckled it away when she thought I wasn’t looking.
“All the eldest Craple women smoke a pipe. Helps with the magic.”
“That’s because you smoke wacky tobacky,” Amelia said.
Betty glared at her. “I do no such thing. I smoke regular witch tobacco. That’s all.” She gave them the evil eye for a few more seconds before turning to me. “Come on, kid. Let’s go inside and get you some hot cocoa. Sugar always helps after you work powerful ma
gic.”
We went inside. I couldn’t help but glance at the fire as I made my way into the kitchen. It roared heartily, and I swore the image of a pair of smiling lips emerged from the flames.
The next afternoon Karen met me at Familiar Place. Arsenal had followed me to the shop, which I took as a compliment even though Amelia was the person officially looking after him.
“Ready to do some shopping?” Karen beamed.
“Absolutely. If you don’t mind us having a doggie tagalong.”
Her gaze flickered to Arsenal. “Is that Cookie’s dog?”
“Yep. The dog’s been staying with us these past few days. Ellis Mobley took him home once, but he returned. I guess he likes it better at our house.”
She leaned over conspiratorially. “Who could blame him?”
We walked down Bubbling Cauldron toward the temporary shops that had been set up.
I couldn’t help but smile at the red and white striped tent tops. Something about Christmas just made me cheery. Maybe it was because everyone else was smiling, but I think it was simply that Christmas had a power of its own. One that made my heart happy.
The tents had been placed in front of the snowmen and creatures. A line of folks wove from the wishing hat. With pen and paper in hand, they were hoping to have their Christmas wishes granted. It was, after all, only a couple of days away.
Snow fell from the sky, adding to the ambiance. It was chilly, though the sun was keeping much of the bite from the cold.
“What are you shopping for?” I said to Karen.
“Something else for Roger. You?”
I eyed a tent selling small dragon sculptures. “I need something for Axel. I haven’t gotten him anything.”
“Always difficult to buy for him. He never needs anything, and if he wants it, well, he’s a wizard. He can have whatever it is his heart desires.”
She linked her arm through mine. “I know firsthand that all his heart desires is you.”
Heat rose in my cheeks. It was embarrassing talking about your boyfriend to your boyfriend’s mom. I decided to change the subject. “What about the weather? Have you had a chance to decipher it?”
