Crystals and Criminals

by Lily Webb

  “Whoa, slow down,” Luna interrupted. “Does this mean there’s gonna be another smelly little fleabag running around here soon?”

  While I normally would’ve scolded her for her sarcasm, she brought up a good point: what exactly would our baby be? Would she be born a witch like me, a shifter like Beau, some combination of both — or not magical at all?

  “I’m not sure,” I laughed. “The baby is definitely coming, but I dunno if it’ll be a shifter too.”

  “Who cares?” Beau asked. “It doesn’t matter to me. As long as he or she comes out healthy, I’ll be happy,” he said, positively beaming. “Can you believe this, Zoe? We’re gonna be parents — you and me!”

  Truthfully, I couldn’t believe it, but as anxious as I was about raising a child, I knew having Beau at my side would make all the difference. “I know, it’s crazy.”

  “Have you told anyone else yet? We have to tell everyone,” Beau said as he bounced giddily on the bed.

  “Only Heath.”

  “Oh, perfect,” Beau said, seemingly unfazed that Heath learned before he did. “When did you find out?”

  “Yesterday.”

  “Wow. That must be why you’ve been so sick and sleepy!”

  “Yeah, probably.”

  “Anyway, I guess we can ask Heath about the baby’s magic when we see him later.”

  “Later?”

  “Oh, sorry, I forgot to tell you. Heath said last night that he wants to meet with us, Holly, and Madame Astra at some point today. He said there wasn’t any rush.”

  “Why does he want us to meet with all of them?”

  Beau shrugged. “I dunno. He didn’t say.”

  “Then we’d better not keep him waiting. I’m gonna hop in the shower. Why don’t you call and tell him we’re on our way? You can use my phone to make sure you get through to him.”

  “Sure. Anything for the mommy-to-be,” Beau said with a gleeful smile as he launched off the bed and came around to my side to grab my phone. He hugged and kissed me again — I doubted he could’ve helped himself, though I didn’t mind — and ran off into the living room to make the call.

  “And here I thought I was already the third wheel in this relationship,” Luna said when we were alone. I reached down to pet her head.

  “Oh, come on, don’t be like that. There’s more than enough of my love to go around.”

  She licked my hand and rubbed her head against it. “I hope so.”

  I gave her another pet and headed for the bathroom. Whether it was because of the pregnancy, my duel with three warlocks the night before or both, everything hurt. I took my time in the shower, savoring the loosening effect of the hot water on my tight muscles.

  I couldn’t help looking at my stomach in profile in the mirror. Nothing looked different, not yet anyway, but even knowing there was a baby growing inside brought a smile so wide to my face it hurt. I’d never once imagined myself as a mother — my career had always been too important — but now that it was happening, I knew it was right.

  After I’d gotten dressed and ready, Beau and I left hand-in-hand for the Town Hall. If my face looked anything like his, I knew we must’ve looked like two smiling maniacs to everyone we passed, but neither of us cared — how could we? We had each other, and we had a baby coming, so what else mattered?

  We strode into the Town Hall’s main chamber and found the usual raised dais replaced by a small, circular table. Heath, Holly, and Madame Astra all sat waiting for us. A knowing smile appeared on Madame Astra’s face as she read our expressions, and Heath looked positively radiant.

  “Zoe, Beau. Welcome,” he said warmly, his arms open wide to illustrate. “Please, join us. Take a seat.” We did, and Heath cleared his throat. “I’m sure you’re wondering what’s going on. Holly requested this meeting. She has some things she’d like to say to you and Madame Astra. Holly?” he said and turned to Holly, who despite her time in a dark subterranean dungeon looked well put together.

  She pushed a stray strand of hair behind one ear and smiled somberly at me. “Thank you for coming, Zoe. I already heard the good news. Congratulations to you both,” she said, and I nodded to show my appreciation. “I wanted to apologize to you, Heath, and Adele personally for all this. I know I don’t deserve a second chance, but I’m sorry for what I’ve done. Forgiveness isn’t easy, but I hope I can earn it from all of you, eventually.”

  No one spoke, so I took the opportunity. “You already have,” I said, and a hand shot to her heart. “I can’t fathom how difficult it must be to raise two kids alone, but I know better now than ever that you did what you did, despite how wrong it was, for your kids.”

  Tears sparkled in Holly’s eyes as she nodded. “Yes. Thank you, Zoe.”

  I paused for a moment while I thought. “Actually, you know what? I’ve been wanting a secretary for a while now, and I know you’re back on the job market, so what do you say?”

  The floodgates opened, and tears streamed down Holly’s face. “Are you serious?” she whispered. I glanced at Heath, who beamed and nodded.

  “Absolutely. We witches have to stick together and take care of each other, don’t we?” I asked, and Holly smiled at my reference to Rowena. “Besides, what better way for you to make up for all this than by working with us for the greater good?”

  She nodded vigorously. “I’ll be the best secretary the office of the Head Witch has ever seen.”

  “Can you start on Monday?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Good, then it’s settled. Welcome to the team.” I turned to Madame Astra. “I’m sorry about what happened to your crystal ball. Desperate times, desperate measures.”

  Madame Astra shrugged, still smiling. “It’s all for the best, child. Knowing what I know now about what my family had hidden inside, I’m better off without it. I’ve agreed to let Mr. Highmore safeguard the gem.”

  “But what about your app?”

  “Starforce Technologies has taken over its operation with their advanced magical artificial intelligence.”

  “Wait, does that mean the deal stands?”

  Madame Astra nodded, making the twinkle in her eyes flash. “It does. Consider this my goodbye. I don’t like to stay in one place for too long anyway, but Starforce wants me back in Starfall Valley on Monday.”

  I couldn’t believe what I was about to say, but I didn’t resist. “I’m glad I got to meet you, Adele.”

  “Likewise, child.” She turned to Heath. “You have a special witch on your hands, one I know will accomplish great things — though I’m sure you didn’t need a psychic to tell you that.”

  Heath beamed at me. “No, I didn’t, but it’s always nice to have our suspicions confirmed.”

  Madame Astra stood, straightened her lavender robes, and came around the table to stand at my side. I rose to meet her, and we shook hands, her various bangles and rings clinking and clanging with the motion. “It has been an absolute pleasure, Zoe. I hope I’ve opened your eyes as much as you’ve opened mine.”

  “You have. All three of them,” I quipped, and she chuckled. A beat later, she glanced down at my stomach. “May I offer you a parting reading for the baby?”

  Based on what I’d learned from her about my parents, the suggestion made me nervous, but I shrugged. “Sure.”

  Madame Astra closed her eyes and rested a hand on my stomach. Nothing happened for several moments — until she smiled, and her eyes fluttered open. “You‘ll have your hands full, but I see a beautiful future for the four of you.”

  I almost fainted, and Beau rushed out of his chair to catch me before I fell backward. “F-four of us?”

  “Oh, yes. The twins will be a challenge, but they’ll make you the happiest you’ve ever been.”

  “T-twins?” I stuttered, hearing my voice as if outside myself, but Beau seemed ecstatic.

  “Amazing! What are they gonna be? Two girls? A boy and a girl? What?” he asked, and Madame Astra’s smile widened.

  “As your
lovely girlfriend is fond of saying, there are some things we’re better off not knowing.” She removed her hand from my stomach and clasped it around her other wrist. “You’ll find out soon enough, but I suggest the two of you get as much rest as you can in the next few months. You’ll need it. Good luck and good fortune to you all,” she said and swished out the chamber doors, as mysteriously as she’d appeared in Moon Grove.

  “Twins, Zoe! Twins!” Beau shouted as he picked me off the ground and spun me around in glee. The room continued spinning long after he’d set me back down, making Heath appear three times in front of me.

  “Well, I suppose a call to your grandmother is in order,” Heath said. “She’s got not one, but two new additions to the family I’m sure she’ll want to meet.”

  I lowered myself slowly down into my chair as his words sank in. “Does that mean…?”

  Heath nodded. “Yes, Zoe. It’s time for Eleanor to come back where she belongs. It’s time for her to come home.”

  “He’s right, this is where Elle belongs. Besides, it sounds like we’re gonna need all the help we can get once these two little pups are born,” Beau said as he reached around from behind to rub my stomach.

  “And I bet she’d be downright furious if she missed the baby shower,” Heath said with a devious smile.

  “What baby shower?”

  “Surprise,” he said, his smile widening. “After you told me the news, I made a few calls to put a little something together. Everyone will be there.”

  “Heath, you didn’t have to—”

  “I know,” he interrupted. “But I wanted to. I think of you as a granddaughter, remember? Consider it my way of saying thank you for everything you’ve done for and brought to Moon Grove.”

  Beau wrapped his arms around me and kissed the top of my head. “We’re gonna be parents, Zo. Me and you. And we’re gonna be the best ones ever.”

  A fuzzy, warm feeling spread from my chest out across my whole body. I didn’t know how to host a party — much less a big, showy baby shower — but I knew a thing or two about how to be a good parent.

  I might not have had much time with my own, but I’d never doubted they loved me, and Grandma Elle had shown me everything they didn’t have the time on this Earth to do. A smile split my face as I realized that part of all three of them would live on in my children — my twins! — and that as much as I wished my parents had lived to meet them, I knew they were smiling proudly at me from wherever their spirits had gone.

  I turned in my seat to look Beau in the eye. “No more living in the past,” I said, and he furrowed his brows at me. “Madame Astra was right. I’ve spent too much time doing that, and it isn’t fair to you or our kids for me to keep chasing ghosts. I want to live for now, for you, for the twins. For our family. I love you, Beau.”

  Beau kissed my forehead again and pressed my head to his chest. “I love you too, Zo,” he said, and though I knew it was far too early for something like that to be happening, I could’ve sworn I felt one of the babies kicking in my stomach.

  Book 9: When Head Warlock Heath is framed for murder, can Zoe expose the real killer to prove his innocence? Or will the killer sentence them both to death?

  Turn the page to read chapter one, or

  Pre-order Witches and Witnesses now!

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  Witches and Witnesses Excerpt

  Chapter 1

  My stomach had grown so large that if I turned the wrong way, it could block out the sun.

  Worse, if I wasn’t careful, I ran the risk of knocking off all the decorations and food Beau had spent so much time meticulously placing on the half dozen tables in our backyard — potentially ruining my baby shower before it even started.

  As if the twins sensed my anxiety, one of them sharply kicked, causing an intense pain at the top of my ribcage. I winced and massaged the spot to soothe it, and by the time I re-opened my eyes, Beau was at my side with his hand resting on top of mine.

  “Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

  “No, no, I’m fine. One of the babies kicked, that’s all.”

  “Oh, it must’ve been a hard one then. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you cringe like that. Here, take a seat and rest,” he said and ushered me to the nearest of the dozen plastic chairs he’d set out. He held it still while I squatted down as far as my aching feet and legs would allow, and I collapsed the rest of the way in a big huff of air.

  Beau’s hands found my shoulders and began massaging the tight muscles there and at the base of my neck. “Better?”

  “Very much so,” I moaned and tilted my head to the left. The bones in my neck cracked one by one like dominoes, producing a sound like a zipper closing as they snapped.

  Beau groaned. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that sound.”

  “Me neither.” I’d never been a neck cracker until I got pregnant, but since then it happened several times a day and I had to admit the sound was gruesome — but the relief it provided was worth it.

  Beau kneeled in front of me and stroked my swollen stomach. “I can’t believe we only have another five weeks to go until our little kickboxers are here.”

  “That’s easy for you to say. You aren’t the one who’s been getting their insides pummeled by them for the last ten weeks. It’s a good thing magical babies grow faster. I don’t think I could deal with this for forty weeks. I’m ready to meet the little boogers already.”

  “Aw, you’re right. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to minimize.”

  I rested my hand on top of his and squeezed it. “It’s okay, I know you didn’t. It’s just my hormones acting up, don’t take it personally. I’m glad you’re with me for this, there’s no way I could do it alone.”

  He stood and kissed the top of my head. “You just stay put and rest. I’ll finish getting ready before everyone gets here. There’s not much left to do, and you’ve overworked yourself already today, anyway. Can I get you anything?”

  My stomach rumbled, but I hesitated. Beau raised his eyebrows at me. “Okay, look, I know this is gonna sound weird, but I’d kill for a pickle right about now.”

  Beau chuckled. “Pregnancy cravings aren’t supposed to be normal, but you’ve got it. It’s a good thing I bought that giant jar the other day when it caught your eye.”

  He dashed back into the house for the food and I sat rubbing my stomach and staring out at our small but cute backyard. Beau had taken up gardening and did an excellent job planting various colorful flowers along all three walls of the fence that blocked us off from our neighbors.

  Claiming he wanted only the finest ingredients for his kids, Beau had also started a small fruit and vegetable plot in the far-left corner where fresh, plump tomatoes currently dangled from their wire supports. The sight of their swollen red exteriors and the thought of their juicy contents made my mouth water.

  The quiet and serenity of the yard might otherwise have been unsettling but given the unprecedented period of peace Moon Grove had experienced for the last ten weeks — which coincided nicely with the timing of my pregnancy — I doubted I had anything to worry about.

  Still, I couldn’t shake a constant sense of dread that at any moment the other shoe might drop. Since moving to the magical town nearly a year ago, there’d never been a stretch of time this long in which something major hadn’t gone wrong, so no one could blame me for being nervous.

  As Head Witch, if and when the broom hit the wall, it would fall on me to fix it and I could barely take care of myself, much less tend to a major upset. Thankfully, I had my counterpart, Head Warlock Heath Highmore, to deal with anything pressing while I focused on myself and the twins, and he’d made it abundantly clear that he wanted me to take advantage of that support.

  “One large pickle, as ordered,” Beau said, startling me out of my daydreaming. He thrust it out to me in one
hand, its base wrapped in a paper towel, and I snatched it from him without hesitation. If someone had told me a year ago I’d be pregnant with twins and smashing on pickles like they were the last pieces of food on earth, I would’ve laughed in their faces, but there I was.

  I took a giant bite from the side, savoring the satisfying crunch and the sweet and sour taste. “Thankth,” I mumbled through the wad of pickle in my mouth. Juice dribbled down my chin, but I was too focused on eating to care.

  Beau bit his lower lip to keep from laughing. “Anything for you.”

  The sound of familiar voices drifted from the front of the house, and my furious chewing froze as my heart jumped up into my throat.

  “Sounds like the guests are starting to arrive,” Beau said, beaming.

  My eyes shot open and I thrust the pickle back at him. “Here, take thith, I don’t want anyone to thee me thith way,” I ordered and leaned sideways to spit out the wad I’d already chewed. Beau took the pickle and grimaced at the gift I’d left. I ignored him and bared my teeth. “Do I have anything stuck in here? Is there any juice on my shirt? Hurry, get me a breath mint before they come inside!”

  “Relax, Zo, you look fine. Besides, you’re pregnant, you’re allowed to look a little messy.”

  My heart hammered in my chest and I glanced down at my clothes in horror. “Messy?! You’re not helping!”

  The sound of knocking echoed through the house and drifted out into the backyard. “Knock, knock!” Heath called, and I thought I was going to die right then and there.

  “What if they come around the side of the house? Hurry, intercept them!” I ordered, and Beau dashed through the back door toward the front. I dragged the back of my hands across my face and chin and breathed a sigh of relief when both came back clean.

  I couldn’t have gotten out of the chair even if I’d wanted to, so instead I straightened my shirt and stretched it out to keep my stomach from looking as monstrous as I feared it did. I’d just gotten settled when a hand found my shoulder and jolted me.