“What are you saying, Miss Spritely?” I asked the elementary school principal who’d caught me right before it was time to leave for the day.
Stanley waved goodbye and tapped his watch, indicating the time. I knew I had to leave, but how could I when she was screaming in my ear about the safety of the town’s children?
My head throbbed in time with every step I took towards the elevator that would lead me outside and to the street. I needed some fresh air and couldn’t wait to join the rest of the trifecta in the woods.
“Are you not concerned about our children at all, Madam Mayor?” The principal’s shrill voice sounded in my ear.
“Of course, I want our kids to be safe,” I replied as calmly as I could.
It was difficult to remain the voice of reason when being attacked by such a shrew. But I managed, barely. Maribella would have nodded and sympathized. Donatella would’ve zapped her nasty butt. Me. I was the mayor. I had to keep my feelings aside and remain impartial while still showing the appropriate amount of concern.
Fucked up and damn near impossible? Yep. But like my Nonna always said, politics was a balancing act worthy of tightrope walkers the world over.
“I will notify the sheriff about the incident, but how can I help you right now, Miss Spritely?”
If I thought the woman was going to hang up with a thank you, I was mistaken. The older witch proceeded to list the names and ages of her students, who’d all arrived at school late that morning.
Now, Castor’s Corner was small, but there was an active truancy officer. She was a little old feline Shifter named Esther Myerson. The woman took the complaint, but she then directed Miss Spritely to bring her grievances to me for some unknown reason.
“I still do not understand why you are calling me,” I said calmly.
“Because Evie Castor, it is your job to see that this town is secure. Now, there is something going on at Castor’s Corner Cemetery, something or other is haunting that place and terrorizing our children. It is on you to investigate and expel that unsettled spirit before it attracts unwanted attention,” she growled, and hung up with a huff.
“Shit,” I murmured.
I clicked end call on my cell, biting my lip and trying to gather my thoughts. This was not what I needed right then. Was someone purposely spooking kids? What the fuck? My cell phone screen turned bright green before beeping loudly, then it went black. I wanted to throw the damn thing.
Witches and technology were kind of at war, but I’d recently stumbled upon Swoosh, WUber, and other magical apps that allowed for cell phone usage within city limits after obtaining a special magical license to operate.
Hexing via cell phone was also possible, as was ordering casts, potions, and other handy magic making goodies via on demand delivery. It certainly made life in the 21st Century a bit easier. And, as an added bonus, it helped us supes pass as normals when we left our cozy, little hometown.
Finally, I got the thing back on and the alarm I’d set buzzed. Crap. I frowned even harder this time. I was going to be late.
I hoisted my purse up onto my arm and began jotting notes about Miss Spritely’s ghost using a voice to text app which unfortunately hated my Jersey shore accent.
“Correction. Not Cast of honor. Castor’s Corner. C-A-S-T-O-R-’-S. C-O-R-N-E-R. Cemetery. Ghost.”
FML. It was the bane of all native New Jerseyans, our propensity to drop the letter r from all word endings, replacing it with something like ah or uh, even aw. I tried to get the darn thing used to my accent, but it was slow going.
Back to Miss Spritely. She’d been the principal of the elementary school for eighty years. A long time, but she didn’t look a day over sixty, which was saying something considering she was one hundred and ninety seven. I suspected she’d aged rapidly for a witch due to having to deal with unruly children for such a large chunk of her life.
That could give anyone wrinkles and grays. Eeek! It was true I still cringed when she used certain tones with me, but that did not change facts. Miss Spritely was correct about one thing in particular.
Seeing to the town’s safety was, indeed, my job. I’d have to investigate the cemetery tomorrow. And if I found anything untoward, a ghost or spirit, well, I’d just have to exorcise the gory ghoul before something terrible happened. But I couldn’t think about that now, I had to run. Literally.
Every month, Donatella, Maribella, and I got together and lit a bonfire deep in the pine barrens that were a part of our little town. Yes, we danced under the full moon. Yes, we chanted spells and sang our powers. Yes, we wove our colorful magic, spinning it into the night air wearing nothing but our birthday suits.
These rights and rituals were part of our ceremony to invoke the Goddess to look favorably on our community of supernaturals. To grant us the ability to keep them safe and to strengthen our boundary spells, warding off any newcomers from entering our little town.
“Shit,” I growled, having forgotten the teeny, tiny, itty, bitty, and rather annoying little fact I was without a vehicle.
With no other recourse, I ran. That’s right. Me, the mayor of town, was forced to haul my fluffy ass eight city blocks to the tiny patch of Pinelands where we held our monthly ceremony.
Gasping for air and regretting my food choices for the day, I finally made it. A mayor on the run had few choices, even so, I could have done better than a donut, a double bacon cheeseburger with an order of chili cheese fries, and a toasted pumpkin muffin with cream cheese frosting. And that was just during the workday. I still needed dinner and was thinking pizza until I started running badly to the gathering.
Shit. Salad it is, I thought with a sad cough.
“OMG, Evie!” Donatella shrieked.
“You are so late,” Maribella seconded.
Donny was so mad she was making clucking sounds like a pissed off mother hen. Meanwhile, our buxom blonde buddy was just nodding her head and shoving what looked suspiciously like one of her delectable peanut butter chip cookies into her mouth like I couldn’t see her.
Heifer.
I mean, I loved the woman, but I was pissed she hadn’t offered me any. I motioned for them to get on with it since I was still out of breath and talking wasn’t an option just yet.
Donny clicked one more time then tossed her long dark hair, thankfully the purple did not last, and started chanting a spell to light the bonfire. She pulled off her short silk robe as she worked.
We were all used to this by now. The teasing, giggling, and snarky chortles of our youth were no longer a thing, as getting naked under the light of the full moon was simply part of our duties as the trifecta.
Maribella quickly kicked off her chef’s pants and coat, revealing a really nice flower printed bra and undies set. Not that I was staring, but the beyotch hit me with her clothes and I’d glanced up to see her blow a raspberry at me.
I was so gonna zap her butt for that one! But first I wanted to remember to ask her where she got that pretty panty bra set. Later. Much later. Like when I could talk again.
With a few whispered words, Donny lit the fire, and I undressed quickly, joining the others in our circle. I looked at Bella first, and she grinned, nodding her blonde head. Next, I caught Donatella in my sight, and she nodded as well.
We were ready to begin. Power pulsated throughout the air, energizing the very atmosphere as the three of us began our chants. We were the Castor’s Corner witch trifecta. Bound to serve and protect our town and the supernatural residents to the best of our witchy capabilities. This was our truth and our entire purpose. That we were also best friends was a bonus.
Each one different, overlapping the other, but all working towards the same resolution. Like different notes in a harmony. We worked in tandem, letting our magic rise and shape our movements.
Dancing wasn’t exactly my forte, and normally I’d be worried about putting someone’s eye out with my gyrating hips and errant sways. But this was no disco or house party. This was something else.
The magic within us was riotous and beautiful. Our dances and songs were all part of weaving the spell that kept our neighbors and families safe.
My magic was bright and strong, but also soft, like a whisper. As familiar as a hug from Nonna, and foreign as a visit to outer space. Magic was a craft, and I was always learning. If I were making confessions, I’d admit I loved this part. Working with the trifecta was unlike anything else.
I watched Donny in her glory, and Bella, full of confidence in her craft, and my heart soared. Our magic was good. It was right. Together, I felt as if we could do anything. Sure, there were doubts, but I trusted my friends. I’d been late tonight, but maybe the Goddess wouldn’t mind so much.
The bonfire grew, and multicolor flames sparked out from the top and sides. It didn’t burn us, or maybe it couldn’t. Our magic was good, and not meant to do harm. My own was aqua colored and held hints of purple.
Maribella’s was a lovely pink with bright white glowing around the edges, while Donny’s was all gold and glittery. Together we strengthened the wards that protected Castor’s Corner by encouraging outsiders to steer clear of our supernaturally inhabited little town.
The last time we had transplants to our community, a fire had erupted nearly destroying everything. That was a hundred years ago and coincided with the last time we had a solid team of firefighters in town. It might seem like ancient history, but our citizens remembered.
Of course, many had been alive back then. Supernaturals had extended lifespans. Supes weren’t immortal, we just aged differently than normals. I myself would live hundreds of years, though at the moment, I was just shy of forty. Not that I was shouting my age aloud to all and sundry.
“Goddess, grant us
Space to be,
Keep the outsiders out,
We offer thee
Our hearts and devotion,
To truly be
The corner where casting
Is done freely.”
Okay, so I flunked English. My spell was a little elementary with the rhyming, but it got the job done, and I refrained from profanity. Nonna had zapped my ass on more than one occasion when I’d gone for the easy rhymes, filling my spells with words like shit or fuck.
Anyway, call it a trance or what have you, but when the three of us invoked our magic like this, I found everything around me seemed highly focused. Like the air itself was charged with our power. The insects in the forest, and tiny woodland critters about, seemed to twinkle and glow. Even the plants seemed to whisper and speak. Like our magic made everything want to be alive and engaged.
Damn, I really loved being in the moment. I dropped my head back and chanted louder, feeling the magic wash over me in dizzying shades of blue.
Of course, I should have noted the second the energy changed, but I was too focused on the rhyme and rhythm. The aqua, pink, and gold flames of our magic danced from our fingertips, flowing into the bonfire and out into the sky. Those colorful lights would fall down in a dome shaped spell warding strangers off right over Castor’s Corner, concealing and protecting our little town.
Only something went wrong. Our magic was strong, there was no doubt there, but we were joined by something else. Something earthy and vibrant. I felt it walk right on in this foreign entity. With it was a lust for life that seemed to emanate from one source. No, not one. Make that three. There were three vivacious strangers in our midst. Interrupting our casting with their trespass.
Simultaneously, Maribella, Donny, and I halted in our naked frolicking. We opened our eyes, looking at one another. Then, as one, we turned our heads.
“Holy,” I said, gulping after that one word.
“Goddess,” Maribella added.
“Have mercy,” Donatella finished.
Staring at us like a group of starving men gazing longingly at a fried chicken buffet were three of the hottest men I had ever seen. And when I say hot, I was talking Sahara Desert had nothing on them hot.
The first was tall, with wide shoulders and long, powerful legs. Like professional rugby player huge. I bit back my groan. I kinda had a thing for muscular men. Who didn’t?
I continued my appraisal, taking in his dark brown hair, tanned skin, and faintly glowing silver eyes. He was gorgeous. His handsome face was wearing a wolfish grin that would’ve melted my panties off if I had any on. He looked dangerous and appealing. A bad boy heartbreaker to the core.
Dammit. I really needed to get laid. Maybe I’d give that Windr account a try. Who was I kidding? Flings were not exactly my forte. I pushed my carnal needs aside and looked at the sexy man’s companions.
One had carelessly mussed blond hair and green eyes that glittered like emeralds in the darkness of the woods surrounding us. The last, was the largest of them all. He seemed a little older, with gray threading his dark hair and beard. But his brown eyes were kind and guileless.
“Excuse us ladies, is this Maccon City?” Mr. Silver eyes with the shit eating grin drawled.
The other two had averted their gazes, but not him. His steely stare remained locked on me. I felt my entire body sizzle and tingle, but again, I pushed that aside. I had a job to do, and this too sexy SOB was not gonna storm into my town uninvited.
"No. This isn’t Maccon City,” I snarled, naming a neighboring town I knew was filled with werewolves.
“You're in Castor's Corner. I'm Evelyn Castor, mayor and pissed off citizen. Just what the fuck do you think you’re doing here?" I asked.
Sure, I was pissed at the invasion. But I think I was angrier at the fact he’d thrown me off balance. The man should come with a warning, or at the very least bells or something to alert a girl to his presence, for fuck’s sake.
I stepped in front of my two best friends and lifted my head defiantly under the heavily masculine gazes. Though, to be honest, only Mr. Sexy was looking at me. The other two were each staring at one of my friends.
Whatever.
It was so not appropriate for me to appreciate his covetous gaze. I shook off the lusty feeling and squared my shoulders, placing my hands on my hips, refusing to cover myself. I had nothing to be ashamed of. This jerk should know better than to stare.
“Well, what are you looking at?”
“Perfection, darlin’. Pure perfection,” Mr. Sexy drawled slowly.
Dammit.
I shivered in reaction. The guy had a Southern accent as thick and rich as molasses. The kind guaranteed to leave a girl weak kneed and aching in all the right places.
What the Goddess was he doing here?
“Didn’t anyone ever tell you it’s not polite to stare,” I countered.
“Honey, if I stopped staring at you, they’d take my man card away. What are you doing dancing alone out here in the woods?”
“First off,” I replied. “I am not alone. Second, these are our woods. You’re trespassing.”
“Excuse me,” the blond said, and at least he had the good manners to look at the ground when he spoke.
“We were just looking for Maccon City, but we seemed to have taken a wrong turn somewhere. Our truck got a flat and broke down a few streets back. Engine wouldn’t start back up again. It was the strangest thing. We saw your fire, all that colorful smoke, and came to investigate. You gals witches?”
“Maccon City?” squeaked Maribella. “Shit on a shingle. They’re Shifters!”
“Course we are,” Mr. Sexy said with a toothy smile and a wink.
“Didn’t you have a spare tire?” I snapped, annoyed for no good reason.
“The spare was flat too, for some reason,” he said, still staring. The dog.
“With the engine up and dead, not much a tire would do anyway. We were afraid this fire would spread and thought we’d come help.”
“You guys firefighters?” Donatella asked, unhelpfully.
“We have been that, miss. Firefighters, police officers, maintenance workers, electricians, and Ryan here was even a baker.” he said.
“Jacks of all trades,” muttered Maribella excitedly.
“My name is Jaxson, ladies,” Mr. Sexy bowed slightly.
He ducked his head with a boyish charm that was just too ridiculous on a man his size. Only it worked. He was getting better looking by the second, damn him.
“Jaxson Reid,” he continued. “This here is Ryan McLeod, and Conrad Boman.”
“You ladies really are witches, then?” Ryan McLeod, the one with the gray threaded hair and beard, asked.
“You got a problem with that?’ Donatella snapped, and little lightning bolts of gold power zipped along her fingertips.
“Nope, I just, uh, never saw any with your, um, assets,” he grimaced under Donny’s annoyed glare, and I laughed.
It was adorable. But a quick poke with Bella’s elbow to my ribcage had me sobering up. Now was not the time for flirting.
Our resident hot head, Donny Andrews, could hit a bullseye with a magical lightning bolt from six hundred yards away. I sure as fuck didn’t want to deal with three pissed off Shifters in the middle of the night. Wanting to diffuse the situation, I snapped my fingers in the air.
“Easy,” I whispered to my besties.
“No ma’am,” Ryan McLeod replied. “No problem at all.”
His voice was impossibly deep. The man’s brown eyes seemed glued to my long haired friend. Donny pointed her finger, ready to zap his ass, and I slapped her arm down. He laughed once, a short chuckle that surprised me. I looked from him to Donny and back again. Was it me or did his brown eyes glow gold for a second?
“Donny! Control yourself,” Maribella chided.
“If you boys would give us some privacy, we’ll see if we can’t get you back on the right road to Maccon City,” I said, though a pang went through me at the thought of them leaving.
Odd.
Boman and McLeod turned around the moment I said it, but Jaxson Reid stood a moment longer. The bastard’s grin widened, and he let his gaze roam over me from head to toe one last time. Like he was marking his property with that pointed stare or something to that effect before he finally turned around. He did it slowly. Ever so slowly.
My nipples hardened and the butterflies in my stomach turned into fighter jets beneath his gaze. In fact, I was completely turned on just from that one long look.
Shit. This was not good. But was I to blame? I hadn’t been treated to that kind of hungry gaze since I was a teenager. And even then, it had been all about the anticipation rather than the follow through.
Sex was always a bit complicated for me. So, I tried to avoid it. Especially after my recent debacle with Dick Daniels. The warlock had been flattering and cute at first. But I knew better now.
I swore I would never mistake a nice smile for affection ever again. In fact, I was off men and relationships. Possibly forever. I could get along just fine with my rechargeable boyfriend, whom I called Ernest.
Was that a lonely future? Maybe. But I could deal with it. I had my besties and Stanley, too. But all those well laid plans to stay unattached to testosterone laden persons seemed to fly out the window the second Mr. Sexy grinned at me. His knowing smile seemed to indicate he could read my mind.
Uh oh. That was so not good. Even worse, my hoo-ha seemed totally on board with saying a warm and friendly hello, up close and personal like, to Mr. Hottie McDoMeRightNow. Shit. The nicknames were not helping.
Note to self. Call the Shifter by his given name. It was safer that way.
As if to prove he knew exactly what I was thinking, the bastard chuckled. Dammit. The masculine sound vibrated throughout my entire body. Next thing I knew, I was picturing the man in all sorts of compromising positions. My favorite involved all six and a half feet of him, sans clothing with a bowl of chocolate pudding and a small spoon.
Yum.
My face was burning by the time I was dressed. No wonder. I turned to see Donny and Maribella, already back in their clothing, whispering fervently to one another as they doused our bonfire. Maribella motioned to me, and I walked over to where she was standing.
“How did they get here, Evie?” she hissed.
“I don’t know,” I replied.
“Do you think maybe we let our guard down? Like when we were waiting for you?” Donny inserted.
Guilt and the feeling I let everyone down threatened to drown me, but if this was my fault, I would own it. Responsibility was hammered into my head since I was just a kid, destined to be mayor of our town. Did I mention no one else wanted the job?
Anyway, she was right. I was the reason they were here. And I had to make sure they left. Quickly.
“They are kinda hot though,” Maribella said, biting her lip and eying the biggest of them like he was sweeter than her latest attempt at calorie free brownies.
Seriously. One day she was going to be successful at finding the right magic for guilt free goodies, or I was forever doomed to have my Aunt Edna’s ass. The image that flashed in my head did not make me feel any better. Aunt Edna’s backside was infamous for knocking over tables and small children with aplomb.
As it was, my own rear end had a mind of its own. No matter what exercise I did, the second I even looked at a cookie, my badonkadonk got a little bigger.
“So, your truck crapped out on you?” I asked, approaching the three large Shifters cautiously.
Back in my clothing, I felt a modicum of relief. I could now speak without worrying if my plushness was jiggling in an unattractive way. What? A girl did have her worries. Even witches.
“Actually, ma’am, I think we kinda hit something when we made that wrong turn into your little town causing the flat. But then the engine just up and died,” the one called Boman explained, his face going ruddy at the admission.
“What?”
Donny and Maribella followed my lead. I knew they were relying on me, like the rest of the town, and I could not let them down. The hotties turned around, arms crossed, looking too damn sexy for their own good, certainly for ours, but it was Jaxson who spoke.
“Boman here accidentally hit a fire hydrant. Oddly placed, as it was six inches off the curb,” he muttered, and scratched his head.
Fuck.
That little change in the town’s hydrant locations was one of the bad decisions I’d allowed Dick Daniels to get away with under the haze of a budding new romance. I’d thought the idiot knew what he was doing. Special ops training, my ass. I should have known better. Warlocks were not to be trusted.
“Damn stupid, freaking, lying ass warlock,” I muttered.
“Ma’am?” Boman asked, scratching his blond locks.
“Nothing. Just a stupid mistake I made, and I’ve been working to correct it for the last six months,” I said, shaking my eyes at the memory of that failed relationship.
“Made, as in the past?” Jaxson asked, a little too interested for someone who just met me.
“OMG! I swear if I ever see Dick again, I will castrate the fucker!” Donny growled.
All three Shifters covered their man parts, scowling at her vehement promise. I couldn’t help my laugh. Neither could Maribella.
“No worries, boys, she doesn’t mean your family jewels.”
“Maribella is right,” I inserted. “You see, our last fire chief was a warlock, and he thought moving the hydrants off the curb was an efficient way of getting the firetrucks closer to one in case of emergency. He didn’t bother thinking what that meant to other motorists and used our non-relationship to get his ideas pushed through City Council.”
“Non-relationship?” Jaxson inquired, but I ignored his nosy ass. I was not about to wax poetic on my failed dating history.
“Anyway,” I said, taking control of the narrative. “You have my apologies, and the city will pay for the repairs to your tire and rim if there was any damage,” I added begrudgingly.
“Why should the city pay?” Jaxson asked, crossing his arms and causing his impressive biceps and triceps flex beneath the cotton of his shirt.
Yowza.
“Well, it’s our fault,” I explained. “Dick moved those hydrants using the city without going through proper channels. I have been moving them back one by one with my magic, but some buggers are harder than others.”
“Ain’t that the truth,” Maribella whispered, and again I giggled.
“Damn it,” I growled, slapping my BFF’s hand. “Get a grip,” I whispered.
“What did you ladies say the name of this town was again?” Jaxson put the question to us all, but I felt his stare settle on me. Again, my girly bits went haywire, but I played it off.
Cool as a cucumber.
Of course, my eyes went right to his, uh, cucumber, and I was shocked at the enormous bulge I spied beneath his tight fitting blue jeans. I cleared my throat and forced myself to look at his face, ignoring the pleasant scents of lemon and basil that wafted my way.
“I already told you, it’s Castor’s Corner. I’m Evie Castor, mayor.”
“Well, Madam Mayor,” Jaxson replied, hand extended as he invaded my space.
I hated having to look up at tall people, but being five foot three, if I was pushing it, that meant I usually had to. The lemon basil fragrance grew stronger, and I recognized it as coming from him.
Holy cow.
“Wolf, actually,” he replied, and I swallowed hard.
The sexy sonovabitch had read my mind. Shit. This was not good.
“So, Madam Mayor,” he continued. “What do we need to do if we wanna stay for a while?”
Me.
The thought was on the tip of my tongue, but I managed to keep my lips shut. Didn’t matter. He heard me anyway.
“That, I can take care of, darlin’,” the wolf drawled.
Fuck. I closed my eyes as a pang of lust washed over me. It was the darlin’ that did it. I felt him move into my space and closed my eyes, hoping to ward him away.
“Anything you need, Madam Mayor, I got it right here.”
And there went my panties.