“Was there… did someone else come to visit me?” I asked, facing Marty with a sense of concern.

  “Someone else?” he repeated, shaking his head.

  “Yeah… I remember seeing a man dressed in a black suit.”

  Marty shook his head again. “Where did you see him?”

  “In the emergency room.”

  A cloud of darkness seemed to pass over his expression.

  “What?” I asked.

  He swallowed hard. “The only presence dressed in black and appearing when you’re on the verge of death that I’ve ever heard of is Death, himself.”

  It was my turn to swallow hard. Could the man have been… Death? But, no, it just… it didn’t feel like that was the answer. He’d told me to fight for my life—he hadn’t tried to take mine.

  I looked up at Marty. “I don’t think it was Death.”

  “Well, we might have to chalk it up to one of those mysteries that never get solved.” He gave me a sweet smile and I nodded, even though inside I didn’t want to chalk it up to an unsolved mystery.

  Another silence fell between us, but it was a comfortable silence. When I looked up at him, I smiled again.

  “I’m glad it was your face I saw when I woke up,” I said.

  Marty just smiled down at me, and we fell into another silence that seemed overflowing with meaning. He broke the silence by bending down and kissing me again. This time, he kissed me even longer and his lips were warm and full against mine.

  When he pulled back, he whispered, “So what does this mean?”

  “It means…” I trailed off. Then we glanced at each other and burst out laughing again. It meant whatever it was supposed to mean.

  I didn’t have to figure it out. I didn’t have to figure anything out because it was enough that Marty was here right now. We were holding hands and kissing, and that spark of happiness in his eyes reflected my own.

  Memories of a stranger in a black suit fled my mind and, instead, I focused on the here and now. And I focused on the one person I wanted to see more than anyone else.

  “I really want to see Finn,” I said.

  ***

  People packed my house and more filed through the door every minute. We were celebrating Henner and RJ’s birthdays, as well as my recovery.

  It had been over two weeks since my encounter with Roscoe and in that time, Wanda had made sure all the broken furniture had been cleared out and any repairs addressed.

  As to the Jeep? Yeah, it had been a total loss so now I was waiting on the insurance to replace it, after having told them a tree had fallen on it (Lorcan had helped with felling the tree). Now I was sporting a gray Toyota Corolla rental car.

  But, back to the house, the living room and part of the dining room were cordoned off with plastic sheets from the ceiling to the floor and the same repairman who’d replaced the windows in the kitchen from the time when Astrid had blown them out, was now fixing the mess that was my living room. And I was more than sure Lorcan was footing the bill.

  Darla stood at the kitchen counter, pouring drinks like her life depended on it. Libby had staked out a place between the stove, the oven, the sink, and the counter. She chopped, arranged, and served in a whirlwind of skirts, pearls, and beehive hair while Florence assisted her. Betanya was talking with Wanda and Lorcan about something in the other room.

  Finn and Astrid were seated at the kitchen table, playing a video game on the Xbox which we’d relocated from the living room.

  I was still feeling pretty exhausted from my whole ordeal with Roscoe, but getting stronger and better with each passing day. Even Hellcat had decided to join the festivities, though he’d mainly kept to himself and was now sitting on the kitchen windowsill and licking his paws.

  Meanwhile, there was a knock on the door and Darla opened it to reveal Marty, Henner, and RJ, who were just showing up. Olga Fischer and her familiar raccoon, Franz, appeared from the other side of the graveyard.

  Roy, who was fully restored to himself, Fifi, the Stompers, and several more of our supernatural neighbors filled the house and spilled into the other rooms that weren’t cordoned off by plastic.

  “Grandma!” Henner kissed Betanya on the cheek as everyone assembled in the kitchen. It was then that Betanya cleared her throat and raised her glass.

  “Here’s to Poppy, Wanda, Lorcan, and… and all of you! I can’t tell you how much it means to me to now be able to live… free.”

  Several ‘here, here’s’ answered her. Wanda shouldered through the crowd and held out two bottles, Jack Daniels’ in her left and Wild Turkey in her right. She set them down on the table beside Finn, who pushed one of them away a few inches.

  “Do you mind?” he asked. “I’m trying to game here.”

  She rubbed his blonde head with a laugh and then faced the others in the kitchen. “Who’s ready to get this party started?”

  “Count me out,” Betanya told her. “I’m no longer a Blood Witch, so I better start winding down the intensity level.”

  And that was the truth. With Roscoe’s death, Betanya had been released from his Kiss, which meant she’d been returned to being an ordinary witch. And she seemed happy enough about that—or maybe her happiness was reserved for the fact that Roscoe was now dead and gone.

  “You aren’t a Blood Witch anymore, true,” Wanda replied, “but you’re still a witch and, as anyone knows, witches can handle their alcohol!”

  The others laughed and everyone broke apart to talk, laugh, and help themselves to the food Libby kept ferrying in from the kitchen.

  As to RJ and the fact that he wasn’t supposed to know all his friends and neighbors were supernatural? I figured Wanda, Olga and Betanya would be performing a memory erasing spell after the party was over.

  At the feel of someone touching my elbow, I glanced up to find Marty at my side. He looked at me with that rapt expression I recognized from the hospital and it suddenly seemed as if the rest of the house vanished.

  He slipped his fingers into mine and sat down beside me at the kitchen counter as the festivities continued to rage around us.

  “How are you doing?” he asked in a soft voice.

  “Great,” I answered, and really felt it. “I… I couldn’t be better, actually.”

  I didn’t know what was going on between us but there was definitely something in his eyes as he looked at me. And that something didn’t feel like the rush you get when you first get into a relationship. It just felt deeply, deeply comfortable. It felt like it had been going on for years.

  And I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. On the one hand, Marty was really everything I could want in a man—he was kind, considerate, protective, fun and easy-going. And on the other hand, he was also my best friend. And that was a relationship I really didn’t want to mess up.

  Was this what Devona, the sasquatch witch from Roy’s ancestral land, meant when she said I had to make room for the right man to come into my life? Was Marty the man she’d seen in her visions, the man destined for me?

  I didn’t know.

  And I figured I’d probably never have a true, clean answer to that question.

  No, I was fairly sure it was just one of those things where you had to live your life to find out.

  The End

  ~~~~~

  Return to Haven Hollow in:

  The Yule Log

  ~~~~~

  Turn the page for a list of ingredients and directions to all the potions in this book, and to learn more about Haven Hollow!

  ~~~~~

  Return to the Table of Contents

  Poppy’s Potion Recipes Referenced In This Book:

  From ‘The Complete Formulary Of Magical Oils’ by Celeste Rayne Heldstab

  Mystic Veil:

  1/8 part Cinnamon Oil

  1/2 part Sandalwood Oil

  1/8 part Clove Oil

  1/4 part Myrrh Oil

  This is used for pathworking, psychic endeavors or to break through the astral plane.

  Fiery Command Oil:

  Equal parts: Dragon’s Blood Oil, Frankincense Oil, Myrrh Oil, Cinnamon Oil

  Will force others to do your bidding without question. Use with care.

  Confusion Oil:

  To 2 ounces of base oil, add contents of one vitamin E capsule and:

  ½ part Coconut Oil

  ¼ part Lavender Oil

  ¼ part Violet Oil

  ¼ part Black Pepper

  2 drops Ginseng

  Will help to confuse others who are working against you, also aids in breaking hexes.

  Flying Devil Oil:

  Black Pepper, a pinch

  ½ part Dragon’s Blood Oil

  ¼ part Cassia Oil

  ¼ part Patchouli Oil

  A special Voudoun uncrossing oil used to overcome the power of a strong Ouanga or hex. Works quickly.

  Sleep Oil:

  ½ part Rose Oil

  ¼ part Jasmine Oil

  ¼ part Chamomile Oil

  Anoint the temples, neck, pulse of both wrists, soles of the feet. Brings on natural sleep.

  ~~~~~

  Return to the Table of Contents

  MYSTIC VEIL

  Haven Hollow #11

  (Poppy’s Potions)

  by

  H.P. MALLORY

  &

  J.R. RAIN

  The Haven Hollow Series

  Gypsy Magic

  Cashmere Curses

  Faerie Enchantment

  Spandex Sorcery

  Love’s Goddess

  Demon in Denim

  Taffeta Trickery

  The Black Cat Cocktail Club

  French Country Frights

  All Hallow’s Eve

  Mystic Veil

  The Yule Log

  The Broken Mirror

  Art Deco Apparitions

  The Vampires Grave

  Herringbone Hexes

  Raising Cain

  Druid’s Curse

  Colonial Corpses

  Angora Alchemy

  Day Dream

  Ritzy Business

  Pan’s Delight

  Armed & Charmed

  The Christmas Spirit

  Blood Rose

  Blood Bond

  Georgian Ghouls

  Velvet Voodoo

  Dead Ringer

  Summer Solstice

  Lace Laments

  Enchanted Emporium

  Gypsy Gold

  Newlywed and Pixie-Led

  Cold Blood

  Hexes and Hoarfrost

  Other Books by J.R. Rain

  VAMPIRE FOR HIRE

  Moon Dance

  Vampire Moon

  American Vampire

  Moon Child

  Christmas Moon (novella)

  Vampire Dawn

  Vampire Games

  Moon Island

  Moon River

  Vampire Sun

  Moon Dragon

  Moon Shadow

  Vampire Fire

  Midnight Moon

  Moon Angel

  Vampire Sire

  Moon Master

  Dead Moon

  Lost Moon

  Vampire Destiny

  Infinite Moon

  Vampire Empress

  Moon Elder

  Wicked Moon

  Winter Moon

  Sasquatch Moon

  Moon Blade

  Wild Moon

  Moon Magic

  Moon World

  Vampire Deep

  Moon Matador

  SAMANTHA MOON ADVENTURES

  Banshee Moon

  Moon Monster

  Moon Ripper

  Witch Moon

  Moon Goddess

  Moon Blaze

  Golem Moon

  Moon Maidens

  SAMANTHA MOON CASE FILES

  Moon Bayou

  Blood Moon

  Parallel Moon

  SAMANTHA MOON ORIGINS

  New Moon Rising

  Moon Mourning

  Haunted Moon

  Other Books by H.P. Mallory

  PARANORMAL WOMEN’S FICTION:

  Midlife Mysteries

  Midlife Spirits

  Haven Hollow

  Misty Hollow

  Trailer Park Vampire

  Gwen’s Ghosts

  PARANORMAL ROMANCE:

  Witch, Warlock & Vampire

  Lily Harper

  Dulcie O’Neil

  Gates of the Underworld

  PARANORMAL REVERSE HAREM:

  Happily Never After

  My Five Kings

  Mystic Veil

  Published by Rain Press

  Copyright © 2021 by J.R. Rain & H.P. Mallory

  All rights reserved.

  Ebook Edition, License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Poppy’s Potion Recipes

  Reading Sample: The Yule Log

  Reading Sample: The Dead Detective

  About H.P. Mallory

  About J.R. Rain

  Mystic Veil

  Prologue

  “She’s crashing!” someone shouted in my ear. “We’re losing her!”

  “Another twenty milligrams of epinephrine IV push! Get the crash cart over here now!”

  The noise and confusion swirled in one ear, turned a lazy revolution in my brain, and drifted out the other ear. I swayed on the edge of consciousness as the stretcher veered around a sharp corner and careened down yet another hospital hallway.

  All I knew—all I could comprehend—was pain lancing through me. It was a dull, reverberating ache in some places and a fast, spontaneous knifing sear in others.

  The fluorescent lights streaming past my face blurred as a third wave of shivering agony seized me. I started to float away, but slammed back onto the stretcher when it lurched to a sudden halt.

  “Her blood pressure is tanking,” someone said, sounding detached.

  “She’s going into atrial fibrillation!”

  “Where are those two units of blood I ordered?”

  I swam through a hazy cloud of hurt mixed with jumbled memories about what had happened to end with me here and in this condition. But, I had no answers for myself.

  Someone shone a flashlight into my eyes before my head lolled to one side.

  I’d never experienced this kind of pain before and, suddenly, I didn’t want to fight it any longer. I wanted to give in to the sea of calm that existed just beyond the pain—a sea that promised no more agony, no more fear. Just peace.

  You need to fight, Poppy, a voice sounded in my head. I didn’t recognize the deep cadence, but the sound was masculine. And the accent was… English?

  I can’t fight… it… it hurts too much, I thought back, because I was more than sure my voice wouldn’t work.

  It’s not your time, the voice insisted.

  Not my time.

  Not my time.

  Not my time.

  It feels like it’s my time, I insisted.

  No. Think of your son.

  My son.

  Finn.

  Yes, I would fight.

  All at once, a flood of heat rushed into my veins. The pain spiked until it was unbearable, and then everything went black.

  Chapter One

  A deafening blast exploded in my face.

  I lunged backward, just as the shockwave caught me under the chin. The raw power hurled me against the wall and knocked out every window in the room.

  The high-pitched sound of breaking glass tinkled in my ears and I choked on the smoke filling my lungs. Seconds later, a hot knife of pain pierced my brain, and I flinched at the sudden horrid pain. Cramming my hand to my forehead, I tried to rub the pain away, but it wasn’t any use. Coughing like my life depended on it, I squinted through the murk.

  “Astrid!” I bellowed. “What did you just do?”

  “I did what you said! I added the fenugreek seeds to the…”

  I pushed myself off the wall and staggered to the kitchen counter, having to part the seas of smoke that were currently choking my kitchen. The pounding in my head had reached major proportions, and I had to half-pinch one eye against it.

  “You didn’t add the fenugreek seeds! You added the nigella seeds the way I told you not to! You were supposed to add the nigella last. Remember?”

  “Oh, you’re right… I did add the nigella seeds.” Then she sighed, long and hard, before getting captured by a coughing fit of her own. “I’m sorry, Poppy.”

  The smoke started to clear and I could actually see her again. That was when my twelve-year-old son, Finn, entered the room, his eyes wide as he waved the smoke away.

  “Mom? What happened?”

  “I messed up a potion,” Astrid answered on a sigh.

  “Is everyone okay?” Finn continued.

  “Other than the windows blowing to Kingdom Come, I think we’re all fine,” I answered on a groan as I got caught by another coughing fit. Once I could catch my breath again, I waved away the smoke and faced Astrid just to make sure we were all okay.

  “Are you hurt?”

  She coughed a few more times. “No, I’m fine. Are you…?” Her face came into view as the smoke drifted through the broken windows and out into the fresh air beyond. “What’s wrong?”

  “I’ve got a splitting headache, which is ironic considering this…” I waved at the pile of shattered glass, bent cooking pots, and ingredient bottles on what used to be my kitchen counter. “This potion was supposed to cure headaches!”