CHARMED TO DEATH

  MAGIC HAPPENS

  BOOK 2

  YASMINE GALENORN

  A Nightqueen Enterprises LLC Publication

  Published by Yasmine Galenorn

  PO Box 2037, Kirkland WA 98083-2037

  CHARMED TO DEATH

  A Magic Happens Novel

  Copyright © 2023 by Yasmine Galenorn

  First Electronic Printing: 2023 Nightqueen Enterprises LLC

  First Print Edition: 2023 Nightqueen Enterprises

  Cover Art & Design: Ravven

  Art Copyright: Yasmine Galenorn

  Editor: Elizabeth Flynn

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED No part of this book may be reproduced or distributed in any format, be it print or electronic or audio, without permission. Please prevent piracy by purchasing only authorized versions of this book.

  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, or places is entirely coincidental and not to be construed as representative or an endorsement of any living/ existing group, person, place, or business.

  A Nightqueen Enterprises LLC Publication

  Published in the United States of America

  CONTENTS

  Acknowledgments

  Welcome to Charmed to Death

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Playlist

  Biography

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Welcome to the Magic Happens world—the world of Marquette Sanders.

  Thanks to my usual crew: Samwise, my husband, Andria and Jennifer—without their help, I’d be swamped. To the women who have helped me find my way in indie, you’re all great, and thank you to everyone. To my wonderful cover artist, Ravven, for the beautiful work she’s done and my editor, Elizabeth Flynn, who’s always ready to jump in and curb my love of ellipses, and Jade, who has an eagle eye.

  Also, my love to my furbles, who keep me happy. My heart is over the rainbow with my Rainbow Girls, and here in the present with our current babies. My most reverent devotion to Mielikki, Tapio, Ukko, Rauni, and Brighid, my spiritual guardians and guides. My love and reverence to Herne, and Cernunnos, and to the Fae, who still rule the wild places of this world. And a nod to the Wild Hunt, which runs deep in my magick, as well as in my fiction.

  You can find me through my website at Galenorn.com and be sure to sign up for my newsletter to keep updated on all my latest releases and to access the VIP section of my website, which has all sorts of perks on it! You can find my advice on writing, discussions about the books, and general ramblings on my YouTube Channel and my blog. If you liked this book, I’d be grateful if you’d leave a review—it helps more than you can think.

  Brightest Blessings,

  ~The Painted Panther~

  ~Yasmine Galenorn~

  WELCOME TO CHARMED TO DEATH

  November brings with it the annual windstorms, but another kind of storm is brewing. All over town, people are becoming unhappy with their partners. At Shadow Magic, we’re getting more requests than we can handle for love potions, Be-True charms, Reveal-Cheater spells, and anything you can think of to do with romance and its vagaries.

  Granny and I know that something sinister is afoot, but we aren’t sure what. Until Dagda Bruin—the chief of police—asks us for help.

  We discover a full-scale magical virus going on that’s causing broken hearts, fights between jilted lovers, and scandalous affairs everywhere. As we try to figure out what’s going on, one fight leads to murder, and the race is on to discover not only the source of this mayhem, but a cure for what’s ailing the lovelorn of Terameth Lake. And if we don’t move soon, the body count’s going to rise as tempers and infidelities escalate.

  Reading Order for the Magic Happens Series:

  Book 1: Shadow Magic

  Book 2: Charmed to Death

  CHAPTER ONE

  I woke up to find Midnight staring down at my face. She had planted herself on my chest, and was now nose to nose with me, her whiskers tickling my cheeks. I squinted at her, trying to decide whether I had heard the alarm go off. I didn’t think so, but Midnight had taken to jumping on my chest as soon as the alarm rang. Sunshine, however, was proving to be a lazy little furball, who would saunter down for breakfast when he was ready.

  “Is it morning already?” I yawned, reaching out with my right hand to grab for my phone.

  It’s close enough, Midnight said. And I’m hungry, so get up and feed us!

  Spoken like a real cat.

  “Remember what I told you? Unless it’s an emergency, you don’t get to wake me up in the middle of the night just to feed or pet you. Not unless you’re feeling really upset.” I knew better than to truly expect them to respect my wishes. Midnight and Sunshine were cats, after all, even if they were familiars. And they epitomized the nature of “cat” perfectly.

  It is an emergency. The food dish is empty. And I think Granny is outside.

  I snorted, glancing at my phone. It was seven forty-five, and my alarm wasn’t set to go off until eight-fifteen. But I knew my chances of getting any more sleep were null and void. I turned off my alarm, set the phone back on the nightstand, and—holding Midnight around the tummy—I slowly scooted my way up to lean back against the headboard.

  “All right, you win.” I knew how dangerous those two words were when spoken to a cat, but I didn’t have the heart to tell her no. “Okay, I’m getting up. You go wake up your brother and go wait by the food bowl. I’ll be down as soon as I’ve showered and dressed.”

  Midnight let out a long-suffering sigh, then turned and jumped off the bed, marching toward the door. If she had been human, her shoulders would be sinking right now and she would probably give me an injured look. As it was, she reached where she thought she couldn’t see me just outside the door, and then I heard her thunder off down the stairs. Oh, the drama of it all!

  Downstairs, I found coffee waiting for me, along with a couple homemade sausage muffins ready to heat up in the microwave. As I settled down at the table with my breakfast, along with a massive cup of milk-and-sugar infused coffee, I glanced over at the cats. They were scarfing down breakfast so fast that it occurred to me I should put something like a golf ball in their dish to keep them from eating so fast. Both of them were chunking up, and their coats were sleek and beautiful.

  Turning back to my phone, I pulled up the news headlines. Ever since I had left the Crown Magika, I had tried to keep up on the inside events going on there. But I was no longer in the loop and, even if someone there thought to inform me, they’d be breaking the rules. So I flipped over to the Terameth Lake Gazette website and scanned the headlines.

  Avis Trenton had been arrested again, this time for public nudity. She had gotten drunk and jumped naked into the town square fountain. I grimaced. Avis was fifty-eight and quickly becoming one of the town drunks. Her antics were famous, but left me feeling sad because Avis had crumbled when her husband ran off with the gardener, taking every cent he could lay his hands on. She was alone, she couldn’t afford the mortgage, she had no job other than being a spectacular mother, and now she was left to care for three kids under the age of ten with no help from their father.

  In other news, the Jenkinson cows had broken out and there was a massive roadblock on Belfry Drive. The website hadn’t been updated in half an hour so there was a good chance it had been cleared by now, but I made a note that when I went down to the shop, I’d avoid that route.

  And then another article caught my eye. I scrolled down to it. Sometime during the night, someone—or something—had scratched up Molly Meagher’s car. The picture was appalling. Long scrapes dug into the side of the driver’s door had left massive scratches in the metal, and they were so big that I knew they hadn’t come from any mountain lion or bear that I could think of.

  The microwave beeped and I carried my muffins back to the table, where I sat down. As I stuffed one into my mouth, I realized it was too hot and I waved my hand briskly in front of my lips to cool the heat that spread through my tongue and my mouth.

  As the heat dissipated, I stared at the picture of Molly’s car. What the hell had attacked it? Maybe a saber-toothed tiger was running around the village? Considering the things that came out of Hell’s Thicket, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was something other than just a pissed-off bear or some teen wearing a Wolverine claw set.

  After I finished glancing through the news, I picked up the stack of mail. As I leafed through it, two were easily recognizable as bills. Three pieces were for Granny, and three were for me. Mine were stiff, probably birthday cards. My birthday was Saturday—on the nineteenth. I tucked them into my purse. The ones for Granny, I left by her side of the table.

  Yawning, I chugged down the coffee and readied myself to leave for the day. I had promised Granny I would take today at the shop if she would take tomorrow for me. Verity was throwing a party for me on Saturday night, but tomorrow night was the first date I’d agreed to in a couple years, and I wasn’t sure exactly how I felt about it.

  Tomorrow night, Colton was taking me out to a movie and a late dinner.
I had sworn up and down to myself that I wouldn’t date again, at least not for a long time. Now here I was, breaking my vow.

  But people could change their minds, right?

  I liked to think I was calm and collected, but beneath the surface, I was nervous. I had no clue how to act on a date. I didn’t even know how to date anymore. I hadn’t gone out with anybody in years, and the last time I had, it had been the breakup from hell. She had hurt me so bad that I sworn off both men and women and focused on my work to the exclusion of anything else. But when Colton had asked me out, he was so calm that it soothed my fears.

  Sure, I was fifty-two, almost fifty-three, and I didn’t want a steady boyfriend, but the thought of having dinner with a good friend and possibly, maybe, dinner leading to a kiss made me smile.

  And Dagda Bruin could go suck lemons.

  The night before, when Dagda found out I was going to go out with Colton, he had blown up and picked a fight with me. I couldn’t figure out why he was being such an ass. Dagda had a girlfriend, and I had no interest in dating him. We butted heads in the worst of ways, and he was acting like an older brother.

  I had told him in no uncertain terms that “thank you but I have a brother and I wouldn’t listen to him, so I’m not about to listen to you. Tend to your own garden. I’m perfectly capable of making my own decisions.”

  He had stormed out, a brooding look on his face.

  Granny tried to smooth my ruffled feathers. “The two of you fight worse than anybody I know,” she had said. “It reminds me of when you and your brother Billy lived here.”

  “I don’t know why Dagda rubs me the wrong way,” I said. “I don’t dislike him, but I sure like to needle him. He’s so quick to blow up.”

  “I wonder,” Granny said. She pulled out her computer and ran some computations, then—sputtering—she leaned back and laughed her head off. “Okay, that answers it. No wonder the two of you butt heads. You’re a Scorpio with an Aries moon and he’s a Virgo with a Capricorn moon. That alone ensures the pair of you will be sparring for the rest of your lives. Just be careful that you don’t let it go too far. I can see an argument blowing up big someday to where you might not be able to mend the rift.”

  Sparring partners or not, I didn’t have time to mull over my fractious friendship with Dagda.

  “I’m not going to be the one to constantly keep the peace. I don’t think of him as a frenemy, but we’re close. Anyway, I don’t have the time to worry about it.”

  I shook away thoughts of the argument and stretched. I wanted to get in a workout before hitting the shop, so I said goodbye to the kittens, slung my workout bag over my shoulder, and headed out for the day. Granny was still asleep, and I didn’t want to wake her. She had put in a late night helping a friend clear a ghost out of her house and needed her rest.

  As I headed to the truck, keys in hand, the skies opened and rain lashed down sideways, soaking me before I could make it to my truck. I slid into the driver’s seat and slammed the door, but I was already drenched to the bone. If I’d been in a T-shirt, I could have won a wet T-shirt contest. I wiped the water off my forehead, glancing in the rearview mirror to make certain my eye makeup was still intact. Satisfied, I slid the key into the ignition and eased out of the driveway.

  Chaz waved as I entered the gym. The owner was a buff young man who had asked me out about a dozen times. He was too young for me, though, and the last time he had asked, I told him firmly but politely to stop. I liked Chaz. He was fun and he was a good personal trainer, but I lectured him on crossing boundaries. He apologized, and we were good. I chalked his eagerness up to the fact that he was lonely. His ex-girlfriend had left him with an inferiority complex, and he seemed out to prove that he wasn’t a loser.

  “Hey Marquette,” he said. “What are you working on today?”

  “Legs. I had a PT appointment. Therapist says I’m focusing on cardio too much, and that I need to build the muscle around my knee again or it could blow out.”

  “What kind of exercises does your therapist want you to do?” Chaz asked.

  “I need to do some knee-friendly weight-bearing exercises. While I change, if you could think up a few for me, that would help.” I handed him the piece of paper from my therapist. “Here’s a few she recommended. It will give you an idea of what I need.”

  By the time I had finished donning my workout gear, Chaz had come up with a simple routine for me. Hopefully, it would help. My knee had gone out on me in September and it was still hurting. If I didn’t get the muscles strengthened up soon, I’d have more problems than just aching when the rains hit. We put in a grueling forty-five minutes and, after thanking him for his help, I hit the showers, changed, and headed down to the shop.

  So, I’m Marquette Sanders, and I was one of the top agents for the Crown Magika. But earlier in the year I ended up on the wrong side of the asphalt. I was taking a turn at around a hundred and forty to a hundred and fifty miles per hour, chasing down a rogue vampire, when my motorcycle skidded out from under me, catching my heel and dragging me long enough to shatter the bones in my leg. Given how easily I could have lost my life, I consider myself lucky.

  Though I heal quickly, given that I’m witchblood, it was soon apparent I’d never fully be whole again. I lost my job with the Crown Magika. They offered me a desk job, but I couldn’t face the transition. I loved my work too much. So I walked away. I sold Duchess—my motorcycle—and resigned myself to a slower life as a civilian.

  Now I work with Granny—my goddess-mother—in her magical shop, Shadow Magic. In an unexpected twist, I’m now also working pro bono for the police department, helping out on investigations when they need an extra hand. Dagda Bruin—the chief of police—is so strapped on his budget that he’s given me a special investigator’s license. No, life isn’t turning out the way I wanted it to, but I’m learning to adapt. And I’m finding that happiness is a choice, rather than some elusive prize to be won.

  I no sooner opened the doors when one of our regular customers rushed through. Charisma Mathers was 25 years old, with a waifish body and boobs that were way too big for her frame. They were about as natural as her hair color. While I still had the same blond hair I’d been born with, her blond hair was definitely from a bottle. There was nothing wrong with that, except it didn’t look good on her. She had skin fit for a redhead, or maybe a rich mahogany.

  “Hey Charisma, how goes it?” I took my place behind the counter as she dropped her purse on the glass.

  “I need your help. I’m frantic!” Her eyes were wide, and by her breathy voice, I could tell she was panicked.

  “What’s going on?”

  As flamboyant as she looked, Charisma wasn’t one given over to being a drama queen. In fact, she was one of the smartest women I’d met in Terameth Lake.

  “I think Jake’s having an affair. I need something to reveal the truth.”

  “Jake?” I stared at her. She was going out with a man who was devoted to her, and I couldn’t possibly see him running around on the side. Then again, I didn’t have that much experience in the romance department. “Did he tell you that he was?”

  She shook her head. “No, he didn’t. But I can feel it. I know he’s up to something.” She slapped the top of the counter, and I gently grabbed her hand.

  “You don’t want to do that to a glass display case. While the glass is strong, you don’t need to smash your fist through it. Now tell me, why do you think he’s sneaking around? What signs have you noticed?”

  She heaved out a sigh, tears glistening in the corners of her eyes. “He’s been late the last three nights, and he doesn’t have any excuse for where he was. He hasn’t even said work’s being a problem. He just tells me to quit nagging and to give him his space. He’s never said anything like that to me before.”