Chapter 8
Penny
My online store, The Basic Witch, was doing just fine, thank you very much.
The charms and bottled potions I’d started with back in college now only made up a tiny fraction of my sales, with merch like “Just a Basic Witch” mugs and t-shirts outselling them. The lion’s share of the income from the shop, though, came from selling tutorials to newbie witches just getting into the practice. They were step-by-step instructional videos for very basic spells with a lot of hand-holding designed for those who had tried spell books but found they learned best with someone there guiding them.
That had been me when I started. If it hadn’t been for Griselda and Lily acting as my own personal witchy tutors and explaining everything to me at the beginning, I would’ve never been able to cast a single spell.
Somehow, to me, words on the page were just that. Words. On a page. I had trouble even with spell books meant for children.
It was so weird. I could read the words aloud and make the right gestures, and there would be a surge of magic signaling that something should have happened…but nothing ever did. But watching someone else do it and copying their words and motions? That worked immediately. It was like a light bulb switched on in my head.
These days I could figure out a spell from a book on my own, but it had taken me years to get there. I referred to myself as a special ed witch. We weren’t any less; we just learned differently.
Anyway, it wasn’t until I put my tutorials out there that I realized there were plenty of other special ed witches, too. This was particularly noticeable after the fall of The Wall. Many women— and some men—realized they had magic but didn’t have mothers or grandmothers (or fathers, for that matter) to learn from.
I knew some members of the Let’s Talk about Hex forum thought my website was silly, and some people who just didn’t get it went so far as to call it a scam. They couldn’t understand how anyone would pay money for a video tutorial when it was “right there for free!” But my tutorials kept on selling. Eventually, those who got into witchcraft through my videos started to defend my site on the forum. That felt good.
To hide my identity in my tutorials, I had an adorable cartoon avatar of myself up in the corner of the screen and filmed only my hands, showing whatever I was working on. The great thing about that was I only needed to wear a cute top and paint my nails to film. No pants or makeup required.
My avatar even had a familiar! Chomps was a cartoon shark who I used to help me explain things better. He also provided occasional comic relief. I’d found lessons were more effective and memorable when they were funny.
So that was all great, except I’d teased a new tutorial soon and had thought I’d make it at my new home once it was all set up. But now? Uh-uh. I couldn’t very well film there now with all the negative energy that place had gathered. Plus, I didn’t want that location immortalized forever in one of my tutorials.
I looked around Griselda’s place. I could do it here, but I’d have to set up all my recording equipment and move her things around so nothing identifying her would make it on screen.
Also, Triscuit, Gigi’s parrot, was currently flinging his toys none too quietly around the large flight cage pushed against the wall. He had a habit of randomly breaking out into song. It was cute, but an African Grey busting out Rob Zombie at the top of his lungs would be hard to edit out.
Not to mention, the home was filled with Griselda’s things, and it all vibrated with energy. It was almost as if the walls themselves had been infused with her essence. The longer I was here, the more I was aware of it. From the hand-crocheted afghans tossed over the couch to the apothecary shelf modified lovingly to hold artifacts and relics, Griselda’s home was very much a piece of her.
Suddenly, I realized that the universe had done me a favor. I would never be able to fully settle in a place partially owned by my parents or shared with Travis, even if my name was on the deed.
I needed a place like this. A place to call my own. A witch’s hearth.
Yay for epiphanies! Still didn’t solve the problem of where to film, though.
The door to Griselda’s apartment opened, and she stepped in. I looked at the clock. Wow! It was late afternoon already.
“Did you get everything done?” She waved her hand, and her makeup vanished from her face.
“Yeah. What I could, anyway.”
“Great! So, about your sexy incubus suitor…”
I’d given her a TLDR rundown of the situation before she’d gone back downstairs earlier. “He’s not mine.”
“The bindings on his arms say otherwise.”
“I told you, it was an accident. I thought the spell was just going to help me meet the guy in question, not have an incubus bound by magic appear in my living room.”
“I offered to see if I could remove the bindings—”
“Oh, good! Because I don’t know how. None of my books had anything on it. You know, considering it’s illegal to have anyone bound in the first place and all.”
“He didn’t want them removed.”
That took me aback. “He didn’t?”
“Nope. Which makes me wonder if maybe they aren’t what we think they are.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m not sure yet. Just got a gut feeling.” She plopped down on the dark red velvet couch next to me. “But there is one thing I’m sure of.”
“Which is?”
“Prax isn’t working for your dad. He does odd jobs for Desmon.”
“As in the Dragon of Darlington?”
“Yup. But apparently, his contract is coming up. It’s safe for you to let him know about your little side gig, is what I’m saying.”
I relaxed. “Great! That’s one thing I can stop worrying about. Oh, and you know how you asked me yesterday if I’m staying here in town? I’ve decided. I am.”
“That’s amazeballs! About time, too. You should’ve come to Darlington with me and Lily after graduation.”
She was right, I should have. But instead, I’d moved back home for another decade, hoping that our little dysfunctional family would become more functional with time.
I’d learned over the years that well-to-do didn’t necessarily mean happy. It only meant we could hide our problems underneath nice things. Problems like Dad cheating with his secretary and then having to pay her a ton of hush money when she threatened to go to the press after Dad refused to leave Mom for her.
Instead of divorcing his cheating ass like she should have, Mom pretended it didn’t happen and focused on our family image instead, making sure we looked so perfect that no one would suspect a thing.
I was done playing that stupid game.
“Well, better late than never. It’s my life, and I’m officially taking charge. Right now.” Saying the words out loud felt good.
“Atta girl! Tonight, we celebrate your newfound freedom.”
“We still on for 9 PM?”
“Yup. You, me, and Lily.”
“Aww, just like old times.” I was already feeling better about my situation. Maybe everything did happen for a reason. “Thanks again for letting me hide out in your space today. I was being overly cautious, I guess.”
“No worries. I’d be, too, if I were you. Your parents don’t have the best track record when it comes to hiring people to snoop on you. Remember they bugged our room after the whole we’re-a-gang thing?”
“I remember. They thought we were smoking weed.”
It hadn’t been weed. We’d been growing magic mushrooms. But even if my dad had shown up, all he’d have found would have been a few bags of “rotting” Uncle Ben’s rice we’d inoculated with spores.
“It was fun discussing our plans to help you run away to a nunnery. Can’t believe they bought it.”
I chortled, remembering it like it was yesterday. Lily had always been good with technology and had recognized the recording devices immediately, so we’d had a bit of fun.
Good times. Our little coven of three.
Gigi and Lily were the reasons I found out about my magical powers to begin with. The two witches had seen the magic in me the moment I walked in.
“Since I’m making it official that I’m striking out on my own, there’s a few things I have to do ASAP.”
Mainly, I needed to get my financial affairs in order. I still had some money left in the joint account. I’d been moving over chunks of cash for years, just a little at a time so they wouldn’t get suspicious. But there was still a fair amount in there. Now that I’d made up my mind, it was time to yank it out.
Travis and I had spoken with a financial advisor before the wedding, and she’d explained that while I couldn’t take my dad’s name off my account, I could request a bank draft for most of the funds and transfer it to another account without his signature. That had been the plan for after the wedding. Travis hadn’t liked my parents’ meddling either.
It was laughable that I spent my workday evaluating financial and investment information for corporate clients, but I had to ask about basic things when it came to my own account, like whether I would be able to take out large amounts from it without alerting my parents. The advisor had said I could then remove my name from it so that I wasn’t on the hook for anything that happened to it later.
It was chilling to realize that my family could have done the same to me at any time and taken all the money I’d saved from my job.
“I am going to get all my financials sorted out before my parents freeze my accounts and send someone to kick me out of the house. Do you know a reliable body shop in town that would be able to check my car for bugs or tracking devices?”
“Not off the top of my head, but I’ll ask around.”
“Thanks.”
“And if you want to move your things into my place for now, feel free to crash in my spare room.”
“You’re the best, Gigi.” I gave my friend a hug, suddenly extremely grateful that of all the places this could’ve happened, it happened in Darlington.
Triscuit squawked, upset that he wasn’t also getting a hug. Gigi went over, opened the cage, and gave him a cuddle and a scritch before letting him out to roam the living room. He usually had free roam of the home during the day, and Gigi had only put him away because of me.
I’d known Triscuit from my college days, but it had been so long that he hadn’t recognized me when I first walked in. He seemed a lot less protective of his space now that I’d spent some time here.
We were walking back down to her café downstairs when we heard the commotion.
“Sir! You can’t go back there! Sir!” yelled Gigi’s employee, loud enough for us to hear from halfway up the staircase.
There was someone trying very hard to open the door at the bottom of the stairs, and judging by the way the handle was jerking violently, whoever it was didn’t realize or care that it was locked.
We exchanged a look and murmured a spell together, creating a physical bubble of defense around the two of us. She was a much stronger witch than me, but I was happy to bolster her magic.
She reached over to physically unlock the door, and we both stepped back. The door banged open violently. A wolf shifter stood outside the door, his eyes glowing gold and his hackles up like he was half feral. He scented the air, and then his eyes landed on me.
“I found you!”
“Do you know this guy, Penny?”
“Nope.”
“Sir, I think you’ve got the wrong person.” We both stepped forward, and our little shielded bubble pushed him back.
“No. I have the right person. You are her. I am your perfect man.”
Oh, shit! What the fuck? First Prax, and now this guy? He was clearly a little off his rocker.
“You are pretty. I will bring you back to my pack. We will have many cubs together.”
“Umm. I’m sorry. You’ve got the wrong woman,” I said.
He sniffed the air loudly. “No. You smell right.”
“I’m afraid someone else already answered the summons.”
He sniffed again, even as we bumped him back some more and took another step into the hallway. “You do not smell like you belong to anyone. He has not claimed you.”
The café area had cleared out, and we were alone, except for Nick.
“I’m already…taken,” I said, hoping he couldn’t smell the lie. I’d take Prax over this weirdo any day. The spell must have gone awry for sure if it was sending me unkempt, half-crazy wolf shifters.
“Then he is not protecting you well. I will claim you now so there will be no confusion who you belong to.” He reached for me but was stopped by our combined shield. His snarl of frustration filled the air.
“You have five seconds to leave my shop before I bring out the wolfsbane,” Griselda warned.
The door to the coffee shop opened with a jangle of a bell, and two police officers stepped in. They assessed the situation quickly and came to a stop behind the snarling shifter.
“What seems to be the problem here?” asked the cop with a ’stache that made him look like he came straight out of an 80s movie.
Next to him was a brunette with her hair up in a ponytail.
Griselda visibly relaxed. “Officer Hayes! Officer Cooley! This guy’s bothering my friend.” Oh good, Griselda knew them.
“She is my rightful mate!” The wolf looked ready to shift and fight the two human cops any second.
“Mate? I don’t even know you!” I protested.
The two cops had heard enough. “Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to leave now.”
“What are you going to do? Arrest me? I’m a shifter. Your measly human handcuffs can’t hold me.” The idiot lunged at the smaller female cop, but the woman was ready for him and danced away; her partner reached for a can of something from his belt and sprayed it in the shifter’s face. Nothing happened.
The shifter cackled. “You think your human crap works on me? Think again. My wolf will eat you for lunch.” Then suddenly, his eyes went wide. “What the fuck? Why can’t I shift?”
Officer Hayes tackled him and slapped a pair of cuffs on him. “Because that ‘crap’ I sprayed on you wasn’t for humans. It’s for shifters like you.” He turned to his partner. “Can you please grab me my usual while I get this moron into our cruiser?” He turned and marched the guy toward the door.
“Thanks, Officer Hayes,” Griselda called out as the door closed behind them.
“Ugh. The full moon must be coming,” said the one who must be Officer Cooley. She turned to me. “Are you okay, miss?”
“I’m fine. Thank you so much.”
“No problem. That’s what we’re here for.”
Griselda cleared her throat. “Penny, this is Officer Cooley, and the one outside is Officer Hayes. They are well-known in Darlington within the magic and monsters community.”
“We liaise with the EA,” said Officer Cooley. “Lucky us, we get to deal with idiots like that guy all day long.”
I blinked in surprise. “Wow. Back in Boston, the cops can’t deal with shifters like that. They have to call in the EA every time.”
“Yeah, that won’t work for very much longer. Not with the way things are going. They’ll have to learn eventually. Most cops here have the basic means to subdue a monster or nullify magic if we have to.”
“Your usual?” Griselda asked.
“Yep.” There was a pause. “Actually, make it a triple shot for me. I need a little extra boost today.”
“Sure thing.”
Her partner walked back in and asked again if I was okay. I confirmed I was.
“Thanks again for your help, officers.” I turned back to Griselda. “See you at nine?”
“Yup! See ya.”