Chapter 3
“This is ridiculous,” my tuxedo cat, Savage, muttered as he paced around my kitchen later that evening.
I bit back a smile and took a sip of my red wine. I knew what he was talking about, but I wanted to make him squirm just a little. “What is ridiculous?”
“Valentine’s Day. Explain it to me again. Why do I have to participate in a holiday that is clearly designed for humans and supernaturals? I am neither.” He flicked his tail in annoyance. “It is not a cat holiday. There are no mouse-shaped chocolates. No tuna bouquets. Nothing of value.”
I laughed. “You have a girlfriend now, Savage. That’s why.”
He stopped pacing and glared at me. “Nyxie understands me. She appreciates my complexity. She does not require trinkets to validate our bond.”
“Uh-huh.” I took another sip. “And yet you’re pacing.”
He hissed and resumed pacing. “I just don’t understand why I must do something.” He paused. “Do I have to get her a gift?”
“Yes,” I said simply.
He groaned. “Fine. I will get her something spectacular. A diamond necklace, perhaps.” He stopped pacing again and narrowed his eyes at me. “Surely you have one you can spare, Valkyrie.”
I nearly choked on my wine. “Absolutely not.”
“Fine,” he huffed, continuing his pacing once again. “Then how about a diamond-studded collar? Or perhaps a diamond-studded hairbow? That is something a girl cat would like, right?”
I thought about the long-haired, feral calico. I didn’t think for one minute a diamond necklace would be up her alley. “I’m not buying Nyxie a diamond-studded collar or a diamond-studded hairbow.”
He flopped dramatically onto the kitchen rug. “Then I am doomed. I have no doubt she will leave me for the next mangy animal living in the forest.”
“You’re being a tad bit dramatic, don’t you think?”
“I am being realistic, Valkyrie,” he hissed, unsheathing his claws. “I am doomed to be alone...forever.”
I rolled my eyes and reached for the small velvet pouch on the counter. “I actually got something for you.”
He sat up, his ears twitching. “For me?”
“For you to give to Nyxie.”
I shook the pouch and emptied the contents into my palm. Savage slowly sashayed over to me to examine the charm in my hand. It was silver and shaped like a cat’s claw.
“It’s a protection charm,” I said. “It’ll guard her from harm in the forest.”
He sniffed it...then inspected it from every angle. ”It is…acceptable.”
I snorted. “Acceptable?”
“Fine.” He rolled his beady cat eyes. “It’s perfect, Valkyrie.”
I laughed. “You can give it to her tomorrow night. On your cat date.”
He sat down and groomed his back paw. I could tell by the way he kept giving me the side-eye that he wasn’t done talking. It wasn’t long before he lowered his paw. “And maybe you can make us tuna cakes?”
I shook my head and took another sip of my red wine. “Fine. And I’ll make you guys tuna cakes.”
He nodded once and stood, sashaying out of the kitchen, his tail swishing back and forth. “Good. This is why I keep you around, Valkyrie.”
I bit back a snarky reply of my own and went back to preparing the charcuterie board.
Movement in my backyard caught my eye, and I walked to the sliding-glass door.
Through the window, I saw one of my besties, Crystal Nobel, swoop low and land lightly in the backyard.
Five gift bags dangled from her mouth, and I couldn’t help but smile at the picture she made.
Crystal was a winged-horse shifter and yogi instructor at Supernatural Sport Resort.
We’d become fast friends when I moved to Mystic Cove a year ago.
Rota once told me Valkyries rode winged horses into battle, carrying fallen warriors to Valhalla.
Every time I saw Crystal in flight, I believed it.
Nothing gave me more joy than nights when we’d fly through the air.
..me on her back. But now that we were both in committed relationships, those nights were few and far between.
She shifted into human form beside the patio table, and I opened the door and motioned her inside. “Hey, Crystal. I’ve got red wine ready to go.”
“I need it.” She stepped inside and stomped the light sprinkle of snow off her feet. “The heat in my cabin is on the fritz. I’ve spent the last hour trying to get it working.”
She closed the sliding door behind her, and I handed her a wineglass. ”Don’t they have maintenance for that?”
Crystal snorted. “All the good that did. They said they couldn’t figure out what was wrong.”
“Did you fix it?”
She lifted one shoulder. “Temporarily. Maybe.”
“If not, you can stay here until it’s sorted.”
One of the perks of working at the resort was employees received a cabin to live in. But from the sound of it, upkeep wasn’t always top priority.
“Thank you, Kara,” Crystal said. “But I should be okay. Besides, Cade said he’d stop by and see if he can’t get it working as well.”
Cade was a Normal—a person born into a supernatural or magical family, but for some reason, doesn’t inherit the magical gene or abilities themselves. He’d moved to Mystic Cove to work as a paramedic and had been dating Crystal for a while.
“I’m not sharing my cat bed,” Savage shouted from the living room.
I rolled my eyes and told Crystal what Savage had said. She laughed and took another sip of her wine.
I carried the charcuterie board into the living room and set it on the coffee table while Crystal followed with a three-tiered tray of fancy French desserts I’d picked up at the local patisserie.
I was not a cook. Or a baker. If it weren’t for Alfred making me breakfast every morning and feeding me dinner at least three nights a week, I’d probably starve to death.
“This looks wonderful, Kara,” Crystal said, setting down the tray.
A knock sounded at the front door, and I nearly squealed in glee. This was my first official Galentine’s Day party, and as silly as it sounded, I was excited. I’d never really had girlfriends to celebrate with.
“That’ll be the twins.” I waved my hand in the air and used my magic to open the door.
Bettina and Zahara stepped inside, each carrying gift bags in their hands.
“I’m out of here, Valkyrie,” Savage said. “Too many females for my taste.”
“Happy Galentine’s Day!” Zahara cried.
“Come in.” I said, ignoring Savage as he strolled outside into the cold night. “Set the gifts by the fireplace and grab a glass of wine.”
My goal tonight was simple. Fellowship with girlfriends, a small gift exchange, and lots of food and wine. And laughter. Lots and lots of laughter.
“I saw headlights when getting out of the car,” Bettina said, setting down her bags. “I bet it’s Ashlyn.”
Ashlyn Coleson was Trey Wells’ long-lost daughter. She worked for PADA as a culinary consultant when they had cases that involved enchanted food. In her spare time, she helped libraries and supernaturals decipher old recipes and spell-laced cookbooks.
As the twins each grabbed a glass of wine, another knock sounded.
I waved my hand in the air, and the door opened again.
Sure enough, Ashlyn stepped in next. Her cheeks were pink from the cold, and she had gift bags looped over her wrist. After brushing off the wet snowflakes, she hung up her coat on the rack near the door and hurried over to where we were gathered around the sofa and coffee table.
“Hey,” she said, setting down her gift bags. “It’s getting cold out there.”
“Wine or mulled cider?” I asked.
“Wine,” Ashlyn said.
I poured a glass and handed it to her. After taking a sip, she sat down on the floor. I was sitting in the armchair next to the fireplace, while Crystal and Zahara sat on the couch, and Ashlyn and Bettina sat on the floor.
A trickle of soot dropped from the chimney, and a few seconds later, Lily popped out of the fireplace. Her pixie wings glowed purple and pink, and she looked adorable in a pink snowsuit. I knew that most of Link and Lily’s winter clothes came from the twins’ Barbies they had as little girls.
“Hey, Lily!” we all cried.
Link and Lily had gotten married over Yule, and they both now lived in the tree stump in my front yard.
Because Lily was so tiny, I’d had her give me her presents earlier in the day so she wouldn’t have to carry them.
I’d tried not to laugh when she’d handed me five teeny-tiny gift bags earlier tonight.
“Mead?” I mused.
I knew she and Link loved hot milk and honey, but when they had an adult beverage, they preferred honey wine.
“Sounds wonderful.” Lily settled onto my armchair as I leaned over and poured her a thimble of mead.
“I hope everyone is hungry and thirsty,” I said.
“Starving.” Crystal snatched a caramel-and-nut stuffed date from the board. ”Oh, these are good.”
I handed Lily her thimble of mead. “I found them on Witchagram. It’s supposed to be like the latest craze.” I sat down and took a deep breath. “Speaking of crazy things. I have something to ask you all. I want you guys to stand up with me on our wedding day. I know—”
Squeals filled the room, and I couldn’t help but laugh. I’d hoped the girls would respond that way, but I didn’t have much experience in this area.
“All of us?” Crystal mused, laughing and shaking her head.
“Yep. Rota is going to marry us, and you all have become so special to me that I want you all standing up there on my big day.”
“Yes!” they cried simultaneously.
“Good.” I took a drink and pushed down the lump in my throat. “No talking dresses for another day or two, at least.”
The others all laughed and grabbed more food off the platters. We spent the next hour laughing and eating and drinking. When we were finally full and our chatter was winding down, I announced it was time for the gift exchange.
“Ashlyn,” I said. “Why don’t you go first?”
Ashlyn squealed and jumped up from her seated position. She grabbed the bags she’d brought and handed them out. “I took my favorite culinary finds over the years and made a cookbook for you guys. I hope you love it.”
I held up the handmade journal, and tears filled my eyes. “This is great.” I flipped the journal open and scanned some of the recipes. “Elderberry-Honey Crepes. That sounds divine.”
We thanked her, and I told her to pick someone to go next.
She chose Crystal. One by one, we each took turns handing out our gift bags.
I was excited to taste the elderberry jam Lily made us, and I had to hold myself back from digging into the box of chocolates Crystal had given me from Fairy-Kissed Confections, a chocolate store I’d seen inside the lobby of Supernatural Sport Resort but never visited.
“I have some news,” Bettina suddenly said when all the gifts had been exchanged. “I was in Wickedly Good Chocolates talking to Roland Larder, and guess who came in?”
Roland Larder was a local chocolatier who had once been suspected of killing two people. We’d been able to clear his name, and I always felt weird going into his store, but he didn’t hold a grudge and was always polite to me.
Zahara and I spoke at the same time. “Who came in?”
“Hunter Quinn.” Bettina took a slow sip of wine. “I hear he and Mari are having marital problems.”
“No!” Zahara gasped.
Ashlyn looked confused. “Who is Hunter Quinn and why is this news?”
“Hunter is married to Mari Quinn,” Zahara explained. “Mari used to come to our coven meetings, but she stopped about two years ago. Said she was too busy with her career. It always felt like a flimsy excuse.”
“What does she do?” Crystal asked.
“Paranormal romance writer,” Bettina said.
I snorted and lifted my glass. “That hits close to home.”
Bettina laughed. “We carry a couple of her books in the store. She’s actually an amazing writer.”
“She and her husband have a daughter,” Zahara added. “A sweet girl.”
“A cheerleader, right?” I asked.
Bettina and Zahara both stared at me.
“How did you know that?” Bettina asked.
I took another sip of wine and told them about the back-alley conversation I’d overheard earlier that day between Rayna, Mari, and Eliza.
“What about good news?” Crystal asked, popping another caramel-nut date into her mouth. “It’s Valentine’s Day. Any rumors about upcoming weddings?”
“Besides Kara and Zane’s, of course,” Ashlyn teased.
The conversation steered toward the upcoming spring festival. It wasn’t long before Link flew down the chimney, checking to see if Lily was ready to go and if she needed help carrying the gifts back to their tree stump.
“We need to go as well,” Bettina said. “We’re having a sale on romance novels for Valentine’s Day tomorrow, so it should be a busy day.”
I waved away their offers to clean up, and one by one, everyone left until it was just Crystal and me standing in the kitchen, cleaning up. Savage used his paw and knocked on the sliding door, and I went to let him in.
“Mosley says hi,” Savage said as he headed toward my bedroom. ”And congratulations. He somehow heard about your upcoming funeral—I mean wedding.”
Mosley was a two-hundred-plus-year-old ghost who stood guard over the lighthouse, making sure no boats hit the rocks. It had been his job when he’d died, and he still insisted on keeping watch even in death.
“Is that everything?” Crystal asked.
I glanced around the clean kitchen. “Looks good to me.”
“Thanks for everything, Kara.” Crystal wrapped her arms around me and gave me a hug before picking up her single gift bag.
She’d crammed all her gifts into one bag so she wouldn’t have much to carry on her flight back to the resort.
“Your friendship means the world to me. I’m so grateful to have met you and Zane. ”
“I feel the same way.”
I opened the sliding-glass door, and she stepped out into the blowing snow. She shifted into her winged-horse form and then clamped the gift bag in her mouth. With a final snort, she spread her wings and lifted into the air.
“Did you get any gifts you want to part with, Valkyrie?” Savage asked the minute I stepped back inside my cottage.
“Dream on.” I headed down the hallway into my bedroom. “All gifts are mine.”
Savage huffed and jumped up onto my dresser. “Fine. But if Nyxie leaves me because I haven’t given her enough gifts, I expect emotional support.”
I finished changing into my pajamas and slid under the covers. “And you’ll have it.”
“Good,” Savage said. “Because tuna cakes alone will not heal my broken heart, Valkyrie.”