Page 45

Hannah

With the pressure of the trials over and Ferndale Falls doing so well, the next couple of weeks fly by in a blur of joy as I finally practice the whole get-a-life thingy. Severin’s good at making his own happiness a priority and has been teaching me his “ways,” which boil down to sex and pastries.

So much sex!

So. Many. Pastries.

Underneath all of Severin’s smoking I-can-crush-nations vibes lies a man with an eensy obsession with baked goods.

He’s learning the internet so he can find new recipes, which he takes to Pepperpot to try out.

When he brings me pastries every morning from Cake My Day, there’s always at least one new one in the mix.

He even got the brownie to create healthy pet treats and gives Finn fox biscuits every day. My familiar totally loves him now. When we do movie nights on my couch, Finn sprawls across both our laps, blissed out on fox treats and tummy rubs.

When I tease my familiar for giving in to bribery, he humphs at me. “Well, of course I give in. It’s treats . I don’t see you complaining when Severin brings you human treats, especially those spicy ones that smell.”

“Yep, you got me. I never say no to a cinnamon roll.” I scratch around Finn’s ears until he purrs. I don’t tell him the new fox treats are actually good for him, made with the extra taurine he needs in his diet.

Severin also had his conjurers make a little fox house in the corner of the palace gardens near the back gate, which now has a “doggie” door cut into it.

We decided that up until we get married, we’ll spend work nights at my cottage and weekends at the palace. Once we’re married, those times will probably flip, with the cottage acting more like a weekend getaway.

And the wedding… Hoo, boy, the wedding. Severin is not a man who does things by halves.

He initially wanted to get married the day after the trial, but all I could picture was my mother’s head exploding in shock, so I asked for three months.

We compromised on one month, which both delighted and horrified Mom.

She’s ecstatic I’m getting married but can’t imagine arranging a wedding in only a month.

I had to promise her I had everything well in hand, saying I wanted to support local businesses instead of using her connections in the capital.

It’s not a lie—I will be using local businesses.

They’ll simply be fae ones that use magic to get things done with a snap of the fingers .

The gnomes are doing the jewelry, the wood nymphs are doing the flowers, the pixies are doing dinner, the fae are doing the clothes, the brownie is doing the wedding cake, and Jared is doing the photography.

I get to pick out my flowers and dresses, but I don’t make a single attempt to get between Severin and the wedding cake order.

If ever a man had an opinion on baked goods, it’s him.

Every time I overhear him and Pepperpot discussing it, an extra layer ends up added to the cake, each a different flavor.

They finally settle on five: vanilla with raspberry filling, zesty lemon, chocolate with hazelnuts, spice cake, and a Faerie confection flavored with lavender and elderflowers.

The thing’s going to be so freaking tall it’s going to take extra magic to keep it standing, so it doesn’t turn into the confectionary version of the Leaning Tower of Pisa!

But I’m happy he’s happy, and it’s not like I’m going to hate a reason to eat extra cake.

The Friday evening before the wedding, I work late in order to set up everything so I can be gone for a week.

Severin and I are going on a honeymoon, and it’s going to be my first vacation in years.

Hannah of only a couple of months ago would never have considered taking time off.

New me can’t wait! Sun, sand, the sea… and Severin at the beach.

I already bought him a pair of small swim trunks like Daniel Craig wore in that James Bond film. Yum.

When I step out of Town Hall, Finn races to me from the green. “Witch, you need to come with me. Something happened at Naomi’s shop.”

“What?” My heart skips. “Is everyone okay?”

He jumps up and puts his front paws on my thigh. “You need to come.” Then he dashes off, racing for the store like he’s got pixies on his tail.

I run after him, my ballet flats slapping against the sidewalk. Fortunately, downtown is small enough that I get to I Touch My Shelf pretty damned quickly.

Finn whines at the door, and I fling it open so we can race inside—

I stop short, in the middle of a dark, empty shop. “What the heckity heck?”

Magic shivers through the room, leaving behind light and motion and color as the entire Witch Bitch Spicy Book Club appears out of thin air. “Surprise!”

“Wha… what?” I shriek, hitting an embarrassingly high note.

“It’s your bachelorette party, bitch!” Autumn yells.

“A witch bitch one!” Skye adds.

I press a hand to my trembling mouth, overcome.

Now that the trials are over, our coven meetings have become more relaxed, making me realize how much I missed having regular girls’ nights out before this last month and a half.

We even started reading books, beginning with a spicy orc series that takes place in Faerie.

The conversations about knotting have been seriously fun.

But for the Witch Bitches to do this… I can’t hug everyone fast enough. Smiling and laughing and crying a little.

“Hey, how did you hide like that?” I ask.

Autumn grins. “We got an illusion charm from Severin.”

“Well, it worked.” I look down at Finn. “And you completely fooled me! ”

“It’s not as if it was hard. I am quite intelligent, you know.” He gives me his fox grin. “I did it to give you a nice surprise. It is nice, right?” He suddenly sounds a little uncertain, pressing against my calf.

“The nicest!” I crouch down to hug him and press a kiss to the top of his head. “What would I do without you?”

Finn laughs his fox laugh, a high and fast set of ha-ha-has. “It does boggle the mind how you ever survived before me.” I give him a few crunch berries for a special treat, and he heads back out to the green, muttering something about avoiding “girl time.”

When I turn back around, Naomi says, “We’ve got another surprise for you.” She flings open the door to the backroom to show…

“May!” I leap forward and throw my arms around my friend. She’s been off traveling Faerie with her orc husband, King Aldronn of Alarria.

Her tan face breaks into a huge smile as she looks up at me, a plastic tiara resting on her honey-brown hair. She picks up another and sets it on my head, then waves a hand toward Naomi. “Look at us! Three queens together.”

“Almost queen,” I say, pointing at my face.

“Close enough!”

Skye adds a bridal veil to my plastic tiara, and Autumn hands out penis straws with the cereal-milk cocktails. Somehow, she found ones with knots.

May stays by my side as the others get their drinks. Then she turns to me with narrowed eyes and whisper-hisses, “What’s this about your marriage being fake ?”

“What?” I yelp. “You can’t know that! I already told my three people I’m allowed to tell!” God, are there going to be magical repercussions or something?

“You didn’t tell me -tell me.” She taps her temple. “Telepath, remember?”

“Oh, yeah.” Whew. I sag in relief. Then I shoot her a hard look. “Hey! No fair. If you read my mind, you already know everything with Severin is completely real!”

“Yeah, but I had to tease you just a little.” She holds her thumb and index finger an inch apart. “I go traveling for one month, and you go and get engaged! And to Severin!”

“Stop giving her a hard time.” Autumn says, stepping close to hand us cocktails.

“Yeah,” Skye says. “Hannah put her happiness on the line for the whole town.”

“Doing so let me find my happiness.” I lift my glass. “That’s what I call a win-win.”

“Ferndale Falls looks amazing! I almost didn’t recognize it! You’ve done an incredible job.” May lifts her glass. “To Hannah.”

Everyone toasts. “To Hannah!”

Pleased embarrassment flames in my cheeks, but I can’t stop smiling as I take a gulp of my cocoa puffs white Russian.

We all drink, giggling to see each other sucking on the penis straws.

Then Kayla hands out pins she made. Mine says: This Witch Is Getting Hitched. The others say: Bride’s Coven.

Instead of regular cupcakes, Skye made ones shaped like little cauldrons, with purple “potion” icing frothing out the tops and “Love Spell” written on the sides.

Jasmine pulls out a bunch of bachelorette never-have-I-ever cards, and we settle in for a drinking game, laughing over things like who’s been caught in the act or who’s had sex in public. I totally drink for that second one. I’m pretty sure the sky above town counts, right?

It’s tipsy and fun, and with May here, I truly have all of my besties around me. Somehow, the five of us squeeze onto the longest couch, with me in the middle. I throw my arms wide and try to hug them all at once. “I love you guys.”

“Aww.” They pile on from both sides, squishing me into a somewhat flat—and very happy—Hannah pancake.

Late the next afternoon, I use my butt to push open the door as I back out of Cake My Day, my arms full of a tray of cookies. They’re not exactly the same as Nan’s oatmeal chocolate chip, but they’re as amazing as everything Pepperpot bakes.

“Town meeting in ten,” I call back to her, and she gives me a wave.

Evening sunlight slants from the west, capturing all of downtown in a golden glow.

It’s amazing what a difference the last month and a half has made.

Everything’s changed as I amble toward Town Hall, passing one open shop after the next.

People fill the sidewalks, laughing and eating and talking.

Even my old nemesis, Main Street’s infamous pothole, is gone, completely patched and smoothed over so you can’t tell where it was.

Severin had his people bury the foundation crystal for the protection spell there, and the hole no longer gulps asphalt like a bottomless stomach. “Gotcha at last,” I whisper.

“I’m the queen of flowers!” A little girl runs across the green, shrieking with laughter. A line of tulips follows like ducks imprinted on their mother. Huh! It seems we might already have a new generation of witches.

Then I startle and stop, squinting toward the sidewalk on the other side of the green.

There’s a unicorn walking down Main Street.

A freaking unicorn! Unlike most of the other shifter fae I’ve met, they tend to remain in their animal form when they come to Earth.

I wonder what the protective spell shows the non-magical humans—a horse on the loose?

Blue and her flock of pixies zip past my head, her high voice crying out, “Come on! You can’t be late.”

I grin and follow her into the Town Hall, hurrying across the lobby and into the meeting room.

Severin stands scowling at the old coffee urn, one hand pressed to its side. “This is hardly an adequate temperature.”

“Yep, one of the burners died. I need to buy a new one.” And I can. I have the budget now for this and so many more things the town needs. All because of the man at my side and a Faerie bargain I couldn’t refuse.

I set down the tray of cookies, and Severin snags one, even as I pretend to try to bat his hand away. It doesn’t matter if he takes one—I bought extra, and having the budget to do so is a constant joy.

“Mayor Wylde,” Reginald says from behind me, “I have a bone to pick with you. Who are all these strangers in our town? ”

Keeping my back turned, I take a deep breath. The old grouch complained for years that there weren’t enough tourists visiting Ferndale Falls. Now that I’ve brought more people to town, he’s found a new thing to grumble about.

I spin around, smile firmly in place, which grows genuine as I take in the packed room full of a mix of faces I’ve seen for years and the newer additions who’ve already become dear.

Pepperpot bustles in, talking to Diamond from Bling It On.

Luke holds up one of the walls with his shoulder, his wings tucked close to his back, and Rune stands at the back of the room, feet shoulder-width apart, as if still in guard mode.

The pixies fill one of the wooden chairs, sitting right beside Mrs. Greely, who doesn’t bat an eye at them due to the protection spell.

Jared sits, holding hands with his wood-nymph boyfriend.

Autumn and Skye and the rest of the Witch Bitches take up two whole rows, and my besties wave and grin.

“I don’t see any strangers, Reginald.” I smile sweetly at him as Severin’s arm wraps around my waist, one of his shadows coiling around my calf. “I see townspeople.”

I see Ferndale Falls’s future, written in hope and smiles.

“I see loved ones and friends.”