Page 102 of Magical Melee

“Welcome to magic,” Keegan said smugly. “It’s rarely convenient.”

I thought about the earlier emoji slip-up and thought it was especially convenient.

This cottage becoming available was extremely convenient, and Frank being my new BFF?

I absolutely needed his companionship at this moment in my life. Twobble was handy, too. And Karvey? There was nothing inconvenient about any of this.

And I wasn’t sure the Academy was trying to hide itself from me as much as some might think.

Nova stood, her presence commanding as always. “We’ll help you prepare, Maeve. Whether or not the Academy calls you, there’s still much to learn. The Academy is a valuable resource, but it’s not the only one.”

Stella nodded in agreement. “Your connection to Stonewick will continue to grow. The more you understand it, the more you’ll be able to navigate whatever comes your way.”

I looked at her and nodded quietly.

The Academy was watching, waiting.

And so was I.

Chapter Twenty-Six

The past few days had been unusually quiet.

Too quiet.

Ever since the strange lights in the forest and Gideon’s ominous appearance, Shadowick’s threats seemed to have retreated into the darkness as quickly as they came. But it left a lingering unease and calm. The kind of calm that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end because I knew this reawakening had merely started.

I stood behind the counter at the tea shop and tried to shake the feeling as I helped Stella unpack a new shipment of teapots.

She was humming up a storm, and I glanced at her. It was like there wasn’t a care in the world, and I couldn’t help but be amazed at her resilience.

Stella inspected the next floral teapot that she’d unpacked from the box.

“Perfection.” She grinned at me. “It was good we refreshed our stock. These designs are beautiful.”

I chuckled. “Always the optimist.”

“What else would I be? After living nearly two hundred years…”

“One hundred and seventy,” I teased.

She rolled her eyes. “You and Keegan. Well, anyway, I’ve come to realize that I’ll be here a lot longer than most, so what’s the point of getting all riled up? I don’t want to be a negative Nancy. It would only sour my days and nights, and I have a lot of them coming up.”

“Good point.” I smiled and glanced outside to see the sun finally peeking through the clouds. “I can’t believe Thanksgiving will be here soon. Did I tell you that I had my ex reach out to my daughter? She’ll be spending the holiday in Hawaii.”

“Celeste ought to enjoy that.”

I nodded, feeling my stomach tighten. “Truth is that I’ll miss spending the holiday with her, but I know it’s for the best.”

Stella gave me a sympathetic grin. “Well, we usually go over to the Stonewick Inn. Keegan has the chef prepare anything and everything you can imagine. We have a private room where we can let loose a little.”

“And let your fangs hang out?” I grinned and glanced at the teapot she pulled out of the box.

She chuckled. “Something like that.”

“I look forward to it.” I grinned and glanced at the new product she unpacked.

“Wow. These iron teapots are fantastic,” she said, holding one up to the light. The dark, slightly matte finish caught the sunlight streaming through the shop’s large front window. “They’ll keep the tea hot for ages and double as excellent weaponry.” She glanced at me. “I ordered an entire shelf full.”