Page 26 of Magical Melee (Stonewick Magical Midlife Witch Academy #1)

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.”

I snorted, reaching for another box. “Weapons? So, you don’t have much faith in my magical abilities?”

“Of course I do, honey.” She set one on the shelf and unpacked another one. “But it takes time, and we should never underestimate the power of a well-placed teapot to the temple. Plus, iron has certain... deterrent properties to some magical folk.”

“I read something about that.”

She nodded. “It doesn’t necessarily kill them, but it certainly can slow them down.”

“What about for our own magical folk?”

“It’s all about the intention. For instance, Nova could pour herself a cup of tea from one of the iron pots without ill effect. However, say one of Shadowick’s elves plows in here and tries to cause harm.” She looked at me to make sure I was following. “We take one of these puppies and aim it just right, and it will freeze him. Darkness rarely prevails in the natural world, so the natural elements in our earth will always help our cause, not hurt it.”

“Interesting.”

“All about intention. Now, if you take an iron stake and put it through their chest, that’s an entirely different scenario. That’s just a dunzo type of deal.”

I laughed and shook my head. “I’m sure it is. Would be for most.”

The image lingered in my mind, and I couldn’t believe that, at my age, I was entertaining these thoughts. No, I wasn’t entertaining them. I was welcoming them.

“Do you have any weaknesses?” I asked.

“Many.” But she didn’t elaborate.

I turned back to wiping down the teapots, but I couldn’t shake my growing restlessness.

The Academy.

The gardens.

The cottage.

Each place crept into my thoughts. Stonewick wasn’t just curiosity anymore; it was a pull, a sense of unfinished business.

By the time lunch rolled around, I’d made up my mind. I needed to talk to Keegan.

“I’m taking my lunch break now if that’s okay,” I said, slipping out of my apron and grabbing my coat.

“Of course.” She nodded with a wicked smile.

“Back in a bit.” I waved and started to the door.

“Tell Keegan I said hi,” Stella called after me.

I paused and turned back to look at her. “How did you—”

She just winked and turned her attention back to her teapots while I walked out the door. I glanced up and down the sidewalk, only seeing a few wandering tourists. It was Monday, and I’d learned a lull tended to happen about this time.

I walked into the hotel's grand lobby and saw Ember. “Hey, Ember.” I smiled and glanced around the lobby. I still loved everything about this space. “Have you seen Keegan today?”

“Sure have. He’s grabbing some lunch at the restaurant. I’m sure he’ll be happy to see you.”

I chuckled and shook my head. “Is he happy to see anyone?”

Her smile only widened as I wandered down the hall to the large entrance to the inn’s restaurant.

I spotted Keegan immediately poring over a book near the window. His brow furrowed in concentration. Intensity was a good look on the guy. I couldn’t deny it.

“Hey, Keegan.”

“Maeve,” he said, standing from his seat quickly. “What brings you here? Everything okay at the cottage last night?”

They’d decided to alternate, staying in the woods with me, and the last couple of nights had been Nova’s turn.

“All is well. Probably too well. It’s been so quiet and still in the woods.”

“Don’t let Shadowick scare you. Remember, before you met Gideon, you would have welcomed a quiet forest.”

I nodded in agreement. “True.”

“So, what brings you here?”

“I need a favor.”

He raised an eyebrow. “A favor?”

“Yes.” I crossed my arms, trying to appear more confident than I felt. “I want to go back to the Academy’s gardens.”

Keegan’s expression didn’t change. “Why?”

“Because I can’t stop thinking about it,” I admitted. “There’s something there, something I need to understand. And I can’t get the alley to appear again. Believe me. I’ve tried.”

Keegan sighed, leaning back in his chair. “Maeve, the Academy isn’t a tourist destination. You can’t just stroll in and out as you please.”

“I know that. Believe me,” I said, my frustration boiling to the surface. “But I was there once. What’s stopping me from going again? Why won’t it welcome me? I’ve even traced the Stonewick lock.”

“The Academy,” he said simply. “It allowed you into the gardens once, but that doesn’t mean it will again. It’s not something we control.”

I frowned, my determination not wavering. “Then how do I find out if it’ll let me back?”

Keegan regarded me for a long moment with a hard gaze. Finally, he said, “Why are you so set on this?”

“Because it feels like… like there’s something calling me there. I told you that,” I said, hesitating only slightly. “I need to know why. And if I can get the Academy to open up, then maybe I can finally learn how to be a witch.”

Keegan studied me, and his gaze intensified with every passing second. Then, to my surprise, he gave a slight nod. “Alright. I’ll tell you what to do once you’re at the first gate. But you go at your own risk. I can’t promise you’ll get in or won’t get hurt trying.”

“I don’t care. I have to try something.” I exhaled in relief. “Thank you.”

He stood from his chair. “I’m not happy about this, but something tells me you’ll keep trying it on your own unless you get the answer you want.”

“How very perceptive.”

He let out a low laugh, and his hand gently swept along my back. A surprise charge ran through me from his touch, but I kept walking.

If I didn’t know better, I’d actually let myself think he was checking me out.

But it didn’t matter. The last thing I needed was to let my emotions run wild.

“So, we’re going now?” I could hardly believe my good fortune.

He didn’t look convinced but didn’t argue further. “No. If you get in, you won’t be able to distinguish time. You could be there for hours, days even. I’ll show you the way after your work.”

I nodded, feeling a mix of excitement and nerves. “Deal. But then, where are we going?” He walked by my side.

“I wanted to show you something.”

“Where?”

“Out back.” He motioned me through a set of double doors leading to a courtyard.

I followed, glancing around the unique space. Cobblestone pathways led to gardens, and a circular patio made of the same took up the most space where several tables had been arranged.

“Nice little area.” I smiled.

He nodded and kept walking until we found a door behind some crawling vines.

Vines that should have been long dried out for winter.

“One thing about this town is that it protects its own.” His voice lowered, and his eyes settled on mine, sending electricity through me.

There was something so endearing and protective about Keegan. I’d never had that since I was small. I’d looked to my husband for that same sense of loyalty and security, but it never came. But with Keegan…

“If you’re ever in danger, this door will appear. It will recognize your touch and let you in.”

“My touch?”

“Stonewick knows you probably more than you know yourself.”

I sucked in a slow breath. “Okay.”

“What about guests who stay here? What happens when they try to open it?”

His smile widened. “Maeve, they can’t see it.”

The statement hit me hard. I’d seen goblins and talking gargoyles, a sweater float and fold itself, but to hear that I had access to things that weren’t there for nonmagical folks spoke deep.

“I…Wow.” I nodded, keeping my eyes on his. “How did you know I’d be able to see it?”

“Something is happening very quickly, Maeve. I don’t know how to explain it, but this town is accepting you at a speed that I’ve never seen.”

“Is that why you’re willing to show me how to access the gardens again?”

He nodded slowly as I leaned against the brick wall of the building.

“Yes. I have to take my cues from Stonewick.” As he spoke, my coat shifted, revealing a sliver of my stomach.

Keegan’s eyes flicked downward, and his expression suddenly sharpened. Heat darted through his gaze before his eyes met mine.

“What’s that?” His tone was curious and charged with something I didn’t quite recognize.

I followed his gaze, pulling my coat aside to reveal a small birthmark just above my hip.

It was faint, but its shape was unmistakable: a butterfly with its wings vertically coming in for a landing.

“Oh, that,” I said, brushing it off. “It’s just a birthmark. Had it my whole life. I guess my dad had one too on his forearm.”

Keegan’s jaw tightened, and he reached out, hesitating briefly before his fingers lightly traced the mark. A strange warmth spread from the contact, sending a shiver of longing through me.

“That’s not just a birthmark,” he said quietly, his voice laced with something I couldn’t quite place.

“What do you mean?”

He pulled his hand back, his expression thoughtful. “It’s a sigil. A mark of connection.”

“Connection to what?” I pressed.

“To the Academy,” he said, his eyes meeting mine. “Or, more specifically, to the magic that flows through it. This isn’t a coincidence, Maeve.”

I stared at him, my mind racing. “So you’re saying I’m somehow… linked to the Academy?”

Keegan nodded. “It’s rare but not unheard of. The Academy marks those it deems significant. It means your connection to Stonewick is deeper than even we thought.”

I didn’t know what to say. The idea that a part of me had always been tied to this strange, magical place was both exhilarating and terrifying.

“My dad had the same.”

Keegan nodded. “I know.”

“But he’s no longer here. Magic couldn’t protect him.”

Keegan’s gaze dropped to the stone patio.

“So, what does this mean?” I asked finally. “Does it change anything?”

“It might,” Keegan said, his tone serious. “It could be why you feel such a strong pull toward the gardens. And why did the Academy let you in before?”

“But it’s still not a guarantee,” I said, echoing his earlier words.

“Exactly,” he said. “The Academy will decide when—and if—you’re ready.”

I let out a slow breath, trying to process everything. “Well, at least now I know I’m not completely imagining things.”

Keegan’s mouth quirked into the faintest hint of a smile. “You never were.”

For a moment, the weight of the situation lifted, replaced by a strange sense of comfort. Whatever lay ahead, I wasn’t facing it alone.

“Keegan, thank you for believing in me and in something I don’t even understand.”

Keegan nodded, and his serious demeanor returned. “I’ve been waiting a long time, Maeve. I’m just glad you returned when you did.”

“Me too.” I turned to the whitened sky that had covered the blue from moments before and smiled as the first snowflake gently floated to the ground. “Winter is finally coming.”

“It is,” Keegan said, gently sweeping his hand along my shoulders to move me forward. “I’ll see you later today.”

I nodded and headed back toward the tea shop. But I couldn’t help but move my coat to see the mark on my hip. It had always been a part of me, something I never thought twice about. Now, it felt like a key—one I was only beginning to understand.