Page 42 of Seven Secret Spellcasters (Kitchen Witch Mysteries #7)

F or the first time since she’d turned off the highway, Mia felt a twinge of fear. Maybe this had been a bad idea. Maybe she should start the car, drive back down the dirt road, and head to Trent’s. Cerby would keep her safe. She knew now that he was sent for her protection.

And yet, here she was, at a remote cabin in the woods, getting ready to see if the guy who had set up Howard’s rafting trip lived there.

She was living out the too-stupid-to-live scenario.

The door opened, and a tall man stepped out.

It was too late to run and hide. If the man meant her harm, he had already seen her face. And probably her license plate. People who built rural cabins like this tended to have security cameras everywhere.

She took a breath and stepped out of the car. She paused for a second, then shut the door and stepped closer. “Edmund Pevensie, I presume?”

“I’m not hiding in the jungles of Africa, but yes, I use that name, or I do at times.

You’re Mia Malone, the surprisingly talented kitchen witch.

” He stepped off the porch and came closer.

“I’d shake your hand, but I seem to have somewhat of a Midas touch, at least when it comes to females.

I don’t want your boyfriend to come looking for me.

” He smiled, and Mia noticed his eyes were kind.

“You’re the incubus.” Mia almost had called him “Blake’s incubus,” but she’d stopped herself in time.

“Guilty as charged, but seriously, we get a bad rap. Come in and have a cup of tea with me. I promise I’ll keep my hands off you.” He held out a hand, motioning toward the cabin.

Mia looked down at her necklace. It hadn’t turned from purple to red, which was her sign that danger was near. She’d come here for answers. It was stupid to walk, or run, away without them. “That would be nice, thank you.”

She followed him into the cabin, which, for all of its rustic flavor outside, looked like it had just been set up and photographed for a magazine shoot.

Luxury furniture; a large eighty-inch flat screen; and a walnut desk with a computer on the top.

A notebook and pens were also on the desk.

A bookshelf overflowing with books was next to it.

She stepped closer to the bookshelves to examine the titles. “You must be a big reader.”

“I am, but most of those are mine. I’m J.C.

Hart, or at least that’s my pen name. I’m currently writing what they call historical romance.

Mostly for me, it’s a memoir. I’m in love with love, what can I say?

” He walked over with a tray service for the tea.

“I’ve been expecting a visit from you. Or your police officer friend. ”

“So you knew Alfred Howard.” Mia sat on the couch, watching him.

“Al and I were friends for years. Centuries, actually. We had some fun years. He was the money guy, and I . . . well, I brought the female companionship to the party. But that was years ago. We’ve both mellowed with age.

Well, I should say Al had mellowed.” He stood and picked up a photo from the bookshelf.

“This is us in New Orleans. We stayed for years. The party never stopped.”

Mia looked at a much-younger Edmund with a shorter man who was clearly Howard. She smiled at the way the men had their arms around each other and were grinning like fools into the camera. “You made the arrangements for the rafting trip. Were you looking for treasure?”

“What?” Edmund took the frame from Mia and put it back on the shelf.

“No, there’s no treasure on that stretch of the river.

Unless you count the heartbreaking beauty of the scenery as treasure.

We were going to enjoy the rafting. Al was looking forward to it.

He took the assignment to look into your boyfriend, his hellhound, and his dragon so we could go on the trip and use the coven’s dime for the costs.

Alfred Howard was a rich man. He stayed that way by not paying for anything that he could get someone else to finance. ”

“You’re saying he was cheap.” Mia sipped her tea.

Edmund grinned. “Rich men always are. But Al was so kind and generous, at least when it came to giving of his talents.”

“You didn’t kill him,” Mia stated, knowing in her heart she was right.

Edmund sipped his tea, then set down the cup. “No, but I’m afraid I might have been partly responsible for his death.”

“In what way?” Mia set her own cup down. It didn’t feel laced with anything, but she was new enough that she might not know.

“I was the one who nudged Marsha to have questions about Cerby. She would have let it go—she’s friends with the Majors family—but I gave her a push because I knew they’d send Al.

We’d been looking for an opportunity to do this for years, but he wouldn’t come unless someone paid him to be here.

Like I said, he was all about making the money.

” He leaned back and closed his eyes. “I wish I had the power to turn back time. My friend would still be around.”

“Why did Howard show up at Trent’s house rather than his dad’s? Was he coming here?” Mia was trying to think through Howard’s last days and make sense of them.

Edmund leaned forward, his eyes widening as he heard something Mia couldn’t. “Sorry, I believe we have guests. Your baby dragon is near your car, and a truck is coming up the driveway.”

“Trent.” Mia stood and nodded to the door. “I’d better go head him off. It was nice to meet you. I hope we can talk more about this.”

“I’m probably leaving for my villa in France soon. Al’s death has made this place too tender in memories.” He followed her to the door and held it open.

As they walked outside to the porch, Buddy made his presence known with a puff of fire. Mia stepped off the porch and headed over to her car, where the dragon was now sitting on the ground, staring at Edmund. Steam was coming out of his nose.

“Buddy, be nice. He didn’t hurt me.” Mia reached out and rubbed the dragon’s nose as he smelled her body.

Satisfied that Mia wasn’t under the incubus’s spell, Buddy flew up to the tree by the house and settled on a branch as Trent drove up.

When he opened the door to the truck, Cerby jumped out and ran to her, barking.

She picked him up, and he licked her face. Then he curled up in her arms, also satisfied she was safe.

Trent walked over. “Apparently the rescue wasn’t needed?”

“Not in the least, but I’m glad you stopped by.” Mia nodded to Edmund. “Have you met your neighbor?”

Trent made eye contact with Edmund. “Sorry, I haven’t had the pleasure. I thought this place was abandoned until Mia mentioned coming up to check it out. Cerby got a little protective.”

Edmund shrugged in return. “He’s a hellhound, what do you expect? I have to admit, I haven’t had the best reputation over my lifetime. I am an almost-changed man. I can control my desires much better than I could when I was younger. Even though some people don’t believe in redemption.”

Mia wondered if he was referring to Blake.

And what was Mia going to tell her boss?

Hey, I met your ex—he seems to be a nice guy.

Or at least he was to me. That would go over like a lead balloon.

“Well, thank you for the tea and conversation. I’ll let Mark know we’ve talked, but he might try to reach you. ”

Edmund’s eyes sparkled. “Your law man will have to find me first.”

As the incubus went inside, Trent turned to her and took Cerby. “I feel like an idiot. But Cerby went crazy, and then Buddy took off. I thought you needed help.”

“You know, at first, I thought I did. Maybe they were reacting to that? I’d rather them overreact than not alert you at all.” Mia rubbed Cerby’s nose. “Are you still making me dinner?”

“I’ve already got the baked potatoes in the oven. I’ll follow you out. Buddy? Get out of that tree and head home, okay?” Trent looked over to where it appeared the dragon was sleeping.

A beat of his wings, and he shot up in the air. He must have just been resting his eyes. Mia climbed into her car and started it. Then she drove past Trent’s truck and down the hill to the main road. Edmund Pevensie was an interesting guy. And he was heartbroken at the loss of his friend.

Mia didn’t need magic to see that.

* * *

Tuesday morning, Mia was surprised to find Blake in her office. She sat in a visitor’s chair on her phone, reading.

“Well, good morning. I’m glad you’re here.

I wanted to let you know I’ll be working from home most of tomorrow and leaving early today to start working on the Adams–Majors engagement party.

” Mia set her tote down and took off her jacket.

The weather had turned cold. The ski lodge was expecting snow any day.

Mia hoped it stayed away until after Grans’s party on Sunday.

“Whatever you need. Your friends and family are paying enough for the use of the Lodge over the next week.” Blake put her phone away.

“I wanted to ask about the incubus. Have you heard anything? My alarm spell keeps ringing, but it’s softly, like he’s in the area, but not focused on me.

Maybe I should leave before something bad happens again. ”

“‘Again’?” Now Mia’s attention was on Blake’s face. “What do you mean, ‘again’?”

“He’s an incubus. What do you think I mean?” Blake said as she jumped up from the chair. “Anyway, let me know if you need any signatures or anything else for Wednesday’s event. Jeani’s doing an amazing job in the ballroom. You should check it out.”

Mia watched her boss almost run out of her office. For someone who’d been waiting for her to show up this morning, she’d sure left in a hurry.

James poked his head into her office. “Why do you look like you’re trying to solve the ancient mysteries like where Atlantis disappeared to?”