Magical Blend (A Paramour Bay Cozy Paranormal Mystery Book 1) Read online

  What is she doing? Raven? Tell her to stop.

  “Oh, Raven, look at the poor thing,” Heidi consoled, picking up Leo as if he were any other ordinary housecat. “You come right here to your Aunt Heidi.”

  I guess because of who Leo was and the role he played in my life, I’d never considered petting him or picking him up to show my affection. And affection was really a strong word, because the two of us butted heads worse than any sibling rivalry.

  I’m going to vanish. Right now. If she doesn’t put me down, I’m going to disappear into thin air, and then the rest of the human world will know you’re a witch.

  Leo would do no such thing, because though he had the worst attitude any cat could ever have, his loyalty was unwavering. It was kind of humorous to watch Heidi rub her cheek on top of Leo’s head while scratching her fingernails underneath his chin. He could protest all he wanted, but the loud purr coming from his rather disheveled body said something else entirely.

  “Leo really likes to be scratched on the belly and—”

  A knock came at the front door, prompting Leo to take advantage of the moment and leap out of Heidi’s arms. True to his word, he did disappear, but in such a way that Heidi believed he’d run up the spiral staircase to the loft above.

  “Can you pour our coffees to go?” I walked around the island and toward the front door, leaving Heidi to brush off the fur that had come off onto her shirt. “Ted must have returned home. I’ll see what he needs.”

  The only one who’s ever knocked before was Ted, so I certainly wasn’t expecting Liam to be standing on my front step. His gaze appeared glued to the side of the house, and from his expression, he was clearly mystified as to why Nan had allowed so many vines to grow wild.

  I’m pretty sure the overgrowth had something to do with witchcraft and our powers being one with nature, but I’d yet to have that conversation with Leo, Ted, or my mother. As a matter of fact, there was still a lot of ground to cover when it came to this secret life of mine.

  “Liam, what are you doing here? Is everything okay?”

  “Yes, everything’s fine. I just came to tell you that Flo is being moved to a prison in New Haven until her trial.” Liam tilted his head as he breathed in deeply, and that attractive smirk pulled at his lips. I really needed to drop this insane interest I had in him. It wouldn’t be wise to get involved with an officer of the law when I couldn’t even come close to explaining my family. “Is that coffee I smell?”

  “Don’t pretend for one second that you don’t know my secret,” I said, wagging my finger as I took a step back and allowed him to enter. Heidi’s ponytail seemed to be swaying back and forth as her entire body practically screamed go for it. She didn’t know the truth, either, and that was very depressing. “Come on in. Heidi and I were just getting ready to head into town. She’s got to get back to the city to give Patrick his car, and I need to open up the shop after brunch.”

  Seeing as it was Sunday, the tea shop was only open from eleven o’clock to four o’clock. I liked these days, because it allowed me to continue my search for the elusive spell book. The reason my mother was coming back to town on Wednesday was because she’d come up with something called a locator spell.

  I really hoped it worked, because my learning had all come to a complete halt…with the exception of what little I could find over the Internet. I was astounded by what could be found with a bit of motivation and digging in the right areas.

  Leo was constantly telling me I needed to be careful not to alert anyone to my newfound powers, but that was the nice thing about computers—I was hidden behind a screen of anonymity.

  “I have a meeting with Detective Swanson, which is why I’m here or else I would have waited for you to come into town.” Liam stepped inside, his dark eyes only giving away a glimpse of surprise when he surveyed the interior of the cottage. “Did you do this in the weeks you’ve been here? I’m not sure how you had the time to decorate between learning to be a businesswoman and solving a murder.”

  “I’d love to take the credit, but this was Nan all the way. She always was a bit eccentric.”

  Eccentric? She used black magic on me. I’m a Persian leopard in a munchkin cat’s body. She bypassed eccentric about a million years ago.

  A quick glance confirmed that Leo was hanging over the ledge of the loft between two of the spindles.

  “I offered to move in to keep Raven company, but she’s being selfish and won’t make me a partner in the tea shop,” Heidi complained, though her broad smile told Liam that she was joking. She couldn’t see Leo from where she was, and that was probably a good thing. She might very well try to go up the stairs and corral him. “You could always make her a deputy while I take over the store. It can’t be too hard to work those handcuff thingies.”

  I might be in love. She is quick with those comebacks, isn’t she?

  I couldn’t stop my cheeks from flushing at what Heidi was implicating, so I quickly changed the topic of conversation. There was no reason to give Leo more ammunition, either.

  “You mentioned something about Flo being moved to a prison in New Haven?”

  “Yes, and it looks like you won’t need to testify. She confessed.”

  Liam’s gaze had finally settled on me, but not before I saw his interest in the various carvings in the coffee table. I didn’t want him to ask questions about the markings, so I moved a bit until I could rest my hand on the back of the stool Heidi had vacated to pet Leo. From her expression, my movements weren’t natural in the least.

  “That’s great news, but I don’t understand.”

  “Flo has pleaded guilty by reason of insanity. There will be a competency hearing, of course. Whether she spends her time in a prison or a mental institution is another thing altogether.” Liam held up the newspaper that had been in his hand. “The Paramour Bay Times has the article, and I thought you’d like to read it.”

  You’re not buying this, are you? The good ole sheriff wants to do more than—

  “Thank you.” I unfolded the thin newspaper, surprised to find a picture of Flo in an orange jumpsuit being escorted to a police van. She didn’t look any better in orange than I did. “Is it sad that a part of me feels bad for her?”

  The old bat tried to kill us!

  “Let’s face it,” Liam responded with a commiserating shake of his head, “Flo is not altogether there mentally. I can’t believe none of us picked up on her breakdown. I mean, killing a man because she thought he was going to steal tea leaves she believed made her look younger? You’re just lucky she didn’t try to come after you.”

  “Here, let me see,” Heidi exclaimed, leaning over the island to hold out her hand. “I never went into the diner, so I don’t know what Flo looks like.”

  “Take a look. That’s what jail does to a person.” Liam pointed toward the newspaper Heidi was now looking at to satisfy her curiosity. “Flo has definitely aged in the week and a half she’s been in prison.”

  I shifted back and forth on the knee-high boots I was wearing underneath my long skirt. This was one of those times where I experienced the stabbing of guilt over keeping secrets from those I cared about, as well as the residents of Paramour Bay. They had no idea that Nan had been a witch all these years or that my mother and I had followed in her footsteps to varying degrees.

  It wasn’t fair.

  I was technically all alone.

  You’ve got me.

  The sincere sentiment caught me by surprise, and apparently had done so to Leo. Another glance up toward the loft revealed Leo licking his paw, as if his words meant nothing. In reality, they meant everything.

  I love you, too, Leo.

  It was a good thing Liam and Heidi hadn’t known Leo was there, because he’d vanished right before my eyes. And that was okay.

  My new life encompassed a talking cat, my own Lurch who goes by the name of Ted, a town full of quirky residents, and a handsome sheriff. Not to mention that my best friend was able to visit me at
least every other weekend, and my mother was willing to extend her hand into a life she’d left behind years ago.

  And let’s not forget witchcraft.

  I was a witch.

  A real witch.

  And there was no other place I’d rather be than right here in Paramour Bay.

  ~ The End ~

  Thank you so much for reading Magical Blend! Don’t miss out on more exciting shenanigans that take place in Paramour Bay as the series continues with Bewitching Blend.

  Click HERE

  Welcome back to Paramour Bay as USA Today Bestselling Author Kennedy Layne continues her cozy paranormal mystery series that will have you brewing up a cup of tea well past midnight…

  It’s been two months since Raven Marigold discovered she was a witch, and she is handling her situation with grace. Well, if you discount the fact that she caught her blouse on fire or made her cat’s tail go numb for four hours. The bottom line is that Raven is succeeding in her pursuit of this new mystical life she’s been given.

  Someone must have missed that memo, though. Raven finds herself smack dab in the middle of another murder investigation. Every piece of evidence points to the town treasurer as being the guilty party, but she isn’t so sure the case is that cut and dried.

  It is then that Raven gets the brilliant idea of using a bit of witchcraft to help out the handsome, young sheriff. After all, what could go wrong with a bewitching blend, an enchanted spell book, and a haunted inn on the edge of town?

  Books by Kennedy Layne

  Paramour Bay Mysteries

  Magical Blend

  Bewitching Blend

  Office Roulette Series

  Means (Office Roulette, Book One)

  Motive (Office Roulette, Book Two)

  Opportunity (Office Roulette, Book Three)

  Keys to Love Series

  Unlocking Fear (Keys to Love, Book One)

  Unlocking Secrets (Keys to Love, Book Two)

  Unlocking Lies (Keys to Love, Book Three)

  Unlocking Shadows (Keys to Love, Book Four)

  Unlocking Darkness (Keys to Love, Book Five)

  Surviving Ashes Series

  Essential Beginnings (Surviving Ashes, Book One)

  Hidden Ashes (Surviving Ashes, Book Two)

  Buried Flames (Surviving Ashes, Book Three)

  Endless Flames (Surviving Ashes, Book Four)

  Rising Flames (Surviving Ashes, Book Five)

  CSA Case Files Series

  Captured Innocence (CSA Case Files 1)

  Sinful Resurrection (CSA Case Files 2)

  Renewed Faith (CSA Case Files 3)

  Campaign of Desire (CSA Case Files 4)

  Internal Temptation (CSA Case Files 5)

  Radiant Surrender (CSA Case Files 6)

  Redeem My Heart (CSA Case Files 7)

  A Mission of Love (CSA Case Files 8)

  Red Starr Series

  Starr’s Awakening(Red Starr, Book One)

  Hearths of Fire (Red Starr, Book Two)

  Targets Entangled (Red Starr, Book Three)

  Igniting Passion (Red Starr, Book Four)

  Untold Devotion (Red Starr, Book Five)

  Fulfilling Promises (Red Starr, Book Six)

  Fated Identity (Red Starr, Book Seven)

  Red’s Salvation (Red Starr, Book Eight)

  The Safeguard Series

  Brutal Obsession (The Safeguard Series, Book One)

  Faithful Addiction (The Safeguard Series, Book Two)

  Distant Illusions (The Safeguard Series, Book Three)

  Casual Impressions (The Safeguard Series, Book Four)

  Honest Intentions (The Safeguard Series, Book Five)

  Deadly Premonitions (The Safeguard Series, Book Six)

  About the Author

  First and foremost, I love life. I love that I’m a wife, mother, daughter, sister… and a writer.

  I am one of the lucky women in this world who gets to do what makes them happy. As long as I have a cup of coffee (maybe two or three) and my laptop, the stories evolve themselves and I try to do them justice. I draw my inspiration from a retired Marine Master Sergeant that swept me off of my feet and has drawn me into a world that fulfills all of my deepest and darkest desires. Erotic romance, military men, intrigue, with a little bit of kinky chili pepper (his recipe), fill my head and there is nothing more satisfying than making the hero and heroine fulfill their destinies.

  Thank you for having joined me on their journeys…

  Email:

  [email protected]

  Facebook:

  facebook.com/kennedy.layne.94

  Twitter:

  twitter.com/KennedyL_Author

  Website:

  www.kennedylayne.com

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  www.kennedylayne.com/newslettertext.html