Suddenly Sorceress (22 page)

“Thanks, Mom. I couldn’t have done this without you.”

“Oh, I think you would have done just fine. You’re your father’s daughter, after all.”

Relief washed over me, and I gave the house one more cursory glance before Jack dragged me toward the passenger door of my Bug and held it open. Once he’d situated himself behind the wheel and cranked the engine, he pulled me into a heated kiss.

“Where to, beautiful?”

I thought for a second before a smile split my face. “Surprise me.”

Backing out of the driveway, he flashed me an indescribable smirk. “You know, you owe me another opportunity to make love to you slow and gentle. I need more time to learn everything there is to know about your body, mind, and soul.”

“Yes, I suppose I do. But you know, I’ve been doing some seriously powerful magic this evening. I’m pretty keyed up.”

“You don’t say.” He fought back a grin.

My head bobbed a few times. “I do. In fact, if you take the next left, I know of a really secluded spot.” I pointed to the turn leading to the back of the cemetery. “I’ve never had sex in a Love Bug before; have you?”

“No, I can’t say I have.”

“Whatta ya say, Houdini, wanna have some hot, magical sex with me?”

Jack laced his fingers with mine. “Can’t think of anything I’d rather do.”

Epilogue

One month later

J
ack and I pulled into
my mother’s driveway alongside a shiny black stretch limo. Mom had invited the entire “Scooby” gang to celebrate Jon and Chloe’s wedding and apparently, even coming from all the way across the country, they’d beaten us.

“I guess they’re already here. Do I look okay?” I ran a hand through my inky-black hair, remembering how much dye it had taken to coax the color back from fire-engine red.

“You look beautiful.” Jack raised our entwined hands to kiss my knuckles.

“Especially in that sweater.” He licked his lips as his eyes roamed my impressive rack.

I hadn’t seen a need to change
everything
back to normal.

“Hey, you two, no having sex in the driveway. Geez, do you ever give it a rest?” Chloe stood on the front steps waving, sunlight glinting off the enormous sparkler on her left hand.

I climbed out of Jack’s silver SUV, and we entwined our fingers as we walked toward the house. “We weren’t having sex.” Not that it wasn’t a good idea. Even though I wasn’t working magic anymore, I hadn’t quite gotten over my taste for sex in unusual places.

“I see you haven’t traded in your hot vet for one of his goats just yet.” Chloe nudged my shoulder and garnered an eye roll from Jack.

“Don’t listen to her, sweetheart. She’s just jealous because
you
ended up with the superior Blake brother.”

Jack and I had been living together since the day I’d changed Matt back. I hadn’t intended for things to move so quickly, but like everything else between us, it just sort of happened.

“Get in here, already. Your mother is driving Jon insane. She keeps asking him about magic tricks. I don’t know how you ever lived with her.” Chloe grinned, and I knew she was at least half-joking.

My mother moved around Jon to step out of the kitchen just as we reached the dining room. “Ivie, dear, I’ve missed you.” She wrapped me in a crushing hug.

“Mom, I saw you last week.”

“That was a week ago. And you’re always attached at the hip to your magician.”

“Her veterinarian. I don’t do magic anymore,” Jack corrected, and everyone laughed as he wrenched me out of my mother’s grasp.

“Well, I’ve missed you too, Mom. Dinner smells fantastic.” I paused to look around. “Where’s my cat?”

“Oh, he’s having a nap in the sunshine.” She pointed to the spot where a shaft of light filtered through a window, bathing Karma in warmth.

Chloe smiled. “He looks happier than I’ve ever seen him.”

“Are you sure it’s been no trouble keeping him? It’s not as if we can’t take him back. Look how fat he is. I hate to think he’s eating you out of house and home—or shredding your sheets.”

“No, don’t be silly.” She waved me off. “He hasn’t touched my sheets, and he doesn’t eat that much. Although, I dare say he’s quite the fan of grilled salmon and raw tuna. But no, he’s perfectly content to stay right where he is.” She glanced at me, and I saw something in her eyes I couldn’t decipher.

“Is everything okay, Mom?”

“Oh yes, dear.” She patted my free hand. “Everything’s fine. So… still not doing magic?”

Before I could answer, she’d stepped toward the table, straightening the silverware and the pristine white plates.

“No. I’m staying away from magic if I can avoid it. I’ve finally got my hair back to its normal color.”
And my libido tamed to that of a normal twenty-something female.
I winked at Jack, and he blushed, most likely thinking of our romp in the backseat on the ride over.

What? I couldn’t help it if the man was unbearably sexy.

“Yes, of course. I’m sure that’s wise.” She nodded a few times then flashed me a bright smile. “I hope you’re hungry. I’ve made your favorite—grilled liver and onions with roasted Brussels sprouts.”

“Yum.” I shared a look with Jack as I squeezed his fingers. That was my father’s favorite meal, not mine.

Jack took my hint and turned to his brother. “So how was the honeymoon?”

“Dude, fantastic. I swear, it was worth getting married if for nothing else than to take a long vacation in the tropics.”

Chloe smacked Jon’s head. “That’s not even a little bit funny.”

“Oh, baby, you know I don’t mean it.” Jon brushed his lips against hers. “Forgive me?”

“What a pair of saps,” I joked, leaning into Jack. “They’re making me rethink my decision. Is it too late to change my mind?”

“Definitely too late.” Jack turned me until we faced each other. I let my hand slip from his for the first time since we’d stepped out of the car.

“What is that?” Chloe grabbed the hand Jack had released. “Oh my God, is that an engagement ring?”

A bubble of excitement burst out of me, and I erupted in a string of giggles. “It is.”

Chloe squeezed the life out of me then went back to staring at my ring. “Holy shit, it’s huge!”

Jon pulled Jack into a hug. “Congrats, brother. Welcome to the club, man.”

“Thanks.”

“So when did you pop the question?” Jon asked.

“Last night. I was going to ask her on New Year’s Eve, but I couldn’t wait. Sometimes you just know.” He laced his fingers with mine again.

Jon laughed, eyeing Chloe. “Boy, do I know it.”

“Engaged. Oh, my goodness, that changes everything.” My mother rambled, pacing the room and wringing her hands.

“Mom? Are you okay? I thought you’d be happy for me.”

She stopped pacing and wrapped me in another hug. “Oh, I am happy. Thrilled even. I adore Jack. I think he’ll be a wonderful husband.”

“Then what is it?”

“I just wanted your father to be there. He should be able to walk you down the aisle.”

“Oh, Mom.” I released Jack’s hand to pull her in tighter. She hadn’t been so upset the last
time I got engaged. “You know I would do anything for Dad to be able to walk me down the aisle.”

She froze in my arms.

“Mom?”

“Anything?” Her voice got tiny. I could barely hear her.

“Of course! If only it were possible. I’d do anything to have Dad back.”

She hugged me again, patting my back before releasing me. “I’m so glad to hear you say that, dear.”

Jack shrugged. “So who’s ready to eat? I’m starving.” He steered me toward the table then stopped dead in his tracks, glancing from the table to me. “Are we waiting for someone?”

Looking around the room, I counted five of us, but the table was set for six. “Mom? Who else is coming to dinner?”

She poked her head out of the kitchen with a cloth flour sack in one hand and a wrinkled sheet of parchment in the other.

“Okay, you’re freaking me out here. Isn’t that the…” I pointed at the paper with a shaky hand, recognizing the messy words scrawled across it. “What’s going on?” I shot a quick glance at Jack, whose puzzled face mirrored my confusion, then peeked over at Chloe’s wide-eyed expression.

She mouthed, “
What the hell?”

“Well, I know you’ve given up magic, but you did say you’d do anything. If you and Jack are getting married, it’s only right he walks you down the aisle. You said so yourself.”

My empty stomach twisted and clenched. “Who are you talking about?”

She tilted her head. “Why, your father, dear.” She bent down to scoop Karma up and thrust him into my arms.

Jack gaped at the cat. “Karma? I thought your dad turned into a dog. And then he died.”

Mom nodded like a bobblehead, pointing to my cat as if he were Odysseus. “I had no idea, of course. Not until the day we were mixing potions. But I always knew if there was a way for my Angus to come back to me, he’d find it.” She turned to me and closed my mouth. “I think you should change him back now before we eat.”

My eyes darted from Jack to my mother to Karma, the stray I’d picked up from behind a dumpster at school. Was he my… I looked into his eyes. They were the same emerald green as mine, and then he purred, blinking a few times in the late afternoon sun.

“Daddy?”

Dear Reader,

We hope you enjoyed Suddenly Sorceress, by Erica Lucke Dean. Please consider leaving a
review on Amazon
.

Visit our website to
sign up for the Red Adept Publishing Newsletter
to be notified of future releases.

Other Books by Erica Lucke Dean

To Katie With Love

Written with Elise Delacroix:

Craving Caine

Jewels of Desire: Diamond Duplicity

Jewels of Desire: Ruby Ransom

Acknowledgments

Writing a book is a lot like giving birth. A lot of blood, sweat, and tears go into the final product. A lot of late nights, chocolate, and Diet Coke, too. I can’t imagine making it through the process, alive, without the love and support of countless people along the way.

First of all, to the readers. Without you, there would be no point. Whether one or one million, this book is for you.

To the amazing staff at Red Adept Publishing. What can I say? Lynn McNamee has assembled a kick-ass group of people, and I’m forever grateful to her for that. We may be small, but we are mighty. Thanks to the acquisition team for picking my books out of the slush. Without you, they might have never seen the light of day. Giant hugs, bags of chocolate (the good stuff), and thanks to my editors: Michelle Rever and Cassie Cox. You make me look good. There just aren’t enough words to convey how good you make me look.

To the artists at Streetlight Graphics. You guys rock… Seriously! My wildest dreams could not compete with the amazing cover you created for me. Thank you!

To my beta readers, Karen DeLabar, Louise Flynn, Katie Moretti, Lizzie Vance, Amberr Meadows, and Erin Schirer. Thank you for the awesome feedback. You helped shape the final product.

To Kristin Goff for inspiring Chloe. The character may be fictional but the inspiration behind her was real. May you find that perfect purse someday.

To Amber Ivie and her wonderful dog Jackson for lending me your names.

To my fabulous brainstorming-on-Skype team: Michelle Rever, Elizabeth Corrigan, and Laura Kolar. Thank you for twisting my arm until I caved on the “Scooby” scene, for making me laugh through the grueling editing process, and for keeping the crazy “ancient” pop culture references coming.

To my friend and critique/writing partner, Laura Kolar. Where would I be without you? You get my quirks, you understand the way my crazy, messed-up brain works, and you seem to like me anyway. Thank you for letting me bounce ideas off you, for feeding me lines when I had writer’s block, and for agreeing to finish my edits if I managed to get eaten by pigs or run over by a train before they were done. Because in my world, those things could totally happen.

To my family, for a lifetime’s worth of love and support. Mom and Dad, you gave me the freedom to dance to my own music and never discouraged me from reaching for my dreams, no matter how out of reach they may have seemed. To my sisters, for those nights we listened to “Witchy Woman” with the lights off to scare each other. To my kids, for believing in magic even after you knew the truth. Your imaginations have kept the magic alive in me. And to my great aunt Donna for digging into the family tree to discover we descended from Salem witches. Because that’s just too cool for words.

And finally, to my husband, for putting up with my bizarre quirks, my crazy hours, and the countless late nights I spent on Skype with “the girls.” Thank you for supporting my dreams even when you don’t quite “get” the writer in me. I love you.

About the Author

After walking away from her career as a business banker to pursue writing full-time, Erica Lucke Dean moved from the hustle and bustle of the big city to a small tourist town in the North Georgia Mountains, where she lives in a ninety-year-old haunted farmhouse with her workaholic husband, her 180-pound lap dog, and at least one ghost.

When she’s not writing or tending to her collection of crazy chickens and diabolical ducks, she’s either reading bad fan fiction or singing karaoke in the local pub. Much like the main character in her first book,
To Katie With Love
, Erica is a magnet for disaster and has been known to trip on air while walking across flat surfaces.

How she’s managed to survive this long is one of life’s great mysteries.