Pawsitively Betrayed Read online

  Contents

  Previously…

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Acknowledgments

  Copyright © 2020 Melissa Erin Jackson.

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Ebook ISBN: 978-1-7351500-3-1

  Front cover design by Maggie Hall.

  Stock art via Designed by Freepik, iStockPhoto, Shutterstock.

  Interior design and ebook formatting by Michelle Raymond.

  First published in 2020 by Ringtail Press.

  www.melissajacksonbooks.com

  To Diamond,

  the sweetest girl

  Previously in the Witch of Edgehill series …

  For the last several months, Amber Blackwood has done her best to balance her life as a witch with her non-magical life. In the past few months alone, Amber has had to cope with the death of her best friend Melanie Cole; the discovery that Neil Penhallow had killed her parents; and assisting in the search that finds Chloe Deidrick, the daughter of Edgehill’s mayor, safe and sound after being kidnapped. On the plus side, life is certainly more interesting now that both her close friend Kimberly Jones and Edgehill’s Chief of Police, Owen Brown, know her secret. But now Jack Terrence, Amber’s romantic interest, knows it, too. Her Aunt Gretchen had wiped Jack’s memory after he witnessed the violent use of magic and realized that he didn’t have the ability to protect Amber from the dangers in her world. But after his memories settled back into place, he knew his desire to be with her was his priority. Amber is nervous about letting yet another non-witch into her magical life, but she’s grateful to have Jack back by her side.

  The happiness of being reunited with Jack is dampened by the fact that Mayor Deidrick has teamed up with Mayor Sable of Marbleglen, Edgehill’s neighboring rival town, in announcing that the Here and Meow Festival Committee will be working alongside the Floral Frenzy Flower Festival Committee on a joint parade to kick off festival season. To make matters worse, the committee is chaired this year by the always brash and rude Bianca Pace.

  When Amber isn’t in festival meetings, her cousin Edgar is teaching her how to play Magic Cache—a geocaching game with a magical twist. Even though the game is most popular among witch children from a young age, it’s new to Amber. As part of her training, Edgar hides caches for her around town and sends her off to locate them on her own. One such assignment inadvertently leads Amber into Marbleglen. The object she finds is indeed a Magic Cache—but one that Edgar had not left for her. Instead, it’s been placed there by someone named Simon Ricinus … which means there’s a witch in Marbleglen.

  Amber tracks Simon down. She finds the middle-aged witch to be kind and very willing to answer her questions. Simon knows a bit about Amber’s magical history, namely what a powerful witch her mother had been. In addition to being a witch, Simon—also an avid member of Marbleglen’s safety committee—is deeply concerned about the corrupt leadership of Marbleglen’s Mayor Sable and Chief of Police, Eric Jameson. While at Simon Ricinus’s house, Amber learns that Bianca Pace is his magic-free daughter.

  When Chief Jameson is killed in his own home during a dinner party, Simon becomes the number one suspect. After Simon is arrested for the crime that he’s adamant he didn’t commit, Bianca begs Amber to help her find proof that her father is being framed. Over the course of her investigation, Amber discovers that the murder plot had been orchestrated by four people: Mayor Sable, the newly appointed Chief Daniels, land developer Randy Tillman, and crime lab owner Victoria Sullivan. With Amber’s help, the four are arrested, and Simon is cleared of the murder charge.

  Meanwhile, as Amber progresses through her Magic Cache lessons, Edgar takes things up a notch to include the search for “dead zones,” spots of magical anomalies where magic simply doesn’t exist. Amber learns that dead zones are favorite cache places for hardcore players of the game. Edgar suggests that they find a dead zone to hide Amber’s parents’ grimoires in, and then layer the dead zone with additional spells to create the ultimate hiding place that not even the malevolent Penhallows can find.

  With the help of her younger sister, Willow, and their Aunt Gretchen, they find a dead zone in a small town called Quill, a few hours away. They hide the grimoires there. On top of layering the trunk of grimoires with spells, they also add a boomerang spell, assuring them that if someone other than Amber or Willow tries to take the grimoires, the books will immediately be returned to the two Blackwood sisters. The problem with this is that once the boomerang spell is triggered, the cloaking spells on the books will drop, making the books easily trackable by way of their magical signatures.

  Though the books are safe, Simon’s name has been cleared, and Jack wants to pursue a relationship with Amber, she can’t shake her worry that the threat the Penhallows pose is reaching a flash point. Her worry is intensified when Kieran Penhallow calls her from prison. After Amber had lifted his curse, he answered for his crimes, namely the murder of a maid from the Manx Hotel. Kieran tells her that not only has his curse been lifted, but his magic has returned, healed and as it should be. Amber has no idea what this means for herself, the Penhallows as a clan, or the world at large.

  Chapter 1

  Amber reveled in the sound of Jack Terrence’s rhythmic breathing. Her head was propped on the crook of his shoulder, and though her there was a crick in her neck that would bother her all day, she didn’t dare stir. That, and Alley was draped across them both, her head on Amber’s side and her body sprawled across Jack’s stomach.

  As comforting as Jack’s presence was, as the last dregs of sleep faded, the events from the day before crept back in. Namely, Kieran Penhallow calling her from his prison cell.

  “Something is different now. Before, it almost felt like a rash or like an itch I couldn’t scratch, no matter what I did. And even when I did manage to scratch it, it only itched more,” he had said. “What I had before … was a sickness. It was like a poison that slowly kills its host. I think you cut away the parts that were infected. What’s in its place now feels … clean. Healed.”

  Healed! She had no idea what this meant.

  “You didn’t take it away, Amber. You gave it back.”

  She had worried she wouldn’t be able to sleep last night, but Jack had shown up unannounced with enough Chinese food for an army, not just four people, and they had all sat around Amber’s dining table—herself, younger sister Willow, Aunt Gretchen, and Jack—and had talked about perfectly normal things. They talked about Willow’s job as a graphic designer, about Aunt G’s garden club, about Jack’s plans to expand his business,
and about the upcoming Here and Meow Festival. They didn’t talk about magic, cursed witches, or Amber’s ever-evolving powers.

  Amber and Jack had curled up on the couch to try to stay awake long enough to get through the next episode of Vamp World. As usual, she awoke once her tiny studio apartment had flooded with early morning sunlight. She woke, feeling grounded, next to Jack. Hearing the soft snores of Aunt G and Willow in the bed on the other side of the apartment had rooted her further.

  It was when she was alone that the nightmares pulled her from sleep.

  Someone behind her cleared their throat. She rolled over just a fraction and found her sister peering down at her, a wide smile on her face. Willow stood so close to the couch, her knees nearly touched Amber’s back. “You two are so cuuute!” she mouthed.

  Amber’s cheeks flamed. She delicately swatted Willow away. It was enough to wake Alley, who in turn woke Jack.

  He seemed disoriented at first, then smiled sleepily at her. “Hey.”

  “Hey,” Amber said.

  “Hey,” Willow drawled.

  Jack flinched back, realizing then how close Willow hovered over them.

  “Are you staying for breakfast, Jack?” Aunt G called out, then padded for the kitchen. “Growing boys need to eat.”

  Willow turned toward their aunt. “What a weird thing to say, Aunt G! He’s in his thirties. He’s not a boy.” She peered down at Amber and Jack again. “You are in your thirties, right? You have one of those very appealing faces that makes you look like you could be anywhere from twenty to forty. You haven’t turned my sister into a cougar, have you?”

  “Oh my God,” Amber muttered, burying her face in Jack’s shoulder. Her forehead bounced as he laughed.

  “I’m thirty-five,” he said to Willow. Then, louder, he said, “No thanks on the breakfast, Gretchen. I have to get to Purrcolate soon to help Larry open.”

  Aunt G appeared suddenly at the head of the couch. “Did you want coffee before you go? I suppose you don’t want our boring old coffee when you own a coffee shop. But Willow and I could go downstairs to start a pot on the little hot plate and kill some time if you two need some alone time to … hmm … what do the kids call it these days?” She glanced over at Willow, who still hovered at Amber’s back. “Tonsil hockey?”

  Willow snorted. Jack cracked up. Amber wished she had an invisibility spell in her repertoire.

  “Oh my God,” Amber muttered again. “Get out of here! Both of you!”

  Aunt G and Willow, still laughing, headed for the stairs. Amber sat up once she heard the Employee Only door close, signaling that her horrible aunt and sister had shut themselves in the shop below. Jack sat up, too, using the armrest to prop himself up.

  “I’m sorry about them …” she started, but he cut her off by brushing a wayward lock of hair—a matted clump, really—out of her face.

  “They give you a hard time because they love you,” he said. “But, for the record, I’m totally okay with some tonsil hockey before I have to get to work.”

  She laughed. He cut it off with a kiss.

  They broke apart after a minute, but Jack kept a hand pressed to the back of her neck. He rested his forehead against hers. “I really do have to get going, though.”

  “Boo,” she grumbled.

  He kissed her forehead. “I agree.”

  While he used the bathroom and collected his things, Amber fed Tom and Alley. As they munched happily on their breakfast, Amber walked Jack down the steps, across the shop, and to the front door of The Quirky Whisker.

  Aunt G and Willow offered wolf whistles when Jack kissed Amber goodbye.

  “Have a good day, ladies,” he called, then headed out the door.

  Amber whirled on her family, hands on hips. “You’re both awful.”

  “I’m glad to see you happy, little mouse,” Aunt G said.

  Amber flushed. “Thanks.”

  With that, she hurried back upstairs to change and get ready for the day. She couldn’t wipe the smile off her face.

  A few hours after opening, Henrietta Bishop walked in. The shop was bustling with customers as usual during the week before the Here and Meow Festival. After helping a little girl decide that she would like the raccoon animated toy instead of the badger, Amber met Henrietta near the counter that ran along the right side of the shop.

  Henrietta was a forty-year-old divorcee who had moved to Edgehill, Oregon, several years ago because she wanted to fully embrace the “Crazy Cat Lady” lifestyle. She was a lithe redhead with a mass of curls that hung to her mid-back. The curls never were truly contained, no matter what she did. Amber was always reminded of the young girl from Brave when she saw her.

  Over the years, Amber had gotten to know Henrietta a little better. Recently, she’d joined the Here and Meow Committee in Marbleglen as a volunteer with the parade floats, and she had joined Amber and her friends during the recent town hall meetings. But Amber had been seeing the woman weekly for over a year, namely because Henrietta was addicted to Amber’s signature “sleepy tea” blend. It was a creation Amber made in-house, with a bit of sleep tincture mixed in. Though Amber was abysmal with tinctures, her sleepy tincture was the only one that hadn’t ever let her down.

  Henrietta swore by it. “I really wish you’d tell me what you put in this stuff,” she often said. “It works like magic!”

  Over the last month, Henrietta had been coming in on an almost daily basis to purchase more tea, and the quantity had gone up, too. Two boxes here, five there. When the purchases of the sleepy tea increased tenfold over a short window of time, and Henrietta’s bright green eyes were droopy more often than not, Amber found herself wishing she were better at being a nosier person. She loved gossip just as much as the next Edgehill resident, but as the former reclusive weirdo in town, Amber understood keeping secrets close to the vest.

  Henrietta hadn’t talked much about her divorce; all Amber knew was that it had been contentious. That had been Henrietta’s word, not Amber’s. Even the gentlest of pressure to ask more probing questions on the topic often made Henrietta close up like a flower deprived of sunlight, so Amber had stopped asking.

  Yet, when Amber met Henrietta at the counter that morning, Amber blurted, “Hen, are you okay?”

  Even the woman’s signature, vibrant curls looked dejected. The bags under her eyes were more pronounced than they had been a week ago. She wore black leggings, a black tank top, and a slightly ratty oversized green sweater. It reminded Amber of the last day she’d seen Melanie, who had come into her shop looking uncharacteristically like a hot mess.

  Henrietta had always given the impression that her divorce settlement had been as good for her financially as it had been bad for her emotionally. She hadn’t been the type to flaunt her wealth, but Amber was fairly certain the woman hadn’t been employed the entire time she’d been in Edgehill, and yet her attire had always been immaculate.

  “I’m hanging in there, I guess,” Henrietta said. “Actually, I wanted to ask if you were hiring?”

  Amber’s brows shot toward her hairline. “I’m not at the moment. Sorry, Hen. I just hired Ben Lydon. I could possibly offer you a seasonal position, but I can’t guarantee how long it’ll last.”

  Henrietta sighed, waving away Amber’s apology. “Oh, that’s okay. What I need to do is dust off my résumé. It’s been a while,” she said. “Anyway, I’d like three boxes of the sleepy tea again. The stress I’m under right now can only be combatted with that tea of yours.”

  Amber plastered on a strained smiled. She excused herself to grab Henrietta’s order. She had set it aside for her that morning, anticipating the woman’s arrival. After grabbing the boxes for her from one of the cubbies at the base of the apothecary wall behind the counter where Daisy Bowen was ringing up customers, Amber handed the tea over.

  Henrietta clutched the boxes to her chest. “Thanks.” She started to turn away, as if heading for the checkout line, but then turned back. “Say, I purchased some sleepy tea fro
m the drugstore the other day and that one wasn’t nearly as effective as yours. Do you think it’s the valerian root in yours that does the trick?”

  No, it’s the sleep tincture, Amber wanted to say. “You know I don’t share my secrets,” she said playfully instead, “but yes, the valerian root is essential.”

  Henrietta nodded, but the usual banter they shared was missing today. “I really appreciate you, Amber. You know that, right?”

  Head cocked, Amber said, “Sure, Hen, I know that.”

  Tapping one of the boxes she held, Henrietta offered a small smile, then walked away to get in line. Amber knew her good friend Kimberly Jones would be able to tease out Henrietta’s secrets in a matter of seconds. Betty Harris across the street in Purrfectly Scrumptious would look at Henrietta with her kind brown eyes, cluck her tongue and say something like, “What’s got you so down, sugar?” and Henrietta would likely blab all her worries.

  Amber, however, merely stood by and stared at Henrietta, frowning. Before she could get up the nerve to ask Henrietta if she needed anything else, another customer came through the door.

  Lily Bowen was tending to a couple of customers at the back of the shop, and the other patrons currently seemed to have their browsing under control, which left Amber to attend to the newcomers. She had just rounded one of the freestanding pyramid-shaped bookshelves when she came up short.

  Just inside the door stood Connor Declan and Molly Hargrove. Connor worked at the Edgehill Gazette, while Molly worked at the Marbleglen Herald. Despite being from rival towns, and the fact that Molly was known far and wide for being a snake, Connor and Molly had been working together on stories a lot lately. It still wasn’t clear if their continued partnership was strictly professional or if it had spilled over into something else.

  “What is he doing here?”

  Amber flinched. Willow had materialized beside her. Willow and Connor had been close friends in high school, but their friendship had never progressed into anything more. They both clearly still held a torch for each other, but as adults, they still danced around the “what if” of it all.