Karma's Spice, page 1
Karma’s Spice
Magical Midlife in Mystic Hollow
Book 7
L.A. Boruff
Lacey Carter
Contents
1. Emma
2. Emma
3. Emma
4. Emma
5. Deva
6. Emma
7. Emma
8. Emma
9. Emma
10. Emma
11. Emma
12. Emma
13. Emma
14. Emma
15. Emma
16. Emma
17. Emma
18. Emma
19. Emma
20. Emma
21. Emma
22. Emma
23. Emma
24. Wade
Also By Lacey Carter
Also By L.A. Boruff
About the Author
About the Author
Copyright 2024
Published by Lacey Carter, L.A. Boruff
This work of fiction is intended for mature audiences only. All characters are over the age of eighteen. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either a product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to any persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. This book is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or other unauthorized use of the material or artwork herein is prohibited without the express written permission of the author.
1
Emma
The morning sun was being a sneaky devil, peeking through the car window and warming my face, even though it felt like a time for gray skies and the patter of rain. I groaned thinking about the events of last night, wishing it had all just been a bad dream. Unfortunately for my group of friends and I, it wasn’t. There had been a fire at Deva's Delights. A bad one.
Smoke had billowed around the building, obscuring most of it from sight. It was a small relief when the fire was put out and Deva’s Delights still stood, but that only lasted a short time before we realized that most of the fire damage was likely on the inside.
The fire department had deemed it too dangerous to enter last night, so we'd been left to worry and wonder until this morning. My stomach churned thinking about what we'd find when we finally got to see it. I was bracing myself for the worst, and for offering Deva as much support as she might need. Her restaurant was everything to her.
Daniel had gone off to take care of some pack business, leaving me to face the wreckage with Deva, Carol, and Beth. Beth's car, affectionately known as "Big Bertha" by those of us who were subjected to her frequent raves about it, rumbled beneath me as I stared out the window. It was like sitting on a cloud, if clouds smelled faintly of lavender and had leather upholstery. The verdant landscape zoomed past in a blur, but I couldn't shake the knot of dread that twisted in my stomach.
"Hey, you okay?" Carol asked, concerned as she peered at me in the rearview mirror from the front passenger seat.
My gaze moved to her. Normally, the bright purple and yellow dotted hat and matching outfit she was wearing would have been enough to brighten my day, but not now. It just seemed out of place right along with the shining sun. Somehow, it felt like all of us should be wearing gray.
But I didn’t say that. "Fine." I forced a smile. "Just thinking about the café."
"Me too," Deva said softly from beside me. She gazed out the window, her eyes glassy and distant. I could only imagine how she felt, knowing that her beloved restaurant was quite possibly destroyed. My stomach clenched further.
I placed my hand on hers. “Whatever happens, it’s going to be okay. We’re here for you.”
She flipped her hand around, squeezing mine. “Thanks. I know.”
Deva leaned further back in her chair, and ran her free hand through her short, black hair. Her face was a shade paler than normal, and her dark eyes were filled with worry. Whether she was wearing it intentionally or not, I don’t know, but she had donned a black shirt with “Deva’s Delights” written on it, and beneath it was a piece of cake with pink frosting and berries on top. It suited her, even though it made what we were doing even sadder.
"Buckle up ladies." Beth's grip on the steering wheel tightened as we approached our destination. "We're almost there."
Now Beth was dressed for the occasion. Her long blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail, her makeup was light, and she wore a dark gray color that felt completely out of place in comparison to her typical wardrobe. Although, her somber air likely had less to do with her outfit and more to do with the fact that my normally cheery friend practically hummed with sadness.
“Everything’s going to be okay,” I said, but I wasn’t sure if I was saying it to them or myself.
The sight of the restaurant made my heart drop into my shoes. From the outside, it didn't look too bad, but I knew better. We all did. The fire had been no ordinary blaze, and the damage it left behind would be anything but superficial.
Sometimes magic was a blessing. Sometimes it was a curse.
We pulled into the parking lot, and Beth cut the engine. Silence surrounded us for a painful moment. Why did it feel like we were going to a funeral rather than to a restaurant we loved? Loss, I guess, was an interesting thing. Yet no matter how long we sat in this car, it wouldn’t make what we were about to do any easier.
"Here goes nothing," I said, pushing open the door.
"Wait." Deva hesitated for a moment, staring at the building that represented so much of her life, her heart, and her soul.
"Deva, we're here for you." Carol took one arm while I took the other. "Let's do this together."
She nodded resolutely. "Yeah, okay." As one, we stepped forward, our collective fear heavy in the air.
"Let's head inside, but carefully,," Beth said, leading the way with a backpack slung over her shoulder. I couldn't help but wonder what arcane tools and trinkets it contained, and whether they'd be enough to save us from whatever malevolent force had targeted Deva's Delights.
“It has to be just small damage, right? This has to be something that can be fixed,” Deva whispered as we moved closer.
"Whatever we see, we’ll deal with it." I squeezed Deva’s hand as we crossed the threshold and entered the restaurant.
The air was thick with the acrid scent of smoke, and my eyes watered as they adjusted to the dim, dusty light. Beside me, Deva swallowed hard. The dining room looked as pristine and welcoming as ever, with its warm lighting casting a cozy glow on the neatly arranged tables. Too bad it smelled like a campfire.
Carol looked around in amazement. "You'd never know there was a fire last night if not for the smell."
Deva was about to burst into tears, by the look on her face. "That’s good, at least, but we still need to check the kitchen."
My stomach churned at the thought of what we might find. If the front looked this good, maybe the damage in the back wouldn't be too bad? Maybe the smoke yesterday had made everything look worse than it really was.
Who was I kidding? I knew the odds were about as likely as me winning the lottery, and I never even bought tickets. Where there was smoke, there was fire.
"Here goes nothing," Beth said, leading the way through the swinging door that separated the dining area from the kitchen.
As soon as we stepped into the kitchen, we gasped collectively. The once gleaming stainless steel counters and appliances were charred and covered in soot. Half the kitchen had been utterly destroyed, and the smell of burnt wood, melted plastic, and smoke hung heavy in the air. A wave of nausea overwhelmed me, and I fought the urge to bolt for the nearest exit.
Carol's eyes filled with tears as she took in the devastation. "Deva, I'm so sorry."
Deva stood in the middle of her ruined kitchen, tears streaming down her face like a river that had burst its banks. I didn't blame her, it was like a scene from one of those disaster movies where everything goes wrong all at once. More than one tear had slipped out of my eyes as well.
"Oh, Deva." I wrapped my arms around her.
My friend sobbed into my shoulder, her body shaking with the force of her grief. Carol and Beth joined us, creating a tight circle of comfort amid the wreckage. It was us against the world, just like it had been when we were kids. Just like it had been in all our many adventures since I returned to Mystic Hollow.
Carol rubbed Deva's back gently. "We're here for you. We'll get through this."
"Damn right," Beth said. "This isn't the end, Deva. Just a bump in the road."
The truth was that this was more than a bump in the road, but we all knew that it wouldn’t help anything to say the words aloud. Deva was a perfectionist. She wanted everything in her life to be perfectly controlled. Something like this could be enough to completely crack her if she didn’t have the support she needed, and we all knew it, so we would be that support for as long as she needed it.
That’s what friends do.
Besides, with her determination and hardwork, something like this would be overcome. Her restaurant might take awhile to start back up again, but I knew it would. I wouldn’t expect any less from the incredible woman who had walked home on a broken leg once when we were kids.
Deva sniffled, pulling away from us to wipe her face with the back of her hand. "You guys...I don't know what I'd do without you."
"Let's not find out, okay?" My words earned me a watery smile, which I considered a win. "Now, let's figure out if someone put a curse on your resta
A curse, we had decided last night, was the most likely cause of the fire. Of course, the fire could be the result of some other kind of magic, but Beth, Deva, and Carol all got the feeling this was curse related, and I wasn’t about to doubt the three witches. They knew this magical world far better than I did.
"Absolutely, let’s figure this out," Deva said, her voice shaky but resolute. "I'm not going to let whoever did this ruin my life." She shook her head, like shaking off the tears. "First, we need to know if it was a curse or just an accident."
Or if it was something else, but I didn’t say that. A statement like that would be about as helpful as a pit in a cherry pie. We didn’t need useless things mucking up what we were doing.
"Right." Carol looked around the room thoughtfully. "So, how do we do that? I mean, it's not like there's a 'cursed or not cursed' app we can download on our phones."
"Actually," Beth said, a sly grin spreading across her face. "There might be something even better than an app."
"Really?" I raised an eyebrow, skeptical but intrigued. "What might that be?"
"An old-fashioned spell," Beth said, wiggling her brows. "I found a ritual that can help us figure out if there's any dark magic at play here."
"Sounds promising." Deva's face lit up with hope. "Let's do it."
"Okay," Beth moved toward the door. "Let's move to the dining room and get this spell started."
"Right behind you." We left the charred remains of the kitchen and entered the front area of the restaurant.
Beth gestured to the windows, which were still letting in a fair amount of daylight. "We don't want any nosy passersby peeking in while we're performing magic. Let's close the blinds."
"Good call." I stepped forward to help them adjust the blinds. As I did so, I couldn't help but see how grim and dusty everything looked under the harsh sunlight. The once-pristine dining room now resembled a scene from one of those post-apocalyptic movies Henry loved to watch during his movie marathons.
"Let me just grab my supplies, and then we can begin," Beth said, rummaging through her backpack.
"Supplies? What kind of spell is this?" I asked. "Are we talking eye of newt and toe of frog? Because I draw the line at anything involving amphibians."
"Relax." Beth laughed. "It's nothing like that. We're just going to create a circle of protection and invoke the elements to help us detect any lingering curses."
"Ah, well, as long as it doesn't involve frogs..." I trailed off comedically, which drew a sorely needed laugh from Deva.
"Trust me, you'll be fine." Carol patted my arm gently. "We've done this kind of thing before. It's perfectly safe."
Beth opened her well-loved backpack, which had seen better days, and pulled out various items, candles, a small mirror, and even a wishbone. The smell of smoke from the fire still lingered in the air, a constant reminder of the chaos that had unfolded just hours earlier.
Beth arranged the candles on the floor in a circle large enough for all four of us to sit inside. "Emma, hold this wishbone." She handed me the small, brittle piece of bone with a grin. "It's from a chicken because people who do curses are chickens." She made clucking noises, and I laughed, despite the seriousness of the situation.
"Uh, sure," I took the wishbone gingerly. "Because that's a totally logical explanation."
"Of course it is." Beth winked. "Now, we'll also be using this mirror." She held up the small, round mirror, and then covered it with a black cloth. "This will stop the person who cursed Deva's Delights from seeing what we're doing."
"You guys really think of everything," I said, thoroughly impressed by their preparation.
"Been at this a while," Beth's voice shifted from playful to serious. "Let's all take our places in the circle and hold hands."
We did as instructed, sitting cross-legged on the floor, forming a tight-knit circle of friendship. Fear and excitement bubbled up within me. This was so far beyond anything I'd ever done before. My powers were more about feel than spells.
"Ready?" Beth asked, looking around at each of us.
"Ready," we all said in unison.
"Then let's begin."
Beth started the chant, low and steady. I tried my best to follow along, fumbling over the unfamiliar words and feeling slightly ridiculous as I did so. But I kept going, ready to do my part in helping Deva, the wishbone sweaty in my grip.
As we chanted, a tingling sensation began in my hands, but I kept my grip tightly on the wishbone. It was subtle at first, but it grew stronger with each word we spoke. I glanced around at the others, wondering if they felt it too, but their expressions remained focused and unwavering.
It was okay though, I trusted them. This was just another thing I had to get used to in a magical world. It definitely beat dealing with angry mermaids, gambling vampires, and wild shifters.
"Stay with us," Carol said, squeezing my hand gently.
My mind sharpened. I hadn’t even realized it’d been drifting. Her encouragement helped ground me, and I refocused my attention on the chant.
I don't know how long we chanted, time seemed to have lost all meaning in that small circle of candles. Eventually, the sensation in my hands changed, becoming almost electric. Something was happening. Something powerful.
Then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the chanting stopped, in unison. We knew, somehow it was time to hush. We looked at one another, each of our eyes wide with anticipation. The air around us was charged, as though the very atmosphere had been altered by our actions.
"Did it work?" I whispered.
"Only one way to find out," Deva said, glancing toward the wishbone.
I clutched it tightly. All gazes focused on the little bone, and we held our breaths, waiting for a sign, any indication that our efforts had not been in vain. Then, without warning, the wishbone trembled ever so slightly.
"Here we go," Beth said, her attention never leaving the quivering bone. "Let's see what we've uncovered."
The wishbone quivered in my hand, then suddenly jerked upward, out of my grip, like an invisible string had been attached to the fragile bone, pulling it taut and lifting it off the ground. We all stared at it, mouths agape as it swayed back and forth like a pendulum.
"Follow it," Carol breathed. "It'll lead us to the source of the curse."
As we trailed after the hovering wishbone, I shivered. This was all so surreal, like something out of a creepy children's story. The kind where the heroine gets lured into a witch's lair by a trail of enchanted breadcrumbs, only to be devoured once she steps inside.
"Here." Carol stopped abruptly in front of the charred remains of the kitchen. The wishbone pointed directly at the blackened walls, which still bore the scars from the fire that had ravaged them. "This is where the curse was placed."
The tension in the air was thick enough to slice with a knife.
"Let's keep moving," Deva said, her features hard. "There has to be more to this."
We continued our eerie pursuit of the twitching wishbone, which led us on a winding path through the restaurant, jerking from one corner to another. It was like watching a cursed game of hide-and-seek, with the wishbone as the seeker and the curse as the elusive hider.
"Guys, I think it's leading us back to the dining room," Carol said, her brow furrowed in confusion.
"Impossible," Deva shook her head in disbelief as we stepped back into the front. "There's no way the entire restaurant could be cursed... Could it?"
"Seems that way," Beth said, awe lacing her words. "This place must have been cursed over and over again."
"This is horrible." A shiver rolled down my spine at the thought.
"Shh," Deva said, holding up a hand for silence. We all froze in place, our ears straining for any sign of danger. Then, without warning, the sound of shattering glass sliced through the air.
