Bewitched And Between (Hex After 40 Book 5), page 1
About This Book
Magic: Not Just For Witches Anymore…
When we last saw the Fabulous Four Witches, they had just learned that the entire town of Wesley was filled with magical beings. Not only does Wesley, NY have four resident Witches, but its mayor is a Vampire, the top cop is a Werewolf and Fairies (ahem, they prefer ‘Fae’) are all over the place. Who the hell knew there were so many Druids in town? (WTH is a druid?) And don’t forget the Shape-Shifters (not like they’ll let you).
All, and I mean A L L of these beings were waiting for these Witches to wake the hell up and own their power. As Witches, they are the bridge between normie humans and these Mystical beings. Since the previous lead Witch, Shannon’s aunt Maeve passed away, they’ve been all acting like kids in a classroom without a teacher.
The Werewolves can’t stand the Vampires, the Fae feel like an ignored underclass, the Druids (whatever the heck they are) look down their noses at everyone and the Shifters think everyone’s lost their freaking minds.
While the witches are trying to figure all this out, along comes Beth James—the town’s self-proclaimed Gossip Overlord—who’s threatening to out the entire magical mess to the human world.
As in FBI vans and 'undisclosed locations'.
She’s a ‘normie human’ and is sick and tired of her town being taken over by these…these weirdos. Just get them the hell out of Wesley, OK? They belong in an insane asylum at best, or in some super secret Area 51 to be studied by the CIA. And when she gets the word out, all hell breaks loose.
It’s gonna take creative courage, badassery, and a hell of a lot more than pointy hats to pull Wesley back from the brink.
Can Shannon and her ride-or-die Witch squad save the town, wrangle the misfit Mysticals, and avoid becoming reality-TV roadkill?
Copyright © 2025 by Michelle Dorey
ISBN:978-1-988913-78-0
All rights reserved.
No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.
Contents
1. Chapter 1
2. Chapter 2
3. Chapter 3
4. Chapter 4
5. Chapter 5
6. Chapter 6
7. Chapter 7
8. Chapter 8
9. Chapter 9
10. Chapter 10
11. Chapter 11
12. Chapter 12
13. Chapter 13
14. Chapter 14
15. Chapter 15
16. Chapter 16
17. Chapter 17
18. Chapter 18
19. Chapter 19
20. Chapter 20
21. Chapter 21
22. Chapter 22
23. Chapter 23
24. Chapter 24
25. Chapter 25
26. Chapter 26
27. Chapter 27
28. Chapter 28
29. Chapter 29
30. Chapter 30
31. Chapter 31
32. Chapter 32
33. Chapter 33
34. Chapter 34
35. Chapter 35
Author's Note
Other Works By Shelley Dorey
one
Shannon
If Beth James actually believes she can drive us out of Wesley because we’re Witches, she has another think coming.” I link arms with Mary-Jane beside me as we stride down the street.
“We are freaking Witches, and we’ll be damned if we’re going to be ashamed of it.” Libby, on my other side, blares.
“Yeah! Beth and her half-dozen lackeys can pound sand. We’re not going to just own our nature; we’re going to lean into it.” Cynthia’s battle-cry makes even me scared.
As we continue down the main street to face Beth and her mob—that conniving bitch—the sight ahead, stops me dead in my tracks.
Holy crap on a cracker. Is this for real?
“What the actual hell?” Mary-Jane gasps.
Sure, we expected Beth and her cronies, doing some kind of protest demonstration…But they’re gaping—same way I am!—at the crowd of townspeople facing them. Their protest signs of ‘Witches out of Wesley’ wilt before them as they press back into the plate glass window of MJ’s restaurant.
The citizens of Wesley form a half-circle facing Beth and her gang. But I’ve never…EVER seen anything like it!
Not the angry townspeople demanding we be burned at the stake. Nope. It’s like someone dropped acid and decided to throw a supernatural Comic-Con convention.
“Are those... Fairies?” MJ points at a cluster of winged beings hovering at the back of the crowd. There’re four, fully grown adults, with translucent wings whirring hover about ten feet off the ground. One of them leans to the other, points at us and starts giggling.
“I think the correct term is ‘Fae,’” Libby whispers, her eyes almost popping out onto her cheekbones.
Yes, there are freaking Fairies floating above the crowd, watching the scene unfold below. Before them is a crowd of at least fifty people hemming in Beth and her group.
My gaze darts over the people facing off with Beth. Oh my good, goddess. Is that Wayne Silver? His normally clean-shaven face is sprouting hair faster than a Chia Pet. That’s my boss? The distinguished newspaper editor’s tweed jacket strains at the seams, buttons hanging on for dear life as muscles ripple beneath. He’s at the forefront, his arms outstretched, trying to herd Beth and company, but of course, they stand frozen in place, gawking at him.
Wayne looks over at me and gives a small salute, before his face begins to stretch… into a wolf’s muzzle! His forehead slopes back into a thick brow while his eyes start to glow red! And to top it off, his teeth grow, to become long ripping fangs.
The piercing scream of one of Beth’s buddies hardly registers… my mind in shell-shock. She collapses, her knees folding in a dead faint, but like a cat, Wayne the Werewolf darts forward to catch her. I blink fast watching him lay her gently on the sidewalk.
“Smooth move, Wayne!” the mayor of our town calls out. “Couldn’t have done better myself!”
After rising up to his hind feet… HIND FEET? Wayne shakes himself like a dog caught in the rain for a second or two, then blinks slowly, like things are back to normal. He gives the Mayor a look bordering on disgust. “You could have helped, y’know.” Ending with a poke to Mayor Jefferies’ round stomach like it’s a party balloon.
“Oh, Wayne, my boy…coming out in broad daylight takes sooo much out of me!” Jefferies replies blithely. “However, in light of this wonderful moment…” He bends at the waist, letting out a series of grunts before straightening up to his full height.
Holy shit!
His face is flour white, his eyebrows jet black, and a set of fangs protrudes from his upper lip! “Satisfied?” he asks. “Like I said, it’s not easy in daylight!”
Another one of Beth’s compadres lets out a squeak. “You’re…you’re…” she says, pointing at him.
He steps over to her with a malevolent grin and snipes, “Vampire is the word you’re looking for, my dear.” Leaning over, he sniffs her neck. “Oh my…” his voice is a seductive growl, “O-positive…my favorite…”
“Easy, Mayor,” Wayne says. “None of that now…”
Beth jumps in front of the mayor and shoves him in the chest, causing him to stumble back. “You cut that out, Mayor Sadler! She’s not from here, and you know it!”
He wags his finger in her face, glaring at her. “And you’re a damn blabbermouth, Beth! You took The Oath of Silence!” His mouth opens wide, advancing on her before Wayne speaks.
“That’ll be enough of that, Jeff old buddy,” Wayne steps forward and puts his arm around the mayor’s shoulder, easing him back. “You need to take a breath, bud.”
The mayor’s head droops. “Damn normies…”
“C’mon, Jeffrey. Just switch back, okay? You’re going overboard.”
Mayor Sadler does that thing again—he curls at the waist, and with a series of guttural grunts, trembles for a moment before righting himself, and just like that, he’s just another middle-aged balding man with a weight problem. Staring at Beth, his eyes narrow, “You’ve gone way, wayyy too far, Beth!”
Snapping my gaping mouth shut, I scan the rest of the crowd. Some look like regular people, but most of the others are…are other beings. There are a few more Fairies, one or two Werewolves, and a couple of other strange-looking people I can’t figure out.
Mary-Jane lets out a whoosh of air. “What the actual, ever-loving hell is going on here?”
“We’re gonna sure as hell find out!” I snap, before marching the last twenty feet up to the gaggle of townspeople. My coven is right behind me.
The instant our eyes meet, Beth elbows her way out of the crowd, “I’ve kept quiet about all of you my entire life! Now, those damned Witches are back and I won’t stand for that!” She points at me. “Maeve was supposed to be the last Witch, and now this bitch shows up! NO! I WON’T STAND FOR IT!”
My blood reaches the boiling point. Getting right into the bossy bitch’s face, “What is your damn problem?”
“You’re my problem! It’s one thing to share this place with Werewolves, Fae, Shifters, Druids and all the rest of them! They’re born that way! But you? YOU’RE HUMAN!” she shrieks. “You’re the worst! You are traitors!”
She spins around, confronting the crowd. With spittle
“Betray us?” The mayor asks, his voice dripping with menace. The crowd behind him starts to rumble.
Mary-Jane edges herself between me and the shrieking Beth. “We need to dial it down here, hon.” Her voice is soothing as she stares at the angry harridan.
“Up yours, MJ!” Beth snaps.
With a sigh, MJ lifts her hand. “Wait and watch as you will. But for now, you shall be still!”
And just like that, Beth’s mouth clamps shut and she freezes. Her eyes move back and forth, but she doesn’t make a sound.
I stare at MJ. “Where the hell did you come up with that?”
Mary-Jane blows on her knuckles before polishing them on her chest. “Just came to me, to be honest.” She shrugs. “But it worked.”
Before we can say another word, Devon’s car careens onto the street, pulling into a parking slot with his tires squealing. All four doors pop open, and our guys pile out. MJ’s husband Ray hustles over to his wife as Stan heads to Libby. Eric makes a beeline to Cynthia.
“Took you long enough,” I smile as Devon approaches me.
Scanning the crowd, “Never a dull moment with you around, Shannon.” His eyes are wide when he looks at me. “What the hell’s going on?”
With Beth now as chilled as an ice sculpture, the rest of the crowd goes quiet when Mayor Sadler speaks.
“Well, Devon, I suppose, it’s time you learned that not everything in Wesley is as it seems.” He has the audacity to punctuate his words with a chuckle.
“You’re a—” I stammer, one hand instinctively flying to my jugular.
“Vampire? Why yes!” Jeffrey beams, patting his enormous belly. He glances over at Beth’s group, eyeing the woman he had just spoken to. “Type O Positive is my jam,” he says in a voice so seductive, I instantly have cringey thoughts about him. Whoa…talk about being ensorcelled by a vampire… I give my head a shake and my brain clears.
My gaze darts over to my boss, Wayne Silver. He’s transformed back to his normal-looking self and I whisper, “Werewolf. My boss is a freaking Werewolf.” I blink fast, still trying to process this. “You knew? EVERYONE KNEW?!” My voice cracks as I gape at the crowd gathered. Citizens. Neighbours.
The mayor just shrugs at me with a sheepish smile.
“Shannon,” Cynthia murmurs, tugging on my sleeve. “It looks like we’re the last magical beings in Wesley to come out. I can’t believe what I’m seeing!”
I startle at a familiar rub against my calf and look down to see Robert, my one-eared bobcat familiar, looking back up at me. “Well, well, well. Looks like you got upstaged, witch.” Typical sarcasm from that fleabag.
All I can do is stare at the gala of mystical creatures—my neighbors, my boss. Robert’s right. Our grand witch reveal has just been spectacularly upstaged.
Devon takes my hand. “Like I said,” he repeats, “what the hell’s going on here?”
The Mayor rubs his hands together. “Well, as long as you’re here, Devon, it’s high time you learned a little more about this town of ours. I’m sure you’ll learn a thing or two as Shannon and I have a little confab.”
Mayor Sadler sweeps his gaze over me and the rest of my friends. “Congratulations on finally embracing your power, ladies!” His eyes glint as he continues with a shit-eating grin. “You have no idea how difficult it’s been, waiting for this moment. At long last—the Witches of Wesley!”
Turning to the crowd, he raises his pudgy arms, encouraging them to applaud like we’re contestants on some twisted supernatural talent show, and a cheer comes up.
“Hang on! Just a damn minute!” Cynthia steps forward, chin jutting out. The cheers die faster than my houseplants.
I wince. Having been on the receiving end of Cynthia’s wrath when we first started practicing, I know that tone. Someone’s about to get verbally disemboweled.
“I’ve lived in Wesley my entire life, kept to myself practicing the craft, and only NOW I find out?” Her voice reaches a pitch that probably has every dog within a five-mile radius cowering. “Surrounded by Werewolves, Vampires and Fae—”
“And Shape-shifters too…” Eric says.
Cynthia spins to face him. “WHAAAT?”
“Don’t forget shifters, babe,” Eric’s voice is low, dropping his chin in an attempt to look contrite. “Damn, it was so hard keeping that from you, but I had to.”
There’s a stunned expression on Cynthia’s face for a moment.
Then she whips back to face the crowd, eyes narrowed in rage. “Unlike Shannon, Libby and MJ, I have ALWAYS been a witch! Yet you couldn’t let ME in on the big secret? Werewolves and vampires sneaking around, probably laughing up your sleeves at me.” Her nostrils flare like she’s about to breathe fire.
Claire from the grocery store steps forward, her demure voice barely carrying. “Well, to be honest...”
My eyes nearly pop out of my skull when I see her incisors pinching into her lower lip and her sallow complexion. Another sucking vampire? The sweet-as-pie checkout lady who always reminds me about the two-for-one special, clipping my coupons, is a bloodsucker?
“You can’t blame us,” Claire continues, nervously twisting her name tag. “You’re always so aloof, Cynthia. And…well, to be completely honest, you never were much of a Witch, were you?”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean!”
Claire tilts her head, and with a small smile, continues, “A spell here and there, but you lacked a coven.” She bats her eyes at Cynthia. “It’s your kind that needs other practitioners of your craft in order to come to fruition.” She spreads her arms out. “But us? We, other Mysticals…well, we come into our own all by ourselves!”
Wayne, nods in agreement. “Yes, but that’s what makes them special, Claire. For all intents and purposes, they’re human.”
“They’re also Magical, Wayne,” she replies.
He nods. “I know, I know. But unlike us, they’re not born that way. They become Witches.” He looks over at us as he explains, “They’re able to draw their power from Mother Earth.” After casting a glance above, at the sky, he adds, “We get our power from somewhere out there, I suppose.” He cocks an eyebrow. “Like the moon. Both Werewolves and Vampires are governed by the moon, right?”
“Whatever, Wayne.” Claire gives a dismissive wave of her hand. “We all know that Witches are different.” Crossing her arms in front of her chest, she smiles. “And I, for one am glad they’re outed…finally. Lord knows, this town needs a Witch’s touch, don’t you think?”
Mayor Sadler looks like he just swallowed a lemon but doesn’t want to show it. “Now, now,” he says, “We’ve been through quite a bit since dear old Maeve Burke passed on, I’ll admit that. But we’ve managed to hold everything together, haven’t we?”
Robert lets out a series of low rumbles that nobody but me and Libby can understand. ‘Sounds like the Mayor is concerned about his position, methinks!’
I shoot a glance at Libby, as I shush him. “We’ll discuss that later, fur-ball. You didn’t say a word all this time, did you?”
‘Hmph. Can you blame me? I wasn’t sure your coven was going to last!’
Before I can feed some of Robert’s snark back to him, Libby decides to sound off.
“And this isn’t?” Libby explodes, marching forward to stand beside Cynthia. Her face is redder than any hot flash I’ve seen on her.
“I nursed you all when you were sick. Helped deliver half the town’s babies and I’m only now seeing what you really are? And only because I came out as a Witch? Come on!”
This is so crazy, I know it’s up to me to sort this out. As the coven leader and an outsider to Wesley, maybe…just maybe, I can be objective; the voice of sanity in this coup of creatures.
“Okay. Let me get this straight. So, not everyone in Wesley is a magical being. There are some normal people here, right?” I glance over at Stan and Ray, desperately hoping neither sprouts wings nor fangs in the next five seconds.
“Well, sort of...” The Mayor’s grin falters. “Of course, there are what we call ‘normies’ here.” His fingers quote “normies” like it’s a slur. “The normies have a recessive gene, so becoming a Were’, or Fae or Shifter never happens to them.” He pauses for a moment. “Now, the Druids are a different breed altogether.”
