Hex it in the Bud: A Witch Cozy Mystery (Enchanted Flower Shop Book 2)(Cozy Paranormal Women's Fiction)

OceanofPDF.com HEX IT IN THE BUD OceanofPDF.com ENCHANTED FLOWER SHOP (BOOK #2) OceanofPDF.com AMORETTE ANDERSON OceanofPDF.com Copyright © 2023 by Amorette Anderson All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. OceanofPDF.com CONTENTS Prologue 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 Dear Reader OceanofPDF.com PROLOGUE OceanofPDF.com DEMON SUMMONING SPELLS BY AUGUSTUS BELFOUR So, you want to summon a demon, do you? I can tell you exactly how, for I, myself, am a demon. I go by the name Augustus Belfour and great are my powers. I live in the realm of Waiting, where raindrops take seven days to fall; where the sun travels across the sky for seven of your days before darkness arrives for seven more; where shadows slide across the ground like inchworms. Yes, time slithers along slowly here. You will see when you arrive. For if you summon me, you will one day have to come to my realm to give me assistance in return. Mark my words. You need my help, yes? If you call on me, I will help you—for a price. Once in my debt, a visit to my realm is inevitable. I will extract payment from you many times over. You will stay here with me for a long, long time. Waiting. Yes, waiting. Think carefully before following the steps in this book. When you do, my assistance is guaranteed and your fate is sealed. Think carefully, and then summon me to you. This book you now hold, dear reader, will tell you the steps. OceanofPDF.com 1 “Remi, honey, which one is the painted daisy?” Leeza asked. I brushed a strand of hair from my forehead with the back of my hand to avoid soil smudges from my fingertips. “Look for bright pink blossoms,” I called out. She emerged from between two aisles, a potted plant held in both arms. The tall begonia made me laugh. “You think that’s a daisy?” “Heck if I know,” she said with a giggle. “No?” I stood, wiped my hands on the front of my jeans as I passed her, and found the potted daisies on a high shelf. “These little beauties are the daisies,” I said. A rush of joy filled me as I looked down and noted how they’d grown recently. Leeza peered over my shoulder. “They sure are pretty.” “Aren’t they? I started about a dozen from cuttings back in April. Most of these are ready for bigger pots. Why do you ask?” “I’m after crushed petals for a tincture I’m supposed to make for Jasper.” She squinted down at a yellowed sheet of paper now in her hand. “My recipe says they must be fresh when harvested.” “These are as fresh as they’ll come.” She held out a cupped palm. “This much.” “That’s not a measurement.” “To witches like us it is.” She gave me a wink. “We don’t need scales or measuring cups. Use your intuition. Fill me up, honey.” “Hang on. I have to thank them first.” The daisies trembled with anticipation and glee as I hovered my hands over the row and started reciting a prayer I’d learned from my grandmother’s spell book. “You’ve blossomed, grown, and let your flowers show. For your gifts, we give you thanks so sweet. Your energy and ours, let us meet. And if you shall—” The door to the shop opened and I stopped short. Leeza and I both looked at the shop entrance. Caden Night paused in the threshold, spring sunshine behind him like a pale spotlight. He pulled off his black cowboy hat, revealing shoulder-length, dark-blond hair. As he looked between me and Leeza he said, “Am I interrupting something?” I sighed. “Yeah, but we’ll start over when you’re gone. What is it?” He walked my way, his leather boots loud against the wood floor. “Got a letter here for you.” He pulled a small envelope from his jacket pocket and handed it to me. I wrinkled my nose as I looked down. “For me? That can’t be right… Oh.” My heart sank as I read the return address. “My mom.” Caden and Leeza exchanged a glance. I frowned as I pushed the letter into a pocket in the long sweater I wore. “I’ll read it later.” “You told her you’re here?” Caden asked. “I texted her,” I said. “I had to. Otherwise she’d think I died.” I’d managed that feat of communication one day a few months back, near the holiday season. It was sometimes hard for me to believe I’d lived here on Lanrete Ranch for seven months, but somehow, the fact was true. Time slipped past. The shop my gran had once cared for took a lot of work to run, and I’d lost myself in the many daily chores. Between that and burying my nose in her old books, sorting through her belongings, and organizing her apartment, I kept busy. I felt like I was getting to know her and saying goodbye, all at the same time. I thought Caden might be mad that I’d managed to sneak out to the main road and shoot off the text message with my phone. Instead of reprimanding me he merely nodded. “Makes sense to me,” he said. He settled his hat back on his head and retreated for the door. “I’ll leave you two to it. See you at seven, Remi.” When he was gone, Leeza gave me a nudge. “So…? You two taking another crack at that book on demons?” I grinned. Thinking about the work I’d taken up with Caden over the winter and into the spring was a heck of a lot better than thinking