Charmed to Death: A Paranormal Women's Fiction Novel (Magic Happens Series Book 2)

CHARMED TO DEATH MAGIC HAPPENS BOOK 2 YASMINE GALENORN A Nightqueen Enterprises LLC Publication Published by Yasmine Galenorn PO Box 2037, Kirkland WA 98083-2037 CHARMED TO DEATH A Magic Happens Novel Copyright © 2023 by Yasmine Galenorn First Electronic Printing: 2023 Nightqueen Enterprises LLC First Print Edition: 2023 Nightqueen Enterprises Cover Art & Design: Ravven Art Copyright: Yasmine Galenorn Editor: Elizabeth Flynn ALL RIGHTS RESERVED No part of this book may be reproduced or distributed in any format, be it print or electronic or audio, without permission. Please prevent piracy by purchasing only authorized versions of this book. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, or places is entirely coincidental and not to be construed as representative or an endorsement of any living/ existing group, person, place, or business. A Nightqueen Enterprises LLC Publication Published in the United States of America CONTENTS Acknowledgments Welcome to Charmed to Death 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 Playlist Biography ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Welcome to the Magic Happens world—the world of Marquette Sanders. Thanks to my usual crew: Samwise, my husband, Andria and Jennifer—without their help, I’d be swamped. To the women who have helped me find my way in indie, you’re all great, and thank you to everyone. To my wonderful cover artist, Ravven, for the beautiful work she’s done and my editor, Elizabeth Flynn, who’s always ready to jump in and curb my love of ellipses, and Jade, who has an eagle eye. Also, my love to my furbles, who keep me happy. My heart is over the rainbow with my Rainbow Girls, and here in the present with our current babies. My most reverent devotion to Mielikki, Tapio, Ukko, Rauni, and Brighid, my spiritual guardians and guides. My love and reverence to Herne, and Cernunnos, and to the Fae, who still rule the wild places of this world. And a nod to the Wild Hunt, which runs deep in my magick, as well as in my fiction. You can find me through my website at Galenorn.com and be sure to sign up for my newsletter to keep updated on all my latest releases and to access the VIP section of my website, which has all sorts of perks on it! You can find my advice on writing, discussions about the books, and general ramblings on my YouTube Channel and my blog. If you liked this book, I’d be grateful if you’d leave a review—it helps more than you can think. Brightest Blessings, ~The Painted Panther~ ~Yasmine Galenorn~ WELCOME TO CHARMED TO DEATH November brings with it the annual windstorms, but another kind of storm is brewing. All over town, people are becoming unhappy with their partners. At Shadow Magic, we’re getting more requests than we can handle for love potions, Be-True charms, Reveal-Cheater spells, and anything you can think of to do with romance and its vagaries. Granny and I know that something sinister is afoot, but we aren’t sure what. Until Dagda Bruin—the chief of police—asks us for help. We discover a full-scale magical virus going on that’s causing broken hearts, fights between jilted lovers, and scandalous affairs everywhere. As we try to figure out what’s going on, one fight leads to murder, and the race is on to discover not only the source of this mayhem, but a cure for what’s ailing the lovelorn of Terameth Lake. And if we don’t move soon, the body count’s going to rise as tempers and infidelities escalate. Reading Order for the Magic Happens Series: Book 1: Shadow Magic Book 2: Charmed to Death CHAPTER ONE I woke up to find Midnight staring down at my face. She had planted herself on my chest, and was now nose to nose with me, her whiskers tickling my cheeks. I squinted at her, trying to decide whether I had heard the alarm go off. I didn’t think so, but Midnight had taken to jumping on my chest as soon as the alarm rang. Sunshine, however, was proving to be a lazy little furball, who would saunter down for breakfast when he was ready. “Is it morning already?” I yawned, reaching out with my right hand to grab for my phone. It’s close enough, Midnight said. And I’m hungry, so get up and feed us! Spoken like a real cat. “Remember what I told you? Unless it’s an emergency, you don’t get to wake me up in the middle of the night just to feed or pet you. Not unless you’re feeling really upset.” I knew better than to truly expect them to respect my wishes. Midnight and Sunshine were cats, after all, even if they were familiars. And they epitomized the nature of “cat” perfectly. It is an emergency. The food dish is empty. And I think Granny is outside. I snorted, glancing at my phone. It was seven forty-five, and my alarm wasn’t set to go off until eight-fifteen. But I knew my chances of getting any more sleep were null and void. I turned off my alarm, set the phone back on the nightstand, and—holding Midnight around the tummy—I slowly scooted my way up to lean back against the headboard. “All right, you win.” I knew how dangerous those two words were when spoken to a cat, but I didn’t have the heart to tell her no. “Okay, I’m getting up. You go wake up your brother and go wait by the food bowl. I’ll be down as soon as I’ve showered and dressed.” Midnight let out a long-suffering sigh, then turned and jumped off the bed, marching toward the door. If she had been human, her shoulders would be sinking right now and she would probably give me an injured look. As it was, she reached where she thought she couldn’t see me just outside the