Deadly Vows: A Paranormal Women's Fiction, Cozy Mystery (A Witch in the Woods Book 16)

DEADLY VOWSA WITCH IN THE WOODS JENNA ST. JAMES Deadly Vows Jenna St. James Copyright © 2023 by Jenna St. James. Published by Jenna St. James All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written permission of the author. This is a work of fiction. Names and characters are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. Created with Vellum CONTENTS Chapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5Chapter 6Chapter 7Chapter 8Chapter 9Chapter 10Chapter 11Chapter 12Chapter 13Chapter 14Chapter 15Chapter 16Chapter 17Chapter 18Chapter 19Chapter 20Chapter 21Chapter 22About the Author 1 “This is so exciting,” Zoie Stone said as she transferred the homemade mints to a tin. “In four days you’ll be marrying my dad!” I popped one of the mints into my mouth, letting the sugar melt on my tongue. “That’s what they tell me.” Serena, my new-mom cousin, playfully swatted me with the dishtowel in her hand. “Oh, Shayla. You know you’re excited.” And I was. Sheriff Alex Stone and I had been dating for almost two years now, and we were about to make it legal. We’d chosen to be married in Black Forest by my dad on the first day of fall—my favorite season. There had been a few hiccups over the months with our planning, but now that we were only days away, I felt like everything was on schedule. Tamara Gardener, Serena’s best friend and business partner at the bakery, sniffed and dabbed at her eye. “Well, I still think it’s adorable the way you’re going to incorporate all the kids.” I laughed. “How could I not? In just a short time, we’ve gone from zero babies to three! You’ll be marrying Zac and adopting Jayden, and with the twins being born early, there’s no reason they can’t be involved as well.” A little over a month ago, Serena had gone into labor early and had to have the twins delivered in Black Forest by my mom and dad. Even though Cayden and Brooke were healthy, it had been one of the scariest moments of my life. “And the outfits for the twins are adorable,” Zoie said. “Even if they are just honorary wedding party members.” I laughed. “Aunt Starla did a fantastic job on their outfits for sure.” My aunt had designed each baby a onesie with the words, “Honorary Ring Bearer” and “Honorary Flower Girl” on the front. For Cayden’s onesie, she’d hand-painted a bowtie and suspenders in sage green, and for Brooke’s onesie, there was a detachable tutu in sage and white. “What else are we making besides these mints?” Zoie asked. Enchanted Bakery & Brew closed at two on Saturdays, but the girls had all stayed late to go over the food list one last time before Wednesday night. “We have mints today,” Serena said. “Then all that’s left is decorating the wedding cake. We’ll probably do that Tuesday after we close the bakery for the day.” The oven timer went off in the back of the store, and Tamara raced to the kitchen to get the elderberry muffins. “That’s also my last day of school for the week,” Zoie said. “So I’ll drive over after school if that’s okay?” Serena smiled. “We’d love to have your help, Zoie. You know that.” Zoie was a senior at Enchanted Island High School. Her boyfriend, Brick, had graduated back in May and was currently at the Paranormal Police Academy. Since Zoie didn’t have a first-hour class, she worked mornings at the bakery until nine, then went to school. Even though she put on a good game face, I knew she wasn’t happy. And lately, she’d been acting odd—distant and withdrawn. “What about caramel-dipped pretzel rods?” My flying and talking porcupine partner, Needles, asked. “Will you be serving any of those at the wedding?” Serena laughed and handed him one out of the display case. “You know I’ll have plenty of pretzel rods for you, Needles.” I rolled my eyes. “It’s not like you’d die if you didn’t have them.” Needles drifted down onto the counter, his wings glowing yellow and green. “You don’t know that, Princess. I could be so malnourished Wednesday night, I won’t have the strength to walk you down the aisle.” I snorted. “You’re flying next to me, not walking.” “Semantics.” Needles shoved the gooey pretzel rod into his mouth and grinned. “The end result being I may be too weak to properly do my job.” “That was the last batch,” Tamara said, strolling back into the room. “Muffins are cooling, cookies are done, cupcakes are iced, and the wedding mints are made.” She sighed and moved her neck from side to side. “That’s everything.” There was a soft rap on the window, and I turned in time to see a dark-haired girl wave at Zoie. Her hair was cut in a short pixie, enhancing her wide, dark eyes. Instead of coming inside, she continued walking down the street. “Who’s that?” I asked. Zoie shrugged. “I’m not sure. I’ve seen her around the last couple days—usually in the mornings before I leave to go to school. I haven’t had a chance to talk with her yet.” “She doesn’t go to your school?” I asked. Zoie shook her head. “No. I think she’s a couple years older than me.” She shrugged. “Just a feeling I get.” “She must be new to the island,” Serena said. “Okay, since we’re done here, I need to run by Mom’s and pick up the twins. They may be only five weeks old, but they’re already set in a routine.” Tamara wrapped her arms around my cousin’s waist and gave her a side hug. “I’m just glad you could make it in. This place isn’t the same without you here.” “I’ll be back full time in a couple more weeks,” Serena promised. “I think it’s wonderful Aunt Starla is going to start watching the