Magical Hands & Silver Strands: Paranormal Women's Women's Fiction (Mystical Midlife in Maine Book 11)

MAGICAL HANDS & SILVER STRANDS MYSTICAL MIDLIFE IN MAINE BOOK 11 BRENDA TRIM CONTENTS 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 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 EXCERPT FROM DEADLY QUIPS & FURRY LIPS BOOK #12 AUTHOR’S NOTE Also by Brenda Trim Copyright © July 2023 by Brenda Trim Editor: Chris Cain & Kelly Smyczynski Cover Art by Fiona Jayde * * * This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental. WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction of this work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. All rights reserved. With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the authors. Created with Vellum What one generation tolerates, the next generation will embrace. ~John Wesley CHAPTER 1 "Here you go, Tarja.” I set the tray of tuna and milk on the bed beside my familiar. “How are you feeling? Have any visions from the kittens yet?” Tarja stood up and stretched her front paws, lowering her head and shoulders. “I’ve seen some snippets. Not much yet. Thank you for this. I find I can only eat tuna now. Late pregnancy cravings can be incredibly limiting.” I hadn’t considered if Tarja had previously given birth. It made sense that she had. How sad it must be for her and the others when all of their off-spring were killed by Tainted witches. I was tempted to ask her about that time but decided against it. Best to stay focused on the present. “I lived on lemon tart desserts when I was pregnant with Nina. With Jean-Marc it was spicy foods. The hotter the better.” Those days seemed like another lifetime for someone else. It was crazy how having magic had changed my life so much. “How are the Tainted? Any sign they’re getting their magic back? I wish I could have been there to witness the goddess at work firsthand. It felt powerful through your eyes.” A smile spread over my face when I thought about Melinoe and what she’d done for us. She was still on Earth. She and Aidon had stayed at his house last night. The entire room was cold this morning, when I woke up without him next to me, and I didn’t like it one bit. My mind was still wandering far too much for my liking. I hoped the effects of Mave's ashes would further diminish with time. It was really just being easily distracted now, but it was frustrating nonetheless. My heart ached when I thought of the tearful appreciation Lilac expressed when we returned her mother. Stella and I had used magic to remove her ashes from the spray paint cans. Unfortunately, we couldn’t separate her from the pixie dust. Lilac thought her mother would have loved that part. Setting those thoughts aside for another time, I returned to the discussion. “Alex has informed us that the witches have not shown one sign of regaining their power no matter how hard they’ve tried. Their cell mates have reported them doing strange rituals and chanting in the middle of the night. Melinoe wasn’t sure what would happen because she didn’t destroy them. She merely altered their DNA to repel their own power. She believed it would keep it out. Given that their magic is still out there somewhere, it appears she was right.” “Magic cannot be left untethered. It shifts and changes and becomes wild. When that happens, it becomes unpredictable and grows more powerful. Can you sense it out there somewhere?” I jerked to attention with that comment. “Why didn’t you tell me it becomes untethered? What about Myrna’s magic? It’s got to be like a wild stallion by now.” Tarja placed a paw on my thigh. “Calm down, Phoebe. You absorbed Myrna’s magic. You did it unconsciously. Your position as Pleiades does that with any free-floating power automatically. I ask about these witches because I didn’t sense you take in their power at that time.” I sucked in a deep breath and blew it out through my mouth. There were so many tiny details about being the Pleaides. I learned something new every day. Thinking about her question, I went back to the moments when Melinoe removed their magic. My eyes flew wide. “I was worried Melinoe might accidentally take Stella’s power, too, and we were both too injured to physically move away, so I kept casting for the power to stay with her where it belonged. Do you think I could have given her their stores, too?” Tarja’s scratchy laughter echoed in my head. “I’d pretty much guarantee it. Your intent was to ensure Stella had her magic. It’s not a stretch that you gave her theirs in the process. The energy went somewhere. Unless you can feel it out there.” “Do I think about wild magic to try and find any? This is new to me, and I have no idea how to tell.” More and more skills were becoming instinctual. And I could extrapolate from my knowledge base to figure shit out. Tarja nibbled on her tuna, eating small bites. “That’s one way to do it. It hasn’t been long enough for the magic to lose their feel. You can cast a spell seeking their untethered magic.” “Is that something I should be doing regularly?” It seemed dangerous not to look for wild power. Witches died all the time, just like mundies. Tarja shook her head and