Rules of the Flame: A Paranormal Cozy Mystery (Witches of Hellforge Hatchery Book 1)(Paranormal Women's Midlife Fiction)

Rules of the FlameWitches of Hellforge Hatchery Book 1Skye Sullivan Copyright © 2023 Skye Sullivan All rights reservedThe characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher. Contents Title PageCopyrightAlso by Skye SullivanChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5Chapter 6Chapter 7Chapter 8Chapter 9Chapter 10Chapter 11Chapter 12Chapter 13Chapter 14Chapter 15Chapter 16Chapter 17Chapter 18Chapter 19Chapter 20Chapter 21Chapter 22Chapter 23Chapter 24Chapter 25Chapter 26Chapter 27Chapter 28Chapter 29Chapter 30Chapter 31Chapter 32Chapter 33Map of Mount HellforgeGet Your Free BookAbout the Author Also by Skye SullivanWitches of Devil's Orchard SeriesWitches of Hellforge Hatchery SeriesLibrary Cat Magical Mysteries Series- - -Sign up for the Skye Sullivan newsletter to get updates on new books, sales, giveaways and fun stuff like recipes.Sign up HERE Chapter 1If I leave five minutes ago, I’ll be fine, I thought as I grabbed my purse off the desk. “Elsie!” I whipped my head around to see my only volunteer, Claire, standing in the doorway.With a camera crew.“Hello,” I said. A kid with hair floofed up like a stalk of broccoli held a camera in one hand and a blinding light in the other. The camera was on, so I didn’t say what was really on my mind, which fell under the category of ranting and raving.“Wow, this place is totally shabby chic.” A blond girl shouldered her way inside. “No, wait. It’s just shabby.”“Aren’t you going to introduce me to our guests?” I asked through gritted teeth. I was already late to a meeting with an important donor. I didn’t have time for shenanigans—especially if they were being video recorded.“It’s Alexis,” Claire said. I stepped forward and pulled Claire closer to me, hopefully out of camera range.“Who’s Alexis?” I whispered.“She’s also known as @doggolove on TikTok,” Claire said. “She’s here to film some segments with the animals.”My mind was reeling. I didn’t remember this. “Did you forget to tell me?” I asked.“I’m pretty sure I told you,” Claire said. “I think so. Maybe. I don’t know.”“Okay, I have to go. Remember I was meeting with the donor today? Can you show them around and let them take their pictures or whatever they do for their TikToks?”“That’s the other thing,” Claire said. “I’m quitting. Sorry.”“You’re quitting now?” I shouted. The cameraman (he was a boy, really, but cameraboy sounds strange) zoomed in on us. I put my hand up, trying to shield the lens like I’d always seen celebrities do to the paparazzi.“Yeah,” Claire said. She was my only volunteer. Even though she’d forgotten to tell me about the camera crew, I still didn’t want her to quit. I didn’t have anyone else to help me with the animals.“Are you guys ready?” Alexis asked.“Almost,” I said. I looked at my watch again. TikToks were short, right? Maybe I could get her in and out fast enough to still make my appointment with the donor. TikTok was all the rage now, and I needed any publicity I could get for the animal shelter.“My advice is to cancel your appointment with the donor,” Claire said. “They’re probably not going to give you money anyway. All the animals are too weird. Would it kill you to get some puppies and kittens? No one wants to adopt a tarantula or a ferret. The only halfway cute dog is Nathan, and his nose is all messed up.”“Our shelter helps all animals,” I reminded her. “Not just the cute ones.”“That’s a good sound bite,” Alexis said. “Can you say it again while I play some music and you dance?”“Why do I need to dance?” I asked.“Because it’s TikTok,” Alexis answered.That left me with more questions, but I didn’t have time to ask. “I gotta go,” Claire said. “I got a job at Pet World. It’s a full-time position training dogs. With benefits.”“Good for you,” I said.Alexis connected her phone to a portable Bluetooth speaker and terrible rap music started boring into my brain. “Okay,” Alexis shouted. “Now say that again, about helping all animals.”I steeled myself and took a few deep breaths. If I leave ten minutes ago, everything will be fine.The deep breaths didn’t help. Did they ever? “No dancing, sorry,” I shouted to be heard over the music. “Come out back, I’ll show you the animals.”Alexis pouted, but turned off her music. The bands of anxiety around my chest loosened a little bit. Maybe Claire was right and the animal shelter would get some publicity from social media.The animals weren’t weird, they were quirky. They weren’t unloved, they just hadn’t found the right audience to appreciate them.I’d been trying to make this shelter a success for ten years, ever since I graduated college. I’d scraped and struggled and had little to show for it. I was over thirty years old. I was in debt. My love life was nonexistent. I’d suffered so many setbacks and wanted to give up so many times, but stubbornly clung to this fantasy of having a huge animal sanctuary.When do you know it’s time to abandon your dream?And what if you’ve sunk too much time, too much money, too much of your heart and soul?Quitting’s not an option after a certain point, even when success doesn’t seem like an option either.Alexis and her cameraboy followed me out back. When I opened the big sliding doors into the kennels, we were greeted by pure chaos.A tarantula pranced across the walkway, pausing only to wipe his face with his front legs. “Aww, he’s washing his face like a kitten,” I said.Alexis shrieked. The cameraboy laughed and gave her the thumbs up. She took a few steps back, putting me between her and Tara N. Tula.All the cages had been unlatched.How had this happened? Claire was flaky, but I doubted she’d be this vindictive. Nathan, my dachshund,