Page 1 of Hex and the Kitty

ONE

Molly Hues bolted upright in bed, her green eyes widening as sunlight streamed through the pastel curtains. The clock on her nightstand read 6:42 AM.

“Oh, sweet cinnamon!”

She flung the floral quilt aside and scrambled to her feet, curly red hair bouncing around her shoulders in wild disarray. The Mates & Muffins social started in three hours, and her signature Moonlight Mocha cupcakes existed only in her imagination.

Fifteen minutes later, Molly rushed down the back stairs to her kitchen, the wooden steps creaking beneath her bare feet. The Bewitched Bakery sat empty, morning light filtering through the windows onto displays waiting to be filled with the day’s enchanted treats.

Her wooden spoon—her grandmother’s legacy—pulsed with warmth when she touched it, responding to the nervous energy radiating from her fingertips.

“Let’s not have any mishaps today,” she murmured to the spoon, lining up ingredients on the marble countertop. “Simple recipe, simple magic.”

Morning chill seeped through the old windows, raising goose bumps on her arms as she reached for the flour. The sifter clattered against the mixing bowl, her movements quick and practiced.

The flour rose in the sifter, then kept rising—defying gravity in swirling clouds that spiraled toward the ceiling.

“Not this morning,” Molly hissed, waving her hands frantically. The flour ignored her, dancing through sunbeams in white, powdery constellations.

Her phone buzzed on the counter. Celeste’s name flashed on the screen.

Molly jabbed the speaker button with a flour-coated finger. “Bit busy right now!”

“Just checking you remembered the social,” Celeste’s cheerful voice filled the kitchen. “You’re bringing those mocha cupcakes, right? The ones that reveal connections between people?”

“Yes, if they cooperate,” Molly replied, ducking as a flour cloud swooped overhead. “My kitchen might have other ideas.”

“Magic acting up again?” Amusement tinged Celeste’s voice. “Your emotions showing through your baking? Interesting timing, considering who’s attending today.”

Molly paused. “Who’s attending?”

“The Fire Chief, for one. Warrick Shaw. Have you met him yet?”

“The tiger shifter? No, and—” Molly gasped as the bag of sugar tipped over, crystals rising into the air like tiny stars. “Celeste, I need to go before my kitchen transforms into a planetarium.”

“Don’t you dare drop these cupcakes off and run,” Celeste warned. “You’re staying for the social. Daisy, Ellie, Tabitha, and I already decided.”

“I have inventory to?—”

“Your love life is more important than inventory,” Celeste interrupted. “You need this, Molly.”

“I need to not be covered in enchanted flour,” Molly countered, blowing a sugar crystal away from her nose. “Talk later!”

She ended the call and closed her eyes, centering herself. “Calm waters, gentle breeze,” she whispered, an incantation Mari had taught her.

The flour and sugar gradually settled, dusting every surface in a fine, sparkling layer.

“That’s the spirit,” Molly sighed, turning to the frosting ingredients. “Now, let’s try for cooperation.”

The mocha frosting required delicate handling—equal parts magic and culinary skill. Too little enchantment and it wouldn’t reveal connections; too much and it might broadcast people’s deepest secrets across the room.

“Just a whisper of insight,” she murmured, stirring clockwise thirteen times, watching the chocolate-coffee mixture shimmer with subtle magic.

She transferred the frosting to a piping bag and set it aside, unaware that her anxiety about the social—and Celeste’s mention of the new Fire Chief—had amplified the enchantment beyond her intentions.

Behind her, the piping bag twitched.

Molly hummed as she mixed cupcake batter, oblivious until a cold splat of frosting hit the back of her neck.

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