Page 5 of Kiss and Spell

Ursula looked out to the ocean, the sea foam curling and swelling around the jetty rocks. The ocean didn’t fear going to the shore. Fear couldn’t keep her from going forward. She popped her earbuds in and pressed shuffle on her Plan on It playlist. While Jill Scott sang melodically about living a golden life, Ursula opened a new note and labeled it Boss Witch List. It was time for her to step up. Her fingers quickly moved over the keyboard. She wanted to go back in time and snatch her wish from the fire. To get a redo. To start over. Once she finished writing, Ursula reread the list.

1. Reclaim your magic.

2. Find more wishes.

3. Change your life.

This was the plan. Ursula’s powers were tied to her emotions, so in the last several months it had been difficult for her to cast solo spells. She had enough magic to snap her fingers and light a candle. Even so, she needed three or more of her Caraway kin to complete the Wish Spell. She frowned. Ursula still felt so ashamed by her behavior last year that she didn’t feel like she had the right to ask her family for a cup of tea, let alone a new wish.

She was, as Patti LaBelle sang, on her own once again.

Think on it. There had to be a way to find another wish without having to cast a spell. Didn’t she know any leprechauns who owed her any favors? Maybe she could convince a gnome to help her out. She quickly abandoned that idea. Grove gnomes were too unpredictable for her liking. Once she completed the first two items on her list, then number three would take care of itself. But if she was going to complete her Boss Witch List, then she needed to add a rule. Ursula hit enter a few times and added another line and put it in bold:

No more fairy tales

Been there. Listened to that playlist, and she wasn’t going to repeat it again. She had been so focused on the promise of a prince coming to sweep her off her feet that she didn’t pay attention to the warning signs. Rather than deal with her rising doubt in her life, she tried to wish her problems away.

From now on, she was living in an epic fantasy. It was settled. She was no longer an abandoned princess; she was now a fierce enchantress ready to strike like a sexy bejeweled cobra. Smitten was going to be her personal wine-soaked quest. The Grove wasn’t ready for her. There wasn’t going to be a rosé bottle that she wasn’t going to drain. Feast on food until she couldn’t see straight. Ride a unicorn. Have a torrid affair. True love or lust was going to be on her terms.

Ursula wasn’t going to let life surprise her anymore.

“Suddenly Cinderella?”

Ack! The booming voice caused her to snap her head up. A pair of smoky dark topaz eyes stared down at her. She’d been so caught in up in her daydream she hadn’t heard this stranger approach the bench. Well, she wasn’t going to be surprised—starting now. Ursula slammed the pause button on her music, studying him.

His profile stood out against the yellow-orange sky. The bold outlines of his large body seemed to strain against the fabric of his tailored waistcoat, dress shirt, and black dress pants, which ended at his polished shoes. There was a flower—a cherry red rosebud—pinned to his lapel. She blinked at him; a quick, pulsating glow seemed to emanate from his body like a firefly. Was he really glowing? The shadow of his black beard gave him a playful aura, as if he strolled out of the woods after frolicking there for an afternoon.

He held out a small bouquet of yellow sunflowers, artfully wrapped in butcher paper. Suspicion skittered through her brain. The last time she’d been given flowers, Jupiter was aligning with Saturn nearly two years ago. The glow faded away. It was probably just her eyes playing tricks on her. He was too beautiful to be anywhere in her personal space.

She yanked her earbuds out to hear him better. “Um, hello.”

“Suddenly Cinderella?” he repeated, a little softer. “I’m Xavier. It’s nice to meet you.”

Ursula shook her head. “I’m sorry. I’m not anyone’s Cinderella.”

Not anymore, not again if she could help it.

A sheepish look crossed his handsome face. “My apologies.” Xavier tucked the flowers into the crook of his arm. “It seems that I’m lost. My phone stopped working. I can’t get a signal.” He peered at her for a long moment, curiosity in his gaze. Ursula peered back at him. Did he expect her to sprout wings, grow a bill, and start stealing French fries from strangers? She chuckled to herself at that bizarre image.

“Don’t worry,” she said. “I won’t turn into a bird and fly away.”

He laughed sheepishly. “Sorry. I’ve heard if you pay attention, you’ll see strange things in Freya Grove.”

Ursula raised her chin in his direction. “Do I look strange to you?”

“No,” he said softly. He regarded her with the same careful interest a scholar might study a handwritten illuminated manuscript. This man tilted his head to the side, as if seeking to know what secrets she possessed. Ursula shivered, stunned by the poetry of her thoughts.

What was going on with her tonight?

He glanced down at the flowers he held, breaking off his stare. “I didn’t mean to bother you.”

“You’re not bothering me.” Ursula stood from the bench and assessed him further. There was something about this stranger that held her attention.

His jet-black hair was styled with a sheen of gel that made him look as though he was going to get onstage and give a lecture about ancient kingdoms lost to sand and time. The tops of his ears were pointed and angled slightly away from his head. Awe filled her chest. He’s fae. No wonder she was feeling a bit twitterpated. According to her old storybooks, humans often found themselves affected just by being in their presence. No wonder she was conjuring her inner slam poetess.

Say something, Sula. You’ve been staring at him for like an hour.

She cleared her mind and focused on him. “Tell me where you were supposed to meet your Cinderella.”

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