The Mayhem Sisters (23 page)

V
ivi stood in the front of her shop and gazed out the window, sipping a hot cup of pumpkin latte. Lance Gardener gave her a wave as he walked by on his daily morning trek to Nocturnes. She definitely planned on seeing more of him in the coming months. The time for daydreaming about the handsome sheriff was over. Her cheeks warmed, and it wasn’t from the coffee. A smile spread across her face.

Honora, Clover, Vivi, and Pepper were hanging out in The Potion Garden having a full-scale brewing party. Two cauldrons were bubbling on the stove, and the counter was crowded with crushed herbs and glass bottles filled with new creations. Plus, they’d brewed up a dozen potions to replace the stock Paul had destroyed.

“I’m going to make a climbing potion,” Vivi said, strolling back to see what her sisters were up to. “I want to have a way to get out of holes or wells or deep ditches.” She set down her drink and pointed at her sisters with a wooden spoon. “Being in that rabbit hole was scary.”

“As long as it’s not a flying potion,” Honora said. “I’ve had enough of amateurs taking to the air. I don’t care what Dax says about
persuasions
, not all of them should be used by everyone.”

“Flying potions don’t work,” Pepper said. “I’ve tried and tried. All I ever ended up doing was hovering a few feet off the ground and then toppling over. I could never get it right. I guess some magic is just too hard to master with a spell or a potion.” She lined up a row of potion bottles she was unpacking from a crate. Vivi had discovered a new artisan glassblower she was trying out so she could expand on the idea for wearable potion vials.

“I need a creativity potion,” Clover said, cupping her chin in her hand as she leaned her elbow on the counter. “The last
Spellbinder
novel put me into a real slump.”

Pepper’s eyes went wide. “You aren’t struggling with the next novel, are you? You can’t end the series. I’ll do anything to help you.” She raced over to the bookshelf and started sifting through her collection of spell books. “I’ll brew you up a potion myself. If a creative spark is what you need, then that’s what you’ll have.”

The three sisters cackled warmly as they watched Pepper flipping madly through the pages, head bent over her arsenal of books, searching for a spell. “I’ll take all the creative magical help I can get,” Clover said. “I should have thought of this a long time ago.”

“You don’t need a potion to bring on the magic.” Honora ruffled Clover’s hair as she stood in the doorway, keeping an eye on the front for any customers. But the joyous expression on her face quickly soured when a bell jingled and Scarlet Card pushed open the front door with her hip, bringing a big gust of autumn air and a trail of leaves into the store with her. At the sound of the bell, Vivi came out of the back room.

Scarlet’s long hair was pinned up under a knit cap, and she wore a red velvet top and black leather pants. One of the girls who Vivi had seen at Scarlet’s shop was with her, and they both sauntered through the aisles admiring the potions.

Joining her sister in the front of the store, Honora made a low sound somewhere between a growl and a grunt into Vivi’s ear. Vivi gave Honora a nudge as she made her way from behind the counter. “Hey, Scarlet,” she said. “Come to pick out a potion? I still owe you for helping me with my
persuasion
.”

“Yep, thought I’d see if you had anything new.” Scarlet perused the aisles, picking up potion bottles and reading the spell descriptions. “But we’re not done working on your
persuasion
, remember?”

“I remember, and I promise to attend meetings.” Vivi made a cross sign over her heart. She had promised her sisters and herself that she would continue to develop her
persuasion
, and Scarlet had invited her to a divination club’s monthly meeting and support group. She would need all the help she could get now that she was committed to becoming a registered seer.

Vivi could feel Honora staring holes into her back. Her sister balanced a big copper bowl on her hip as she stirred a freshly brewed concoction.

“Anything special you have in mind?” Vivi asked. She really wanted to give Scarlet something worthy of all the time the witch had put into helping her with her
persuasion
.

“Well, the girls and I have been working a lot of long hours and late nights. The harvest time and All Hallows’ Eve are the busiest time of year for us, so we’re looking for something to perk us up during late midnight sessions.”

“Hmm.” Vivi twisted up her mouth in concentration. “How about a peppermint ‘snap out of it’ potion? It is a quick jolt to change your state of mind. I use it when I’m in a bad mood, but it would work well if you’re sleepy.” Vivi handed Scarlet a round bottle that swirled with red liquid. “I also have a clear-headedness potion. It’s good for those groggy days.” Vivi climbed a wooden stepladder to retrieve a bottle.

“How about a ‘mind your own business’ potion or a ‘you aren’t welcome here’ potion? Do you have one of those?” Honora asked snarkily, whipping the spoon around the bowl so hard Vivi thought she was going to spill half the mixture on the floor. Her sister held tightly to her grudges, but Vivi was prepared. She had anticipated the inevitable run-in between Honora and Scarlet, and she and Pepper had done a little preventive potion making on their own.

The fight between the two witches had gone on for too long. Vivi had had enough. Good friends were too hard to come by, and everyone deserved at least one second chance. Not even Dax was worth this kind of tension, especially since neither one of them was dating him anymore. Honora had come to the same rapid conclusion she had the last time she and Dax dated—his top priority was work and always would be. Their recent reunion had ended with a cordial but frosty goodbye.

Vivi gave her sister an annoyed glance. “Stop insulting the customers.”

Scarlet smiled and put her arm around Vivi. “It’s nice to see that at least one of you is a mature professional.”

“Actually, I have a special gift for the two of you,” Vivi said.

Honora and Scarlet both scoffed in unison. Some things never changed. Vivi nodded to Pepper, who with a big grin pulled a wooden box from behind the counter and handed it to her boss.

“Why do I get the feeling we aren’t going to like what is in that box?” Honora asked, resting her bowl on the counter and peering over Vivi’s shoulder.

“Just wait and see. You might like it.” Vivi raised the lid, revealing a sparkling fuchsia potion bottle with a silver stopper.

“Gorgeous,” Scarlet said with an appreciative grin. “You’ve got this packaging and marketing thing down.”

“I hate to tell you this, Vivi, but there’s only one bottle.” Honora shrugged. “I don’t need a present as much as she does, so you can let her have it.”

Scarlet arched her brow, looking like a villainess out of a fairy tale. “No way. I’m not going to take it if she doesn’t.”

“Both of you are going to take it. The potion is meant to be shared.” Vivi grinned.

“A shared potion? Is that new?” Honora tentatively reached into the box, lifted the bottle from its velvet bed, and examined the contents. Held up to the light, the potion sparkled, sending a cascade of glittering reflections across the room.

“Actually, the potion is brand new. Pepper and I collaborated on it. We wanted to create something special to remind witches of their past and the people who mattered to them.”

“We call it ‘the good old days.’ The potion triggers the memories of the witches who drink from the bottle. It lets them relive special moments, bringing back the good feelings they once had.” Pepper smiled. “That was the hard part. We didn’t want to dredge up the bad stuff, just the happy memories.”

“You two could really use it.” Vivi closed the box. “Time to mend some fences. Stop fighting and give it a try.”

Honora shook her head and sighed. “It’s a nice try. I get where you’re coming from, but it’s not going to happen. It’s too late.”

“I knew we should have gone with the ‘stubborn old goat’ potion,” Vivi said. “It makes the drinker turn into a hairy-chinned, tin-can-munching goat.”

“You’re kidding, right?” Pepper asked.

“Come on. Try it.” Why did her sister have to be so stubborn? “You know potions don’t last forever. It’s just a little nudge in the right direction. Who knows? It might not even work.”

Clover popped her head in from the back room. “I’ll try that potion. It sounds great.”

But it was too late. In a flash, Scarlet reached over and grabbed the bottle right out of Honora’s hand, popped the silver stopper, and took a swig. “I’m not scared or stubborn.” She held the bottle out to Honora. “And I’m not ashamed to admit that I miss you.” Her eyes welled with tears, but she quickly got her bearings and wiped them away.

Honora paused for a few seconds, seeming to consider her options, until taking the bottle from Scarlet and gulping down some potion.

Within a few minutes the mortal enemies were giggling like two Haven Academy freshmen. They were smiling, talking, and sharing stories. Vivi even caught them hugging and cackling at each other’s jokes.

“Job well done,” Clover said to Vivi and Pepper as they continued to brew up more batches of potions.

“Just like old times,” Vivi said. “There will always be darkness in the world. We were born knowing there would be mayhem, but the one thing I also know is I’ve always got my sisters, and that’s what matters.”

“To sisters,” Clover said, holding up her cup.

“To the Mayhem sisters,” Pepper said.

“To all our witchy sisters,” Vivi said, and then spoke the Everland creed, “A coven of one.”

Afterword

T
hank you for purchasing this novel. I really appreciate it. If you enjoyed it, please leave a review. Also, if you’re interested, check out my facebook page for the latest news on the Mayhem sisters.

S
pecial thanks to friend and editor extraordinaire Elizabeth Buck for all her help. I couldn’t have done this without her. And thanks to Claudette Cruz for her editing services.

About the author

S
ince she was a little girl, Lauren Quick has been a believer in the unbelievable. She loves all things fantasy from fables and fairy tales to high fantasy and urban paranormal and everything in between, especially if witches are involved. “The more magic, the better” is her motto, and if a mystery is involved, then she’s all in. She lives in Maryland with her familiar cat that has so far shown no magical tendencies, but there’s always hope.

Check out Lauren Quick on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lauren-Quick/1402065606672866

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The Mayhem Sisters

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