Witch Out of Luck Read online

  “A kracken— you know, monster of the sea with tentacles that could rip a ship to smithereens,” he stated calmly, and looked at her without blinking.

  “A kracken,” she repeated.

  “Yes, a kracken. That’s why this place is called Kracken’s Hole— krackens live here! By Baba’s pert knockers, where the hell have you been since we got here, Izzy?”

  Isabeau blinked again.

  “Out.”

  “What? But I'm still all wet.”

  “Get the fuck out, Bas, before I connect my foot with your arse,” she ordered. She needed time alone, under the hot spray of a shower. She needed to think, to digest what her batshit crazy familiar had just blurted out.

  “What the hell pissed on your bonfire?” Bas shouted, as he shuffled out of the doorway, covered in a towel. “Crazy witches,” he mumbled, before she closed the door behind him.

  Why couldn't things be easy? She had been clueless to the fact that krackens existed, never mind had a home in a town named after them. Surely, she had been told but not remembered it. Hell, she knew Nessie existed— that little bastard still owed her money.

  But krackens?

  And one of them was human and was the sexiest guy she had ever seen.

  He had tentacles— but he had beautiful eyes.

  And was a monster— with the gentlest touch she had ever been on the end of.

  She was crazy. And so screwed.

  The shower didn't work. Even sitting under the spray didn't do what it usually did. Now she felt on edge and really hoped to avoid seeing Brutas. Her mixed up hormones couldn't take another hit of Mr Tall, Built and Sexy right now. Instead, she needed a talk with her cousins, the two women who knew what kind of crazy shit was really going down.

  Dressed in a new pair of comfy jeans and her favourite fleece jumper, Isabeau headed down to the kitchen to find Maeve and Arietta. Both stood chatting with mugs in their hands. They smiled when she appeared in the kitchen.

  “Hey, Izzy, want a hot drink?”

  “Yeah, sure. Can I ask you guys a few questions?” Isabeau felt nervous.

  “Yeah, of course. What's on your mind?” Maeve asked, as Arietta took over making the hot drink. Taking a deep breath, Isabeau recited most of the things she could remember Bas telling her, asking if they were true or if her familiar was completely bullshitting.

  “Yes, all that happened. You will meet Will and Ethan soon. They are with Brutas at the moment.”

  “Brutas.” She murmured his name. “That’s the really large guy that was here earlier. Right?”

  “Yeah, that’s him. Pure titan of a bloke, if you ask me. Large all over too.” Arietta giggled and blushed.

  It was Maeve who explained, “Brutas changed down in the cavern. We didn't know what was happening at first, until we saw his tentacles vanish. Brutas was naked at the time. Very naked.”

  “Oh,” was all Isabeau could manage, as she tried her best not to imagine that sight. It also worried her that she wasn't bothered about the fact he used to have tentacles.

  “Yeah.” Maeve grinned. “Will covered my eyes straight away, and I think Ethan did the same with Arietta. Our boys are—”

  “Jealous,” Arietta finished and laughed. Isabeau could see the love both girls had for their men, and it made her heart twinge with envy. She had always wanted a man to look at her like Bas did at pickled onions. The little sod pined for them constantly, but he couldn't have them often because it made his farts gag worthy.

  “So Brutas is now human. Is that a permanent thing?” she asked, feeling her cheeks blush.

  “Wait a minute, are you blushing?” Maeve grabbed hold of Isabeau’s hand and pulled her closer. “Do you like him?”

  “What? No, of course not,” Isabeau lied.

  “Bullshit,” Maeve snapped back. “You do, or else you wouldn't be glowing up like a lobster. It's okay, you know. And I don't blame you. That kracken is hot.” Maeve released Isabeau and fanned her face.

  “I never thought I would hear you say that,” Arietta joined in. “But damn if that ain't the truth. The boy’s got cheekbones that would make a model jealous, and those eyes of his…” Arietta started to fan her face and mock swoon. “But he's got nothing on my Ethan,” she finished quickly.

  “Or my Will. But you are single, right?” Maeve asked, and Isabeau blushed again but nodded.

  “Yeah, the dick that tried to strand me in the jungle is now on my blacklist. I wouldn't have him back. Not after he dipped his wick in a known crab infested pool.”

  “So, when he comes up, talk to him. But I will warn you, his vocab is limited. So, he's not a talky talk kind of guy,” Maeve warned, and Isabeau smiled.

  “Yeah, I guessed as much.”

  Silence filled the kitchen as they all sipped from their mugs. Isabeau felt content. It was foreign to her, and she found she liked it. She noticed as they stood there that the others also wore a necklace like hers, the figure of eight chains clearly visible. Maeve's pendant was visible, exactly like hers apart from her stone was a deep red and absorbed the light. She couldn't see Arietta’s pendant and wondered what stone she had in hers.

  Maeve caught her eye and smiled.

  “The pendants are family heirlooms. My mother mentioned it had belonged to her mother, so I assume that both of yours did too.”

  She held the triquetra up and her stone shone, almost glowed. Arietta joined them, holding up her own. Her stone was an intense blue. The two glowed as they got closer. Pulling out her own pendant from where it rested between her breasts, Isabeau held it up. The emerald glowed with the other two. Energy filled the small kitchen, swirling around them.

  “Wow,” Isabeau whispered, before they all lowered their pendants and the energy slowly vanished.

  “So cool.” Arietta grinned and Maeve nodded. “Definitely. Don't ya just love magic? Now come on, Izzy, you need to tell me how you created that portal into the cavern. Apparently, portals can't reach us here, but you did it.”

  “Oh, wow, really?” Isabeau asked.

  “Yeah, and once you've done that we can focus on Operation Titan,” Arietta added, then started to giggle, which in turn set Isabeau off. She was really enjoying having family, having other girls she could turn to rather than a grumpy-arsed squirrel who didn't believe in girl talk.

  8

  “So, Arietta your mate?” Brutas asked Ethan as they sat in the cavern. Dave was swimming about, diving and flicking water at the ginger tom cat. Grundle-something was his name, but he couldn't get his mouth around the words.

  “Mate? You mean girlfriend?” Ethan asked as he looked up from a large book he was reading. A special area had been set up in the cavern for Ethan to work back when Arietta had been a half siren. He still used the area to come and read, saying he found the noises of the cavern relaxing. He wasn't wrong. Brutas had also been witness to Ethan and Arietta making love when he had been in kracken form, not that he told them. He knew it would embarrass Arietta and he didn't want that. Although he had learnt a lot from watching and was more than keen to try it out.

  “What is girlfriend?” he asked. Mate, he understood, but not girlfriend. Mate meant for life to him, and there would be only one. He didn't think humans or witches felt the same.

  “Arietta is my girlfriend. We are not married. So, err…” Ethan struggled to explain.

  “Mate better. Mate mean forever,” he stated.

  “Ahh yes, I see. Then yes, Arietta is my mate. We are bonded.”

  “What about you?” Brutas nodded at Will and kicked the bed he lay on. His feather hat over his eyes, anyone would think he was sleeping. Brutas had dealt with Will for a long time and knew the pirate to be honourable, or else he would have sunk his ship years ago.

  “Me what?” The words came from under the hat.

  “Maeve you mate?”

  “Maeve is my woman, so keep your tentacles off,” Will snapped and sat up, the hat falling on the bed beside him.

  “I no want Maeve,” Brut
as admitted. “Pretty but not mine.”

  “Good. Keep it that way. So, what's with all the questions about mates?” Will asked.

  “I want one,” Brutas replied, and looked down at his large hands. He still wasn't used to the appendages. He found he couldn't do as much with them as he could with tentacles.

  When no answer came, he looked up. Both the pirate and the warlock looked at him, surprise on their faces.

  “I thought you wanted to be changed back. It’s why I'm down here. Arietta asked me to look into it,” Ethan admitted.

  Shaking his head, Brutas said, “I did, but now no.”

  “Why?” Will asked. “What's changed your mind?”

  “Guardian, new one,” he admitted again. He felt stupid asking these males about it.

  “Isabeau? Maeve's and Arietta’s cousin?” Ethan confirmed, and Brutas took her name in and breathed it out.

  “Isabeau... Yes, her. The pretty gold hair and eyes like a storm,” he said out loud, and he watched as both Ethan and Will smiled.

  “Well, bugger me, the kracken knows a touch of poetry.” He chuckled. “Yes, that’s her. You like her?” Brutas nodded again.

  “Yes. I saw her cry. I didn't like. Made me hurt here.” Brutas placed a hand over his heart and rubbed. Seeing her sob had hurt him more than he thought possible, more than losing Maximus.

  “I see. Well, we can help you there, if you like?” Will asked. Gone was the cocky pirate. Instead, he looked genuine in wanting to help.

  “Yes, I like.” Brutas grinned and the other males groaned.

  “Do that in front of her and she will be putty in your hands,” Ethan grumbled. “But don't do it around our girls.”

  “Do what?” Brutas asked, honestly perplexed.

  “Grin,” they both answered in unison. Ethan put his book to the side and Will shuffled closer.

  “Listen to what we have to say, and your mate is yours. Guaranteed.”

  Isabeau stepped carefully along the cliff path that led back to Kracken’s Hollow. Her cousins had frog marched her into the small town. They had groceries to collect as well as a shipment of tuna that may have put half the shipping companies in the north out of business, and they also picked up more cookies.

  Tuna and cookies— how things had changed for her. Last week she had been elbow-deep in slime, trying to find the lost pendant of Manaya, which apparently could make the wearer invisible and invincible. They did not need that getting into Barry from Burslem’s hands.

  Chaos would ensue, and not the entertaining kind either.

  The view from the cliffs was spectacular. The horizon of the sea shimmered in the sunlight, and if you just squinted right, you could make out the shimmer of the barrier that protected Kracken’s Hole from the eyes of the humans. At night, she had been told, it added an Aurora Borealis effect to the sky.

  Her cousins had also dragged her to the pub. The Ferrett’s Mott was a quaint place with a rich array of patrons and aromas to suit. But she had never laughed so much in her life. Pirates that played Twister. Parrots that played poker. The atmosphere had been exactly what she hadn't realised she needed.

  Compared to the coven she had been raised in, Kracken’s Hole was blessed chaos. Not one road was straight and in line, and not one shop was organised. Her life had been regimented and Kracken’s Hole was about as far from that as you could get.

  And Isabeau loved it.

  Stopping to once again look out at the view, she reached up and held the pendant. It warmed against her palm and she felt a sense of rightness come over her. The letter in the tomb and the letter from her mother, as unexpected as they were, were right.

  This was her home. She felt it right down to her core and had made her decision quickly. She would stay with her cousins. Though she had yet to decide how to tell her coven.

  She owed them so much. They had taken her in when she had been without anyone, but in the same breath, surely, they must have known that she had family. Hell, you couldn't wipe your arse wrong within the witch community without everyone knowing about it. So, the disappearance of not one but three witches would have caused somewhat of a stir.

  It was something she would bring up.

  “Isabeau.” The deep voice dragged her out of her thoughts and made Isabeau stumble on the path. She had no sooner taken a step towards the cliff edge than a band of steel-like arms had wrapped themselves around her waist and dragged her against a very large and very hard body.

  “Whoa, what?” she squealed, and turned her head, only to find a set of blue orbs gazing down at her.

  Brutas.

  “You scared me,” was all she managed to articulate, so lost in the blue she couldn’t think. What was it about this man/monster/kracken that literally got her tongue tied and her panties in a bit of a twist? Well, besides the obvious fact that he was drop dead gorgeous.

  “I…” he started to say, but then his eyes left her own as he looked past her, his face a mask of concentration before he finally spoke again. “I sorry.” Two words that were spoken so softly she was sure she had missed them. “I sorry I scared you,” he repeated when she didn't respond.

  He stepped back from the cliff, carefully bringing her with him. His grip around her waist loosened but only slightly, giving her enough room to turn around and face him. His large hands settled on her hips, easily spanning her not so small waist.

  “It's okay. I was just thinking and in a world of my own. Thank you for grabbing me.” She smiled up at him and was glad he had hold of her.

  Brutas smiled back at her, and she felt both ovaries go pop in unison. Dear goddess above, the bloke was stunning. When he smiled it was like the heavens had opened and shone down on him. And it wasn't just that.

  The bloke had dimples.

  Isabeau wasn't one for looks. She actually preferred fugly-looking guys. Ones that didn't think with their muscles and actually used their brains. But she would have to be dead and buried to not appreciate Brutas in all his large and spectacular glory.

  “Always,” was all he said, and surprised her by cupping her cheek. By the goddess, why was she drawn to him so? She had never in her life been attracted to someone as she was Brutas, and not just for his looks. There was something about him that called to her on a deeper level, down in her soul.

  She knew they had only just met, and had not spoken for longer than ten minutes, yet here she was, being held by him and willing the gorgeous lug to kiss her.

  Did that make her crazy or was there something else at work— some magic spell that had been cast over them?

  “I…” he started to say again, that crazy deep voice sending shivers up and down her spine. “I kiss,” was all he said, but Isabeau got the message. Instead of replying, she nodded and lifted her head up ever so slightly. She wanted to smile when his eyes widened, obviously not expecting her to agree, before he frowned. His eyebrows furrowed in concentration as his gaze flicked from her eyes to her lips.

  Unable to stop herself, Isabeau licked her lips and felt the flutter of butterflies that erupted in her stomach as he zeroed in on that action. She waited, without moving, for him to make the first move.

  Only, she didn't expect his speed. He dove for her and claimed her lips before she had a moment to react. Heat hit her as he caressed her lips with his own, his languid movements setting her aflame. Isabeau closed her eyes as her arms moved up from where she had rested them on his chest to wrap around his neck as she leaned into the kiss. For a kracken, he was tender. She had never been kissed with so much care. He swept his tongue over her lips, coaxing her to open, and she didn't resist. She didn't want to. This man drove everything else from her mind but the need to be in his arms, being kissed as only he could. When his tongue met hers, he pulled back, his eyes wide as he stared at her mouth.

  “What is it?” she asked, her own voice husky.

  “Tongue?” he asked, as he reached and touched her lip with his thumb.

  “Is this your first kiss?” she asked and w
as surprised when he nodded. “Oh, okay.” Isabeau blushed.

  “Like,” was all he said before he took her lips again, this time with more confidence. Isabeau felt her knees go weak and she clung to Brutas. Somehow, with limited experience, he had blown all her previous experiences out of the water, and worryingly she was now certain he had ruined her for other men. Before she was ready, he pulled back again, but he continued to caress her face. His eyes glowed with pleasure, which in turn made her blush and smile.

  Releasing her waist, he took hold of her hand and tugged her along behind him.

  “Come,” was all he said, and Isabeau did, no questions asked. Hell, he could be leading her to be sacrificed to the kracken gods for all she could care.

  Miss Independent, who looked after herself, was following a man who had kissed her senseless. That just didn't make sense, but she didn't care. It felt right, and for once Isabeau was going with that feeling. It was time to be a little selfish. If the titan wanted to have his way with her, who was she to say no? With a grin, she squeezed his hand and followed, happy to walk behind, ‘cause wow, what a view.

  9

  “Order, order,” Grundlepus shouted, and got a wet napkin in response to the back of the head. “Really, Binky, was that necessary?”

  Binky, Maeve’s familiar and a pigeon with Tourette’s, smiled as only a pigeon could. His spectacles had slid to the end of his nose, so his wonky eyes looked twice as wonky.

  “Yes, it was. You are being a twit. ARSE,” he replied.

  “I am not a twit, you twat. I’m trying to bring this meeting to order. We have important things to discuss, and we need to bring the newest member into the fold.” Grundlepus’s posh accent took a more pronounced tone and made the pigeon’s eyes roll.

  “Would you stop putting on that accent. I know you do it around Arietta but dear goddess, I've heard you when you are drunk and there is nothing posh about your accent then. It resembles a pissed-up farmer more than it does polite society. TWAT,” Binky argued. “Besides, we are a group of three. Not exactly a secret club now, is it? BOLLOCKS.”