Page 61 of Midlife Witch Unexpected

“I’d like to create a water fountain.” Trina looked to me, seeking permission.

“That’s a fabulous idea,” I said. “Can you use natural rocks?”

“And moss.” Trina gave me a wink.

“All I want is a big fluffy couch in front of the fireplace,” I said with a smile. Trina stopped what she was doing with the fountain and came over.

“Let me show you a selection,” she said, quickly waving her hand and cycling through a huge collection of sofa sets. I stopped her when she came to three large sofas placed in a U-shape. They each had footrests that could double as stools around the coffee table.

“That one!” I exclaimed.

She smiled and with a flick of her wrist, the large brown leather sofa appeared in my living room.

“Can we throw some comfy cushions on them?” Anita asked.

“Absolutely,” I said, thrilling at the feeling of engaging with young people again and grabbing one of the cozy cushions once they appeared. I threw it over at Branson. “Here you go. You hard worker you. Now all the work has been done, you can just lay on the couch in front of the fire.”

He wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me to him and holding me close. “Only if I can keep you safe while I’m doing it,” he said, kissing me on the neck.

“Don’t be fooled,” Hilda said. “She may like having you around. She may want to have you around. But she doesn’t need to have you around.”

“You say that now, but you never know,” Trina said with a shrug.

“Mom’s right,” Anita said. “The vampire was just the start. They’re not going to let us get away with killing a vampire. If he was sent out here by the Dark Fae, it’s not like they won’t send more.”

I tightened my hand around the pendant, which I wore around my neck. I felt the pentacle glow warm to my touch. There was magic in the pentacle that needed to be engaged. We just need to figure out how.

Branson’s arms slid around me, giving me a feeling of warmth and security. The glow of the fire gave me a grounding that this was home. I listened to the chatter of my coven around me. It was like having a family again, a new family.

Hilda was creating just enough plants to give life and vitality to the room without making it so green it kicked in anyone’s allergies. Trina had set up a small table in the corner next to her fountain and she was playing with some potions. Anita had created a reading corner that was pure pink and lavender with sparkly rhinestones all over it. In his corner, Drake had mounted a virtual reality set for gaming.

“Isn’t the supernatural reality enough for you,” I laughed at Drake.

“It will be at some stage,” he said. “But right now, this is dope.”

“Well, turn it down,” Trina said.

“It’s not making any noise.” Drake pointed at his headset.

There was a loud barking that ended in a couple of coughs and a groan.

“What is that?” I asked for what felt like the millionth time since I’ve gotten to Cougar Creek. This sounded like a dog but with some sort of rip in its throat that ended in an exasperated wheezing cough.

“It sounds like Carl,” Hilda said, her face screwed up in curiosity as she walked towards the door.

“It sounds like Carl with a problem,” Anita said, following her.

We all convened on the back patio and looked down into the garden was what could only be described as a zombie dog. Its ribs were showing, like actually showing. There was no skin or even meat on those bones. They shone bright and white even in the rainy night.

“It’s raining,” Hilda said. “Let him in.”

“He’s drooling bloody goop!” I exclaimed. “You are not letting that dead thing in my house.”

“It’s raining on him,” Anita said.

“You are so not going to normalize a zombie dog coming into my house.” I stood my ground.

“It’s Carl.” Drake gave me his best “Mama can we keep the puppy” gaze.

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