1
“Good afternoon, Kara,” Bettina called out from behind the counter of Double Trouble, the bookstore she and her twin sister, Zahara, owned.
I waved, and then ducked. I knew Blaze, the enchanted dragon who lived in the rafters, would fly down and greet me with a fiery stream. Remembering he and his fire weren’t real…that was the hard part.
Zahara laughed as she came out of the children’s section. “You know Blaze isn’t real.”
“I know. It’s just impulse.” I glanced around the beautifully decorated bookstore. There were a handful of supernatural customers browsing the crammed aisles, looking for the perfect book. “I’m looking for some cookbooks. Since Zane and I are engaged now, I should probably know how to cook a couple meals and desserts instead of mooching off Alfred all the time.”
Alfred was Zane’s right-hand fairy, and the person who kept Zane’s mansion running smoothly. He was also engaged to my grandmother, Rota. It used to be the big joke was who would set a wedding date first…Rota and Alfred or Zane and me. I beat mygrandmother to the punch because she and Alfredstillhadn’t set a date.
Bettina laughed. “What did you do for meals when you lived in the human world?”
A little over a year ago, I’d been miserably living in the human world, working as a detective, and completely alone. Well, maybe not completely alone. I’d lived with my snarky cat, Savage. I’d been raised by an elderly Sensei above a dojo after my mother left me in a basket on the dojo’s doorstep. What I didn’t know was that my mother had fled from the supernatural town of Mystic Cove out of fear when she realized she was pregnant. She gave birth to me, and a few weeks later, she was murdered. No one knew about me back in Mystic Cove, and it wasn’t until last year on my fortieth birthday that my Fallen Angel, Zane, found me and took me to meet my Valkyrie grandmother, Rota.
That was also when I discovered I was a supernatural—a Valkyrie with magical abilities. It didn’t take long for me to fall in love with the town and all the people in it. I joined the Paranormal Apprehension and Detention Agency as a detective, and Zane and I started working together…and eventually fell in love. For my forty-first birthday three weeks ago, we’d set a wedding date for June.
“I didn’t really have a reason to cook in the human world,” I said. “It was only me. I ordered out most nights. I never ate breakfast, so I could eat leftovers for lunch at the police station, then order out again at night. It was a vicious cycle.”
“Do you need help finding a cookbook?” Zahara asked.
I shook my head. “No. I think I can do this on my own.” I smiled. “I promise to holler if I need help.”
Zahara nodded and went back to putting books away in the children’s section.
Even though I knew where the books were located, Bettina pointed me toward the Home section anyway...cookbooks, home décor, DIY, gardening, and a dozen other ways to start a project I’d never finish.
I thanked her and headed toward the back of the bookstore, slowing as I passed the outward-facing displays. Most of the titles in Double Trouble lining the bookshelves were written by supernaturals, which meant the covers didn’t just sit there looking pretty. They were enchanted with magic in some way. I knew from experience the section to stay away from was the romance section. Those enchanted covers could make the most jaded woman blush!
As I ran my hand along the titles in the Home section, they shimmered, sparkled, and some even whispered subtle promises of better sourdough and greener gardens.
One cookbook in particular caught my eye.It was written by a well-known supernatural chef whose temper was as famous as his flame-seared basil salmon. The embossed skillet on the front gave off a faint curl of enchanted steam that smelled suspiciously like rosemary and garlic. The book didn’t just promise delicious dinners, it also promised tantalizing desserts.
I browsed through the pages and stopped at something called Exploding Lava Cake. It looked ooey-gooey and perfect. I just hoped the exploding wouldn’t be too over the top. I didn’t need to blow the roof off my cottage or anything.
I carried the cookbook to the front counter, smiling at a vampire I vaguely recognized still browsing the mystery section. I couldn’t help but yelp in surprise when a knife leaped out from the cover she was looking at and swiped at her. Of course, it just passed right through her…but still, it was a little disconcerting.
The store was decorated for Valentine’s Day, which was only a day away. A half-price sale on something called a “Mystery Date.” The reader could choose between romance, mystery,fantasy, or thriller. The box contained a book wrapped in butcher paper, a scented candle guaranteed to “spice things up,” individually wrapped chocolates, light-up pens, bookmarks, and much more. The last time I’d been in, the twins had just put them out, and the shelf was packed. Now, there were only six boxes left. The Mystery Date box had obviously been a success.
Zahara hurried over to see what cookbook I’d grabbed. “That one’s dangerous, Kara. I tried his Phoenix-Pepper Pasta once. I cried for three hours.”
I laughed. “Was it worth it?”
Zahara grinned. “Absolutely.”
Bettina rang me up while I buttoned my wool coat. It was February along the Oregon-Washington border, and a cold spell had hit the town yesterday.
“Did you drive the Ducati down?” Zahara asked.
I snorted. “No. I drove Zane’s ‘65 Aston Martin. It’s too cold for the motorcycle. I enjoy my fingers attached.”
Bettina laughed and handed me my receipt. “One more thing. The 1674 revised edition ofParadise Lostyou ordered for Zane came in.”She reached under the counter and pulled out a wrapped parcel.
I gasped as Bettina carefully folded back the plain white cloth covering the book. The leather binding was a deep blue that had faded unevenly with age, darker along the spine and corners where it had been handled and loved over the centuries. The surface was scuffed and softly cracked, and the spine showed additional wear and tear. The title had once been stamped in silver, but now remained only in faint, ghostlike traces. Bettina carefully opened the book, and the edges on some of the pages were darker, and a couple pages even had faint water staining near the bottom margin.
It was absolutely beautiful, even in the well-worn condition. And I knew my Fallen Angel was going to love it.
“Perfect!” I clapped my hands in excitement.
