Chapter
One
“YOU!”
Mercedes heard the familiar voice shout across the tent and she spun around stunned to see the ghoul she’d gone on a date with a couple of months ago, standing in the crowd of people. His red eyes burning with loathing.
She’d seen disdain before. Especially in her family, so she could spot it a mile away.
Magnus was a good looking guy, she’d been looking forward to getting to know him, but saying their blind date had not gone well was a complete understatement.
It had been a disaster.
Hold your ground.
Magnus marched right up to her. “What’re you doing here?”
“I was invited,” she said. “I’m a friend of Pearl’s.”
“You need to leave,” Magnus snarled.
Pearl stepped in. “Magnus, Mercedes is my friend.”
“Your friend!” Magnus shrieked.
A horse headed man stepped in, between them. “Magnus, what’s wrong?”
“I’ll tell you what’s wrong. She’s the witch who cursed me and Sven! The revenge date!”
She could feel everyone’s eyes on her, which she hated. Quickly she made her way over to the refreshment table and shakily poured herself a cup of punch. What she was trying to do was pretend she didn’t care about being called out, but in reality she was so ready to run.
“Stupid ridiculous Viking,” Mercedes mumbled under her breath, as she clutched the plastic cup full of punch and glared across the tent at Magnus who was still shooting metaphorical daggers at her.
What is his problem?
This was supposed to be a good day. A relaxing day.
She’d been so excited to be invited to a summer garden party in Harmony Glen. Especially one for her dear friend.
She was glad to be around the only person who cared for her.
Pearl.
Mercedes had planned to make the best of it. It was a gorgeous late summer day. Probably the last for a while, so she wanted to enjoy it. When she walked up to the beautiful white canopy tent set in the shadow of a gorgeous old Victorian home she was excited. Everyone in the tent was laughing and it seemed like it was a great time. Now, the atmosphere was a bit awkward. It was just her luck this beautiful send off for her best friend had to be at the home of a crazy monster who called her out for being here.
She had every right to be here. Pearl was her friend, and Mercedes wanted to show her support as Pearl went off on a big adventure. Instead, it had turned into a fiasco.
Revenge date? What even was that?
She was still trying to figure it out.
One bad date, one mistake of a swipe on an app. That’s what happened. Mercedes had nothing against monsters. Heck,she knew what Pearl was, and she lived in the next town. It was no secret. Since the great revelation, everyone knew about monsters in the world. Not that everyone liked them, in particular her family despised monsters or non-humans, but it never bothered her.
In fact, she always preferred their company over her family. It had been a source of constant nagging her whole life to only associate with other witches, mages, necromancers, or wizards. Maybe normal humans, but only sparingly. It was a sore spot that she was the descendent of a sea witch, so she shouldn’t be fraternizing. Her association with Pearl and her other nonhuman friends made her family very tetchy.
In their opinion, since Mercedes was a witch herself, she should toe the line.
Her problem was, she wasn’t particularly good at magic and didn’t see herself as a witch, in the traditional sense. Every time she tried a spell or something, it went spectacularly wrong.
