Weaver's Web: A Paranormal Women's Fiction Novel (Moonshadow Bay Book 6) Read online

  WEAVER'S WEB

  A Moonshadow Bay Novel, Book 6

  YASMINE GALENORN

  A Nightqueen Enterprises LLC Publication

  Published by Yasmine Galenorn

  PO Box 2037, Kirkland WA 98083-2037

  WEAVER’S WEB

  A Moonshadow Bay Novella

  Copyright © 2022 by Yasmine Galenorn

  First Electronic Printing: 2022 Nightqueen Enterprises LLC

  First Print Edition: 2022 Nightqueen Enterprises

  Cover Art & Design: Ravven

  Art Copyright: Yasmine Galenorn

  Editor: Elizabeth Flynn

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED No part of this book may be reproduced or distributed in any format, be it print or electronic or audio, without permission. Please prevent piracy by purchasing only authorized versions of this book.

  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, or places is entirely coincidental and not to be construed as representative or an endorsement of any living/ existing group, person, place, or business.

  A Nightqueen Enterprises LLC Publication

  Published in the United States of America

  CONTENTS

  Acknowledgments

  Welcome to Weaver’s Web

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Playlist

  Biography

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Welcome back to January Jaxon’s world—the world of Moonshadow Bay.

  Thanks to my usual crew: Samwise, my husband, Andria and Jennifer—without their help, I’d be swamped. To the women who have helped me find my way in indie, you’re all great, and thank you to everyone. To my wonderful cover artist, Ravven, for the beautiful work she’s done. Thanks to my beloved niece Jade Fyrenis and my best friend Carol Shannon, two of the most remarkable and magickal women I know.

  Also, my love to my furbles, who keep me happy. My heart is over the rainbow with my Rainbow Girls, and here in the present with our current babies. My most reverent devotion to Mielikki, Tapio, Ukko, Rauni, and Brighid, my spiritual guardians and guides. My love and reverence to Herne, and Cernunnos, and to the Fae, who still rule the wild places of this world. And a nod to the Wild Hunt, which runs deep in my magick, as well as in my fiction.

  You can find me through my website at Galenorn.com and be sure to sign up for my newsletter to keep updated on all my latest releases! You can find my advice on writing, discussions about the books, and general ramblings on my YouTube Channel and my blog. If you liked this book, I’d be grateful if you’d leave a review—it helps more than you can think.

  Brightest Blessings,

  ~The Painted Panther~

  ~Yasmine Galenorn~

  WELCOME TO WEAVER’S WEB

  Just when Killian and I are planning our vacation, Cupid strikes Moonshadow Bay. But it’s not exactly love at first sight for the victims, and we at Conjure Ink have our hands full. Someone’s attacking townsfolk, shooting them with arrows that are enchanted by a love potion. Not only are the victims hurt, but they fall into obsessive love—a love that can be dangerous.

  And in the middle of this, a restaurant that used to be a funeral home is having ghostly encounters of the harrowing kind. I just hope we can take care of all of this before Killian and I head off on vacation to celebrate Valentine’s Day.

  *This book contains the novella that was published in the Aged To Perfection anthology. The anthology is no longer available.*

  Reading Order for the Moonshadow Bay Series:

  Book 1: Starlight Web

  Book 2: Midnight Web

  Book 3: Conjure Web

  Book 4: Harvest Web

  Book 5: Shadow Web

  Book 6: Weaver’s Web

  Book 7: Crystal Web (forthcoming)

  CHAPTER ONE

  When I arrived home from work, Killian was in the kitchen, making lasagna for dinner. He was wearing my apron—a retro design of bright cherries on black material—and he was dancing in place to the song “Joy to the World,” a real throwback to the 1970s. I hadn’t heard Three Dog Night since I was a teenager and my parents played their albums. That was back when music still came mostly on vinyl and my father scolded me about not putting the records away in the right sleeves, and heaven help me if I scratched his records.

  “Well, if this isn’t a pleasant sight,” I said, grinning. As I sat my purse on the table, I noticed that printouts of some transaction were scattered there. “What’s this?”

  “Remember last September, when we were talking about going to Nimah Rock for Valentine’s Day?” He finished layering the last of the noodles over the meat sauce and ricotta, then sprinkled enough mozzarella and parmesan on top to make me salivate. He popped the pan in the oven and then began cleaning up.

  I shrugged off my coat and moved to help him, handing him the dirty dishes as he rinsed them and put them in the dishwasher. “Yeah, and I still love the idea.”

  He stopped mid-wash and leaned down to kiss me. “Good. Because I made a reservation at the Heart’s End B&B for four days over Valentine’s Day weekend.

  “Really?” I clapped my hands. “You mean we’re really going to do it?”

  “Yes, love. Do you want some wine?”

  My heart warming, I nodded. Killian treated me like a queen and, after my past, I never took it for granted. “Rosé, please. And thank you—I love that you’re so romantic. I need that in my life.” I kissed him again, lingering this time, and then crossed to the table and sat down. At that moment Xi and Klaus raced through the kitchen, skidding to avoid the rolling container of dry kibble. Xi was chasing her brother. “They’ve got the zoomies.”

  “They’ve had the zoomies all afternoon,” Killian said, wiping his hands on a paper towel. I had beautiful hand towels in the kitchen but they were for display, especially since I had read an article about how many germs collected on cloth towels. “What kind of salad do you want with the lasagna?”

  “Whatever you like,” I said. “Something light, to go with the pasta.” I leaned back, basking in the warm glow of my kitchen. I must have let out a sigh, because Killian handed me the wine along with a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie.

  “Rough day?”

  I nodded. “We may have a new case, but I’m not sure if we’re the right ones to take it on. And then Asher Brant showed up at the office.” I wrinkled my nose. I really didn’t like the mayor of Moonshadow Bay. He was a sleaze, and as ineffectual as he was appealing. I’d met vapid men before, but Asher Brant was all sorts of himbo.

  “What did he want?” Killian rolled his eyes as he sat across from me. Xi came racing back through the kitchen, this time chased by Klaus. She pounced up on the table, scattering the brochures as her tufty paws skidded across the table, then with a quick purp to indicate her displeasure, she bounced to the floor again, swerving into the living room with a swish of her long, fluffy, tortoiseshell tail.

  “I’m not sure. I think he was there to see me, actually. He was mumbling something about the Witches Guild needing to turn in a plan to the town council
for the Spring Equinox Festival on the Green, a large park near the center of town. Why the hell he didn’t talk to Marnie Brolen, I don’t know. She’s the leader of the Witches Guild. It’s not like I have much sway with them, given I’m a junior member.” I bit into the cookie, letting out a contented sigh. “When I asked him what he expected me to do about it, he said that since I was a member, I might as well do the legwork for him.”

  Killian swirled his wine in his glass, his emerald eyes glowing. He was letting his hair grow out and it was down to his shoulder blades now, curling in loose waves. Tall and sturdy, he was muscled but not ripped, and one massive cuddle-bunny. He was also a wolf shifter who could tear a man’s throat out when he was in his wolf form, and protective of me and my friends.

  “I think he just wanted to see you,” he said. “Did you remind him you’re with me?”

  “I think you’re right, and I’m suspicious about his real motives. But he knows you and I are a solid item. Asher wouldn’t bother dropping in on Conjure Ink without an ulterior motive, and I just hope it’s something other than me.”

  Truth was, though he had never given me reason to believe he was involved in any nefarious activities, Asher Brant was the sort of person I would never feel confident trusting. How he managed to snow enough people over to win the election was lost on me.

  “Well, let it go for now. So, what’s the new case?” Killian glanced at the clock and stood, stretching. “I’m going to make the salad now.”

  “Ghosts again. We got a call from the owner of the Starling Bistro today, asking if we can drop in and check the place out. Apparently they’ve had a few sightings of some sort of nasty spirit there, and other ghostly activity. We’re going over tomorrow to look around.”

  I picked up the paper with our booking number on it. “Nimah Rock. It’s been a long time since I was there.”

  “When was that?” Killian brought out my pink glass bowl. It had been a gift to my mother, though I couldn’t remember who had given it for her.

  “I was about twelve. My parents took me along and we went berry picking at one of the berry farms. I know Tad will let me off that Friday and Monday. What about you?”

  “I’ll just schedule all my patients on other days. I did miss going to work today, though.” He was dicing celery for the salad.

  “Did the plumber fix the leak?”

  Killian had gotten into the clinic the day before only to find a massive pool of water on his floor. He owned a veterinary business, where he specialized in cats. For a wolf shifter, he was oddly partial to felines but that made me happy since I adored cats.

  “Yeah, they found it. The office has old pipes, and since I bought the space, it’s up to me to fix it. I’m going to have to have the plumbing all redone, and sooner rather than later, much to my wallet’s dismay. But at least we know what the current problem is, and Dan said it can be fixed by tomorrow.” He finished slicing cherry tomatoes and tossed the salad. “What else do you want in the salad besides tomatoes and lettuce?”

  “How about cucumbers and carrots?”

  “I think we can do that.”

  I was about to set the table when he held up his hand. “You sit and relax. Let me take care of this.”

  As I took my seat again, I pulled out my phone and called Marnie Brolen. Much to my dismay, she answered on the first ring.

  “Hey, Marnie,” I said. “January here. I have a message from the mayor. He stopped into my work today to ask me what the guild is planning for the Spring Equinox Festival. I told him I’d pass it on to you, since you’re the leader of the Witches Guild.”

  Marnie cleared her throat. She wasn’t fond of me, and she had her reasons, to be honest, but neither did she like it when people weren’t direct with her. “Asher Brant? What did he ask you for? He should have come to me.”

  “I don’t know, and that’s what I told him, but the asshole just acted like—”

  “Like he always does.” She sighed. “Honestly, we need a new mayor. I’m thinking of who I can encourage to run against him in the next election. All right, you’ve done your duty. I’ll see you two weeks from Saturday at the meeting. And since it will be your turn to bring snacks, can you please bring something edible? Last week the health food cookies that Fiona brought were as heavy as rocks and they tasted like straw.” Without waiting for an answer, she hung up.

  I stared at my phone. “Okay, I guess that takes care of that.” I scribbled on my calendar that I needed to make a shopping run before the Saturday after next. But secretly, I was relieved. We did go through a lot of snacks at our meetings, because working magic required a lot of energy, and so did being around other magical people. Unfortunately, Fiona’s cookies reminded me of hockey pucks.

  “Wash up. Dinner’s almost ready,” Killian said.

  I headed into the powder room to wash my hands and face. As I was staring at myself in the mirror, Esmara, my spirit guide and my great-aunt, appeared, standing by my right shoulder. She was smiling, but I read a worried look on her face.

  Esmara was slightly translucent. Ghosts tended not to manifest fully, unless they were up to no good and trying to affect the physical realm. Today she was wearing a lovely ankle-length lilac patterned dress—pale violet on white.

  “What’s up?” I said. I hadn’t seen her for a couple weeks and had wondered if she’d taken a leave of absence or something like that. But here she was.

  I’m concerned about your mother.

  That I hadn’t expected to hear.

  My mother was dead and she had joined the other Ladies. The Ladies were women in my family who had stuck around after death to watch over those of us who were still among the living. Not everybody got to meet the Ladies. Those of us who did, quickly learned to mind our p’s & q’s or get slapped upside the head. But if we were assigned one of the Ladies, we were also under their protection, as far as their reach could extend from the grave.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Though it was still painful, I was coming to accept that my parents were dead. It hadn’t even been two years yet and I still had a hard time coping with the emotional toll their loss had taken on me. They had died in the hospital after a particularly horrific car accident. I hadn’t quite made it to say good-bye to my mother, and my father had been brain-dead by the time I arrived. Even if I had arrived in time, it would have done little to smooth over the wound of losing the two most important people in my life.

  She’s vanished and we can’t seem to find her. We usually meet on a regular basis, but the last two meetings, your mother wasn’t there. We’re not sure what’s going on.

  I frowned. The one consolation to their deaths was that I didn’t have to worry about them any longer, but now that was shot to hell.

  “Maybe she just decided to go hang out somewhere else for a while?” I had no clue what the Ladies did in their downtime. It wasn’t like they were regular ghosts, raising hell at the local haunted mansion or hanging out in the graveyard.

  We were about to assign her guardian status, but she vanished before we could do so. I’ll go look for her again. Maybe she did just wander off. It’s known to happen. Esmara let out a huff and vanished.

  I stared at myself in the mirror again, my nostrils flaring. Someone else in the family was going to get my mother’s help? For a moment, I fought a wave of anger. It wasn’t fair—she was my mother. I had lost her too soon and if she was assigned to anybody, it should be me.

  Esmara appeared again. I can hear what you’re thinking loud and clear—it’s rolling off you like a duck shedding water. I’ll thank you to remember your manners and accept what you know are the rules! I know you miss her, but you know the way this works.

  “Sorry, ma’am,” I muttered, chagrined. “Yeah, I know.”

  Esmara had told me early on that no mother would ever be assigned to guard her daughter. It not only fostered an unhealthy attachment, but it could lead to other problems. I didn’t remember all of the talking points, but they did m
ake sense.

  “I just miss my mother,” I added.

  We know you do, and one day she’ll be able to visit you to say hello. But January, you need to let go of the anger over the crash. It was horrible, yes. But it happened, and there’s nothing you can do to bring back either your mother or your father.

  I deflated, turning to stare at my great-aunt. “I know. I do. I’m sorry.”

  With that, Esmara vanished again and I returned to the table, where Killian’s lasagna was bubbling hot and oozing with cheese.

  After dinner, Killian had to go back home to work on his taxes. While he had an accountant, he still had to gather the receipts and documents. I kissed him good-bye before he left, then rested my head against his chest.

  “I love you,” he whispered.

  “I love you too,” I said, wanting the hug to go on forever. But I had things to do as well, and so I finally let go and stepped back. “Don’t forget to say good night to me.”

  “I’ll text you before bedtime,” he promised before slipping out the door.

  As I watched him go, I felt like one of the luckiest women in the world. I’d gone from an abusive relationship and being swindled by my ex, to finding a dream boyfriend in my new neighbor. I had a job I loved at a paranormal investigations agency, and friends I could count on, including my best friend from childhood.

  Killian left through the kitchen door, so I followed him onto the back porch, waving as he darted down the back steps and leapt over the gate connecting our two properties.

  After he vanished, I turned to stare at the forest that bordered the back of both of our properties. The Mystic Wood surrounded a good share of Moonshadow Bay. It was lit up like a beacon with a pale green light, flickering in the dark, windy night. The woodland was filled with mysterious creatures and odd portals into the realm of Fae and a number of dangers for the unwary, but it was as beautiful and mysterious as it was dangerous and deadly.