Splash of Magic

By Tia Dani

Justine Tory Cryst is to be initiated into Gaia's universal coven. Problem is…Justine must conjoin with a perfect soul-mate at the stroke of midnight on her 29th birthday.

Shaun Kelly can't believe his good luck, or bad luck, when the woman who crushed his heart in college magically returns into his life. However, the chances of his rekindling their romance are zip because he's certain she is hell-bent on putting the company he works for out of business…permanently.

Unbeknownst to either, Justine's goddess-mother is determined to bring Shaun and Justine back together. The two must work as one to thwart an environmental catastrophe before it destroys life countrywide. Additionally, and vital to Gaia's coven, Shaun has exactly what Justine needs to become the mother of the next generation of powerful Wiccans. His gene pool.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BWL Publishing Inc.
• Release date: Nov 17, 2019
• ISBN: 9780228609070

Tia Dani

Tia Dani is the multi-published writing team made up of good friends Christine E. Jones and Beverly Petrone. Together they create endearing and realistic characters, humorous dialogue, and unusual settings. And...best of all...they’re having the time of their lives.Storytelling has been a passion for Christine since childhood when she regularly enthralled the neighborhood children with make-believe fairy tales and wild adventures.Always the lover of a good romance, Beverly’s goal is for you to step into the shoes of her heroine, fall head-over-heels in love with her hero, and most of all believe in the magic of love.Tia Dani happily calls Arizona home where they play in the sunshine and dance in the twilight of the beautiful Sonoran desert. Tia Dani loves to hear from readers and they are always eager to chat about their books or any other subject that might come up.Books We Love titles are available at Amazon, Smashwords, All Romance eBooks, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, the Apple iStore and at other sites where eBooks are available online. Some titles are also in print, and available at your local bookstores.For more information about Tia Dani's books including blurbs, reviews and purchase links, please visit their website:www.TiaDani.com

Book preview

Prologue

A thick-bodied man with a mop of ivory-colored hair glanced around, hoping no straggling employees still milled about the parking lot. Though he customarily left later than most of them, his departure tonight was later than usual. And he was coming from the warehouse instead of the main building where he routinely worked.

The man glanced at his watch. Eight minutes past seven. His wife would be upset with him by now. He’d promised her that tonight, of all nights, he wouldn’t be late. The celebrated dinner she’d planned for their anniversary would no doubt be getting cold. He shrugged and switched his briefcase to his other hand. Well, no matter, it couldn’t be helped.

The evening air was warm, thick, and extraordinarily muggy. Sweat beaded on his brow. With quick steps, he crossed the hot pavement to his car. Unlocking his vehicle, he threw his briefcase onto the passenger’s seat and slipped inside.

Another glance around assured him he was utterly alone. The only one who would officially mark his departure would be the security guard at the main gate. Inhaling a fortifying breath of air, he slid the key into the ignition and started the engine.

With the car idling, he turned his attention toward his briefcase sitting on the passenger seat. His mind raced, thinking about the important papers inside. Maybe he should go to someone about what he knew tonight. But who? The local authorities, the state? And would they believe him with what he’d uncovered so far? Did they require more evidence?

Hard, cold facts. Undisputable facts. The evidence was in the warehouse…somewhere. He was sure of it. Maybe next week, when things were safe again, he could find the final proof he wanted. Only a few more days.

A sudden headache exploded, almost narrowing his vision. With a curse, he flipped on the air conditioning to a lower temperature, hoping the colder air would help. He’d been having headaches more and more lately. In the beginning, he attributed the pain to withdrawal from smoking. Or possibly from the high anxiety he been carrying ever since he discovered the corruption? The pain seemed to coincide with his decision to stop smoking and to find evidence.

What he wouldn’t give for a real cigarette right now. But he didn’t have any cigarettes. He’d thrown them all away. He’d promised the doctor during his last physical he’d quit. He was going to hold himself to his promise.

Again, pain slammed into his brain. Moaning, he rubbed the square patch on his arm. Instead of the pain diminishing, it increased. Those damn nicotine patches didn’t seem to be helping at all. He’d been assured by the doctor they would ease his craving, but they hadn’t. In fact, they seemed to make him feel lousy. Or, maybe, it was from the stress he’d been under this past month. He glanced around the area again and seeing no one, he slid the car’s gear into drive and headed for the exit.

With a quick wave at the security guard, he headed down the curvy, tree-lined road leading toward the by-pass which took him home. Local traffic was no longer a problem, and he was the lone driver on the road.

He was only ten minutes into his drive when another, now-familiar pain hit inside his head…and…an unusual, funny feeling in his stomach. The kind you got when you know something’s not right. He glanced into the rearview mirror out of habit. To his disbelief the shape of a black SUV vehicle appeared from a side road, picking up speed as it came. In a matter of seconds, it pulled right up behind his bumper.

Damn. His heart rate leaped, and this time, the pain in his head raced down his right arm and centered on his chest. What the hell is this idiot doing?

Ahead a sharp turn in the road waited. He knew it well, with a recommended rate of thirty-five. He glanced down and read the speedometer…sixty. When had he picked up the extra speed?

In desperation, he lifted his foot from the foot pedal and pressed on the brake…but his car didn’t respond. It was almost as if it had been taken over by something evil. Horrified, he turned the steering to the right in the hope the edge of the road would help slow him down. Somehow, he had to get control of the car before he reached the oncoming curve.

The big SUV behind him suddenly hit against his bumper. The force sent his head backward, nearly cracking the bones in his neck.

His heart pounded in his chest. Pain sharpened. Sweat broke out on his forehead and dripped into his eyes. Everything beyond his dashboard blurred, indistinguishable. Inside his chest, the pain burned as if it was a hotly burning fire. It was nearly impossible to breathe.

He blinked, trying to clear his vision. With the SUV pushing him, his car’s eerie headlights wove back and forth across the road, shining abnormally against the trees and the darkness. It was like he was on a wild roller coaster ride. No control. Gone. All he could do was to hang on…and pray.

Then the SUV abruptly pulled back.

Stunned, he glanced into his rear-view mirror and realized the other car had withdrawn several feet. Through the pain was still heavy in his chest, he breathed a slight sigh of relief. Whoever the driver was, he had tired of his deadly game.

He eased up on the grip he had on the steering wheel and tried to reach for his cell phone. He needed help. Whoever was behind this attack was no idiot. It was someone who wanted him gone.

Wham!

Again he was struck from behind. This time at a high rate of speed.

Ahead was the dangerous curve…and…the narrow bridge with the swirling water rushing beneath it.

Death waited for him now. He knew it. Accepted it.

As another blast of mind-numbing pain hit him, forcing him to gasp and grip his chest, the other car pushed sideways. His own vehicle responded as well. The impact sent the front of his car’s center careening up and along the bridge’s steel guardrail.

Still grasping his heaving chest, his car hovered on the rail, then slipped in the direction of the deep, wet, void below. The instant he hit the water, a soft crystal light grew around him, followed by tinkling bells. They sweetly followed his car, and him, into the inky blackness.

Chapter One

My God, he’d found her!

And he hadn’t even been looking.

In a heartbeat, Shaun Kelly forgot all about his researching and stared at the computer screen in shock. Discovering Justine this way, so unexpectedly and out of the blue, was like being jolted awake from one of his college wet dreams—hot, heavy, and filled with an unspeakable yearning.

How long had it been? Six? Seven years?

He edged forward to get a closer look, all the while trying to wrap his brain around the idea this was really her. She’d changed a little since he’d last seen her, but who wouldn’t after this much time? Hell, even he wasn’t the same young man who had walked away from her apartment in a fit of anger and frustration that wet, cold night.

Shaun studied her photo, and his gut tightened. She retained all of her ethereal beauty, including that special glow which always kept him in a state of awe. Shaun continued to stare, taking inventory of her features, her beautiful, creamy complexion, her large green eyes enhanced by thick dark lashes, and her smile.

The same intoxicating smile now seemed to reach out from the screen and greet whoever clicked on her picture—almost as if they were the most important person in the world to her at that moment.

Eyes now closed, he slipped deep into his memories to a time when her smile used to be for him—only him.

Shaun! A fingernail jabbed his forearm. What are you doing? She’s not the person I need. Find the right one.

The shrill and impatient voice, close enough to almost rupture his right eardrum, shattered his memories and drew him upright. Gail Trout, the director of Acquisition and Displacement Department, sat beside him at his desk. She tapped the pencil she held unceasingly on the yellow tablet resting on her knee. The woman I spoke with at LEAF wore glasses and had dark black hair. She’s the person I want to contact again. Not this blonde bimbo.

Shaun blinked, forced himself to take a deep breath and release it slowly. The hell with what you want, and she isn’t a bimbo. He almost snapped the words out loud but caught himself in the nick of time. He couldn’t say them, not if he wanted to keep his job. Shaun sighed. As much as he hated to leave this website page, he had no choice but to obey.

Otherwise, the tall, overly endowed bitch-on-wheels would undoubtedly storm off—not to her lowly husband who sat second-in-command in Disbursals, but to her brother, the president of Turbo Blue. With a rash of angry tirades, she’d complain she was being ignored by one of his newly hired flunkies.

Everyone knew Jim Wilson, like his sister, carried a short fuse, and it took little to set him off. Shaun had no intention of being in the man’s line of fire once Gail finished whining about his incapability. He needed his job. He still had a school loan to pay off, and he’d recently signed a lease on a new apartment, which other than his bed and a hand me down couch, needed to be furnished.

Giving himself a mental shake, he logged out of the website and re-entered LEAF’s information. When the logo appeared on the screen, he arched one brow and leaned forward. As he clicked on what should be the correct tab, he wondered why Wilson and his sister were so adamant about learning more about the small environmental organization called Love Earth Always First. He couldn’t figure it out. And what bothered him, even more, was why the organization had decided to set their sights on Turbo Blue right before he’d joined the company and been put in charge of the new jet engine design.

Shaun turned his attention to LEAF’s logo on the screen. Did LEAF’s protest have something to do with the project he’d been hired to redevelop?

He almost groaned. Why was it whenever he got involved with something that seemed simple and straightforward, it always turned out to have a fricking kink in it?

He thought back to what Gail’s husband, George Trout, had told him earlier. LEAF had become a pain in the company’s ass when they appeared without warning at the main gate, waving signs and spouting drivel how Turbo Blue was damaging the earth.

Shaun knew little else about the LEAF organization. Their protest happened a week before he’d been hired. George also mentioned his brother-in-law’s natural philosophy against the opposition, If you can’t conquer your enemy, sweet talk them into complacency, then hammer ‘em when they least expect it. Undoubtedly Gail was looking for a weakness in LEAF’s organization so the Wilson family could ram their proverbial hammer into the group when they were least prepared.

Anger burned inside him, hot and bright, as he hit the go back icon and clicked on another photo. This time the picture was of an older woman with black hair. Immediately, the screen jumped back to Justine’s photo.

Seeing that Gail had opened her mouth to complain again, he defended himself. There must be a link misplaced somewhere. There’s nothing I can do about it.

Damn it! Gail stood abruptly and began to pace behind him. I want information on the other woman.

Shaun nodded without looking up, hoping she might be leaving him alone for a minute.

Hey. Gail sniffed loudly. Do you smell something?

A faint, sweet fragrance caught his attention. Shaun nodded again. Yeah, it’s heavy and sweet, like a green apple.

Gail huffed. Don’t be ridiculous, it’s a flower. I recognize it now. It’s gardenia. I remember smelling them when I was in New Orleans a while back. The air was heavy with the scent.

Where’s it coming from? Shaun breathed in the sweet fragrance. I don’t remember smelling it before. Did someone get a new air freshener?

Who knows and who cares? All I want to know is—hey! Gail leaned over his shoulder and pointed toward his screen. How come we didn’t notice this before? It says this girl is in the Portland office. How did you get us to Portland instead of Washington? I wanted Washington!

Shaun winced at her loud screech. A sudden headache throbbed at the base of his skull. He glanced once more at the screen, tilted his head, and read the large print in the column next to the row of pictures. Gail was right; the website did say Portland, along with the branch’s local personnel information. He frowned and clicked the back button on his taskbar.

Immediately, his screen returned to LEAF’s main page. The blinking cursor pointed directly on the Washington link. Curious, he clicked the link again. Boom, he was right back to the Portland website. What in the hell is going on? What does it all mean? Is this supposed to be a message—for me?

He stared at the centerfold picture and forcefully reminded himself that displayed was the only woman who’d ever trashed his heart and his love. He’d best remember that. Old hurts threatened to resurface. Shaun swiveled his chair away from the monitor. The entire website must be linked wrong. I wonder if their webmaster knows the system is screwed up.

What do you care? The woman scowled and plopped back in her chair. Once again, her pencil tapped on the tablet, the sound grating on his nerves.

Mentally Shaun cringed at Gail’s reply. She’s right. Why should I care? What do you want me to do now?

Forget about it. Gail gathered up her tablet and pencil and stood. As she walked from his cubicle, she mumbled over her shoulder, There are other ways to get what I want.

Shaun turned back to the computer and clicked on the website’s contact page. He began to type a short note informing them of the linking error. Even though his logical mind concentrated on typing his comments, somewhere in the back of his mind, he heard what sounded like a woman’s voice