Hungry As Her Python: Magic and Mayhem Universe: Hungry Fur Love, #3

By C.D. Gorri

Will Bella learn to trust her instincts and her heart?

 

Growing up witchy in Castor's Corner has always had its drawbacks and its perks.

 

Perk #1—

I run a magical bakery which should be fantastic, considering supernaturals usually have incredibly fast metabolisms.

 

Drawback #1—

that super-duper metabolic rate sort of skipped me and my two besties/cousins.

 

Perk #2—

I am constantly trying new recipes to fix that little hiccup, and the results are delicious.

 

Drawback #2—

they never work. Delectable treats equal excess pounds, regardless of my efforts.

 

Mom always says curvy is as curvy does. And I does, er, I do curvy pretty well.

 

Along with Evie and Donny, my cousin/besties, I keep Castor's Corner safe. We make up the magical witch trifecta tasked with protecting our town. A duty we never shirk—except for that one time when Evie was late.

 

That one blip brought three hunky Shifters to our city, and now my girls walk around town with grins bigger than Aunt Edna's wazoo! Even our ghostly Grandpa Al seems happy with their growly mates. I'm the odd witch out.

 

My gut says Conrad Boman, the sexy python Shifter, is the one for me. I just don't know for sure. Even Petyr, my totally adorable familiar, can't figure me out.

 

Summer Solstice is coming, and I have plenty to keep me busy. First, it's our monthly naked bonfire casting party. Next, I have to find the butthead setting fires in my bakery. And last, I have to make the perfect cake for my friends' double wedding.

 

June is bustin' out all over, and this little baker is pooped. Will I get everything done and still have time for me?

 

Maybe. Everything good starts with a leap of faith. I just have to learn to trust myself.

• Language: English
• Publisher: C.D. Gorri
• Release date: Jun 26, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223543695

Book preview

PROLOGUE

Everything good starts with a leap of faith—at least that was what I’ve learned. In order for me to convey that story, I have to start at the beginning.

Easter Sunday

The fire alarm was finally silent, but my head was still ringing.

I could not believe this was happening to me again! The storefront was a mess. There was broken glass, wrecked display cases, and water everywhere.

My specialty chocolate bunnies were melted. The panettone burned to crisps. The multi-colored egg-shaped cupcakes were in shambles. Easter was ruined. What would my customers do?

Ugh.

Why me? Why my shop? Despair roared to life, and I wanted to weep. Now that the danger was over, I supposed the shock was wearing off.

Maybe I could whip up some treats in a hurry, after the mess was cleaned up. I could not get in my kitchen until all the wrongs were righted, and that was going to take a hot minute.

Luckily, my familiar was on it. Unfortunately, I could only use my magic in the kitchen in my bakery. The furry little dude I’d been assigned by the Shifter Wanker, Zelda, herself, had no such limitations—but like with all things, he could only fix so much.

The rest would depend on elbow grease—mainly mine.

That was the price the Goddess demanded, and she was right. Fair was fair.

I waved Ryan off. He’d done all he could. He was my employee and was currently engaged to one of my besties.

Ryan was a nice guy for a grizzly bear. He made the flakiest croissants and softest dinner rolls ever. He worked hard, methodically, and paid attention to detail. The bear was a damn good baker, and I liked him just fine.

I’ll be back in a few, he yelled from his perch in the driver’s seat, then he carefully backed the big red fire engine out of The Tasty Tart’s parking lot.

I’ll be here, I sang out in reply.

He was headed down Main Street, back to the Castor’s Corner Firehouse, I presumed, though I honestly didn’t know. Tears streaked down my face, not because I was sad or hurt, but because of the smoke.

Stinking firebug. I was going to solve this mystery if it was the last thing I did. I turned around to go back inside. Petyr, my familiar, would be finished doing his thing by now. The furry Domovyk didn’t appreciate an audience when he was casting spells, so I let him have his privacy.

Petyr? You finished? I rasped out.

Da, my witchy. You come now, he said from right beside me.

How in the world— I started coughing and shook my head when Petyr held out water. Cold would not work, I needed hot.

Clearing my throat, I winced at the tickle there, already picturing which of my specialty teas I would brew, when I heard a car pull into the lot behind me.

He is here. My familiar had a rather endearing habit of stating the obvious.

I closed my eyes, willing the intruder away. Of course, he was only doing his job. Was I a weasel or a witch? I turned to face the man.

Six and a half feet of gorgeous Shifter poured out of the patrol car in one fluid motion, rising to his full height like vapor from a boiling pot of water.

Are you alright? he asked, concern written all over him.

Want me to get rid? Petyr continued as if the man did not have supernaturally enhanced hearing.

Uh, thank you for coming, I said, regretting my choice of words.

Last time I saw Conrad, we’d both been coming—a lot. Okay, so I went to bed with him. Though, technically, we did not sleep.

Truth was, I’d been avoiding him like crazy. The man might be cute, but he was off his rocker if he thought I was going to fall for his lines. Love was no friend of mine.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice—I don’t think so.

It’s time we talk, Maribella.

Look, Conrad, I’m sorry you caught feelings. I told you then, it was just one night. I mean, you’re a big boy. I shouldn’t have to explain this to you, I snapped.

A wide grin stretched across his ruggedly handsome face, and he scratched the back of his neck as his cheeks turned a dusky shade of pink. Like he was embarrassed—good, I thought meanly.

I meant about the fire, sweetheart. But if there’s something else on your mind, I am all ears, he replied, one eyebrow raised as he looked over my soot covered self from head to toe.

Well, shit. I supposed I stepped right into that one.

I’ll call Jaxson later with my statement. Goodbye, deputy, I grumbled, hurrying inside before I could make a bigger ass out of myself.

Worst. Day. Ever. And it was only just starting.

CHAPTER 1

Spring in Castor’s Corner used to be my absolute favorite season. Call me crazy, but I loved the indecisiveness of Mother Earth during that time of year.

Hot, cold, dry, wet—you never could tell what you were going to get. Easter was weeks away, and I thought I’d seen the worst of the season on that crappy morning. But I was wrong.

My closet overflowed with outfit choices ranging from short, flowy dresses to sweatshirts and flannels. It was just too soon to put away winter’s warm cozies.

The weeks leading up to summer’s eventual heatwaves and the mad rush of tourists heading for the beach were always like this. I used to love it. But these last few months had been intense.

We saw five inches of snow the last week of March. Followed by a hurricane that hit our shores pretty hard around mid-April. Then the next week, we had temps reaching eighty degrees five days in a row, making everyone dig out their window units and rushing to get them installed, only for it to dip back down to the fifties.

May was crazy. It had been cold, wet, and downright icky most of that month. With June finally here, I wondered how long till summer appeared. With my luck, it would be rainy and cloudy for days and days yet.

I’d have loved to finally get some sunshine. Though, I had to admit it was usually the not knowing what was coming next that I enjoyed so much.

Not anymore. Something strange was happening, and I was not feeling myself.

Maribella Strega, keep it together, I mumbled, closing my eyes against the pounding in my brain.

Where had it all gone wrong? That was what I wanted to know. Less than a year ago, I’d been regular old Bella, a member of the town’s witch trifecta, beloved bakery shop owner, and winner of the best blueberry pie award at every summer solstice festival.

Then Evie showed up late to our monthly bonfire where we strengthened the town’s wards, and all hell broke loose. Children went missing, ghosts appeared in the cemetery, an evil warlock tried to take over, the Chicky twins had hexed Grandpa Al’s remains and bound him to earth, stealing clippings from the cremation station—it was like the witchy wild west!

Things were fine now, but at the time, it was terrible. A few months had passed with little shenanigans, then, things started happening once again.

Let me back up a little, though. Give you some pertinent Maribella Strega history. Okay, so first, Castor’s Corner was my home.

This cozy little coastal town has been harboring supernaturals since the USA was still young enough to have only a few stars on its flag. The first witches to settle here placed sensitive wards around the boundary to influence normals away from their territory.

There were entire histories written in blood and ink stored away in the archives of City Hall, where Evie worked as the town mayor. Evie was one of my best friends, along with Donny.

We recently found out we were cousins. Something I admit I was completely tickled about. My Mom wasn’t exactly thrilled to learn about the family’s little scandal, but I thought it was amazing.

Al Castor, our mutual grandfather, was a total dog of a warlock. Like most magical men, he strayed outside his marriage, siring two—that we know of—illegitimate children, mine and Donny’s fathers.

Warlocks were