Spells: A Bayou Magic Novel

devil,” I reply and run my hand down her soft, red hair.
Suddenly, a door slams somewhere in the house.
“Oh, no,” Brielle says. “Mill—”
“Already looking.” I reach out again and feel everything in me go cold in terror. “Hide.”

Chapter One Millie
Early mornings at the Witches Brew are my favorite time of day. I rarely sleep. Dreams have plagued me for my entire life, and as I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned to survive on less and less rest. Instead, I use the night to learn, the early morning to enjoy, and the day to work.
The sun isn’t up yet, and I’m alone here in my café in the heart of the French Quarter, adding some new potions to the menu board.
I perfected a new protection brew last week that I feel confident giving to my customers, and I tweaked the love potion just a bit.
I can’t have any more men ordering that damn thing, taking a drink, and deciding I’m their soul mate. No matter how many times I tell them to wait and drink it after leaving the café, they never listen.
Men are horrible about that.
So, I had to weaken the spell a bit. Make it more of a lust potion.
Once I hang the board behind the counter, I walk to my newest addition to the space—my reading nook. I have two couches in deep purple velvet situated on opposite sides of a square coffee table—thanks to my sister Daphne’s antique shop. She says the table came from a couple so deeply in love that they died within minutes of each other so one wouldn’t have to know life without the other.
And Daphne would know. She’s psychometric. She sees the past when she touches objects.
I fluff the colorful pillows on the couches, wipe up a ring on a side table, and make a mental note to go across the street today to buy some fresh flowers to set in front of the window that overlooks the courtyard out back.
The New Orleans French Quarter is known for its hidden courtyards, tucked back behind the shops and businesses that line the streets. I’m lucky enough to have one here. When it’s not too hot outside, I open the door and offer tables and chairs for my customers to sit and enjoy the magnolia trees and the cobbled patio that connects the outside to Witches Brew.
This shop is my favorite place on Earth, and I baby it every day.
Once I have books back on their shelves , I grab a bag of garbage to take to the alley.
Brielle would yell at me for going out back by myself in the pitch-black dark, so before I step through the door, I reach out with my mind to make sure it’s safe.
No one’s lurking in the shadows.
Well, no one living, anyway. There are plenty of spirits everywhere. But I’ve had my shields in place against their minds for a long, long time.
I hurry out and swing the heavy trash into the dumpster and then turn to go inside before stopping short, my senses suddenly alive in awareness.
“Meow.”
I tilt my head to the side, trying to see better in the darkness. “Hi there. Excuse me.”
I open the door to my shop and am surprised when the cat walks in beside me.
In the light of the café, I can see that she’s a petite calico with one blue eye and one gold. She sits and wraps her long tail around her body, watching me patiently.
I already know who she is, but the eyes cement the knowledge.
“It seems I have a new familiar.” I squat next to her and smile. “And aren’t you beautiful?”
“Meow.”
“You’re welcome.” I scratch her ears. “You’re going to need some food, a litter box, and all kinds of fun things, aren’t you?”
She rubs her face against my hand and starts to purr.
“The most important thing you need is a name. Come on, you can help me get ready for the day, and we’ll talk about it.”
I walk to the dining room, the cat on my heels, and start wiping down tabletops. She jumps onto a chair and watches me.
“You have the cutest little patches of orange fur on your cheeks.” I watch her as I scrub the table. “It almost looks like you’re blushing.”
I laugh and lean over to kiss the top of her head. When I pull back, she looks like she’s smiling up at me.
This is a fun turn of events. I lost my last familiar, Luna, two years ago. And a witch doesn’t choose their familiar—it’s the other way around. So, I’d been waiting to see who might come into my life and when they would arrive.
“And here you are.” I sit next to her, prop my chin in my hand, and talk with her. “I’m Millie, but you already know that, don’t you?”
She blinks happily.
“And who are you?” My eyes keep going back to her cheeks. It really does look like she’s blushing. “You know, I always had rosy cheeks, too. My high school English teacher told me they were sanguine. And I always thought that was such a pretty word. What do you think?”
She purrs again and rubs her cheek against my hand when I reach out to pet her.
“It’s settled, then. Sanguine is a beautiful name for a beautiful girl. You’ll stay with me at the shop today, but then you’ll have to go to the house. I don’t think the health inspector would be okay with me keeping a cat in a coffee shop. Don’t worry, though. I’ll sneak you in with me sometimes.”
I walk over to the door and flick the lock, then flip the sign to OPEN and turn on the rest of the lights.
Sanguine jumps up onto the counter just as the bell above the door dings, signaling an incoming patron.
“You’re not supposed to be up there,” I hiss at her.
“Ah, she found you.”
My head whips up at Lucien’s voice. The man has been a part of my life for a decade, thanks