Yew Queen Trilogy Read online

  “Why don’t you come with me and I’ll tell you all about the castle’s construction?” His voice rolled like the dying thunder, and that feathery, delicious feeling dragged its way up my body, from my red-painted toes currently hiding inside my motorcycle boots to the soft skin at the base of my throat.

  I swallowed, fighting the urge to sigh like a full-on tool. “Hard pass, dude,” I managed to stutter.

  “Does that mean you want to come with me?”

  “Oh, sure. I always head right into strange men’s homes. Especially when they magically appear during a storm.”

  The man’s eyes narrowed. His extremely handsome lower lip twitched like he was actually pretty disappointed. A part of me wondered what his lip would taste like if I nibbled it.

  Maybe he wasn’t that creepy. Maybe my avocado toast had gone bad. “Hey. Sorry.” I stuck out a hand for him to shake it. “That was rude. I’m kind of an unintentional asshole sometimes. A lot of times. Welcome to town. I’m Coren Connelly.”

  “Apology accepted, tocco d’oro.”

  “Took a what?” Was that Italian?

  He grasped my hand gently, but I jerked my fingers away.

  “It means touch of gold.” His thick eyebrows bunched. “Your aura sparks as golden as the sun.”

  The tingling sensation crashed over me like a waterfall, knocking any sense I had right out of my brain.

  His gaze—tinged with a savage gleam, a wildness—touched my forehead, cheeks, and chin as he took my hand, and all I could think was how smooth and warm his fingers were. Slowly, he bent his head. The sharp tips of his horns caught the light. He pressed his full lips against my palm. Sparks danced down my forearm as he whispered words in a foreign language, a language that sounded unlike anything I’d ever heard, not the Italian he had spoken first.

  As he raised his horned head, still bent over my hand, his breath warmed my wrist, and I did sigh then. I couldn’t help it. His eyes blazed brightly, and I saw the forest in them, deep and limned in starlight. The sound of the rainstorm faded, and I heard the rustle of leaves, the hum of night insects, and a heartbeat—mine?—echoing in my ears.

  Then, in less than a second, I was standing inside the castle fully, past the arched doorway, up against the cool stone wall, and his hips were pinned to mine.

  My lungs worked to take a deep breath, to stop their shallow panting, but it was impossible with his flat stomach brushing mine, that scent of his rising, and the warmth of him pressed against me. Desire flooded me, fiery and rushing, out of control. He palmed my lower back and urged me even closer while his other hand snaked around the back of my neck. He dipped his head and parted his lips below my ear. His breath was soft and hot, and I had never wanted a man more in my entire life.

  The muscles in his stomach tensed as I ran a hand down his torso and hooked a finger in his belt. I finally breathed deeply, taking in his intoxicating scent of spice, crushed green leaves, and pine resin. My other hand tangled into his soft, ebony and emerald hair, and my fingers brushed the tip of an ear. I froze. The shell of his ear came to a delicate point. It didn’t feel like part of a costume. His ear was warm and smooth. But my body overruled my brain, and I kissed him deeply. He returned the kiss, lips drawing across my mouth in a feather-light caress that made me yearn for more.

  “I will take you now, if you agree, tocco d’oro.”

  My mouth opened to moan Yes, take me, but my head shouted a firm WTF, Connelly!

  Something inside me snapped. My mind cleared. My body went cold.

  “No.” I shook my head, trying to force every bit of hormonal haze from my brain.

  “All is well.” His eyes sparked again, but this time I didn’t feel the bizarre urge to rip his freaking clothes off. “If you come with me,” he purred, “you will enjoy yourself. And I will return you to your world hale and hearty.”

  My chest went tight. Panic pounded through me. What had just happened? Why was I making out with this super sketchy stranger?

  I reared back, bent my knee, then launched forward, landing a strike in his groin.

  He shouted and bent double as I spun on my heel to run. Rain pelted me as I half slipped, half sprinted down the hill. When I peeked over my shoulder, I saw him standing at the castle door, bracing himself with one hand on the castle’s doorway, not looking nearly injured enough for what I’d done to his man bits. He wasn’t chasing me; that was good, at least. What in the world had I been thinking, getting that close to some bizarre guy? I’d walked right up to his door. Stupid.

  He didn’t call out. He just stood there looking glorious and sinister. What a nightmare.

  I made it to my bike, threw my helmet on, then kickstarted the engine. Wind whistled under my helmet as I raged down the road toward my bakery, adrenaline buzzing through me like I’d had five espressos then chased them with a bucket of Red Bull.

  My mind was like egg whites on a dough braid, sliding from one spot to another.

  It was time to find Hekla. She never knew the answers, but her perfectly wonderful yapping made my brain work better. She’d calm me down, make me see sense, and figure out this madness.

  Surely, there wasn’t an actual magical castle in my basic small town, and of course I had not just rubbed up on some stranger. No, that had not happened.

  But I could still smell the pines, and the image of a forest flickered through my head as real as any memory. And had he mentioned my aura? As in that thing sweet, crazy Aunt Viv believed in?

  Chapter 3

  I rode hard to the bakery, glad the rain had fled as quickly as it had arrived. No patience for the delivery truck blocking my regular spot behind the boutique-style strip mall, I parked out front along Main Street. Through the front windows, I could see that the lights in the back were already on.

  “Bless you, Hekla.” On the sidewalk, I bumped past a tourist who was simultaneously texting and keeping a hand on her toddler.

  With shaking hands, I unlocked the front door and flipped the smiling cookie sign from Closed to Open.

  As usual, Hekla had entered through the back and gone straight to the kitchen to get the croissants going and ready for the crowd that was already lining up on the sidewalk. The kitchen smelled glorious, and I inhaled the bready scent, knowing my nose would go after an hour of this. I could never smell anything after working a while. It kind of sucked. Not great for a baker.

  In the kitchen, Hekla attacked me, throwing my apron over my head and shoving a cup of chai rooibos tea in my hand. The spicy scent floated over my face, and I nearly forgot my insane experience.

  “Good morning, stormy face!” she said. “I guess you survived your drive home? That was something else, huh?”

  I grabbed her arm. “Listen. Did you or did you not notice the enormous gigantic castle on the brand new, never-before-seen hill on Hillsboro today?”

  Hekla scowled and hurried back to the dough she’d obviously been kneading. “The do-what-now?”

  “The castle. In town. On the hill. With the most handsome man alive in it? Who may or may not be fluent in magical lustery?”

  “Lustery?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You might need to lay off the Benadryl, Coren. I know the allergies are legit this time of year, but you should really consider a simple, non-mind-altering saline nasal spray. My sister-in-law said that stuff changed her life.”

  “This is not about Benadryl!”

  “So the addict says.”

  “I’m not addicted to Benadryl, Hekla! There is a castle. And a hot dude. And I talked to him!”

  Hekla threw the dough down with a thud and crossed her arms. Her left eyebrow disappeared under her blunt cut bangs. “You talked to a man? You haven’t talked to a man in three years, fourteen days, and fifty-three minutes.”

  “You do not know that stat.”

  “I do.”

  “You are—just stop. No. You’re right. Fine. Okay. I haven’t talked to a guy in a while, but you’re missing the very important po
int here!”

  Hekla wiggled her eyebrows. “I thought the point was getting you some.”

  “Some what?”

  “You know what.” She winked and began kneading the dough.

  “That dough might press charges.”

  Hekla slapped me on the arm. It kind of hurt. “Who is this fella?” she asked.

  “Who says fella?”

  “Spill it.”

  “Hekla. You are not getting this.”

  I wanted to drag her out the back door right away, but the customers were calling for help and I couldn’t just let my business die for the sake of a hallucination or whatever it had been.

  “You can show me on our lunch break, okay?” Hekla cut the dough into triangles, her hands moving fast.

  I sighed. “Sure. Fine.”

  It was probably best to try to ignore the insane experience and get back to work. A part of me wanted to call the cops, but how could I explain my assault to his man parts? For all I knew, he was reporting me to the authorities right this minute.

  “Sorry, everyone!” I called as I hurried back into the front room of the bakery.

  “What are you sorry about?” a teen tourist asked, looking genuinely concerned.

  “Oh, nothing. Ignore me.”

  Ami, our gum-snapping cashier gal with a heart of gold, would be at the counter soon, but she was doing the whole online college thing, and I’d told her she could come in late since she’d had a rough go of it lately.

  The line at the counter went all the way to the door. I gave the customers a smile and went to work, tucking my bizarre experience into the far, dark corners of my puzzled mind.

  A woman flanked by the concerned teen and a younger kid ordered three pumpkin muffins. I baked the ubiquitous fall treat each night no matter what the season because customers loved them so much. Everyone had to forgive my pride, but it refused to be tamed on the subject. I had a great way of triple sealing this vented container I’d found at a yard sale five years ago, and it kept the muffins completely fresh even forty-eight hours post-bake.

  After doling out pumpkin muffins galore, six croissants, an iced Americano, four black coffees, and an array of cookies, I took a cake order from a harried mother with two babies in a double stroller.

  “Yes, we can do it,” I told her as I fetched a tossed pacifier. “I have zero problems with a fondant kraken. In fact, I think your third-grader must be pretty rad to want a cake like that.”

  The mother gave me a genuine smile as I washed the pacifier in the sink behind the counter, then handed it back to her. “Thanks so much,” she said. “We’re new in town, and I’m so happy to find a bakery like this.”

  She wasn’t the only one new in town. Blinking away thoughts of the psycho on the hill and the castle that no one but me could see, I finally thanked her. “And be sure to check out Merridee’s on 4th. They serve this great curried chicken salad, plus there’s a little lobby where your toddlers can run around for a minute.”

  Her eyes lit up like I’d promised her gossip about her mother-in-law. “You are a life saver.”

  She turned her diaper-bag-laden stroller around, getting it snagged on a chair.

  Nancy Striffer—yes, the one who ran the Daily Noser—walked in. Her bosom swayed dramatically as she helped the mother work one of the diaper bags’ straps off the chair. The mother waved to everyone in the bakery, then left as one of the city council guys opened the door for her.

  I cocked my head, studying Nancy’s overly rouged face as she approached the counter. “See anything interesting of late?” I asked, hoping she would mention the castle.

  Nancy sniffed. “Oh, yes. But you’ll have to wait until today’s post to hear about it.”

  Excitement ran through me. I wasn’t going insane! Yay! “It’s about new construction, isn’t it?”

  Nancy’s forehead wrinkled, and her floral perfume argued with the scent of Hekla’s croissants. “No.” Then her face cleared. “Oh, you’re talking about the golf course disaster that Hekla’s brother is building.”

  Hekla’s voice came from the kitchen. “I can hear you, you know, Nancy.”

  Nancy raised her chin and her voice both. “I’m only telling the truth, dear, and you know it. That place floods every other month, and why he thinks he can drain it is beyond me. A waste of good money. You tell him I said that!”

  I rolled my eyes and patted Nancy’s freckled hand. “Please don’t antagonize Hekla. Her anger will come out in the croissants.”

  Several folks in line gasped quietly, and I nodded at them.

  Nancy tucked her chin and took a ten out of her purse. “I meant no harm,” she stage-whispered.

  “Sure you didn’t. Of course.” I rang up her usual, one croissant and a large sweet tea. But my calm voice was all a lie. Sweat beaded on my back, making my shirt stick. The images of the castle and the man flashed through my mind like strobe lights.

  Ami came up behind me. “Thanks for the whole late-to-work thing, Coren,” she whispered. “Yesterday’s exam was a rough one.”

  I gave Ami a pat on the back, and she immediately set to work, taking orders from a group of gray-haired tourists with New Jersey accents.

  The morning rush ended around 10:15, and I wasted no time heading into the kitchen.

  “Hekla. Please. You have to at least play along with my insanity.”

  Flour coated one half of her cherubic face. “Is it lunch already?”

  “Yep.” Time to see a castle.

  Chapter 4

  I dragged her out the back door and pointed to the massive hill and the equally massive castle. It was crazy that I could see it from all the way over here on Main.

  “There! What in the hell is that and when was it built?” My voice cracked as my heart tripled its pace. “I do not remember a castle being constructed in Franklin.”

  Hekla gawked in the castle’s direction. Then her wide-eyed gaze slid to focus on me. “I see the parking lot. The church. And the sky, which is now thankfully turning blue.”

  I almost screamed. “No, Hekla. No. You see a freaking Italianesque castle. With a tower. And a clock. And possibly a hot, most likely too-alpha-for-his-own-good dude at the front portcullis.”

  “Did they have clocks during castle times?”

  “Not the point here, Hekla!”

  Hekla huffed and bit her lower lip. “I appreciate your pranks as much as the next gal, nay, more than the next gal. But dude, this is kind of worrying me.” She pulled me into a hug. “Do we need to close up? Do you need to talk?” Sliding away and studying my face, she frowned. “Maybe you should call your Aunt Viv.”

  My stomach rolled. Aunt Viv was completely bonkers. Delightfully nuts, but still—way gone. After my dad left when I was five, Mom—desperate to earn enough for me to go to college—had sent me to hang out with Viv every summer. The pool and Popsicle days had been filled with stories about faeries and ghosts, all sorts of supernatural stuff. I’d thought Aunt Viv’s tales of magic had some truth to them until one day in fifth grade when Josh Butterbanks—the class a-hole—had found out that I believed in the supernatural. He’d laughed me right out of the cafeteria. From that day on, I regarded Aunt Viv’s stories as just another element of her eccentric nature.

  “No, Hekla. Not Viv.” That years-old burn of embarrassment heated my cheeks. “I just need some rest. It’ll be…” I wanted to say fine, but I couldn’t manage it. Hekla truly couldn’t see the castle.

  I fiddled with the friendship bracelet I had worn religiously since Hekla and I’d had our Nostalgia Night five years ago, a fun evening of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and arts and crafts. Maybe there was some strange reason Hekla couldn’t see it and I could. I was reaching, but I had to find out if I was losing my mind.

  Hekla squeezed me again. “Let’s close up. Get you some rest. We could even close tomorrow too and go climb that bend over the river near Ashland City like you’ve been wanting to.”

  Climbing sounded amazing.


  A shrill beeping echoed through the morning, and Hekla and I swore in unison.

  “The beignets!” Hekla gripped my arms.

  “Go!” I shoved back toward the kitchen.

  Black smoke curled up from the fryer. Hekla was on it like a true professional. We started a new batch just as Ami peered in to check on us.

  “Crisis averted?” Ami blew a massive pink bubble.

  A thought occurred to me. Ami couldn’t lie. She was physically incapable of it. When I’d tried to get her to lie once—for fun—to a tourist about being born a mermaid, her entire neck had gone strawberry and she’d nearly keeled over. Even if her brain thought it was nuts, if she saw the castle, she would tell me.

  “Yeah, we’re okay here, but, Ami, can you come outside for a minute?”

  Leaving Hekla busy with the beignets, I followed Ami to the cash register where she finished ringing up an elderly couple’s coffees.

  Out front, my heart staggered through a beat as I pointed over Main Street toward the looming castle. Fog swirled around its towers, a fog that didn’t seem to be affecting any other spot in the vicinity. I shivered.

  Ami looked left, right, then snapped her gum. An old lady walking her terrier jumped. The dog barked. Another loud gum snap. “I see the square. That’s where Todd asked me to senior prom. Great night.”

  Pressing my fingers against my temples, I breathed slowly. “No, Ami. You see that castle. You do. You do.”

  “I don’t.” Ami shook her head, losing color in her cheeks. “You’re scaring me. Can I go back to the register, boss?”

  I put my hands on my knees and tried to breathe normally.

  Neither Hekla nor Ami could see the castle. And none of the passersby had seemed surprised at the castle either; they hadn’t seen it. No one saw it. No one but me. I had officially lost what small amount of marbles I’d been given in this life. It was all over.

  The bakery was empty except for the cute, old guy who ran the county museum and Ami. I flung myself onto the counter, letting my arms hang limply over the edge.