Free Spelling Mistake (The Kitchen Witch Book 4) by Morgana Best Page A

“That color is known as ‘haint blue.’ It’s supposed to keep haints away.”
    “Why?” I asked him.
    Ruprecht shut the Book of Shadows. “No one knows. Some legends say that haints won’t cross seawater, but no one really knows for sure. I’m afraid that knowing Fred is a haint brings us no closer to knowing whether or not he was the murderer.”
    Silence settled over the room. “I should light some lemongrass incense,” Camino said, “or perhaps some asafoetida.”
    Thyme pulled a face. “Lemongrass would be better. Asafoetida smells absolutely disgusting. They don’t call it ‘devil’s dung’ for nothing.”
    “Let me light the incense, Camino,” Mint said. “If the fire gets too close to your onesie, you’ll go up in smoke.”
    Ruprecht turned to look at me. “Amelia, you’ll have to banish the haint.”
    “Me?” I squeaked. “But how?”
    “I’m afraid that’s something you’ll have to figure out for yourself.” Ruprecht’s tone was solemn. “You’re a Dark Witch, and now is the time for you to recognize your powers and act on them.”
    The rest of the evening was somewhat of a blur. I tossed and turned in bed that night, unable to sleep, burdened with worries. Had the haint killed Scott Plank? And had it made Alder kiss me? A selfish thought, I know, given the gravity of the situation, but one I just couldn’t get out of my mind. And worst of all, how would I be able to come into my powers as a Dark Witch? I didn’t even know what that entailed.
    Willow and Hawthorn swiped at me as I rolled over in bed once more, annoyed I had disturbed them from their resting place on top of my legs. Willow walked up to my face to glare at me. “What am I going to do, Willow?” Of course, there was no reply, so I tried once more to fall asleep.
     
     

Chapter 13
     
    I woke up to the sound of yet another strident battle. The house was up early this morning. Rubbing my eyes, I staggered into the living room to turn off the TV. “Please just let me have coffee first,” I said to the house.
    Willow and Hawthorn had followed me every step of the way, complaining loudly that I had the nerve to do something other than feed them the second my eyes had opened. I went back into my usual routine, switching on the coffee and then filling the cats’ bowls with food.
    I slumped over the coffee machine and waited for it to do its magic, figuratively speaking. That sound was my favorite sound in the world. Soon, the first hit of caffeine was oozing delightfully through my body. I took up my cup and went back into the living room, where I opened the curtains. To my alarm, I saw Kayleen’s van parked at my front gate. What was she doing here? I had gone to the expense of getting a Post Office Box just to make sure Kayleen never darkened my doorstep again.
    I watched as she walked toward my iron gate, resting her hands on it. I set down my coffee cup, wrapped my bathrobe around me tightly, and hurried down the front path.
    “Parcel!” Kayleen barked.
    “What? I have a Post Office Box now. I’m not supposed to get any mail here.”
    “Maybe you should get a redirection order,” Kayleen said in a snide tone.
    “I do have one, a two-year one,” I said.
    Kayleen snickered. “Perhaps someone at the Post Office forgot to put on the redirection sticker.”
    I crossed my arms and took a shallow breath. Her extravagantly applied and cheap floral perfume was tickling my nose. “Like I said, I’m not supposed to get any mail here. That’s why I paid all that money for a Post Office Box. They’re not cheap, you know.” I was exasperated.
    Kayleen thrust a small parcel at me by way of response. “You’re a witch!”
    I was taken aback. “Excuse me?” I snatched the parcel from her.
    “You heard me!” Kayleen thrust out her jaw in a belligerent manner. “There’s protection incense in there. Only witches use protection incense.”
    “You opened my package!” I said accusingly. I could see that only