Free Witch's Bell Book One by Odette C. Bell Page B

they all fitted together – if they fitted together.
    'Okay,' Ebony said softly to the remainder of the day, 'on with the show.'
    She walked gingerly to her next appointment, though not in the same happy daze as she'd met the morning with. Though she was ready to totally dismiss it, she had to admit that some of the shine was gone. The sun was still warm and lovely, but the breeze was picking up ever so slightly, her skirt playing against her legs with little tugs and pulls.
    There were even a few small wisps of cloud in the air now, just dotting the edge of the horizon like specks of dust on an otherwise clean windscreen.
    Ebony walked quickly to Wonda's Witch Wonders, one hand occasionally securing her hat in place as the wind picked up even the more. The other hand pressed her file into her chest protectively.
    Wonda's Witch Wonders was situated down a dark lane-way in the industrial district of town. Ebony had grinned as she'd received more than a couple of appreciative whistles from construction workers as she'd made her way there. It was such a strange and dingy part of town for a store – but she understood the rationale for its location – it was out of the way, remote, and unlikely to be chanced upon. Vale may have been sitting right on top of a magical Portal with incredible power, but ordinary Valians would be no more likely to believe in witches than Francis Bacon would. They had no idea of the secret underground of magic that pulsed through their city, and Ebony was sure they probably would like it to stay that way. Magic was confronting, after all, and made people question their reality in fundamental ways.
    Just like the little Detective Nathan Andrew Wall, Ebony smiled to herself cheekily. It had now almost been a month since Detective Nate had transferred to the Vale Police Department, and watching him come to terms with magic had been as entertaining as the circus was for a five-year-old on a candy-high.
    He would sway fitfully between being in control, and being hopelessly out of his depth. Just the other day he'd managed to take down a possessed motorbike all by himself, only to stare in slack-jawed horror when a cursed mannequin had taken a stab at him with her plastic pointed hands.
    He was such a strange mix – Ebony thought to herself as her steps bounced along the pavement – strong, in control, and as abrasive as steel wool. But the fact was, much to Ebony's disappointment, he was beginning to settle in. Ben had stopped calling him rookie, and had even started ensuring Ebony didn't steal Nate's doughnuts from off his desk. The office ladies all said warm welcomes to him as he walked in every morning, and Ebony was sure that Barney from the depot was doing an extra special job of keeping Nate's gun cleaned and serviced.
    People seemed to like Nate, for some reason. Ebony really had no idea why. While he'd been fun to tease at first, surely that awfully arrogant edge irritated people as much as it got to her?
    There was no denying one thing though; Nate was attractive. The man was as handsome as you could imagine, which certainly accounted for his favor amongst the female officers. But seriously, even they should be able to see that behind the face, the competence, and the fiery sense of right – was a lump of something astoundingly irritating. Fun enough to tease, of course, but Ebony was starting to get the terrible feeling that Nate only let her tease him when he felt like it. Rather than Ebony being able to push his buttons and sit back and watch him splutter with frustration like an overloading robot, Nate would sometimes just shut her down altogether. He'd get this tunnel vision, this pin-point concentration, and block her out completely.
    Ebony took a large sniff, finally rounding the corner to Wonda's alleyway, and knocking carefully on a pale-green door under the fire-escapes. Wonda's shop didn't have advertising; it didn't need it. Everyone who had any business knowing about magic knew