A Dash of Destiny (Warlocks MacGregor #8) - Michelle M. Pillow Page 0,1

out of the bog. Though he could pick out small similarities, this creature was not the woman he’d seen disappear.

Peat-covered hair clung to her shoulders. Mud slicked her face and bony arms. A long hiss of breath left her mouth, showcasing rotted teeth marred with decaying leaves. A clump fell from her face, taking what should have been a nose with it.

“Ya must be Jenny,” Rory said, not bothering to hide his repulsion as the hag crawled on her stomach from the bog to move along the surface. He struggled to push out of the muck, but the lad had sunk him too deeply.

Jenny smiled, eyeing him like trapped prey she was ready to devour.

“Lovely day for a stroll, isn’t it?” Rory had charmed far more dangerous women than her. He gave her his most winning smile.

The bog witch’s voice crackled an undistinguishable answer. Apparently, his charms were lost on Jenny, and she continued toward him.

“Och, this is going to be a tough one,” he muttered, unsure what he should do. Panic began to fill him. Without magick he was helpless, and he knew there was no easy escape from Jenny and her enchanted bog.

Chapter Two

Green Vallis, Wisconsin, Modern Day

When the guidance counselor had sat Jennifer Greene down to talk about her future after high school, waitressing in a small Wisconsin town fifteen years later, living on tips and free employee meals, had not been on her list of dreams. The tater tot nachos at the Crimson Tavern were heavenly, but they weren’t health insurance and a 401k.

That was the not-so-funny thing about life. It rarely ended up as intended.

Jennifer had not planned on her mother leaving after a car ran over her older brother. She hadn’t imagined her strong father would get so sick he couldn’t walk. She hadn’t planned on choosing between a college scholarship or a job to take care of him for six years until he succumbed to the big C. She hadn’t planned on her friends disappearing from her life one by one by one because they’d moved on and couldn’t relate to her struggle. She hadn’t planned on her dad’s medical bills, a reverse mortgage on her childhood home, or the extremely desperate loneliness that led her into the arms of a man who would leave her when they thought she’d gotten pregnant. It had been a false positive, but the betrayal stung.

“All it takes is a dash of destiny, and everything can change.”

Her mother told her that the night she left. The look on the woman’s face used to haunt her. She’d been so…excited. Who could be that happy knowing they were abandoning their child? Jennifer had been six, and it was the only thing she remembered about the woman. She’d thought about those words a lot in her life.

“All it takes is a dash of destiny…”

Jennifer stood beside the quiet street outside the Crimson Tavern. Dash of destiny—it sounded like an ingredient in a lousy family recipe. She’d had about all the dashes she could handle. So far, her life’s destiny tasted sour and left her more than a little bitter.

Headlights turned off of Main Street and ventured toward her. The downtown streets were constructed of red bricks that had shifted over time to make for bumpy roads. The lights bounced as the slow-moving car neared where she stood close to the Crimson Tavern’s door.

The locals treated her like a stranger, but she didn’t mind. The solitary hours gave her time to romanticize a make-believe life she was living. A light fog lined the street as if exhaled from windows. The historic buildings squished close together could have been from the 1800s. If she ignored the modern dresses in the store windows, she could pretend she walked through history on the evening streets of London. If she closed her eyes, she could imagine the sound of horse hooves and carriage wheels.

Jennifer lifted her hand to block the headlights as they passed. The bright flash of high beams brought her out of her thoughts and blinded her to who was driving.

Walking alone at night in Green Vallis was relatively safe. The biggest threat was Mrs. Callister, the town gossip, who was always trying to take everyone’s pictures. Jennifer was tired of seeing her blurry face on the woman’s blog. The woman posted them next to speculation about what really went on inside Crimson Tavern.

Waitressing. Waitressing went on. Cheap beer and cheaper come-on lines.

Jennifer spent hours on her feet, fetching burgers, and refilling drinks.