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Merlin laughed.“After all we’ve been through, you’re worried about stealing? Besides, that garden is Luna’s. She planted it, cared for it. How could it be anyone’s but hers?”

“Don’t think about it too hard. You’ll just give yourself a headache,” Luna suggested. She then pressed herself into Merlin’s side. “Well, c’mon. We need to get those ingredients if we’re to dispatch our ghost.”

I sighed. She was right, of course. That didn’t make me feel any better about sneaking around on a property that didn’t belong to us. Just look at all the trouble it had gotten us into before!

Still, once the cats had made up their minds, there was no convincing them otherwise.

I placed a hand on the Maine Coon witch’s back, resigned to what would happen next.

Merlin just had to blink twice, and the three of us were transported to the garden.

Well, actually, we ended up at the far edge of the yard near a thick tree that I knew all too well. I shivered, remembering the times I’d been here before. None of them had been pleasant. First Merlin and I had broken in, only to be threatened by our then-enemy, Luna. She also kidnapped me and used me to make a love spell, although I didn’t know that at the time. The worst memory of all, though, was the showdown we had with Virginia and the wicked illusion witch who’d been pulling her strings. The same tree we found ourselves standing by now had been animated and fought right alongside us.

Creepy, creepy, creepy.

Was it any wonder I was so hesitant about returning now in the dead of night?

A flash of red caught my eye. I turned quickly, half expecting to see a crazed witch running right at me. But it was only the FOR SALE sign flapping in the gentle breeze.

Luna drew up to my side and said,“Virginia had no family. No next of kin. That’s part of why I chose her. It’s much easier to make a familiar of someone without attachments.”

“Is that why you chose me?” I asked Merlin, wondering if I should be offended. Did the witchy cats choose people human society didn’t want? Did this mean my cats thought I was a loser who wouldn’t be missed?

“That’s why I chose your grandmother,” Merlin explained without looking my way. “I chose you by default when she left.”

I chuffed.“Thanks for reminding me.”

“Hey, I’m happy with my choice, however it was made.”

That at least made me smile.“Okay, so we’re here for ingredients, right? Let’s get what we need and go. Whether or not anyone lives here now, I still don’t feel right about snooping around.”

“Your sense of morality is seriously questionable at times,” Merlin said as he raised his head and sniffed the air. “But so be it.”

12

Luna led the way into the back garden. I had a hard time seeing much in the darkness of night, but neither cat hesitated as they plucked various herbs and flowers from the ground and laid them in a pile at my unmoving feet.

“Are you almost done?” I asked after several minutes of this.

That was when a flood light lit up the backyard, blinding me in its sudden brightness.

“Hello!” someone called from the side of the house as footsteps hurried our way. “Who’s out here?”

I froze in place, hoping Merlin would transport us out of there before the other person made it back.

No such luck, though. Honestly, I don’t think he even tried.

“Gracie?” the other person shouted with a gasp. “What are you doing back here?”

Finally my eyes began to adjust to the light. I squinted at the new arrival and watched as it slowly morphed into the familiar shape of my friend and boss, Kelley Carmine.

“Hi,” I said with an awkward wave.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, stepping closer without hesitation now that we’d identified each other.

“Oh, you know…” I laughed to disguise my nerves. “Taking my cats for a nice moonlit stroll.”

She tilted her head to the side.“In my back garden?”

I took a step back.“Your garden? I thought this place was for sale. I’m sorry, I didn’t realize—”

“Oh, you’re fine.” Kelley waved her hand dismissively and made a funny face. “It’s not officially mine yet. My offer was accepted just today, though, which means it will be soon.”

“Kelley, congrats! That’s amazing!” I broke into a relieved smile. I didn’t like snooping around my friend’s place uninvited, but it was much better than if it were a stranger’s.

Her cheeks reddened slightly.“Yeah, now that I own a business here, I’m trying to put down some roots. It felt weird to live in my dad’s old place, so I did some searching and found this cute little cottage. I just came by to take some measurements so I can start planning.”

“Well, you picked a nice house. This garden is very pretty.”

We both looked toward the rows of herbs and flowers that filled almost half of the back yard.

Kelley shook her head.“Do you think so? I don’t even know what half these plants are. I was actually thinking of tearing everything out and replacing it with tulips. That’s my favorite flower, and I hear they’re much easier to take care of than some others.”

Luna gasped and fell over onto the grass.

“Um, is your cat okay?”