Wickedly Ever After: A Baba Yaga Novella

Titles by Deborah Blake

Wickedly Dangerous

Wickedly Wonderful

Wickedly Powerful [2/16]

Veiled Magic

Novellas

Wickedly Magical

Wickedly Ever After

Wickedly Ever After

A Baba Yaga Novella

Deborah Blake

InterMix Books, New York

AN IMPRINT OF PENGUIN RANDO
M HOUSE LLC

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WICKEDLY EVER AFTER

An InterMix Book / published by arrangement with the author

Copyright © 2016 by Deborah Blake.

Excerpt from
Wickedly Powerful
© 2016 by Deborah Blake.

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eBook ISBN: 978-1-101-98721-6

PUBLISHING HISTORY

InterMix eBook edition / January 2016

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Penguin Random House is committed to publishing works of quality and integrity. In that spirit, we are proud to offer this book to our readers; however, the story, the experiences, and the words are the author’s alone.

To Jennifer Holling Blake, my own magical child.

The irresistible sound of a child’s laughter drew Barbara Yager’s eyes out the window as she stood at the kitchen sink washing dishes. A sweet-smelling blossom-scented summer breeze floated in the through the open casement, carrying with it the unaccustomed joyful noise of childish giggling.

The source of the laughter became apparent as soon as Barbara looked; little Babs, her adopted daughter and pint-sized Baba Yaga in training, was lying on the bright green grass being tickled by Liam, Barbara’s new husband. Her other companion, the dragon Chudo-Yudo in his customary guise as a gigantic white pit bull, relaxed on the lawn nearby, gazing on in benevolent approval.

Barbara couldn’t believe this was her life. After all, it was a far cry from the one she’d lived until recently, a solitary roaming existence with only Chudo-Yudo for company as she traveled the United States carrying out the duties of a Baba Yaga. Not that she’d had any complaints, mind you. It had been the life she’d been raised for as one of a small number of Russian fairy tale witches whose job it was to keep the balance of the natural worlds and guard the doorway between the Human lands and the fantastical Otherworld. She’d never expected anything else.

Not until Liam came along and changed everything.

A call for help brought Barbara to Clearwater County in rural upstate New York, where Liam dedicated himself to upholding the law as sheriff. To say that their styles had originally clashed would be an understatement; in fact, Liam had for a time suspected her of being behind the disappearances of several young children. With her gleaming royal blue classic BMW motorcycle and black leathers, Barbara hadn’t exactly fit in with the local population, and her cover as a traveling herbalist at one point made her look even more suspicious.

Thankfully, they’d eventually uncovered the actual culprit and after Liam found out who and what Barbara really was, they’d worked together to rescue the children even though that had meant a trip to the Otherworld. While they were there, they had discovered Babs, stolen as a baby and given to Liam’s insane former wife to raise as her own. The unpredictable magic of the Otherworld had caused the infant to be about six when they found her, even though it had been less than a year since she’d been kidnapped from her murdered parents.

The too-solemn little girl and the antisocial Baba Yaga had been drawn to each other right away, and in the end, Barbara, Babs, and Liam had formed a family, as wonderful as it was unexpected. As the not-quite wicked witch in the story, Baba Yagas rarely got to act the part of the princess. But this time, Barbara thought she’d actually get the happily ever after, as unlikely as that seemed.

All that remained was one technicality, and they were going to take care of that this very afternoon. Barbara glanced down at her hands, sunk deep into soapy water, and acknowledged that she’d probably been stalling. Not because she didn’t want to return to the Otherworld, which was something of a second home to her when she was growing up, but because nothing was ever certain there—especially when the High Queen was involved. Still, the moment couldn’t be delayed any longer or the Queen might consider it an insult, and that could be a fatal error.

Barbara wiped her hands on a dish towel and opened the back door, which looked out over the yard. Back doors and
yards were just one of the many changes she’d had to get used to after years of traveling in the shiny silver Airstream trailer she’d inherited from her mentor Baba, who had lived long enough to oversee its conversion from the original Baba Yaga’s hut on chicken legs so renowned in Russian folklore.

The old yellow farmhouse was far enough outside of the town of Dunville to give Barbara the privacy she needed, with the South River as a boundary to the back and rows of tall pines on the other three sides. A faded red barn leaned slightly to the right at the end of the driveway and the Airstream was parked behind it out of sight until it was needed. If you ignored the benign ghost that haunted the place and the witch who lived inside, it was practically the picture of normalcy.

Weird.

Still, in general Barbara liked her new life, especially the part currently walking toward her in well-worn jeans and a tight tee shirt that accented his broad shoulders and slim hips. Liam had dark blond hair and hazel eyes that twinkled when they saw her, and the sight of him still made her heart skip a beat every single time.

“Hey,” he said, folding his strong arms around her and giving her a quick kiss. “Where have you been? You’re missing all the fun out here.”

Barbara smiled at him. “So it seems,” she said. Liam swore that she still had a faint Russian accent, but she didn’t hear it in her own voice. “Was that actual laughter I heard coming from Babs?”

The girl in question picked herself up off the ground, brushing grass off the brown shorts and shirt that matched her dark pixie-cut hair, and walked over, Chudo-Yudo following behind. The dragon-dog had appointed himself her unofficial guardian and where one was, the other was likely to be found nearby.

Babs had named herself, not wanting to continue being called Hannah after Liam and Melissa’s long-dead baby daughter. Unusually smart and self-assured for such a young child, Barbara allowed her to make many of her own choices, like the sedate neutral-colored clothing she preferred. It had been tough for the girl to transition from a life spent hidden away in the Otherworld to one lived out in the open in the Human world; Barbara tried to make it as easy for her as possible.

“I laugh sometimes,” Babs said, her large round brown eyes unblinking. Liam called her his little wise owl because of her solemn expression and big eyes.

“I know you do, sweetheart,” Barbara said. “I was just teasing. You remember we talked about joking and teasing, right?”

“Metaphor and humor,” Babs said in her usual serious tone. “I still do not understand them most of the time. Why not just say what you mean?”

She tended to be very literal, which was adorable, but wouldn’t make her life any easier when she started mixing with other children. Barbara was still considering homeschooling come the fall, but Liam insisted that if Babs was going to live in the Human world, she needed to learn to be a normal kid.

Barbara hadn’t had the heart to tell him that no child being trained to be a Baba Yaga was ever going to be anything approaching normal.

Speaking of which, “It’s time to go see the Queen,” she said, holding out two piles of clothing, one small and one large. “And you can’t go dressed like that.”

Liam narrowed his eyes at her. “I love you, my darling Baba, but if you think I am going to wear tights, you’re out of your magical mind.”

Barbara snickered. Now that she’d like to see. “Don’t worry,” she said, handing over his stack. “No tights, I promise.” She repeated the action with Babs. “Okay, let’s all go inside and get changed. It’s not a good idea to keep the Queen waiting.”

Liam shuddered. He’d met the Queen only once, but that had been enough. “Hell, no,” he said under his breath, and herded his small charge into the house.

***

They all met back outside a few minutes later, Chudo-Yudo trailing after Babs like an overly large white shadow. He was so big, his square head was almost even with the top of her darker one.

Barbara beamed with pride at her family, dressed in new clothing that matched her own court attire of black velvet tights, a scoop-necked red silk tunic that hugged her curves, and high black leather boots. A shining silver sword hung from her jeweled belt and a matching bejeweled gossamer net tamed her usual wild cloud of long black hair.

In deference to Liam’s more mundane sensibilities, she’d given him black silk pants in exchange for the tights, although they were snug enough to show off his long legs, tight butt, and strong thighs. His silk shirt was a vivid green that brought out the highlights in his hazel eyes, and malachite stones decorated his more sedate leather belt. He looked so good, she wished she had time to take him back into the house and thank him properly for dressing up in a costume she knew he found uncomfortable. No one from town would recognize their restrained and professional sheriff in this glorious figure.

Little Babs was equally appealing—although in a completely different way—in her outfit of black tights, lavender tunic, and amethyst-studded belt. A small sword, a miniature version of Barbara’s own, hung from the belt in a dark purple leather sheath. Babs’s hair, with its jagged-edged bob, was too short to put up, so she wore a gleaming barrette with facetted amethyst stones that matched the ones on her belt.

Barbara thought they all looked quite dashing and ready for court. Except for the frown on Liam’s usually easy-going face.

“You’re not seriously going to let her wear a sword, are you?” he said to Barbara. “She’s only six.”

Barbara blinked at him in surprise. “I started wearing one to visit the Queen and her consort as soon as my Baba adopted me and taught me to use one; I was younger than Babs is now, and it was fine.” She didn’t understand what he was getting upset about. Sometimes she found Humans as confusing as Babs did.

Liam’s lips tightened. “She’s only a little girl. She doesn’t know anything about swords. What if she cuts herself? It’s sharp, right?”

“Of course it is sharp, Liam. What would be the point to having a sword that wasn’t?”

Babs pulled the sword out of its sheath and executed a perfect lunge and thrust before returning it to its place on her belt. “Do not worry, Liam,” she said in a calm and matter-of-fact voice. “Baba has been teaching me. I am very good for someone so small. She says so.”

Barbara watched Liam take a deep breath and hold it. She was pretty sure this meant he was doing that thing where he counted to ten in his head.

“Of course you are,” he said. He gave Barbara a weak smile. “Sorry, sometimes I forget she’s not just a regular kid.”

Barbara punched him affectionately on the arm, her version of a hug. “That’s why we keep you around, Liam. So there is someone to remind me who she is supposed to be, when she’s not busy learning what it means to be a Baba Yaga.”

“Couldn’t I just take up juggling fire over a pit of alligators?” Liam muttered. “I think it might be easier.”

“You Humans,” Chudo-Yudo said from his spot by Barbara’s feet. “I don’t know why you want things to be easy. Difficult is so much more fun.” He showed impressively sharp teeth in a wide doggy grin. “Well, are we going or not?”

Barbara looked at him with surprise. “You’re coming with us? Don’t you have to stay and guard the Water of Life and Death?”

The Water, a gift from the Queen that boosted the magical powers of the Baba Yagas and helped them to age considerably slower than normal Humans, was part of the reason they were going to visit the Otherworld today. Not only did she have to formally introduce Liam to the court as her mate, but she needed to get the Queen’s official permission to marry him, which would allow him to drink the Water of Life and Death too. Otherwise, he would age at a normal rate and she would far outlive him. She shuddered at the thought.

“Are you kidding? And miss you asking the Queen for Liam’s hand in marriage? Not a chance,” the dragon-dog said with a smirk. “Besides, we need her to replenish our supply of the Water after your last adventure, so I’ll just bring it with me.”

“Why do you have to get the Queen’s permission to marry Liam?” little Babs piped up in her reedy voice. “Did you not already get married last month? All those people came and threw things at you.” As usual, she looked vaguely baffled by the bizarre behavior of Humans. (The oddness of the Otherworld, on the other hand, didn’t faze her at all.)

“That was a Human marriage ceremony,” Barbara explained. “We have to be hand-fasted formally at court in front of the Queen and her consort the King in order for us to truly be bonded for life in their eyes.” The court of the Otherworld had little respect for Human traditions.

“Oh,” Babs said. “I understand now. But if anyone pinches my cheeks like at the other wedding, I am going to hit them with my sword.”

“I don’t blame you at all,” Barbara said. “Just try to use the blunt end, okay?”

***

They got to the Otherworld the usual way—through the door inside the Airstream that was sometimes a plain old wardrobe
and sometimes the entrance to the enchanted lands of the Otherworld. It only took Barbara three tries and some discreet cursing to get the door to open onto the passageway. Apparently the Airstream was pouting because it was feeling ignored. Barbara reminded herself to spend more time in the trailer when they got home.

Chudo-Yudo raced ahead of the others, as Barbara and Liam crouched down to get through the door and Babs marched along at her usual measured pace. Coming out the other side, Barbara let out a small sigh as she was enveloped in the sights and smells of the Otherworld. Giant blue and purple flowers swayed in a nonexistent breeze, towering over carpets of blue-green and lavender grass. Tiny sprites with gossamer wings played tag with gleaming lemon-yellow hummingbirds, their shrill laughter echoing above the meadow.

“Happy to be back?” Liam asked. He held on to one of Babs’s hands as if he was afraid that she would disappear, but otherwise seemed reasonably at ease for a man who until a couple of months before hadn’t even realized that magic was real.

Barbara shrugged, feeling her shoulders relax minutely. “It’s kind of a relief to be someplace where I don’t have to hide what I am, that’s all. In the Human world, I always have to be on guard against slipping up. That doesn’t mean I like it better here.”

Liam leaned down and kissed her cheek, although her five-foot-ten height meant he didn’t have to lean very far. “As long as you always want to come home,” he said. “I can’t quite imagine living here full-time.”

Her heart swelling with the knowledge that he would follow her wherever she went, Barbara almost missed the shape arrowing in overhead, so large it blotted out a piece of the sky as it grew closer. She hid a grin when Liam ducked involuntarily as the iridescent black dragon with glowing red eyes swooped overhead and then glided to an earthshaking stop right in front of them. Apparently she wasn’t the only one who had missed being able to let her real colors shine.