A Pumpkin Spice Haunting by H.C. Cardona

Author:H.C. Cardona
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Grey Star Publishing, LLC
Published: 2026-01-19T08:00:00+00:00

Chapter

Fourteen

The door to Zoey’s shop jingled closed behind us, and we stepped back into the chilled October air. The street was bathed in a soft amber glow, jack-o’-lanterns grinning from every lamppost like smug little spies. Somewhere down the block, a wind chime danced in the breeze, playing an eerie tune that would’ve felt right at home in a haunted house.

I wrapped my arms around myself, more from the nerves than the cold.

“Well,” I said, glancing sideways at Levi, “that went about as well as expected.”

He made a noncommittal grunt. “We got a name. That’s something.”

“Mm-hmm.” I gave a slow, thoughtful nod. “You know what we should do now?”

He shot me a look. “No.”

“We go undercover.”

“Absolutely not.”

I grinned. “Come on, it’ll be fun. We’ll infiltrate Bria’s weird little greenhouse of doom. Maybe wear robes. Speak in riddles. You could pass for a brooding forest warlock.”

He blinked once. “This isn’t amateur theater. We’re not going undercover.”

“Oh, lighten up.” I bumped my shoulder into his. “You really think Bria’s going to hand over information if we just ask her if she’s slinging toxic herbs to murderers? She thinks she’s psychic. So let’s give her something to read.”

He folded his arms, unimpressed. “Let me guess. I pretend to be your emotionally unavailable ex who still pines for you while you ask her about poison?”

“Close.” I tapped my chin dramatically. “You’re my emotionally unavailable current partner whose dark aura is blocking my creative energy. I need clarity. Also, maybe a bespoke herbal cleanse.”

“I’m not walking in there pretending to get my chakras balanced,” he deadpanned.

I turned to face him, fighting a smirk. “Exactly why I’m going. You’d scare the incense out of her. One look at you and she’d start smudging the air like we brought a demon.”

“I’m starting to think you might be the demon.”

“Aw,” I cooed, “you do notice me.”

He sighed like he regretted every decision that led him to this moment. “Fine. But if she tries to sell you moonwater for $30, I’m not stopping you.”

I flashed him a grin. “Deal.”

As we started down the street toward Bria’s, I couldn’t help but feel it—beneath the sarcasm, beneath the shadows of Maribel’s death—something was shifting. And we were about to step right into it.

We stopped just down the block from Celestia Rising, Bria’s shop. The windows glowed violet, like the inside of a haunted lava lamp. Crystal moons hung from threads in the display, spinning gently in the breeze from the cracked door. A salt lamp shaped like a unicorn’s horn pulsed gently in the front window like it was trying to hypnotize me into buying overpriced aura sprays.

Levi came to a full stop, arms crossed like some grumpy gargoyle posted outside a crime scene.

“This is the part where I give you instructions,” he said, tone clipped and all business. “Don’t push her. Don’t lead her. Don’t offer anything unless she asks. If you can, get a look at what she’s got in stock.”

I raised an eyebrow. “You want me to snoop.”

“I want you to observe,” he corrected flatly.

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