Taurus: A Hearse of a Different Color Read online

  Taurus: A Hearse of a Different Color, Copyright © Sèphera Girٕón 2019

  Book Four of the Witch Upon a Star Series

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, without permission in writing from the publisher.

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

  For more information contact:

  Riverdale Avenue Books

  5676 Riverdale Avenue

  Riverdale, NY 10471

  www.riverdaleavebooks.com

  Design by www.formatting4U.com

  Cover by Scott Carpenter

  Digital ISBN: 9781626015265

  Print ISBN: 9781626019997

  First Edition October 2019

  Acknowledgments

  No book is written in a vacuum. This one was able to get off the ground with a great deal of support from friends, family, and even total strangers!

  Thank you to Lori for keeping me going with my witches!

  Thank you to Dorian who keeps me focussed. Thank you to my parents, Arsenio and Patricia, for all your help! Thank you to Adrian.

  Thank you to dear friends who spur me on: Andrew Robertson, Monica O’Rourke, Lisa Mannetti, Nancy Kilpatrick and Cathy Smith.

  My Bellefires: Nancy Baker, Gemma Files, Sandra Kasturi, Michael Rowe, Halli Villegas

  My mechanics: Les and Carlos at Kipling Auto Mechanics

  A huge shout out to my number one Patreon supporter: Jehovah Findler! Thank you for all your support over the last few years.

  Thank you to all of my patrons on Patreon who have watched me work on this book for far too long! I truly appreciate your support and inspiration!

  Jehovah Findler

  Linda Addison

  David Cummings

  Brian Picard Sr.

  John Possing

  Yvonne Navarro

  Weston Ochse

  Somer Canon

  Brian James Freeman

  Phil Brucato

  Jack of Spades

  Author’s Note

  Each book in the Witch Upon a Star series can be read as a stand alone as well as part of the series. Don’t worry if you haven’t read the other books, you’ll be just fine tagging along with Dorothy on her adventures.

  This is an erotic fantasy novel. In real life, please practice safe sex.

  Welcome to the mystical town of Hermana where anything can happen.

  Are you looking for magic?

  Erotic adventure?

  Romance?

  Dream your darkest desire and Hermana will make it happen.

  The Witch Upon a Star series takes place in the fictional New England town, Hermana, Massachusetts that was founded by twin sisters who escaped the Salem witch trials in the 1700s.

  The sisters’ names were Sorona and Serephena and they both lived well into their 90s, sharing their holistic healing secrets and building up the mystical vibrations of the area. They married twin witches, Nigel and Nathaniel, who shared their voracious sexual appetites, magical healing abilities and consequently the foursome enjoyed a long line of descendants who continued to grow the town and add on to its magical and erotic qualities.

  The town is old and rich in tradition and combines the beauty of both ocean and forest. Much like Cassadaga in Florida or Sedona in Arizona, the town resonates with some sort of vibration that attracts spiritualists, occultists, ghost hunters and divination experts from all over the world.

  The town is about 45 minutes from Boston, a few miles from a major highway, by way of a long winding road that weaves through a forest, a meadow with a ring of trees and then into the village. The road leads directly to the ocean where there is a large public beach. Some of the residents enjoy nude sunbathing and in Hermana, anything goes. There are many funky little shops, several pubs, dance clubs, bed and breakfasts and even a gym and library. The town is inhabited by people who believe in the power of the sisters and those who do not.

  The biggest and most well-known landmark is a huge New England gothic style house complete with turrets which is where the sisters originally lived. Of course, it was just a shack when they first cobbled it together but over the generations, wings were added and tunnels, wrought iron fencing and lush gardens.

  One of their descendants lives there now. Lucy is high priestess of a coven comprised of 12 of the local witches who meet with her monthly if not more often, to discuss life and love, cast spells, and welcome the various equinoxes. The premise of the Witch Upon a Star series it that each book highlights a different witch and her relationships.

  People flock to Hermana for answers. Some find them. Some don’t. Others go for the rumoured fortune-telling, hauntings and hedonistic pleasures. There is always something or someone to entertain and entice the curious.

  In this book, we meet Dorothy, the Taurus witch in Lucy’s coven.

  Members of the coven include Natasha, Madeline, Adele, Toni, Dorothy, Gwen, Ellie, Veronica, Jessica, Ursula, Lily and Maggie.

  The power of love and lust, magic and mysticism is at the heart of the town which keeps beating as steadily as the waves that crash along the beach. Connections are made and lost. Passion ebbs and flows. And still the town continues to beguile the seekers, the wanderers, the lost to experience its hedonistic pleasures and unearth its darkest secrets.

  Welcome to Hermana,

  I hope you enjoy your stay.

  Sèphera Girón

  Summer, 2019

  

  Taurus, the Bull

  April 21 – May 21

  Element: Earth

  Ruling Planet: Venus

  Symbol: The Bull

  Primary Mode: Sensation

  Key Phrase: I Have

  Colors: Blue, green

  Stones: Rose Quartz: love, healing

  Emerald: learning, self-confidence

  Famous Taurus:

  Shirley Temple, George Lucas, Dwayne Johnson, Tina Fey, George Clooney, William Shakespeare, Martha Graham, Fred Astaire, Shirley MacLaine, Ella Fitzgerald, Jack Nicholson, Queen Elizabeth II, Adele, David Beckham, Channing Tatum, Rami Malek, Penelope Cruz, Janet Jackson, Jerry Seinfeld, Bono, Uma Thurman, Cher, Kenan Thompson, Grace Jones, Willie Nelson, Mark Zuckerberg, Stevie Wonder, Barbra Streisand, Hank Azaria, Renee Zellweger, Johnny Galecki, Kunal Nayyar, Danny Trejo, Jett Li, Carol Burnett

  Chapter One

  King of Cups: You will meet a temperamental man. Trust your gut feelings.

  Thick fog rolling in from the ocean shrouded the town of Hermana and the hundreds of people gathered by the cove to greet the new spring morning. Dorothy considered the millions of people around the world gathered in parks, beaches, backyards, and even at Stonehenge, to celebrate the season of abundance and fertility. The energy of hope and joy was tangible.

  The sound of bells attached to dozens of Morris dancers’ legs jingled through the rhythmic patterns from several people drumming. Most of the crowd happily chanted as dawn broke through the haze over the ocean. The pungent smell of incense, sage, and candle wax hung heavy in the thick, damp air as men and women held up green branches gathered from bushes and clumps of wildflowers. The sun rose higher, barely skimming the water, a large ball of fierce vitality burning away the fog and invigorating the crowd. Singing grew louder as a light spring wind blew in from the sea.

  Merry Beltane!

  Dorothy looked around, clutching her large, black floppy hat to her head, and speculated that over 500 people had turned
out for the Hermana Annual Beltane ritual. Most were town residents and the rest were tourists, evident by their selfies and curious yet somewhat dismissive attitude towards the activities unfolding around them. Some people wore winter coats, others wore spring jackets while still others wore hooded gowns and various renderings of wizard and space opera cosplay. The unpredictable New England weather coupled with the desire to dress in celebration made for a wide variety of fashion statements.

  Most of the people stood in a loose circle while others were scattered along the park and boardwalk. Some gathered in clumps along the beach, the trailing bottoms of their robes growing wet from the incoming tide. People playing drums, flutes, guitars, and other instruments infiltrated the crowd. There were several low-key vendors selling candles, homemade drums, flowers, and snacks from folding tables.

  A huge finger of rock along the beach protruded towards the ocean beyond the shores of the cove. Boats that were too large for the shallow water of the cove often anchored to the faraway pier at the tip of The Finger. There was a small lighthouse by the pier run by an ill- tempered older lady for several decades. Dorothy knew it was haunted and she knew why the lighthouse keeper was ill-tempered. Several small groups of people stood along The Finger and on the distant pier, also staring at the rising sun, welcoming it with waving branches and joyful singing.

  Dorothy wandered along the crowd, skirting the edge of the boardwalk as the sun continued to climb. She glanced over towards the big old Gothic house near the festivities and saw Lucy on her rooftop balcony in purple robes. She too held an offering to the new morning, the sun’s rays reflecting from her bedroom windows in bright splinters of color.

  On the grounds by the side of the house near the huge wrought iron fence that kept Lucy from the rest of the world stood several members of their coven. Maggie, Ellie, Madeline, Adele, and Toni raised their hands to the new day. Dorothy had already spent part of the Beltane ceremony with them around the bonfire earlier, celebrating throughout the night. She didn’t need to go all the way across the park to see them again for this last part of the celebration. Especially when she had to think about getting to work.

  Dorothy walked across the boardwalk and gingerly stepped down onto the beach. The sand was damp and clung to her dainty black granny boots. When her foot sank into the sand on her third step, she cursed.

  “For Goddess’ sake, why did I think this was a good idea in my new boots?” The wind picked up again, lifting her hat. She clamped her hand back down on it, still staring in dismay as the sand swallowed her feet.

  She stepped back up to the boardwalk, stomping to knock the sand loose. It clung to the heels and eyelets of her once shiny boots. She took off her large, floppy straw hat and wedged it under her arm, looking warily up at the sun before setting to work.

  “I better not get a burn.” She scowled as she fished through her bag until she found an old crumpled napkin. Bending over with a grunt, she held onto the railing of the boardwalk with one hand while wiping away the sand from her boots with the other, still keeping the hat firmly tucked. She looked around as people hurried past her, anxious to see the orange red ball of sun that melted the fog and continued to rise over the swelling waves of the incoming tide.

  Rushing as if the only view of the sun was from a particular spot on the beach.

  Dorothy wiped away at the sand some more, brushing lightly so that she wouldn’t scratch the new leather. The boots had been a little pre-birthday treat to herself. They cost more than a month’s worth of groceries, but she loved them already. However, she didn’t want them to get destroyed by wet sand just yet. Why had she thought she wouldn’t sink?

  She looked over at the sand and narrowed her eyes. She pushed a small clump of damp sand with her mind.

  Nothing happened.

  She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, her hand still on her boot. She opened her eyes again, stared at the mound of sand, pushing it with her mind. The little pile shifted.

  Her hand was nudged by something wet. The snuffling black snout of a large dog pushed at her palm. As the giant tongue lapped her fingers, she pulled away quickly with a yelp.

  “You startled me...” she said to the dog, her heart beating quickly. She looked up as a tall, middle-aged man with shoulder-length tousled dark hair and penetrating brown eyes pulled the long-haired German Shepard away from her.

  “Sorry,” he said. “I wasn’t paying attention.”

  The man pulled the leash firmly, then relaxed it. The dog came to his side and sat, tongue flopped out, panting. The dog and the man both looked at her. Dorothy noted the man’s body language was easy and self-assured yet the black and green tendrils of aura rising from his shoulders spoke otherwise.

  “Do I know you?” Dorothy asked and before he had a chance to reply, a sensation fluttered in her stomach. She smiled. “Of course. Adam. I remember you from The Market.”

  Adam flushed slightly and reached down to pet the dog.

  “Brian remembered you as well. He was saying hello.” Adam stood up and looked at Dorothy cleaning her boots. His aura shifted and slid away.

  “Do you need some help there? Your hands seem pretty full.”

  Before she could protest, he had relieved her of her hat and had produced a much cleaner coffee shop napkin from his own coat pocket.

  “Let me deal with this,” he said as he crouched down and brushed the sand from her heels.

  “You really don’t have to...” Dorothy said, with one hand on the rail.

  “Lift up,” Adam instructed, and Dorothy lifted her foot so he could fully clean the heel. “Now the other.”

  “I...” Dorothy fumbled.

  Adam looked up at her and smiled.

  “It’s no big deal. You think I won’t be doing the same for Brian when we get home,” he chuckled. Dorothy stared at him.

  “I guess,” she said as she looked at the dog who was pretty full of sand himself. “He looks like he’ll need a bath.”

  “Likely. These spring days are the worst when you have a pet. The constant maintenance. But he’s worth it, right Bri?” The dog barked and continued to sit and watch. His tongue still hung out and he still panted, and his big, brown dog eyes continued to watch her. Dorothy stared at Brian’s long sharp teeth and the rolling drool that fell down his long, slimy tongue. She could smell his musky doggy odor from where she stood.

  She looked at Adam, or rather, the top of Adam’s head. He had lots of curly shaggy hair and used some kind of coconut rinse. His hands were large, firm, and warm; perhaps a bit rough, a bit damp. She had held them during the crystal ball readings she had done for him with her crystal ball at The Market. She rarely remembered her readings, there were too many clients and too many thoughts to hold on to and she didn’t remember his either. Only in nostalgic recall did she sense sad, dark and disturbing forces.

  “I guess that’s it,” Adam said, standing up and wiping his own hands with yet another napkin he produced from his pocket. He opened his arm and handed back the hat.

  “Merry Beltane, Miss Dorothy,” he said as he helped her adjust it.

  “Merry Beltane to you too...” Dorothy said, tweaking her hat once more as she watched him leave.

  Did he purposely bump into me? She shuddered. Wonder if he’ll come in for another reading.

  Dorothy looked over towards Lucy’s house and the coven members who continued to watch the sunrise. She doubted they would have noticed Adam through the throngs of people. Adam was already gone from her sight, wherever he was headed with Brian.

  The sun was very high, and more people were moving around, rushing and wandering, walking along the boardwalk, running through the sand. She held on to her hat as another gust of wind blew.

  She walked along the boardwalk and tripped when her heel caught between two of the wooden slats. She grabbed her hat and the railing, nearly falling over to the side and back into the sand.

  “Give me a break,” she muttered as a playful child jostled her. She
realized she was still clutching the filthy napkin that she had been using before Adam happened along. She walked over to the nearest trashcan and tossed it in.

  “Blessed be,” she said. “Let’s begin spring fresh and clean.”

  She turned back to the beach and eyed the sand, crossing the boardwalk and putting her foot above the sand. She stared at the sand, imagining it hard beneath her shoe. She put down her foot. It stayed firm, slightly above the ground. Dorothy focussed hard as she placed her other foot down. It too hovered slightly above the sand. She resisted the urge to cheer to herself and used her focus to get to the stretch of The Finger that was mostly rock. Slowly she walked, never breaking her focus on the ground that remained firm with each step that she took.

  At last, she was on the strong surface of the raised rock of The Finger. She found her place near several other people who also took solace in the reliability of solid ground.

  The sun was fiery red, mid-way up the skyline as it reflected against the pulsing water. There were only a few echoing puffs of rolling fog remaining that teased and danced in the gentle wind. Dorothy stared at the sun’s rays, breathing in deeply in time to the rhythmic drumming, the sun warming her face.

  “I hope this year brings me luck with love and money,” Dorothy whispered in a quiet singsong voice. The chanting song was louder around her. She smiled as the energy of the crowd grew stronger, the drumming louder, the sun rising higher still.

  Dorothy raised her hands in the air as did many of those around her. She let the sun beat against her face, the wind lifting her hair and sending a chilly breeze through her clothes. She sang out with the Beltane song in chorus with the others.

  Beyond Lucy’s house, young adults were skipping around a huge Maypole, long pastel ribbons fluttered from hands that wove in and around each other as they skipped in the ancient dance. Dorothy watched the young people giggling as boys and girls weaved in and out, closer together, stealing kisses, and flirting.