The Pastry Warlock

  The Pastry Warlock

  A Broomstick Bakery Story

  Laura Greenwood

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Author Note

  © 2022 Laura Greenwood

  * * *

  All rights reserved. This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise – without prior written permission of the published, except as provided by United States of America copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher at “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the email address; lauragreenwood@authorlauragreenwood.co.uk.

  Visit Laura Greenwood’s website at:

  www.authorlauragreenwood.co.uk

  Cover by Ammonia Book Covers

  The Pastry Warlock is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  If you find an error, you can report it via my website. Please note that my books are written in British English: https://www.authorlauragreenwood.co.uk/p/report-error.html

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  Blurb

  Ash has been in love with his best friend since the moment they met, but he's never done anything about it for fear of ruining their friendship.

  * * *

  When Ellie is nervous about an internship interview, Ash takes things into his own hands and makes her croissants filled with hope magic.

  * * *

  Can a shared moment in the kitchen finally take their friendship to a romance?

  -

  The Pastry Warlock is a paranormal romance and part of the Broomstick Bakery series set at Grimalkin Academy. It includes a baking warlock, and a sweet friends-to-lovers m/f romance with a happy ever after.

  Prologue

  Ellie

  * * *

  1 year & 2 months ago

  * * *

  The academy feels bigger than it did when I was here for the open day, and I try not to feel too intimidated as I follow the pink-haired witch who had introduced herself as Daphne into the accommodation block.

  "Are you excited?" she asks.

  I nod. "And nervous," I admit. "This is the first time I've lived away from home."

  She smiles reassuringly at me. "I was on my first day at Grimalkin too," Daphne says. "But you're going to have a great time."

  "I hope so. I'm not sure what to expect."

  She gives a bemused chuckle, though I get the impression it's because of something she's remembering, and not what I've said. "Expect the unexpected," she tells me. "Then you'll be prepared."

  "I'm not sure if that's helpful," I mutter.

  She shrugs. "I can tell you about my first year, but you said you were an only child?"

  I nod.

  "Then I find it very unlikely that your twin brother will ask you to date a vampire so you can find an old family spell in the vampire part of the academy."

  I blink a few times. "That actually happened to you?"

  "Believe me, that wasn't even the strangest thing to happen in my first year. My best friend also got cursed and ended up making a load of magical kittens. They're adorable, but a handful," Daphne says cheerfully. "Oh look, we're here. This is your new flat."

  I blink a few times, still trying to process what she said. I didn't come to Grimalkin Academy to have outrageous adventures. My intention was just to learn more about magic and have an experience that doesn't revolve around my family.

  Daphne pushes open the door to the flat and checks the clipboard. "All right, you're in room five, so this is you." She gestures to her left.

  I twist the key and step inside, surprised to find it was nothing particularly special, just a room with a bed, desk, and a small bathroom in the corner with a shower and toilet.

  "One second," Daphne says, pulling out her wand. With a quick wave, she summons my boxes from where I stored them outside.

  "Useful," I say, though what I mean is impressive. That isn't easy magic.

  "It is. All right, I'll leave you to it so I can go and meet my next new student. But if you need anything, my number is here, you can message me." She hands me a small booklet. "There are mugs and hot drinks waiting in the kitchen for everyone. It's not home until you've had that first cup of tea."

  "Thanks, Daphne."

  "No problem. I'll see you around." She bounces out of the door, full of energy.

  Am I going to be like that in another couple of years?

  I push the thought aside and head to the kitchen. A cup of coffee sounds like just the right start to my time living here.

  The door opens into a surprisingly spacious room with plenty of cupboards and two fridges. Just about enough for the people living here.

  Someone turns around as I enter. "Hey," a guy who I assume is the same age as me says, giving me an awkward half-wave.

  "Hi," I respond, trying to ignore the nerves fluttering within me at the idea of meeting someone new. This is the part of coming to the academy I've been looking forward to the least.

  "Are you new here?"

  "Aren't we all first years in the flat?" I ask.

  He chuckles nervously. "Sorry, that was a dumb question. Do you want a drink?"

  "Coffee, please."

  He pulls out his wand, which somehow surprises me despite the fact I already know he's a warlock just from the fact he's here. Grimalkin Academy serves as a higher education institute for witches, warlocks, and vampires, but the latter are housed underground so they avoid the risk of burning to a crisp in the sun.

  He waves his wand in the direction of the kettle, switching it on and starting the process of making drinks.

  "Are you trying to show off for any particular reason?" I ask.

  He raises an eyebrow. "How am I showing off?"

  I gesture to the kettle. "Most magic users wouldn't do that."

  He frowns. "Oh, I suppose they wouldn't. My family runs a bakery, it's just normal for me."

  "Ah."

  "I'm Ash, by the way." He holds his hand out to me.

  I take it and give it a shake, liking the way it feels against mine. "Eloise. Well, Ellie, if we're using our shortened names."

  "Oh, my name is just Ash, it's not short for anything. I'm named after the tree."

  "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have assumed. Is there a reason?"

  He shrugs. "No idea. My sisters are all named after plants too, and our cousin. We think our parents lost a bet or something."

  "At least it makes your name interesting."

  "True. How do you take your coffee?" He picks up a sachet of instant stuff and dumps it into one of the mugs branded with the academy's logo, followed by a tea bag into one of the others.

  "Is it bad to say better quality than that?"

  Ash grins. "I'd say the same for tea. Luckily, I can do something about that."

  "You can?"

  He nods and turns to one of the cupboards, which already seems to be stocked with all kinds of food items.

  "How long have you been here?" I ask, impressed by how quickly he's unpacked.

  "Since this morning. I just unpacked food first." He dumps out the instant coffee and replaces it with some from a fancy-looking caddy. "Milk? Sugar?"

  "Just milk," I say.

&nbs
p; He nods and pours the water in. It doesn't escape my notice that he uses his hands and not his wand for this part, though maybe it's because I told him I thought he was showing off.

  "Do you like gingerbread?" he asks.

  I frown. "As in gingerbread men?"

  "Yes."

  "I do. Why?"

  "Oh, I just have some from my sisters' bakery." He pulls out a tin and holds it out to me. "Want one? They're imbibed with settled magic."

  "Settled magic?" I echo, eyeing them warily.

  He nods. "You know you can put magic in food, right?"

  "Yes. Though I've never done it."

  "Well, that's what my family's bakery does. They bake feelings into things. It's not enough to change your actual emotions, but if you eat one of these, it'll give you the feeling of being settled. Rowen thought I'd want some with it being my first day."

  "And you're sharing them?"

  "Of course. It would be rude not to," Ash says with a genuine smile.

  There's something about him that makes me feel comfortable. And like he isn't lying about the gingerbread.

  I pick one of them up and bite into it, closing my eyes and almost moaning with how delicious it is. It's only once the gingerbread hits my stomach that I realise what he means about the feeling of being settled. It spreads through me, filling me with warmth and contentment. I can tell that it's not really how I'm feeling, but that it's taking the edge off in a way that makes me relax.

  "This is amazing," I admit.

  "Right? Rowen makes the best gingerbread even without the magic. The bakery is in town, I can bring some more next time I visit if you want."

  "Then I'm going to have to think of something I can bring you in return."

  "I'm going to need a study buddy," Ash says. "You bring the pizza, I'll bring the cake." He passes my coffee to me.

  "That sounds like an offer I can't refuse."

  "Then it's a deal."

  "Especially if you bring this coffee too," I admit, enjoying the deep and rich smell from it. "Where did you get it from?"

  "My cousin's coffee shop."

  "I can see that you're going to be a good friend to have," I quip.

  Ash gives a good-natured laugh. "I aim to be."

  Despite my nerves over coming to Grimalkin for the first time, I have to admit to being put at ease by the friendly face in front of me.

  And if he keeps bringing me delicious treats, no doubt our friendship will last for years to come.

  One

  Ash

  * * *

  The delicious scent of baked goods fills the air, and I know Broomstick Bakery will have had an influx of morning customers as a result.

  I push through the door, the small bell above it announcing my arrival.

  "I'll be one moment," Oakley calls from behind the counter.

  "It's just me."

  "Oh, hey, Ash. Willow said you might be stopping by."

  I chuckle. "I can't do anything without you all talking about me, can you?"

  "She said you were bugging her for coffee."

  I lift up the bag with the Cauldron Coffee Shop logo on the side. "I was."

  "For Ellie?"

  "How did you guess?"

  "Because you asked for her favourite cupcake flavours again." She sets a box on the top of the counter.

  "You used confidence in it, right?" I ask.

  "Of course. I wouldn't mess with you and Ellie."

  "There's nothing to mess with," I mutter.

  "But you want there to be?" She raises an eyebrow and leans on the counter.

  I sigh and perch myself on one of the customer stools. "It's complicated."

  "I believe I can handle it," she retorts dryly.

  "I don't want to ruin our friendship," I admit. "Ellie means the world to me, I don't want to ruin things between us by asking her on a date and making her reject me."

  "And what if she doesn't reject you?" Oakley asks. "Which I think is the more likely option given the way the two of you are with one another. Even Dad commented on it after the summer fete, and you know how clueless he can be about those things."

  "Wait, Dad said something?"

  "Mmhmm. What was it? Oh right, he asked if you were together."

  I raise an eyebrow. "And that's all you're basing this on?"

  "No, and you know it. If you didn't think there was anything between you, then you wouldn't be worrying about it ruining your friendship," Oakley points out.

  "Or maybe we're just that close as friends."

  She lets out a small snort of amusement.

  "You wouldn't all be saying this if my best friend was a guy," I mutter.

  "In this hypothetical situation where the only difference is that Ellie is short for Elliot and not Eloise?" Oakley asks.

  "Sure."

  "Then we'd be saying exactly the same things, the only difference would be that I'd be encouraging you to ask him out on a date instead of her out on a date." The expression on her face makes me believe she's telling the truth.

  Which doesn't help me get out of them all asking me what's going on with me and Ellie. If anything, it makes it worse.

  "I can make you a confidence cupcake too," Oakley suggests. "Then you don't have to worry about it ruining your friendship when you ask."

  "You know that isn't how the magic in these works," I counter. "I'll still be able to think rationally, that's why you're allowed to sell them."

  She sighs dramatically and leans her head on her hands. "Fine, I'll give you that one."

  The door to the kitchens swings open and a tray of perfectly baked macarons appears floating through the air, followed by one of my other sisters with another tray in her hands and her wand gripped tightly against it.

  "Will you grab the tray, Oak?" Hazel asks.

  "On it." She takes the tray from the air, breaking the spell Hazel has placed on it to make it float. "These look good."

  "Only the best for the customers," Hazel says brightly before turning to me. "Do you want the rejects to take back?"

  "What's in them?" I ask.

  She shrugs and pushes a strand of bright blue hair behind her ear. "The usual. Joy and brightness. It's always the best choice for macarons."

  "Sure, I'll take some of them with me."

  "I'll go box them up for you," she says, setting down the second tray so Oakley can unpack them into the display.

  A vague pang of jealousy flashes through me at the reminder of how well my sisters work together and that I'm not a part of it, even though I want to be. None of them have any idea how much I love to bake. Or that I'm good at it.

  It isn't even really their fault. When our grandmother gave over the bakery to them, I was too young to be part of the business along with them. I just wish I had the courage to tell them I want to be a part of this.

  One day I'll do it. I'm just not sure exactly when.

  Hazel disappears into the back while Oakley finishes putting the macarons on display next to Rowen's gingerbread men.

  "Isn't it a little early for Christmas biscuits?" I ask.

  Oakley sighs loudly. "You sound like Rowen, she chuntered about it the entire time she was making them. But we get so many requests for them. Besides, the kids don't see them as Christmasy, they just want the fun gingerbread."

  "You should do some children's cupcakes," I say offhandedly. "I saw a tutorial video about how to make ducks out of marshmallows and fondant. The kids would love those."

  "Hmm, you might be onto something there," my sister agrees.

  "And Hazel could make children's macarons. Imagine one of the pink ones with pig ears and little eyes." Excitement builds in me at the thought of all the ways we could make existing products appeal to even more potential customers. If kids want the cakes, they'll drag the parents in and they'll end up buying more.

  "They do sound cute," Oakley admits. "I'll suggest it. It can't hurt to try."

  "Exactly. Though I'm not sure there's much that can be done to mak
e Clover's baklava kid-friendly."

  "Then we'll just work on selling that to their parents," she assures me. "We sell enough of it to keep her busy." The affection in her voice intensifies as she talks about her twin.

  "Good point," I say. "Though we could also do with some basics. Hazel barely ever makes croissants."

  "There's a good reason for that," Hazel says as she comes back out front and hands me the box of rejected macarons. "They're a pain to make."

  I bite my tongue before I say something about how much I enjoy making them. This isn't the right time to tell them I want to join the bakery.

  "Ash was just suggesting you decorate some of the macarons as pigs," Oakley says.

  "Oh?" Hazel looks right at me and picks up a pink macaron. "What did you have in mind?"

  Delight fills me at the idea of getting to show them one of my ideas. I half expected them to dismiss me just because I'm younger and not technically one of their business partners.

  I set down my bags and take the macaron from her, pulling out my wand. "Obviously we'd want to make the decorations properly and not with magic."

  "Naturally," Hazel agrees.

  I conjure up an image of the pig macaron in my mind and wave my wand towards the confection. A small shower of sparks falls onto the bright pink surface, making the decorations spring to life on top of it. I turn the macaron back to her. "Something like that."

  Hazel smiles broadly. "Ash, you're a genius."

  "Thanks."

  "We'll have to run it by Rowen and Clover, but I don't think they'll say no," she says.

  "Row will probably be glad there's something to take the pressure off her gingerbread men all year around," Oakley responds.

  "Hmm, true. And it could expand the produce for the Christmas Fayre too," Hazel says.