Hex and the City

by Sarina Dorie

  We watched the movie, getting more comfortable during the next hour. The two of us barely fit with him spooned up behind me on the couch, but neither of us minded. The cozy warmth made me drowsy.

  I woke in the morning to find myself in my own bed. The tantalizing aromas of baking bread and coffee brewing greeted my nose. I didn’t remember getting there on my own so Thatch must have carried me. Quiet murmurs and the clicking of cutlery on plates came from the kitchen. It sounded like my mom and Thatch were both up. I snuck to the bathroom and took a few minutes to freshen up and make myself presentable.

  I opened the door slowly, wanting to sneak back to my bedroom so I could change before I went out to the kitchen.

  My fairy godmother’s words halted me in my tracks. “I worry so much about my baby. She’s all I have left.”

  “You invest too much time being concerned about your daughter. You need a renewed purpose in life,” Thatch said quietly.

  “I have a purpose.”

  “Plants are not a purpose. Have you considered adopting again? Or mentoring a child too young for Womby’s? There are many out there who need a home and education before going off to a magical finishing school.”

  Mom didn’t answer. She sniffled. Lucifer meowed.

  I walked out to the kitchen, forgetting about my rumpled pajamas. Thatch held her hand, genuine concern in his eyes. He stood when he saw me and dipped his head in acknowledgment.

  My fairy godmother hurriedly wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with her sleeve and painted a smile on her face.

  I went over and hugged her. “Good morning. Is everything all right?”

  “It’s fine. I’m fine.”

  She didn’t look fine, but she obviously didn’t want to discuss it. She released me, smoothing my hair away from my face. I turned to find Thatch studying me.

  I waved at him, feeling awkward. “Good morning, Mr. Thatch.”

  “Good morning, Miss Lawrence.”

  Mom laughed. “There’s no need to be so formal. I know you’re seeing each other.”

  Thatch’s cheeks flushed pink, a rare occurrence for him. He pulled out a chair and waved to it in a gentlemanly gesture. I sat and helped myself to a sticky bun my mom had made.

  “Mmm,” I said around a gooey mouthful of perfection.

  “They aren’t real cinnamon rolls, just a quick-bread recipe,” she said, as though I would fault her for not using yeast.

  Thatch’s plate was relatively clean, save for a few crumbs and sticky smears that attested to his first serving. The quantity missing from the pan attested to his second and third servings. I tried not to laugh.

  Mom stood and kissed my forehead. “I’m going to get ready for yoga class. Do you think you’ll be here when I get back?”

  “You can stay here longer if you desire,” Thatch said to me. “I can take your supplies to the school and come for you later.”

  We discussed details while Mom went off to change into yoga attire.

  “I don’t think we finished the movie,” Thatch said. “We could watch the last part before I leave.” He cleared his throat. “If you wish.”

  After I’d cleaned up, we resumed the movie. Thatch sat next to me, comfortable enough now to place his arm around my shoulder. He didn’t pull away when Mom glided through the room clad in neon yoga attire. She kissed both of our foreheads before grabbing her purse and flying out the door.

  Lucifer sauntered into the room, eyeing us with unrestrained hostility. Thatch lay down on the couch, and I snuggled up next to him. He stroked my back and shoulders. I closed my eyes, listening to Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy’s banter.

  “How long does a yoga class last?” Thatch asked.

  “Are you asking how long do we have alone?”

  “Indeed.”

  “Probably an hour. Maybe an hour and a half with traffic if we’re lucky.”

  Thatch slipped his hand under my pajama top, his fingers gliding along my belly.

  “We are not doing anything in my mom’s house. For one thing, I don’t want you to start a house fire, for another, it would be horrible to get any fluids on the couch or my bed and for her to find them later.”

  “I quite agree,” he said. “I wouldn’t dream of leaving evidence. It just happens you come so easily, you don’t need to remove any clothes. I think I could make you come in five minutes.”

  I laughed. “Right.”

  He nuzzled his nose against my neck. “That sounds like disbelief. Challenge accepted.”

  I squirmed to face him. “No magic.”

  “Of course not. I wouldn’t want to attract Fae or weaken the wards of your fairy godmother’s house.”

  Thatch was skilled at using magic without detection in the Morty Realm, but the electrical magic of our affinities would surely destroy the Celestor wards on my mom’s house.

  “I don’t want to lose control of my magic and attract Fae.” Particularly the Princess of Lies and Truth.

  Thatch nuzzled his face against my neck. “You have been doing very well with your affinity. I think you can handle it.” He tossed his hair back in a rakish manner. “And if you did, it happens your mentor is a Merlin-class Celestor who can easily contain your excess energies.”

  I tried not to laugh. “Okay, fine. Do your best.”

  He dipped his face toward mine and kissed me. He tasted like cinnamon and sugar. His lips, tender at first, grew hungrier as he drank me in. I circled my arms around him, sinking into the familiar comfort of his body.

  He shifted and adjusted my leg over his. His erection nudged me in just the right place to send a shiver of desire into my core. My pulse throbbed between my legs. Everything felt so good I believed I might come in less than five minutes.

  A vibration jolted against my pelvic bone. I jerked back in shock and fell off the couch. Thatch stared at me in surprise. In his hand, he held a bright yellow vibrator. I recognized it as the gag gift my college roommate had purchased for me because she thought I was a prude. I’d only used it once. As it happened, I’d drained the batteries—and my mom had then walked in on me.

  His surprise turned into laughter. “Not the reaction I’d been hoping for.”

  “Where did you get that?” I asked.

  He turned it off. “From your underwear drawer. I found it last night when I appropriated those princess trousers.”

  I laughed now too. I sat on the couch and leaned forward to kiss him.

  The deadbolt of the door unlocked, and my mom glided back into the room. “Sorry, kids. Did you see my—Oh, yes, there it is.” She walked across the living room and retrieved a metal water bottle.

  I jerked away from Thatch.

  When I looked at him, I saw he was sitting up, the vibrator hidden in record time, and a Better Homes and Gardens magazine was open on his lap, though upside down. Everything looked mostly normal, not like we’d been making out on her couch.

  Then the rattle started up, so loud that it drowned out some of the dialogue in the movie. Heat crawled up my face. Mom rushed back toward the door, pausing at the sound of the vibrator hidden somewhere behind me.

  Mom’s eyebrows shot upward. “Is that . . . ?”

  “My cell phone,” I quickly supplied. “It’s on vibrate.”

  “Of course it is.” Mom tucked her bottle under her arm and locked the door as she exited once again.

  I fell back on the couch laughing. Thatch’s cheeks weren’t just pink. They were red. I didn’t know who was more embarrassed, me or him.

  Thatch left when my mom returned. I luxuriated in using the Internet to check my email, do research for art assignments, and saved worksheets in Google Docs that I could print out later.

  Thatch had left with my boxes of art supplies, which he’d offered to transport to the school with magic. He had said he would be back at five to pick me up.

  Mom and I dressed in winter coats and went shopping for a couple of hours at th
e mall in the afternoon. As we exited the car, I noticed the black silhouettes of birds in the sky. They were too high to determine if they were crows or ravens, but their presence put me on edge. Mom glanced up at the sky, just as nervous as I was. When we exited the mall, more birds circled.

  Her electric car was a safe haven against Fae, I told myself. There were power lines everywhere. It was daylight. The Raven Court would not attack.

  We drove to the grocery store. More ravens circled in the sky.

  “What do you think about making something nice for Mr. Thatch when he comes to pick you up? What do you think he would like for dinner?” Mom asked.

  I stared up at the birds, circling so close to each other that they blotted out the light of the sun. “He’ll eat anything. We don’t need to make anything special.”

  We made tamale pie for dinner and wrapped up the previous day’s leftover desserts to take with us back to the school. Thatch didn’t arrive promptly at five as he’d said. Had I misunderstood? Maybe he’d said six.

  We waited until six, but he still didn’t come.

  “Maybe we should get started with dinner, and we’ll cut him a slice when he arrives,” Mom said, the cheery smile on her face reflecting the worry in her eyes.

  He wouldn’t be this late unless he had a good reason. Perhaps he had to perform a recruiting duty. Typically that was the only reason he missed appointments with me.

  Yet the presence of what surely had been ravens earlier were an ominous warning that something had to be wrong. Worry twisted my stomach in knots, and it was difficult to eat dinner. Probably he’d needed to go recruiting, I told myself. He wasn’t dead. I chanted it like a mantra in my head.

  I texted Josie to let her know Thatch hadn’t arrived to pick me up. She wouldn’t have reception unless she went to Lachlan Falls, and it was unlikely she would go after dinner on a Sunday night, so I didn’t know how I would get a message to her.

  “What do you think happened? Where is he?” I asked.

  “I’m sure he’s fine. He’s a big boy. He can handle himself.” She projected a thin veneer of confidence that didn’t make me feel any better.

  Thatch was a powerful Witchkin, perhaps more so than Vega because he had practiced his magic for longer than she had. His skill as a Red affinity gave him an extra edge—if he was willing to use it. Thus far, I’d never seen him publicly use electricity except to stick his wand into an outlet. Nor did I know if he could fight the Raven Queen with his affinity. If he could have bested her, it seemed like he would have done so by this point in his life.

  Then there was the elusive Princess of Lies and Truth. If it wasn’t one Fae, it was another who wanted to snatch me or hurt me—and him.

  “You know what makes me feel better when I worry?” Mom asked. “Let’s make some cookies.”

  I didn’t feel like making cookies. “Even if Felix is attending to important school business, that could take hours. What am I supposed to do? I have to get back. I have work tomorrow.” That was the worry I was willing to voice out loud. The other ones regarding the Fae lodged in my throat, making it difficult to swallow.

  I feared this was the moment Thatch’s death would come. He was missing because he was in trouble. The real reason he had been willing to take me on a date was so that I would have one perfect day with him before he died. Anxiety gnawed at my imagination.

  “How about you gather some chamomile and lavender from the garden,” Mom offered. “I’ll make you a fresh batch of tea. Something to calm your nerves.”

  I wore one of my winter coats outside. The sky was gray with twilight, just barely enough light to see by. I gathered herbs, piling them in a wicker basket. Lucifer accompanied me, so close to my feet I tripped on him twice. He yowled and batted at the hem of my skirt.

  Someone cleared her throat near me, making me jump. I whirled. Sitting on the fence was a woman with feathers like an oil slick, wearing a black gown made of plumage. A pink scar etched a line in her cleavage, disappearing under the low collar of her dress. She watched me with all-black eyes.

  I jumped back. It was Odette, Thatch’s sister. She was tall and slender. Her face was like his, but more feminine. She was as cool and aloof as the last time I’d seen her.

  “Hello, Clarissa,” she said in a crisp British accent, similar to the cadence of Thatch’s own. “I come bearing a message from . . . the Raven Queen. You are to come at once. If you refuse, you will never see Felix Thatch again.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Not My Grandmother’s Tea Party

  Puffs of cold air escaped from my mouth as I hyperventilated.

  Felix Thatch’s sister stared at me with cool, liquid eyes. A smile twitched at her pale lips. “I’m not mistaken, am I? You do wish to see him again, correct?”

  I dropped the basket and raised my hands with the intention of forcing her back. I didn’t know if I could spontaneously zap her with electricity. If there was enough inside me, I could electrocute her if I needed, but it was rare that I could draw out my magic without friction or touch.

  She smiled. “I’m alone and unarmed. Relatively unarmed.” She held up her hands, showing she didn’t hold a wand. “But a Witchkin never goes anywhere without magic, does she?”

  I glanced back at the house, hoping my mom was inside and safe.

  “Don’t fret. I can’t get in. He’s worked too hard on these wards to permit me to come any closer.” She nodded to the next house over. In the growing darkness, I could just barely make out the ravens perched on the roof, watching from a distance.

  I could kill her with magic if I needed, but if I did, I would be using magic in the Morty Realm. That was illegal and gave her the right to claim me for the Raven Queen. I didn’t know what to do.

  “Do you or do you not want to see Felix Thatch?” she asked impatiently.

  “How do I know you have him? How do I know—”

  With a twist of her wrist, she withdrew a silver pocket watch from out of thin air. She dangled it by the chain, the pendulum catching a flash of light. It looked like the silver watch I’d given him. I held out my hand.

  She tossed it to me. Her aim was off, and she threw wide. She threw as poorly as Thatch. I caught it easily and inspected it. My grandfather’s name was engraved on the back. Smeared across the engraving, I found a residue of blood.

  My heart plummeted to my stomach. “Is he all right?”

  “He’s fine . . . now.” She spoke calmly, almost indifferently. “Perhaps you would like to see with your own eyes.”

  My heart skittered erratically, and I fought to keep the edge of panic from my voice. “If I go with you, then what?”

  “Our queen seeks audience with you. She will speak with you. If you are fortunate, she may offer to train you . . . if you please her.” Her tone was bored, so much like Thatch’s when he pretended he didn’t care. “Did my brother tell you I pleased her? As a result, she made me one of her favorite pets. She rewards those who serve her well.”

  “What if I don’t please her?”

  Her gaze roved up and down the length of me. “I doubt that will be the case.”

  “Will she let me go? Will she let us go?”

  “A Fae queen does as she likes.” She shrugged. “She’s never forced Felix to stay in the palace, but then, she has use for him outside our realm. She can’t very well go to a place like this herself.” She waved a hand at the electric lines. “But you and I, we’re different, aren’t we? We can be useful to the Raven Queen. You especially. I think we both know what she wishes to use you for.”

  This smelled of a trap. If it was, Thatch would be furious with me for falling for it. But what if he was in danger? I couldn’t stand the idea of him being in trouble and me abandoning him. If I didn’t try to help him and he died, I’d hate myself. If he sacrificed himself to spare me, he’d hate me. . . .

  I backed away. “I’m not going with you.” I touched the stones of the necklace Elric h
ad given me. “I’m allied with the Silver Court. You can’t force me to go with you.” I could call Elric, and he would stop her.

  She leaned closer, but the moment she did so the air sizzled in front of her, and she flinched back. “Clarissa Lawrence, the Raven Queen has captured my brother. Do you understand that?” Her lips pressed into a line. “She has told me if I don’t bring you to her, she will kill him. Perhaps you think I’m completely heartless because of what she did to me.” She waved a hand at the scar between her breasts. “Perhaps you think I would feel nothing if she killed my remaining family.”

  I did think Odette was heartless, not just literally. Thatch had said his sister was dead to him. She was no longer the person he had once loved.

  Her eyes narrowed. “If that isn’t enough of a reason to convince you, I can give you another. I can find a way to break through these wards. I’ll disarm his magic, and let the flock kill that hedge witch inside. If that’s what it takes, I shall force you to come with me. Or you can come willingly.”

  “Leave her alone.”

  She lifted an eyebrow. “Is that woman someone . . . special to you?”

  I remembered all the times Thatch had told me the Fae would exploit a weakness if they discovered one. Once they found something you loved, they would destroy it to get to you. The Raven Queen had done so with Derrick. I had already shown too much emotion, too much attachment to my fairy godmother. I couldn’t undo that. Even if I called Elric, and it cost me my soul for him to drive them off, it didn’t mean they wouldn’t be back for my mom another day.

  If Odette was as powerful as Thatch, I had no doubt she would be able to break his wards. That meant I had to protect my mom. I used the lessons Thatch and Vega had taught me about Fae.

  “I will go with you . . . for a price.”

  She crossed her arms. “I see my brother has taught you well. Go on.”

  “I will go with you, but you must promise never to harm the woman inside that house. You can’t contact her or taunt her. You can’t curse her or try to kill her. You and the Raven Court are never to harm her or come here again.”