"Absolutely they are. We can hate you and leave you, but I'll be honest. I want to be near you or touch you all the time," Josie said straight faced.
"Do you find me more attractive?"
"I've always thought you were hot, but no. No more than usual."
"That's a relief. Wait, do you both have the urge to mate with me?"
They both nodded.
"Too bad."
Candace laughed. Josie looked hurt.
"This is just too weird for words. This is why nobody is getting as jealous as they should be?"
"Yes. We're all just happy to be with you."
"Is there a way to stop it and why do you know so much about it," I eyeballed her suspiciously.
"No. And I was purchased by a true high priestess. It was she that set me free and explained what I was. I didn't even know I was a witch. My previous masters thought I was just fae."
That made a lot of sense. I ruffled her hair. "Thank you for telling me. Why did you wait so long?"
"I was not sure until a few days ago, and then I was not certain you would welcome the news. Until I saw you struggling with not knowing."
"It's been bothering the shit out of me. Between Bill, Jimmy, Josie, and you, I thought there was something in the water."
"I'm sure you will draw more to your side. I will pass along the warning I was told. It is a heady power. Do not abuse the gift of the goddess. It will drive those that you love away."
I wasn't worried about me. I was worried about those around me. Especially Jimmy. He had a tendency to go a little overboard. Maybe a lot.
I put my hand on her knee. "Thank you. I don't think you have to worry about that."
"I know. You are a great woman, Dorothea."
"Dot."
"It would have sounded funny, and not imposed my meaning, if I said Dot."
"Well, I need to get moving. I need to find Jason and Dwight."
"Why?" Josie sounded curious.
"Going to see if they want to work for me."
"Um. Okay? Pool boys without a pool?"
"I wouldn't mind seeing Jason in a speedo. Dwight not so much." The thought of the ultra-thin, balding conspiracy theorist made me want to turn to a life of celibacy. He was strange, even for a witch. "What are your plans for the day?"
"Want to wander around town, sweets?" Josie asked her girlfriend.
"Sweets?" I couldn't help but ask.
"Yep. Sweets. Candy. Nomnoms."
"Remind me never to ask about any of your other pet names."
"I would like that, honey pot." Candace replied with an evil grin, answering Josie but staring at me.
"Ew." I pushed Josie off my lap and ignored her fit of giggles.
∞ ∞ ∞
I dropped Josie and Candace off in town and spun around, heading for Farrell's motel. I parked next to Bessie, got out, and knocked on Number Two. It took a moment for the door to open and a sleepy looking Jason peeked out through the chained door.
"Dot?"
"In the flesh."
The door closed and opened without the chain.
"Everything okay?"
"Mostly. Dwight here?"
Jason nodded, stepping back and pointing at the lump under the covers in the other bed.
"Good. Got a minute? Want to talk to you both."
"Dwight!" He reached over and grabbed a pillow off his bed, launching it at Dwight's feet. "Wake up."
The covers lifted off his feet exposing his head. He slept on the bed upside down for some reason known only to him. I didn't want to know why.
"What? Oh. Hi, Lady."
I nodded at him. He wrapped the comforter around him and got up, heading for the bathroom and grabbing his clothes off the floor.
"He's going to get dressed," Jason told me.
"I figured." Thank the goddess.
"Sit?" He pointed at his bed.
"No, I'm okay. You look tired, sorry for waking you early."
"That's okay."
He wore a pair of boxers, blue and red pinstriped, and nothing else. I found myself staring at his abs and wondering how hard they would feel under my fingertips.
"Um, Lady. My eyes are up here…" He pointed at his face.
"Sorry!" I flushed. "Was just wondering how many sit-ups you do a day."
He laughed. "A lot. And I run a lot, squats, pullups. Not a lot to do in the middle of the woods and I need to stop the beer from collecting in the middle."
"It's working."
"Thanks."
Thankfully the bathroom door opened back up and Dwight came out in jeans and a T-shirt. "Sorry, Lady. What can we do for you?"
"Dwight, I understand you're shift manager at the factory?"
He nodded.
"Would you like to make some extra cash during the day?"
"Doing?"
"Feeding the wards in case the vampires are attacked again?"
"Again?" They both asked in unison.
"Yes. Yesterday. Dennis and Alista, a witch from my home town, kept them at bay. We caught one of them, but the rest got away."
"Where is he?"
I shook my head.
He smiled at that. "I'd love to. I can always use some extra cash."
"Dennis and Jimmy picked up furniture and stuff for a bunk room over there. I'll also pay you and Jason to go put all the furniture and things together."
"You game, kid?"
"Hell yeah." They even fist-bumped. It was cute and creepy.
"Good. Thank you, Dwight."
"You want us to head over there now?"
"In a minute. Can I speak to you outside for a minute, Dwight?"
He nodded but looked unsure.
I didn't elaborate, just turned and walked outside, ignoring a confused Jason.
Dwight pulled the door shut behind him. "Everything okay?"
"Yes. I want to steal Jason from the factory. I've heard how much he makes an hour."
He actually smiled at me. "Please do. Kid's smart as shit. He's wasted in the factory, but I couldn't do anything to help him."
I sighed in relief. Dwight was many things, including a good friend to Jason. "Thank you. I have a ton of shit going on and I need help. Our coven is also likely to be growing very soon and there will be mountains of things to coordinate."
"How much bigger?"
"More than double. Are you okay with that?"
"Any lookers?"
I laughed. "Yes. A few."
"All for it!"
I hugged him and motioned for the door. He opened it back up and strode in, kind of strutting a little. I shook my head and looked everywhere but at him. At least I could take satisfaction in the fact that he seemed genuinely happy for his young friend. Sighing, I walked back in.
"Want to come work for me full time?"
Jason blinked a couple of times. "What?"
I told him exactly what I told Dwight. His eyes lit up at the thought of the coven growing but seemed a little worried about something. "What?"
"I'd love to, but I can't leave Dwight alone in that hell hole."
"Hey, kid."
Jason turned to Dwight.
"I caught you smoking pot last night," he lied. "I'm sorry, I'm going to have to fire you."
"What? You did not. Shut up, old man."
"Did, too. You can smell it on him, right, Dot?"
I immediately saw what he was doing. Playing along, I leaned forward and took a whiff. He smelled good. "Yep. Smells like marijuana to me, Shift Supervisor Dwight, sir."
"Now I have a witness. Come pick up your check on Friday."
"Do you random drug test your employees, Dot?" Jason asked, jokingly.
"Nope," I said, stifling my laughter.
"Whew. Okay then. I accept. Thank you both."
"Don't talk to me, reefer addict." Dwight gave him a shunning look.
CHAPTER 19
Jason and I walked into the diner. I waved to Marge and slipped into my table. Jason started laughing quietly. I gave hi
m a curious look and he pointed to the edge of the table by the window. There was an engraved plastic sign on it.
Reserved for Dot
I looked up at the kitchen window and Herb was staring at me, silently laughing. Marge took my picture holding the sign. I shook my head and blew them both a kiss.
"Now that's funny," Jason said, still chuckling.
"Only cuz you're on drugs."
"You know I don't really smoke pot, right?"
That revelation kind of shocked me. "Really?"
"I've tried it, but not a huge fan."
"Huh. You haven't smoked it, got naked with Josie, and watched Disney movies."
His eyebrows rose. "Can I?"
"No." Jealousy gripped my stomach, threatening my appetite. What the fuck? Him, too?
"Damnit." He winked to let me know he was kidding. I wished he would tell the little green monster inside me.
Marge walked up to us. "Whatcha guys want to drink?"
"Coffee and coke."
"Just coffee."
"Like the nameplate? Herb got the biggest kick out of having that made."
"I bet he did. Why?"
"Your damn sandwich. We've had people we haven't seen in years coming in to order it. Biggest way to get something to spread is to tell them it's a secret menu item. People come in to see if it's real."
"What is?"
I looked over at Jason. "Herb named a sandwich after me."
"I'll have that," he said, setting his menu down.
"You don't even know what's in it."
"I don't care. It has to be delicious."
I blushed and turned my attention to the menu. I wanted meat, not sweet. "I'll have a burger, well, with fries."
Marge nodded, grabbed the menus, and headed off to fill our drinks.
"Herb, one Dotwhich and a cow patty, well."
"She knows you're a witch?"
"Pretty sure she meant the witch in sandwich…"
"Oh."
"So, what do you want me to do first?"
"Relax. Work starts after meal. I'll drop you off by Dwight and you guys can follow me over to the new house."
"I can't believe you bought another one."
"Mine's too small to fit everybody."
"They're nice?"
He didn't say the V-word, but I knew who he meant. I nodded. "They're just people."
"Undead ones…"
"Shhh. You'll see."
"So, get the garage room put together?"
"Yes. And introduce yourselves to Alista. She's volunteering right now but moving here soon with her brother. They own a bakery and are going to open one here."
"That's kind of awesome."
She grinned. "It is. Also, pick up a notebook to write all this stuff down in. I'm a scatterbrain and totally unorganized. Speak up if I forget stuff and keep me out of trouble."
"Yes, Lady."
"None of that shit. I'm still just Dot."
"There's no such thing as just Dot."
"Oh, you little sweet talker you. It's your first day and I don't give out raises until you've proven your worth."
He blushed. "That wasn't a compliment, it was the truth."
"Okay, put yourself down for a quarter an hour raise."
"You haven't even told me how much I'm going to be making…"
"How much did you make at the factory?"
"About eleven an hour…"
"Are you fucking kidding me?"
"No. It's supposed to go up to almost twelve at the end of next month."
"You're finally getting a raise?"
"No. Minimum wage is going up."
I shook my head. "How much do you want?"
He looked everywhere but at my eyes. I used the moment to study his angular face. He really was beautiful, all the angles made him seem a little cold, but the blue of his eyes rounded it out a little.
Yep. Hot.
"Would fourteen be too much to ask for?"
"Let's round it up to twenty. Welcome to First Moon Enterprises," I reached out my hand to shake on it, but he stared at me.
"You can't pay me that much, Lady."
"I can do whatever the hell I want."
"But that's insane. Dwight doesn't even make that much. Not even close."
"He does when he does work for me. Starting wage."
He looked around the diner. "How rich are you?" His voice had become a whisper. I'd never been comfortable talking about money, but if he needed reassurance…
"My own or family money?"
"You have both?"
"I'm a hundred years old. I started investing when I was ten. I bought some very lucrative stocks. I could live on the dividends alone, they have doubled so many times. I've bought an insane amount of stock in a shit ton of startup companies that are the major corporations of today. And that's just my bank account. My family is ancient. Do the math, Jason."
His eyes blinked rapidly.
"That stays between us. People treat you differently when they find out you can buy a small country. I splurge, but not insanely. I bank behind the scenes and hide most of my money. I'm only telling you all this because I'm going to give you access to some of these accounts to make purchases for the new bookstore and other things that I'll let you in on when the time comes, okay?"
He nodded in shock.
"Enough about money. Welcome to the team."
"Thanks?"
Chief walked into the diner and blinked when he saw me sitting with Jason. "Got him out of bed? You are a miracle worker."
"Bill, meet my new assistant, Jason. Jason, this is Bill."
"Assistant?"
"Yes. I've got too much going on and need help. Dwight also works for me now, part-time."
"Wait. You don't work at the factory anymore?"
"No. I got fired."
"Why?"
"So I could go work for Dot."
"Dwight was okay with that?"
"He practically kicked me out the door."
"Good. You hated that place." Chief even patted him on the back.
"Keep an eye on her, though. Let me know if she's doing anything illegal."
"I'm sorry, officer. If you wish to investigate my client, you're going to need a warrant."
"See? I hired the right guy." I slid in and let him sit down next to me. I rubbed his leg as soon as he was close enough.
"Hi, Lady." He leaned over and stole a kiss.
"Hey yourself, sexy sheriff."
"Chief."
"Cheeky Chief." It was corny, but I reached under him and squeezed his butt, kind of. Mostly his wallet.
He rolled his eyes, but I saw the start of a smile in the corner of his mouth. "So, I'm assuming ward feeding has been taken care of?"
"Yep. Dwight shall be spending days there, and Jason if he has time. I'd like a couple more but that won't happen until we bring in some more of us. Speaking of which, I'd like to expedite that. Do you have any vacation time?"
"Uh. I don't think I've taken a day off in a couple of years. So, yes. Why?"
"I want to do some interviews."
"I need to take time off to do this?"
"Yes. As we will be conducting them in Ashville."
"Wait, what?"
"Well, do you expect me to make them come all the way out here and if we don't like them, send them packing?"
"I see your point."
"I knew you would. When do you want to go?"
"Is there nobody on the list you can shortlist? Maybe get them out here soon? I'll trust your judgement and then we can interview the rest after thanksgiving. Second week of December?"
"Assistant, put that in my calendar, and book the sheriff and I a flight, please."
"Wait. You're serious?"
"No. Well, kinda, but I need to get you a bank card and show you how to– Nevermind. Don't panic."
He breathed a sigh of relief.
"Did you see your sign?"
I rolled my eyes at Chief. "Yes."
"I
saw it yesterday and laughed."
Marge brought the food over and set a double burger and fries in front of Chief. "I'll bring your coke in a second."
"Thanks, Marge."
I took a bite of my burger while I watched Jason taste his. He stopped chewing and stared at me. "You're delicious."
It's a good thing she hadn't brought Chief his coke yet. He would have spit it everywhere.
I blushed and rushed to change the subject. "So, everybody keeps calling it the factory. What is it they make?"
Jason laughed. "Want to take a guess?"
"Dildos?"
"Close. The other thing that gives ecstasy to women. Ice cream scoops."
"True story." My phone began ringing on the table next to me. It was Josie probably wondering where I was. "Jello," I answered.
"Dot…they took her…Candace," she said between sobs.
∞ ∞ ∞
I rocked Josie back and forth on the couch in the vampires' home. She'd been beaten, bloody, and hysterical when we got to where they'd left her. It took nearly ten minutes to get the story out of her.
One of them knew how to drive. Josie and Candace had been walking along Main when a white van pulled over, and seven of them jumped out casting binding spells, much to the dismay of the other pedestrians. They tossed them in the van and drove away, not stopping anywhere. They knocked Josie unconscious, stuffed a note in her mouth, and dumped her in an alleyway.
The note was very clear.
House of wards before dark. Give us vampires.
They wanted to exchange Candace for the vampires.
I loved her, but it wasn't going to happen. The coven, and I mean all of us, had gathered inside the house where our new friends slept. The house I'd worked so hard on to make a safe haven for them. All to be undone by a single kidnapping.
"You sure they'll have her with them?" Josie asked for the thirteenth time.
"They have to. There's no way we'd turn over the vampires without her," Chief answered levelly, no emotion coloring his words.
"Supposedly. It's not happening," I said angrily.
"You're not going to save her?" The tears on her cheeks and the fear in her voice broke my heart.
"I didn't say that. I said I wasn't going to sacrifice the vampires for her."
"What's the plan, Lady?"
The chief of police had just asked me how we were going to save her. I didn't have the heart to say I didn't know. "I need a minute alone to think. Jimmy, take Josie for me."
Second Blood: A Reverse Harem Tale (Lovin' the Coven Book 2) Page 17