“Is it wooded?”
“No. It's rolling hills with the occasional oak tree and lots of foxtails and sticker thorns.”
“Ouch. My poor paws.”
“Don’t pout. You look like a tough guy. I’m sure you can handle it.”
“What about you?” He brushed his fingertips across her wrist and looked at her with concern. “How will you get home? I wouldn’t feel good about sending a beautiful woman off by herself after sharing a pitcher of we-don’t-know-what. If it weren’t a full moon, I’d take you home myself, but that’s not a good idea. Maybe I should call a cab for you right now and make sure you get home safe.” Without hesitation, he reached for his phone.
“Don’t bother. I’m fine. Actually, I don’t feel any effects at all, which is odd, because Sid has a notorious rep for pouring with an overgenerous hand. Don’t worry about me.” She picked up the pitcher and divided what was left between their two glasses. “I promise I won’t drive. I can’t afford to cause any more trouble in San Buena. I’ll take the beach trolley home.”
“You live near the beach?” Gus smiled one of his big, beautiful grins that made his eyes fan at the corners. “That must be nice.”
“It’s pretty. I like it. Sharing my front yard with the rest of California took a little getting used to, but I can handle it now. For months, there was this old man who jogged the beach naked every morning at dawn, wearing a rainbow cap on his head. He insisted on stopping every day to steal a drink from my garden hose. Whatever.”
“You’re a witch. You could have hexed him.”
“He was a harmless eccentric. I would never deliberately hurt someone. I’m not a cruel witch.”
Gus looked directly at her. The soft sparkle in his eyes blazed into undiluted lust. “Are you a wicked witch? Because you make me think wicked thoughts. I’m looking at you and thinking, luscious blonde with killer curves—who gets to be the lucky guy to mess up her bed?” He instantly appeared mortified and clamped his hand over his mouth. “I didn’t mean to say that!” he grumbled. “As I thought it—it popped out. I’m so sorry. It’s not like me.”
“Don’t worry. I was thinking how fun it would be with a big guy like you to topple you onto the floor, rip your shirt off, and lick your nipples.” Her fingertips tingled and a shower of green sparks set the tabletop on fire. “Babbling Baba Yaga!” She pounded the skittering flames with her palm. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to say or do any of that.”
It was obvious he was shaken. “It’s okay. There’s something odd happening here. We both said things we didn’t mean to say.” A slight smile curled his lips. “By the way, I’m extremely flattered. I wish you would do it.”
“I think you’re gorgeous. I would love to take you home and fuck us both happy, but I don’t dare. You look like an A-plus roll in the sheets, and I would love to see your naked ass out of those tight pants, but I’ve got this horrible problem.” She clamped her palm over her mouth, but continued to mumble. “I intended to stay celibate until I stopped destroying property. I don’t dare tease my pink bunny in the bush or even think about playtime slip-and-slide on a man-pole. If I did, we could all die like charbroiled shrimp on the barbie. My vibrator is hidden in the garage, out of reach. Damn it. I didn’t want to say that!” Her face grew hot. “The words simply pour out. I can’t stop myself.”
“I think we both have a problem. I’m getting ready to wolf-shift. We’re strangers. I want to keep you up all night, pin you beneath me, and fuck you senseless while I growl obscenities in your ear. In my mind, I’m already plotting a way to talk you into anal, and it’s killing me that I can’t censor my filthy mouth. Man, I’d love to bite your ass and spank you ‘til you beg.” He looked exasperated. “Damn! I keep saying what I think. Why can’t I keep my mouth shut?”
The thought of being pinned over Gus's knee and spanked was damn hot. A flaming green spark shot from her fingertips onto the floor. Immediately, she ground the ember out with the toe of her boot. “Whoops. I think I’ll point my fingers toward the cement, just to be safe.” She leaned outside the booth and saw that the lounge was now deserted. The warlocks had left, and there was no one in sight. Where was that sneak of a bartender?
“Sid!” she shouted. “Get over here and explain what the hell’s going on!”
The shrunken head sitting on the tabletop opened its eyes and blinked. “My name is Pastor Waldbrook. Sidhe the Fae, as he is properly known, cannot answer your call right now. Please repeat your message to me, and I’ll make sure he receives it,” the withered face spoke with a crisp British accent.
Fredi addressed the shrunken head set atop a shot glass. “Where did Sid go?”
The pastor rolled his pruny eyes. “Who knows where that young cad goes in his free moments or what Sidhe will be implicated in next? Whatever it is, I’m sure it involves naughtiness and semi-consensual behavior. I’ve had extensive firsthand experience in that department. Before I was placed in this private booth, I used to hang in the storage room. I can attest that these withered eyes have seen plenty of Fae-inspired licentiousness.”
She nodded. “Oh, yes, I know all about the storage room.”
With a look of disgust, Gus recoiled. “Is that shrunken head actually talking?”
The pastor’s thin lips frowned. “Well, I’m not dancing, am I?”
Gus cautiously touched a wild tuft of gray hair atop the head. “Fuck’s sake! How did this happen to you?”
Pastor Waldbrook blinked his crêpey lids. “Young man, please refrain from interrupting me with the rum-slackened salty language of a swarthy sailor. It lowers your status. If you will remain silent, I shall attempt to enlighten. In 1864, I was a missionary in the service of good Queen Vicki and the greatest Empire the world has ever known. At a magic lantern lecture in Blackpool, I was shocked to see a sordid slide show of naked heathens of Southeast Asia clad only in bird feathers and penis sheaths. Can you image such a lack of decorum? I couldn’t and sought to rescue those miserable souls from their pagan folly on a colossal scale. I volunteered to venture into the steamy inland jungle of wild Sumatra to help spread civility and proper dress codes to the locals and grace the pious words of the good book with frequent repetition. I’m a talkative man by nature, and I did not take a shine to the early hints that the Sumatrans did not relish the company of a garrulous, long-winded word-cobbler such as myself. In fact, they resented my loquaciousness so much they resorted to rather severe means to curb my profuse linguistic mastications.” He chuckled, exposing yellowed buckteeth peeking from behind sinewy stitches. “They chopped off my head and sewed my mouth shut, but, in the end, the joke was on them! Hoisted on their own petard, I say! Even smoked and shrunk, I talk more than ever. It’s all I do. I can chatter on and on all day without tiring or even stopping to draw breath. Being a shrunken head has been an absolute boon to me. I love it! Were you aware that—”
“Excuse me, but I don’t want to have this conversation right now.” Fredi glanced at Gus. “Should we leave?”
A glassy look shone in Gus's eyes. “I need fresh air.” He stood on swaying legs. “I don’t feel right.”
Fredi stood and wobbled on her heels. She grabbed on to Gus’s shoulder to keep from toppling. “I feel weird, too, and I blame the Hoodoo Blue for this.”
“Where are you off to?” Pastor Waldbrook called out.
“Home,” Fredi groaned. “Before anything unfortunate involving arson happens.”
“What shall I tell Sidhe the Fae when he returns?”
She slung her purse over her shoulder. “Tell Sid whatever he’s done to us isn’t funny. In fact, I think I should report him to the enchantment community’s ethics committee for hexing our drinks.”
Pastor Waldbrook pursed his mummified lips with indignation. “If I might be so bold as to say, don’t blame young Sidhe for this wee misadventure. A pretty, young tattooed lady was in the lounge about an hour ago. The other shrunken heads and I noticed she was acting a bit furtive. Bertram, w
ho’s seated on the far table, saw her twist open a glass vial and pour it into the Hoodoo Blue syrup dispenser when Sidhe’s back was turned.”
“Estele!” Fredi squeaked. “Surprise party, my ass. Gus, we’ve been hoodooed. This is a disaster.” She turned on Pastor Waldbrook. “Why didn’t you say something? You sat there in silence while we drank an entire pitcher of Hoodoo Blue—shame on you! Oh, God, that rhymes and sounds so stupid. What are we going to do?”
Chapter Three
“I don’t understand.” Gus’s brow creased in a dour expression. “Why would your friend Estele spike our drinks and deliberately do something so spiteful?”
“It’s worse than that. Estele was probably trying to do something nice. Her kindness is worse than someone else’s focused malevolence could ever be. Trust me on that.”
“Uh-oh, I don’t feel so good.” He thumped his fist against his chest as if suppressing a cough. A rolling growl rose from deep in his throat. A feral expression gleamed in his eyes, and they flashed amber. With teeth bared in a vicious snarl, he snapped at the air and howled. In an instant, he composed himself, looked stricken, and appeared to be battling for self-control. “Pardon me. I’m so embarrassed. That was involuntary.” He plunged his hand into his pocket and withdrew his keys. “I better be on my way before it gets worse.”
“What about the Lycan intervention?”
“Someone needs to intervene for me! I’m the one who needs help. With the moon rising, there’s no way I can stand next to a beautiful blonde like you and not make an absolute jackass of myself. You’re my dream girl, and way too much temptation to deal with during a full moon. I’m leaving now before I bend you over one of these tables, lift your dress, and ride your gorgeous ass like it’s the dirty-dog rodeo.”
He shook his head in apology. “Oh, shit, I didn’t mean to say that. Please don’t be offended. That’s the Hoodoo Blue talking. It makes this stuff pour out of my mouth.” He took a few long strides toward the back door and turned. A look of scorching regret colored his face. “Fredi, I’m aware I’ve made a bad first impression by blurting out every nasty thought that crosses my mind, but I sincerely hope we can meet again under better circumstances. The things I’ve been saying are not the real me.”
“I get it. Don’t be embarrassed, at least not in front of me.” She gazed at him, convinced he was just about the nicest and certainly the most attractive man she’d met in a long while. For a wayward moment, she allowed herself to fantasize about what it might be like to grab hold of his shirt, rip the collar open, nuzzle her face against his chest, and tease his nipples with her teeth until he made desperate little sounds. As she conjured the dreamy scene in her mind, she slipped into an erotic daze and got lost.
“Watch out, Fredi!” he shouted.
She sniffed a hint of char in the air as her thoughts floated. The next moment, Gus was clutching her arm and propelling her across the room. In a haze, she staggered forward. All the tablecloths in the center of the cocktail lounge were ablaze and the ceiling sprinklers had come on. The fine mist of water whirring through the air instantly made the lounge steamy.
The chaotic scene slowly sank in. This was her doing. “Holy Mother Circe! Not again. I’ll get another six months of highway cleanup for this.” Almost as quickly as it appeared, the green fire died out, and the automatic sprinklers shut down.
The shrunken heads cheered in unison. “Hurrah!”
“Damn!” Fredi surveyed the puddled floor and burnt tablecloths. “I didn’t mean to do it. If I had my wand with me, I could put the room right before anyone saw the damage.”
Gus placed his hands on her shoulders and guided her out the back door. “It’s not that bad. I can help with this tomorrow, but not now. Floors can be mopped and tablecloths replaced. I’m more concerned with getting the hell away from the downtown area before anyone gets hurt.”
Once they were out in the parking lot and breathing cool air, he came to an abrupt halt and gave her an earnest once-over. “I didn’t want to ask in front of the shrunken heads, because they seem pretty gossipy.” His gaze searched hers. “Tell me the truth. What’s with the green flames?”
As he waited for his answer, she bit her lip, wondering how honest she should be. Gus stood so close she could almost count each of the long black lashes that fringed his beautiful eyes, which she now noticed weren’t really hazel. They now appeared almost golden, but maybe that was the Lycan in him coming on strong. “It’s not really fire. The green flames are enchanted, hyperdimensional, superheated Wiccan plasma.”
“It sounds dangerous.”
“It can be.”
“It also seems to be causing a lot of problems and beyond your control.”
“Sometimes it is. This is a fairly new development in my life. I’m learning to cope.”
“What triggers it?”
She shrugged. “Things, thoughts, people.”
“That’s not very specific.”
A seasick sensation akin to falling in an elevator swooped through her. “I don’t want to say. It’s a personal matter.”
“Oh, I suppose none of my personal stuff got exposed tonight? Do I need to point out that I’m in a very vulnerable position? This is exactly the sort of situation I strive to avoid, and a full moon makes everything a thousand times worse. A woman like you is my biggest weakness, and it never works out. I’ve sworn off blonde bombshells. I told myself never again, and then this happens.”
“And what is this? I feel vaguely accused of something.”
He shook his head. “Fredi, I’m not accusing you of anything. The wolf in me is on the rise, and you’re way too tempting. It’s the curves—it’s everything.” His gaze roamed over her. “I’m dying to drag you into my den and…” With a frantic motion, he rubbed his face with his palm as if he could erase the thoughts simmering inside his skull. “I’ve got to get out of here before I do something I shouldn’t.”
She swallowed hard. Geez, what a confession. Hot damn. Part of her wished she could take him home right this minute, rip the clothes off him, and risk setting the place ablaze. “You have a wolf den, really?”
“No, I don’t live in a wolf den. It’s just a saying. I’m leasing a condo at the moment.”
“Too bad. I was curious. Some sort of earthwork sounded exotic.” She didn’t bother to mention an earthen den also sounded like a low fire risk and Gus was looking mighty tempting. She was almost ready to consider going somewhere, anywhere, with him, when flames roared from her fingertips and set a wooden planter at the edge of the sidewalk on fire.
“Help me put it out!” Fredi pounded the flames with her purse. “I am so sorry. This evening isn’t working at all, is it? I think I’ll go home before I blow something up.”
“Are you sure you should drive?”
“I swear I feel fine. Whatever was in the Hoodoo Blue seems to have worn off as quickly as it came on.” She drew a deep breath and checked in with herself. “Yes. Everything’s back to normal. Well, not ‘normal’ normal—my normal. At least I’m not blurting out every dirty thought in my head.”
“I don’t know if I agree. I kind of liked hearing what you were thinking about me. Fredi, I really like you, and I’m counting on you to call me sometime soon.”
“When the moon is waning?”
“Something like that.” He laughed. “I hope we’ll meet again when I have a little more control over my impulses. I’d hate myself if I blew it with you.”
“I’ll call.” It was the moment to walk away, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Her feet remained firmly planted. Awkward moments dragged.
Gus looked anxious. “Fredi, you’d better go, right now. I am dangerously close to picking you up and carrying you off for the night.”
With her queen-sized proportions, she wasn’t the sort of erotic prize the average man could casually lift without first carefully considering the strength of his lower lumbar region. “I don’t think you want to do that unless you’ve got rea
lly good workmen’s comp.”
“Bullshit.” He scooped her into his arms and lifted her high without betraying the slightest sign of strain or effort. “See? I can handle you.” His grip tightened. A feral spark lit his gaze. “You are so soft. You feel great. My God, the things I would do to you.” He nuzzled his face against her hair and kissed her throat. His breath was warm on her skin. The kiss deepened to a gentle nip that left gooseflesh pebbling her skin.
A sweet moan snuck past her lips. “Don’t do that. It’s a turn-on.” Just as she said it, green fire shot from her fingertips and spread across the parking lot’s blacktop in a row of sizzling flames.
“Ah-ha.” Gus carefully lowered her to the ground. “I get it now. I didn’t quite put it together earlier. When you’re turned on, you lose control and shoot fire, right?”
She nodded. “Yep.”
“How long has this been happening?”
“About six months.”
“You’ve been on guard for unscheduled firestorms for six months? How do you…? Christ, I thought I had it bad during a full moon. That makes my troubles look like a big nothing.”
“I’m embarrassed talking about this.”
“Don’t be. I’m in the same boat. Believe me, I have embarrassment on speed dial. I get hairy, grabby, and howl, and I don’t always get to choose when or where it will happen. Do you have anyone you can talk to? Somebody who gets it?”
“Not really.”
“I thought witches had a great support system in place.”
“They do. I choose to keep this to myself, because…”
“Because you’re embarrassed and you hate being out of control?”
“Yes!”
“You shouldn’t be. Everyone in the enchantment community has some sort of issue they have to cope with. Isolating yourself isn’t the best choice.”
Hoodoo Blue Page 4