Jinx & Tonic (The Magic & Mixology Mystery Series Book 3)

by Gina LaManna

  As the Companion bent over in surprise, Gus marched past him. He didn’t gloat, nor did he apologize, he merely stomped right up to the table and glared at me. “Where did you get this bloom?”

  “It was here when I arrived,” I said. “I was going to ask you the same thing!”

  “You watched me lock that door,” Gus said, his eyes narrowed. “I always leave the table clean.”

  “I know that,” I said. “But you and I are the only ones with keys to this place. If it wasn’t either of us, then someone broke into the bungalow.”

  “To deliver a flower?” Gus leaned over the table, performing the same assessment as I had, using all five of his senses. I’d stopped at taste, but not Gus. He cut a small sliver of stem from the plant and licked it. “Yep. That’s the real thing,” he confirmed.

  “Who would’ve broken in while we were away? And why?”

  Gus sat down at the table next to me, his eyes so focused on the lily I thought it would wither under his gaze. “Where do lilies come from?”

  “Um, are we talking about the flower?”

  Gus raised his eyebrows and let my question linger. “It’s a curious thing, this appearing here. Today, of all days.”

  “But—”

  “Put it in water, care for it.” He stood, stretching his creaky joints as he surveyed the single bloom on the table. “Just because we don’t know where this flower came from, it doesn’t mean that the bloom is any less powerful. Knowing its history won’t change anything.”

  “Of course it changes things. Someone is sending us a message with this flower. But are they trying to help us or threaten us?”

  “I’m here to help you in any way I can.” Gus gave the faintest of smiles. “That doesn’t mean I have all the answers.”

  CHAPTER 7

  The mood turned somber with the onset of darkness. My ever-present Companion didn’t once move away from his post at the door, except for a side-step to the left which allowed a few guests to pass through at my request.

  Gus had arrived first, then Mimsey. They now spoke in low tones beside the fireplace, roaring flames crackling behind them. Poppy had arrived shortly after her mother and now sat across the table from me, her face white as sand, her fingers pulling apart a napkin into miniscule shreds. Darkness had set hours ago.

  “Are you okay?” I reached over, sweeping the napkin pieces into my hand. She could’ve stuffed a pillow with how much paper she’d gone through. “You haven’t eaten anything all day.”

  She scrunched up her nose. Even though Poppy was a vampire, the sight of blood made her nauseous. “I don’t like violence,” she whispered. “And Zin was right there…”

  I stood up. “Since we’re stuck here behind Bozo at the door, let’s make the best of it. C’mon, let me show you something I’ve been working on the past few weeks.”

  “What is it?” A flash of interest appeared in her eyes. “A potion?”

  “Remember that glowing tea you got from Harpin during my first week on The Isle?”

  “Heck yeah!” She grinned enthusiastically. “I glowed like a lighthouse. I’m pretty sure everybody was jealous. They all asked about it.”

  “Yep, that’s the one!” I forced a smile.

  Poppy had glowed all right, but it’d been more of a toxic green than a healthy shine. Most likely, everyone had asked how she was feeling out of concern for her health, not out of envy.

  Which was why I’d set out to fix it. “I’ve been working on something even better. I’m going to call it Glo. Without the “w” because that’s edgier.”

  “Most definitely.” She clapped her hands. “I need to see this.”

  I stood up to retrieve the potion from my shelves. Before my fingers found the correct bottle, the Companion stood to the side and allowed another figure through the door. The man we’d been waiting to hear from all afternoon.

  “Hello,” Ranger X said, his expression unreadable. His eyes found mine before continuing around the room. He gave a brief nod to my guests. “I’m sure you have lots of questions, but first, Zin is safe. She is with the rest of the Candidates at an undisclosed location this evening.”

  Relief washed over Mimsey’s face, but Poppy looked more concerned than ever.

  “Undisclosed… like a safe house?” she asked. “Why?”

  Ranger X shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He murmured something to the Companion. The latter nodded, then stepped outside and closed the door behind him. Once the lock clicked shut, X addressed the group again.

  “Raymon didn’t make it.” X’s voice remained even, though an underlying anger slid beneath the calm surface. “The Healers were there immediately as you witnessed, but even so, it was too late.”

  Poppy sucked in a breath. Her face remained passive but her hands went to work tearing napkins like a paper shredder on steroids. “How did he die? Why do the rest of the Candidates need to be locked away? What’s going on?”

  Ranger X looked to me as he responded. “We made an arrest.”

  Mimsey leaped to her feet. “An arrest? But that means… that means someone did something wrong. Are you telling us this was murder?”

  “This information must not be repeated. I have my men relaying the same message to the other families—” he paused, glanced at Gus, “—and friends, of the Candidates.”

  “I still don’t understand. They were in the arena with everyone watching. How could this have happened?” Poppy’s voice faded as she turned to look at me, understanding dawning in her eyes. “Lily, you saw something. She tried to tell us, to tell you, but she couldn’t.”

  Ranger X’s eyes flicked toward me, a hint of curiosity in his gaze. “We’ve arrested Trent and placed him in the most secure prison cell we have. When we watched the video recording of the Trial, we noticed Trent speaking to Raymon minutes before his death.”

  “They were not only speaking, they also made an exchange. Trent grabbed Raymon’s hand, and I didn’t realize it at the time, but I think he gave him something.”

  “A Poison Pill disguised as a Strength Solution,” Ranger X said. “We’re assuming Trent handed Raymon the pill, explaining that it would help him through the obstacles.”

  “Why would Raymon have believed Trent?” I shook my head. “That makes no sense. A random Candidate handed over a pill, and he just took it blindly?”

  “I spoke to the other Candidates, and it appears Raymon and Trent formed some sort of friendship before the Trials—an alliance of sorts—thereby creating a trust between them.”

  “Lily’s right, this doesn’t make sense,” Poppy said, tapping her fingers against the table. “Why would he take the time to befriend him?” Poppy paused, her eyes widening. “Unless that was his plan all along.”

  “I thought all of the Candidates were screened thoroughly,” Mimsey said. “Wouldn’t something have come up in Trent’s background…”

  As she trailed off, Ranger X’s face hardened. “Everyone was screened as thoroughly as possible. We’ve watched them for months, dug back as early as history would allow on each Candidate. I know Zin was allergic to blueberries for a year as a child and Dillan broke his arm in three places at the age of five. Nothing turned up.”

  “I didn’t mean anything by it,” Mimsey said quickly. “I just don’t understand.”

  “Did you talk to Trent and ask him why?” I diverted the conversation away from Mimsey and back to the murder at hand. “Why he’d do such a thing in plain sight?”

  “That’s the oddity.” Ranger X looked at the floor, his stance wide, shoulders straight. “I talked with Trent for a long time, and he claims to have no recollection of anything after he stepped foot in the arena.”

  I blinked, swallowing back my surprise. “And do you believe him?”

  X sighed, the energy seeping from his very being. “I don’t know.”

  “What does your gut tell you?”

  “I don’t have the answers,” he said sharply. Then he ran a hand over his foreh
ead and apologized. “It’s convenient he doesn’t remember anything, sure. But it seems like he believes it.”

  “Aarik said the same thing, you know,” I whispered. During my first weeks on the island, someone who I’d called a friend had tried to kidnap me. His name was Aarik, and he’d very nearly succeeded. “You believed him.”

  Ranger X’s stood straighter, and I watched as he sifted through his memories of Aarik and the poisoned smoke. “That was different. We could see the effects of the potion on Aarik. It ran through his veins, no doubt about it.”

  “Have you checked Trent?”

  “He’s healthy as a unicorn. Nothing in his veins that shouldn’t be there,” Ranger X said with a weary shake of his head. “Aarik went through an intensive detoxification process after we took him into custody to rid his body of poison. It altered his mind, and the recovery process is grueling.”

  “All magic leaves some sort of trace,” I pointed out. “If there are no signs of magic, does that mean Trent acted on his own accord? Is he flat-out lying?”

  “Trent will remain on high-alert lockdown until we can figure out the answer,” Ranger X said. “All spells, all potions leave a trace, that is correct, but—”

  Poppy jumped in before he could finish the thought. “How will you ever be able to tell if he’s telling the truth?”

  “Regardless of the how, or the why, Trent is responsible for the death of a Candidate, as far as I’m concerned. And that is an unforgivable offense.”

  The room fell into a somber silence. Gus threw another log on the fire, and Mimsey shifted, her flowing dress billowing about her body.

  “What I still don’t understand,” Poppy said eventually, “is why you have to keep Zin locked away. If you’ve already found your murderer. . . ”

  “We believe we’ve found him. It’s not absolutely certain. The investigation is ongoing.”

  “Are you afraid something else is going to happen?” I asked. “Is that why you’re locking the Candidates away?”

  Ranger X glanced my way, his jaw working as he debated which answer to give. “It’s better to be safe than sorry.”

  “Well, we should be going,” Mimsey said. “I wanted to make sure Lily wasn’t alone, but now that X is here… let’s go, Poppy.”

  “Do you want me to go?” Poppy asked me. She stood and nodded toward the couch. “I can stay if you’d like.”

  “She’ll have a guard all night,” Ranger X said, thumbing toward the door where the Companion waited outside. “He has been instructed not to leave.”

  I put my hands on my hips. “I’ll be fine. You’ve already put Trent away.”

  Mimsey scrunched up her nose. “I really thought it’d be you staying, X.”

  X ran a hand through his hair. “I’m planning to stay as long as I can, but there’s a lot of work to be done. I am needed at Ranger HQ.”

  “Okay, people, I’m an adult!” I waved my hands at all the guests. “Mimsey and Poppy, go home—your beds are much more comfortable than my couch. Same with you, Gus.”

  “I’ll walk them home,” Gus said. “Keep an eye out tonight, you hear me, Lily?”

  I walked the group to the door, giving the Companion a polite elbow-nudge to the ribs until he moved out of the way. Standing next to him on the front steps, I waved, watching the retreating backs of my family. It wasn’t until I returned to the storeroom that the strangeness of Gus’s goodbye hit me.

  It hit Ranger X, too. He leaned against the edge of the table, one eyebrow raised. “Since when do you and Gus speak in code?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Keep an eye out tonight?”

  “Cryptic? I think he was just being blunt,” I said with a forced laugh. Since I had no clue what Gus was talking about, it wasn’t hard to feign confusion. “You know, like saying be careful in Gus’s own way.”

  “Mm-hmm.”

  Ranger X didn’t sound convinced. I took my time shutting the door, leaving the Companion outside. I wasn’t being entirely honest with X—not because I wanted to lie, but because I’d been instructed to lie.

  A few weeks back, Hettie had introduced me to a small group called The Core—a company created to fight back against The Faction. My grandmother had expressly forbidden me to discuss it with anyone. Including X and my cousins. I hated keeping secrets from them, but for now, I couldn’t figure out a way around it.

  Though he didn’t seem to buy my explanation, Ranger X moved on to greener topics. “Are you hungry?”

  “I could eat.”

  “You can always eat.” He smiled, the air warming as the tension dissipated. “Let’s eat outside.”

  We made our way to the bar area attached to one end of the bungalow. It was mostly outside with an awning over the top boasting the words Magic & Mixology. The place wasn’t fancy—a few barstools, a shining counter, several tables and chairs. The water was visible from here, the waves churning beyond the sand.

  Cracking a few eggs over a pan, X set to work sizzling up an omelet while I put on a pot of coffee. We moved effortlessly together in the kitchen, a synchronized sort of dance that’d come from weeks of practice.

  After a bit of silence, Ranger X threw a few slabs of bacon on the skillet and turned to face me. “What aren’t you telling me?”

  I focused on the water dripping from the kettle, seeping through the coffee grounds, drizzling into the pot. “What do you mean?”

  Ranger X sucked in a breath and licked his lips, his eyes torn between amusement and concern. He sliced a few chives over the omelet. I could only hope that his hunger would overpower his curiosity, buying me time until after dinner to come up with some answers.

  In the meantime, I opted for distraction. “What are we?” I blurted, turning to stare right back at him. “You and me. Us.”

  Ranger X blinked, his motions stiffening as he flipped the egg mixture over, sizzling it in leftover grease from the bacon. “What do you mean?”

  I wasn’t proud of using this technique, but the secret I was keeping from Ranger X was big. Huge. Important. And since I couldn’t keep secrets, I had to avoid them entirely.

  “Well, we hang out. We kiss. We do things like this…” I waved my hands at the way we’d seamlessly prepared a meal while hardly muttering a word. “Couple things.”

  “Yes,” he said, sliding the eggs onto a plate and setting it on the bar. “Do you like couple things?”

  “Yeah, I do.” I grabbed some forks and the jar of sugar for the coffee. “But that doesn’t answer my question. I called you my boyfriend today and honestly, it felt a little weird. We’ve never talked about it, and I didn’t want to assume anything.”

  We each slid onto a bar stool, our elbows brushing against one another as we shared a meal from one gigantic platter. I picked at the bacon, he went straight for the eggs.

  Ranger X chewed thoughtfully. “If you like doing couple things, then we’re a couple.”

  “Does that mean you’re my boyfriend?”

  “Is that what you want it to mean?”

  My face turned red, and it wasn’t because of the heat swirling up from my food. “Um, I don’t know.”

  “What’s going on, Lily?” Though it looked painful, Ranger X set his fork down. “Did I say the wrong thing?”

  “No, not at all.” Spinning to face him, I sighed. “I like you a lot. I’m not trying to force you into anything, I’m just… I’m trying to understand what these new rules mean. You’re allowed to have a relationship now. I’m just not sure if that’s what you want.”

  He pulled me closer, chair and all. Running a hand over my cheek, a soft smile curved his lips upward. “I wouldn’t have turned an entire set of laws upside down if I didn’t think you were worth it.” He paused, picking up his fork and stabbing his eggs to death. “If you want to be with me, then I would like to be your boyfriend.”

  Despite the crazy night, the horrible day, the fact that this island was tumbling out of control—none of it mattered. Somehow,
the two of us had managed to find a lighthouse in all of these dark and stormy seas, the light keeping us on a path of good, a path of love and hope and all things bright.

  I pressed my lips to his cheek and let the kiss linger until he relaxed, the fork dropping from his hand and clattering against the plate.

  “I’d like to be your girlfriend,” I said against his cheek. “On one condition.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I don’t want anything to change between us. I love the way things are right this very second.”

  He pulled me onto his lap. My bar stool tipped over, crashing to the floor. We ignored it, and I looped my arms around his neck, nuzzling in close.

  His lips brushed against my neck. “I can’t make that promise, Lily. Things change. The world is always changing. Our journey together is just getting started.”

  “But I don’t want us to change. I can’t imagine things getting better than they are now.”

  “If nothing ever changed in the world, we wouldn’t have butterflies. Without change, the caterpillar would never fly—they’d never blossom into the beautiful creatures they’re meant to become. The best is yet to come, Lily. Trust me.”

  I blinked as he grasped my hand in his, holding it tight. So tight, I believed he’d never let go.

  “I want to know every inch of you. Starting from here…” He kissed my forehead, my cheek, my shoulder. “Down to here.” He tapped my toe. “With the new rules, we can savor what we have, enjoy each moment together. That’s what this is all about, isn’t it?”

  I curled against his chest, my head resting against his warm, hard body. Finally, I cleared my throat. “Your bacon’s getting cold.”

  He laughed. “Well, you’d better stay here, since your stool is on the floor.”

  We finished the meal in contented silence. I didn’t move from his lap until it was time to clear the dishes. As I washed and he dried, it startled me how far we’d come in such a short time together.

  Even though I’d only meant to distract Ranger X from talk of The Core with my questions, they’d served a double purpose. We’d suddenly entered into new territory, and I didn’t know how to feel about it. A little bit scared, a little bit excited… the conversation had left a vulnerability shrouding the room, soothed only by our memorized motions around the kitchen.