“Are you thinking of cutting your cleaning company loose?” Mysta wanted to know. It wouldn’t be the first time Bridget had fired the people she used. “And thanks, he’d appreciate it.”
“No problem. Maybe. Actually, Joe could use someone. Not for cleaning, but a hellhound in service to the local vampire liege could spark up some serious mojo points with the other lieges.” A dark grin painted Bridget’s red lips. She arranged the jars at evenly spaced intervals between them on the counter and flipped open a tome.
“Loaded day. We’ll eat sometime, right?” Mysta snorted. “I’ll talk to Malcolm, but I’m not sure how he could help Joe. He needs to dump his magical overload pretty badly.” Mysta opened drawers and pulled out utensils, placing them next to the urns they were to be used with. Each brew had to have their own bowls, stirring wands, toppers, charms, and labels.
Bridget shook her head. “With the full moon coming there will be a lot of that going around. I’ll see what I can do. What does he want?” She pulled out a few recipe cards and placed them next to the arrangements.
Mysta explained Malcolm’s situation while she lit a white candle.
“Interesting and he is a fully certified familiar?” More speculation glittered in Bridget’s eyes. She stepped back. “Looks good.”
“As far as I know, yes. Are we ready to go?” Sometimes it took Bridget a moment before she used her craft.
“Liar. You don’t know. Get him tested. I’ll need to see his mark. Bring him in after the full moon when things are calm, and I’ll start the process. I can think up a few people.” Bridget pressed her lips together, and her eyes lost their focus. Her magic floated onto the air, a light breeze of power that caused goose bumps to rise on Mysta’s skin.
She smelled earth, fire, air, water, and something dark and heavy. Her own magic responded. The coolness of water ghosted over her face as a fire simmered in her gut, and earth held her steady to the ground. Her fingertips prickled. Her skin tingled, her face became flushed, her nipples tightened, and her stomach muscles clenched. A soft arousal settled over her, reminding her of the dream she’d had about Viktor. She swallowed.
“He’s a picky one. He’ll want a woman, and he’ll want her curvy.” Mysta felt that she had to add that tidbit in. Otherwise he may raise up the alarm. Focusing that helped to ignore the poignant side effects of beginning craft work.
“Me curvy.” Bridget pointed at her herself. “Or more curves?” She made an hourglass shape in the air with her hands.
“More.”
“I know of three witches matching that description. How old is he? I may not have to consult the old biddies after all.” Bridget grinned. “The matchmaking sect would be disappointed. Are you ready?”
“Malcolm looks to be in his mid-thirties, but you can’t go by that with the Underworld set. And yes, I am.”
Bridget closed her eyes and pressed her palms together over her heart. “We ask for the gods’ and goddesses’ blessings for the working we are about to undertake. May you guide our hands and open our hearts. Theses potions are meant to help rather than harm. We enter this process with an open mind and heart. Blessed be, and so mote it be.” She bowed her head.
Mysta felt the world around them stabilize. Her senses expanded beyond the room. She became aware of Lana flitting around in the visitor’s area and Sera at her desk. Mysta retreated and refocused on what would be going on in this space.
“Let’s get to work.” Bridget tugged the ingredients toward her and began measuring them out into bowls. “So, how does he feel about young? What about fresh out of witch college?” Bridget’s eyes were hard and focused.
Mysta thought it over as she handed her a bottle of peacock feathers. “Nope, too young, too fresh. Older.”
“Mid-thirties to forty, okay?” Bridget took the measuring cup and poured the feathers into a bottle.
Mysta took her time in answering. “Probably. I think he wants someone who knows her mind and isn’t flighty. Stability.”
“I’ll throw in the twenty-year-old for good measure, but I have three candidates. One is in her early thirties, and the other just turned forty.” Bridget’s features shuttered, her lips pressed to a thin line, and her eyes darkened with fire. But Bridget didn’t get angry. Emotions could spoil a potion faster than leaving it on the flame too long or not stirring enough.
“I’m not going to ask what happened.” There were three reasons someone in her thirties or forties didn’t have a familiar. Either a, they hadn’t found someone compatible with their magic, b, they had just lost their familiar or c, they were too high maintenance and their familiar had left them. All three options were sad, and she could only think of how the magical world had treated the two older witches.
“Pass the milk of chimera.” She accepted the jar from Mysta and used a dropper to add two drops in the bottle with the peacock feathers. “There.”
“Oh, one more thing. Family is coming in to for my sister to start looking for families to fit with. She’s invited you and Sera and Lana to dinner. Can you make it?”
“Not tonight. Joe and I have a date. He’s going to start teaching me how to play poker.” Bridget preened.
Mysta rolled her eyes. “Bridget, Lana keeps offering…” She focused on squeezing a few drops of dragon saliva into a mixture.
“The evil little pixie cheats! Okay, enough chatter. Let’s concentrate. This next part’s a bit tricky.” Bridget dropped a scoop of butterfly scales into a bowl of cobra venom. There was a puff of smoke. Acrid cologne drifted up onto the air making both women cough.
Mysta and Bridget waited to see if a fire would start like the last time they tried to mix the two ingredients together with dragon eyelashes. Sweat pearled on Mysta’s brow, and Bridget stared at the brew with interest. The potion turned a deep violet before it became clear. Both women exhaled.
“Whew, let’s move on.” Bridget put the concoction on the fire and drew the next set of vials, bowls, and utensils toward her. “This one is for defense.”
“Okay.” Mysta flipped the pages of the tome to the spell. She read through the list of ingredients and began measuring them out while Bridget stirred the cauldron with the first potion in it. Questions nagged Mysta. “Bridget, have you ever been torn between duty and love?”
Bridget looked up. “Nope, love wins out over family duty.”
She stopped what she was doing to study Bridget’s face. “But I never—”
Bridget rolled her eyes. “Please, you don’t think I didn’t know about Viktor? Or the pressure you were under to become a familiar? Look, Mysta, I love you, you’re a sister to me. You are not only one of my familiars but also one of my best friends. I’m just going to be honest with you. Family, we can’t get rid of. They are tied to us by blood but love, that, you can choose to accept it or keep running from it. I tried running from my attraction to Joe, and I’m not saying I’m in love with him, but I do have feelings for him. Do you have feelings for Viktor?”
Mysta bobbed her head.
“No, say it. Out. Loud,” Bridget ordered.
There was no use denying it. “Yes, I do.”
“Good. See where it goes but take it slow. I know romantic relationships are new to you, and they can be terrifying but don’t rush, okay? You don’t have to know everything. There are no texts to memorize or books to consult. You’ll have to wing it, but know we’ll be there for you regardless of what happens. I’d hug you, but I’m covered in pixie dust.” Glimmering powder coated Bridget’s top and jeans.
Mysta grinned. “No hug needed. Thanks.” She had really lucked out where friends were concerned.
“Okay, enough of this. We have two more potions to brew and then paperwork to handle. And you”—Bridget pointed at Mysta—“have to get into the upstairs rooms and start organizing things. If it were up to Sera she’d burn it and be done with it. You went nuts at that estate sale. We need to debug and de-charm everything, and that will take a while. So call in some help. Maybe Ariel
and Vivi, and maybe include Viktor in all the organizing fun?”
Mysta thought about it. “Maybe we can share some of the manuscripts, curry favor with Shevon?”
Bridget wiped some sweat away with the back of her hand, smearing some of the dust across her forehead. “Sure, why not. Damn it, it’s just like glitter. Can you…?” She pushed her head forward and nodded toward a clean rag.
Mysta dampened the rag in the sink and blotted at the sparkling dust, but a sheen remained.
Bridget groaned. “Damn, I’m going to have to ask Lana to clear it away. She’ll laugh her ass off. Okay, let’s get back to work.”
They fell back into a rhythm. By the time Mysta’s stomach growled, two and half hours had passed. Sweat bathed her face, blurring her vision.
“Break time,” Bridget announced. “Last potion we have to do is for the hexes, but I can do that on my own.”
Mysta left the workroom while Bridget remained to stir the potion. She found some doughnuts and muffins left over in the visitor’s area and decided to risk drinking coffee from the pot.
Sera was sitting at her desk, squinting at her computer screen. She glanced up and called Mysta over. “Mysta, can you come with me? I need you to act as backup for me. Lana, stay here and hold the fort. Don’t get into my chocolate stash. I’ll know.”
Lana grinned. “No you won’t. Good luck.”
Mysta pulled her from the building and out onto the sidewalk to avoid Sera and Lana’s banter. “No sense in arguing with her. You’ll lose. Now what’s going on?”
Sera twisted the hem of her shirt. “I’ve decided to challenge my mother for control of the leap, of my black leopard family. I’ve heard some really bad things from a few members, things that overall hurt us. Something needs to be done. I haven’t told Vivi yet. I want to confront my mother first, see how she reacts.” Fear and anger filled Sera’s face.
Mysta whistled. This was the first she’d heard of a friend wanting to change up the status quo. She grabbed Sera’s hand, and they began walking toward the affluent feline shifter part in the north of town. “You don’t want much, do you? Are you sure you want to do this?”
They turned onto the street where Sera’s mother lived. Mysta glanced over to see tears slipping down Sera’s cheeks.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” Mysta stopped and grabbed Sera’s shoulders. She turned Sera toward her. “What’s up?”
“It’s the end of a long period of my life. My mother has been grooming me to take over when she steps down, but now…now…it’ll be over. My mother will be so disappointed.” The droplets increased. It was as if a dam had broken, and she couldn’t stop the flood. She dropped to the ground. “I-I…won’t be her perfect daughter,” she managed to get out through hiccups and sobs.
Mysta knelt next to her and brushed away the tears. Damn Francie for making Sera cry. “It’s okay, Sera. It’ll be okay.”
“I love her, even if she is a bitch. She’s my mom and…” The words trailed off. “What would my father say? I’m betraying the leap, aren’t I? Choosing you and Bridget and Lana over my own kind. I’m… What kind of black panther am I to do this to my people? What if I’m making the wrong decisions? What if she gets hurt or killed or—”
Mysta slapped Sera’s cheek. The shock wave rocked up her arm, and pain burst in her palm.
Sera grabbed her cheek and gaped at her. “Mysta. What the fuck? Why'd you slap me?” Sera’s eyes were wide with shock, though not hurt.
“Whine, whine, whine. Stop it. Your mother is a heartless bitch who has been controlling you and Vivi for most of your lives. Yes, she’s a relative, but you know better. You’ve heard it from the bitch’s mouth. Dina has no reason to lie. She’s from one of the most affluent families in the leap. She knows what would happen if word got back to your mother. And even if you do love her, do you want your people to suffer from your mother’s neglect and selfishness? From her stealing the money they worked so hard to make and contributing to improve the lives of your people? You may not want to rule, but that doesn’t mean you have to betray them in order to be happy. It’s not as if you’re abandoning them. You can be part of the quorum if you want to, right?”
“Well…yes.” Sera’s voice trailed off. Mysta heard the small hesitation.
“So shut up.” Mysta rose and started walking. Mysta knew she sounded bratty, but when it came to Sera’s family issues it brought out the worst in her. She hated seeing someone so great as Sera be ripped down like that by anyone.
Sera rushed to catch up. “You know you’re a real bitch, right?”
“Yeah, but I care about you. Your mother doesn’t. I watched the damage she inflicted on you and said nothing. Now that you’re being proactive about your life and happiness, I won’t let you run away from that, got it? You and Vivi deserve better.” Mysta decided now was as good a time as any to come clean with Sera now instead of possibly being blindsided by Francine. “By the way, Vivi was crashing with me, not the dragon brothers, but now she’s returned to your mother. For some reason she’s avoiding those sexy dragon boys.”
“I know about Vivi. She told me. And it’s her Lunar Lust.” Sera blushed. “Can’t you feel it?”
“Ah, yeah, um, snake shifters don’t really get that,” Mysta lied. “Not as bad as you and the wolves and others do. We don’t want to fuck, anyway. We just want to be left alone.” Despite her tight friendship with everyone, there were some things she wouldn’t tell anyone about her kind.
Sera frowned. “So then what happened with the fox?”
“Stuff. I don’t want to get into it. Anyway, here we are.” Mysta didn’t want to get into it with her friend out in the open where anyone could hear.
They made their way up the flagstone path. Mysta eyed the lawn. Such a perfectly manicured garden. Too bad she couldn’t set it on fire. Not a weed to be seen or a lawn ornament out of place. Everything looked as though it belonged together. The whitewashed clapboard Victorian with the slate-gray porch was austere with only a swing chair and mailbox as decoration.
The door opened as they reached the first step. Francine stood in the entryway, an older, thinner, sharper version of Sera with hard dark brown eyes that held no emotion, only judgment. Tension pinched her sharpened features and turned her full lips into a thin line of pink.
“Mother.” Sera’s tone was respectful, but so much tension rippled from her that Mysta hoped only she heard. Francine would rip her daughter apart if she thought Sera was scared or stressed just meeting with her.
Francine’s lips thinned. Her nostrils flared. She glared at Mysta. “Leave your pet snake outside. We have to talk.”
Mysta refused to give Francine any sort of reaction.
“She comes in with me,” Sera said, “or we do this out here where your neighbors can listen in.”
Francine sniffed. “Fine. I wouldn’t want to give a show to the neighbors. Wipe your feet.” Francine turned away, and entered the house.
Mysta glanced back at Sera. “You heard her. Wipe your feet.”
Francine muttered, “Impudent half breed filth.”
Mysta followed Francine up the steps, making a show of running the soles of her shoes on the welcome mat before she entered the house and the living room area. Anything to piss Francine off. If the stuck-up priss wanted to insult her, she wouldn’t take the bait. Her snake hissed in displeasure at not being let out.
Sera took a seat on the powder-blue couch and leaned forward. As much as she’d love to irk Francine by dirtying her precious ancient furniture with her derriere, Mysta didn’t bother. Acting as a bodyguard, she took her place to the left side of Sera.
Francine sat down on an ugly-as-hell wingback chair covered in gold-colored leather that Mysta wanted to burn on sight.
Sera folded her arms over her chest. “Well? Tell me why you’re stealing money from the very people who elected you to the role of leadership. Why are you keeping down the very people who helped you rise to your current position, and why are you be
traying us to feed your selfish needs and rewarding your yes people with expensive trips and clothes and luxury items?”
Francine didn’t even blink. Sera took a breath. “Mother, a change needs to happen. The leap is stagnant, and you’re part of the problem.” Sera tensed as if waiting for her mother to take physical action. Mysta called on her magic, ready to act should that happen.
“The leap? What do you know about the leap? When did you start caring about your people? You’ve turned your back on us for your demons and your witches and your pets.” Venom dripped from Francine’s words.
Mysta clenched her jaw and grabbed Sera’s shoulder, giving it a squeeze. Sera peeked over at Mysta with a small smile, then refocused on her mother once more.
“I met with a few of the leap today.”
“Who? Dina? Please. Her family can always bail her out. But that’s what she gets for going out on her own.” Francine waved her hand, brushing off Sera’s accusation.
Sera lifted her chin but didn’t growl or show any sign of anger. She remained still, her face a blank mask. Mysta felt pride in her friend.
“Yes, Dina and others. But that’s one of many problems. Do you deny having a suitor lined up for Vivi?” Sera shifted in her seat, moving forward only to stop and resume her previous posture.
Francine snorted. “Vivi doesn’t know what’s good for her. I do. Just like I knew what was good for you. You had to go and ruin it all.”
“Why? Because I didn’t want to live your life with your ideal black leopard shifter? Your pure-blooded prince? Because I wanted to make my own choices and live and fail on them? Because I wanted to be happy? Vivi and I aren’t the only ones suffering. Ask your leap! They’re hurting.” Sera waved a hand in the air, the mask slipping to reveal frustration. Anger sparked in her eyes. “What about the day care center set up to help the working mothers of the leap? Where is the money for that? What about the big breast-cancer fund-raiser? Where did that money go? What about those private jets and trips to the Bahamas? The cars and clothes?” Sera punctuated every query by pointing at Francine. “You need to straighten your house, Mother, and the only way I can see is to call for a battle royale. As a member of the ruling family I have that right. I came here to be fair and tell you before it’s done so you can prepare. I will be announcing it at the full moon. Be ready.”
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