Stevie didn’t think that she should admit that him touching her felt pretty wonderful, if she was honest, so she simply shrugged.
“Aww, she’s blushing,” Fergus said.
“I can see that,” Aww agreed.
“I didn’t mean Aww like your name, I meant… never mind,” Fergus said.
Stevie didn’t respond, still sorting through her confusing feelings and thoughts when it came to strange men, babies, and magical illness.
“I’ll be back soon,” Aspen promised.
“How do I know you’ll come back,” Stevie blurted. The heat increased on her face, so she mentally blamed it on the fever.
“I’ll be back,” he repeated, stroking a hand down the side of her face to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear.
Both she and the baby sighed. She was pretty sure not for the same reasons.
Chapter 4
Aspen spent about an hour upon his return explaining his purchases, changing the first diaper, and teaching Stevie to feed the baby. When he stood, she didn’t even glance up right away, assuming he was going to get something else baby related and explain it.
“I’m going to have to get going,” Aspen said. “It’s late. You need to get some rest, and it will be morning before you know it.”
“Don’t go,” Stevie said with a long and drawn out yawn. “Stay the night.”
She didn’t usually invite strange men to stay the night, but she also didn’t usually have babies around or sneeze spells.
“Don’t worry,” Aspen said. “I promise, I’ll come back.”
She couldn’t exactly insist he stay, so she simply walked him to the door. “When will you be back?” she asked, feeling needy and not caring if he knew it.
“Tomorrow at dusk.” His answer was both surprisingly specific and confusing at the same time.
“Okay,” she said. “Good night.”
“Feel better,” he said, his parting words confusing her.
But another yawn stretched her jaw. She brought the baby with her to the bedroom, and the child dozed in her arms. “What am I supposed to do with you over night?” she asked the bundle.
Aww didn’t answer, but the pug familiar bumped against Stevie’s leg in a comforting way. “You get some rest. I’ll keep an eye on you and the baby. Make sure you don’t squash it in your sleep or that it doesn’t roll off the bed.”
“Thank you,” she said to the pug. After placing the baby on the bed, Stevie reached down to get the dog. She put him on the bed, too, before climbing up herself.
With the baby sandwiched between them, she slept.
Dawn broke with golden fingers stretching across the countryside. The view outside was spectacular, but neither she nor Fergus could really appreciate it.
“I hoped your spells would’ve worn off as we slept.” Fergus admitted.
“Me too,” Stevie admitted miserably.
“Me too,” said the baby. It seemed to consider it’s words for a second before it added, “I can’t count higher than that, but I think maybe more than two.”
Stevie sighed. Using what Aspen taught her the night before, she managed to get Aww changed, cleaned up, and then she bit the bullet. Using a phone book she found in a drawer full of various items, she called up the Assjacket Police Department. Figuring she’d go with the safest possible explanation, she said that there was a baby on her porch. They said they’d send someone right over.
When the police arrived, she found that they assumed the same thing as Aspen at first—that it was her baby. After she managed to convince them that no, she didn’t need counseling for depression and it really wasn’t her baby, they said they’d take a look around town. Apparently, there weren’t that many babies, so it shouldn’t take them long.
“Nice horse,” one of the two officers said, in parting. They were leaving her with the baby, so she was more focused on that, even though Aww had fallen asleep after breakfast and luckily napped through the questioning… Stevie wasn’t sure how she’d explain the baby talking, if Aww had been awake.
But the words sunk in as they were backing out, and she turned to Fergus in confusion. “Horse?”
“I told you it was a horse.” Fergus bounced a bit on his puggy paws.
Although she tried to stifle the sneeze, Stevie sneezed. “Lookout, Fergus!”
The bubble hovered, but again the pug wasn’t fast enough. As it popped, the shower of rainbow sparkles hit the dog and it transformed into…
“You’re a black Labrador,” Stevie told Fergus.
“Maybe you’re getting better. It is just another kind of dog. I’m even the same color,” Fergus pointed out. “Although the height is nice, I have to say I’m really starting to miss being a chameleon. Life was simpler before I had fur.”
“Watch the baby. I’m going to go see this horse.” Stevie headed out the back door and saw what the cops could see from the driveway. A gorgeous palomino bounced and pranced in the glittering sunlight. As she gazed at it, the animal tossed his head, throwing a bright mane dancing across his golden side. The horse was, quite simply, beautiful.
Also, the horse clearly hadn’t been in that paddock the night before. She might have been sick, tired, and a little out of it, but she couldn’t have missed an animal that large.
Where had the horse been? And how did it get back in the fenced area? Had someone borrowed the horse overnight?
“Hey,” she said to the beautiful animal as she approached. “You’re a lovely boy, aren’t you? Bet you’re hungry.”
“I sure am!” the horse responded with another toss of his head.
Stevie froze. “You can talk?”
“Of course I can,” the horse answered.
“What are you?” she asked. But he’d come close to the fence and dropped his head until it rested against her shoulder. Her head had been muzzy with congestion, her fever soaring, but when his head touched her shoulder, her symptoms vanished, as if by magic. Without thinking too hard about it, she wrapped her arm around his big neck, burying her face in the shining strands of his mane. “Oh, you smell wonderful,” she told the horse.
He nuzzled her chest, his golden hide warm and soft under her fingertips. “You smell great, too. Thank you for coming,” he added.
“Oh, your food!” Jerking away from embracing the animal—shouldn’t she have been at least a little afraid of him?—she headed for the barn. The horse followed her, jogging alongside her on his side of the fence. “How do I get you to the barn?”
“Just open the gate,” the horse offered. “I can’t do it right now.”
“Hmm,” she said. The further she got away from the horse, the more her symptoms seemed to return, so she did open the gate, then walked closer to him, one hand resting on his withers. “It said two cans of grain, all the hay you can eat, and water. And not to shave your chest? Weird note, Mr. Ed.”
The horse nickered, shaking his head. The strands of his mane danced across her hand, feeling like sparkling light. “Does that mean you’re not going to shave my chest?”
“Yeah, nope. Nice to meet you, though.” She doled out his measured meal and then stood with her arms crossed, considering him. He was huge, full horse sized, yet she just wasn’t afraid of him at all. “Why couldn’t I find you last night?”
He didn’t answer right away, chewing slowly. “Sorry, didn’t want to be rude and talk with my mouth full. How are you enjoying West Virginia so far?”
She frowned. Were horses usually evasive? She wasn’t sure, as she never talked to one before. “It isn’t bad. Where were you last night?”
“Hay, please?” the horse answered.
It wasn’t like she could force the horse to answer her, so she got a couple ricks of hay, watered him, then returned him to the pasture where he lolled off to nibble hay before dozing, one leg relaxed behind him.
Deciding the baby might be awake, Stevie headed inside. It seemed the more she figured out, the less she knew in this odd town.
Chapter 5<
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When dusk fell, Stevie startled out of a doze at the knock on the door. The black lab at her feet opened one eye before resting his head back on the baby’s legs… where he’d been napping before the interruption.
“You’re a dog,” Stevie told Fergus. “You’re supposed to bark at strangers.”
Fergus opened both eyes and considered her for two beats. “I’m a chameleon you sneezed into being a dog. That doesn’t make me guard dog material. You answer it. We’re sleepy.”
Leaving the baby with the familiar, Stevie headed to the door. She wasn’t sure if she hoped it was the police or Aspen, but she found herself surprisingly excited when she realized it was the former. “Come in,” she said.
“Have the police figured out who is missing a baby?” he asked in lieu of a greeting. Again, he was wearing just jeans, no shirt, but she couldn’t find a single reason to complain.
“Supposedly yes, and they’re on the way here as we speak to pick Aww up. It seems Aww is actually named Mabel, and the family in question are witches… so they thought that the mini pig that appeared in the cradle was the baby. Anyway, long story short, then they had to find the owner of the pig and now everyone is getting swapped back to where they are supposed to be.”
Aspen smiled, proving he’d won the genetic lottery as proved by the dimple that creased his handsome prince face. “That’s great.”
“No, it actually isn’t.” Tugging his arm, she pulled him past the kitchen and to the back room—it was like a library or study, Stevie wasn’t sure which, but it would afford privacy and mean that Fergus and Aww wouldn’t overhear. “Mind the carpeted sinkhole,” she muttered.
“Another magic snot bubble?” Aspen asked, dodging the hole neatly.
“It isn’t snot,” Stevie hissed between gritted teeth. “Anyway, the point is, it isn’t good news because their baby can talk. And my familiar is a black lab…”
“I thought it was a pug?” Aspen asked, leaning on the wall nearest her.
“A chameleon, actually,” Stevie said. “Not that it is the important part. I’m sneezing spells, have zero control, and the silverware in this house is now all ants. The television fell down the sink hole. I’ve made a mess of things and I don’t even know how to begin to—”
That’s when he kissed her.
If his touch was electricity and wonder, his kiss was pure fire. She didn’t feel in the least sick—no, she felt like she could climb Mount Everest without magic and still have enough energy to spare to shred his clothes and mount him like a rabid dog in heat. But what was she doing? Kissing the stranger, when she might be contagious?
She backed out of his embrace far enough to see his face. “What are you doing?” she asked.
“You’re worried about the spells you’ve sneezed. I find you attractive. I’m trying some sexual healing,” he answered, rubbing a hand up and down her arm. “Can’t hurt to try, right?”
Stevie scrunched her brows. “I’m pretty sure that’s not how this works.”
“Pretty sure?” he asked, looking downright irresistible.
So, Stevie didn’t resist. People called her impulsive, said she made her decisions with all the care of someone picking which piece of popcorn to eat next, but usually she did think things through. With him… she didn’t want to. She wanted to feel. Going up on tiptoes, she wrapped her arms around his neck and fell into the kiss. Light danced behind her eyes, a glittering shower of desire which sizzled down her spine and pooled in that needy place between her legs.
Someone knocked at the door and she froze, still in his arms. “Shit, that’s probably the police,” she muttered.
“Probably. Come on, can’t put it off,” Aspen said. But his hand caught hers and they walked like that, fingers intertwined, to the door.
It was only once they got there that she realized the sinkhole had vanished, the tv was again mounted on the wall, and everything was back where it had been before she magicked all over the place. “What is it with this town?” she muttered.
Opening the door, she let the police in before going to collect Aww. The baby wakened with a smile and a coo, so she asked hesitantly, “Can you still talk?”
“Glerrrpppffww,” the baby responded.
“Huh.” Stevie returned to the front room, a bag of baby supplies in hand, and passed the baby over to the waiting officers. It surprised her, considering that she didn’t like babies, that her arms felt a little empty as they made their way down the porch and out of her life.
Maybe not all babies were bad. Especially not if they actually believed their name was Aww, because that was what people said to them. Gnawing her lip, she wondered if it was because Aww was such an adorable baby or maybe…
Just maybe, they were all pretty special after all.
But none of it had answers and she was flustered. Part of her wanted to return to Aspen’s arms and see where things went. The other was too flabbergasted with all the unanswered questions to even consider a one night stand with the neighbor.
So, when he reached for her, she held up a single palm in a stop gesture. Returning to the bedroom, she found her chameleon familiar still sitting on the bed. “You didn’t forget about me,” Fergus said.
“Nope,” she answered. “And I’m sorry I did before. Look, I’m not going to make you any promises or anything, but you’ve been sincerely great through all of this fiasco. And maybe I haven’t been the best witch… but I want to try to be better. That said, I’ll stop ditching you whenever I can. I’ll try to remember what you need to be happy, not just how bored I am or whatever. I’ll probably mess it up, but, yeah. Just wanted to let you know I appreciate you, Fergus.”
The dual eyes of her familiar swiveled in a way she recognized as him feeling something very strongly. “I don’t need you to be perfect, Stevie. I like you just the way you are.”
“Now,” Stevie said, breathing out quickly. “Do you want to watch tv or would you rather I make you a shower?” A few times a week, he liked it if she put a plant in the shower and ran the water on it. She’d been lax lately, not doing it as often as he might prefer.
“The shower!” said Fergus, perking up considerably. “Are you feeling okay, Stevie?”
“Yeah,” she said, breathing in deep. She wasn’t congested. She wasn’t unhappy. Which was odd, because usually she battled mild boredom at all times.
All that from a kiss? It just didn’t make sense.
She got the shower and plant set up and placed Fergus inside. Leaving him to it, she went back to the front room and found it empty. Aspen, it seemed, had found his way to the kitchen and was beginning to prepare a meal. “You didn’t have to do all that,” she said.
“I wanted to,” he offered.
Glancing outside, she looked for Mr. Ed from earlier and was surprised when it looked like the pasture was empty. With a frown, she headed outside.
“Don’t,” Aspen said. His voice sounded insistent. “Just trust me. Stay in here, and we’ll spend some more time getting to know one another again.”
“Again?” she asked.
He frowned. “Stay inside.”
“I need to check on the horse,” she answered. Something about the way he was acting, the missing horse, and everything else was dancing around in her head like a warning. All of the pieces fit together, she just knew it, but she wasn’t sure how.
So, although he tried to stop her, she went into the moonlight and considered the very empty fenced in area. The barn was also empty, so she sat down on a bale and tried to figure it out.
“You really don’t remember me, do you?” Aspen asked from the doorway.
What was he talking about? Since she wasn’t sure, she didn’t answer.
Aspen sighed deeply, joining her on the hay but not looking at her. Instead, he gazed outside, looking toward the stars.
It was then that the profile of his face jiggled something in his memory. “I’ve met you before,” she whispered.
She remembered his face, framed
by moonlight. Above her, that naked chest scored with nail marks. She’d been with this man, very intimately.
And she blushed, remembering how intimately. She could imagine, as if it had just happened, the feel of his fingertips on her flesh. The push of his body against hers. The way he looked in that magical moment when he lost all control and surrendered to his passion.
He finally looked at her, and she wondered how she could’ve forgotten his eyes. They were so familiar to her, not to mention the heat in them when they looked at her caused the most delightful trembling shivers in her stomach. “I know you,” she whispered.
He shifted his head in a way that made her think of the horse. “You’re…”
“Cursed,” he answered. “By your mother.”
“Why would my mother curse you?”
“Us. She cursed us both, Stevie.” He considered her carefully, as if worried he’d upset her with his words.
“My mother is overprotective sometimes, yes, but—”
He shook his head again, frowning. “You’re a witch grown and have been for a very long time. It wasn’t until I came along that I realized how much she’d been keeping from you. Every time you wanted to do something, she’d use spells to remove your memory of whatever it was and move you someplace new.”
She opened and closed her mouth, wanting to protest, but then she smacked his arm. “You’re why she’s locked up.”
“Yes, I was investigating her. There was suspicion she was using her magic to control your life and keep you by her side. When your father passed away, she didn’t want to be alone. She abused her magic by controlling your life,” he said. But he reached out and took her hand. “I only wanted to investigate her before we filed charges, but I ended up falling for you. I should’ve reported her sooner, but I wanted whatever time I could have with you…”
“And she cursed you for it. You’ve been trapped as a horse by day, so that you couldn’t file charges,” she said. “Wait… this is your house?”
Magic and Mayhem: Just Like Magic (Kindle Worlds Novella) Page 3