Deadly Sweet

by Lola Dodge

  Jane nodded. “We’ll keep investigating potential threats. In the meantime, we’ll take the usual precautions to make sure Anise and our other girls are safe.”

  This was turning out exactly like Mom had said. I did feel protected in this circle of women, but I was feeling more like their granddaughter than their equal. They’d give me cookies and send me off to play while they dealt with the real trouble. I had no illusions I was up to dealing with that trouble myself yet, but could they at least clue me in?

  I wouldn’t just stand around if someone tried to shove me into a panel van. I could cast. Not too long ago, I’d burned down half the county fair, and that was without the vortex juicing my power.

  Not that I was looking for trouble, but I wasn’t some glass cannon. I could hold my own. I was building up my courage to step into the circle and say as much when a voice sounded beside me.

  “Blair tells me you’re taking classes?” Peggy kept her voice low while the other women discussed something about the Shields.

  I wanted to hear, but I couldn’t ignore her question without being rude. “I was. I missed a few while my voice was shot.”

  “You should consider staying home until we solve the mystery.” Peggy leaned around me to speak to Agatha, and my heart sank a little more with each word. “Surely you and Stef can teach her everything she needs to know?”

  Agatha stiffened, and I didn’t think I was imagining the tension crackling between the women at my sides. I wasn’t sure what Agatha would say, but I stepped forward an inch, not wanting to let her answer this one for me. “I wanted to go to school and I still do.” I’d wavered with Agatha making school seem like a punishment, but it had been my dream for too long to throw it away. “I’m not about to drop out now.”

  Peggy nodded. “Then Blair will bring you your notes.”

  I suppressed a wince. Blair would just love that situation. I’d better text and make it a request before her mom made it an order. “That would be nice of her.”

  Agatha eased back a bit, so at least nobody was going to shatter the circle’s peace with a brawl.

  “It’s decided. What else?” Jane looked around the circle.

  I half-heartedly listened to the rest of the business, but my eyes glazed when Sylvia started rattling off a bunch of numbers for the Syndicate’s treasury. That statistics class might be needed if I wanted to get on the same level as these women.

  When there was nothing left to say, Sylvia led the closing and we blew our candles out in unison. The sparkling haze that had glowed over the meeting slowly bled away. I had to blink to readjust to the darkness of the night because the sliver of moon wasn’t cutting it in comparison.

  Even though the glow was gone, the wholesome feel of protective energy mostly stayed put now that a fresh layer of magic had soaked into the earth. Part of me wanted to linger to bask, but I made sure to call back my energy as we filed out of the desert in a line. I could probably visit the Syndicate’s circle again, and until then, I didn’t need to be leaving pieces of myself around—especially not when every other person in town practiced some type of craft.

  “You look like her,” Peggy said behind me.

  The path was too narrow to walk side-by-side, but I glanced back over my shoulder in surprise. “Like my mom?” Her full lips, I’d lucked out with, but the rest… I’d always thought I took after the potato-faced father I’d never met and never would because he freaked and ran when he found out his pregnant wife was on the pentagram side of life.

  That was okay though. Potatoes were the best vegetable, and if I could only have one parent, I’d choose Mom every time.

  “I couldn’t believe when she messaged. Is she well?”

  That was a sensitive one. “We’re doing our best.”

  Peggy clicked her tongue. “You’ll come for tea?”

  “I’ll—” I almost stopped walking, confused by the quick topic change. “Tea?”

  “Tomorrow. Spend some time with Blair.”

  “Uh. Sure.”

  “Good. Two o’clock.” Peggy’s firm voice didn’t allow for argument.

  “Sounds great.” I wasn’t sure what else I could say. I couldn’t imagine Blair had been talking me up at home. But maybe Peggy just wanted to pick my brain about Mom?

  Agatha pushed past a bush that looked dangerously prickly in the moonlight. I was trying to sidle past when a figure slipped onto the path ahead of me.

  I yelped. Then jumping back, yelped again with a butt full of prickers.

  “Careful.” The stranger oozed closer in the darkness. “You wouldn’t want those thorns in any tender places.”

  A shiver of ew rolled down my body. He had styled silver-gray hair and a short beard that could’ve gone silver fox if not for his unsettling tone, which squicked me out right down to the bone marrow. A sword hung from his belt like a warning.

  Peggy hauled me back with iron fingers on my arm, away from both him and the pricker bush.

  “Zedock?” Agatha had backtracked and folded her arms on the path in front of us. “You know better than to show your face here.”

  His cheek twitched, and I was glad when he turned away from me, shifting his shoulders square to Agatha. His hand brushed his sword hilt. “When else would I get a word with you witches?”

  “What do you want?” Agatha had zero time for his shit.

  “Wanted to see how little Wynn is working out for you.” Zedock’s gaze swung back to me. “Have you given him a test ride?”

  My mouth opened. A… What?

  He couldn’t be saying…? Could he?

  Agatha made a disgusted noise. “If you came all the way out here to be an ass, Zed—”

  “I came to make a diligent report to the Syndicate. Would’ve told you at the meeting. If I’d been invited.”

  Agatha sucked a hard breath through her nose, like a bull pawing the ground before a charge. I would’ve stepped back and apologized if she turned those flame eyes on me, but Zedock smirked without fear.

  “Then report.” Agatha’s voice came out a little muffled like she was willing herself not to stab the man.

  “We found Hayley’s car.”

  A jolt of hope shot through me. Did that mean she was safe?

  “Where?” Agatha asked.

  “Follow me.” Zedock gave a mocking half-bow and strode past Agatha, heading down the trail to the parking lot.

  Peggy finally let go of my arm, and we hurried after them, the witches who’d gotten bottlenecked behind us whispering the news down the line. After a little more hurried trekking, we made it to the edge of the parking lot where a crowd of muscle-men waited. They stood rigid and wary but jumped to action as soon as Zedock appeared.

  His Shields?

  They hurried back into the cars they’d driven. Some of the Syndicate witches hopped in with them and others hurried to start their own cars.

  Agatha found me just long enough toss me the car keys. “Go straight home,” was all she said before climbing into Zedock’s SUV.

  I wished them luck as they tore out of the lot. Most of the other cars flew straight after, forming a 90-mile-an-hour cavalcade of witches that no sane cop would dare pull over. I really hoped this led to answers, both for Hayley’s sake and mine.

  But standing alone in the parking lot, a shiver of truth wormed through my belly. I was the one left in the middle of the desert without a bodyguard.

  So, it didn’t take a genius to figure out who was the Syndicate’s first priority.

  Chapter Twelve

  Thanks to GPS, I made it home without too many U-turns and no kidnapping attempts. Either nobody was gunning for me after all, or they hadn’t expected me to end the night alone. Or maybe Agatha had taken care of them already?

  I tried not to give my potential attacker much thought as I got ready for bed. No matter what happened out there tonight, Agatha wouldn’t miss her morning shift. Even if she died chasing some supervillain, she could definitely convince Peggy to resurrect her, be
cause tomorrow was puff pastry day and there was no way Agatha would trust the rest of us else to laminate that much dough.

  As I rinsed my mouth after brushing my teeth, the light clicked on in Wynn’s room and seeped under the gap in the door frame. He had to be avoiding me on purpose because I hadn’t seen him once since my recovery from poisoning.

  Maybe it was Zedock’s creepy words—because was he really saying I could do whatever with Wynn?—but I wanted to thank Wynn for saving me. No matter how annoying he and this whole situation were, he’d risked himself to drag me out of that room.

  But knocking…

  I swallowed. I’d bet myself a cookie he’d be pissed I was bothering him. Determined anyway, I gave the door between us three light taps. “Wynn?”

  His bedsprings creaked. He’s totally going to ignore—

  The door whipped open. I jumped in surprise.

  My face was two inches from his chest, so close I smelled his weird lavender scent again. I hopped backward before his body heat could start making me sweat. Ready for bed himself, he wore long shorts and a worn T-shirt that flashed way too much muscle. Good thing I’m not here to stare at Wynn’s muscles.

  Except his face wasn’t any safer. Wynn’s dark hair was a little damp. Pushed back, it showed the cut shape of his jaw, which was usually hidden by the shaggy mess. He had a five o’clock shadow going on and it made me more than a little uncomfortable.

  Wynn wasn’t my type. Too much brawn, not enough style. Now Seth—

  “What d’you want?” Wynn’s hard voice shook me out of the droolfest.

  “Sorry.” I shook myself. But really. Was it my fault he popped into my bathroom looking like a lumberjack? “I just wanted to thank you.”

  “For?” Wynn’s voice was flat, but he wasn’t slamming the door in my face yet.

  “For saving my life?”

  “It’s my job.” He started to push the door closed, but his tone had me sticking my hand between the door and the frame.

  “I know it’s your job, but that wasn’t nothing.” The more I thought of it, the more it rang true. “You didn’t know what was in that vial. It could’ve killed you. So seriously, thank you.” I hoped I was coming off sincere instead of annoyed because it wasn’t right for him to blow off what he’d done. He deserved credit.

  Wynn stared so long I had to break off eye contact. I wiggled bare toes against the floor tiles, awkward as anything.

  “It’s still my job.”

  “That doesn’t mean I shouldn’t thank you.” I peeked up through my lashes.

  He nodded—one matter-of-fact little head dip—and closed the door. This time, I kept my fingers out of the way. I waited a few seconds but didn’t hear the lock click. Was that code for trusting me?

  I pushed the lock on my side of the door instead. If I ever got married, maybe then I’d be okay with sharing a bathroom with a guy. For now, I had to pee, and Wynn didn’t look a thing like my future husband.

  But Seth…

  I restarted my fantasies with a happy smile as I settled into bed. With all windows, doors, and air vents locked and warded against any bodyguards, familiars, or potential attackers, I was free to drool over all the muscles I wanted.

  When I headed downstairs to start my shift, Agatha was planted next to the coffeepot in the corner of the house kitchen. She finished the bottom of one cup in a giant swig, then poured a fresh one from the pot. I tiptoed closer, not wanting to disturb her, even though I was aching to hear the news. Between the heavy bags under Agatha’s eyes and her thousand-yard stare, I was pretty sure it wasn’t good.

  “What happened?”

  Agatha chucked sugar cubes into her mug, splashing coffee with her anger. “Found the car and a note. The girl says she ran off with her man after all.”

  That couldn’t be right. Not that I knew Hayley, but unless she was a psychopathic drama queen, there was no need to create a whole mystery. She could’ve just quit. “By ‘ran off’ does she mean eloped, or…?”

  “I’ll slit her throat with a trowel if she marries that peacock.” Agatha’s fingers whitened around her mug.

  A trowel? Yikes. “Is the boyfriend missing, too?”

  “He is. But we’ll find him.” Her eyes glittered with pure malice as she sipped her coffee.

  I backed away slowly. Anyone who deliberately pissed off Agatha was off their gourd. Wherever Hayley had gone, I hoped she stayed there happily.

  When everyone showed up to work, Agatha axed the planned menu. “Serenity isn’t fricking happening today,” she said between angry gulps of coffee. “We’re switching to karma cupcakes and stay-awake bars. We’ll use potions to bake off the rest of the puff pastry.”

  I was more than okay with the switch. The karma enchantment was a trip—true neutral. The spell was supposed to attract whatever the eater deserved, so it was up to them whether they ended up with a winning scratch-off or a black eye. I didn’t want to tempt my own fate too much, but I did taste-test the frosting.

  Cream cheese and cinnamon.

  Agatha wasn’t as hands-on as usual, and she mostly stewed over her coffee without asking anyone to redo their work a million times. I wondered if she should, though. I didn’t want to ruin someone’s karma because I’d crushed the ginger wrong.

  She disappeared before cleanup was done, and the other women usually chatted, but today was dead silent. Everyone had picked up Agatha’s vibe.

  I was happy to finally sneak out for my morning nap. After my rest, I texted Mom. Met Peggy at the Syndicate meeting. She invited me over for tea.

  My phone buzzed instantly. Bring a snack. And don’t wear jean shorts. I miss you.

  Miss you too. Nobody here really knew me. I didn’t mind my own company most of the time, but being left alone last night had driven it into my heart that I wasn’t anyone’s priority. Not even my bodyguard wanted to spend time with me. But the feeling’s mutual there.

  I needed to work on getting to know Blair better, but even if we clicked, it was going to take time to really be friends. Not like hey, how’s it going friends, but laughing ‘til we choke, love spell-brewing, call whenever you need a cry friends. I hoped we could get there.

  Taking Mom’s advice, I switched from jean shorts to leggings, which maybe weren’t right for a funeral parlor, but I still hadn’t gotten the rest of my clothes shipped from home, so options were limited. I wore my nicest tank top, which had silver embroidery on the neckline and no holes.

  Fancy.

  I also added a few drops of jasmine oil to my moisturizing routine. Maybe I wouldn’t bump into Bradley, but I wanted to smell nice just in case.

  All dressed, I detoured to the shop to buy some little cakes for tea. I didn’t have time to make a batch, and I wasn’t feeding Blair’s mom my attempted spells. Plus, Sam rang me up a fifty percent employee discount, so I wasn’t breaking the bank, although I had to watch my spending. Agatha had never mentioned me getting a salary, and with room, board, and my own car, I didn’t feel right asking for more. At least, not until I contributed more than peach peeling.

  Wynn appeared as I opened the door to head down the street. For a guy who was sleeping ninety-five percent of the time, he had an uncanny way of knowing exactly what I was up to.

  Clutching my black bakery box, I headed down the street to the funeral home/necromancy parlor. It wasn’t far, but the sun was high and I was sweating by the time I stood in front.

  The building’s setup was a lot like Agatha’s, with a three-story house built up against the “shop,” but the Wus had a circular drive that passed under the awning covering their main door, and instead of candy purple cars, they had a fleet of hearses and SUVs parked in their side lot.

  I hesitated at the front steps. What exactly did a necromancy parlor involve, and was it something that I could handle on a full stomach? I’d been testing cupcakes all morning, and I’d rather have them in my digestive system than decorating the Wu family carpet. Before I could make a decision, Blair leane
d out the second-floor window.

  “Come around the side.” She jerked her head to the right of the house before slamming the window closed again.

  Holding the box of cakes closer, I headed around. Glinting flakes of silver drew my gaze to the driveway. Little symbols were embedded in the blacktop. I bent down for a closer look.

  Wynn gripped the back of my T-shirt and yanked, drawing me up so fast I almost dropped my cake box. When I had my balance back, I pulled away. “What’s wrong with you?”

  “Get inside.” His tone was as flat as his expression.

  Tension hummed from my fingers clutching the cake box to my now shaking shoulders. “You could ask.”

  “Dragging is faster. Is that what I’m doing next?”

  So help me… If the cupcakes weren’t already spoken for, I’d jam one in his face.

  Actually, I would do that the first time I had a chance.

  Right between the eyes.

  With that happy thought, I headed for the house. A Servant stood holding the side door open—a big burly guy with a chiseled jaw and mustache.

  How many of them were there? Or more specifically, how many Servants could the Wu women keep animated at once?

  I didn’t get to ask.

  My brain short-circuited the second I stepped over the wards on their threshold.

  The floor fell out, dropping me into blackness. Thoughts pure static.

  Whoa

  Slowly, things fuzzed back together, but it felt like I’d run through a sausage grinder. Now I was made of casing and pieces of gristle instead of human flesh.

  “Wards,” the Servant said, way too late to be any help at all.

  “Yeah.” I rubbed my temple, trying to get back to reality, but I couldn’t help wondering what the wards were keeping out. Evil spirits? If I was this fried as an invited guest, I could only imagine what would happen to anyone—or anything—that tried to sneak into the house.