Lily wouldn’t have to worry about being too tired to have sex with Griffin after work tonight. Performing magic jacked her up more than chugging down three triple espressos in a row. It was a side effect not experienced by many witches, but she’d inherited the tendency from a great-aunt and she’d learned to live with it.
While Daisy, her golden retriever, watched expectantly, Lily opened the magic circle that contained the steaming fondue pot and a small basket of herbs.
“Come, Daisy.” Lily beckoned the dog into the circle and guided her to sit on one side of the fondue pot. Daisy was critical to the project. She doted on Lily, and that was the quality Lily intended to transfer to the elixir.
It seemed like the only way to get Griffin off the dime. He’d been a happy hour regular for weeks, and only a stupid woman would miss the heat in his hazel eyes when he looked at her.
When he’d failed to go beyond those burning glances, she’d asked around, thinking he was engaged or married. Nope. Finally she’d taken the initiative and suggested meeting for coffee. He’d politely—and with obvious regret—turned her down.
Lily wasn’t much given to analyzing a guy’s motives, but Griffin flipped all her switches, so she’d made an exception in his case. She’d concluded that his lawyerly self had decided they weren’t a good match based on her non-traditional job and cheeky personality. Lily thought that was plain dumb, especially considering the chemistry between them.
Lily hadn’t been this interested in a guy in ages. On top of that, her older sister Anica’s budding romance with Jasper Danes had become annoying. If conservative, predictable Anica could end up with a hot guy like Jasper, then Lily should be able to snag someone of similar sex appeal.
Griffin Taylor, for example. His close-cropped brown hair and square jaw made him look like a jock, an impression intensified by the way his suit jacket hugged his broad shoulders. Lily knew from barroom conversation that Griffin worked out and would probably look great naked, but he was also smart, and Lily really liked smart men.
Anica and Jasper’s engagement party loomed on the horizon, and Lily wanted to go on Griffin’s arm. The elixir should guarantee it.
Closing the magic circle, she sat on the opposite side of the fondue pot and gazed at her dog. She’d always wanted a dog, and Anica had convinced her to adopt Daisy, probably hoping that would take Lily’s mind off her obsession with Griffin.
Daisy was great—Lily couldn’t ask for a better companion, especially because the dog had turned out to possess more than a touch of magic herself. She seemed to understand every word Lily said and apparently could read a bit, too. If Lily asked Daisy to bring her Vogue from the magazine rack in the living room, the dog sorted through the rack and brought back Vogue.
No doubt about it, Daisy was special and Lily was grateful to have found her. But when all was said and done Lily still wanted what Anica had, a guy who adored her.
“Okay, Daisy, this is it. You must stay very still.” Taking a deep breath, Lily picked up a handful of herbs from the basket, sprinkled them in the steaming water and began to chant.
“Pure devotion fills me up. I have found it with this pup.”
Daisy regarded her with that wise, brown-eyed stare that was her trademark. Because Daisy was seven years old, she might not appreciate the pup reference, but Lily had discovered that very few good words rhymed with dog.
She continued with the chant she’d created specifically for this spell. “Pure devotion, strong and true, makes a lover stick like glue. From the dog into the brew!”
The mist that had hovered over the fondue pot gradually rose and swirled around Daisy’s head.
Lily hadn’t tried this particular spell before, so she was pleased that at least something was happening. Daisy snorted, as if the moisture had gone up her nose, but she didn’t move from her assigned spot.
Both Lily and Anica, a powerful witch in her own right, had evaluated Daisy after retrieving her from the animal shelter, and they’d concluded Daisy was an unusually sensitive dog in addition to being very smart. Apparently she was used to creating spells, because she’d taken Lily’s magical activities in stride.
After the mist had swirled around Daisy’s head a while longer, it changed direction and dove into the fondue pot exactly the way a genie would disappear into a magic lamp. Lily was gratified with the results. Anyone watching would have to conclude that something from Daisy had been transferred into the liquid in the fondue pot.
Lily hoped it was the devotion she’d talked about in the chant, and not some other doggie trait like ear scratching or tail wagging. By tonight she would know.
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