The rattling of a hamster wheel drew my attention to Pat. The pet store hadn’t been sure whether he was a boy or girl, so I’d opted for an androgynous name. I thought of him as a boy, but I couldn’t tell with his long hair. Besides, the one time I had held him, he bit my finger. We kept a comfortable distance now, except for when I needed to clean the cage.
Since I was a witch, I guess that made Pat my hamster familiar. I smirked, shaking my head.
The herbs would need to sit for half an hour before I could do anything else. A mischievous thought snuck into my head. Huh, since Ethan would be back in town, I could make a love potion. He could be on his knees declaring his love and devotion while I basked in satisfaction and victory. Maybe that wasn’t such a good idea. Knowing Jessa, she might encourage me to do it, but I wasn’t about to risk my already shaky, non-existent relationship with Ethan.
The more I tried to shove the thought out of my mind, the more alluring making the love potion became. It had been a while since I’d created one. Besides, I didn’t have to use it. I could sell it to Jessa for the store, or keep it aside in case Greg became too much of a jerk this holiday season. Maybe if he showed me a little more love, he’d act better. Then again, that might make him worse.
Magic could react unpredictably. The saying, ‘be careful what you wish for,’ strongly applied here.
I could work on two things at once. The love potion would be easier. It only required a few ingredients, an incantation, and focusing my energy. The healing salve made me more nervous. More things could go wrong. If the love potion didn’t turn out right, the person might be a jerk or not fall for it. If the healing salve went wrong, it could—
La, la, la.... Not thinking that way. I mixed the melted beeswax into a saucepan with the herbs and oil, forcing my power into the patch to try to heighten the healing potency. Then I removed it from the heat and strained it through cheesecloth into jars.
With the salve nearly done, I turned my attention to the love potion. Taking a few deep breaths, I cleared my mind of the stress I’d felt crafting the healing salve and everything else that had gone on today. The idea of seeing Ethan tomorrow frazzled me, but instead of letting it do that, I imagined what it’d be like to have a real relationship with him. When he was with my brother, he laughed and joked around. His eyes sparkled, and his face lit up. They were more like siblings than Nolan and I, and we were blood.
Clenching my fists, I forced the negativity away. Stop it. Calm down and breathe.
Taking another deep breath of the delightful herbs, I blew it out, redirecting my thoughts again to Ethan. He was the last person I should be thinking about when doing a love potion.
I lit a pink candle made of beeswax, then set about mixing sultry herbs and spices. Cinnamon, rosemary, lavender, cloves. I chanted the incantation I’d found in my grandmother’s grimoire. Within moments, the love potion was ready. I just needed to pour it into a jar, then I’d be done.
Glancing at the clock, I grinned. This hadn’t taken quite as long as I’d thought, and my kitchen smelled amazing. Maybe Jessa was right. I should flex my magical prowess more often.
I set the healing salves to one side, the jars still too warm for a lid. The pot in my hand, I carefully carried it over to the final waiting jar for the love potion. My doorbell chiming made me jerk, and a splash of the love potion landed in one of the salves.
I blinked at the mess.
Oh, my goodness. This was horrible. Now I couldn’t sell it to Jessa even if I wanted to, which I didn’t. But what if I used my own potion and fell in love with someone? Though it wasn’t like I’d be taking it in close proximity to someone else. If I was injured, I’d be holing up, not out on the town.
However, who the heck was at the door? No one should be here right now. If they found out I was a witch making potions in my kitchen. Greg...oh no. That bastard couldn’t be here.
I poured the love potion into the waiting jar. Whoever it was would wait until I could hide everything. However, the doorbell didn’t ring again. With the potion and salves tucked away in the cupboard, I cracked open the door. No one was there.
On the porch, a dozen roses sat in a vase, and the rumbling of an engine drew my attention to a We Do Flowers van driving away. Greg. Had to be. No one else would be this extravagant, and yet part of me couldn’t care less about receiving a dozen roses. What I wanted was affection and someone to care about me, not someone always going out of their way to impress me.
Maybe I should just be grateful. This Christmas season was my first with a boyfriend in my life. I picked up the vase, sniffing the fragrant flowers. If these had only arrived a little sooner, I could’ve used some of the rose petals for the love potion. I shook my head. That would be wrong on so many levels.
My cell phone’s alarm buzzed, and I set the roses on the kitchen counter. If I wanted to be at Jessa’s shop on time, I’d need to get going.
The note from the roses dropped onto the counter.
Babe,
Something came up at the office. I’ll be here later than expected. Let’s reschedule for tomorrow.
Greg
Disappointment fluttered in my stomach, but maybe this was just as well. It wasn’t like I needed more on my plate right now. But what if this was the beginning of our relationship’s downward spiral? Something came up at the office? That had to be the ultimate I’m-having-an-affair excuse. At least, it was in the movies.
I grabbed the non-contaminated healing salve, tightened the lid on it, and headed to Jessa’s shop. When I got there, Jessa was leaning against the counter, her perky boobs on display for Mr. Sexy as she talked with him. “Here she is now,” Jessa said, her gaze sliding over Mr. Sexy’s chest, as he turned his attention to me.
I smiled and held up a paper bag. “Here’s the healing salve. I wrote out some instructions to go with it. They’re in the bag. I hope your friend feels better soon. If he isn’t improving within a day or so, you should talk him into going to the doctor.”
Mr. Sexy nodded, but he didn’t answer. Instead, he peeked into the bag and cocked an eyebrow. “That’s all of it?”
I opened my mouth to say something, but Jessa beat me to it. Yet again. If she’d wanted to be the star of the show, she should’ve made the salve.
“With salves, you rub it on the wound and it acts as a protective layer. Your friend leaves it on, and it works its...magic, if you will.” She glanced between him and me. Jessa had too much fun playing the role of the sexy witch out in the open, but I didn’t really like that idea. If people knew our powers weren’t fake, what would they do to us? Would there be a modern day Salem Witch Trials, like in ye olden times?
A shiver raced through me, and I turned my attention away from the man staring straight at me, curiosity burning in his gaze.
“Got it. I’ll show him the instructions and tell him what you said. Can I have your number, in case he has any questions?” Mr. Sexy flashed me his winning smile. There was no doubt in my mind that he wanted my number, not Jessa’s, or Eternally Magick’s since he had to know what that was. Besides, a quick Google search could find it.
“Just call the shop, but I’m sure everything will be fine.” I waved at Jessa. “Gotta go. I’ll see you later.”
Mr. Sexy caught my wrist and pulled me toward him. It took everything inside me not to react. “You sure I can’t have your number?”
My jaw dropped open, and I sputtered, unable to form any words. Being this close to him set my body on fine. Power radiated down my arm from his touch, caressing my body. I groaned, unable to resist his musky wild masculinity.
The look of hurt in Jessa’s eyes snapped me back to reality.
“I have a boyfriend. Sorry.” Jerking free from his grip, I ran outside without looking back, afraid of what I’d see.
CHAPTER 2
Mia
Nolan hadn’t answered his phone when I’d tried him again. Tapping my foot to the upbeat Christmas music playing in the airport bookstore nearby,
I waited, rather impatiently, for Ethan to come out of the airport’s arrivals area.
My rather inconsiderate older brother, Nolan, had dumped this errand on me at the last minute, heedless of my own schedule. I’d done a lot of job hunting today, and I still had my date with Greg to get ready for.
Should I ask why Greg had rescheduled the date? What had come up at the office? Maybe I didn’t want to know.
I’d begrudgingly let Nolan off the hook for two reasons. One, Ethan was my childhood crush, whom I hadn’t seen for a long time due to his deployment. The last time had been shortly before he’d gone away. I’d come home to find him at my parents’ house, having lunch with them and Nolan. The image of him sitting there, his gaze raking over me, while his olive green t-shirt stretched thin over his muscular chest and arms, was almost too much to bear.
I chewed my lower lip, remembering the cold shower I’d taken immediately upon going to my room. Maybe picking him up at the airport wasn’t such a good idea.
However, that led to the second reason. If I didn’t pick him up, he’d have to take a taxi, and I wouldn’t be responsible for his holidays starting off crappily. He had more to deal with than my raging hormones. Unfortunately, aside from that one look, he remained oblivious to my existence.
The explanation of how my entire childhood had been.
I balled my hands into fists. Magic rose from within me, stinging my palms. If I didn’t cool my jets, I could be exposed for having abilities to those around me. What would be even worse than having humans recognize my powers, would be if another magically inclined person did. I preferred to keep my abilities as much a secret as possible.
The bookstore now switched to a more sensual Christmas song: Santa Baby, with its sultry lyrics. I checked the time on my cell phone. Grrr.... He should’ve been out by now. How much longer did I have to wait?
The idea of making my escape before it was too late taunted me. While I was a morally responsible, good girl, who would feel bad about him taking a taxi, I wouldn’t be that torn up over it.
When I looked back at the security exit, Ethan was slowly making his way toward me. Confusion knit his brows together. My heart skipped a beat, and I wrestled for control with my familiar attraction for him. He’d changed, even in the nearly twelve months since he’d been overseas, or maybe it was just my imagination. Broad muscular shoulders filled out his Army uniform, and he was taller than I remembered.
“What are you doing here?” He gripped the strap of his backpack a little tighter. His gaze drifted around us, as if expecting someone else to come running up any time now.
Disappointment ached in my chest, and I lowered my gaze. Who knew what other looks he’d give to make me that much more self-conscious about my unwanted presence.
Maybe I’d expected more. Perhaps for him to say, ‘Thanks for being here, Mia. You look great.’ Something more than what I got. Regardless, I needed to get past my naïveté when it came to him. He couldn’t care less about me. Maybe he had some girlfriend who was busy, so he’d asked Nolan to pick him up, who had delegated the job to me. But I’d never heard of Ethan being in a relationship, and my parents were always talking about him. “I’m your ride. Nolan couldn’t make it.” I turned away from him, rolling my eyes, as I added, “His boss wouldn’t let him off from work, so he asked me.”
Behind me, Ethan sighed. “I don’t know why I expected more from him.”
I bit my lower lip, fully able to commiserate with him on that, yet all the while waiting for some kind of thank you...but still it didn’t happen.
Whatever. Next time I should screen my calls from Nolan better. If only I hadn’t been waiting for a phone call from Greg and had picked up without looking, I wouldn’t be in this mess right now. I’d be home.
The silent walk to the parking garage unnerved me. It made me wish I were the type of witch who used potions on unsuspecting people named Ethan. At this point, that love potion might be interesting, if only for the sadistic pleasure of seeing him actually interact with me, instead of keeping such a distance from me that most people might think we weren’t together but just walking in the same direction. But I wouldn’t do that. At least I did have someone else interested in me. Was I thrilled about the relationship as much as Greg was? No. But I didn’t have it in my heart to break his before Christmas.
I focused so much on my thoughts that I wasn’t paying attention to my surroundings. Mistake number one. However, something really was not right. Perhaps I was overreacting. That had to be it. Why would anyone come after me at the airport? Lunacy. I hadn’t done anything to anyone. However, I opened my third eye, letting my senses drift over my surroundings to pinpoint the disturbance.
The steady tap of Ethan’s boots beside me was the only sound I heard, but—there! The energy in the open garage spiked. That was it. I twisted toward the source to see who was there, but the next thing I knew, I was sailing through the air. My body smacked against the side of a car. Pain exploded in the back of my head, and I crumpled to the ground beside the vehicle, lying on the concrete. Breathing had just become a lot harder.
Groaning, I focused on pulling air into my lungs. A sharp ache clenched the muscles of my back, and a small part of me wondered if something was broken, though if that were true, I wouldn’t be able to feel my legs. Right? At least that’s what I told myself.
Ethan rushed to my side, dropping his backpack next to me as he scanned the parking garage. “Mia, are you okay?” His gaze rested on me, concern wrinkling the corners of his eyes.
The jury was still out on that, but I wouldn’t shrivel under his attention. “Just sore. Be careful. He is still here.”
“Who is? Do you know what’s going on? Tell me.” The commanding tone of his voice nearly made me spill my guts—which wasn’t much—but no, I wouldn’t do that. He couldn’t know about the supernatural side of my life. That would only complicate things for both him and me.
If he knew I was a real witch, I’d never be able to face him or my family again. My brother only thought I was one of those Wiccans, who were into the lifestyle so they could run around in hooded cloaks through the forest.
Disregarding his questions, I climbed to my feet and chanted under my breath, priming my magic to stop the next attack. If I could…. I hadn’t seen my attacker. I probably knew as much about what was going on as Ethan did.
“You shouldn’t be getting up.” He grabbed my arm, but I shook him off, needing my full concentration on the spell.
Behind me, the barest of noises had me spinning around. I tossed a fireball from my palm that smashed into the chest of a huge grey wolf. He flew off course, leaping over my head and slamming into Ethan.
“No! Ethan!” I swung around to face them. This was so much worse than I’d imagined.
Werewolves were powerful, horrible creatures. So violent. So dangerous.... And weren’t they supposed to be the thing of fiction and movies?
Ethan shouted in pain. The wolf blocked my vision of him. I shot a second, rather miniscule fireball at the wolf, hitting it in the backside. The mangy mutt whirled on me with its upper lip curled back, showing sharp pointed teeth. My spells were doing nothing.
This was what I got for allowing my magic to get so far out of use. Then again, when did I really have a chance to go casting fireballs in my home? The last thing I needed was to burn the place down.
Geez...I was damned if I did, damned if I didn’t.
The places where I’d hit the werewolf with the fire spells only created small charred spots in its fur and left behind the faint scent of burnt hair. Then again, my concentration was shit at the moment. If I didn’t pull myself together soon, I’d curse both Ethan and me to our deaths. Not something I wanted on my head.
I whispered a protection incantation under my breath, desperately trying to work up its strength. The more I tried, the more my tongue tripped over the words.
The werewolf sprang toward me and I dodged out of the way, channeling my inner bullfighter. I
upped my energy, shutting out all distractions, and focused on growing the spell, even though I needed to know if Ethan was okay. Fire stung my palms and hot wind blew my hair into my face. Fire shielded my hands like boxing gloves and I screamed in agony.
The werewolf skidded to a stop a few yards from me, then hurled itself on top of me at the very last minute, trying to catch me off guard.
I threw my last ounce of strength into the fire and punched it with my burning fists. The werewolf slammed me to the ground, knocking my head against the cement. I only hoped Ethan would make it out of this alive, since I didn’t have high hopes for myself.
The furry beast reared back its head and snarled, baring its long, sharp and deadly fangs. It lunged for my throat, but before I could let out more than a whimper, a heavy combat boot swung past my face and into the beast’s muzzle. The wolf flew off me.
Surprise hit me in the chest and I wondered what had happened. The combat boot in question rested near my shoulder, and I drew my gaze up the powerful leg to Ethan’s concerned face.
Ethan.
Blood dripped down his torso, and my eyes widened. No, no, no.... This couldn’t be happening. He couldn’t be drawn into all of this. If I got him back to my home, I might be able to put the healing salve on his wound and maybe stop him from going down the path fate had pushed him towards. If he became a werewolf, his future would irrevocably be changed. He’d be lost to me. I couldn’t allow that, because while he didn’t share my feelings, he was almost family.
“We need to get out of here, Mia. Are you okay?” He grabbed me by the arms and hauled me to my feet. Our eyes met and he stared into my gaze with a no nonsense look. “I want answers.”
The growling werewolf held his ground. So while Ethan wanted answers, they’d have to wait.
Children laughed near the elevators. For whatever reason, the werewolf took off, running in the opposite direction. Within seconds, it was gone.
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