“His thoughts are centered around undressing her at the moment,” Alec said. “I’m not certain that even mention of Higgins can derail his mental process.”
“What about hers?” I asked. “If she’s not on the same page, then maybe there’s still a chance.” I leaned into him without thinking and quickly snapped to attention.
Alec ignored my unconscious gesture. “She’s debating whether to bring up the subject of Higgins. She thinks he’s innocent, but has a sense of guilt for not using her powers to assist you.”
“Really?” That surprised me.
“He’s about to make a move,” Alec said. “He’s deciding between a kiss or a grope.”
“I think she’d settle for either one,” I said. “I get the impression it’s been a while.”
Alec stifled a laugh. “Yes, I think you are correct in that assumption. She’s thankful to be wearing her pink satin undergarments.”
I titled my head toward him. “I’m surprised you’re willing to do this. It doesn’t make you feel bad, eavesdropping on their private moment?”
“I certainly wouldn’t do it under normal circumstances,” he said. “But you claimed it was a matter of urgency and I trust you.”
“You do?” Not that he knew I was to blame for his personality change under the opposite spell.
He bent his head closer. “Of course I do. Why wouldn’t I?”
My pulse quickened as I stared at those sensual lips. When would I stop being so attracted to him? Couldn’t I settle into a nice professional relationship with him without the angst?
“Higgins!”
I glanced at Alec sharply. “What about him?”
Alec shot me a quizzical look. “I didn’t say anything.” He put his fingers to his lips.
I closed my eyes and listened.
“I didn’t realize you were interested in vampire pirate history.” It was Marigold’s voice, light and airy. Please don’t be a murderer, she thought to herself. You’re far too handsome for prison.
I was still connected to her! My eyes flew open and I gripped Alec’s arm. “You listen to his thoughts and I’ll listen to hers,” I whispered.
Although he seemed mildly confused, he nodded.
“I’m not usually,” Smithers replied. “The topic came up so much because of the murder, I decided to read up on it while I was stuck here as a way to pass the time.” There was a pause. “When I’m not with you, that is.”
Alec leaned toward me. “The butler is telling the truth.” He continued to listen intently. “He liked Higgins. Hopes the murderer is caught before he leaves town. He also wants to make the most of his time with Marigold. I don’t believe he’s your killer, Miss Rose.”
Relief washed over me. I didn’t love the idea of Marigold being involved with a killer. At least we were next door to rescue her, if the need arose.
“Smithers, you naughty butler.” Do it again.
Uh oh. How did I unlink myself from Marigold’s thoughts?
“You like that, do you?” Smithers asked.
Alec squeezed his eyes shut. “I think it’s time to go, Miss Rose. I suddenly feel quite nauseous.”
“Same,” I croaked. If Alec could’ve leaped from the window without incident, I think he would have. Some thoughts were better left unheard.
“Indeed,” Alec said, as we escaped the room.
“Dammit, stay out of my head,” I demanded. “It’s already too crowded in there.”
Alec smothered a laugh. “You may not believe it, but I have missed you, Miss Rose.”
I inhaled sharply. “I’ve missed you, too.”
We left the hotel together in silence, and it was a relief to be back in my own thoughts instead of someone else’s.
Chapter 13
“You look nice, Sterling,” I said. Not that a guy needed to do much to leave the house. A clean pair of trousers and a shirt and we fawned over them like it took a Herculean effort.
Sterling tweaked his cufflinks. “Thank you, Ember. And thanks to you and Marley for offering to watch the boys. We never think to make arrangements in advance. Our schedules are both so hectic.”
“I know,” I said. “But you have to prioritize your family.” You never knew how long you had with them. It sounded too maudlin to say aloud, so I kept my reasons to myself.
I heard Aster at the top of the stairs. “Put the cat down, Ackley. She doesn’t like to be held at that angle.”
Uh oh. I glanced at Sterling for his response, but his gaze was riveted to his phone. That was no bueno. If he placed that phone on the table at dinner, it was going to be a major bone of contention. I had Aster’s number. If there was an issue while they were gone, I’d call her. No need for Sterling to have his phone.
Aster came downstairs and immediately noticed her husband’s face buried in a screen. He didn’t bother to glance up.
“Ready?” he asked, barely registering her.
“I need the bathroom first.”
“You always look so beautiful,” I said. She’d clearly made an effort with her hair and makeup, not that she needed to go the extra mile. Aster was stunning with bedhead and in fuzzy pajamas.
“Mmm,” Sterling added.
Although Aster hid the sting of rejection, I sensed her bitter emotion. There had to be a way for Aster to reclaim her husband’s attention. Sterling had to realize how lucky he was to be married to someone like Aster. She was the dream wife, there was no denying it.
“I’m going to say goodbye to the boys.” Sterling draped his jacket over the back of the chair and set his phone on the table before disappearing upstairs.
I stared at the phone, the gears clicking away in my mind. Did I dare? I only had a minute to act before one of them returned to the room. I pulled out my wand and aimed it at the phone. When the time came to focus my will, I stalled. I had no idea what to do. Make it invisible? Blow it up? Both were too obvious.
“Aspen, the cat doesn’t like to wear the shower curtain,” Sterling called. “Please take it off and ask Marley to hang it back up.”
Oh no. He was coming. My wand shook as I desperately tried to think of a spell. Any spell.
“Anima,” I said, and thrust my wand back into my waistband.
“Did you say something?” Sterling asked, returning to the living room.
“Just practicing spells out loud,” I said. “So hard to keep track of all my lessons these days.”
“You should tell your aunt you need a break,” he said. “Life can’t be all about witchcraft.”
“I can handle it,” I said. I watched nervously as Sterling tucked his phone in his pocket and slipped on his jacket. What had I done? It was a phone not a garden gnome. It wasn’t like it could spring to life.
Aster emerged from the other room, a bright smile plastered across her perfect features. She was determined to make the best of this evening, I could tell.
“We won’t be late,” Aster said. “I’m sure Sterling has an early start in the morning.”
He slipped on his jacket. “You know me so well.”
They left the house without touching. I noticed that he didn’t give her a peck on the cheek, or place a hand on the small of her back. Not a single intimate gesture. There was no sign of affection between them.
“Enjoy,” I called. The door closed and I felt a heaviness in my heart. I hoped whatever I’d done to the phone wouldn’t make matters worse between them. Just because a couple wasn’t outwardly fighting didn’t mean everything was fine. Or maybe it meant that it was no better than fine, a low bar if ever there was one.
The kids came barreling down the stairs, reminding me what my priority was for the evening. Three children + twelve limbs intact + no one loses an eye = success.
“Who wants a snack?” I asked.
“I have allergies,” Aspen said. At least I thought it was Aspen. I was never entirely sure. I wished they sported name labels on their foreheads, or something.
“What kind of allergies?” I ask
ed. I didn’t recall any issues at our Sunday dinners.
He began counting on his fingers. “Wisteriaberries, fazzlefruit, magic herbs in the purple family…”
“You’re allergic to a color?” I queried.
“I believe him,” Marley said solemnly. “If it were a lie, he’d have said all vegetables in the green family.”
True. “Okay, what do you normally have for a snack?”
Marley lowered her voice. “Isn’t it a little close to dinner?”
I glanced at the clock. “Oh, crap. Sorry. Forget the snack.”
Aspen promptly burst into tears. “You promised.” He wiped his snot away with the back of his hand. “And you said ‘crap.’”
I kneeled in front of him. “Technically, I didn’t promise. I merely mentioned the possibility.”
“It was an implied promise,” Marley said.
I glared at her. “Whose side are you on?”
Marley gestured to the sobbing child. “The obvious choice.”
“Does he pack your school lunch every morning?” I asked.
“No, but neither do you.”
Right. “Well, does he let you sleep in his bed?”
Aspen’s waterworks dried up as quickly as they started. He stared at Marley, wide-eyed. “You still sleep with your mom?”
Marley gulped, feeling the weight of a four-year-old’s judgment. “Only if I’ve had a bad dream.”
Aspen pointed and laughed. “You sleep with your mom! I’m younger than you and I don’t need to do that.”
Marley pursed her lips and gave me dagger eyes. “You had to go there.”
I shrugged. “He stopped crying, didn’t he?”
“Because you threw me under the crybaby bus,” Marley shot back.
I clapped my hands once. “Okay. What’s for dinner?”
“Don’t you already know?” Ackley asked, appearing on the bottom step. “Mommy always knows ahead of time.”
Of course she did. She was Aster Rose-Muldoon, pure perfection and obvious descendant of the One True Witch. I was Ember of Maple Shade, New Jersey, First of Her Name, Queen of the Turnpike, and Macaroni and Cheese in a Box.
“I’m learning to use magic to cook,” I said. Just don’t request meatloaf.
“Mommy doesn’t use magic to cook,” Aspen said. “She wants this to be a magic-free household as much as possible.”
“Well, my whole life has been magic-free up until recently,” I said. “So I get special dispensation in your house.”
Ackley and Aspen exchanged excited glances.
“Can we help?” Aspen asked.
“Sure.” I shot a helpless glance at Marley, who merely shrugged. “Let’s go into the kitchen and see what kind of mess we can make.”
The twins fist bumped each other and followed us into the kitchen. They sat on stools at the counter and watched me expectantly.
“How about chocolate cake?” Ackley asked.
“For dinner?” I asked in disbelief. “I might look young, but I wasn’t born yesterday.”
Ackley blinked. “You don’t look young.”
I gritted my teeth. “It’s an expression, kid.”
Marley swallowed a laugh. “How about snazzlewick squares?”
I elbowed her. “I don’t even know what that is.”
“They serve it at school sometimes,” she said. “It’s one of those rare meals that’s both popular and healthy.”
“Like a unicorn,” I said.
Marley frowned. “A unicorn is not a meal.”
Right. “I meant the rare part.”
“Daddy likes things cooked well done,” Aspen offered.
“I don’t want to eat a unicorn,” Ackley said, and I could detect the onslaught of tears if I didn’t react quickly.
“Snazzlewick squares!” I cried. “Give me one second.” I produced my wand and stared at the empty counter. I didn’t need runecraft. What I needed was a useful class like How To Whip Up A Sensible Meal Before A Four-Year-Old Cries.
I focused my will and poured my energy into the wand, imagining a snazzlewick square. The problem was that I had no frame of reference.
“Partum,” I said.
“Ew, what’s that?” Aspen asked, studying the greenish brown blob that appeared on a plate.
“No clue,” I said. “Marley, any ideas?”
Marley poked the blob with a cautious finger. The blob wiggled and she quickly recoiled.
“Awesome,” Ackley breathed, his eyes wide.
The blob shifted and tipped off the plate.
“Blob on a stick,” I said. “It’s moving.”
Naturally, Viola picked the worst possible time to appear in the kitchen. The yellow cat immediately zeroed in on the moving blob and began batting it between her paws.
“Viola, no,” I scolded the cat. “I don’t even know what it is.” What if it was poisonous?
The cat ignored me and kept treating the blob like a toy.
“Maybe you should get rid of it,” Marley suggested. “What if it…?” She didn’t get a chance to finish her sentence. The blob, however, seemed to know exactly what she was thinking as it divided in half.
“No way!” Aspen yelled. “Two blobs.”
“No, no, no,” I muttered in a panic.
The cat continued to pursue one blob, while the other blob made its way across the counter, leaving a trail of greenish brown goo in its wake.
“Marley, call a friend,” I ordered. “Someone has to know what this stuff is.”
Ackley disappeared from the kitchen, only to return with a toy bow and arrow. He aimed at the second blob and fired. The arrow pierced the blob and split it in half.
“Three blobs!” Aspen shouted.
I stared at the lines of goo that were now crisscrossing all over the counters. The cat knocked her blob to the floor and jumped down to continue the game.
“Viola, stop,” I said firmly. “You’re making it worse.”
The twins were laughing hysterically now. Marley had her phone out and was taking photos.
“Why are you taking pictures?” I asked, exasperated.
“I’m posting them on a site called Spellcraft,” she explained. “I’ve asked for help identifying them.”
“Oh.” I paused, holding out my wand without a clue what to do next. “Any comments yet?”
“Yes,” she said excitedly. “MagicMax551 says it’s a congeros.”
“Great,” I said. “It has a name. Now how do we get rid of them?”
The original blob divided again and the cat looked quizzically as they parted in different directions, unsure which one to pursue.
Marley typed a plea for help and waited for a response.
“For the first time in my life, I wish I was a Star Trek fan,” I complained. Karl used to enjoy it, but I didn’t have much interest in science fiction. I had enough cultural awareness to remember The Trouble with Tribbles episode.
“What’s Star Trek?” Marley asked.
“Look up The Trouble with Tribbles and see how they get rid of them at the end,” I urged, trying to prevent the blobs from escaping the kitchen.
“Wait, MagicMax551 says to throw salt on them,” Marley said.
I ran for the salt shaker on the table. “What will salt do?”
“No idea,” Marley said. “Just try it.”
“Aspen, no!” I watched in horror as he brought his foot down hard on the blob on the floor. It immediately splattered into four new blobs.
I chased the blobs around the room, sprinkling salt everywhere I could.
“It’s snowing,” Ackley said, dancing happily around the kitchen.
The cat became fascinated by the salt and kept trying to lick it off the floor.
“Marley, take the cat upstairs and lock her in a room until this is done,” I said.
Aspen appeared behind me with a familiar wand. “I do it.”
“Aspen, how did you…?” I felt my waistband. Yep, the little thief had lifted my wand withou
t me even realizing it.
He giggled and waved my wand around the room, taunting me.
“They’re melting,” Ackley cried, pointing.
I shifted my focus back to the blobs. Sure enough, the salt was dissolving them. I wiped my brow. “Thank sweet baby Elvis.”
“Who’s Elvis?” Aspen asked.
I wiggled my fingers. “Give me back my wand and I’ll tell you.”
Aspen tapped the wand on his head, debating the value of the exchange. “No.”
Why did his refusal not surprise me? “Okay then. How about you give me my wand and I’ll let you stay up half an hour past your bedtime.”
“Hour,” he said.
I pretended to hesitate. Finally, I said, “Deal.” I felt a sense of relief when my wand was back in my sweaty hand.
Marley reappeared in the kitchen. “Maybe we should take the boys for a walk. Get rid of some of that energy.”
“Good idea!” The food could wait. I needed to get over my nervous breakdown first.
Three hours later, I was sprawled on the sofa, my entire body suffering from unfamiliar aches and pains. I felt like I’d been run over by a truck that reversed and backed over me again. I’d managed to feed them and get them to bed without further incident. We skipped baths because it seemed like the safest option. Marley read them a story before retreating to the guest bedroom.
The house was quiet now. I was just about to doze off when I heard their voices outside the front door, low and angry. I debated whether to jet upstairs and pretend to be asleep in one of the beds, but I worried they’d hear my thundering footsteps. I wasn’t stealthy like Alec.
“You didn’t need to destroy it,” Sterling said heatedly. “You’re a better witch than that.”
“The phone was talking to you like it was possessed,” Aster said. “What choice did I have?”
“It felt passive aggressive to me,” Sterling said. “You’ve clearly been resentful of the time I spend at the office and you took your hostility out on my phone.”
“Of course I’m resentful!” she snapped. “I’m beginning to think I have something, or someone, to worry about.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” he replied. “The Aster I know would never doubt me, or herself. She has far more confidence than that. Frankly, darling, it’s an unattractive quality I didn’t realize you were capable of.”
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