by Amy Boyles
I flung open the bathroom door, and there stood Reid, hopping from one foot to the other. She flew past me and slammed the door shut behind her.
"Sorry," I yelled. "Didn't know you had to use the pot so bad."
She scoffed. "I have a date too, you know."
I grinned.
Reid had told me that she and Rick had dinner plans. It made my heart soar to know that the two of them had come together. Wasn't life grand?
I slid my palms down the skirt of my white eyelet dress. The perfect summer material, in my opinion. I traipsed into the living room and found Milly, Sera, Grandma and Nan playing a game of Uno.
"Uno!" Grandma shouted, clapping her hands in jubilation.
Milly tossed her cards on the table with a huff. "Cheater," she grumbled.
Grandma shook a finger stacked with three silver rings. "Am not. Don't be such a sore sport."
Sera cocked her head. "Don't you mean spoilsport?"
Grandma tapped a finger against her lips. "No. Not at all. I meant a gaping wound sport."
Well, looked like life was back to normal here.
Milly pivoted in her chair toward me. "You look mighty nice. Have a hot date?"
I raked my fingers through my hair. "I don't know if it's a hot date, but it's a date."
She narrowed her eyes. Her gaze swept me from head to foot. "Been using that opal of yours?"
I shrugged. "Not really. Not since I used it against Sumi."
"Do you have it with you?"
My ears burned as I unsnapped my clutch purse and retrieved it from a secret pocket I'd sewn in. "Yes, I've got it." It was a little embarrassing for me to admit that I pretty much didn't go anywhere without it. The whole thing with Sumi had not helped that fact. I mean, a girl never knew when she was going to need some magical backup, and this stone was that backup.
Milly opened her palm, and I slipped the opal into it. She lifted the stone to the light and tilted it left, then right. It caught the light and shimmered like a rough diamond. A gigantic one, but a diamond, nonetheless. Milly brought it to her face.
Smelled it.
And licked it.
I gaped in horror.
"Tastes like cotton candy."
"What are you doing?" I asked.
She cackled. "It's a candy!"
I snatched it from her hand. "No, it isn't. It's an opal. It focuses my magic and makes me more powerful."
Grandma sniffed. "Afraid not, dear. That's what Titus wanted you to think to help boost your confidence. But I'm afraid it's an opal made of…?" She shot Milly a questioning glance.
"Sugar," Milly roared. She laughed so hard tears streamed down her cheeks. She blotted them with the back of her hand.
"But how?" I said. "How could I have beaten Sumi with it? There's no way. The two opals touching caused the explosion."
Milly threw Grandma a knowing look. "I'm afraid," Grandma said, "that from now on you'll have to accept that you're a witch who can make things happen."
So confused. My head swirled. "What do you mean?"
Milly rubbed the nub of her cane. "What she's saying is, you knew what would happen when the two opals touched, so it did. You caused it, Dylan. Not the candy opal. You."
My knees buckled. Luckily there was a chair right behind me to catch my bottom before I tumbled to the floor. "But how? Why?"
Grandma shrugged. "It just did. Besides, do you really think the unicorn king would give you one of their precious opals? Boy, you don't know anything about unicorns if that's the case."
"Not to mention flying monkeys," Sera added, grinning.
"So I did it? All by myself?"
Milly rolled her eyes. "Don't get a big head about it or anything. But yes, you did it. All by yourself. You defeated a wicked witch. What do you want, some candy?" She glanced at the opal and howled in laughter.
"Don't feel bad," Nan chimed. "It's practically a rite of passage to be swindled by someone in the witch world. At least you were taken in the right way, and not by something that would have hurt you."
"Not sure that makes me feel better," I said.
"I don't know why you feel bad, toots," Milly said. "You did it all on your own. Defeated a witch who had undoubtedly more power than you, since she was stealing it."
"Don't let word get around," Grandma said. "Lots of witches like to try to defeat others that they know have more power."
I chewed a fingernail off and spit it out onto the rug. "Why?"
"I don't know. Some sort of alpha dominance kind of thing, I think. They like to see who's powerful and see if they can knock them down."
"Great," I said, my stomach twisting into pretzels. I glanced at Nan. "Maybe I should consider hiring you as a bodyguard." Though older, the woman was as spry as a monkey. A winged monkey, at that.
Sera winked at me. "Don't worry. I'm sure our local police detective isn't going to let you out of his sight."
"I don't know," I mumbled.
The doorbell rang.
"Speak of the devil," Sera mused.
I took a deep breath and crossed to the cherry-red front door. I opened it. On the other side stood Roman, wearing a white linen shirt, jeans and sandals. He extended a peach-colored rose.
I beamed and took the flower from him. "Thank you."
He nodded. "I was hoping you'd wear it tucked behind your ear."
I glanced at the foot-long stem. "It's a little long for that, don't you think?"
"It can be cut."
"Let me get some scissors." I turned to go inside. He took my arm.
"Wait." Roman pulled a knife from his back pocket and slid the blade out. He struck the steel through the stem, and the green floated to the ground. "Perfect. Try it now."
I crimped my lips together, unsure of what to say, and then thought, when in Rome. I tucked the flower behind my ear.
Roman beamed. Yes, definitely do what the Romans do. Anything was worth seeing that million-watt smile of his. "You look beautiful."
Heat flushed my cheeks and neck. "Thank you."
"Hey, Detective!"
I turned to see the entire table of Uno waving at Roman.
"Evening, ladies. Mind if I steal Dylan for a few hours?"
"Course not," Grandma said. "Just don't keep her out too long; she might turn into a pumpkin." She wiggled her fingers at us.
"I wouldn't put it past her," I muttered.
"Don't worry. I'll bring her back at a reasonable hour."
I said good-bye to them and shut the door to the cottage. Roman slid his hand into mine. "Ready to get out of here?"
I grinned so hard my face hurt. It felt good to be beside Roman. To let all my fears about him wash away. "I am."
"Great. Because I've got an awesome dinner planned."
"You know," I said as he opened the passenger-side door of the SUV, "I'm surprised you still wanted to see me with the mess I almost made of things."
"You mean, like nearly getting yourself killed?"
I slid onto the buttery seat and swung my legs around. "Semantics," I said.
He arched an eyebrow. "You think?"
I nodded. "Definitely."
Roman shut the door and crossed around the nose of the car. I smiled sadly. Apparently Sumi Umi's brain had been broken after the opal fiasco. She could barely talk, much less form any coherent sounds. Since the same thing had happened to Margaret, Roman theorized it was some sort of pact with the magic-stealing ring. Either when you got caught or you were about to confess, you were rendered incapacitated.
Roman slipped into the driver's side. The piney scent of his cologne wafted up my nose. It immediately eased tension in my shoulders I didn't know I had. "I probably would have ended things if you weren't so darn cute," he said. He smiled at me. Edged closer in his seat.
Heat from his body prickled my skin. Tension built in the cabin like a low-pressure thunderstorm. I leaned over. He cupped the back of my head and brought his lips to mine. I melted. All over the seat. Became a huge pu
ddle.
The heady scent of him filled my nose as the taste of his minty mouthwash danced on my tongue. I could have stayed lip-locked to Roman forever.
His phone rang.
We parted. He touched the screen and put the phone to his ear. "Bane here." After listening for a minute, he dropped it from his face and punched the red End button.
A sinking feeling crawled over my skin. "What is it?"
He shook his head. "That was the witch police. Looks like there's a witch who passed out a hundred miles from here. Says she was attacked."
"And you're going to investigate?"
He nodded. "We'll have to postpone dinner."
I gave him a devilish smile. "How about we eat on the way instead?"
The engine roared to life as he turned the ignition key. He flashed me the kind of smile that made the corners of his eyes crinkle while causing my heart to melt. "I'd say it's a date."
<<<<>>>>
Hey y’all,
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Best witches,
Amy
BLESS YOUR WITCH
Scared Witchless
Kiss My Witch
About the author:
Amy Boyles grew up reading Judy Blume and Christopher Pike. Somehow, the combination of coming of age books and teenage murder mysteries made her want to be a writer. After graduating college at DePauw University, she spent some time living in Chicago, Louisville, and New York before settling back in the South. Now, she spends her time chasing two toddlers while trying to stir up trouble in Silver Springs, Alabama, the fictional town where Dylan Apel and her sisters are trying to master witchcraft, tame their crazy relatives, and juggle their love lives.
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Kiss My Witch
by Amy Boyles
Copyright © 2016 Amy Boyles
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.