by Renee George
"Don't talk with your mouth full, dear." But I saw her smile. Even though Lukas and I were adults, Mom still liked being a mom, and nothing pleased her more than us letting her."
The faint scent of clover drowned out the roasted chicken aroma. I turned, mid-bite into a juicy leg, and was face to face with a juicy Cas. "Herro."
"Herro, yourself." He grinned. "You've got a little food on your face."
"Uh huh." I tore off the meat and put the remainder of the chicken leg on the plate and put it on the ground for Simon to finish up. I held up my finger for Cas to wait a moment while I chewed, chewed, chewed. The meat actually felt like it was getting bigger, not smaller.
"You're sexy when you go all carnivore."
I finally finished my mouthful. "What are you doing here?"
"The whole squad is here. Monty thought we could help find out what happened with the fire last night." He stared at the flashing "birdie" statue. "Is that a new art installation? Bold choice for Cauldron."
"Not exactly." I stared at Cas's chest as it stretched his black t-shirt in a way that showed off every cut of muscle. My damn. This guy's sexy meter pegged all the way hot. My mouth watered for something other than chicken.
"What is going on in that imagination of yours, Princess?" He brushed the corner of my lips with his thumb then put it in his mouth. "Mmm. Tasty."
I heard a growl. Cas smiled. "Oh, crap." I'd never been a growler. That was a Shifter thing, but I'd done in twice now in response to the werewolf in front of me. "Don't you have work to do?"
Rabbit joined us with one of the other Shifters on their team, a guy with almost white hair.
"Hi, Rabbit."
He nodded. "Hi, Princess."
I rolled my eyes. To the white-haired guy, I asked, "Are you Ax or Blaze?"
"Axe," he said. "Blaze has red hair."
Rabbit ran a hand through his blond hair. "Monty talked to Chief Davis. He's agreed to let us help with the investigation. The fire was definitely caused by black magic."
"How can Monty tell?" I asked.
"I don't know," Cas said. "But he always can. It's his specialty."
Sort of like me and hexes, I supposed.
"If there are witches or warlocks in town using black magic, we will find them." The look of cold determination on his face sent chills through me. I was right. Shyla wasn't the only one still angry about their parent's death. I reached out and touched Cas's arm. Blue-green soothing magic coated my skin, and I tried to push it into him, to calm him, to take some of the pain, but it fizzled out as soon as I tried.
He gave me an odd look. "What were you trying to do?"
I looked down and watched as Simon devoured the last bit of roasted chicken. "I was trying..." I shrugged and toed the asphalt with my boot. "I wanted to help you. I'm sorry. I should have asked."
He took my hand from his arm and kissed my fingertips before letting it go. "It was a nice gesture. But I'm immune to magic again."
"Oh." I wasn't sure how I felt about him getting the sigil again. He might be invulnerable to magic, but without his ability to shift, he was also more vulnerable to fatal wounding. "That was fast."
"It's part of the gig. The only way to take down a black mage is to take away their ability to use black magic on you."
"I get that."
His lip curled. "You're scared for me."
"Maybe."
"Because you think I'm sexy," he teased.
I crossed my arms over my chest. "Because I feel sorry for you. Anyone as ugly as you needs all the sympathy I can muster." I examined him from head to toe and muffled a few pleasurable groans. "It must have been difficult being such a disturbing eyesore."
Cas laughed. "Were you always this funny?"
"Yes." My anxiety for him eased. I hadn't been able to use magic to ease his pain, but it turned out I hadn't needed to.
"Cas," Monty Abadose said. "What's the situation here? Have you learned anything new?" The warlock looked at me then smiled. "Lovely to see you this morning, Brita."
"Thanks," I said. Abadose wore a similar outfit to Cas, black t-shirt and black jeans with black boots. The shirt didn't fit him as tightly, but it still looked nice. He really was an attractive man, but unlike Cas, he really wasn't my type. Too polished.
"Are you ready for the festival?"
"Sure, but we've got to fix Mom's float first?" I pointed the metal middle finger.
"That's an unusual choice for a float."
"It's been magically manipulated. The witchcraft used feels...yucky."
For the first time, he actually looked interested in me. "Yucky?"
"Wrong," I said.
He walked over to the molded hunk of junk and rotated his hands over the surface. "You have a talent, Brita. This was definitely black magic."
"But why? To what purpose?"
"Because your town is soaked in Cerridwen's power," Abadose said. "This year will mark the five-hundred-year anniversary of Taliesin's rebirth and transformation. The Council has been aware of chatter surrounding this year's festival for months."
"What are you talking about, Monty? Your mom asked me to invite you. For Brita."
"Yes, because we believe Brita is this coven's target."
My mother looked pale and shaky. I put my arm around her as she said, "I don't understand. I thought you... Why would Melba..."
"My mother is a member of the Council."
I felt the wind whoosh from my mom as if she'd been punched in the gut. "I think you should walk away right now," I told Monty. Red magic flowed over my fingers. "Walk away before I say something I can't take back."
He raised a brow at me. "Fine. I was going to check out the field next anyhow." He turned to Cas. "Stick with the Davis girl. Keep her safe. She's still your assignment, so don't let me down."
Cas nodded as his gaze met mine.
My heart shattered into a thousand pieces. "Assignment," I hissed. "I'm an assignment?"
"It's not what you think, Brita."
"Don't talk to me," I said, my voice eerily calm and detached. "Don't get within fifty feet of me. Otherwise, I will make sure that I'm your next target."
Chapter Eight
The parade was five hours away, and even though Mom had bought all the glitter and sequins in town for the first float, she stayed strongly optimistic that we could make this work. My shadow, at my request, was staying fifty feet away, far enough that I couldn't smell him and as long as I didn't look, I wouldn't see him. I kept looking anyhow, and I was getting sulkier by the minute.
"What's wrong?" Mom asked as we scavenged the local shops for kitsch to use on the new float.
"She's in love with a loser," Simon said. I booped him on the nose and gave him a silencing glare. He retaliated by whacking me in the face with his tail.
"I will make you walk," I threatened.
Mom stopped mid-step and faced me. "What does Simon mean about you being in love? Not with Monty? I had high hopes for that boy, but it turns out he and his mother are the worst kind of liars."
Wow. I guess I wasn't the only one hurt by this morning's revelations. "I'm sorry, Mom. I know she's one of your closest friends."
"Not anymore," she said. Her shoulders sagged, and for a moment, my mother looked little older.
"She's a fool, Mom. You are kind, considerate, and you are always there for the people in your life. Not just Lukas and me. I see you in every good thing in this town. I pointed to a mural of wide open hills with trees as far as the eye could see. "You talked the town council into giving Maddie Greives a chance to make the town more beautiful." I pointed at a bench sitting in a small garden with statues of creatures great and small. "That memorial garden for all the town folk who have gone on to the Next Adventure, you made that happen as well. You might be the only witch living in this town, other than me. But Dad's people, they love you. They would do anything for you. Including, throwing a gaudy spectacular festival every year, so you can ride through the streets in a bedazzled l
imo."
"Not this year," she said sourly.
"No. Not this year. But that's beside the point." I smooshed her in a hug until Simon protested being squeezed with a claw to my boob. "The point is. Anyone would be lucky to have you as a best friend because you are the best, and only a fool would abuse that friendship."
Mom sniffled. "You're a good daughter, Brita Jean."
"I know." I smiled. "You can say it."
"Say what?"
"That I'm your favorite? We don't have to tell Lukas, although, I'm sure he suspects."
"You're incorrigible."
"I get that from you."
She turned her attention back to the stores, a smile on her face, and both of us a little lighter in our steps. "Here," she said. "Let's go into Talons and Tools. Maybe they'll give me a discount on nuts or metal washers for the float. And while we're in there, you can tell me who you're in love with."
Simon snickered. Coughed. Coughed. Then threw up a wad of white fur. "Hairball," he said.
"Choke on it," I muttered.
And then he did.
"Simon!" I put him down as he ran back and forth, a Goddess awful retching coming from his throat.
"I didn't mean it," I said. "I didn't mean it."
Mom grabbed me by the shoulders. "Undo it!"
"Undo this attack, I take it back. Stop the choke and--" I looked at my mom. "What rhymes with choke?"
It wasn't Mom who answered. Cas picked up Simon who was no longer making any noises. My poor familiar's lips were turning blue. "Poke, joke, broke," he said.
"Stop the choke, it was only a joke," I finished. He didn't move. "Simon!"
Cas was using two fingers to massage Simon's chest. "He has a heartbeat, but it's barely there."
"Do something," Ash shouted. "Don't just stand there, Joanie. My Simon is dying!" she cried.
Light lavender magic poured over mom. She put her hand on my familiar, but the magic died as soon as she touched him. "I don't know what's wrong? Why isn't it working?"
I snatched Simon from Cas's arms. "It's Cassel. He's immune to magic. Try again."
The lavender magic flowed out of my mom and over Simon. My familiar opened his eyes, looking dazed and confused. I hugged him to my chest, ignoring the sharp points of his claws against my collarbone. "I'm so sorry, Simon. I'll be more careful, I promise. I'm so sorry."
He looked around, his head lolling. "Don't freak out, Brita. It was just a hairball."
I barked out a laugh as tears warmed my cheek. I'd let his misunderstanding of the situation stick for the moment, but I was going to have to tell him sooner or later that I'd almost done the unspeakable and cursed him to his death. I was still smiling when I looked up at Cas. And then I wasn't smiling anymore. He'd hurt me in a way that made me feel broken inside. And even though he helped, once again coming to my rescue, I had to remind myself that coming to my rescue was his job. "Thank you for the assist. You can go now."
He nodded, his expression unreadable as he crossed the street and moved fifty feet from me and Mom. When I turned my attention back to her, she gave me a knowing look.
"The first time I met your father, I was overwhelmed with the scent of sandalwood and vanilla. I became obsessed with the aromas. I bought perfumes, essential oils, and air fresheners that mimicked what I smelled when he was around. I couldn't stop thinking about him."
"Clover," I sighed. "Clover and fresh cut grass on a late spring morning."
Mom placed her palm on my cheek. "Oh, my dear girl. Does he have your scent?"
My lower lip jutted. "Pumpkin spice and fallen leaves, or so he says."
"The mate scent doesn't lie. If you have it for him, then he has it for you."
"What if it's just his shampoo that I'm smelling?"
"Then you owe it to yourself to find out," Mom said. "You have been raised in a Shifter community. You know they mate for life. If Cassel is your mate--"
"He lied to me. What should I do? Tell me."
Mom shook her head. "This is something you're going to have to figure out on your own."
"How come when I don't want your advice you're giving it away like cookies, but the minute I ask you for it, you tell me to bake my own cookies."
"Because this is important, Brita. I can't make this decision for you."
I couldn't think about Cas, not right now. Not while I was still angry with him. A honking horn drew our attention. Dad was in a truck pulling an orange pontoon mounted on a trailer down the street. "Will this work?" he asked as he pulled up beside us. "It's open. It has seating.
My mother threw her arms around his neck and kissed him senseless through the window. "It's perfect," she said when they came up for air.
"Hey," I said. "First, I don't need to see my parents making out like horny teenagers. And second, we've got a little under five hours until the parade, so let's get your nuts and washers, and see what we can do about building you a new carriage out of a pumpkin."
Chapter Nine
Three hours and twenty-two minutes later, the new Master of Ceremony float was complete. I had used more magic this morning than I had in all my years alive. I hadn't been able to summon enough power after to transport myself home. Instead, I called my brother for a ride.
"So, Dad told me that the fire and the float might have something to do with you. Is that true?"
I shrugged and leaned against the door. In the side mirror, I saw a black sedan, Cas behind the wheel, following us. "That's what I hear. I have no idea why. Just because I'm playing a goddess today doesn't mean I am one. Why are witches so stupid?"
"You're a witch."
"You know what I mean. I'd happily trade places with you if I could."
He nodded. "I know. And ninety-nine percent of the time, I'm not jealous of you."
I raised a brow at him.
"Okay." He laughed. "Ninety-five percent of the time."
"I'm a pox on this town," I said. "I cursed so many people my own age that the only person who ever really talks to me is Shyla."
"You made Darlene, the captain of the cheerleading team, lose all her hair," he said. "That kind of thing will ruin anyone's reputation." He chuckled. "Still, it was pretty funny, and she deserved it. You might be a witch, but she acts like one."
"Didn't you date her after high school?"
"Yeah, but you know Shifters have to mate with their own kind. She was just a bit fun." He tapped the steering wheel. "We both knew it wouldn't go anywhere."
"So, why haven't you dated any wolf Shifters," I asked, thinking about my BFF pining away for him twenty-four-seven.
"Because of the possibility."
"You've lost me."
"I'm still young. I'm still having fun. Once I settle down, that's over."
"Don't you want to find a mate?"
"Sure." He turned down Full Moon Avenue toward my house. "But, I like the idea of settling down, but I like being a bachelor too."
"You're an idiot."
He laughed. "I won't disagree with you." He pulled into my driveway.
Shyla's yellow hybrid car was parked out front. "You want to come in and say hello?"
"Nope. I told Dad I would get some volunteers from the firehouse to work security for the parade."
"Uh huh." I refrained from calling him a chicken shit. If he wasn't ready, who was I to push? Besides, if he hadn't caught her scent by now, maybe they weren't meant for each other, and my pushing would only end up hurting Shyla.
"I'm exhausted," Simon said sleepily as I carried him into the house. "Your mother is mean and a harsh taskmaster."
"She's not mean. She's goal oriented." I don't know why I was defending her. I was exhausted as well, and Mom had been super critical of almost everything I did with the float. But she'd had a rough morning. I couldn't imagine what I would do if Shyla used me the way Melba had used mom.
I walked down the hall to Shyla's office. I could hear her typing, so I knew she was inside. I knocked. "Come in," she said.
&
nbsp; "Hey." I peeked into the room. "You working?"
"Just sending an invoice so I can get paid." She swiveled in her chair. "You look terrible."
"Thanks. Just what the goddess Cerridwen wants to hear when she's about to go on display in front of an entire town of judgy pants."
"Do you want me to help you?"
"I would love for you to help me."
"How much time do you have?" she asked. "Maybe you can get in a little nap first."
"I have to be there in an hour." The lack of sleep and the overuse of my magic made me feel wonky and out of sorts. "No napping allowed."
"Lukas brought you home?" she asked casually when we got into the bathroom. "I heard the truck and saw you all out the window."
"Yeah. I couldn't muster enough energy to transport, so I called him for a ride."
"Oh." She brushed the tangle in my hair. "You didn't invite him in?"
"No," I lied. "Sorry, Shy. I'm just so tired, I didn't even think."
"Don't worry about it." I heard the sadness in her voice. I wanted to ask her if she smelled anything special when she was around my brother, but I didn't have to heart for it. If she did, how sad that my brother was finding ways not to be with her, and if she didn't, then she probably never would. Either way, it was a terrible situation for her. "Do you want me to braid your hair?"
"Sure. That'll be easiest. There's not enough time to make it do anything properly, and it wouldn't last anyhow."
"Your hair is pretty, Brita." She began separating it into sections and paused over the area that had caught fire the night before. "You know, most of the time. The only reason you don't think so is because your mother's hair is straight, and you've always wanted hair like hers."
"I do not. She wants me to have hair like hers."
My friend slipped me a smile. "Girl, you used to complain all the time about your curls."
"Can we talk about something else?"