The Cupid Conundrum

by Lucy True

  When he turned back to her, as if resigned to his fate, a new expression crossed his face. Disbelief, tinged with sadness. He backed away from her with a few clumsy, stumbling steps, and then crumpled to the ground.

  Something moved within the periphery of Burgundy’s vision – two witches dashing forward and coming up short against the warlock’s shield. As the warlock closed his eyes, the last lingering effects of his magickal protection dissipated with his loss of consciousness.

  Both witches moved in and one knelt by his side, examining his face. They were Finders, she realized. Her plan had worked.

  The warlock looked peaceful in sleep, eyes closed and features relaxed. One of the men looked at the other. “Sleep potion,” he said. “He should be out for a while.”

  “Roger that. Get him ready to transport.” The other witch turned his attention to Burgundy. “Did you do this?”

  She nodded wordlessly, her heart stuck in her throat. Whether they were asking if she created the potion or took the warlock out of commission, it didn’t matter. What she needed first and foremost was to know her town was safe.

  “Good job. We’ve been on the hunt for this guy for weeks. Finally received a tip-off that he was in Rock Grove, of all places. By the way, The Supernatural World Herald might want to put the kibosh on that Sunday edition. Otherwise, we’re going to have to start erasing memories.”

  “Oh, that’s not necessary.” Jenna sauntered toward them, both hands thrust into her jeans pockets and succubus influence turned up to the max. Both Finders stopped what they were doing and stared at her, clearly enthralled. “It was a dummy paper, meant to be leaked to the Council,” she told them. “But we sure are glad you took it seriously.”

  The men exchanged glances and then nodded at Jenna. As the witch kneeling next to the warlock ran his hand over the trench coat and searched pockets, the other turned back to Burgundy. “You’ve done a good job, Miss Hart. Now that he’s in the hands of the proper authorities, we will ensure he is contained until he can go to trial. Mr. Cian Black has been a thorn in our side for years.”

  Burgundy waited to see if they would mention her mother or if Lily herself would step out from the shadows. When neither of those things happened, she lowered her gaze to the warlock’s face. Now that he had a name, she tested it in her mind. Burgundy Jane Black.

  It had a nice ring to it.

  “Found it.” The witch searching the warlock’s sleeping body held up a bow and a handful of arrows. “Clever bastard had them in a magickal pocket.”

  “Of course he did.” The other witch turned away with a heavy sigh, but Burgundy reached out to touch his arm.

  “Excuse me,” she said, “but he’s managed to hit hundreds of people in our town with those things. What can we do about it?”

  The witch shrugged. “Nothing.”

  “Nothing?” Now she had swallow not just her pain, but her disbelief as well. “Are you telling me there’s no way to reverse their effects? I’ve seen people almost die because of this and I already gave up the one anti-love potion I had. It did nothing.”

  Now the Finder turned to face her fully. “I know it sounds bad, but there is no instant fix. We can’t get involved or that might be construed as an acceptance of culpability on the part of the Council. You’ll have to let everyone become themselves again. It’ll happen and it’s going to look terrible, like someone going through drug withdrawal. But the sooner you can get those people isolated from whoever they’re pining for, the sooner they can recover. It’ll take time and be painful, but stay the course and they’ll get there.”

  Burgundy could only nod and then watch as both Finders stood over the warlock. They reached up to touch pendants they each wore on the lapels of their coats. And, just like that, the witches and warlock were gone.

  Jenna edged up to her, palm sliding against Burgundy’s, until their fingers curled together reassuringly. It was a strange sort of closure, a sense of coming full circle. But Burgundy knew there was another hand she wanted to hold.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  That wasn’t the first time movie night had to be cancelled in Rock Grove. To Burgundy’s disappointment, Glen couldn’t resume movie nights until before New Year’s. They were too busy tending to the needs of the lovesick townsfolk and everyone had to share the responsibility.

  As much as she wanted to see Charlotte again, Burgundy let the mayor and his wife take in both her and Mr. Knight. “It will be easier on you,” they told her.

  So Burgundy took in someone she hardly knew. It didn’t make watching them work through the withdrawal from the love symptoms any easier. The worst was the night her guest – a burly bear shifter – seemed to simply shrivel up inside himself, as if giving up on life.

  For more than a month, he remained curled up in the guest bedroom, moaning in agony. At the height of the withdrawal, he convulsed and shrieked, while Burgundy stood outside the bedroom door, holding her breath.

  Once the seizures passed, he lay in a cold sweat for a few more days. At least he’d stopped shifting without warning, which allowed Burgundy to get close enough to administer plenty of fluids. He finally took soup and then solid food. And then, at long last, his gaze cleared and he asked, “Where am I?” one snowy morning.

  It took time for Rock Grove to return to normal, but the day Burgundy brought her guest home, able to function fully on his own, was also the day she could finally see Charlotte.

  When Burgundy opened the door to the diner, her best friend was there. She let herself savor the sight of Charlotte back behind the counter, long brown hair drawn back in a smooth ponytail, and lips parted in laughter at something one of the grizzled old regular said to her. Normal never felt so good.

  “Hey!” Charlotte said brightly as she turned and saw Burgundy. “Get your warlock-defeating butt in here and have a seat. I’ve got cappuccino with two extra shots of espresso for you.”

  “That sounds divine.” Burgundy settled on a stool and watched as Charlotte prepared a cup for her. In less than a minute, a steaming mug topped with whipped cream and cinnamon sat between her hands.

  “Happy Winter Solstice.” The diner owner folded her arms and leaned on the counter, letting out a small sigh. “I am so out of practice.”

  Burgundy shook her head. “Not you. I bet everything will fall back into place before you know it.”

  “Maybe. Well, at least everything here is as it should be. I wonder what everyone remembers.”

  “What do you remember?” Burgundy asked, then picked up the mug and took a sip. The hot, frothy drink coated her tongue in delicious sweetness and she let out a little moan. All she needed on this December day was another snowfall to complete the feeling that almost everything was right with her world.

  When she lowered the cup, she saw that Charlotte’s eyes were half-closed and glistening with tears. “It wasn’t good,” her friend whispered. “I had this overwhelming need for someone, someone I don’t even like. I hated it. I had no control over my own thoughts or emotions, or even my body. I’d say it was probably one of the worst things I’ve ever been through in my life. What about you?”

  That was Charlotte – sweet, caring Charlotte – asking how Burgundy was, even though she’d been through a hell of her own. If it was anything like what the bear shifter endured, Burgundy didn’t want to think about it.

  “Jeez, don’t worry about me,” Burgundy said, resisting the urge to reach out and touch her friend’s face. “I almost lost you. That’s what matters.”

  “I think most of us lost ourselves, but we’re back. Everything is okay, now.” Charlotte’s gaze locked onto hers and Burgundy thought the diner owner might actually try to kiss her. But then her friend straightened and ran her hands over her apron. “Are you going to the annual Winter Concert tonight?”

  Burgundy laughed, her first real laugh since all of this started. “Definitely. Will you be there?”

  “Oh yeah. Serving hot cocoa.” Charlotte gestured with her hea
d to the square beyond her establishment. It was a paved area set off the road where the town could set up a bandstand. The police had already blocked off both ends of Main Street in anticipation of the concert. Burgundy was satisfied to leave her car parked on Grove, in front of the library. She had to open in a half-hour anyway and the concert would be starting up only an hour after close.

  “I’ll see you there, then.” Burgundy slipped off the stool, not sure what else there was to say to Charlotte. Lots of things, she supposed, but not here in public.

  “Wait.” Her friend filled a to-go cup with coffee, then liberally lightened it with milk and sugar. She capped it and then handed it across the counter. “Now get out of here and I’ll see you tonight.”

  Burgundy lifted the cup and shook her head. “At lunch time and then again tonight.”

  “I get Burgundy Jane Hart three times in one day? Awesome!” Charlotte let out a laugh, her eyes lighting up with it, and Burgundy couldn’t help but smile in return.

  ****

  MUSIC FILLED DOWNTOWN Rock Grove that night. White lights strung along all the storefronts lent an ethereal quality to the town. Person after person approached Burgundy to thank her. Some even hugged her, a gesture she tried to accept with grace. Martha especially insisted on enfolding her in her strong arms, to the point that Burgundy could barely draw breath. As soon as the Amazon finally released her and walked away, Burgundy heaved a sigh of relief.

  “Still not a hugger, I see.”

  Burgundy turned to see Jenna strolling toward her, hands stuffed in the pockets of her winter coat. Her head was tipped slightly to one side, her blonde hair framing her face. The succubus certainly didn’t need compulsion to draw attention. She was easily the most magnetic woman at the concert that night.

  Taking advantage of a lull in the music, Burgundy confessed softly, “No, still not,” as she turned to meet her ex. It didn’t hurt so much now, being dumped, and she’d certainly had plenty of time to process her feelings while she cared for her shifter guest.

  Jenna shrugged and glanced around the square. “It’s nice to come home for this. I haven’t gone to the Winter Concert in a long time. Is that Charlotte? How’s she doing?”

  Turning to look where Jenna indicated, Burgundy saw Charlotte smiling and serving cups of hot chocolate to townsfolk. It did her heart good to see that wide, genuine grin back at home on Charlotte’s face. The longer she stared, the more her heart swooped, leaving her feeling a little out of breath.

  “She’s good,” Burgundy said, still staring at her friend. “She’s good. We’re all good. Everyone is good.”

  She barely felt Jenna’s nudge. “Right, so I take it everyone is good, then?” When Burgundy turned back to her ex, the blonde laughed. “Wake up, Burg. They’re about to play another set.”

  Jenna was right. The band, embarrassingly named The Rock Grove Rockers, was back on stage. “Now we’re really going to get into the Solstice spirit,” the mayor announced into the microphone. With that cue, the band launched into Jingle Bell Rock.

  But when Burgundy turned back to Jenna, she could tell from the expression on her face that something was on her mind.

  “We’re good too, right?” Jenna asked.

  “Oh, we’re good,” Burgundy assured her. “Trust me, I’ve had plenty of time to go from WTF to so over it. We’re fine.”

  “Good.” The blonde kicked at the ground and let out a huff, her breath coming out wispy and white on the cold air. “So, look, I may have been a little hasty. I want to apologize for everything. I know I already did, but there was so much happening at the time and you seem...”

  “I’m fine.” Burgundy didn’t mean to sound so forceful, but she couldn’t help it. There was more to the swirl of thoughts occupying her mind than love and relationships. More than she could tell anyone, even Jenna or Charlotte.

  Jenna’s brows drew together, but then someone called her name and she waved at whoever it was across the square. “Okay, I promised I would hang out with my mom. All this coming to visit Rock Grove and never checking in with her – I kind of owe her one. But, um, call me, okay?” Jenna backed away, as if watching for her reaction.

  Even though Burgundy nodded, she wasn’t sure she would take Jenna up on the invitation. She barely had a moment to herself to enjoy the music when Charlotte scampered up to her. “Hey!”

  “Hey.” Burgundy smiled, glad to see her friend. “Who’s minding the cocoa?”

  “Glen.”

  “Are you sure that’s such a good idea?” Both women turned and tilted their heads, watching as Glen handed someone a cup of hot chocolate. Whatever he said had the person rolling their eyes as they turned away from the table.

  “Um, he’s fine. I had to lie and tell him the chocolate was Belgian. He refused to serve ‘inferior hot chocolate’.” Charlotte shook her head, her ponytail swinging with the movement.

  Rock Grove really was back to normal again, and Burgundy leaned against Charlotte. In return, her friend wound their arms together, linking elbows. “Just like when we were kids,” Burgundy remarked.

  “Yup.”

  Together they listened to the music, Burgundy intent on enjoying her night. When the last strains of the song ended and another began, she heard a small “poof” to her right.

  Turning, she gasped in surprise at the woman approaching them. “Aunt Iris?”

  “Hello, Burgundy.” Iris stopped and nodded at Charlotte, before looking at Burgundy. “I trust everything went well while I was on sabbatical?”

  The End

  Acknowledgements

  Eternal gratitude to Jenny. You are what I’m thankful for this Thanksgiving.

  Thank you to my family, who accepted bribes of, “If you let me write 10,000 words today, I will bake you muffins tomorrow,” during the process of writing this book.

  All the thanks to my readers. I love telling stories and am grateful to you for reading them!

  About the Author

  Lucy True writes quirky urban fantasy and paranormal romance. She also writes contemporary romance as Jea Hawkins.

  She is a gamer and lover of history, as well as strange and whimsical things. There should probably be an “I Brake for Cemeteries” bumper sticker on her car. A passionate genealogist, long-time cross-stitcher, and kitchen witch, she lives in rural eastern Nebraska with her sometimes-better half, two witchlings, two cats, and a very loquacious caique.

  Learn more at www.lucytruebooks.com.

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  Also by the Author

  The Faerie Queen

  Shadow of Magick

  Burgundy Hart Series

  The Cupid Conundrum: Burgundy Hart, Book One

  The Unlocked Legacy: Burgundy Hart, Book Two

  The Firebrand Syndicate: Burgundy Hart, Book Three