More witchcraft, no doubt. How these women live with themselves is beyond me. Bloody unconscionable.
“Speak!” I command.
“We’re… we’re closed,” she squeaks out, taking a step backward, then another, tilting her head back so she can meet my eyes.
“Thenun-close and give me what I need.” I close in on her once more. “Or suffer the consequences.”
“I… I can’t. Everything’s already shut down for the night.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“You’re welcome to come back tomorrow. We open at seven. I can help you then.” She takes another step backward, gracelessly tripping over the fallen stools. I dart forward and scoop her into my arms right before she lands and breaks something vital.
She blinks up at me, bewildered, the glasses askew, her heart jackhammering so hard I can feel it. That damnable need to protect her rises anew.
Shaking my head to rid myself of her annoying magic, I give her my most intimidating glare. Exhale loudly through my nose. Set her back on her feet. “Try.Again.”
She straightens her glasses and offers what’s probably supposed to be an accommodating smile, but looks more like the face you make when you’ve got a terrible cramp in a very sensitive place. “I suppose I can put the kettle back on, fix you up a little something? Tea, or perhaps a magic mojito lemonito, if you’d like?” She gestures toward a glass pitcher of orange-yellow slush abandoned on the counter, half empty. “Though I should warn you, it’s alotstronger than it—”
“What I’dlikeis for you to stop babbling and answer my question before I lose my temper and blast this entire town to Hell.”
“No! No blasting. I’ll answer your question. Any question. I’m just… what was it, again? The question?”
For fuck’s sake.“Whereisshe?!”
“Where iswho?”
“The evil witch queen who summoned me!”
“Evil witch queen? I… I’m certain I don’t know who you’re talking about.”
“And I’m certain youdo.” Ignoring her baffled expression, I step around her and peek behind the counter—empty. I head into the kitchen and scan the space—a couple of small ovens and a pantry, dried herbs hanging in bundles over a stainless-steel counter, teakettles on every blasted burner, an orange tail peeking out from behind a trash bin.
But no sign of the ancient witch.
“I know she’s in here somewhere, skulking about.” I lift the lid on the closest teakettle—a ceramic floral piece painted with roses and peonies—and peek inside. Empty. “Very likely biding her time until she can catch me unawares, but that isnotgoing to happen tonight, I assure you.”
“I think you’ve got the wrong café.” Little Miss Mushroom Shirt is right on my heels, removing the teakettle lid from my grasp and setting it back in its proper place. “Or maybe the wrong witch?”
I lean in close, the air shimmering between us. Her wild curls seem to be reaching out for the lingering magic, like flowering vines longing for the sun.
“Are you asking me,” I say, ignoring the sudden urge to twine my fingers into that silky mess of auburn curls, “or telling me?”
“I don’t… know?”
“For fuck’s sake. You’re a witch, are you not?”
“What?” she laughs, as if my asking is the most preposterous thing that’s happened tonight. “No!”
I take a deep whiff of her scent. “I can smell the magic on you, woman.”
“You can? Right. Of course you can. Okay,fine. Yes, I’m a witch. Technically. But not, like, a dark sorceress or evil queen or whatever. I’m just… just a tea witch. An empathic one, actually, and I’m sensing you areveryangry right now, which I understand, because I’ve obviously interrupted your evening of…” She trails off, her gaze roaming the length of my smoking jacket, all the way down to my bare feet, then back up. “Something… super important. Obviously.”
“Obviously.”
“But maybe we should all just take a few cleansing breaths…” She nods and inhales deeply, exhales, gestures at me, does it again, just in case I’m unclear on the concept of breathing. “See? Better already. We’ll just calm down and talk this out like—”
“Calm down? A summoning is not a thing to be taken lightlyorcalmly. In fact, it’s forbidden dark magic, last I checked, punishable by… by…” A new scent wafts into the space, and I take another whiff, catching the sharp remnants of…
