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“What’s the book this time?” I asked as I took a seat next to Rainbow. Rainbow was wearing a shirt that said, “I drink coffee with squirrels.” Her auburn tresses were pulled up into a messy topknot that almost looked as if she had styled it that way on purpose. I knew Rainbow well enough to know that any topknot of hers was definitely not on purpose. If the woman wasn’t glamoured, it was all-natural.
“Practical Magic,” Rainbow whispered, rolling her eyes. “And in case you’re wondering, it was Practical Magic the last time and the time before that.”
“Have you ever read it?” I asked.
“Nope,” Rainbow said with a shrug. “Saw the movie, though.”
As Rainbow turned to address another witch who had asked her a question, I took in the inhabitants of Blanche’s family room. Most of the book club attendees were regulars. Grace and Betty were two ancient crones who never missed a meeting. They spent most meetings bitching either about the other book club members or the warlocks of Mystic Springs. Belinda Sparrow was also in attendance. While not as much of a connoisseur of gossip as Rainbow, I knew she still liked to have her finger on the pulse of everything that was happening in town. Mostly so she could complain to someone about when things weren’t going the way she assumed they should.
There was one woman I didn’t recognize, however. She was immaculately styled and carried herself a few flights above the other witches in the room.
“Who’s that?” I whispered to Rainbow when her attention was free.
“Stella Trenwith,” Rainbow answered. “She’s new to Mystic Springs. She’s been fairly regular at these meetings lately, but her son goes to Mystic Springs High.”
Trenwith. So this was Matthew Trenwith’s mother. I leveled a stare at the woman. Rainbow caught the gesture and watched me carefully, obviously wanting the dirt. I gave Rainbow an imperceptible nod as the woman turned to me, curious why I was staring at her.
Consider it a product of the day I’d had, but I wasn’t in the mood to play nice.
“Your son,” I said to the woman, and perhaps it was the volume of my voice or the tone, but everyone grew quiet.
“Yes?” she prompted.
“I think he goes to school with my little sister. Maggie.”
It was a fairly innocent statement, but there was fire behind the words. The woman shifted uncomfortably.
“Oh? That’s nice. I’ll have to mention it to him when I get home.”
“See that you do,” I said. What was wrong with me? “Perhaps maybe mention that it’s not nice to bully young witches and make jokes at their expense?”
The room grew silent. Next to me, Rainbow coughed.
“Wonderful!” Belinda exclaimed after the tension had grown palpable. “This damn meeting was boring as hell, what with Grace over there complaining about her joints and Harper rubbing her belly like she thinks it’s going to give her good luck.”
I looked over at Harper, a witch fairly new to Mystic Springs as well. She was soon to give birth to her first child with Gabriel Winters, the owner of the town’s only fancy restaurant, Crimson.
“Why are you like this, Belinda?” Harper asked. She didn’t remove her hand from her swollen middle, though.
“Because I can be, darling. Now, Candy, let’s get down to brass tacks. Who’s rutting you these days?”
I sighed. A typical book club slash coven meeting.
Candy, a gorgeous, leggy blonde witch with a penchant for bedding the most lusted-after warlocks during her heats, popped a well-manicured fingernail before delivering a bored look Belinda’s way.
“Sebastian Cavanaugh,” she said, as if Belinda had only asked her for what ingredient made her guac spicier.
I sensed Rainbow going rigid next to me. “What? Why?”
Candy shrugged. “He’s gorgeous. He’s loaded. He ruts like a beast.”
Rainbow sputtered while the other witches around us went into overdrive, asking questions. Sebastian Cavanaugh commanded more mystique than any other warlock in town and the witches had questions.
“How big is his knot?” Tina Sanders asked, leaning forward, her palms pressed eagerly against her knees. “Is it so big when it’s inside you that it takes hours to disconnect? I bet his knot is huge.”
Candy sighed. “I’m not his mate, so it’s not like we’re connected for days. He gets in and gets the job done.”
Rainbow snorted. “Figures,” she murmured, but I couldn’t help but think that somehow this answer had satisfied her more than she was willing to acknowledge. Interesting.
