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His father had been one of the best potion masters around. He’d specialized in dark potions—ones that could instantly kill, maim, or paralyze your enemy before they knew what hit them.
Lucas took over the business, and from what I’d heard, he was just as good as his father—if not better. He’d made a name for himself in the potions industry, one that had spread through our world, and it had taken a long time for me to build up the courage to see him again.
He smiled darkly as the woman pointed at two dark vials of the deepest red imaginable. The color resembled aged blood but held a black tint.
I’d dabbled in many potions, more so recently with Samara making suggestions in the depths of my subconscious mind. Still, I’d never seen such an array before. I could only imagine what they did, what or who they were intended for, and the effects they had on their target.
The woman knelt down to dig in the bag over her shoulder, and her bright purple curls fell to cover her face. But I noticed her hand shaking as she pulled out a rolled-up wad of bills. She handed the money over to Lucas with a moment of hesitation and quickly shoved the vials into her bag as she looked over each shoulder nervously before she disappeared into the crowd.
She was small, much smaller than those around her, and incredibly fragile looking. So what would she need black market potions for?
I turned my gaze back to Lucas and almost tripped over my well-worn combat boots when I found him looking back at me. He didn’t seem surprised by my visit, a cocky grin pulled at his lips as if he expected to see me there. His eyebrow lifted in question when I didn’t move, and I forced myself to straighten.
I plastered a too-friendly grin on and marched over to his table.
Did he remember me?
The look on his face told me that he did, but it had been years since I’d last seen him. I’d dyed my hair a hundred times, donned a darker makeup look, and had a much rougher style compared to the innocent little girl he knew years ago.
I pretended to focus entirely on the vials of potions in front of me, smelling the ingredients through the stoppers: lavender, vanilla, oleander, and even some wolfsbane. Common garden plants were mixed with the sickly-sweet scent of poison, giving them a more earthy vibe.
“Morgan Puck, what a delightful surprise.” Lucas’s deep voice pulled my gaze back to the smirk on his lips. “Unexpected, but not unwanted.”
Focus, Puck. You came here for a reason. “I didn’t expect to see you here. I see you’ve picked up where your father left off.”
A low growl emanated from him, similar to Griffin’s when he felt annoyed. To counter his annoyance, I turned on the charm. “Although, I hear you are far more talented.”
“Oh, you know, the apple and the tree and all that. So what are you doing in the Black Hole? Last time I saw you, you still favored pigtails and pink ribbons.”
I rolled my eyes at him, “That was a lifetime ago. As much as I’d love to catch up, I’m here on business. I need a… potion, and yours come highly recommended.” I pulled my gaze from his piercing black eyes that kept lowering to my mouth and swallowed hard.
Lucas made me nervous, but I didn’t know why. My heart belonged to Griffin, but the man before me made it speed up in a way that Griffin never had.
“I don’t specialize in potions, Puck. You already know that. So, what’s your poison?” he drawled, and placed his palms on the table, leaning in closer to me. The darkness in his eyes seemed endless and the grin never left his face. He ran his tongue over the two piercings on his lip, and I swallowed hard again.
Clearing my throat, I looked at the table again. None of the vials had labels but Lucas, no doubt, knew every one of them. “My boss needs something strong, uncommon, and completely undetectable. Her target is extremely powerful and has a guard dog that can smell this stuff a mile away.”
I was positive that I’d be able to get Griffin away from Emily long enough to slip her the poison, especially since he was keeping his distance already.
Samara wanted me to slip the poison into her drink, which meant that I had to get close enough to Emily again to do just that. Exactly how I wanted to spend my weekend…
Lucas looked at the vials, examining each one. The grin had finally fallen, and his brows pulled together in concentration. It was like he had a connection to each one; and from what I’d experienced from making my own concoctions, I knew it was true.
Every witch put a piece of themselves into their creations.
He held a hand just above the bottles, like a fortune teller running their hand over their tarot cards. A few seconds of silence went by, and his hand came to a halt. Lucas chuckled darkly as he picked up a bottle of black liquid. He held it up to eye level and it shimmered with a silver sheen.
“Just so you know, I don’t recommend this one very often, Puck. It is extremely potent and causes immense pain. To the onlooker, your target will seem peacefully asleep, but I can guarantee that they will be writhing in agony before succumbing to their death.” He smiled innocently and a shiver ran up my spine. “Why didn’t you just make your own? I’ve heard that you’re talented in potions.”
I shrugged, “Potions and poisons are different. I’m good at the healing part, and I don’t have the luxury of fucking this up. So what’s in it?” I asked, nodding at the vial still held up in his hand.
Lucas’s grin widened, “It’s a delightful mix of all things terrible. A little bit of every part of the oleander, a hint of nightshade, a dash of water hemlock, and topped off with lily of the valley.” He twisted the vial and the silver sheen changed to purple and back again. “I added magic to make it tasteless, clear when mixed into water, and completely undetectable.”
“What does it do?” I asked, unable to take my eyes off the shimmery contents.
Another dark chuckle. “Well, first, it makes you feel sleepy. Then, in a matter of minutes, you’ll be paralyzed. After that, the toxins get to work and shred every cell in your body. Finally, you’ll bleed to death from the inside before anyone realizes that something is wrong with you.”
A shiver ran up my spine again. “What do I owe you?”
