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“No doubt in time to snare some Heaven on a Plate cake before the brigade can grab it all.”
“I was ordered to save him several slices.”
I smiled. Monty loved cake almost as much as he loved Belle. “What’s he doing that he can’t drop by this morning and grab it?”
“Informing his parents of our recent engagement.”
My eyebrows rose. “He hasn’t told them yet?”
“No. His dad has been overseas on business.” She waved a hand to indicate either who knew what that business was or who actually cared. Maybe even both. “He’s set up a conference call with them this morning.”
“Wouldn’t I love to be a fly for that particular discussion.” I paused. “Why aren’t you there? You should be.”
“He did want me there, but I thought it might be better if the initial announcement was made by him alone. You know how blue bloods are with Sarr witches. The mere sight of me might be enough to get their backs up.”
Despite the amusement tugging her lips, there was a bitter note of acceptance glimmering in her silvery eyes. The high-and-mighty attitude held by most blue bloods when it came to those they considered “unworthy” magically hadn’t evaporated in this so-called age of enlightenment. Not one little bit.
Mom, to her credit, had always treated Belle fairly, even if she did share those prejudices, and had in fact gotten on well with Belle’s parents the few times they’d met.
My dad, on the other hand…
But his recent loss of magic meant he’d finally learn what it felt like to be considered an unpowered disappointment, and boy, did I feel good about that.
“I think you should have presented a united front, but I also understand why you’re not.”
She nodded. “They’ve basically ignored his existence since he moved here, and it’s not like they’re going to be involved in our lives going forward. It’s more a courtesy call than anything else.”
“Thereisone point you’re both forgetting, though.”
She raised her eyebrows, and I grinned. “We created something of a hullaballoo in Canberra tracking down that wraith, and people would have noted the jump in power output in us both. It might just be enough to sway opinions.”
She snorted. “And tomorrow it might rain frogs.”
“Hey, it has before.”
“Not here, it hasn’t.”
I laughed, and we continued the prep work in a companionable silence only broken by random bouts of off-tune singing—at least on my part. Once Frank and Mike—our kitchen hand and chef—arrived to finish off, we moved into the café to get ready for the brigade’s onslaught.
We were busy from the second we opened at eight and didn’t get a break until almost two. As Penny—one of our waitresses—swept another order of cake and coffee over to one of the few remaining customers in the café, my phone rang loudly, the tone telling me it was Aiden.
“Maybe the man has freed up some time to do a little horizontal dancing,” Belle said.
“One can hope.” I hit the answer button and headed toward the reading room so I could talk without having to worry about customers overhearing something they shouldn’t. None of them were near the counter, but werewolves could hear a surprising amount from a surprising distance. “Hey, what’s up?”
“The snake, that’s what.”
“I take it that’s not a euphemism for you feeling horny?”
“I wish.” He sighed. “The basilisk has found its first victim. The man is now a fucking stone statue.”
ChapterFive
“Stone?” I said, a little incredulously. “Seriously?”
“Apparently. Can’t confirm because I haven’t yet seen it. Monty’s on his way over there to pick you up. I thought it would be wise to have two witches present in case this is some sort of trap.”
“I take it you haven’t already got people there?”
