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“Hey,” I said. “Do you know why they painted the trees? I mean the house kinda makes sense, but red stripes on trees?”
“They’re Vikings,” Hudson said with a shrug. “Maybe they were marking territory or something?”
“Maybe . . .”
“Here,” Hudson said amiably. “I’ll show you what has been working for me.”
Unable to resist his smile, I grinned back. Then I finally noticed the warm yellow glow of a shifter around him and I hesitated. One of the few benefits of my magic was that it let me see others' powers, so I knew exactly who I was harming. I grasped the medallion on my neck, reassuring myself it was there. Without the amulet, my magic would short out everything magical around me—spells, enchantments, shifters, vampires. I sighed. I’d been distracted by his smile and the glow hadn’t registered.
Hudson demonstrated his technique of removing the paint without damaging the tree too much by using the scraper and some sandpaper. Then he got behind me and took my hand in his so we were both holding the scraper. I’d been cold crossing the lawn as I was used to the warmer temperatures of the South, but his body radiated heat. I wanted to lean into him and let him rub the cold from my limbs. I nibbled on my lip and tried to focus on the task at hand as he guided my hand through the motions.
“There,” he said huskily in my ear, “just like that.”
“Thanks.” I turned to look at him. Despite the interest showing in his warm green eyes, I should be moving away. He’d never be interested in me after he found out what my magic was, and it was unlikely to stay a secret in Silver Springs for long. “How’d you get roped into this?”
He grinned again. “I do odd jobs wherever I happen to land. I came to town for the aquarium opening, and Pepper said she needed an extra hand.”
“Oh,” I said. “You don’t live here?”
“Home is wherever the waves take me,” he quipped.
I started work on my tree as he moved back toward his. I glanced around the yard again. Even with the three of us, this was going to take all day. I sighed. I’d wanted work but not this kind of work. Though if it meant getting to look at Hudson, how bad could it be? Not that I could ever ask him out. What would I say? I’m your worst nightmare and can steal all your magic?
I was exhausted after scraping trees for a couple of hours. I wasn’t sure my arms were even going to recover enough to paint. I could barely lift them. So when Phoebe suggested a coffee break, I eagerly said yes. To my disappointment, Hudson declined, saying he had to get to his other job at the aquarium.
But I got to watch his nice ass walk away so it wasn’t all bad.
Phoebe and I had been to Jewel’s Cafe a couple times, and we knew how amazing the coffee was, so that’s where we headed. I couldn’t help gaping at the people walking by with their magic bright around them. What I saw wasn’t exactly auras, as we knew witches who saw those, but magic. Witches and shifters and vampires and fae wandered among the humans on the sidewalk. I’d been living in a human city so long that my senses felt like they were on fire with all this magic.
We headed inside, and the bell tinkled as we entered. After getting our drinks from Minnie, we settled at a table near the window. I took a sip of my drink, more milkshake than coffee. I’d been tempted by the pumpkin spice latte which was on sale, but I’d gone with a mocha cookie crumble confection instead. It was ridiculous and delicious, and I almost moaned as the flavor hit my tongue.
My sister sat across from me, leaning forward over our wooden table, her eyes eager. “It’s your birthday, isn’t it?”
I scowled. “You know it is.” I’d always hated my birthday. When our parents tried to do some magical extravaganza like they did for my sisters, my null magic would destroy it. And my sisters didn’t much want me at their events either.
“I got you a present,” Phoebe said, passing me a plain white envelope.
Taking it with trepidation, I asked, “Are you sure it won’t explode on me?”
Phoebe giggled.
That was never a good sign. Growing up in a household with three sisters, I’d earned my suspicious nature. The youngest, Clio, was usually the trickster, but Phoebe had been known to pull her own share of pranks.
I turned the envelope over in my hand. Should I take off my amulet and take all the magic out of it? Would that help or hurt? Of course, it wouldn’t be good for the rest of the patrons, even though it was slower this afternoon. I remembered what I’d done to Amber’s baby cribs and sighed. “When did you have time to get it? We’ve been together all day.”
Phoebe grinned. “A friend gave it to me.”
“Gave or sold it to you?” I asked, fishing for more information. Had Peppermint handed her something when I was off stumbling over tree roots into a handsome shifter’s arms? I took another sip of my drink, the whipped cream coating my upper lip.
Phoebe scowled at my drink as she sipped her coffee with cream and no sugar. She was the oldest of us, and the most practical. Which had been great when we were young and our parents took off for digs in Egypt or Peru or wherever, and we were left on our own with the nanny of the hour. Phoebe was the steadying influence for all of us.
But she’d also given me this highly suspicious envelope. I bit my lip.
“The envelope won’t bite,” Phoebe said, her lip quirking into a smile again.
I raised an eyebrow. Out of all our sisters, Phoebe and I looked the most alike. Both tall with straight blonde hair, long Grecian noses, and blue eyes. We took after our mother, though we got our coloring from Dad.
Phoebe sighed. “I promise.”
