Page 4 of Bewitched by the Fruit Bat King (The Bewitching Hour #3)

A Vampire Among Flowers

Willow

T he bell's cheerful jingle mocked me as Mrs. Henderson shuffled out, leaving me alone with six feet of terrifyingly attractive vampire.

Last night's fruit bat theory? Clearly wrong.

So, so wrong. No cute little flying fox could morph into.

.. this. The way he lounged against my orchid display like he owned it radiated pure predator.

Besides, there is no such thing as a fruit bat vampire.

"So," I managed, gripping the counter's edge like it might save me from whatever was about to happen. "You found me." Brilliant opening line, Willow. Really stellar work there.

"Did you think I wouldn't?" His voice carried that same dark honey tone from last night, but now with an added layer of amusement that made my knees weak. Stupid vampire charm.

"Well, I was hoping the whole magical banishment thing might have made an impression," I said, trying for breezy confidence while my pulse did the cha-cha.

Of course he could probably hear that. Because vampire.

Oh goddess, I was alone with a vampire who I'd magically kidnapped, seen naked, and then forcibly ejected from my apartment.

At least he was wearing clothes now. Really nice clothes.

The kind of suit that probably cost more than a liberal arts college degree, all crisp lines and perfect tailoring that did wonderful things for his shoulders.

Not that I was noticing his shoulders. Or the way he moved with that liquid grace that screamed 'apex predator in Armani. '

"Oh, it made quite an impression." His smile showed just a hint of fang. "Though perhaps we should discuss why you felt the need to summon me in the first place?"

"That was..." I busied myself with the half-finished arrangement I'd been working on before he arrived, trying to look professional and not at all like I was constructing a floral shield between us. "A complete accident. Wrong spell. Could have happened to anyone."

"Anyone who was casting a love spell at midnight?"

My fingers fumbled the rose stem I was holding. "How did you—"

"Jasmine for sensuality, rose for passion, lavender for devotion?" He pushed off from the orchid display with predatory grace. "I do pay attention to details."

Great. A vampire with botanical knowledge. Just what my day needed. I grabbed another rose, wielding it like the world's most inadequate stake as he prowled closer. "Those could have been for anything. A... a wedding bouquet. Or a graduation. People order flowers for all sorts of reasons."

"At midnight? With candles and crystals?" Each word brought him closer to the counter. My heart hammered so loud it was probably giving him a play-by-play of my panic.

"I have a very flexible business schedule," I squeaked, backing up until I hit the shelves behind the counter. The rose in my hand trembled, scattering a few petals across my work surface. "And unique lighting preferences. Very eco-conscious, you know, saving electricity..."

He reached the counter, and sweet goddess above, he was even more devastating up close.

All sharp cheekbones and perfect stubble and eyes that seemed to see right through my babbling.

A lock of dark hair fell across his forehead in a way that had to be deliberately calculated for maximum swooning impact.

"Willow." The way he said my name should be illegal. Actually, considering what he was, maybe it was. And how exactly did he know my name. Or how to find me?! "We both know what kind of spell you were casting."

"Fine!" I threw my hands up, accidentally launching the rose over my shoulder.

"I tried to cast a love spell. But it wasn't supposed to summon you. It was supposed to be a,” I can’t admit that it was basically a fated mate seeking spell.

Shit, what do I do?! “general... attraction.

.. enhancement... thing." Each word got smaller as I realized I was basically admitting to magical dating fraud to someone who could definitely afford better lawyers than me.

His lips twitched. "Enhancement?"

"For the shop!" I gestured wildly at the flowers around us. "Business has been slow, and I thought if I could just give the place a little magical boost of romantic energy, maybe more couples would come in for date night bouquets, and—"

"And instead, you got me." He leaned forward, bracing his hands on the counter. The movement brought him close enough that I could smell his cologne – something expensive and woodsy that definitely wasn't helping my concentration.

"Which was completely unintentional and I am very sorry about the whole naked thing and—" I cut myself off before I could dig the hole any deeper. "Why are you here?"

"Perhaps I'm interested in ordering flowers." His smile widened just enough to remind me that those perfect white teeth included fangs. "Or perhaps I'm curious about the witch who managed to pull me across the state with a miscast love spell."

"Curious like 'fascinated by magical theory' curious, or curious like 'planning to drain me dry' curious?" I asked, then immediately wished I could stuff the words back in my mouth. "Wait, don't answer that."

He chuckled, the sound rolling through me like warm honey. "If I was planning to drain you, would I do it in your shop? During business hours?"

"Well, when you put it that way..." I reached behind me, fingers searching for anything that might help. They closed around the neck of the crystal vase I'd been meaning to fill. "Though technically we're not open yet. The sign still says closed."

"Even better." He moved faster than I could track, suddenly at the edge of the counter that separated us. "No interruptions. Although, the door was unlocked and you already had a customer in here when I arrived."

Several things happened at once. I yelped, yanking the vase forward. My elbow caught the spray bottle I used for the orchids, sending it spinning. And because the universe hates me, I managed to thoroughly drench both myself and the unfairly sexy vampire with a combination of water and plant food.

We froze in a tableau of mutual dampness. A drop of water rolled down his perfect nose. His white dress shirt had gone nearly transparent, which was just unfair on multiple levels.

"I..." I stared at the vase in my hands, then at his slowly arching eyebrow. "That was not technically an attack. More of a stress response. With bonus fertilizer."

"Fertilizer." His voice was dangerously soft.

"It's very good for the orchids?" I offered weakly.

The corner of his mouth twitched. Then, before I could blink, he was around the counter. Not just around it – right in front of me, close enough that I had to tip my head back to meet his eyes. They had gone from amber to a deep red, pupils expanding in a way that was definitely not human.

"You," he said, plucking the vase from my nerveless fingers, "are nothing like I expected."

"Your pulse." He traced one finger down my neck, following the rapid flutter beneath my skin. "Fear has a different rhythm. This is... something else entirely."

The vase clinked as he set it down, and suddenly he was crowding me against the counter, all predatory grace and expensive cologne. My brain kept switching between "devastating hot" and "devastating deadly" like a very confused pendulum.

"I have to admit," he murmured, leaning in close enough that his breath ghosted across my neck, "you've made the last 12 hours far more... interesting than expected."

I should have been thinking about defensive spells. Protection charms. Anything useful. Instead, my brain helpfully pointed out that his stubble would probably feel amazing against my skin right before he killed me. Fantastic priorities there.

His lips brushed my throat and panic exploded through me. Without conscious thought – because no conscious thought would have been this stupidly suicidal – I turned my head and bit him first.

Not a little nip. Full-on chomp, right above where his neck met his shoulder. The tang of his blood hit my tongue before I realized what I had just done. How had my teeth cut through his shirt?

He went rigid for exactly one second. Then, like someone had cut his strings, he crumpled. All six-plus feet of vampire hit my shop floor with a thud that rattled the orchids.

"Oh shit." I stared at his unconscious form. "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit."

The bell over the door chimed.

"Sorry, we're clo—" I started to yell, then scrambled and dove to flip the lock before anyone could see inside. "Please don't be dead. Can vampires be dead-dead? More dead? Oh goddess, what if witch bites are poisonous to vampires? That's not in any of the books! Why aren’t you awake?!"

"Okay. Okay, okay, okay." I grabbed his ankles, trying to drag him behind the counter. "Holy mother of moonflowers, why are you so heavy? No, focus, Willow!"

He didn't budge. Well, he moved about an inch, but only because my grip slipped. His head made a worrying thunk against the floorboards.

"Sorry! Sorry, sorry, sorry." I darted around, trying to lift him under the arms instead. "Though maybe you deserve a bump on the head for showing up here after I specifically magicked you away last night. When you appeared NAKED in my SHOP because of that stupid spell and—" I froze. "Wait."

Someone rattled the door.

"Hello?" A voice called from outside. "Are you open? The website says you open at nine..."

"Five minutes!" I shouted back, voice cracking. "Technical difficulties!"

I stared down at the unconscious vampire. Last night, when he'd appeared in all his glory right in the middle of my love spell, I'd panicked and sent him home with a burst of desperate magic. Which meant...

"If I did it once, I can do it again," I muttered, wiping sweaty palms on my apron. "Sure, last night I was running on pure terror and adrenaline, but this is basically the same situation, right? Just with more clothes."