Page 23 of Bewitched by the Wicked Witch (The Bewitching Hour #4)
Before I could respond, she was already sauntering away down the winding road, her hips swaying in a way that made my mouth go dry despite everything that had happened between us.
I watched her disappear around a bend, remembering the conversations we'd had in college about the house she wanted to build someday, clever and hidden and uniquely hers.
She'd actually done it, created something amazing from nothing but dreams and determination.
Beautiful, brilliant, and impossibly powerful. She was a recipe for disaster, and I was more than ready to weather whatever storm came from being in her presence again, even if it left me completely destroyed in the end.
With that sobering thought, I turned and walked toward the coffee shop, my mind already racing ahead to the investigation while part of me remained fixated on the impossible puzzle that was Sage Blackstone .
The soothing warmth of Hexes and Brews enveloped me as I stepped inside, along with the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee and the low hum of early morning conversation. But my heart sank when I saw who was working behind the counter instead of the friendly Cindee.
Cate stood there with a smile that seemed too bright for the early hour, her brown eyes lighting up when she spotted me.
"Well, hello there, handsome," she purred, leaning forward over the counter in a way that made her low-cut shirt display more than I wanted to see.
"What can I get started for you this morning? "
The air seemed to thicken with an odd tension, and I instinctively took a step back from the counter. Something felt off about her overly familiar tone, but I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was.
"One Black Magic blend and one Wicked Brew, please," I said, maintaining a respectful distance while pulling out my credit card. "And a cheese danish."
"Is the Wicked Brew for you?" she asked with a coy tilt of her head that made my suspicions spike.
"Why do you ask?" I responded more sharply than I'd intended.
"Oh, just so I can make yours first since you're here and your companion isn't yet," she said with what seemed like genuine concern. "I'm still learning all the different blends, and I want to make sure I get them right. Just trying to be considerate and keep my job."
Her explanation seemed reasonable enough, and I felt my tension ease slightly. "Fine, yes, it’s mine."
"Perfect! I'll have everything ready in two shakes of a newt's tail," she said with a wide smile, turning to busily prepare the drinks.
I used the time to survey the coffee shop, noting that it was relatively quiet for this time of morning.
A middle-aged couple sat in one corner, deep in quiet conversation over their steaming mugs, while a teenager in an oversized hoodie was hunched over a laptop near the front window, completely absorbed in whatever was on the screen.
"One Wicked Brew and one Black Magic," Cate called out cheerfully, and I approached the counter to collect our order.
"Actually, let me just heat up that danish for you," she said, reaching for the pastry. "And why don't you taste it to make sure it's to your specifications? I'm still learning the measurements." She pointed to a small pin beneath her name tag that read ‘Be Patient - I'm In Training.’
I could see Sage approaching through the front window, and I was eager to be done with this interaction and get back to the investigation. "It's fine, really. I'm sure it tastes?—"
"Please?" Cate interrupted with such earnest concern that I found myself reluctantly lifting the cup to my lips.
The coffee was rich and complex, with an underlying warmth that seemed to spread through my entire body as I swallowed. "It's excellent, thank you."
Her smile widened, and she blinked at me expectantly, as if waiting for something more. Before I could ask what she was waiting for, the door chimed and Sage walked in, her presence immediately filling the space.
"Oh great, the devil's favorite witch is here," Cate muttered, not bothering to lower her voice .
For some inexplicable reason, I found her comment hilarious. A loud laugh burst out of me, followed by an undignified snort that would have embarrassed me under normal circumstances. But right now, everything Cate said seemed clever and amusing.
"Thanks for the Black Magic," Sage announced, pulling the lid off her cup to sniff the contents suspiciously.
She dipped her finger into the steaming liquid, tasted it, then nodded in apparent satisfaction before replacing the lid.
Her narrowed gaze shifted between Cate and me with obvious suspicion.
As I reached for the warmed danish, Cate's hand covered mine, her fingers trailing slowly across my skin in a way that sent unexpected shivers up my arm. Oddly enough, I found myself craving more of her touch, wanting her to continue the gentle caress.
I took another long sip of the coffee and followed Sage to a corner table, trying to focus on the case while part of my mind remained strangely fixated on the attractive barista behind the counter.
"So I've been thinking about the council connections," Sage began, pulling out several old newspaper clippings and spreading them across the small table.
"I don't think Reid Bishop is acting alone.
The councilwoman, Devon, has strong ties to the old pureblood movement and was a vocal supporter of their more conservative policies.
This conspiracy might run deeper than we initially thought. "
I tried to focus on the article she was showing me, which featured a photograph of what appeared to be a relative of this Devon person, but my attention kept drifting back to thoughts of Cate .
"What about Cate?" I blurted out, the question seeming to echo insistently in my mind.
Was she single? Available? I hadn't really paid attention to her before, but now I found myself noticing how her large, expressive brown eyes stood out against her fair complexion, and how her ponytail bobbed charmingly as she moved around behind the counter.
Before Sage could respond to my odd question, Cate appeared beside our table as if summoned by my thoughts. "Hi there, Agent Renshaw," she purred, leaning over my shoulder so that her chest pressed against me as she placed the cheese danish on the table. "I forgot to give you this earlier."
I turned to look at her, struck by how beautiful she was up close.
"Oh, no trouble at all. You're an absolute angel.
" The words came out of my mouth without any conscious thought, and some distant part of my brain wondered why I was thinking of her in such terms when just minutes ago I'd been focused entirely on Sage.
"I don't want to be too forward," Cate continued, biting her lower lip in a way that drew my attention to her ruby red lipstick, "but weren't we talking about that date tonight?"
"Date?"
My brain felt increasingly muddled, like I was trying to think through thick fog.
Had we made plans? I couldn't remember agreeing to any such thing, but the idea seemed strangely appealing.
Still, something felt fundamentally wrong about the entire situation, though I couldn't quite grasp what it was.
"Oh, for Hecate's sake," Sage snapped, grabbing the coffee cup from my hands and tearing off the lid. She sniffed the contents with the focused intensity of someone analyzing a potentially dangerous substance.
"I didn't do anything!" Cate screeched, her angelic demeanor instantly transforming into something far less pleasant.
"The hell you didn't, you manipulative bitch," Sage snarled back, rising to her feet with magic crackling visibly around her fingers. "You gave him a triple dose of infatuation potion!"
The coffee shop seemed to empty around us as the two women faced off, their raised voices sending the few remaining customers scurrying for the exit. Then Cate's hand shot out, slapping the cup from Sage's grip and sending hot coffee splashing across the table and directly onto my lap.
The scalding liquid hit me like liquid fire, and I collapsed to my knees with a strangled cry of pain, clutching at myself as the burning sensation overwhelmed every other thought.
The artificial fog in my mind cleared instantly, leaving me gasping and disoriented as the full scope of what had just happened became crystal clear.
I'd been drugged. Magically manipulated. And now I was paying the price in the most uncomfortable way possible.