Page 14 of Charmed, I'm Sure

Miles should be flattered because they usually avoid new people, not that we get a lot of them, but still. They have already accepted him as a member of our town andthatis a big deal.

A foul odor emits into the air. Oh no. I quickly turn off my screen as I look down at the black goop now bubbling like someone's stomach after a questionable mystery casserole, last year’s apple cider mixed with poor impulse control.

Definitely ruined.

And…of course it didn’t go unnoticed.

Nyx shimmers into existence next to my cauldron with a look of smug disappointment.

He smells of peppermint bark and existential dread, which can only mean he was dream walking in someone’s anxiety-filled nightmare.

“Should I even ask?” he says, staring down at the bubbling black goo now frothing like a bad date between moonshine and a full moon hangover.

“It’s fine,” I mutter.

“It’s hissing.”

“So do you, most mornings.”

He leans over the lip of the cauldron as it continues to pop and hiss in anger. “So…what was this supposed to be?”

I sigh as my shoulders droop. “It was supposed to be a calming charm.”

Nyx snorts. “For who? You or the cauldron?”

I glare at him. “For Ivy because she is close to a full blown panic attack the longer it takes Miles and I to give her the scavenger hunt details.”

He lifts his paw and begins grooming himself as if my easiest hex isn’t a complete failure next to him. “Yeah, I don’t recommend giving her that. Might actually have the opposite intended effect.”

“Clearly.”

Grabbing the handle, I pull the goop of disappointment off the eye of the stove. Modern witches moved from open fires to, you know, the safer option gas stove tops. Less likely to burn the house down with that method.

I’m walking over to the sink to dump the cauldron when Nyx leaps off the countertop over to the table.

His black fur is glinting in the light from the chandelier above him. He’s a beautiful black fox with a coat that mimics the night sky. His tail flicks back and forth, which is never ever a good thing.

“So…which Dog Boy text had you so distracted that you messed up a hex you could practically do in your sleep?”

I glare at him.“I wasn’t reading a text from him.”

He just stares back at me. He knows.

I stare back. I won’t break. He doesn’t know everything.

Nyx continues to flick his tail in a sweeping motion across the table. Not saying a word, not even blinking. He’s in my soul. I can feel it.

“Fine,” I shout as I plop the cauldron down into the sink. The black goop is now just a sad looking sludge in the bottom of it. That’s going to be a pain in the ass to get out of there.

“He sent a message about seeing one of our squirrel carriers and it was funny.”

Nyx holds out a paw in front of him, moving it from side to side. As if he just had a manicure done and he’s admiring their work. This guy.

“So we were so enthralled we forgot we were making a hex?”

I swirl around, crossing my arms across my chest. “You’re awfully chatty this morning.”

“And you are awfully flirty this morning.”