Page 15 of Charmed, I'm Sure

My mouth drops open as I lean forward slightly. What is he going on about? I read a text message, not flirted.

“It’s not flirting if I never respond.”

He huffs. “It’s also not hexing if you blush while doing it. Or in this case, burn the ingredients into some version of sad pudding and regret.”

I jab my finger at him. “I don’t blush!”

“Sure and I don’t have black fur.”

I yank the hand towel off the ring and throw it over my shoulder. I’ve got a mess to clean up and a fox to ignore.

“You don’t know what you are talking about.”

“Sweetie, your ears turned red. That’s a full body confession.”

Grabbing the towel from my shoulder, I wipe my hands before I slam it down on the countertop. I can’t have Nyx thinking I’m falling for the dog.

I’m storming out of the kitchen when I hear Nyx chuckle before yelling out.

“Where are you going?”

“To establish boundaries. Publicly.”

He shimmers into existence beside my feet, jogging to keep up with my pace.

“Oh, this is going to be good.”

“Yep.”

Two crows squawk as I swing my front door open. Fluttering into the sky as if they weren’t just listening outside my window. Damn gossiping, feathered annoyances. Now it’s going to get around town that I was smiling about a text from the dog. Sigh.

I’m storming down the road as people jump out of the way. I never noticed before just how much people avoid being in my line of sight. Not until Miles asked why the town was so worried.

I’ve never done anything truly harmful to anyone. Really my hexes are more like inconveniences rather than anything else. Changing drink orders, swapping pen colors, hiding your keys. You know prank-style-hexes, not like ending-someone’s-life hexes. The way the town behaves? You would think I’m unaliving people on the daily.

It doesn’t take me long to reach Hex & Harken and the main spot of my revenge. Miles has no idea what he’s started, but he’ll find out soon enough.

The corkboard inside Hex & Harken is really for upcoming events, sign-ups for said events, and maybe “I’m sellingthis item.” What it’s definitely not for? Petty revenge. But here we are!

There is only one push pin left on the board and of course it’s pink and glittery. Ugh. Clarissa happens to walk by as I’m glaring at the board. Good.

“Clarissa, can I have a sheet of your receipt paper? I am looking for something and I forgot to bring paper with me,” I ask with the nicest tone I can muster. I sound more constipated than sweet.

She sucks in a breath and puts her hand on her chest. The look on her face is comical because her aura is flickering between curiosity and fear. I can’t help but smile at it. Which flicks her aura straight to fear.

She rips off the piece of paper and with trembling hands, holds it out towards me. Gripping the paper, I slide it out of her hand. She just blinks slowly as I smirk and turn back to the corkboard.

I hear her mumble something about not wanting to be part of whatever I’m up to before she disappears into the back.

The cap to the sharpie easily pops off and I get to work. Signing it off with an anonymous signature, of course.

Pulling the glittery pin, I stab it into the paper, dead center of the board. Right where everyone can see it.

There in all its glory it says:

Lonely wolf looking for a mate. He comes with charming smiles, annoying text habits, and a sparkly coffee addiction. You might get rabies or back pats. Text at your own risk. 555-898-3493.

There! Now he can have all the friends he can dream of to text all these random thoughts to. Clearly the guy needs friends and I’m not the friend he needs.