Page 21 of Charmless

“You do?” I asked. I could not keep the hopeful note out of my voice, even though it was unlikely Delphine would do anything to help me solve my problem with Florian.

She pursed her lips for a moment before saying grudgingly, “Pizzle Powder.”

“Pizzle what?”

“Pizzle Powder. It is my own special concoction. Whenever I have some overly persistent suitor panting after me, which happens to me all the time, I might add.” She glowered, as though daring me to contradict her.

“Yes, I am sure it does,” I said. “Because you are so - so uniquely attractive.”

“Humph!” The witch shot me one final glare before continuing, “When a man gets too lusty with me, I just give him a sweet come-hither look. When he starts undoing his breeches, I dump my powder all over his pizzle. Gives him a horrible blistering rash and he never bothers me again.”

“I should imagine not,” I murmured, my flicker of hope dying. Even if I could have persuaded Delphine to give me some of her powder, I could not have used it on Florian for several reasons. One, I would be executed for mounting such an attack on the heir to the throne. Two, I don’t think I possess a sweet come-hither look. And three, mainly three, I never wanted to get that close to Florian’s breeches or his pizzle.

Delphine regarded me through narrowed eyes and smiled at me. It was not a particularly pleasant smile. “What I do to my unwanted suitors pales in comparison to the things I have done to other women who have vexed me.”

I inched away from her. All this talk about Pizzle Powder had lulled me into forgetting I was alone with a dangerous witch who detested me.

Delphine prowled after me, purring. “I have given considerable thought to exactly what I would like to do to you. How about a nice ugly wart on the tip of your nose that oozes pus every time you sneeze?”

I clapped my hand over my nose. “No, Delphine, please.”

“Or perhaps a few wiry hairs that will sprout from your chin and grow thicker when you try to cut them.”

“Delphine, IsaidI was sorry.” I backed further away but she just kept coming, that dreadful smirk on her face.

“Or maybe I should pop those blue eyes out of your head and turn them into marbles. Which curse do you prefer? Your choice.”

I tried to flee, but I didn’t get far. I tripped over a root and sprawled backward into Mal’s tansy bed. Delphine paced toward me, her hair turning deepest black. She flexed her fingers as preparing to hurl one of her curses at me.

Could she do any of the things she had threatened? Was she really that powerful? Why was I foolish enough to even question that? The woman could turn herself into a cat, for frap’s sake.

I flung my shawl over my head, curled up into a ball and waited. For a sudden clap of thunder, a crackle of lightning, I scarce knew what. I had no idea how curses were enacted.

The moments seemed to stretch into hours as I waited and waited, heart pounding. The scarf muffled my hearing, but I thought I detected the snap of a twig underfoot.

This was it, I thought, closing my eyes tight and bracing myself. More seconds passed and nothing happened. I finally heard a deep familiar voice call my name.

“Ella?”

I summoned up the courage to shift my shawl. Peeking over the edge of it, I gazed up to find Horatio bending over me, his gray eyes filled with concern.

“Ella? What’s wrong? Are you all right?”

I sat up with a gasp, grabbing Horatio’s arm. “No! Be careful. Look out!”

Horatio spun about, clapping one hand to the hilt of the sword, tensed, and prepared to protect me from any threat. Mal’s shirt lay discarded upon the grass, the fabric rippling as Delphine in her cat form, slunk out from beneath it.

Horatio’s brow furrowed with confusion. “Look out for what, Ella?”

“For the cat,” I said weakly.

Delphine hissed, giving me a baleful look before scampering off. With a flick of her black tail, she vanished into the shrubbery that separated her property from Mal’s.

Horatio relaxed his protective stance and extended his hand down to me. I was still trembling as he helped me to my feet. He regarded me with surprise.

“I had no idea you were so afraid of cats.”

“I am not!” My cheeks warmed with embarrassment. “Just that one. You see she is really—” I hesitated. Horatio obviously had not seen Delphine pull off her transformation. If I tried to tell him about her strange ability, he would think me mad or worse still if he believed me, he might feel duty bound to arrest Delphine.