Page 34 of Cursed (Witchbane #8)

EVAN

“This looks like our kind of place,” Evan said when they reached Stars and Moon Jewelry.

The shop sat tucked between a restaurant and a clothing store on one of the Historic District’s side streets.

Black painted wood framed the large windows.

Both the sign and door bore the Triple Moon sign that signaled “witch friendly” to those in the know.

“Can I help you?” A woman with long blond hair tied in a high ponytail greeted them when they entered. “I’m Amber.”

“Nash sent us,” Seth told her.

Immediately, Amber’s smile broadened. “Tell him we said thank you. We love referrals. What are you looking for today?”

“Engagement wedding rings,” Evan spoke up.

“Congratulations,” she said. “Now I am curious. Why did Nash recommend our shop in particular?”

Evan felt certain that saying, “We kill dark witches” wouldn’t go over well.

“We hunt things that go bump in the night,” Seth said. “That’s how we met Nash.”

Amber’s eyes widened, and she gave them a longer once-over.

“I see. Well. If Nash vouches for you, you’re okay in my book.

I’ll be honest, we get people in here who have seen too many movies, and they have no idea about the Craft or tradition; it’s all cosplay to them.

That’s not the clientele we’re here to serve. ”

Seth pulled his amulet from beneath his shirt, as did Evan. “We’re the real deal,” Evan said.

“So you are,” Amber replied, looking a bit surprised. “All right then. What did you have in mind? I’ll show you what we have.”

Despite Amber’s initial hesitance, Evan felt safe and protected in the store.

A positive energy filled the shop; unlike the neutral feel from most of the other shops they had visited.

He remembered the nice lady in the first shop and felt a little sad about not going back, but the magical vibe here made the decision easy.

“We’re not looking for bling,” Seth said and made sure to make eye contact with Evan to verify as he spoke. “We’d prefer silver for protective purposes. Runes that actually mean something and aren’t just decorative would be nice for additional warding.”

“Okay.” Amber had a faraway look in her eyes suggesting she was mentally going through the shop’s inventory. “I think we have a couple of things that might work for you.”

They followed her to a case along the back wall. As they passed through the store, Evan looked around, trying to figure out what else the store had to offer. He saw a lot of familiar charms and amulets made from various metals, stone, and wood as well as ritual items like ornate daggers.

The shop definitely had a protective and healing vibe. Evan hoped that if they found rings here that they would carry some of that energy.

“These cases are the non-commissioned pieces,” Amber said.

“Some of our clients request specifically inscribed pieces,” Amber said.

“Those are in the safe. Any client-submitted engraving orders have to be vetted by one of our house witches to make sure that they won’t pose a danger to others. Do no harm and all.”

“Probably a wise idea,” Seth replied.

“The inscriptions on these rings are mostly English or Latin, with some Spanish and a few other languages thrown in,” Amber told them as she brought them to the case. “I can translate anything you need.”

One pair of rings caught Evan’s eye right away. He tried to make himself look at all the choices, but he kept coming back to the same set.

“Can we please see those?” Seth asked, and Evan’s head jerked up as Seth indicated the same rings. Evan hadn’t pointed or indicated which ones had gotten his attention. He smiled, taking their mutual liking as a positive omen.

“Good choice,” Amber told them. She took the rings from the case and offered a magnifying glass for a closer look.

“They’re solid silver, low maintenance, and the inside is blank in case you want to add an inscription of your own now or later,” she added.

Evan recognized the sigils carved into the silver, ancient runes for physical safety and protection from dark energies. They intertwined among the script spelling out part of an old Wiccan blessing.

“Only love may enter here,” Evan murmured as he read the words. He looked up to meet Seth’s eyes, asking an unspoken question.

“You like these?” Seth asked, with a smile that suggested he had also chosen the rings.

“I think they’re perfect,” Evan replied. He looked to Amber. “But we’re just visiting Savannah, so I’m not sure what to do if they’re not the right size.”

“Let’s see how they fit,” she suggested. “They say the rings choose the person as much as vice versa.”

Seth reached for the smaller of the two rings and took Evan’s hand. “This looks like the right size. We might get lucky.” He eased it onto Evan’s right ring finger. When they actually had the wedding ceremony, they had agreed to switch the ring to the left hand, so he tried it there as well.

“It fits,” Evan said and felt a shiver of energy. He took the larger ring and slipped it onto Seth’s finger, checking on both hands.

“Feels right.” Seth twisted the ring. “Not too tight or loose. Just right.”

Amber checked the fit and nodded. “Maybe it’s magic. Those must be meant to be yours. You can take them with you, cash and carry, since they don’t need adjusting.” She named a price, and Evan was relieved that it was within their budget.

“Are these the ones you want?” Seth met Evan’s eyes. “We haven’t looked for long.”

Evan smiled. “I think they’re perfect. Can’t you feel it?”

Seth grinned. “Yes, but I didn’t want to pressure you. I like them too.” He turned to Amber. “We’ll take them.”

“Blessed be.” She looked happy but not surprised. “Come to the register, and I’ll ring you up. Do you want them boxed or do you want to wear them?”

Seth looked at Evan. “What would you prefer?”

Evan couldn’t hide his happiness. “I never want to take them off.”

Seth chuckled and looked at Amber. “Well, there you have it. We’ll wear them.”

They paid for the rings, and Amber gave them a bag with two ring boxes and a card.

“These rings have been blessed by a local witch. Nothing guarantees full protection or good luck, but we believe that every bit of positive energy helps. You can always charge that up with additional blessings whenever you feel the need, or add engravings inside later. Congratulations.”

They thanked her and headed back outside. Evan felt happy and at peace. A glance at Seth suggested his partner felt much the same.

“Thank you,” Evan said. Since they were in public, he bumped shoulders with Seth rather than grabbing his hand, but vowed to do much more once they were alone.

“Thank you too,” Seth replied. “You said yes.”

Now that their quest for the perfect ring was over, the rest of the afternoon passed quickly.

“I got us dinner reservations at a place that also has a lot of real pirate history stuff,” Evan told him. “If I’d have known it was going to be our engagement dinner, I could have picked somewhere fancier.”

“All fancy dinners are the same,” Seth replied. “How often do you get to eat with pirates?”

“Do you still want to do the drag show? We’ll be back at the RV pretty early afterward, but I can cancel if you want me to,” Evan asked.

“Nah, let’s do the show. We both know what’s on the menu when we get back, so that just builds…anticipation,” Seth said with a naughty wink that went right to Evan’s groin.

The Sea Witch felt more like a museum that served dinner than a restaurant with antique decor.

Old drawings, maps, and ship models filled the space, managing to look historic instead of tacky.

Evan shivered at the old ship’s wheel over the fireplace, although he knew that Vernon’s anchor had been destroyed.

“Back in the day, this was a pub and a lot of sailors came here,” Evan filled him in while they waited for their menus from what he had read online.

“Over time, it fell into disuse and was going to be torn down, but a local patron wanted to preserve the history and rescued it, on the condition that it be a self- sustaining museum. So…it’s a pirate-themed bar and restaurant with real pirate memorabilia. ”

They both ordered the she-crab soup plus the crab dip for starters. Seth opted for the seafood pasta as his entree, while Evan chose the parmesan-crusted tilapia.

“Save room for dessert,” their server told them. “Our kitchen makes something different every night. You don’t want to miss it.”

Their appetizers came out quickly. Evan hadn’t realized how hungry he was until he took the first bite. He finished the soup faster than he expected, and dug into the house-made pita chips and crab dip.

“That’s really good,” he said, and Seth’s approving murmur filled Evan with a different kind of hunger. He shifted in his chair as his cock filled.

“We might waddle out of here if dinner is just as good,” Seth agreed. “Go walk around and look at the exhibits. I’ll hold the table and then we can switch.”

Evan loved that Seth indulged his nerdiness. Pirates were one of his favorites, fascinating him since childhood.

He had expected a kitschy, pop-culture display and instead found a truly museum-quality exhibit. Hand-drawn maps, cargo manifests, and letters brought the reality of life aboard the ships into focus as did “Wanted” posters and articles about ships sinking and pirates being sent to the gallows.

Despite Hollywood’s romantic depiction, the reality of pirates’ lives was bleak and short. I guess that’s why they lived it up in port when they came into any money. Most of them weren’t going to survive long enough to retire.

Even so, the displays didn’t dampen Evan’s mood. His historian side was fascinated by the memorabilia the restaurant had collected, and he was enough of a romantic to be able to set the facts aside and enjoy a good swashbuckling movie.

“Interesting stuff,” Evan told Seth when he returned to the table. Their drinks had been refreshed, and Seth had put a dent in both appetizers.