Page 26 of Enchanting the Alpha (Mystic Hollow #1)
TWENTY-SIX
D awn painted the sky in soft pastels as Romi juggled the morning rush at Witch’s Brew Café, her coffee cup tattoo tingling as she crafted each drink. Three staff members had called in sick, leaving her, Clover, and Thane to handle the crowd.
“Extra shot of inspiration in the rose petal latte,” she called out, delivering a steaming cup to a frazzled witch hunched over spellbooks. The witch’s tired eyes brightened immediately.
“Romi, you’re going to work yourself into exhaustion,” Clover warned, expertly catching a wobbling tray.
“I’m fine.” Romi tucked a stray curl behind her ear, trying not to notice how her skin tingled every time she glanced toward the corner where Xabir sat working. He had a perfectly good office at the Lupo Hotel - twice the size of her café - yet here he was again, his presence both distracting and thrilling.
Thane appeared beside her. “I’ll take the espresso station. You handle the pastries before they start serenading us again.”
“That was one time,” Romi protested, but gratefully stepped aside. “And everyone said the croissants had lovely voices.”
“Until they started that dramatic opera about butter.” Thane’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “Though I have to admit, their harmonies were impressive.”
“Says the man who once accidentally turned all the teacups into tap-dancing penguin figurines.”
“Those penguins had style,” Thane defended, then lowered his voice. “Speaking of style, a certain alpha seems very interested in your barista technique.”
Romi refused to look over her shoulder where she could feel Xabir’s gaze like a physical touch. “He probably just likes the atmosphere.”
“Right, because the powerful Alpha of the Western Lupo Pack regularly chooses tiny café tables over his executive office.” Thane snorted. “It couldn’t possibly be because he’s trying to impress someone.”
“Don’t you have espresso shots to pull?”
“Just saying, sister dear, I’ve never seen him smile so much. It’s almost unsettling.”
Romi grabbed a fresh cup, crafting Xabir’s favorite blend - midnight jasmine and moonflower nectar. She approached his table, trying to ignore how her heart stuttered when he looked up from his laptop, his hazel eyes warming as they met hers.
“Thought you might need a pick-me-up,” she said, setting down the cup. “Though I have to wonder why you keep choosing our cramped tables over your fancy office.”
“Maybe I enjoy the view.” His voice dropped lower, sending shivers down her spine that had nothing to do with magic.
“Smooth, Alpha,” Felix called from two tables over, his fiery red hair literally sparking with excitement. “Very smooth. Though you might want to work on your subtlety. The whole town’s taking bets on when you’ll finally ask her out properly.”
Xabir shot him a look that would have intimidated anyone else, but Felix just grinned wider. “What?”
“Felix!” Romi hissed, her cheeks burning.
“Oh please, you two are worse than teenagers. All those lingering looks and ‘accidental’ touches.” Felix made air quotes with his fingers. “It’s adorable but also mildly frustrating for those of us watching this romantic comedy unfold in real time.”
Before either could respond, Felicia Green burst through the café door, looking even more distressed than last time. Leaves tangled in her chestnut curls, and her usual vibrant aura was dimmed with worry.
“Romi, Xabir, I need your help,” she said without preamble. “There’s something wrong with my garden. These strange vines appeared overnight - they’re disrupting the magical balance and overwhelming my other plants.” Romi exchanged a quick look with Xabir. “Show us.”
They followed Felicia to her enchanted garden, where iridescent vines with thorns like black diamonds had wrapped themselves around her prized magical plants. The air thrummed with discordant energy, making Romi’s skin prickle.
“They’re feeding off the garden’s magic,” Felicia explained, watching helplessly as one of her singing roses wilted. “I’ve tried every containment spell I know, but nothing works.”
Romi studied the vines, noting how they seemed to pulse with stolen energy. Her own magic responded instinctively, rising to meet the challenge. “I might be able to create a barrier spell, something that would isolate them from the garden’s magic supply.”
“I can help with the physical removal,” Xabir added, already rolling up his sleeves. “These thorns won’t do much damage to shifter skin.” They worked together seamlessly, Romi weaving complex spells while Xabir carefully extracted the invasive vines. Her magic felt steadier with him nearby, more focused.
When one particularly stubborn vine tried to wrap around her wrist, Xabir’s hand caught it before she could even flinch. “Careful,” he murmured, his fingers lingering on her skin a moment longer than necessary. “These thorns look nasty.”
“My hero,” she teased, but warmth bloomed in her chest at his protectiveness. By sunset, they had restored balance to Felicia’s garden. The remaining magical plants seemed to perk up immediately, and several fairies that had been hiding from the invasive vines emerged to dance around the newly cleared spaces.
“I can’t thank you enough,” Felicia said, her natural glow returning as she surveyed her restored garden. “You work so well together - it’s wonderful to see.”
“I’m just glad we were able to help,” Romi smiled and took Xabir’s hand as they left the garden.
“Someone’s doing this deliberately,” Xabir said, leaning into Romi. His casual demeanor vanished, replaced by the alert focus of an alpha protecting his territory. “Once is an incident. Twice is a pattern.”
“We need to talk to Otis and see if he can help us figure it out,” Romi said. “These vines aren’t natural, and they’re targeting specific magical plants. Someone’s trying to disrupt the balance we’re creating between witches and shifters.” She frowned. “It almost feels like they want us to stop our progress.”
“Nothing’s going to stop your plans,” Xabir said decisively. His tone made her want to hug him. He really cared about her plans to integrate their communities. This just made her fall for him even more.
At the archives, Otis Quill’s amber eyes were troubled as he examined a fragment of the vine they’d brought. “This is concerning. Several key texts about invasive magical species are missing pages - pages that might explain exactly what we’re dealing with.”
“Missing pages?” Xabir’s jaw tightened. “That’s not a coincidence.”
“No,” Otis agreed. “I’ve contacted some higher-ranking archivists for assistance, but until then...” He spread his hands helplessly. “Be careful. Whoever is behind this clearly doesn’t want your communities coming together.”