Page 23 of How Not to Hex a Gentleman (Witches of Edinburgh)

Chapter Twenty-Three

KENNEDY

" I don't think this is going to work," I announce walking into The Black Cat with Bennett on my heels. I don't hold the door open but he catches it in time. There are only two other customers in the café beside the girls and they glance at me in surprise before going back to their conversation.

"Hello to you too, Kennedy," Parker greets me, before looking over my shoulder, "And Bennett."

"Parker, it's lovely to see you." Bennett makes a beeline for the counter while I walk over to the table near the window where Lily is on her laptop. I wave at Olivia, who's behind the counter, before I drop myself down to the seat opposite Lily and Parker.

"What can't you do?" Parker asks, sitting down in front of me and handing me a glass of water. She narrows her eyes, giving me a quick look before glancing at Bennett. I'm throwing so much emotional energy out, she probably doesn't even need to be a witch to feel it.

"Him." I point to where Bennett is leaning against the counter, greeting Olivia.

"When did you do him?" Lily whispers and I nearly choke on the sip of water. Glancing at her, I find her holding back her glee, and I roll my eyes.

"I expect this from Parker," I say.

"I take that as a compliment," Parker replies. Because of course she would. I take another swig of water, angling myself so I don't see Bennett, but there's not much I can do because I swear my whole body is so aware of him that it's as if I now have eyes in the back of my head.

"But seriously. What's up?" Lily asks.

"Seriously, he's ridiculous." I try to keep myself calm, but terrible—much worse than what happened—scenarios are currently on repeat in my head and I can't seem to control the rising terror. "There's a way to do things and the way things should be done, and there are rules to follow so the world doesn't spin out of control."

"Did something happen?" Lily asks, her voice a bit more gentle.

"What happened is that he's Mr. Know-It-All who doesn't check his sources before he makes stupid decisions, and frankly, his attitude is really grating on my nerves. He's especially annoying the longer I have to look at his face."

"You know I can hear you," Bennett says.

"Oh good, I thought I wasn't being loud enough," I reply, not bothering to look at him.

I feel his gaze on me. I am so acutely aware of him at all times, it's disturbing. The rational part of my brain is telling me I'm acting like a complete brat and I need to calm down, but the emotional part of me is freaking out that I could've seriously hurt him. It's making me completely crazy how concerned I am with his well-being. So all rationality has left the building and I'm in flight mode.

"Kennedy," Parker brings my attention back to her, "I thought it was going better with him. You seemed to have come to an agreement?"

"It was. Until he decided to read some forum online that talked about some plants and then went to the Black Moon to buy said plant—St. John's wort, mind you—that sent me flying and landing on my butt in front of the fountain!" I'm out of breath as I finish, the dread now a settled companion in my chest. The girls stare at me in shock.

"Okay, we're closed!" Olivia's voice rings out around us and the customers hurry to leave.

In a matter of minutes, the café is empty, save for us and Bennett. He looks like a lost puppy and I have the urge to comfort him, which I squash. He is in the wrong here, not me. I shouldn't be the one comforting him.

"Bennett, let me see it." Olivia puts out her hand and I lean back in my chair instinctively. Bennett glances at the four of us, a bit unsure, before reaching into his pocket.

"It's dangerous, I don't want to hurt anyone." He's addressing the room, but his eyes are on me and that urge to go to him grows.

"I am much stronger than some tiny trinket," Olivia says, before leaning toward him across the bar. It doesn't escape me how comfortable she is with him knowing about magic. She told him herself about her powers, after all. "Now, please?"

Bennett sighs and pulls out the piece of cloth. That's what must've stopped the effect originally. There's magic in it as well; I can feel it now that I can see it.

Olivia takes it carefully, unwrapping it one corner at a time. "You're correct, my darling," Olivia says to me, a proud look in her eyes. "St. John's wort. This plant has caused many a terror in these parts. It's poisonous to people and animals alike, and it has often made them sick, which in turn made people call it witchcraft."

"It's not magical?" I ask going over every piece of information I have on it in my head.

"Oh, it is, but the fear it brings to mortals is just a plant being a plant. It affects us differently."

"It threw me at least four feet back," I say and Lily gasps.

"That much? Are you okay?" Parker asks, and I nod.

"Your magic has spent most of your life suppressed. It's like a child, discovering all of these things for the first time. You had basic defense training, correct?" I nod and Olivia gives me a kind smile. For some reason it makes me want to cry. "It reacted like a child would who feels in danger."

"So you're saying with time, we can hold the pendant as well?" Lily asks and Olivia nods.

"With time, you will be able to use the power within the pendant to your own advantage."

It seems like an unreachable goal, something that could never happen to me, but maybe that statement doesn't hold as much truth as it used to.

"Who sold this to you?" Olivia asks Bennett and he tears his gaze away from me before replying.

"She was probably in her fifties, long gray hair, curly at the very ends only. She had a colorful braid on one side of her head."

"Ah, that makes sense. Margie."

"What makes sense?" Parker asks.

Olivia shakes her head. "There are a few witches around these parts that love to prank unsuspecting tourists. I'm sure Margie didn't expect you to come across an actual witch."

"How is that a prank?" I ask, confused.

"The way this repels magic, it attracts certain wildlife, like crows and squirrels."

I glance at the girls, my mind completely boggled.

"Seriously?" Bennett asks.

"Aye," Olivia answers. "Now, I think this is a good time as any to have a little witchy 101."

"And on that note, thank you for nearly killing me, please try not to come again," I say, shooing Bennett toward the door with my hand. The girls chuckle and he looks like I kicked him.

"I will never make such a foolish mistake ever again and I will never put you in danger and I will?—"

"He's staying," Olivia announces, with a little chuckle. "He's a part of this now, so he might as well learn."

I'm still reeling from the intensity of his gaze and his words, trying to make sense of all of these conflicting feelings. "What do you mean he's part of this?"

"Like it or not, Kennedy," Olivia says, walking over to the entrance to her kitchen, "you're a team. You should learn how to work together."

BENNETT

I would like to be more than just a teammate, but I will take what I can if it lets me stay near her.

The shop is closed and the girls are sitting at the table near the window with the large pothos plant, while I stand near the bar.

"Come now," Olivia says coming back out from the kitchen, a basket full of items in her arms. She places it in front of the girls and then motions for me to take a seat. Next to Kennedy.

I have to apologize to her properly. It feels like if I don't make it right now, I'll never get a chance to. She's too important to me already to let that happen, but I also can't interrupt this. This is their time; I'm only here to observe.

"Does he have to sit here?" Kennedy mumbles and then she jerks in place.

I steal a glance and find her glaring at Parker, who’s grinning in return. I don't dare comment. Olivia steps up to the table with her little basket of items and places it in front of me.

My curiosity is at an all-time high, but I keep my hands folded in front of me for fear of being kicked out. Pet surprises me when she jumps into my lap, giving me one long look before settling comfortably to watch the table, her head on my arm.

"Traitor," Kennedy mumbles at the cat and I swear Pet gives her a loaded look before transferring her gaze to the table. I don't even dare to breathe too loudly at this point.

"Magic is all around us, darlings," Olivia begins, taking items out of the basket. "Certain things channel it and certain things repel it. It is important to learn what to use and what not to use."

"What are these for?" Lily asks, picking up one of the small glass vials Olivia placed in front of us.

"Decorations, perfumes, and mini spells."

The girls perk up immediately at that last one. Kennedy leans forward, her chin in her hand as she watches Olivia. I suppress my smile at her eagerness, but clearly not well enough because she shoots me a glare before refocusing on Olivia.

"We're going to do a spell?" Parker asks and Olivia nods.

"I'm going to place ingredients in front of you and I want you to fill each jar with at least two but up to five of the ingredients. Listen to your intuition, listen to your magic. What does it long for?"

I watch Olivia bring out satchels and little boxes, all labeled, and now it's my turn to sit up at attention.

"These"—I point to the three closest to me—"they're poisonous plants. Aren't these for bad spells?"

I feel foolish the moment I ask because three sets of eyes are now glaring at me.

"I didn't mean that you're bad—" I start, but Olivia places a hand on my shoulder, stopping my words.

"Just like with the St. John's wort, the plants themselves are not good or evil. They simply are. It is up to those with power to wield them for good or for evil." Olivia picks up a little satchel and shows it to me. "You're right, petunia flowers have been feared as they can cause allergic reactions in people and animals. However, they can also repel spirits and are believed to be beacons of hope and good fortune. There are two sides to every coin and two opinions to every story. It is up to us to be educated so we know how and when to use the knowledge."

"That's amazing," I say. Studying witch lore in Scotland is mostly studying how magic has been a cause of all the bad in the world, how it must be warded off and protected against, but this is a different way to look at things.

"Take only what calls to you." Olivia focuses back on the girls. "When you place the ingredients inside the vial, make sure the heavier ingredients are at the bottom, like a foundation."

The girls reach for vials immediately, but there's a pause as they study the other ingredients in front of them. I'm supposed to be watching all of them, but I'm only being drawn to Kennedy. She looks beautiful, with a slight crease between her brows as her eyes flicker around the items. I can see the moment something snags, her gaze resting on the little box labeled 'blue lace agate.' I expect her to reach for it, but she doesn't. Instead, she moves back to looking at the items. Maybe if I hadn't spent all this time with her, I wouldn't understand it, but I think I do. She's afraid of listening to her magic. She focuses on a different item, but her eyes keep being drawn back.

I want to say something, I want to encourage her, but then I feel a slight pressure on my shoulder and look up to find Olivia's hand there again. She gives me the tiniest shake of her head, as if she can read my thoughts, and I nod. Kennedy needs to do this on her own, I get it, but the instinct to fix this for her doesn't go away.

I glance at the other girls and see that they noticed it too. Their own jars have items next to them, but they haven't placed them in yet. They're sneaking glances at Kennedy, and all of a sudden I feel even more honored being here. This isn't a simple lesson; it feels like a lot more than that.

Kennedy suddenly looks up at me and our eyes clash. I didn't mean for her to catch me staring, but now I can't look away. Without words, I want her to know that I'm here to support her and that she's not alone in any of this. She has the girls and Olivia, but she also has me. More than any of that, I believe with my whole being that Kennedy is capable of anything. I want her to believe in herself the way I believe in her.

There's a glimmer of something in her eyes before she tears her gaze away and focuses back on the table. She reaches for the box again, this time opening it up and picking out some of the stone shards into her palm. She doesn't set them aside like the girls did but places them directly into the glass vial. Then, without hesitation, she reaches for the lavender and places it on top. Once the vial is filled, she takes it in both of her hands and closes her eyes for a brief moment before she opens them again and places the cork over the vial. There's a stillness where she simply looks at the vial after she places it on the table and then she looks up with a smile.

"Very good, my darlings," Olivia says and I tear my gaze away from Kennedy once more to realize the others have finished their vials as well. Parker meets my eye with a smirk and it's warm in here all of a sudden. "Tell me about your jars," Olivia prompts, looking at Lily.

Lily raises her jar, showing it off. I was not paying attention to what the others chose, but now I'm listening. "This is rose quarts and these are rose petals," she says, looking up at Olivia.

"What was your intention?"

"Love."

One simple word, but my cheeks are on fire and I'm fighting the urge to look at Kennedy. Instead, I shift in my seat, receiving an annoyed look from Pet.

"Very good. Parker?"

"This has citrine and cinnamon. I went for abundance," Parker says, proudly displaying her vial. It's interesting to see the difference in what called to them, but it also makes sense somehow.

All of the attention turns to Kennedy next and she shrugs. "I'm not...I'm not too sure why these called to me. I haven't made this combination before, but this is blue lace agate and this is lavender." She seems so unsure about her words that I have the urge to reach out and take her hand.

Then I watch as Parker and Lily do so, unwrapping her death grip on the little jar and taking both her hands. I watch as the girls look at each other, a quiet understanding passing between them, and feel like I'm intruding on a private moment. For a second, I think I'm seeing things but then I realize there's a soft glow around them, like a tiny light emanating and outlining them all together.

"Can you see it?" I whisper as Pet sits up on my lap to watch the girls.

"It's their bond," Olivia says and I look up to see her watching the girls, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "It's beautiful."

I agree. I turn back to them, my eyes once again finding Kennedy. She looks more like herself somehow. Beautiful and bright and shining with a soft kind of calmness.

"What called to me?" She turns, directing her question to Olivia but looking at me.

"Inner peace," Olivia replies and Kennedy grins, her eyes locked on mine and my heart is in her hands.