Page 22 of Love’s a Witch (The Scottish Charms #1)

CHAPTER THIRTEEN Sloane

Sloane. Get in the car.”

“Nope. It’s a lovely day for a walk.” I brushed at the snowflakes that clouded my vision.

My determined exit had been undermined by the fact that Knox had driven me to the castle, his heated-pavement trick only worked on his driveway, and the streets were piled high with snow.

I’d taken to lighting fires—small, manageable fires, mind you—every few steps to melt the snow in front of me.

I suppose that was one benefit of today’s magick.

The only issue was that the snow didn’t immediately melt, and I was making very slow progress working my way home from the castle.

“I have your coat.” Knox stopped his car and waited, then started again as I kept walking. He trailed after me at a sloth’s pace.

Bloody hell. I realized I was being ridiculously stubborn and should take my coat. Still, thinking about how I’d lost my mind and devoured this man’s kisses like a starving woman at a buffet, I picked up my pace.

“I can see your teeth chattering.”

“It’s a stress relief technique. Good for meditation.”

I skidded to a stop when a mountain of snow dropped in front of me, easily two times higher than my head. Turning, I glared at Knox.

“I can just light that on fire, you know.”

“Yes, I know. Just please get in the car before Broca reams me out for not taking care of you.”

“Humph.” At Broca’s name, I relented. She’d be furious if she knew I was walking home without a coat, not to mention the fact I was using my magick willy-nilly with not a care in the world for who saw me using it.

My stubbornness was leading me to be careless, and even I knew that I should be more aware of my actions.

“I’ll get the snowmakers,” Knox said, resigned.

At that, I finally stomped around the mound of snow and flung myself into the passenger seat of the car, acting much like a reluctant child after a temper tantrum. Listen, I can’t always be operating at my best. It had been a tumultuous few days.

“You’ll get the snowmakers and tell everyone you’re doing a ski holiday festival.” Maybe I was feeling a touch righteous, but I didn’t care. It was the best idea we had at the moment.

“We don’t have ski slopes here.” Knox slanted me a look, and I turned away from him lest I forget that he really wanted to kick me out of town, and accidentally launched myself across the steering console into his lap.

“Call it the Sugar Drops Festival. Or something alliterative. Pinecones & Peppermint Fest.”

“That’s… that’s good, actually. It sounds fun.”

“Great.” I stared out the window and wiggled more deeply into the heated seat.

Holding my hands out to the heaters, I warmed my fingers.

“Play up the magickal aspect of snow this early in the year, lean into anything cozy about winter, and maybe have games. Sledging, relay races, hot cocoa competitions. Just make it more of the coziness people like about winter but add magickal stuff too. Make a huge play for early Christmas.”

“What’s a hot cocoa competition?”

“Make all the restaurants compete for the best hot cocoa. Have an ice sculpture competition. Or a snowman-building contest but make it all witchy-themed. Dragons, fae, all that stuff. Everyone loves a theme.”

“So the theme is pinecones and peppermint?”

“Yup. Mix fall and cozy Christmas vibes. Pinecones for fall, peppermint for Christmas… like candy canes and peppermint mochas. Get the pub to make some fancy drinks too.”

“You know what? This sounds great. Plus, we could basically make it like an early Christmas market and keep the theme going to encourage tourism.” Knox pulled to a stop in front of our cottage, and I already had my door open before he was fully stopped.

“I’ll work up a list of ideas for you and email them over.”

“Do you have my email?”

“Um, I don’t. But you’re famous here, so someone will.”

“I can just give you my phone number, Sloane.”

Counting to ten, I looked up at the sky and then away as snowflakes hit my eyes.

“Sure.” Begrudgingly, I punched in his numbers and then turned, ready to run.

“I can’t wait to see what you wear for the costume contest tomorrow.

” Knox grinned at me as I raised my lip in distaste at him.

Halloween was here. I’d tried to forget about it, but Lyra was abuzz with excitement over her costume designs for the party.

Despite the snow, Briarhaven had embraced Halloween, their biggest holiday, and had moved the annual bonfire and costume contest inside at the local community center.

Broca insisted we go, in order to try to shore up our reputations in town, and there was no way I could avoid my duty to my family.

“I’m not dressing sexy,” I promised him, unbuckling my seat belt.

“I’m sure anything you wear will be sexy.”

I shot Knox a disbelieving look before sliding from the car.

“You need to stop. What happened back there…” I waved a hand in the air. “Erase it from your brain. That was just stress.”

“Was it?” The corner of Knox’s mouth quirked up in a sultry grin. “I’m happy to be your stress relief any day, Sloane.”

“You can’t.” I fumed, hands on my hips. “You are the cause for my stress. Not the release. Understood?”

“I assure you, I can be both. I’m a man of many talents.”

I bared my teeth at him, like a cat ready to hiss. I couldn’t help it.

Okay, and maybe I wanted to laugh. But I refused to give him that because I was so not kissing him again. I’d almost burned his house down, damn it. It was one and done. Lesson learned.

I hear you, Universe.

Ignoring his pleased look before he drove away, I stomped inside, my mood foul.

I couldn’t remember the last time that I’d been well and truly attracted to someone. I’d dated lightly here and there through the years, but none of my past lovers had ignited such need in me before. I paused just over the threshold as a thought occurred to me.

“Does coming into your magick make you…” I paused as I realized I was about to ask my grandmother if magick makes you horny.

“More irritating?” Nova offered from where she sat on the couch stroking Blue’s ears.

“Hungry?” Lyra asked from where she stood at the counter mixing a bowl of something.

“Lustful?” Broca beamed when the three of us all turned and gaped at her.

“What? I’m not dead yet, ladies. And I’ve eyes, don’t I?

This one’s just come in from being alone at the castle with a decidedly delicious specimen of a man, her face is flushed, hair is mussed, and she’s vibrating with tension. I know a cat in heat when I see one.”

I bristled, literally bristled, as Nova threw her head back and howled with laughter. Blue matched her, raising his head back to howl along, and that made her laugh even harder.

“Cat. In. Heat,” Nova gasped, wiping at her eyes.

“I should order him to torch you,” I muttered, dropping my bag on the side table and walking over to slump next to Nova on the couch. Blue immediately abandoned Nova and wiggled his way on his belly across the couch to me, licking the back of my hand.

“Hey, buddy,” I said, booping his nose. Remembering about Oswald, I decided to change the subject. “Knox says he can talk to animals. Can I do that with Blue?”

“Aye, lass. Though it will just be with Blue, as he’s your familiar.

Just like I can with my sweet Iris. Not everyone has the power to talk to all the animals like Knox does.

We can get you sorted, though. It’s an easy enough spell.

” Broca’s eyes were alight with interest as she studied me through her sparkly glasses. “How did the meeting go?”

“Yeah, what were you doing cozying up in the castle with Knoxy boy?” Nova winked at me.

My despair must have shown on my face, because Nova instantly dropped the act and reached for my hand.

“Hey, you okay?”

“Did something happen, Sloane?” Lyra rounded the counter, wiping her hands on her apron. Even with a dusting of flour on her cheek, she looked beautiful. Like Knox. She and Knox should be the ones to get together. World domination would be an easy enough feat if they partnered up.

Thinking about Knox with another woman, even in a rhetorical sense, made my heart drop.

“Um.” I shrugged, focusing on stroking Blue’s soft ears.

“Don’t be shy, darling. I’ve had far more lovers than you. I’m well aware of how Part B fits into Slot A,” Broca said.

I choked, and Nova reached over, slapping my back helpfully.

“Could we not?” I gasped, shaking my head at Broca. “Bloody hell, woman. I’m doing my best to stay polite here.”

“Why bother? So you shagged Knox. We all knew this was coming.” Nova rolled her eyes.

“I did not—”

“It was about time.” Lyra nodded.

“About time? We’ve been here like five—”

“Was he good? Man, I hope he was. What a disappointment if someone who looks like that couldn’t deliver an orgasm.” Nova clucked her mouth in disapproval.

The word “orgasm” hung in the air of the living room, and I raised both hands.

“Stop, please stop. No, we did not shag. We kissed. And during said kiss, I lit his curtains on fire and almost burned his house down.”

“Oh, such a shame.” Lyra gave me a sympathetic look and patted my shoulder before returning to the kitchen. “You know what would make this better? Pie. A Scotch pie, to be exact.”

“I don’t want food. I want to bury my head under my covers and not come out until my magick is fixed.”

“That’s not like you at all,” Nova said, crossing her arms over her shaggy black sweater. “You’re always in charge.”

“When it’s to help you guys, I am. But this has all been a lot for me.

At once. Particularly because, you know…

” I waved my hand in the air, refusing to give in to the lump of sadness that I swallowed past every time I thought of our parents fighting here.

“It’s the same. I’m the same. Just like mum. ”