Page 10 of Magic & Mochas (Tales of Love & Lore #1)

Chapter seven

Lattes I had been far too focused on Clove to pay them much attention. But I was glad she had seemed so satisfied with the looks on their faces.

It was inspiring to see her confront her own fears like that. Unlike me, she refused to run from her problems; she faced them head on.

I had known plenty of adventurers in my time who had less of a backbone than one little witch.

But that was just a part of her charm, of what made her so special.

I groaned, and rested my arm over my eyes. The light of the stars was far too bright, just like how Clove’s brilliance was far too dazzling for a reclusive shadowmancer like me.

She was dangerous, this witch. Dangerous in an entirely unexpected way.

After all, I was meant to be leaving Willowmere in three months. Getting too attached would only end up making things harder. Hurting Clove was the last thing I wanted to do. Besides, I had a feeling that Clove shedding a single tear would result in Silas taking a few swipes at me.

I snorted, remembering the faint lines I had noticed on Rasmus’ arms when I first met him. It didn’t take a genius to figure out where those had come from. I’d have to remember to reward the feline with some tasty treats for his excellent aim the next time I saw him.

Rasmus, on the other hand… I didn’t like how possessive he had been acting towards Clove. And after that show we put on in front of his parents… His pride must have taken quite the hit.

I summoned two of my shadow soldiers, who knelt at my bedside. What is your command?

One of you will guard the witch’s home. The other will guard the shop downstairs.

What is the nature of the threat?

One warlock, though I would not put it past him to recruit help. It never hurts to be prepared. Guard against spellwork from a distance, as well.

Understood. We will eliminate the warlock if he dares—

No, I interrupted him. You are not to kill him. Your orders are to defend, not to attack. If the warlock’s attacks persist, alert me or incapacitate him without causing permanent injury.

A prideful warlock like Rasmus would only become more enraged with a severe injury. Besides, I doubted Clove would have wanted that. After all, Silas only scratched him. If she had wanted, Clove probably could have made life much more difficult for him.

No, she clearly wanted to move on, and that would be difficult if her ex insisted on hanging around.

We will not kill. Only defend, My soldiers’ voices rasped in my mind.

Good. Report any attacks immediately.

As you wish, my lord. The two soldiers dissolved into shadow and streaked away. One attached itself to the darkness beneath Clove’s bedroom window, while the other gazed out of the shadowy recesses of a carved pumpkin on the shop’s doorstep downstairs.

Rolling onto my side, I let out a sigh. At least now, I would have a bit more peace of mind. I closed my eyes, and let thoughts of turquoise waters lull me to sleep.

Morning light played across my eyelids, dragging me up from the comforting depths of sleep. With a groan, I flicked a hand and threw up a wall of shadow across the window. I must have forgotten to close the curtains last night.

My brows furrowed. Why was that? I had been looking at the stars, and thinking about how their light reminded me of something… Or was it someone?

A machine roared to life in the shop down below my borrowed apartment. Why Clove loved that noisy espresso machine so much was a mystery to me.

I sat bolt upright in bed. Clove! She must be working on creating new recipes for her menu. Which meant I could be spending time with her right now.

I let my curtain of darkness fall away as I wiped the sleep out of my eyes. Grabbing some fresh clothes, I made my way over to the bathroom so I could take my morning shower.

This time, I made sure to lock the door behind me.

I kept my shower brief, using the time to check in with my shadow soldiers. The one stationed at Clove’s home reported that nothing had been out of the ordinary all night, which was good to hear.

But the one I had positioned at the shop’s entrance related how Rasmus had stumbled over to the shop in the early hours of the morning.

Evidently, the warlock had attempted to cast some sort of hex on the door, but had slurred his words so badly that the incantation hadn’t activated the spell.

And then, he had tripped his way back to wherever he was staying.

I scowled. Sometimes, I hated when I was right. At least, based on my soldier’s description, Rasmus had been so drunk that he likely wouldn’t remember his little attempt at vandalism.

I was doubly glad I had thought to station guards at both locations. Even though his revenge had failed, it was good to know what sort of petty person we were dealing with.

Should I station a soldier in Clove’s shadow, just to be safe? No, that felt far too invasive of her privacy, even if I only meant to protect her. I suppose that meant I just needed to stay by her side as much as I could when she wasn’t at home or at the shop.

Yes, that was the only reason. I didn’t have any ulterior motives, like wanting to feel her hand in mine or inhale the scent of coffee and magic that seemed to waft from her soft skin.

I turned off the hot water and welcomed the bracing downpour of cold water. After a few minutes of that, I turned it off completely and quickly toweled dry before dressing for the day.

As soon as I opened the apartment’s front door, the aroma of coffee hit me full-force. I smiled to myself as I jogged down the stairs. Sure enough, Clove was standing in front of her espresso machine, and fiddling with the milk frothing wand.

On silent feet, I padded up behind her until I could look over her shoulder.

I watched as she artfully poured the steaming milk into two mugs of coffee.

But instead of just dumping the milk in like I would have done, she moved the milk jug back and forth.

The trail of milk started forming a pattern against the dark brown of the coffee.

It took me a minute to figure out what the design was. By the time she finished making the latte art for the second mug and set it down on the counter, I was grinning.

“Is that a witch hat?” I asked, my voice lower and more gravelly than usual thanks to the early hour.

Clove jumped, but I steadied her with a hand at her waist. She turned to me with wide eyes and put a hand over her heart.

“Thorne! I told you not to pop out of nowhere like that, didn’t I?” she chided, her breathy voice sending warmth straight to my core.

“Sorry. Old habits.” I reluctantly removed my hand from her waist and ran it through my hair. Wait, had I combed it after I got out of the shower? For the life of me, I couldn’t remember.

Clove’s fingers twitched as she stared at my probably messy hair. She cleared her throat and turned to grab one of the mugs, which she then held out to me. “Here.”

“Thank you.” My fingers brushed hers as I took the mug. Its warmth instantly seeped into my hand, and I held it up for a closer look at the design. “This is one of those pointy witch hats, right?”

“That’s right.” Clove smiled as she took a sip from her own mug, and sighed contentedly. “They may be out of style now, but my mom still likes to wear hers on special occasions.”

“You’re very artistic.” I took a sip while trying not to mess up the design.

“Thank you.” Her eyes dropped to her mug, but I saw the way the tips of her ears turned pink.

“You could definitely add this to the menu—it could be The Broom you wouldn’t want teenagers running around causing fires everywhere they went.” I smirked at the mental image.

“Good point,” Clove said with a chuckle.

We leaned against the counter, side by side, as we sipped our drinks. I felt more relaxed than I had in a long time. The silence was a comfortable one. I could imagine myself spending many more mornings just like this.

“Would you like some fruit? Kana will be bringing over pastries later, but I thought you might be hungry…” Clove trailed off as she glanced at the bowl of fruit on the counter just in time to watch the last banana transform into a fish and float straight towards Silas, who was perched on top of one of the armchairs instead of his cat tree.

“Silas! What are you doing?!” Clove gasped, setting down her mug with a sharp clack.

Clove paused for a beat, then frowned and retorted, “What do you mean, you were hungry! I just fed you breakfast an hour ago!”

I chuckled, and took one last sip of my latte before setting it aside. Even though I could only hear one side of their conversation, I could guess how the feline was responding. Clove glared at her familiar, but I wasn’t entirely sure if they were still conversing mentally.

After a minute, I cleared my throat. “Clove, how about I go and pick up a few groceries while you add those sparkles to the recipe?”

“Thanks, Thorne. That would be a big help. We could use some more milk and fruit, since someone ate them all—and some of the magical herbs and ingredients on the list by the fridge.”

“You got it,” I said, grabbing the paper list and quickly scanning it. “I’ll be back before the shadows shift.”