Page 4

Lydia

Andrea Reyes looked like she’d been ordered from a Sports Illustrated catalog and constructed in a perverted Frankenstein’s lab.

There wasn’t an inch of her that didn’t look categorically perfect. Skin with a permanently sun-kissed glow? Check. Huge, almond-shaped eyes with lashes that belonged in a mascara ad? Check. Lips that looked downright kissable without any extra makeup? Check, check, and check.

The red dress she wore hugged every contour of her body without ever truly looking indecent. I wouldn’t have been able to pull it off without some part of me deciding to mutiny. I didn’t have calves of steel from walking on heels my whole life. I sensed that every part of her was just as taut and well-trained, which only made my stomach sink lower.

Even I couldn’t deny that Andrea was beautiful. Rodney had managed to score way out of his league yet again. I wondered if I should pity her for dating him but decided she’d probably have to learn the hard way. Rodney could be very superficially charming if he needed to be.

I glanced sideways, half-expecting Angelo to be staring at her with drool dripping onto the table. Instead, he was scraping the bottom of his ice cream bowl, trying to finish his sundae before it melted. He caught me staring at him, followed my gaze, and shrugged, as though he barely noticed her presence.

“So what does the bastard want?” Angelo drawled, still eating. When he licked his spoon this time, there wasn’t much flourish. How the hell didn’t Andrea rate the sexy spoon routine? She was objectively perfect from her toes to her Pantene-commercial ebony hair.

Andrea half-turned toward him, her expression affronted. “What did you just say?”

Angelo set the bowl and spoon aside after finishing and leaned forward, elbows on his knees, his posture completely relaxed. He didn’t seem impressed by her, which utterly baffled me. I wasn’t even into women, let alone dependent on sex to live, and I thought he’d be certifiable not to want her. And yet, there was no hint of interest. At all.

“I asked what the prick wants. Today was yet another entry in a long list of ways he’s dragged the divorce out longer than necessary. So forgive me for not being polite to you, Ms. Reyes. I’m disgusted by the man you’ve decided to hitch your wagon to. Maybe I should be giving you my condolences on your choice of partner.”

Andrea mouthed at him like a landed fish. I did too, for that matter. I’d never heard such naked contempt in his tone before. Sure, he put on a show of being an aloof incubus, but he was fairly easygoing once you got to know him. The only thing he took seriously was feeding, and we were on the same page there. He rarely cared enough to become truly hostile.

Andrea straightened, brushing nonexistent wrinkles from her dress as she composed herself. She managed to put on that winning smile again, but this time I wasn’t buying it. I had a customer service grin too; it came with the territory. I could sense the underlying hostility that settled like a stone in her mind. Angelo had just made himself an enemy. Great.

“I came to tell you and the judge that there was a miscommunication about this morning.”

“A miscommunication?” I repeated, frowning.

She nodded as she turned to face me. “Rodney has been under the weather. He intended to show up this morning, I promise you. But at the moment, he’s being seen by a doctor. They’re saying he has severe anemia. As you can probably imagine, I was pretty surprised to learn as much and I… well, I forgot to make the necessary calls. You have my most sincere apologies, Lydia. I know it must have been difficult to have this postponed again.”

And now I felt like a heel. The concern in her eyes when she spoke about Rodney seemed genuine. It took me a minute to dig myself out of the shame and self-recrimination to whisper, “It’s fine. I’m sorry he’s not feeling well.”

I was surprised to find I meant it. To say we were on rocky ground was an understatement, but that didn’t mean I wanted Rodney seriously hurt or dead. Just... mildly miserable.

Andrea’s expression softened, and her smile became a bit more genuine. “I knew you’d understand.”

I looked at her and frowned. “You did?”

She nodded. “I’ve heard good things about you. You’re a kind person. Rodney wouldn’t have loved you if you weren’t.”

I thought about saying that Rodney had used my kindness and good nature, not loved me because of it. But that would probably have started another argument. And I didn’t have the time or patience for that. I was relieved to have a concrete reason that Rodney hadn’t shown up. Yes, I was irritated that our last court date had been postponed again , but at least he hadn’t done it out of spite.

Andrea reached into the purse hanging from one graceful hand and pulled out a business card, offering it to me. “I have his hospital room phone number here if you want to call. Ignore the top number; it’s for my campaign office.”

“Campaign office?” I repeated.

Andrea’s smile was dazzling. I actually felt my heart give a nervous flutter. Was Andrea some kind of seductress in disguise, and I just wasn’t catching it? The only woman who’d ever made me think this way was Angelo’s sister, and she was a succubus.

“I’m running for mayor. The election is next week. Can I count on your vote?”

Angelo snatched the card before I could, tucking it into his pocket. “We’ll see about the vote. I like to read the fine print before I form an opinion.”

There was an almost amused slant to Andrea’s smile, which made it more compelling, not less. “I like a deep thinker. We should get coffee sometime and discuss politics, Mr. Stedham.”

Had she just asked him out? In front of me? Was it Angelo’s misbehaving pheromones or something he’d done on purpose? I cast him a sideways glance, opening my mouth to say something, but he beat me to the punch.

He pointedly took my hand. “I have a prior arrangement, and you have a sick boyfriend. It wouldn’t work out.”

Something ugly flickered in her eyes before she could disguise it. Then the moment was gone, and she was all business again as she turned to face me once more.

“I’m sorry to dash, but I thought you deserved an explanation, Lydia. I’d want one in your place.”

“Thanks,” I said. “Good luck with your race, I guess.”

Andrea’s smile didn’t dim. “Oh, I plan to win.”

There was something in her words that made the skin at the back of my neck prickle. I shook my head after a moment and watched her walk away, noting the sway of her hips with envy. How was it possible that someone with a waist like that could have nice hips and a nice ass?

“Seven,” Angelo said, speaking for the first time since Andrea had left. It made me jump. Indigo would have teased me for not paying attention.

“Seven?” I repeated.

“I’m going to the store to get some things. We’ll have dinner in my office tonight. I think you deserve to dine in, don’t you? I’ll come back when I have everything ready. I’m thinking around seven.”

A candlelit dinner in his office. And after...

“Okay,” I said, my voice small. I couldn’t look him in the eye. If I saw and felt everything he wanted to do to me in that instant, I’d combust right here in Stanley’s nice dining area. “It’s a date.”

***

Wanda’s witchery was a fashionista’s paradise and an empath’s hell.

I’d only been inside the gothic Victorian once to meekly request a cute set of jammies. It had started as a spite-fueled reply to Angelo’s insistence on going around in skimpy pajamas, trying to get me to break first. Anything to get him to end this tense, sexually frustrated stalemate we lived in. I’d been silently begging him to throw me on the queen-sized bed and ravish me. Unfortunately, I could never force the request past my lips.

But back to Wanda’s clothing store, I’d quickly found myself overwhelmed by the sheer variety of styles and patterns available. It had taken me a distressingly long time to realize the headache knuckling at my temples had been from the sheer bombardment of magic from all sides. Most of it centered around sensuality, luck, and other positive feelings, but there were enough cursed items to make my teeth ache. It took real malice to make hexes and curses work, and Wanda was capable of that depth of feeling. Not everyone with magic was though. Indigo was constantly disgusted by my inability to do dangerous magic. If she’d been awake and aware, she probably would have bemoaned her luck getting stuck with me. If Indigo had latched onto someone like Wanda, she’d at least be able to defend herself without an issue.

Fortunately, I’d gone in the evening, and Wanda had taken pity on me, guiding me into her backroom while she bustled about selecting pieces that both boosted my confidence and looked great. Less fortunate for me, it was daytime now. Through a set of complicated events, Wanda was left having to pretend she wasn’t a witch. Indigo and I weren’t sure how long her ‘vampire’ tale would hold up under scrutiny. One just had to be in proximity to realize she had a healthy pulse.

And to top the whole embarrassing situation off, I wasn’t here looking for underwear this time. I was looking for a slinky number to wear on a date with an incredibly sexy demon. And the moment I expressed that, the warlock was going to give me a look. That universal look that all men seemed to have when they realize you’re a woman looking to get lucky. It was smug and knowing and always made me want to punch someone.

And besides, I wasn’t even sure where to begin. What exactly did one take into consideration in a situation like the one I was marching into? Romance? Durability? Contraception? God, I just didn’t know. All I did know was that it was far worse to drag Angelo inside the store with me to make lewd commentary in front of the daytime manager, a grumpy warlock by the name of Maverick.

Said warlock glanced up when the bell above the door tinkled, announcing my presence to the room at large. I was tempted to cut and run before he could open his mouth and start interrogating me. Only the absence of any other customers in the store allowed me to step inside and close the shop door behind me.

The bell let out another warbling sound before dying off, leaving just the hush of the air conditioner to fill the silence. The man straightened to his full and impressive height, draping himself in a practiced motion over the cash register. It was casual and a little appealing. It might have even been flirty if I didn’t have Angelo’s antics to compare it to.

“Welcome to Wanda’s Witchery. May I help you?”

It was the first time I’d interacted with Maverick Depraysie outside of a council or emergency setting. I mostly knew him as Police Chief Taliyah Morgan’s loyal bounty hunter first and a fashion designer’s assistant manager second. It made him more than a little intimidating in my book. I had to actually clear my throat before I could find my voice.

“I… um… I was looking for a dress.”

Maverick gave the shop’s interior a meaningful look. “We have plenty of those.”

“Oh, right.”

“So, you’ll have to be more specific about what type of dress you’re looking for.”

“Okay.”

“Wanda just finished a luck line in women’s business wear. Two women have already reported getting the promotions they were asking for. Though in your case, you probably want something to speed up the divorce.”

“Oh, you heard?”

He nodded. “I heard Taliyah talking about it after the last Black Cat Cocktail Club meeting.”

And yet again, I found myself red in the face and struggling to look a man in the eye. I’d only attended a few of the boozy gossip fests held by the local supernatural set, but they’d been memorable. Wanda had mixed the drinks so strong during the last one I’d ended up drunk texting Angelo on the way home. He still teased me about what I’d said that night.

“I’m…I’m not looking for luck.”

“Okay, what are you looking for?”

I cleared my throat and couldn’t hold his gaze. “Well, I was thinking less conservative and more…” I gestured vaguely at the nearest rack. The tea dress was a little too cutesy for tonight’s date, but it was a step in the right direction. There was no way I was getting Angelo out of his pants if I showed up in 80s shoulder pads.

Maverick’s eyebrows lifted. “Ah. Something formal? Or were you thinking something sexier?”

I was thinking I was going to burst into a pile of cinders. My neck and cheeks felt hot enough to fry eggs on. I gave the rack nearest his elbow a desperate glance, unable to voice the request. Thankfully, he caught it and followed my gaze.

“A cocktail dress? Are you planning on going out clubbing?”

“No,” I finally managed. “Candlelight dinner, I think.” Angelo hadn’t been overly specific.

“With Angelo, I’m assuming?” I nodded and wondered how quickly word spread in the Hollow. Apparently, pretty quickly.

“It’s supposed to be a surprise,” I continued. “And, well, I wanted to surprise him back. We live together, so he’s seen most of my nice outfits by now.”

“Ah,” Maverick said, as though that made sense.

I wasn’t sure if he actually understood or was just humoring me. At least the look was mercifully absent. Maybe I’d judged the moody warlock too harshly. He’d been raised by witches, who seemed to have a completely different relationship with sex and romance than us mere mortals. Indigo had apparently danced naked often, specifically to attract male Sidhe when she was younger. There was relatively little sexual shame in their society. I guess I hadn’t expected a man to be as on board with that as Maverick seemed to be.

Maverick gave me a once-over, starting from the crown of my head and concluding on my aching ankles in their kitten heels. The look didn’t feel sexual at all, though I was probably too desensitized to realize if it had been. Angelo’s leering made casual admiration feel tame. Besides, I’d seen the way Maverick looked at the Chief of Police. He was dead gone on his gorgeous faerie wife.

“You’re a pear shape, right?”

“Yeah,” I grumbled, not exactly happy that he was pointing it out.

Maverick reached out and casually flicked my ear. A static shock traveled from the tip of his nail into my skin. I yelped, clapping a hand over it.

“Hey!” I yelled at him.

“Don’t do that,” he answered.

“Do what?”

“That thing vanilla human women do. Where you think you’re hideous because you aren’t model-perfect.”

“Says the guy who married a svelte princess,” I countered. “Or is it queen now? I heard Taliyah’s in charge now that the war with Janara is over.”

I still wasn’t clear on everything that had happened there. Until members of Misty Hollow had poured into town through a faerie portal, I’d been the new girl on the block. I wasn’t having as hard a time adjusting to the changes since I hadn’t been here long enough for Haven Hollow to feel like home. All I knew was that there had been celebrations among the local faeries when Taliyah returned from whatever mission she’d been on. It had taken a few days for me to understand the significance of the news.

Maverick shrugged. “It’s complicated,” Maverick responded. “But my point was about your self-esteem or lack-thereof.”

“Right.” I didn’t even feel like arguing the point. “Yeah, I think I’m a pear shape.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that. You say it like it’s a bad thing.”

I swallowed hard. “You don’t think it’s a bad thing?”

He looked at me. Really looked at me. “I think women are beautiful in all their shapes and sizes.”

“Oh.”

“And I think a wrap or empire waist dress would work best for your figure,” he continued. “The empire has a more flattering silhouette, but the wrap dress comes off faster.”

The damnable blush was back again. “I think I’ll go with the wrap then.”

Maverick smirked. “Good for you. Now we have a few options available...”