Page 39 of Sugar, Spice, and Magical Moonlight (Midlife Menace #2)

“No, it’s not a good evening,” the Enchantress said on a huff. “We expect a buffet in our room for every meal.”

Shu rolled his head with an exaggerated movement. “Oh, no. Homie don’t play that.”

The Enchantress and Nimue looked at my fairy godfather as if he’d grown neon horns and a tail.

Ric’s features appeared frozen in place. “I apologize, but my servants have quit.”

The Enchantress crossed her arms, impatiently tapping her foot on the tiles. “Why?”

“They’re afraid of Bea,” Ric answered, his hard gaze focused on the Enchantress and Nimue. “They say she’s a banshee.”

The Enchantress’s jaw dropped as she splayed a hand across her chest. “Ludicrous.”

I shared a look with Shu as he rolled his eyes to the ceiling. I wasn’t buying her look of mock surprise, either.

Shu snickered while pushing off his stool. “I have work to do.” He waved to us while walking away. “See you on the flip side.”

I was jealous Shu got to escape the Enchantress’s company, until I remembered he would be stuck in a dusty library reading through heaps of old tomes.

“There’s no convincing them until Bea leaves.” Ric heaved a slow breath. “In fact, I think it’s time all of you returned home.”

The Enchantress stepped forward, batting her lashes while giving Ric a pleading look. “But we’re not finished with our interviews.”

Ric pressed his backside against the kitchen counter. “We don’t have the servants to accommodate you.”

“Luci is a baker.” She waved toward me with a sneer.

Wow. Of all the nerve! I dug my fingers into my wand, wanting so badly to hit her with a curse of hairy warts.

Ric laughed out loud. “You expect my girlfriend to slave in the kitchen all day for you?”

She arched a brow. “Isn’t that what bakers do?”

“I’m sorry, no.” He widened his stance, the lion flashing in his eyes.

The Enchantress backed up, pressing into Nimue as her bodyguard hissed at Ric. Then she gave me an accusatory look. “After all we did for you today?”

I was wondering how long it would take her to hold that over my head.

Yeah, I appreciated her getting us medicine and tampons, but considering the gnomes practically worshipped her, I wouldn’t doubt it if she’d cajoled them into stealing our things in the first place.

Not that gnomes would need much cajoling to steal anything.

Ric folded his arms across his impossibly broad chest. “We appreciate what you did today, but Luci is not your servant. You will need to pack your things. Tomorrow morning, we’ll transport you home.”

Thank the Goddess! I would be so relieved when we freed ourselves from their presence. I was so excited that I wanted to shout from the rooftops.

“We can feed ourselves.” Nervous-sounding laughter bubbled up from the Enchantress’s chest. “Nimue will fish for our supper at the beach.”

Oh, so, suddenly they were able to fend for themselves, and they were no longer vegetarians? How convenient. “There are sirens all over the beach,” I blurted.

“We’re not afraid of them. Come now”—she swatted the air while pouting at Ric—“after this morning’s episode, you know it’s not safe to leave right now.”

I tensed at the familiar ring of Des’s tablet as he skulked into the kitchen, holding up the screen with Colin’s number flashing like a glaring strobe light.

“It’s Dad again,” Des said on a groan.

I took the tablet from him and turned off the volume. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. It’s not a good idea to talk to him right now.”

Des’s shoulders fell as he slipped the tablet into his backpack. “It’s okay, Mama.”

My poor son actually looked relieved.

“Hey, buddy,” Ric said while patting Des’s back. “Want to go for a swim?”

“Yeah.” Des beamed at Ric, not even bothered that he was touching him. “Let’s do some cannonballs.”

Ric was so good for my son. He was so good for me. I was a fool for doubting our relationship.

“Absolutely!” Ric nodded toward the door leading to the foyer. “Go get dressed. I’ll meet you at the pool.”

Des hurried out of the kitchen like the flames of hell were at his heels. I crossed over to my boyfriend, slipping my hand in his while giving him a grateful smile, one that promised lots of loving tonight for being such an awesome boyfriend and protector.

Ric gave me a dark look before loudly clearing his throat. “Now that we have the two of you alone,” he said as he faced the Enchantress and Nimue, “we’d like to ask you a few questions.”

My stomach twisted in a knot. This was it. Time to interrogate and find out what was really going on with them and especially with Bea.

Bea buzzed into the room as fast as a hummingbird.

She quickly spun around before nearly plowing into a window screen. Inky, fathomless pits had swallowed the whites of her eyes. “What’s everyone doing?” Her head twitched. “Doing?”

The Enchantress visibly swallowed while smoothing trembling hands down her sides. “I was about to summon the Phoenix for another interview.”

What the hex?

“Summon me? I-I’m sorry,” I spluttered, my gaze nervously darting to Bea. “I’m exhausted, and I’d rather spend time with my family.”

The Enchantress’s gaze shot to Bea when the sprite clucked her tongue. The influencer’s frozen smile didn’t mask the terror in her eyes. “My Enchanters will be disappointed.”

I couldn’t believe I was feeling sorry for the Enchantress. I had a feeling Bea would find a way to punish her if she didn’t get an interview.

I looked at Ric, who gave me a grim nod. “Okay,” I finally relented, “but not until after supper.”

Relief flashed in her eyes as she bowed her head. “Thank you.”

“Let’s hope I don’t regret it,” I grumbled, though I had a feeling I would.

The Enchantress had a way of making me feel less significant than a tampon- thieving gnome.

She was ruder than a PMSing troll during a chocolate shortage.

Speaking of chocolate, I’d give up the last of my secret stash to get her and her weird staff off this island and out of my life.

And I was talking about the good European chocolate. That’s how much I loathed them.

THE FAMILY DINNER IN the moonlit garden was an informal/formal affair.

The pizza was definitely informal, though Ric was dressed to the nines in his silk dinner jacket, his hair slicked back in a tight queue.

He smelled good enough to devour, his own personal blend of feline pheromones and spices.

Good thing he sat at the other end of the table with our friends between us, or I might have lost all inhibitions, climbed into his lap, and had my way with him.

Ethyl and Frederica sat on the long stone bench beside Ric, the only chair sturdy enough to hold the minotaur’s weight.

Des sat across from them and next to Ric.

It only bothered me slightly that my son didn’t choose to sit by me, for my joy at seeing him and Ric get along so well overshadowed my insecurity.

Shu sat closer to me, the smell of his aerosol hairspray overpowering at times, but I didn’t complain.

I was happy to talk to our family’s fairy godfather and get to know him better.

Speaking of Shu’s hair...it had a lot going on tonight.

The sides resembled a dark swan’s wings, and the top was like a flattened wave, cresting at the very edge of his bangs.

Either he was about to audition for an ’80s glam-rock band or Bigfoot had stepped on the top of his head, crushing just the center while forcing the rest of his hair to spill over the sides.

I assumed an entire can of hair spray had been sacrificed for this Franken-Flock-of-Seagulls masterpiece and he’d resurrected the muses of Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, and Simon Le Bon for inspiration.

Speaking of Simon Le Bon, I was fairly certain “The Reflex” was looking for its wardrobe, which was a whole lot of white leather, silver buckles leading to nowhere, and industrial-sized shoulder pads.

“Did you find anything?” I asked Shu from behind the rim of my wineglass while pushing back my empty pizza plate.

He tossed back his head, his hair helmet staying in place as if it was coated in concrete. Then again, maybe it was.

He folded his hands in front of him, batting thick lashes. “Nothing that would help us understand the Enchantress.” He exchanged glances with Ethyl and Frederica. “But we did find lots on banshees.”

Dread solidified my veins. Did I want to know?

Ric leaned toward him. “And?”

“They’re spirits,” he answered, “and they do not take on physical form.”

“I’ve touched Bea,” I said. “She definitely has a physical form.” I shuddered while remembering she had felt as stiff as a corpse, almost like a mannequin. What if she was a corpse somehow brought back to life? The thought was both fascinating and terrifying.

Ethyl cleared her throat. “What if she is striga-made?”

I gave her a funny look. “Striga-made?”

She nodded. “Like a striga version of Frankenstein’s monster?”

My heart pounded a drum in my chest as I leaned toward her. “You think the Insurgi made her?”

Ric leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers. “That would explain all the other Bea lookalikes.”

I looked from Ethyl to Frederica. “Did you see any evidence of this when you worked for them?”

Frederica shook her head. “Nein, except for rumors.”

“Rumors?” I asked her.

“We heard whispers of strange experiments going on,” Ethyl answered. “We were lower-level grunts. There was a lot we didn’t know about, but we did know there were several Insurgi cells all over the world, some with top-secret labs.”

“But how?” Ric asked, his brow drawn.

Ethyl shrugged apologetically. “I don’t know.”

Ric’s eyes narrowed, then widened as he sat up straight. He spoke from between clenched teeth. “They’re coming.”

My spine stiffened when I heard the click of the Enchantress’s heels echoing across the foyer tiles, followed by the slithering sound of her watchful bodyguard. Their shadows lengthened as they approached us.