Page 3 of The Fang Arrangement (Celestial Witches #2)

It’s no surprise that Gus, my raccoon familiar, is eating peanuts while he watches Pocahontas on the TV.

“Gus, how many have you had?” I ask, looking at the container.

He makes a huffing noise, grabbing the bag with his tiny raccoon hands.

“Mind your own business. You need to get out of the house more,” he says to me telepathically, and my mouth drops.

As my familiar, he communicates only to me through magic and I speak out loud to him. Every witch has one, and they come in a variety of animals and personalities.

“Excuse me, where is this attitude coming from?”

He grumbles, crunching on more peanuts. “The fairies need to learn to shut the fuck up. They’re hindering my daytime sleep.”

If there is one thing to know about Gus, it’s that he loves cursing, eating, and animated movies.

“I’ll talk with the fairies,” I say, feeling exhausted from the day.

I plop down on the couch next to Gus, sending him in the air a little, and he side-eyes me.

“I’m not wrong. You do need to get out more.”

“Violet is setting me up on a date with a wolf shifter,” I tell him proudly.

The racoon snickers at me.

“What?” I say, exacerbated.

“I wonder what will be wrong with him. Will he chew too loud? Will he be too tall or too short? Will he be too masculine or not masculine enough? Oh, I bet he won’t be as big of a freak ? —”

I grab his little nose gently.

“That’s enough.”

I let go of his nose, and he climbs his hefty self into my arms, using his hand to pat my arm.

“I’m not complaining. I love being the man of the house.”

I scratch his chin and ignore his words as my phone chimes with a message.

Unknown

Hi this is Bobby. Violet said you might be interested in getting dinner tonight. How does Howl at the Moon sound?

Gus laughs in my arms. I ignore him, add Bobby’s number to my phone, and type up my reply.

Me

I’d love to. Is 7:30 good?

Bobby

Looking forward to it.

“Poor bastard doesn’t stand a chance,” Gus says, petting my arm, and I wonder if he’s right, and what’s so wrong with me that I can’t let anyone in?

Howl at the Moon is not my ideal location for a date, not even in the slightest. It’s somewhere I go all the time, nothing about it is special or screams romance. It’s a wolf dive bar/restaurant that is conveniently downtown.

But I’m keeping an open mind.

Even if he isn’t a vampire…I swallow that thought down, like I do every time it rattles in my mind. I need to get a grip.

I might over exaggerate when it comes to my encounters with men.

I’m sure most of the coven assumes I’m promiscuous with the way I talk and joke about sex, but the fact is I’ve only had sex once and that was a one-night stand with a kind human boy when I was nineteen.

Then of course there are my endless fantasies about being with a faceless vampire.

Maybe I should seek therapy, or maybe I just need to try harder with men who still have a pulse.

It’s just every time I do, this instinctual thought rips me back and pure disgust fills me.

The fantasies I have aren’t filled with human men, or semi-appropriate supernatural men.

What I want is a desired taste that I’m too self-conscious to bring up to most. Only Iris and Violet have heard me bring up vampires before, and only because I trust them with my life.

Even if the rules of the coven have changed. Vampires are still secretive and dangerous, and they should absolutely not be considered for my dating pool. It’s a fantasy that needs to stay just that—a fantasy that gets locked away.

Damn, I need this date to go well.

A bat flies over the entrance of the building and it feels like a bad omen as a tall man in jeans and a plaid shirt approaches me. He’s handsome enough, dirty blonde hair, and brown eyes. There are no tingles anywhere, but I plaster a smile on my face and shake his hand.

“I’m glad you could meet me tonight,” he says, no southern twang in his voice at all.

“Of course, Violet had nothing but nice things to say,” I lie. All she told me was his height and that he seemed kind enough.

“Shall we?” he says, holding out an arm as we walk through the busy restaurant.

We sit at the table and order our drinks as the small talk starts. He’s friendly, and handsome, and yet, I feel nothing.

I don’t feel attraction, butterflies, anything. I never do.

“So, Violet tells me you have a penchant for earth magic. What does that mean?” he asks.

I give him a smile, he’s a good date, asking me questions and not making it all about himself like I am internally. I know it’s not an issue of not liking men, all my daydreams surround a faceless one. I want a partner, I want romance and Hecate knows I want a physical relationship.

“I house the coven’s gardens, making all the herbs and plants that we need. I’m also quite good at water and fire manipulation. Where did you move from before you joined the Walker Pack?”

“Pretty much everywhere. Never found a pack that had the same ideals until now. It feels nice to finally set roots down somewhere,” he says.

We drink and eat; the conversation is easy and I wonder why I can't make myself want him. Why can’t I have a nice thing?

“I’m going to go to the restroom. I’ll be right back,” I tell him with a tight smile.

He gives me an easygoing nod as I head toward the back of the restaurant, only I go out back to get fresh air.

The door creaks loudly as I let the cooler night air hit my face and I press my back against the bricks.

It’s dark back here, the main street light is and the next one is a good fifty feet away, glowing over the restaurant dumpster.

I turn to go back inside, but the door apparently automatically locks.

“Fuck,” I hiss, about to pull out my wand, as someone grabs me by the hair.

“God, I know you’re going to taste good,” the voice says, but as quickly as they say it, their hand disappears from my hair and a thud smacks against the concrete behind me.

My wand is fully in my hand now as I turn around.

The gasp that slips out of me is heavy as I look down at the body with a stake protruding from its back.

With a flick of my wand, it glows and I can see the black veins creeping around the body as it slowly withers.

It shrinks and shrivels like a raisin, pooling in its own blood.

All that’s left is a pile of goop, a stake, and his clothes…and whoever staked it is still out here watching me.

I keep my wand up as I walk backwards, using magic to open the door as I rush back to the table. I’m clearly flustered as Bobby looks at me with wide eyes.

“Is that blood on your dress?” he asks.

Shit.

“I’m actually not feeling so great. I’m sorry, Bobby. Thank you so much for taking me out tonight.”

“Do you need a ride home?” he asks.

“No…no, thank you.” I take out forty dollars and place it on the table so he understands my intentions as I head out of the restaurant and down an alley where I can teleport home.

My skills still aren’t top tier in this department, but if there’s one place I can easily get to, it’s home. With a deep breath, I portal myself right outside the gates.

Only, I don’t even touch the wrought iron as three large men in suits wait for me.

I keep my voice even.

“Is there something I can help you gentlemen with?” I ask sweetly.

“You’re being brought in by the parish deputy vampire for the murder of a member of our nest. Come willingly or you will be subdued.”

I weigh my options, and I choose violence as I lift my wand.

Before I can even say a single incantation, my wand is out of my hands and my wrists are tied before me. Fear prickles up my spine and I wonder what the hell I just got myself into.