Page 18 of Witches and Wine (The Mythical Mates of Arcane Cove #1)
“The horns, Elani. The horns,” I cooed into my phone resting on the nightstand on speaker as I dressed myself.
What did one wear when visiting an ancient witch?
My sister let out a low whistle. “Since when do you divulge this much information on situations between the sheets? Or, in your case, the middle of the damn woods?”
“Since I’ve experienced the blissfulness of being completely unburdened, sis. I only wish I could feel like that more often.” Getting lost in scandalous thoughts of Dion sinking to his knees between my thighs, the moonlight glistening off his horns, I rubbed the dip between my collarbones.
“There’s no reason you can’t. Sounds to me like you keep screwing Dion like a rabbit in heat.”
My cheeks turned to lava pools. “Elani,” I shouted, shoving my arm into one sleeve of a buttoned long-sleeved shirt.
Gurgles and coos sounded from Hedone near the receiver. “Please. The graphic details you just gave me on Dion’s apparent beast form I can never unhear, sis. Never. Want to hear about Eros’s wing play?” The way her voice lilted at that last bit told me she was grinning wickedly.
Huffing, I slipped into a tan pencil skirt. “And I immediately regret telling you.”
Riley hopped onto my nightstand, circling my phone before curling his body around it.
“I know, I know. Harm is off doing otherworldly war duties so I was your next choice.”
I froze at that comment halfway to zipping the back of my skirt. “Elani, you don’t really think that, do you?”
“A little? But honestly, I completely understand. Harm is closer in age to you, and I’m your little sister.”
Guilt twisted in my gut, and I stroked my finger up and down Riley’s fur. “I’m sorry. I never meant for you to feel like I go to her first for everything now.”
“No apologies necessary here, Chels. I see this as my moment to shine, and boy, could I use the grown-up girl talk.” Elani made kissing sounds, followed by Hedone doing a raspberry. “I also can’t believe you’re a witch . Seriously, how cool is that? Have you been able to use any of your magic?”
Tracing a nail over my lips, I sighed. The freedom of my magic flowing from me so effortlessly when Dion was there to remind me to relax was almost enough to make me kidnap him and never let him out of my sight.
A grin tugged at my mouth with that thought because something told me he’d love that.
“Yes. But it’s only breached the surface when I’m completely relaxed or—” I paused, wincing at the other kinds of moments it made an appearance.
“In a state of complete and utter rapture?” Elani finished for me.
Bringing the phone back to my ear, I scratched Riley’s head, warming at the sight of him smiling, his tiny teeth poking out. “That is a lovely way to put it, yes.”
“I refined it for you. My mind was way farther in the gutter. What made you want to go see this High Priestess if you can’t summon your magic at will yet?”
After giving my hair a final tousle in the mirror, I grabbed my purse and headed out the door. “Ouch.”
“I meant no offense and certainly have no room to talk considering how long it took me to get a handle on my powers, but if you can’t show your magic, how is she supposed to help you?”
My heels clicked on the sidewalk, the town’s small, cozy vibes settling more in the daylight, brightened by the sun. “Dion suggested it. He thought she might be able to help me harness it. He said I should go alone because it was a witchy thing, and he didn’t want to step on my toes.”
“That’s awfully nice of him.” Elani paused and, with her voice muffled like she’d pressed the receiver against herself, said, “In here, babe. Talking to Chels.”
Hedone’s excited gurgling blared through the speaker.
“Husband home?” I bit back a smile.
Elani laughed. “How could you tell?”
I caught sight of the bakery shop where I’d met Sylvie days prior and halted. “I’ll let you go, Lani. Say hi to Eros for me, and I’ll fill you in on what happened tomorrow, okay?”
“You sure? He doesn’t mind us talking.”
The god of love never came between any relationships, but he put his soulmate’s above all else. He made my sister so deliriously happy that I could only hope to find something similar one day, or at the very least find that sense of calm for myself .
“It’s fine. Smother your family with kisses, and I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Love you.”
“Love you.”
After slipping my phone into my handbag, I swung open the shop’s door, smiling at the pleasant chime. Sylvie was at the counter this time, spraying and wiping down the glass display case. She perked up when I walked in and grinned like she recognized me.
“Chelsea, hello again.” Sylvie’s hair was down, this time in luscious blonde waves, the tips tinged a pale blue.
Fiddling with my purse strap, I approached the counter. “You remember my name? I’m impressed.”
Sylvie wiped off her hands and put the spray bottle away. “Don’t you remember mine?” A playful glint danced in her gaze.
“Sylvie,” I offered, cresting a smile. “Short for Sylvaria.”
She clapped her hands together and pointed at me. “I knew it. You seemed like a people person.”
Chuckling, I reached into my pocket, producing a business card. “I should hope so. I’m in public relations. And this is a no-pressure-at-all sales pitch, but if you ever feel like you could use my services, here’s my information.”
Sylvie held it between two fingers and raised it, letting the shop lights hit it. “I just might. As you can see, business hasn’t exactly been booming lately.”
This was new territory for me. Do magical beings ask what the other was? What they could do? Would I be insulting her and jeopardize any chance of a future friendship or working relationship?
“Speaking of which,” I started, tapping my fingernail on the countertop. “I’m not sure how to ask this.”
Sylvie folded her arms, a smile beaming on her features. “You didn’t know this place was magical, did you?”
My face fell flat. “Can you read minds? And I’m asking that sincerely, now that I know what this place is.”
Sylvie’s face lit up at that, sparkling in quite the literal sense like shimmering ice crystals.
“It’s been so long since I’ve met someone stumbling into our little hidden town by accident who didn’t know what they were.
That’s remarkable.” She leaned her forearms on the counter and slipped a hand over mine, squeezing it once.
“But it has happened before?”
Before I became a more relaxed version of myself, her sudden forwardness may have made me tense, now, it made me smile.
Sylvie shook her head, her wispy bangs catching on her lush eyelashes. “Not since I moved here, but I’ve heard stories.” She removed a tray of macarons from the case and set them between us. “And to answer your question, I’m a faerie.”
Had I flat-out asked her that? I don’t remember asking her that.
“Oh,” I responded, leaning one hip against the counter. “And here I thought faeries had wings.”
Nodding, Sylvie scooped a yellow macaron into her palm and bit into it. “I keep them hidden. They get in the way here. Want one?” She nudged the box of desserts toward me.
My eyes went wide at her nonchalance. And it wasn’t as if I hadn’t known winged beings existed, seeing as my brother-in-law owned a giant pair of angelic white ones that I’d touched on one occasion. Still, her abrupt declaration, despite being part of this world now, gave me pause.
“Oh, did you want to see them?” Sylvie stood tall, dusting off her hands and working the remnants of the macaron in her mouth to swallow it.
Sheepishly, I combed some of my hair over an ear. “You don’t have to.”
“It’s not a big deal. I forgot you’re new to this, and I don’t blame you for being curious.
” Sylvie flicked her wrist, sending a spiraling trail of pale blue magic that matched the highlights in her hair.
It circled to her back, where a pair of snowy white and blue wings with icy outer edges appeared.
Involuntarily, my jaw fell slack. “They’re gorgeous .”
Sylvie’s porcelain cheeks turned rosy, and the wings did a single quick flap. “Thank you.”
The time on the cupcake clock hanging on the wall behind the counter caught my attention, and I sighed, knowing I was doing nothing but stalling at this point. “You wouldn’t happen to have anything for courage in your delectable stash, would you?”
“Hm, I might.” Sylvie tapped her plump lips, her wings slowly fanning in and out. “May I ask the reason?”
“I’m going to talk to Cressida, the High Priestess?”
Sylvie’s violet eyes went wider, her wings fluttering quicker now. “Ah, so you’re a witch, are you?”
“Does no one else go to see the High Priestess except witches?” I blinked, genuinely befuddled.
Sylvie scrunched her nose against her upper lip and shook her head.
“Not generally, no. Between you and me—” She paused to lean closer, going so far as to cup a hand over her mouth as if the Priestess would appear in a puff of smoke.
“—she’s not the best company. Very serious, to the books, and a bit crass, if you ask me. ”
Well, that certainly didn’t make it any easier.
“Thanks for the warning.”
Sylvie drummed her hands on the counter and stood straight. “So, you’re a witch. That’s exciting. Besides Cressida, I only know of three other women in town who are witches.”
“Really? We’re not common?”
Sylvie crouched to a lower shelf, pushing the sliding glass to one side and removing a fritter. “Not in the Cove, anyway. But something must’ve drawn you here.” Her faerie eyes flashed at me as she placed the treat on a plate and rested it in front of me.
My stomach twisted into a bout of pleasurable knots. Something or some one .
Laughing, I eyed the pastry like a treasure. “No kidding. I thought I was heading into Burlington, Vermont, to check out apartment complexes there and stumbled into this place.”