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Addison led a numb, silent Ella around the corner from the shop, to a dark green door set deep into the two-story brick building. She unlocked it, this time with a key instead of magic, and locked it again after tugging Ella into a dark foyer. When the lightbulb buzzed to life overhead, Ella saw a steep stairway leading up to a second floor. It took a moment for her to get her bearings.
“You live above the shop.” It wasn’t a question, but a realization spoken aloud.
“I do. There is access through the shop, but I always keep it locked on the apartment side. Even in a small town like this, I’ve always felt the need to keep my guard up. I suppose that comes from my mom always telling me to be careful about the motivations of the people around me.”
“You let it down for me, though,” Ella said before she could stop herself. Once again, she was treading in dangerous waters with Addison.
Addison looked at her, brow furrowed. “I have, yeah. That’s a head-scratcher, isn’t it? But I feel like I can trust you. Anyway, come on. My stomach is grumbling. I’ve never used big magic like that before and I’m borderline hangry, now.”
The steep steps were narrow. Ella and Addison had to ascend single file, and there wasn’t much space on the landing at the top. Once they were inside Addison’s apartment, however, Ella could appreciate the minimal space outside of it. The apartment itself was as spacious as the store below, with an open floor plan, plenty of windows, and cream-colored walls. It was bright and airy, and Ella adored it on sight.
“Do you own the building?” she asked.
“Gosh, no, I wish. It’s actually held in trust for my family, through my mother’s mother. When Abuela died, she wanted us to carry on her tradition of catering to the Bruja community in and around Winslow. My mom went a little more New Age with the place, but ultimately dropped out of her coven and any related activities. She went to Sedona, where she could lay low and do her own thing, so the shop and apartment have been mine to manage for years. When my mother passes, I become trustee of the property. If I ever have a daughter, I’ll go to our lawyer to draft a restatement of the trust, so it goes to my next of kin.”
It sounded complicated to Ella. Faeries had no need for lawyers, trusts, or other such things. You either did right or wrong, owned something or did not. The only person who oversaw anything in their world was the Keeper, who documented bloodlines, property, and more. The Keeper’s word was final, because they were all-seeing, all-knowing. Ella supposed that since witches lived in the mortal world, they had to abide by human laws.
“Are you hungry for some dinner?” Addison tilted her head toward the kitchen, the question pulling Ella out of her thoughts.
Ella’s stomach rumbled and she shushed it, embarrassment flooding through her. “I’m sorry. That wasn’t intentional.”
“Of course it wasn’t, but I’ll take that as a yes. I’ve got some leftover carnitas we can put in the oven, if you’d like. I hope you don’t mind me not cooking something from scratch, but I don’t like to waste food. They taste just as good the second day around, if you’re game to try.”
“I don’t know what those are, but I’ll try anything once.” Ella almost said “any human food once,” but she managed to bite her tongue and turn to wander around the apartment, touching the various pieces of furniture and artwork.
Everything was soft or smooth, like Addison herself. It was the kind of place where you could turn on some lo-fi, sink down on the sofa, put your feet up, sip a nice herbal tea, and watch the rain patter against the windows. Ella could imagine long, cozy days and romantic nights with Addison in a place like this. The scent of orange wafted in the air, no doubt rising from the steaming cups of tea sitting side by side on the coffee table.
The visual was so strong, she had to squeeze her eyes shut and shake her head.
Faerie godmothers generally weren’t seers. In fact, it was rare that any fae was gifted with the Sight, a talent that seemed mainly reserved for witches. Like Addison’s mother, Ella thought. But perhaps Addison had a touch of that or something that was rubbing off on Ella. The visual and the smell were too strong for her to think it was a passing imaginary fancy or daydream.
When she went into the kitchen, Ella expected to see citrus—something that would explain the sudden sensation—but there wasn’t an orange in sight. She leaned against the wall and watched Addison take foil off a casserole dish. It was full of a variety of things but, again, no orange.
“That looks like a lot of food,” she remarked.
“I know, but it’s really efficient for me to make a big meal, like a casserole, and then reheat a portion of it every night.” Addison stepped aside and Ella saw melted cheese over what looked like a mixture of meat, peppers, and orzo. “Trust me, this is delicious. We’ll get it right in the oven and everything can warm up together.”
Once she was done in the kitchen and the carnitas were reheating in the oven, Addison turned to Ella and pulled her in for an unexpected kiss. Ella sank into the sensation, grateful for the gesture. Considering everything that had happened in a short amount of time, she was surprised Addison had even one romantic thought toward her. She couldn’t help but feel vulnerable in her arms after their perfect night had turned into a not-so-perfect day after.
Ella relaxed as Addison deepened the kiss. With the witch’s arms tight around her, Ella knew nothing had changed, as far as their shared feelings. When Addison ended the kiss, Ella pouted and leaned in for more. Addison laughed and reached up to frame Ella’s face with her hands.
“What is it about you that makes me want to keep going and never stop? You and your cotton candy flavor. I swear, it’s addictive.”
Ella didn’t know what to say to that, so she lifted her face to Addison’s and moaned happily when they kissed again. Every touch left her hungry for more of Addison. She wondered if there would ever be another day in her life that she didn’t want this woman. It was Addison who, once again, stopped the kiss and gazed at her as if considering her options. Ella didn’t want to leave her with any, but Addison seemed to come to a decision, tugging Ella toward the sofa.
It was larger than the one the godmothers kept in their cottage, certainly large enough to accommodate two women tangled in one another’s arms, kissing each other breathless. Addison’s hands stayed on her face, so Ella let hers drift down to her hips. Her fingers curled against Addison’s soft curves, anchoring her in the moment.
Their lips remained joined until Ella lost track of the time. This night seemed like it was heading in the right direction, after all. She hadn’t expected to find herself horizontal with Addison again, not after the hard questions earlier that morning. It was, she decided, fate. They must have belonged together, considering how drawn they were to one another, and nothing was more powerful than that.
Addison leaned over her, eyes twinkling and cheeks flushed. “I thought I’d managed to work out at least some of my need for you last night, that maybe I’d be able to slow things down and wait, while we deal with everything else. But I guess not.”
“I don’t have a problem with this,” Ella huffed. It was amazing to her how this one woman could make her lose sight of everything she’d been told not to do in the mortal world.
“Thank goodness.” Addison’s hands tugged at the bottom of Ella’s shirt, until she pushed it up to reveal her lacy pink bra. “Oh, that is so cute.”
Ella wrinkled her nose at the remark, but then Addison was kissing her way down her torso, and Ella forgot to be bothered by the idea of being cute. Addison’s hands descended to Ella’s jeans and made short work of them, tugging them down over her hips and tossing them to the floor.
It was a good thing Addison had set the oven on the lowest heat possible, because soon they were both naked and giggling in each other’s arms. Addison remained on top, sprinkling kisses all over Ella’s body. Ella stretched and arched, welcoming each moment of contact between them. Addison made her way down between her legs, drawing her lips along Ella’s thighs in leisurely, teasing caresses. Ella thought she might lose herself then and there, before Addison even reached the most intimate parts of her body.
She managed to take deep breaths this time, but she lost all control when Addison worked her way back up and kissed her nipples. Addison seemed content to take her time now, teasing Ella from head to toe and back again. Ella released little mewls of pleasure when she finally felt Addison’s fingers moving over her folds, parting them, and then the wetness of her tongue invading.
Her orgasm was nearly instantaneous. Ella lifted her hips into Addison’s kisses, demanding that she continue as her body rocked out an ecstatic rhythm. Everything about the witch between her legs left her feeling completely intoxicated, and Ella gladly gave up every ounce of self-control.
When she came again, she thought she might explode. She even saw starbursts behind her closed eyelids as her hips shimmied up and down to ride the wave of sensation Addison elicited by sucking on her clit.
She somehow managed to catch her breath enough to hear Addison whisper, “Okay, we better check on the food.”
“Food?” Ella’s head lolled to one side as she tried to catch her breath. “Right. Food. But... more?”
Addison’s warm chuckle made her shiver. “I want more, too, but we both need to eat if we’re going to do this again. Remember last night?”
Last night? Was she kidding? Ella remembered every heart-pounding moment of the hours they’d spent making love. If Addison was implying that they were going to have a repeat of that, then she was right. They were definitely going to need to eat.
They lay in bed, holding hands, fingers intertwined. Ella couldn’t believe how relaxed and even her breathing was after all that they’d done. After their first impromptu lovemaking session in the living room, they’d eaten dinner. It was, as Addison had promised, delicious. Then they’d made their way to the bedroom. Ella didn’t think things could get any better than last night but, to her amazement, they did.
Now they were here, side by side in the darkened room. The only light came from the street. It was enough to see Addison’s beautiful face and body, to make out the curves of her hips and breasts, the swell of her stomach and bottom, and the sparkle in her eyes.
“I’ve been thinking.” Addison’s voice was soft, musing. Ella met her gaze, curious to know where those thoughts would lead. “I should go see my mother.”
“Oh?” Ella tried to think about the last time she’d seen her own mother. It was sometime between finishing the Academy and setting off on her apprenticeship. They talked every so often by way of scrying, but they hadn’t visited with one another to catch up in the past year. Maybe she also ought to visit with her, as well.
“All of this trouble with the coven and you and your... Well, whatever you and your friends are, the things going on around me right now seem to come down to me being a witch. Since I inherited that from my mother, maybe I need to talk to her about what’s going on with this coven coming after me.”
It was an actionable step outside of anything Ella could do and she stiffened for a moment. As the faerie godmother, it was her job to solve the problems, to fix everything or help her charge find the godmother-approved solution. Not the other way around. But the more she considered it, the more she knew it was the only logical approach to the problem.
Ella nodded and drew in a shallow breath. She was going to have to trust her not-quite-human charge to help her get this job done.