Caliste stood on the ladder, stretching her arm as high as she could to give the wooden sign one final swipe of her paintbrush.
There. Perfect.
“Blue? I would have assumed you’d choose red. You always wear red.” A familiar drawl startled her.
She nearly lost her footing as she turned to look at the intruder.
Gerard’s blue eyes stared back at her from a dark hoodie. Her eyebrow arched at his sad attempt to blend in. The sight of him in an oversized hoodie and baggy jeans made her smile. Did he think no one would notice the viceroy if he were dressed like that?
Carefully, she stepped down from the ladder and turned to face him. Her breath caught in her throat. His nearness sent a shiver up her spine. She wished now that she had stayed on the ladder.
Being so close to him made her stomach flutter. His eyes roamed her face, making her blush.
“You look beautiful.” His voice was a whisper.
Caliste laughed, the sound drawing attention. She looked down at her paint splattered overalls and patted her frizzy, loose bun.
“In this old thing?” She waved a hand down her frame.
Gerard’s eyes held hers. “Yes.”
Heat spread up her neck at his intense stare. She glanced around the street. Mona, among others, was watching them intently. Probably hoping for something juicy to share with the rest of the coven.
Caliste nodded toward her shop. “Shall we?”
Gerard smiled. “I’d love to.”
Her heart sped up as she led him inside. What would he think of her little shop? Curious to see his reaction, she watched as his gaze swept the room, taking it all in.
Instead of the contemptuous lip curl she expected from a viceroy, she was surprised at his blank expression. It was almost as if… he’d been there before. But when, and the more important question, why?
His eyes followed her as she walked past the row of potions and charms, heading for the back. She glanced over her shoulder at him.
“Would you like some tea?”
He cocked his head at her. “Aren’t you going to ask me why I’m here first?”
She shrugged. “I was getting to it, but I haven’t had my tea yet.”
His lips quirked into a smile, the corners of his eyes crinkling with amusement. Her heart warmed at the sight. Why did seeing him again have such an effect on her?
Did he feel it too?
Pushing away the thoughts, Caliste rummaged through the messy cupboards, the noise filling up the awkward silence.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw Gerard peer into one of the antique decanters and take a sniff, only to crinkle his nose at the potent potion.
She bit back a smile. “Are you looking for a love potion?”
His eyes widened at her. “L’amour?”
“That’s an aphrodisiac potion. You know to help—”
“Yes. I know. I don’t need any help with that.” He smirked.
Caliste snorted and turned back to the cupboards. She was acutely aware of the vampire as he sauntered closer to her. He came up behind her and the way he towered over her was both intimidating and… thrilling.
His smell washed over her. The strong spice of the cologne mixed with something earthy and masculine. It made her want to bury her face into his broad chest, feel his strong arms around her.
Heat crept up her neck at the imagery.
“Do you need help?” His accent thickened.
He was so close that she could feel the warmth of his breath. A shiver run up her spine.
“Could you get those cups for me, please?”
Without meaning to, her words came out deep and sultry. She flushed. Gerard reached above her head and pulled down the matching teacups she’d indicated.
They looked small and delicate in his large hand. His eyebrow arched as he held them up. “I feel honored that my attendance has required the use of your special china.”
Caliste smiled. “Only the best for the viceroy.”
His gaze drifted to her, his eyes narrowing into contemplating slits. She took a step back under his scrutinizing stare. The way he looked at her made her feel… unsure. No one had ever looked at her—really looked—like that.
As if he was trying to unravel everything about her. It was as if he found her a puzzle and that was puzzling to her because there was nothing so complex or mysterious about her.
She was just… average.
“Should we sit or is it common witch custom to stand for tea?”
His teasing question snapped her back to reality. She turned and fled for the kitchen to retrieve the tea and kettle. Even in the other room, his presence was overwhelming. Baffling, too.
What was he even doing there?
A million scenarios played out in her head. None of them made sense. There was no logical explanation for his unexpected visit. Which only left the illogical, the preposterous.
Had he come just to see her?
The idea was startling. Terrifying. Thrilling.
Catching a glimpse of her wide-eyed reflection in one of the spelled mirrors, Caliste gave herself a good, hard mental kick.
First of all, she looked a hot mess with her sweaty forehead and paint splotched face. Second of all, he was not only a vampire, but THE vampire. The viceroy—Queen’s right-hand man. He was bonded to the vampire queen and Caliste knew better than to mess around with a queen’s sireling Even if he was as hot as sin.
“Caliste?” Gerard’s voice interrupted her.
She shook away the inappropriate thoughts and grabbed the tea bags and kettle. Forcing a neutral look on her face, she returned to find Gerard standing beside the cluttered, little side table.
His large stature made her shop feel even smaller than the hovel it was. Embarrassed, she set the hot kettle down on a random dishrag and swept the pile of dried leaves off the table with her hand She could clean them up later.
“It was for a spell.” She explained.
As if that could explain the rest of the mess. Ignoring Gerard’s amused smirk, Caliste placed the tea bags into their cups and turned to retrieve the kettle.
The sound of the hot liquid pouring into the china filled the room. Though her eyes were steady on the tea, she could feel the weight of Gerard’s stare.
For the life of her, she couldn’t understand what it was about her that he found so intriguing. He was a vampire and had spent his early turned years at the queen’s court, surrounded no doubt, by the most gorgeous immortals in existence.
Surely, she couldn’t compare favorably to any of them.
Steam rose from her cup as she held it up and breathed in the spicy aroma. Gerard reached over to pull her chair out for her. Caliste smiled and sat. She set her cup down, wrapping her hand around the warm china.
“What kind of tea is this?” Gerard asked as he sank into the seat in front of her.
“Cinnamon and honey”
He took a sip and nodded in approval. Caliste blew on her cup of tea as she watched him. It was the first time she had really studied the vampire. Sure, she noticed his good looks right away—the aristocratic features, chiseled body, and perfect hair—she wasn’t blind, but seeing him there in the morning light sitting at the table with her, she was spellbound by him.
He was beautiful. The most beautiful man she’d ever seen. Her cheeks warmed at the silly thought. She was way too old to be developing schoolgirl crushes like that. Especially on a vampire. The viceroy himself.
She shook her head. The idea of them together was laughable.
“What?” His voice interrupted her wayward thoughts.
“Hmm?”
He arched an elegant brow. “You were smiling. Care to share your thoughts with me?”
Caliste stared into her tea, flushing. “No.”
Gerard smirked. “Now I’m even more curious.”
Silence spread between them. When she looked up, he was still staring at her. His blue eyes pinning her with their intensity. His gaze dropped to her lips. Her cheeks warmed at the memory of his kiss. For someone who was technically dead, he’d ignited such a searing passion she’d never experienced before.
Shifting in her seat, she tried to banish the image from her mind. It had been a spur of the moment thing. Nothing serious.
Caliste set her teacup down and cleared her throat. “So.”
He leaned back in his chair and regarded her. “So.”
“Are you going to tell me why you’re here?”
“I was in the neighborhood. Thought I’d pay you a visit.”
She stared at him. “You were…in the neighborhood?”
He shook his head in confirmation. As if she would really believe that innocent look. Vampires—especially viceroys—did not stroll through the witch’s square at whim.
Realizing he wasn’t going to offer her any more information, she tried to change the subject.
“Have you heard any news of the blood markets?”
His face hardened. “No, but I have my eyes open now. There will be no more of their criminal transactions.”
Caliste sighed. As much as she’d love to believe him, she had her doubts that even he could prevent the rogues from running their blood markets.
“I can’t stay long, but I wanted to check on you. Make sure you were… well.”
She blinked in surprise at his quick change of topic. He was concerned about her?
The thought made her smile. “Thank you. But you could have just called. You have my number.”
He shrugged. “But then I wouldn’t be able to see your beautiful face.”
Heat crept across her skin. She’d received compliments before, but for some reason Gerard’s felt more genuine. His regard of her meant more to her than she cared to realize. It was borderline dangerous.
Yet she couldn’t help but let her mind wander and her heart hope for something she knew could never be hers.
“This… meeting. This is unwise.” She voiced her concerns.
Gerard frowned. “Can’t a person pay a visit to a fellow colleague?”
Her eyes shot to his. “Is that what we are? Colleagues?”
“Yes.”
The fire burning in his gaze said otherwise. It spoke of something forbidden, something dangerous. They stared at each other, their unspoken desire heavy in the air.
Despite the million warning bells ringing in her mind, Caliste couldn’t help but reach a tentative hand toward him.
She placed it atop of his, the warmth of their touch more startling than she’d expected. Her heart thumped loudly in her ears and her throat turned dry.
Gerard stilled, his eyes on their connected hands.
“You should go.” Caliste could barely get the words out.
It felt as if all the oxygen had left the room and just breathing was a struggle. Her head swam as mixed emotions rolled inside of her.
“Yes. I should.” Gerard’s words were a whisper. They sounded more like a warning to himself than a response to her.
He stood abruptly, eyes dancing away from her. “Goodbye, Caliste.”
With that, he swept out of the shop so suddenly, she barely had time to register it. She sat, hand on her racing heart.
Questions swarmed through her mind. What was happening? Why had he come? Would he come again?
She wanted him to. Already, she felt a loss at his absence, and it scared her. Trying to steady her turbulent emotions, she drummed her fingers on the table.
A groan escaped her. Falling for Gerard would be the stupidest thing she could do and yet the ache in her chest told her it was already too late.
The handsome viceroy wasn’t going anywhere, and New Orleans wasn’t big enough for her to avoid him forever.
They would meet again and where their future led them… only time would tell.