“Oh dear. Oh, oh, dear,” Hildegard said worriedly from the bedpost.
“What? You’ve never seen a grown woman eat an entire chocolate cake?” Polina shoveled in another bite, avoiding her reflection in the mirror. As a metal witch, mirrors usually accentuated her power. But today, all they reflected was a wild-haired woman in pink flannel pajamas with a mouth covered in chocolate and a half-empty bottle of wine on her bedside table.
“What happened? You opened the Bordeaux. It must be serious.”
“He kissed me, Hildie.”
“Who kissed you?”
“Logan.”
“The human?”
She picked up the pan from her lap. “He made me this cake.” She dropped the pan and scooped another forkful of moist chocolate deliciousness.
“Looks tasty.”
New tears streamed down Polina’s face. She lifted the bottle of wine and sipped, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand as she returned it to her bedside table.
“That was rather unattractive,” Hildie said.
“Who cares? Nobody here but us chickens. There’s never anyone here but us.” By the goddess, she was lonely and every fiber of her being wanted to fly straight back to Logan and dull the ache of it.
“This has really upset you. Was he unkind or inappropriate in some way?”
“No, he was sweet. Watch.” Polina waved her hand in a wide arc toward the cheval mirror and said, “Reveal.”
Logan’s face appeared in the silver, even more handsome than she’d remembered. “Go out with me, Polina. On a proper date. I want to know you better. I want to know everything about you.”
“A perfect gentleman. Why the tears?”
“It’s the spell, Hildie. Even Grateful thought so. You can’t touch someone’s soul and not feel some attraction. It’s not real, and even if it was, I know better than to get involved with a human again. It isn’t worth the heartbreak.”
“This is so much better?” Hildie cried. “Eating yourself sick on chocolate cake and wine while wearing granny jammies?”
“There are worse ways to pass the time.” She raised another forkful to her lips, but Hildegard swooped down and snatched the utensil from her grip.
“Pull yourself together, my lady! We have trouble in the realm.”
“What kind of trouble?”
“The werewolf pack staying in Renegade Caverns has grown to twelve, if I’m counting right. New wolves. Young men and women who look like they’ve never shifted before.”
“Twelve? There were only three last time I checked.”
“The gargoyles have kept an eye on them as you requested. These new additions are recent. But Nicodemus says he saw them stealing food and drink from the human campsite last night.”
“Stealing? Interacting with humans? This is unacceptable. How long until the next full moon?” She sat up, wiping under her eyes.
“Three days. You need to talk with them. Get to know their leader and make sure he has a plan. The young ones will be hard to control.”
“I know. I know.” Bounding from bed, she carried the cake pan and wine to the kitchen. “Give me twenty minutes.”
“Not a moment more. I’m worried about you.” The owl landed on her perch, her head tipped in an almost maternal way.
With a deep, cleansing breath, Polina gave the owl a gentle hug. “Don’t worry, Hildegard. I’m already over it.” The owl bobbed her head and spread her wings, soaring out the open kitchen window.
Polina hated to lie to Hildegard. Her emotional state wasn’t even on the same map as “over it.” But she loved Hildie and didn’t want her to worry. She would simply muscle through it.
She returned to her bedroom and dug in her closet for something to wear. An ankle-length black skirt, thin and flowing, would do the trick on this hot day. She paired it with a peasant blouse and red leather corset. When she reached into the shelving to retrieve a pair of black boots, a camo-green container caught on the toe and slid from the shelf. Only her superhuman reflexes saved it from hitting the floor.
“What’s this?” She rotated the container in her palm. A Duck Dynasty thermos.
Polina dropped her clothes on the floor and clutched the thermos with both hands. This was the positivity potion Grateful had mentioned yesterday. The Monk’s Hill witch had made it for Tabetha and then given it to Polina as a reward for helping her slay Salem’s sorceress. A less-educated witch might call it a love potion, but Polina knew better. Positivity potion changed the drinker’s chemistry to magically attract their perfect match. It didn’t guarantee love. True love couldn’t be created or destroyed with magic.
She unscrewed the lid and looked inside. The potion swirled within. Shades of ruby and scarlet, pale at the edges and deeper colored at the center, spiraled with a life of their own. As she peered through the mouth, a glittery purple heart formed and then morphed into an hourglass figure before dissolving into pinky red tones. The aroma emitted from the brew almost brought her to her knees, dark spices and leather—the scent of a man from a concoction evocative of a woman. She caught herself lifting it to her lips.
Clapping the lid back on, she shivered with the effort of denying herself. Could she take this? If she found her match, would the new attraction wipe Logan from her mind? Perhaps there was a warlock or fae male waiting for her on the other side of this potion. It could be her answer, the magic eraser to wipe her emotional slate clean of the human. She opened the container again and brought her face closer to the lip.
“Ten minutes,” Hildegard called from the kitchen.
Polina returned the container to the shelf. With a firm shake of her head, she gathered her clothing and headed for the shower. She had more important things to worry about at the moment than falling in love. Besides, the potion she truly wanted was one to make the feelings go away rather than invite new ones. Get a grip. With a deep breath, she centered herself, and then she got back to work.