| |
Ella spent the next week after the concert walking on sunshine. The thrill of the kisses she’d shared with Addison blunted Raven’s remarks, both lewd and rude, on anything. Morgan seemed to look at her askance more often than not, but kept her thoughts to herself. When asked where she was going, Ella always had a perfectly reasonable answer:
“To do my job.”
It was true, she was spending a lot of time with Addison, but with good reason. She had to get to know the woman she was supposed to guide to the right path. The best way to do this, she rationalized, was to form a friendship. It didn’t matter that witches and fae generally had tense relations. Addison wasn’t even aware of her true heritage and couldn’t be faulted for it.
Raven seemed to see right through Ella’s explanations. “Once a witch, always a witch. And I’m not saying they’re bad. In fact, some of the best sex of my life has been with witches. Even entire covens, all at the same time.”
“Do I have to hear this?” Ella glared down at Raven, who was crouching in their backyard, poking at the ground with a stick. All Ella wanted to do was hurry to the shop, where she’d promised to meet Addison for lunch. Instead, she was getting more stories about Raven’s many sexploits.
“No, but I like seeing you squirm. Anyway, at some point she’s going to figure out the truth. If those powers didn’t hit her at puberty like they usually do with supernaturals, then that’s a bad sign.” Raven tapped the stick against the ground and an entire bed of flowers sprouted up, bringing much needed color to the patch of dirt.
Faeries couldn’t create something out of nothing, but if they planted seeds, they could make them sprout. Sometimes, it struck Ella as funny that Raven liked to grow flowers and make their backyard pretty and colorful.
“Why is it a bad sign?”
Raven pushed her lips out in a pout and added a small, decorative cactus with another tap of the stick. “That’s better. We don’t want this to look unnatural. As far as people like us, we have abilities that grew throughout our childhood, right? Shifters and witches also tend to develop in that same way. They have entire communities that nurture them, like the fae do for their own. Now, some can have no powers at all, and that’s usually fine. The person is still part of their community, but maybe in a service role, like blacksmithing or selling magical goodies, like your witch has been doing.”
“She’s not my witch,” Ella said, exasperated. “And so what if Addison doesn’t have powers? I think it’s better that way, anyway. I wish you’d make a point.”
“I am.” Raven straightened to her feet and turned to Ella. “My point is, no abilities means no attention. Everyone knows your place in the community and respects it. Delayed abilities, however, are potentially problematic.”
Nothing and no one could be less problematic than Addison, as far as Ella was concerned. She folded her arms, impatient to leave.
“I know you don’t want to hear it, but if she had no abilities, then the coven wouldn’t have any interest in her. But they do.”
“Maybe Anthea just has the hots for her. You’d understand if you met Addison.” Ella wondered if maybe she should bring her new charge to the house to introduce her to Raven and Morgan. It might allay their concerns about the situation.
Raven glanced up at the sky, something in her gaze almost forlorn. “You aren’t getting it, are you? Delayed power means it’s bigger than big. Addison isn’t just a witch. Think about what she told you about her mother. We’re talking big queen energy here, okay? These women don’t just want Addison in their coven. They want her to lead them. Now, some covens are dedicated to the right hand path and some to the left. One guess as to where Addison’s powers and likely fate belong.”
Ella balled her fists at her sides. Why was Raven so determined to rain on her parade? “There isn’t an evil bone in her body.”
“I didn’t say evil. I said left-hand path. Why does everyone conflate that with evil?” Raven shook her head. “Witches can worship darker deities without doing bad things. Anyway, my point is the longer it takes the power to manifest, the bigger it is. When it happens, it’ll be a supernatural mic drop. Right now, it’s just producing a whole lot of static that’s getting louder and louder, and other witches are honing in on it. If a coven has already laid claim to Addison, they’ll do everything they can to make her theirs. It might even be better for Addison, because she’ll have the protection of a coven if she accepts it. If not, others might come for her and they might be harder to deal with when they do.”
“I’m sure it’s not as dramatic as you make it sound.” Ella waved her off. “She has options, you know.”
“Does she?” Raven squinted at her.
This conversation wasn’t helping either of them, so Ella backed away several steps. “Of course she does. She’s not stupid. She knows how to choose for herself.”
Raven’s eyes narrowed further. “Okay, Miss Perfect. If it’s that easy to choose, then why was she assigned a faerie godmother?”
Leave it to Raven to instill one doubt after another in her mind. Ella scurried across the street, toward the shop, the conversation from earlier that morning still swirling in her thoughts.
Addison was well aware of her mother’s activities as a witch, but it was clear she didn’t have any specific inclination to pursue it herself. She wanted, as she had told Ella, to honor both sides of her heritage. She certainly hadn’t displayed any big, scary powers, and Ella was sure Addison was the kind of person who would choose the right path, especially if they became more than friends.
She knew a lunch here and there wouldn’t be enough to persuade Addison to make the right choice, but it was a start. Ella tucked her hair behind her ears, drew in a deep breath, and then pushed open the shop door.
Patchouli incense wafted in the air and her nose twitched at the scent. She liked it and had come to associate it with Addison in all her radiant beauty. The witch was discussing herbs with a customer in the corner where jars full of dried plants were lined up on shelves. She glanced at Ella and gave her a small wave before turning her attention back to the customer.
Ella smiled to herself and picked up a book off one of the shelves. As she flipped through the pages, a low voice behind her asked, “Looking for some new spells, Fluffy Bunny?”
“Why can’t you just go away?” Ella grumbled. First Raven, now Anthea. Ella wondered if she should introduce the two of them to each other. Too bad Anthea was the bad guy. Why deprive Ella of the pleasure of beating her when she won this little game of back and forth for Addison?
“Aw, I would love to, but then I wouldn’t get to play with you, Bunny.” Anthea was gloating at her, arms folded. In another moment, however, she reached for Ella, settling her hands on the faerie godmother’s hips. “My, you are a cutie. I can think of plenty of ways to play, if you’re open to some fun.”
“Ew, no!” Ella took a step back and shot a narrow-eyed glare at her. “I’m here to keep that one away from you and your influence, so don’t even think you can get on my good side.”
Anthea laughed and ran her fingers along the spines of the books. “You’re made of nothing but good sides, huh? It’s kind of a shame, really, that you don’t know how to let go and have fun.”
“Have fun? Trust me, I know how to do that without hurting people, unlike you.” Ella wanted to jab her finger into Anthea’s chest, but she already had shivers running up and down her flesh from the way the rival witch had touched her. Best to keep her distance and focus on her job.
The way Anthea turned away from her with a smirk and her nose in the air was almost too much. However, Ella held her ground while her enemy sauntered to the door and left the shop. It took counting to ten for her breathing to return to normal.
The only other customer in the shop followed Addison to the cash register to make their purchase and left a few minutes after Anthea. It was a relief to Ella to be the only one in the store, besides Addison. She approached the counter slowly, not sure if she should say something or let Addison speak first.
“Hey, you.” Addison’s voice was soft, almost sultry, and a new shiver claimed Ella’s body. One that was delicious and full of need. “So, can we call today a date this time, or...?”
“Yes,” Ella answered too quickly and winced. “I mean, if you want to, I want to. I’m ready to.”
Addison’s chuckle sounded knowing. She walked around the counter and bent her head to kiss Ella. Her lips were as soft and firm as Ella remembered, and Addison knew exactly how to use them. Ella groaned into the kiss as she considered the other places Addison could use her lips and tongue.
There were so many feelings she’d denied herself, first in her training at the academy, then as a faerie godmother apprentice learning the world. But ever since she’d found out Addison was supernatural like her, it seemed all bets were off. Something about their similar natures made her seem less forbidden than she otherwise would have been as a mortal.
Should Ella fall in love with a witch? No. Could she help it? Also no. It was just as frowned upon as falling in love with a human, but maybe there was a way around that. Not that Ella could rationalize anything with her mind made fuzzy from Addison’s kisses. Loving anyone was tricky in her situation, but that didn’t mean she wanted it any less.
Addison’s arms settled around her waist, pulling her close. Even though a customer could walk in at any moment, Ella wrapped her arms around Addison’s shoulders and gave in to the kiss. This was something she could do all day and all night, if only they had the time.
“Okay, if I don’t stop now, we’re never going to eat.” Addison leaned her forehead against Ella’s, eyes closed. “You taste like cotton candy, I swear. I didn’t even know that was possible.”
“Cotton candy?” Ella whispered.
“Yes, light and sweet, and I can’t get enough of you.” Addison blew out a gentle sigh, her breath fanning over Ella’s mouth. “Too bad I need more to sustain me than your kisses. What would you like to eat?”
Ella could think of a few answers, none of which were food. “There’s a really good taco truck across the street.”
“I know, I love their stuff, but that’s not a date. That’s hanging out on a park bench to grab a quick bite to eat, and I want to spend an hour or two with you, at the very least.” Addison pulled back and blinked down at her, and then tugged her toward the door.
“Where are we going?” Ella asked.
“I’m going to close up shop and then you and I are going to spend however long it takes to be satisfied with each other’s company. Let’s go to the Falcon. Nobody will bother us there and we can enjoy a long lunch.”
Ella knew she would follow Addison, even if she suggested having lunch in the middle of the desert, surrounded by a pack of coyotes. Like so many ingénues in the original fairy tales, Ella let the witch take her by the hand and lead the way.