Eliza
I moved the little orchid to my desk, hoping it would get more sun, but it seemed paler and smaller. I took out the notecard of instructions Ashley gave me and read them again.
“East-facing windows provide morning sunlight. This is essential. North-facing will make your orchid get droopy and die. South and west-facing will dry it out. Make sure you put it in an east-facing window.” She underlined the last sentence three times. I looked at the potted plant. “Crap. Is this window east-facing?”
I double checked. It did face east. Hooray.
I looked at the instructions again. I seemed to be doing everything right, but the orchid was not happy. I called Ashley.
“I’m having a problem with Halitosis.”
“Excuse me?”
“My orchid. I call her ‘Hal’ for short.”
“Hmph. Maybe she doesn’t like the name you gave her.”
“Can an orchid get offended?”
“You’d be surprised,” she said. I heard the sound of traffic in the background. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
“I don’t know. She looks kind of sad. She isn’t as pink as she was before. And her leaves—”
“Stop. I’m coming right now. Tell her I’m on my way.”
She hung up on me. Letting out a curse, I put down my phone and did as Ashley asked.
“Ashley is on her way,” I said. “Don’t, uh, worry or whatever.”
Hal gave me a dirty look, odd for an orchid, and when Ashley arrived, she gave me a dirty look, too. Her hair hung long and loose with flowers woven into her tresses. She wore an old pair of denim overalls, a white T-shirt, and a green khaki jacket with lots of pockets. Her tennis shoes had flowers all over them, and so did her reusable shopping bag. She must have been grocery shopping because it was full of fresh fruits and vegetables. Ashley was, of course, a vegetarian, but for such a laid-back, peaceful, mindful sort of person, she had a temper. Especially when it came to the mistreatment of her flowers.
“What did you do to our baby?” she asked, dropping her bag onto the floor. An apple rolled out and ended up under my desk. She didn’t even look at it. Ashley remained entirely focused on the orchid. She spoke to it using a soft coo. “It’s okay, darling. I’m here. Tell me what’s wrong.”
She gently inspected the leaves and touched the soil around the plant, a frown on her face. “Did you follow the directions I gave you?”
“I did everything.” I stared at the notecard. “East-facing window. Watering once a week. Fertilizing once a month. What am I doing wrong?”
Ashley took the notecard out of my hands and turned it over. “Did you look at the back?”
Oops. “There were instructions on the back?”
Letting out a growl of annoyance, she pointed a finger at the words on the back of the notecard. “Read the rest. Please,” she said, folding her arms over her chest.
I rolled my eyes. “Fine. Okay. Calm down.” I scanned the card with a frown. “Provide air circulation. How am I supposed to do that?”
“In the summer you can open your windows. Now, of course, you’ll need a small fan.”
“So, in addition to what I spent on this thing, I also need to buy it a fan?”
“Yes. Now continue.”
Ashley was kind of a bully, and her instructions were ridiculous. “Hold on. You want me to bring it home with me every weekend?”
If the orchid had ears, Ashley would have covered them right now. “Of course,” she said, chastising me. “You can’t leave her alone here. That’s neglect.”
“I don’t believe this.” I read the next instruction and looked at her in surprise. “I have to talk to Hal?”
“Don’t you talk to your other plants?”
I snorted. “Ash, I have no other plants.” She shook her head in disgust and I continued. “What would I talk to Hal about?”
“Everything,” she said. “The only way she’ll grow and thrive is if you share all your secrets with her, but you should also talk about your daily life. Tell her about what you did yesterday.”
My eyes widened. “Right now?”
“Yes,” she said, dropping to her hands and knees and retrieving the apple from under my desk. She rubbed it on her jacket, sat in the chair in front of me, and took a bite. “I want to make sure you’re doing it correctly.”
Her words were garbled as she chewed her apple, but I understood. Since arguing with this particular green witch was pointless, I gave in and talked to my orchid.
“Yesterday I took my sister shopping and arranged for her to have a makeover at Salvatore Barbero’s.”
“Ooooh. Lucky girl. What else did you do?”
I bit my lip. “I slept with Ivan Rochat.”
Ashley choked on the apple. I brought her a glass of water, and once she stopped coughing, she spoke to me. “Ivan Rochat?”
“Do you remember the destiny spell?” I asked. “That’s him. He’s my destiny.”
“So, it’s a good thing, right?” She took another bite of her apple and chewed it cautiously.
“It would be if he weren’t an untrained witch practically teeming with raw, powerful magic. Oh, and he wants to steal something that’s been placed in my safe keeping for his own protection.”
“I take it back. That does not sound good.”
“It’s not. I promised to instruct him on the magical arts, but I’ve barely taught him anything yet. He was sort of in trouble with the police, but it’s all cleared up now.”
“Did you talk with the coven about this?”
“I did,” I said with a sigh. “They concluded I have to perform the Great Rite with him before winter solstice. Otherwise, I won’t be able to control him. He’ll control me.”
“And yet you had sex with him yesterday?” She shook her head, her eyes troubled. “Not good. You should stop doing that until you perform the Great Rite.”
“Why?” I had no regrets about last night. Although surprised when I woke up naked and alone in my bed this morning, I figured Ivan had his reasons for leaving without saying goodbye. Or at least I hoped he did.
She wrapped her apple core in a tissue and placed it in her pocket. “Think about it. The Great Rite is more than just a physical act. It’s emotional, mental, and spiritual as well. And if your goal is power, not love, it’s sacrilege. Sleeping with him before you’re connected with him on all levels is not the responsible thing to do, especially if he’s your destiny. It’s sex magic. Not love magic”
“I know about the implications of the Great Rite, but I have no experience with it myself.”
“It’s even more complicated since Ivan is your destiny. He’s not some random partner. He’s not even a witch. Well, not officially at least. You have to be careful or you could mess things up big time.”
“Great. What do I have to do?”
“Oh, that part’s easy. You have to fall in love with Ivan. Truly, selflessly in love. And he has to feel the same way about you.” She glanced at her watch. “Got to go. I have to meet with a bride about wedding flowers, and you’ll need a few moments of privacy to freak out because of what I just told you. See you later.”
She grabbed her bag of groceries, waved to me over her shoulder and left. Ashley always walked with a spring in her step, but now it seemed even springier. What had just happened?
“Zeus’s beard,” I said, flopping onto my chair. I looked at Hal, and Hal looked back at me. I was losing it. I proved it when I folded my hands together on my desk and leaned closer in order to speak to the plant.
“Ashley wants me to talk to you. She told me that, and then dropped that bombshell on me about Ivan Rochat.” I tucked my hair behind my ears. “How can I fall in love with Ivan in a few weeks? I’ve never been in love with anyone. I’m incapable. I’m in a real magical muddle here, and I can’t believe I’m talking to a freaking orchid right now. I’m losing my mind.”
I checked my phone, realizing I’d missed a text from a number I didn’t recognize. It had been sent hours ago, but I hadn’t seen it.
I can’t stop thinking about you. I’m sorry I had to leave while you were still sleeping. Do you know you talk in your sleep? It was fascinating. If you’re in your office right now, look at the table by your front door. I left you a small gift.
I frowned. In my office? Then I saw there was another text.
And don’t ask how I got into your office. We all must have our secrets.
Rolling my eyes, I stood and walked over to the table by the front door. On it sat a small box, elegantly wrapped in grey paper with a single pink satin ribbon around it. I untied the ribbon and opened the box, gasping when I saw what was inside. A jade bracelet, obviously an antique, with each bead carved into the shape of a dragon.
I put it on my wrist, smiling when I noticed the clasp was a dragon’s mouth. Jade was my birthstone, not that Ivan could have known, and I admired it a moment before seeing a note inside the box.
Qing Dynasty. Circa 1862. A gift to the Empress Dowager Cixi. She was a dragon lady, and a formidable adversary. And jade is your birthstone. See you soon. Yours, Ivan.