by Amy Boyles
He took an intimidating step forward. “All I said was that I received one.”
Crap. I’d given away my hand. “And all I said was that if you received a note from someone who’s concerned, you should look into it.”
“I never said the note was from someone concerned about Rots.” Thorne grabbed my arm and led me off the sidewalk, where we could speak privately.
“You really are too strong for your own good. Honestly, do you always go around vampire-handling people?”
“Listen, Charming.”
He stopped and I whirled on him. “What? Just what?” I threw my arms up. “What are you going to do? Arrest me? For what?”
Thorne pressed his lips into a grim line. “I’m not going to arrest you. But you’ve got to be more careful.” He scrubbed a hand down his cheek. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’ll look into Rots. I’ll give you what you want.”
“Good,” I said, satisfied. “But it’s not what I want. I didn’t write any note.”
Which was technically true.
“The note smelled like you,” Thorne countered.
Dang it. Thorne and his stupid nose. I’d have to start wearing perfume. How? I didn’t touch the paper. It must have been my proximity to it.
“Well, that must be a coincidence,” I argued. “I have no idea why that would ever happen.”
His eyes narrowed again. His jaw clenched, and Thorne shook his head as if he was deciding between throwing me in jail and throwing me over a cliff.
Since he’d already admitted he wouldn’t throw me in jail, that meant he was going to throw me over a cliff.
My insides twisted. I needed Thorne on my side. Like, seriously. I couldn’t have him desperately angry at me and not trusting me.
Let’s face it, he already didn’t trust me.
My mind raced. How could I convince him my intentions were good?
I should have stopped my mouth before it took over my body and said stupid things. I really should have, but I didn’t.
Or more like I couldn’t because it was already open, my tongue moving before I could stop myself from saying, “I’m going to the Old Witch Mill tonight for supper. Would you like to come?”
His cheek twitched.
“I know you don’t eat.” I shook my head. “Human food, I mean—I mean, I know you eat humans.”
His scowl returned.
This was going badly. I exhaled a shot of air. “Look. I know you drink blood, but I need to have someone with me.”
“You need cover,” he said.
I cringed. “Sort of.”
“Fine. I’ll pick you up. What time?”
“Seven. Wait. Don’t pick me up. I’ll meet you there.”
The fire in his eyes slashed me in two. “You need cover. A pretend date. I’ll pick you up.”
With that, Thorne turned and left.
Chapter 13
“I’ve got the ingredients!”
I wove my way back to my mother’s magic room and dropped them on the table. “Everything you need.”
Mama rose from her chair and settled the book she’d been poring through beside the sack. “Good. Now. We’ll need to get started.”
“What’re we going to do?”
Rose entered with a plastic male mannequin. It looked like she’d stolen it from Dillard’s department store.
My gaze flickered from my mother to Rose. A creepy feeling washed over my skin. “What are we doing?”
“We’re making a clone of Jamison,” Mama said as if it was the most normal thing in the world to make a magical dummy of a living person.
“I’m sorry, I must’ve heard you wrong.” I tugged my ear. “It sounded like you’re going to make a clone of Jamison so that you can use it to press its fake lips against Reese and kiss her.”
Rose plunked the mannequin in front of me. “Isn’t it brilliant? It was my idea. I got it because if you can’t have the real person here, a dummy is the next best thing.”
I dropped my head into my hands. “This could go so wrong.”
Mama sniffed. “How? The most wrong it could go is that nothing happens.”
I wasn’t convinced. “I suppose so.”
“Charming, you’ve got to have faith,” Rose said energetically. “This is going to work. I just know it. We have the right ingredients?”
“I picked up everything on Mama’s list.”
My mother clapped her hands for attention. “Now, Charming, I’ll walk you through step by step. My magic is still deciding to hide from me, but I know it’s in here somewhere.” She rubbed her hands. “Are you ready?”
I still didn’t think this was a great idea. My stomach twisted and my head was starting to pound from the stress, but I had to go through with it.
On the other hand, maybe I didn’t.
“Shouldn’t Rose do this? She has more experience than I do.”
“Nonsense,” Mama said curtly. “You need to be doing more spell casting anyway. Let’s get started.”
I did everything she said. When Mama told me to add bat’s nose, I did. When she said throw in a pinch of the sands of time, I did that, too. Even when she told me to stir the pot only three times and then tap the side with the wooden spoon, I complied. I did absolutely everything she asked of me.
But something still didn’t feel quite right. “I don’t know about this.”
“You’re doing great,” Mama said proudly. “All you have left is to ladle the potion into the mannequin’s mouth.”
“I’ve chiseled a hole between his lips,” Rose said.
I grimaced at the now mutilated mannequin. “Here goes nothing.” I ladled about a cup of the clear liquid over to the mannequin and slowly dropped it into his mouth. Nearly half of it dripped off his face, but I did the best I could.
Rose winked at me. “It’ll take a moment to absorb.”
I stared at the lifeless dummy, unsure of what I was waiting for. “How do we know when it’s ready?”
“Wait for it,” Mama said. “Give it just a moment.”
A plume of smoke in the shape of a heart rose from the mannequin’s mouth.
“Ah.” Mama sounded relieved. “That’s it. It should be ready.” She motioned for me to take the dummy. “Now. All you have to do is press the lips to Reese’s mouth.”
Sounded simple enough. I plucked the dummy from the table and crossed to Reese, who looked suspended in time. I brought the mannequin’s lips to hers ever so slowly.
As his mouth neared hers, I heard the crackle of electricity.
“Where’s that coming from?” Rose murmured.
“What?” Mama said.
“Sounded like buzzing wires.”
The lips were about to touch as fear flared on Mama’s face. “Charming, stop.”
But it was too late. The dummy’s lips met Reese’s.
Blinding light engulfed me. Heat wafted from the mannequin. Someone grabbed my shoulders and pulled me away.
A flash of hot air ballooned, and then it was over. I stared at where the dummy had been. He was gone as if the thing had been plucked from the room.
“What happened?”
“She’s booby-trapped,” Mama said angrily. “Corley put a booby trap on Reese. The only person who can kiss her is Jamison. I’m just glad I saved you in time. Otherwise you would’ve ended up destroyed same as the dummy.”
I faced her. “Thank goodness.”
Mama’s eyelids flared. “Oh no.”
“What is it?”
“Let me see.” Rose came around. Her hands flew to her cheeks. “Goodness, Charming. What are we going to do?”
“About what?”
Mama grabbed a hand mirror from the table—I was about to ask why she kept a mirror in her spell room but decided against it when she shoved it in my face.
“About this.”
“Ah,” I shrieked. “What the heck happened? My face—it’s singed. I look like someone gave me an exploding cigar.”
And
I really did. My hair was fried beyond recognition, and smudges filled every square inch of my face.
I closed my eyes. “Okay. Let’s see if it cleans up.”
Rose tsked. “Charming, you’re going to need tomato sauce for that sort of smudging.”
“What? I didn’t get sprayed by a skunk or anything.” Tomato sauce baths were the remedy for any and all skunk attacks.
“I can tell, Charming,” Rose said. “Those dark spots aren’t going to come clean without a serious tomato bath. Just trust me.”
Rose clapped her hands. “In fact, your bath is ready now.”
I cringed. This was the last thing I needed. I had a meet up with Thorne, and I was going to end up smelling like gazpacho.
Great.
I will spare y’all the intimacies of the tomato bath. Contrary to what Rose had planned for me, there was no need to sink my entire body in the tub, but I did have to scrub my face and hair with the stuff.
When I was done and the dark marks had all vanished, I took a real shower to get rid of the rest of the smell.
I wasn’t convinced it had worked.
I towel dried my hair and made my way back downstairs.
“We’re not going to have a choice about who kisses Reese.” I slumped into a chair. “We’ve got to convince Jamison that it’s the right thing to do. Plus, we’ve also got to convince Thorne that there’s nothing indecent that will happen between the two of them. We’ll be here, in attendance, watching.”
“You work on that, Charming,” my mother said.
“What time is it?”
“It’s getting late. Six thirty.”
“What?” I dropped the towel holding my hair. “What happened to today?”
“The spell took a long time,” Mama remarked. “Why? Do you have a date?”
“Yes. I mean, no.” I smacked my forehead. Great. Now I had to explain this entire situation to my mother and Rose, who would probably shoot me some sort of toothy grin, she’d be so excited for me.
“I don’t have a date. Thorne’s picking me up, and we’re going out to dinner.”
Mama shot a suggestive look to Rose. “But it’s not a date.”
“No.” I retrieved the towel from the floor. “It’s not a date. I promise. I owe him one after I’ve been so awful.”
“Isn’t that the truth,” Rose said. “If it was me, I would’ve been dangling my knickers in front of him ages ago. I still would if he asked.”
I closed my eyes and counted to five. Patience, Charming. Knickers should never be mentioned in conversation. Especially old-lady knickers.
I inhaled a deep breath. “Okay. Anyway. No one’s losing any knickers. I’m running upstairs to get ready for this—um, evening.”
I rushed upstairs and said to the house, “House, I need an outfit. I’m going out tonight with a vampire to a restaurant. The Old Witch Mill. I’ve never been there. I don’t know what it’s like. Help me.”
The wardrobe rumbled and creaked as it worked its magic. When it stopped, the doors flew open.
It must’ve heard the word vampire and run with it, because the outfit it first presented was basically a vampire cape and a black spidery-looking dress—complete with silk cobwebs plastered on it.
“Um, I think that might be a little much. It’s not exactly what I’m looking for. But it’s beautiful,” I said quickly, not wanting to hurt the house’s feelings. “I just don’t think it’s what I’m looking for.”
The dress whipped back into the wardrobe, and another was presented on a hanger. This one was better. An emerald-green dress with a deep slit up the side that made me look like I was a contestant on Dancing with the Stars.
“It’s so pretty, but I’m not sure I want to show that much leg.”
The dress disappeared back into the wardrobe, and a third option was presented. This was black, made of stretch cotton with a V-neck, and it would hit me right above the knee if my measurements were correct.
A wide smile split my face. “That looks perfect.”
I tried it on, and the dress fit like a glove. It hugged all the right places and made me look slimmer. Oh, I loved it. If the house was a person, I would’ve kissed it right then and there.
“Thank you,” I said graciously. “It’s wonderful. Now. What purse to take with me.”
The wardrobe burped up a black beaded purse, and I was all set.
“Now for makeup and hair.”
I was applying the last touches of mascara when the doorbell rang. Crap. I still had to fix my hair.
Voices drifted up from downstairs. I cringed. I hated the idea that Thorne was talking to my mother and aunt. I’m sure Rose was batting her lashes while Mama dug into his actual feelings about me.
What are your intentions toward my daughter?
Thorne’s answer would probably be something like, To stop her from getting on my nerves.
If you put one fang where it doesn’t belong, I’ll curse you. Oh wait, my magic has been drained from me by Rots Smythe. Never mind. Instead of cursing you, I’ll set one hundred witches on you.
Send them, Thorne would say. I’ll take them down no problem.
Yep, I probably needed to get downstairs. I pulled my caramel-colored hair into a messy chignon and wiped a smudge of mascara out from under my lashes.
Wow. My eyes looked particularly violet tonight. Great. Maybe Thorne would be so entranced by them he wouldn’t mind that I was using him to talk to Dash and Kimberly.
I wiped a smear of lipstick from my teeth and headed downstairs.
Thorne’s eyes widened in appreciation when he saw me. Heat rose to my cheeks as my gaze darted away.
He looked nice, too. Wearing jeans and a button-down. Leather loafers peeked out under his cuffs. His dark hair was pulled back, away from his face.
“Hello, Charming,” he murmured.
“Hey, Thorne.” My foot touched the bottom step. The heady scent of vanilla and musk filled my nose. I stared at him. My breath hitched in the back of my throat. There Thorne stood, primal and manly—all vampire and truly a specimen of beauty.
Gosh, I could’ve slapped myself.
He offered his arm. “Ready?”
“Yes,” I said dumbly.
“You two kids have a good time,” Mama said.
“Be sure to do everything I would do,” Rose added.
I shot my great-aunt a dark look and then shifted my attention back to Thorne. We stepped outside. I glanced around, looking for his pickup, but didn’t see one.
“Where’s your truck?”
“I brought the car.”
My head tipped up to meet his gaze. He was so tall I’m surprised my neck didn’t break at the angle. “You have a car, too?”
He smiled wickedly. “Just for dates.”
Heat rose in my cheeks again. “This isn’t a date.”
“I know,” he said. “But if you wore a dress, I didn’t want you to have to climb into a truck. So I brought the car.”
The car was a Jaguar two-seater. It probably roared from zero to sixty in three seconds. I really wanted to test my theory.
Thorne opened the door for me, and I slid onto the buttery seat.
He winked. “Buckle your seat belt. This baby has some horsepower.”
I buckled up and readied myself for an unofficial date with a vampire.
Chapter 14
“So, do you want to tell me why we’re really here?”
I stared at Thorne. We sat at a table in the middle of the Old Witch Mill, which turned out to be a rather upscale steak house that served farm-to-table produce cooked Southern style—lots of battering in cornbread and frying in Crisco.
I picked at a pickled green tomato on my plate. “I’ll tell you if you tell me how you became a vampire.”
His eyes turned steely for a moment, and then Thorne laughed. “Oh no, we’re not going there tonight. But if you want to know a secret, there is one I will tell you.”
I quirked a brow. “Really?”
I had to admit our dinner was going well. Great, actually. Thorne asked all the right questions, said all the right things, and since he was off duty, he was almost fun.
He sort of reminded me of a much lower-key Gordon Ramsey. In the kitchen Gordon is a beast, but outside he seems like a pretty cool guy.
Thorne was sort of the same. And that’s where his resemblance to the celebrity chef ended.
“But you have to tell me a secret first.”
I groaned. “Not this again.”
He smiled. I spotted a dimple in his left cheek. How had I not seen that before?
“It’s only fair,” he explained. “You tell me something, and I’ll tell you something.”
“But I’m already going to tell you why we’re here.”
He nodded. “But that’s not a secret.”
I threw him a mockingly harsh glance. “You’re not going to make this easy, are you?”
He shook his head. “Nope, and to make sure you keep your side of the bargain, you have to go first.”
I held up a finger. “But wait. Before you get to ask me, you have to tell me what secret you’re going to share.”
He scratched his chin. “What would you like to know?”
I shot him a pointed look.
“Anything besides how I became a vampire.”
“Okay, then. Tell me about hunting.”
His face blanched. “Not that either.”
“Why not?”
Thorne palmed his silverware and studied me for a moment. “Because I don’t know you well enough to answer that. Those are personal things. Vampires don’t share details about their lives with just anyone.”
My gaze darted to my plate. I supposed I was properly chastened. “If you won’t tell me that, then how about you tell me about your family.”
His jaw clenched. “That’s off-limits, too.”
I shot him a harsh look. “You have to give me something.” I gestured around me. “We’re having dinner. People who break bread get to know each other.”
He sighed heavily. “Deal. But I’ll only tell you about my father. How’s that?”
I nodded. “Fair enough.”
“His name is Leo.”
