by Amy Boyles
“But—”
“But,” he said pointedly, “I can check around and see if anything funny is in the place.”
I sighed, relieved. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Our gazes locked, and a buildup of pressure filled the cabin. I stared at him, my breath floating somewhere in my lungs, not ready to be released.
Thorne glanced away, and the car slid into a slot on the road. “We’re here.”
Then this was it. The moment at the end of a first evening when the couple shares a kiss. What would kissing a vampire be like? Would his teeth snag across my lips? Would the pounding of my pulse be too much for him to bear?
Why was I thinking this? I wanted to scream. Why was I even considering it? Peek had just told me Thorne’s last girlfriend wound up dead.
Dead.
As a doornail.
Maybe Thorne killed her.
The thought slid into my brain.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
I shook my head. “Nothing. Look. Thanks again for putting up with me.”
“You’re welcome.”
I glared at him.
He chuckled and I couldn’t help it but I found myself laughing, too. The tension in the cabin dissolved, and I glanced at his thick lips. My gaze darted from them to his eyes, and next thing I knew I was tucking a strand of hair behind my ear as if I were a shy teenager.
We sat like that for a moment and I knew—we wouldn’t kiss.
Which was fine, really. I didn’t want to kiss a vampire. I’d almost been killed by one. Why would I even consider kissing a being that had once tried to destroy me?
What an idiot I’d been.
I curled my fingers around the door handle. “Okay, so I guess I’m going to go. See you—”
“I’m not going to kiss you.”
I glared at him. “What? Is there something wrong with me?”
“You’re not ready. You still think I’m a beast.”
I scoffed. “I never said that.”
He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. “You didn’t have to. It’s the look in your eyes. You think I can’t control the hunger, the feed. Let me tell you, I’ve kept my hunger under control for a long time.”
“But you hunt?”
He nodded, slowly, deliberately, eyeing me as if to gauge my reaction to every tidbit of information he revealed about himself.
“In the woods that surround Witch’s Forge. I hunt.”
I digested this. “Every day?”
He shook his head. “I don’t have to eat that often.” He squeezed my hand. “You’re still licking the wounds from your attack as a child. Your prejudice for my kind is evident. You’re not even ready for friendship with a vampire.”
“That’s just plain rude.”
His lips coiled. “Then why do you argue with everything I say?”
I opened my mouth to answer and stopped myself. “Because you say very contrary things.”
“Is that the whole truth?”
I closed my eyes and really looked inside. “I thought you liked our banter.”
“You’re feisty. Yes. Not like a normal person.”
My eyes flared open. “What?”
“But I think,” he said calmly, “that what part of it stems from is your dislike for my kind. For me.”
Thorne inhaled deeply and released his breath. “I had a nice time, Charming.”
And that was it. I felt like Thorne had nailed a coffin lid shut. Yes, I was the coffin lid in that scenario.
I murmured good night and stepped from the car, heading down the sidewalk toward the house. Numbness overcame me.
I considered that my own stubbornness and hurt hindered me. What Thorne said was true. I was barely nice to any vampire, much less him, and he’d helped me out so much—including not arresting me when Rots identified me as the perpetrator in his house.
Yet there were boundaries even Thorne wasn’t willing to cross. I could understand that. Why would you be nice to a woman who threw roses in your face? Why drive yourself crazy for her if she was only going to spit and hiss every time you said a kind word?
As I trudged up the stairs to my room, I realized Thorne was right. I was my own worst enemy. I was letting myself get in the way of—well, I didn’t know what, but I had to figure that out.
I exhaled a deep breath. First thing tomorrow, I would do something radical.
I would be nice to the vampire.
Chapter 16
The next morning I was still reeling from the realization I’d had about Thorne, how mean I’d been to him and that he didn’t want to kiss me.
My feelings knotted my gut. I still balanced on the rope of decision as to whether or not I wanted him to kiss me, but his words chimed in my head.
I wasn’t ready.
There were few things in my life that I would admit I wasn’t ready for. Very few. Thorne’s words stood like a challenge I needed to conquer.
I would prove I was ready.
I headed down the stairs ready for a day of matchmaking and nosing around town. I decided to head off to find the train conductor and hope he had some information on what Corley and Reese had discussed.
“I still don’t understand why my power hasn’t returned,” Mama remarked when I reached the kitchen. “I wouldn’t have thought that machine would take very much of it, but I’m confused by this.”
I frowned. “Maybe it’ll slowly start to seep back within a few days.”
She frowned. “I hope so. But on the other hand, my hair is back.” She fluffed her silky strands. “At least one thing about me has returned to its normal state of marvelous.”
I smiled. “Yep. At least one thing.”
Broom brushed past us, sweeping the floor clean.
“Now don’t throw away those apple rinds,” Rose said. “I’m saving those for Pig.”
Broom gathered apple skins into a pile, and Rose let Pig eat right off the floor.
I turned to Mama. “I’m going to track down the conductor of the train. What’re y’all doing today?”
Mama sipped her coffee. “I’ve got to come up with another method to free Reese. I worry the longer she stays trapped in that spell, the worse it’ll be for her. I need to talk to Thorne and see if he’ll bend on his proclamation that no man shall kiss the woman without her permission. Please. If it was okay to do in the Middle Ages, surely it’s okay to do now.”
I pressed down a frown line from my forehead. “I have a feeling the Middle Ages were a violent time for mankind.”
She shrugged, not interested in my theory.
I grabbed a cup of coffee and headed toward the door. “Okay. Well, I’m off.”
I’d almost made it out when the question arose. “How was your date with my vampire?” Rose asked. “I say mine because I still believe there’s time for the two of us to get together.”
And here it was. The big question I’d been trying to avoid. “Well,” I started slowly, “it was good.”
Mama quirked a brow. “Except?”
I blew a shot of air from my mouth, vibrating my lips like a motor. “He says I’m not ready to date a vampire. Which is ridiculous. I’m a matchmaker. My days are spent surrounded by love. I don’t know what he’s talking about.”
“You do have issues, darling,” Mama said.
“And here it comes,” I murmured.
“You’re rude to him at every step. You make it obvious you don’t like him. The man is only doing you a favor. I’m sure that’s the way he sees it, too.”
I scoffed and started to argue but bit my tongue. “Okay. I’m not always the nicest to him, but I’m going to try. Besides, we’re not even compatible. At least, not that I know of.”
She started to argue, and I cut her off.
I held up my hands. “Look. I don’t care. It doesn’t matter to me if I date this vampire or not. I mean, wouldn’t I always be worried that he’d want to drink my blood?”
�
��Oh, I’d be asking him to,” Rose said. “That sounds as thrilling as a roller coaster, but a lot sexier.”
I rolled my eyes. “Well. I’m off. I’ve got my coffee breakfast. I’ll stop and have a sandwich somewhere. Bye, y’all.”
They said goodbye, and I headed out the door, convinced that I could be nice to Thorne despite my mother’s tongue lashing.
She’d told me everything I already knew. Yet for some reason hearing it from her made the news all the worse. Don’t ask me why, but it did.
I arrived at the Witch’s Forge Express a little while later. Steam rolled from the wheels. It looked like the train was about to take off.
I hopped on and found the conductor near the cabin where we’d discovered Reese.
“Sorry, miss, it’s too early to board yet,” he explained.
The conductor looked like the one from The Polar Express, I kid you not. He wore a striped vest with a crisp white shirt underneath, a hat and a striped tie.
Oh, and a fat mustache sat above his lip.
He was so darling I wanted to pinch him.
I controlled myself.
“I’m not a passenger. My name is Charming Calhoun, and I was wondering if you had a few minutes to answer some questions about the woman, Reese Baylor, who was found unconscious?”
He swept dirt from the floor into a dustbin. “Told the police all I know.”
“Yes, well, you see, Reese is at my house. My family and I are charged with bringing her out of the coma. So anything you can offer would be a great help.”
He studied me and then set his dustbin aside and pointed to a seat. “Sit and we’ll talk.”
I slid onto a bench. “From what I understand, Reese made friends with a Miss Corley Duvall, a woman who was murdered.”
The conductor scratched his head. “Heard she was poisoned.”
Oh, was she? That was news to me. Wonder when Thorne was going to relate that little tidbit?
Probably never.
“Do you know what Reese and Miss Corley discussed?”
He pulled off his cap and scratched his head. “Men, I reckon. From the hushed whispers between them and whatnot. I heard the name Jamison from that Miss Reese.”
I edged forward. “And what about from Miss Duvall?”
This could be it. If the conductor held this nugget of information, then everything might be over. I could give the name to Thorne, he could track down the killer, which would put us one step closer to helping Jamison realize that Corley had been using him and it would open his heart and mind to Reese, which was what I desperately needed.
Please, please have the name.
I nearly dropped to my knees and started begging the man.
He rubbed his chin in thought. I needed him to think faster, darn it. “Let me see. Seems like it’s on the tip of my tongue, but it just won’t come out. Was it Roger?”
My heart leaped to my throat. “Was it?”
He shook his head. “No, it wasn’t Roger. Not him. Shucks, it’s just not coming to me, I reckon. Sorry about that.” He slapped his knee and rose. “Tell you what, if it does pop in my head, I’ll give you a call.”
I handed him my business card. “Thank you. Call anytime—day or night. If you think of the name, don’t hesitate.”
The conductor smiled. “Will do. We roll out this morning, but I’ll be back soon.”
With that, the conductor winked and returned to sweeping.
I left the train, a barrage of thoughts assaulting me. Why hadn’t Thorne told me that Corley had been poisoned? That information could help us figure out how to help Reese. It might not be a handsome prince with big fat lips, but it could be a workaround.
I left the train station and needed a few minutes to clear my head and calm down. If I saw Thorne now, I’d rip him a new one, but since I’d decided to be nice—as painful as it was—I needed time before I bumped into him.
So I headed to Fire Town to see Blaire. She might have a new treat for me to try. Plus, Blaire was the only female in town who didn’t need my matchmaking skills. At least she didn’t want them. Not right now.
But I had a feeling eventually she would seek me out.
I parked my Cooper and entered Blaire’s store. “Morning,” she chimed from the counter.
I waved. “Morning!”
Her face split into a wide smile. “I’ve got a tasty treat for you today!”
I grinned. “Great. I want it.”
“Don’t you know what it is?”
I dropped my purse on the table. “I don’t actually care. As long as it’s sweet, I’m game.”
She laughed.
“I haven’t had breakfast,” I explained.
Blaire’s eyes widened. “Then let me cut you a thick slice of coffee cake.”
“I’d love that.” I leaned forward and said conspiratorially, “Do you have coffee?”
She winked. “Come back here. We’ll sit and chat. The bell will ring if someone enters.” Blaire’s gaze flickered to the wall clock behind her. “It won’t get busy for at least thirty minutes.”
Five minutes later I sat elbow-deep in cake and coffee and wondered if I’d be able to walk out of the shop without having to be rolled like a barrel.
Blaire’s green eyes sparkled. “It’s so nice to have a girlfriend who doesn’t talk about men.”
I laughed. “I don’t talk about them because that’s all I do. Besides, I’m not very good at relationships.”
Blaire topped off my coffee from a pot settled in the middle of the table. “Neither am I. I guess that’s why I’m not very interested in pursuing one right now.”
“I was wondering,” I started.
“Yes?”
“Hypothetically, if you cast a Sleeping Beauty spell on someone but placed a safety on the spell so that only the true love could break it, but the true love is afraid to kiss the person to start with, what would you do?”
Blaire stopped chewing. She twirled her fork between her fingers. “That’s a tough one. Well,” she said slowly, “I guess I’d try a mannequin.”
I shook my head. “It doesn’t work.”
She grimaced. “Hmm. This is hard. And he doesn’t want to kiss her? I suppose you could wait until the spell wore off.”
“What if it doesn’t wear off?”
Blaire dug her fork into her cake. “If only a true love’s kiss will break it, then I don’t think there’s a way around. You have to do that.”
I sighed sadly. “I know. That’s what I’m afraid of.”
“Cheer up,” Blaire said soothingly. “It’ll all work out.”
By the time I finished my dessert for breakfast and headed outside, I wasn’t sure where to go. I strolled back to my car but found it blocked by May Little.
You know, the more I looked at her, the more she reminded me of Hildegarde, the swamp witch. They were both very crone-like with scraggly hair. The only real difference being that Hildegarde dropped water everywhere she walked.
She also smelled like swamp.
But as I neared May, who was covered in crows, I realized she smelled rather like bird.
“Have you realized anything about yourself?” she asked.
I clicked the button to disable the alarm on my phone. “Yes, ma’am. I’m mean. I’ve realized I’m a hateful person. If it was raining right now while the sun was shining, the devil wouldn’t be beating his wife, as the saying goes, he’d be spanking me.”
May chuckled. “Fear is a dangerous thing. It can also be useful. But plenty of times it’s fear that stops us from succeeding in life.”
“Thanks for that.”
We stared at each other. I waited for her to say something else, but she didn’t.
“I’ve decided to be nicer, so we’ll see how that goes. Have a good day, May.”
She waved deliberately as I drove off, reminding me more of a spirit than a real person. I decided to hit the mayor’s office and check in with her, but when I arrived, there was a ruckus around her o
ffice.
India guarded the door, arms splayed wide. “I’m sorry, y’all, but you just have to calm down.”
“But there’s something wrong,” Cap, a man I’d recently matched with his soul mate, argued. “With our magic.”
“Yes,” shouted a woman I recognized as Autumn, an air witch. “Our magic was fixed, but now it’s gone. Something’s wrong! The mayor’s plan isn’t working!”
Someone spied me and pointed. “There she is! The matchmaker who’s supposed to save this town!” The witch’s face twisted in disgust. “She’s cursed us. She isn’t saving Witch’s Forge! She’s killed our magic!”
All eyes turned to me. I started to raise my hands as the crowd, in unison, surged forward, ready to attack.
Me.
Chapter 17
Fear pitched up my throat, choking me. My instincts kicked in. I raised my arms, and before I knew what had happened, the earth underneath the crowd lifted like a wave and pushed them back.
The sight couldn’t have been more unnerving if Superman himself had landed in town and smashed his hand to the ground.
The witches and wizards cowered, staring at me. “She’s supposed to be a water witch.”
I couldn’t have them thinking I possessed earth powers as well as water powers. Witches weren’t supposed to harness more than one element. Those who did were freaks.
“I used the water beneath the earth,” I said quickly. “That’s what happened.”
A low murmur swept through the crowd, and I wondered if my lie had worked. As their faces darkened, I quickly realized it hadn’t.
“She’s to blame,” someone shouted.
Next thing I knew, Thorne threw himself in front of me. “I want all of you to back up nice and slow.”
The crowd shivered in fear before him. They moved slowly, their eyes locked on the vampire.
When Thorne was satisfied with the distance, he said, “Now. Will someone who’s even-tempered tell me what happened?” He pointed at India. “Mayor’s assistant. Let me hear it.”
India explained about the powers and about me. I didn’t have to see Thorne’s face to know he was scowling.
Part of me didn’t want to.
When she finished, Thorne turned his ire on the crowd. “Your powers aren’t working right? I’ll look into it. But in the meantime, no one touches a hair on Miss Calhoun’s head. Got it?”
