by C. C. Wood
She clearly intended to torture me. That was the only explanation.
Now it was two-thirty and I decided to go back to the shop in order to speak with Ava. I’d called Kerry earlier in the day and she hadn’t been able to tell me anything more about Rhiannon, but she had given me the phone number of a witch in the U.K. that I hoped would be of some help.
When I entered The Magic Bean, Ava was behind the bar as usual, cleaning equipment. Savannah was nowhere to be found, but I noticed that the curtain to the reading room was closed and assumed that she was inside.
“Hi, Rhys,” she greeted me.
As I drew closer, I saw signs of stress and worry on her face. It was clear that this situation with Rhiannon was wearing on her. Like me, she’d run into dead ends while looking for information on the witch. It was as if the woman had appeared out of thin air.
“Hi, Ava,” I replied. I held out the piece of paper in my hand. “I spoke with my friend in Dallas and she gave me the number of a witch in the United Kingdom. I told Kerry that I thought it would be best if you called. It’s been my experience that witches aren’t overly fond of me.”
Ava nodded and took the paper from me. “Thank you, Rhys. I’m getting truly pissed off about this entire situation. I still don’t understand how a dark witch as powerful as Rhiannon escaped notice all these years.”
I shrugged. “She may be very good at avoiding other witches.”
Ava’s expression grew thoughtful. “Maybe.”
“Is Savannah giving a reading?” I asked.
Ava nodded. “It’s for a woman who was recently widowed. She’s having a tough time,” she answered, her eyes sad.
Without asking, she began to make me a glass of iced tea flavored with lemon and agave nectar. Summer had come to Austin, and I didn’t want hot coffee in the middle of the afternoon.
“Thanks,” I said when she placed the glass in front of me. Since Savannah and I had begun to spend so much time together, Ava refused to take my money when I came into the coffee shop. At first I tried to put extra money in the tip jar but it kept appearing back in my wallet, so I’d given up. The witch didn’t want my money and no amount of pushing or sneaking would force her to change her mind.
I stood at the counter and talked with Ava as I waited for Savannah to finish her tarot reading. As soon as the curtain opened, I immediately noticed that Savannah looked drawn and pale. When our eyes met, she smiled tiredly, but shook her head. A woman emerged from the room, dabbing her eyes with a tissue. She spoke quietly with Savannah and then disappeared into the bathroom at the back of the store.
Savannah watched her client until the bathroom door shut, took a deep breath, and walked toward me. She was wearing one of the long flowing dresses she seemed to favor now that the weather had become hot. The straps were thin and bared her shoulders and part of her chest and back. She looked fresh and pretty even during the middle of a hot summer day “Hi, babe,” she said, rising up on her toes to give me a light kiss on the lips.
I sensed the emotional exhaustion pulling at her limbs as soon as she touched me. The emotions of her client were weighing on her, dragging her down. I clasped her waist with my hands, wishing I could take some of the burden from her. I could see the strain it caused when she took on the feelings of another person.
No sooner did I have the thought when I felt a thread of energy from her. Slowly but surely, the grief and sorrow that had transferred from her client moved between us. Shocked, I released her waist and stepped back.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, staring up at me with concern. “You just went pale.”
I studied her face and realized that the color had returned to her cheeks. The faint lines around her eyes and on her forehead had disappeared.
“How do you feel?” I asked her, wondering if she even noticed the stream of energy and emotions that transferred between us.
She frowned slightly. “Weird. I feel better.”
Ava cleared her throat behind us and offered two plastic cups of iced tea to Savannah. “Your client just came out of the bathroom. Give her one of these on the house and stop groping your boyfriend in the store.” She grinned wickedly. “I’ve always wanted to say that to someone, but all my employees have been strangely well-behaved.”
Savannah huffed and took the tea. “Rhys and I weren’t even touching anymore.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Ava argued. “I saw you kiss him. That’s groping in my book.”
Rolling her eyes with a laugh, Savannah took both glasses of tea and walked over to the woman who had exited the bathroom a few seconds ago. They talked for a few moments and Savannah handed her one of the cups and walked her toward the door. They went outside and I noticed that they both seemed lighter.
“What just happened?” Ava murmured behind me.
I faced her. “I’m not sure.”
“I felt the magic, Rhys. What did you do?”
“I don’t know, Ava,” I shot back. “I was holding Savannah and I felt the grief and sorrow she’d absorbed from her client and I wanted to take it away. Then suddenly I felt those emotions transfer to me. It felt,” I swallowed hard. “It felt like feeding.”
My stomach twisted sickeningly. I never wanted to feed from someone I loved. It was dangerous and wrong.
Ava watched me carefully. “Did you see her face when she walked out a few seconds ago?”
“What do you mean?”
“She looked better after you touched her, as though some of the weight had been taken off her shoulders.” The witch tilted her head to the side and narrowed her eyes. “It was as if you helped her by taking the emotions from her.”
I shook my head. “It doesn’t matter. I did it without her permission and I shouldn’t have.”
Ava made a humming sound in the back of her throat. “This could be good,” she said, ignoring my statement. “I know how much her contact with other people weighs on her. She would never admit it but it exhausts her to go into public places. She’s had to isolate herself so much over the last few years that I’m the only person she saw regularly. Now, there’s you. And you might be able to help her deal with all of that.”
“Ava, didn’t you hear me? I took from her without her permission. It’s wrong,” I repeated.
Ava smacked her hand down on the counter. “Stop!” she exclaimed. “Yes, you should talk to her about it and definitely get her permission before you do it again, but you have to understand that you can help her, Rhys. You can make it possible for her to leave her house without passing out or go to a restaurant without having a meltdown.”
Her words brought back the memory of the night I took Savannah to the Driskill Grill. She scared the hell out of me that evening.
“You can make her life better, Rhys. You already are just by being in it, but now you can help her reconnect with the rest of the world again.”
The door to the shop opened and the bell rang, but this time the sound was different. Immediately, Ava stiffened, as though an alarm had gone off. I looked over my shoulder to see Rhiannon and Macgrath enter the store.
The witch looked pale and perfect, as though the hot summer sun didn’t touch her when she was outside. Her vampire henchman seemed just as unaffected.
“Good afternoon,” Ava said pleasantly. Her friendliness surprised me and I couldn’t resist glancing at her. Her expression was neutral but her eyes glittered bright lavender. That was my only indication that she was disturbed by the dark witch’s presence. Even her emotions seemed solid and calm.
“Hello, again, Ava,” Rhiannon said, removing her dark sunglasses. Her dark eyes roamed over me. “Rhys.”
“What can I get for you today?” Ava asked politely.
“I’ll take an ice green tea. Unsweetened.” Rhiannon answered.
While Ava made her drink, the vampire with her prowled around the shop, picking up items off shelves and replacing them exactly as he found them. I watched him with narrowed eyes. The implacable facade he presented last w
eek had worn thin. Beneath the veneer I could see his frustration and agitation with Rhiannon. He didn’t want to be here, but for some reason he felt obligated.
The door opened once again and Savannah entered. To her credit, she only hesitated a split second before she walked straight toward me with a cool smile pasted on her face.
Rhiannon looked at her. “Hello, Savannah.”
“Rhiannon,” she replied.
As soon as Savannah was within reach, I put my arm around her and drew her front against my side. I wanted her close in case things went badly.
Ava placed a large cup filled with ice and green tea in front of Rhiannon. “That will be three dollars,” she stated.
Rhiannon lifted her brows in surprise. The last time she’d been in, Ava hadn’t charged her for her coffee. Without a word, she reached into her purse and pulled out a twenty-dollar bill, handing it over to Ava.
“Keep the change. It’s the least I can do.”
“Thank you,” Ava replied simply, refusing to rise to the bait.
“Have you given my offer any more thought?” Rhiannon asked her.
Ava shrugged. “Honestly, no. I wasn’t interested in selling my property to you last week and I’m not interested this week either.”
“What if I threw in an extra five hundred thousand dollar bonus?”
Ava shook her head. “Still not interested.”
Macgrath appeared nearby. “So what does interest you?” he asked, his gaze intent on Ava’s face.
She frowned at him for a moment. “What do you mean?”
“I’m wondering if anything interests you or if you’re one of those witches that believes she above such trivial things.”
Ava’s face darkened with anger. “I do not believe myself above anyone. And I prefer to share my interests and pursuits with those I consider friends rather than perfect strangers,” she retorted.
Savannah made a small sound in the back of her throat and tucked her face against my chest. Her body shook slightly and I realized she was trying to stifle laughter. I couldn’t imagine what she found humorous about this situation, but I would definitely ask her when we were alone in her home.
Macgrath seemed completely unfazed by the putdown. “And what does one have to do to become your friend?”
The insinuation behind his question was clearly sexual and Ava’s eyes sparked with blue and purple fire. “I’m not sure I care to share that with you.”
The vampire smirked, clearly enjoying the exchange. “What would you like to share with me?”
“Macgrath, I think that’s enough for one day,” Rhiannon remonstrated. “We wouldn’t want to upset Ms. Amaris too much and have her kick us out of her lovely shop.”
The look the vampire shot her was full of venom and hatred, but he masked it before she saw. “Of course not.”
Ava and I exchanged a glance and I knew she saw it too based on her facial expression.
“Perhaps I’ll come visit you again, Savannah,” Rhiannon stated. “And enjoy your lovely garden.”
My muscles coiled at her statement and I felt Savannah tense at my side as well. Before either of us could react, Rhiannon replaced her sunglasses on her face and swayed out the door.
Without waiting a beat, Ava lifted a hand and snapped her fingers. The door locked and the sign flipped to show that the store was closed. With another wave of her hand, Ava lowered the shades over the door and windows so that no one could see in.
“I think we should have a talk and maybe call the witch in the United Kingdom,” she stated.
“I agree.”
“Wait, what witch in the United Kingdom?” Savannah asked.
“We’ll meet at your house and talk about it. I don’t want to have the discussion in the shop,” Ava stated.
“Why not?”
“It’s too easy to eavesdrop in a place like this. I can’t put too many charms on the shop or the witches won’t come in,” Ava explained. “I have wards on all my rental homes to protect my tenants’ privacy, so our conversation won’t be overheard.”
“We’ll help you clean up and we’ll all leave together.”
Ava nodded. “Then let’s not waste time.”
Thirty minutes later, I parked my SUV in front of Savannah’s house and we climbed out. As soon as Savannah unlocked the front door, Satchel came running up to us, mewing loudly.
Savannah bent down and picked her up, stroking her back. “Hi, kitty,” she crooned.
Satchel butted her head against Savannah’s chin, purring in contentment.
Ava followed us inside and shut the door. “I need a glass of wine,” she stated, heading toward the kitchen. I could hear the clink of the glass as she pulled a bottle from the fridge. “You know what, I need two glasses. One for each hand.”
Savannah watched her, her gaze contemplative. “You know, I’ve never seen her so off-balance,” she murmured. “But I don’t think it was Rhiannon who affected her like this.”
I didn’t either. The sparks flying between Ava and Macgrath had been so strong they were nearly visible. I also noticed that Rhiannon didn’t like it much. In fact, she clearly despised Macgrath’s open flirtation with Ava.
Ava returned to the living room, three wineglasses clutched by their stems in one hand, a bottle of wine under one arm, and another gripped in her other hand. “Now, we need to discuss a few things,” she stated in a firm tone. She placed the wine bottles on the coffee table one by one, then set the glasses down and started filling them. When we didn’t move quickly enough, she glanced up at us. “Come take a glass of wine so we can discuss this.”
I shook my head. “None for me thanks.” I didn’t like the sweet wine that she and Savannah tended to drink.
“Then it’s a good thing the third glass is already for me,” she quipped.
Savannah chuckled, but there was tension in her voice. She moved over to the couch, settling on the cushions and taking the glass that Ava held out to her. I moved next to her, grunting as Satchel jumped from Savannah’s lap to mine, landing directly on my crotch.
“First of all,” Ava began, looking straight at Savannah, “Rhys will be staying with you from now until this situation is resolved.”
To my surprise, Savannah nodded. “That sounds like a good idea.”
Ava must have been surprised too because her eyes widened. “What?”
Savannah drank her wine. “Clearly Rhiannon’s comment about coming to visit me was a threat and it’s not as if Rhys isn’t over here most of the time anyway.”
Ava leaned back in the chair she settled in. “Well, that was easy.” She finished off her first glass of wine and reached for the second. “Now, on to the next thing. Rhys accidentally siphoned some emotions from you today after your reading, Savannah. It was an accident.”
I stared at her in shock and not a little anger. “Ava, I think maybe that’s something I should talk to Savannah about alone.”
Ava shook her head. “No, because you don’t understand what happened and I do.”
“How could I not understand what happened?” I asked her, my voice getting louder. “I fed from her! You and I both know it!” Savannah’s cool hand rested on my shoulder, calming me slightly. I realized suddenly that she was drawing negative energy from me in an effort to make me feel better. I took her hand and held it between mine. “Please don’t do that, Savannah.”
“Do what?” she asked, frowning at me in confusion.
“I can feel you taking my emotions into yourself. You were trying to calm me, which I appreciate, but it’s not necessary.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Rhys. I could tell by your behavior that you were upset and that was all.”
“Then why do I feel calmer?” I asked her.
“Because you care for her,” Ava interrupted. “That’s what I was trying to tell you earlier. You balance each other out. When Savannah is exposed to too many emotions and she’s going into overload, you’re able to take some of that w
eight from her. It provides you with nourishment and feeds you when you need it. You fit together.”
I glanced at Savannah and she shrugged at me as if she didn’t know what else to say.
“How is that possible, Ava?” Savannah asked. “There’s a difference between emotions and someone’s soul. How does that even work?”
“Emotions are part of the soul, Savannah,” Ava replied. “They’re all connected. You can’t have one without the other. You can’t always control the amount of emotions you take in, but he can act as your release valve.”
“Look, maybe we should talk about this another time,” I suggested. “We have larger concerns right now.”
Ava nodded, but she didn’t look happy. “We do, but we can’t call the witch in the U.K. until tomorrow morning. It’s probably close to the middle of the night there.”
I didn’t like it, but she was right. “Tomorrow.”
Ava stood. “Now, I need to go home and see if I can find a hex that will turn a vampire into a toad,” she stated.
“Are you okay to drive?” Savannah asked.
“I’m fine,” Ava reassured her. “I have a potion I can take.”
Savannah stood up and gave Ava a hug. “We’ll talk tomorrow, okay? Are you opening the shop?”
Ava sighed. “I don’t know. I don’t want to, but at the same time, if Rhiannon is watching, I don’t want her to think she has us running scared. Plus, I don’t know how long this is going to go on and I can’t afford to close it for a prolonged period of time.”
I got up, followed Ava to the door, and walked her out to her car. After she climbed inside behind the driver’s seat, I bent down to speak to her. “Please call me tomorrow after you speak to the witch.”
Ava nodded. “I will.”
“And call one of us when you get home.”
She opened her mouth to argue but I shook my head. “Just because Rhiannon focused on Savannah doesn’t mean that she won’t come after you too.”
Ava sighed. “You’re right. I’ll call you when I get home.” She reached into her purse and pulled out a small vial. After she opened it, she tipped it back and drained it in one swallow. Making a face, she said, “Yuck. It works so well but I can never seem to make it taste better no matter what I do.”
