by Jade Alters
I do more research than usual. All I find are a couple of articles from periodicals aimed at witches talking about how careful you need to be with beautification spells. That makes me a little nervous, but I’m determined now. I’m going to do this. Hey, if nothing else, it will make me feel a little better. And isn’t that what matters?
Finally, I get my butt off the couch and go poking around in my cabinets and magic supplies for the ingredients. I thought I might have everything on hand, but there are about five things I still need to go buy, including Heart’s Bane which I’ve only ever heard of and never used. I change out of the top, still torn from the panther’s claws and give Mille a pet before heading off to the magic shop. There’s a good magic shop just one town over in a place that’s even smaller than Foggy River. Little Slough is swampier than Foggy River, and everyone seems to be a hermit. I hardly ever see anyone when I go there. I have a feeling a lot of private shifters live there, secretive types trying to avoid humans, and maybe a few shady witches. Well, more power to them. I just want my spell ingredients.
I park on the dirt road in front of Little Slough which looks more like a cabana than a magic shop. A few date palms are hunched over it. There’s not even a real floor in there, it’s just compacted dirt. The woman who runs the place always wears a cloak, even in the thick humidity of summer. I’ve never seen her face. I don’t even know if she’s old or young. I know her voice sounds sort of ethereal, and she goes by Altha. But that’s all I know about her.
Everything she sells is packed onto shelves in little recycled spice jars, Mason jars, or bagged into Ziplocks and packed into shoeboxes. If you know what you’re doing, you should be able to find anything yourself. Of course, I...don’t always know what I’m doing. But Altha has never been unfriendly, even though I’ve never seen her face.
I find two things on my list easily enough; a black candle and a dove feather. The rest of it I have to ask her about. Altha really doesn’t speak unless she has to, but she comes around from behind her clapboard counter and finds the ingredients for me, handing them to me without a word. I grab a baggie and scoop in the powdered longhorn she found for me, but when she sees the last thing on the list I see her freeze, her hand wavering in the air.
“This…” She points to the Heart’s Bane that I scrawled on the bottom. “This is...dangerous. If you...don’t know what you’re doing?”
“Oh.” I nod and try to sound more confident than I am. “Yeah, I realize that, but I have the whole thing written down. So I thought I’d try it.”
“Be...careful.”
Her voice really does sound ethereal. I don’t know how else to describe it. Sometimes I have an urge to ask her if she ever sang with Enya.
“I will,” I say firmly. I never know how to talk to Alta. The hood of her cloak is pulled low over her face, but I have the sneaking suspicion that even if she pulled it back, I still wouldn’t be able to see her face somehow.
“Beauty...spell?” She says. I swear she’s floating, although I couldn’t testify to that in court. Maybe her presence is so magical or something that she gives off an otherworldly aura. “Hope?”
I know I’ve never told her my name, and I’ve only ever paid cash because she doesn’t take cards… But of course, she just knows it.
This bitch.
My cheeks burn. It’s embarrassing to cop to wanting to do a beauty spell. I can hear the judgment in her voice already, and it makes me feel a little indignant.
I would never get treated this way at Sephora.
“Yes,” I say, hissing a little. “Yeah, it’s a beauty spell. No big deal. Just for fun.”
“You...don’t need it?” I’m not sure if she’s saying that or asking.
“Thanks,” I say, smiling tightly. “I appreciate that. But ya know, real feminism is about the choice.”
Altha doesn’t say anything to that, so maybe she was just being nice. I clear my throat, abruptly very uncomfortable. It’s not her fault probably, but goddamn does this lady freak me out. “This’ll be it then,” I say, holding up my ingredients.
Altha sort of hovers back over behind the counter and rings me up. She has one of those ancient, cash-only types of registers. This magic shop (that doesn’t even have a name) is literally the only reason I ever have cash on me anymore.
“Goddamn,” I blurt out when my total pops up on the register. “Two hundred bucks?”
Altha doesn’t say anything. I don’t have that much cash on me which means I have to walk down the road to the little general store on the corner (if you call it a corner, it’s more like a patch of dirt), find the ATM, take out a bunch of money, and walk back. I really didn’t intend to spend this much today, but hey, maybe Heart’s Bane will come in handy again sometime.
I’m just handing over my cash when I feel a cold sense of dread wash over me, and all of my shifter’s senses start tingling. Altha’s just bagging up my stuff, and my heart is pounding. I feel as if there’s a monster breathing down my neck and, sure enough, when I turn my head, I see the wizard who was about to kill that panther for whatever nefarious purpose.
He doesn’t recognize me because, after all, I was a panther the one and only time he saw me. But he’s squinting at me as if trying to place me, and I don’t care for that at all. There was a tax on top of the two hundred dollars which means Altha’s making change on what I gave her, and now I bounce on my toes, impatient to get the hell out of this magic shop before Mr. Voldemort somehow manages to recognize me.
All the way home I worry about running into the dark wizard again. I’d never seen him before, but who knows with these magical types? I mean, I’m one of them, and I’m a bit weird myself. God knows how weird a dark wizard is. He could’ve been living a mile away from me and only just come out of some kind of vampiric hibernation. Dark wizards do stuff like that sometimes. I worry about it all the way home, and once again, Mille looks at me with concern.
I feel like she’s judging me for wanting to do the beautification spell.
I’m aware that she’s a cocker spaniel and that she supposedly has no understanding of human language beyond “sit” and “stay” and her name. But being a shifter, I’m a little worried about what animals may or may not understand about humans. I feel like Mille knows what I want to do and that she’s judging me.
Or maybe it’s me who is judging me. I really want to do the spell, but I’m a little freaked out by the idea. I’m also a little bit hesitant just because, well, shouldn’t I want these guys to accept me for who I am already? On the other hand, what I look like doesn’t matter a whole lot to me anyway...it does seem to matter to other people though.
I feel like I’m on the fence so maybe I should put it off a couple of days. For all I know, I’m never going to see these guys again. The thought makes me sad as hell. I really feel like I connected to all four of them.
I decide to hold off on the spell for just a couple of days. But I do plan on brewing it eventually. I have to. I just spent two hundred bucks on it.
But for the rest of the night, the spell is all I can think about. And when I’m not thinking about that, I’m thinking about Jared, Max, Dylan, and Freddie. I’m thinking in particular about the sensation of Jared and Freddie all over me. I’ve never wanted anyone as badly as I wanted both of them, and I could feel their desire even though they immediately seemed to regret what they’d done.
Nope. No spell yet!
Mille hops into my lap, and I pet her absentmindedly. “If you’d seen them,” I tell her, “you’d get it. I’m not above going the extra mile for the right D, Millie. Much less for four of the right Ds.”
Millie looks at me balefully, and I pat her on the head again. “I’ll explain that when you’re older.”
For the next couple of days, I feel like I’m on pins and needles. I keep almost doing the spell and then getting nervous. I go to work the next day, and it’s a good thing I didn’t tell Bobbi about my insane panther attack because now that the wounds are healed, he’d certain
ly think I was out of my mind. I go about my day making up the cold brews and green tea chai lattes for the upper crust set that lives in a very different neighborhood than Foggy River. I’m guessing these people have never even been to Foggy River. They all live in gated communities in the big suburb nearby. They all own fancy boats, and they’re always talking about the Kardashians. Although to be fair, everyone who works at Cafe Amour is always talking about the Kardashians. I had to start following Kim on Instagram just to keep up with the conversation.
I work hard and even cover a few extra hours. I keep catching my reflection in the mirror or in the shiny surface of the espresso machine and wonder if the guys would find me attractive. I just don’t think so. Not that I’m heinous or anything, but they’re all stupid hot. That night, I come very close to doing the spell and then I get a text…
We’d love for you to come over for drinks.
The text is from Jared. We all exchanged numbers. I text back that I’d love to, and he responds quickly. He’d like me to come over now. That is, if I’m free, of course.
I text back that I’ll be on my way in a half hour.
So much for that spell. At least for now.
Just the thought of being around the four of them in a room again makes me have to sit down. I read his texts several times and I already feel turned on. It’s totally mortifying, and I would never tell anyone. I’ve never been so affected before. I’m on the couch, and now, I let my eyes slip shut and drop my phone. I lick my lips and think again of Jared’s hand sneaking up my shirt to massage my breast and the feel of Freddie’s talented tongue as he covered my mouth with his. They were both all over me and they were so passionate and seemed so hard pressed to make me feel good. I think of that happening again. I think about straddling Max with his big muscles and Jared circling me with his arms from behind. My hand finds its way into my jeans and I arch up into my palm as I imagine impaling myself on Max’s, no doubt, impressive cock, and how it would feel to have him fill me up perhaps with my breasts filling Jared’s hands as he kisses my neck…
I come quickly and loudly, and then I just lie there for a minute, catching my breath.
These wizards will be the death of me.
Just a little over half an hour later, I arrive at the wizards’ house. I cleaned up quickly and took too long deciding what to wear. But with such short notice, I didn’t have much time to pick out an outfit, and I didn’t want to keep them waiting. I settled on a tank top and a skirt that’s just long enough. I finished off the look with some light make-up. I don’t want to look like I’m trying too hard. In fact, I want to look like I’m not trying at all. It’s hard to imagine that any of these four men would be very interested in me. Though if they’re up for just fooling around, I’m definitely down. Ideally, I’d like more, but given how kind they’ve been, maybe their invite is only politeness. I get the sense that they’re always willing to help anyone, and they seemed so protective of me. The thought makes me smile as I knock and wait at the door.
Max opens the door this time. He’s wearing a tight black shirt that shows off his sculpted physique, and I try not to ogle the guy.
“Hi, Hope!” His eyes light up when he sees me, and that feels nice if nothing else. “It’s good to see you again. Come in, come in!”
I feel all riled up again, and I blame my panther for that. That big cat can make a girl extra thirsty. Max comes in for a hug, and I try not to hold on too long. He looks as cheerful as anything as he leads me into the living room where the other guys are already hanging out with glasses of sweet tea.
Everyone stands up and greets me, looking so happy that I’m here, and it makes me blush. Jared wraps an arm me, one hand holding a glass. “There’s gin in it this time,” he says with a wink.
Oh my. This will be fun.
“I know we just saw you a few days ago,” Freddie says when I sit down next to him on the couch. “But how are you? No panther chases, I hope?”
“No, I’m trying to stay out of trouble,” I say, laughing. It’s almost a lie. Doing that beautification spell which might be a little complicated for my skill level, is decidedly not staying out of trouble, but I’m not going to tell them that. A girl’s got to keep some secrets.
The living room is as big and airy as the rest of the house with shiny hardwood floors and antique furniture in good condition. I think they’re old-fashioned tastes are endearing and a bit unusual for a place where four fairly young guys live, but the place doesn’t feel old so much as warm and friendly.
Freddie sees me staring at a particularly nice navy easy chair and says, “I reupholstered that chair myself. It was in terrible condition when I found it.”
“You reupholster furniture?” I say, raising an eyebrow.
“Yeah, well…” He looks a little flustered, running a hand through his hair. “Sometimes. But I use a little bit of magic. I’ve done a few pieces in the house though.”
“That’s so cool!”
Freddie grins, and if I didn’t know better, I’d say he was pleased that I’m impressed. Jared is hovering in the doorway, shifting from foot to foot, as the others take their seats. I stifle a laugh when Dylan almost trips over an ottoman on his way to sit next to me. He’s stealing a seat that Max was about to take.
Max glares at Dylan. “I was going to sit there.”
Dylan smirks and gestures to the chair. “Take that seat. Freddie reupholstered it just for you.”
Max snorts and sits in the chair looking very put out, and I have to clap a hand to my mouth as I chuckle at the boys and how they act together.
Jared clears his throat and says, “Hey Hope, do you want gin in your tea? You don’t have to drink it. It was just—"
“No, that sounds good,” I say, quickly. “I wouldn’t mind taking the edge off.”
Max nudges me and says, “Is there an edge?” He looks at me, eyes bright as he bites his lip, and I feel all warm inside.
“Oh...I don’t know.” I rub my knees. I don’t know how I’m supposed to act here. If sex is on the table, I want it, but I don’t want to throw myself at them if they’re just being nice having me over. A lot of guys are flirty too, and it doesn’t lead to anything more than that. “Maybe there’s a little bit of an edge.”
Maybe I should look for a spell that makes a guy’s intentions more obvious.
“We’ll take that edge right off!” Dylan gives me finger guns, and I snort a laugh.
Jared brings me the sweet tea and waits while I take a sip. It’s just right and not too strong, and so I give him a thumbs up. Drinking gin and sweet tea in a mansion in the forest with four hot wizards... I’m starting to wonder if the panther actually killed me, and I’ve gone to heaven.
We talk about silly things for a bit; the weather, life in Foggy River, and how strange and interesting Florida can be. I drink down most of my sweet tea, and I feel relaxed and warm. I sit back, nestled between Dylan and Freddie, keenly aware of their bodies pressed up against mine even though the conversation is casual. Dylan keeps playfully nudging my knee, and when I look over at him, he looks away again, blushing. Interesting.
“What’s it like being a shifter?” Max says when the conversation has hit a relaxed kind of lull. “I mean, we’ve met plenty of them, but they’re usually clients because we offer them protection if they need something only a wizard can provide. We don’t really ask about their personal life.”
“Oh…” I laugh a little, feeling pleasantly buzzed but not drunk. I feel like I’m having a better time than I have in ages. “Not that strange to me, I guess. My family is in a pride of panthers, but we’re pretty assimilated into human life. So the pride just meets up sometimes, and then I’ll get together with my parents and my sister, and we’ll go somewhere and run and hunt together. They live in Jacksonville, but we don’t run there, it’s not a great spot for panthers. There’s a park not too far where they go.”
Jared titters at that and says, “Just a regular working girl...who happens to b
e a panther?”
“Yeah,” I tell him, raising my glass. “Pretty much.”
Freddy tilts his head and says, “Does your...panther side affect your human side? Like are there panther qualities you possess when you’re human, or does it affect your moods or anything?”
My cheeks burn at that and I squirm in my seat. My hand is resting on my knee, if I moved it just a few inches, it would be resting on Freddie’s knee, and I would be definitively starting something. I lick my lips and twirl a lock of hair around my finger, hardly aware that I’m doing it.
Yes, I want to tell them. Being a panther makes me horny as hell and you hotties aren’t helping any.
“Yeah,” I say slowly. “Um...like if I get angry, I can get really angry because of my panther. And I can get territorial or possessive more than I normally would probably.”
“Possessive, huh?” Dylan says.
“Yeah or...well…” I grin and cover my mouth. Impulsively, I reach for my second glass of sweet tea and take a big gulp for courage. “Or like, I have a stronger libido than a regular human woman because of my panther…”
I lock eyes with Dylan whose mouth drops open, and I feel the whole room get hot. “Oh,” he whispers. I can feel all their attention on me, and it feels absolutely delectable. And somehow my heightened panther’s instincts are certain that they’re waiting for me to make a move and they’re too gentlemanly to make one themselves.
“Um,” Freddie murmurs. “H-how strong?”
Be confident, I tell myself. I could pretend to be an absolute seductress right now, and I already feel so sexy with how they’re looking at me. I can pretend it’s more than just sex if I want to. Even that, I’m pretty happy with. I turn my head to look at Freddie and realize he’s only inches away. I can hear how short his breath is, and it makes my heart pound.
I lift my hand, and it makes that journey, just a few inches, before landing on his knee. Everyone gasps a little at the fairly innocent gesture. You’d think I’d suddenly started pole dancing.
