Chapter 14
14
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I t’s one minute past eight when I knock on the still locked door of Woodroot’s Apothecary. Morty’s figure is distorted through the beveled glass as he approaches. There’s a sneer on his face when he opens the door.
“It’s after eight,” I cut him off before he can complain. He pulls back the puffy sleeve of his white shirt and looks at his watch. He’s wearing a yellow and green kilt with matching knee-high socks and a Scottish bonnet set at a jaunty angle.
“It’s eight right now, sweetheart.” He steps back and sweeps his hand in a sarcastic come in gesture. “What do I owe the pleasure of your company so early on this Sunday morning? I would have thought you’d be sleeping off a hangover after the big event yesterday.”
Morty glides through the shop, straightening books and jars filled with herbs and an assortment of magical materials. The store has the faint scent of woodsmoke and dried spices. I’ve been here so many times that there’s a comfort to the smell.
“I had a head injury. I wasn’t drinking.” That’s a partial truth. I had to make a trip across town to set up a doll in a certain someone’s bathroom. Someone that I kissed last night. A kiss that has been replaying on a loop in my mind since the moment I told her it was a mistake. Being drunk would have given me an excuse for what I did, but I can’t blame my actions on booze. I don’t know what came over me. Seeing that slimy prick put his hand on Ava, like he had any right to touch her, any right to speak to her, had the darkness inside me roaring for release. The shadows that normally stay fairly dormant reared their head and shot down to every cell in my body. It’s never happened so quickly before. It’s one more thing from last night that’s freaking me the fuck out.
That kiss with Ava has been plaguing me. Why did it feel so damn good? Why did my magic cool and flare up at the same time? I didn’t know that was possible. It felt as if the darkness in my soul parted, only to reveal it had been hiding a wall of flame.
It was a mistake, though. For so many reasons. For better or worse, Ava’s now one of my inner circle. Roman and Josephine have a magical bond that isn’t going to be worn away with time. They’re in this forever. Unless Ava decides to drop one of her best friends, we’ll continue to see each other. That’s not even mentioning the fact that we’re stuck planning this masquerade for the next few weeks.
The biggest reason I need to keep my distance from her is me. I’m slowly rotting, growing darker by the day. My curse is poisoning anything good in me. Someday soon, I’ll be a vile, rage-filled monster who revels in hurting people. Ava needs to stay away for her own wellbeing. Even if I want more, I can’t have it.
That doesn’t mean I want her dragging herself back to some jagoff like Jamie. The man literally looked through her like he didn’t know who she was a few weeks ago. Something she said last night rings through my mind. She mentioned her curse. That he’d forgotten her because of it. What the hell is her curse?
Morty picks up a small bottle and holds it up to the light, shaking the red liquid. My stomach sours at the sight. It’s the potion I use to tamp down my rage.
“I just made some fresh this morning.” Morty nods in satisfaction at the bottle and slides it across the counter for me with an assessing look. “I’ve increased the potency. It’s not working as long, is it?”
There’s no sense in lying to the man. I swear part of his magic is being able to detect the truth in people’s words.
“No.” It’s not working like it has in the past. It’s almost as if my system burned it off the other day when I did the food tasting with Ava. Then I was left with the darkness choking me that much faster.
“You seemed fine yesterday. Well, some parts of the day.” Morty whips out a feather duster and flits it over a shelf of crystals.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I push the elixir across the counter. I need it, but I loathe it.
“You were enjoying yourself with Ava.”
“And?” I glower at Morty, something that would make most people shake in their boots. He simply grins at me like I’m a sweet child.
“I didn’t say it meant anything. I was just pointing out a fact.”
When the bell over the door jingles, the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I know before turning around who’s just walked through the door.
“Do you think saying her name summoned her?” Morty chuckles. I glare at him before turning to find Ava standing with the door wide open. She’s perched on the threshold, looking like she can't decide if she should come in or bolt back outside.
Dear Maiden, Mother, and Crone, she looks like she just rolled out of bed. Her baggy sweats have a stain on the thigh. Is that spaghetti sauce? Her oversized gray hoodie is almost, but not quite, the same color as the pants. It looks like she borrowed an eighties gym school uniform from a giant. Her hair is in a messy bun on top of her head and is partially covered by her hood. Her eyes are hidden by a pair of enormous sunglasses that give her a faintly bug-like appearance. I peer out the window. It’s gray as fuck outside, snow threatening to start falling at any moment. There’s no need for sunglasses.
My lips twitch with a threatened smile. She’s hungover.
“Close the door, honey. You’ll let in evil spirits,” Morty commands, and Ava immediately obeys. Hmm…she obeyed so quickly. What a good girl.
Fuck. Where the hell is my head? She looks like a potato. Why am I getting turned on right now?
“Blackthorn.” She nods vaguely in my direction as she walks up to the other end of the counter. My dick gets hard at the sound of my name rasped out of her throat. I rub my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose. I’m losing it.
“What brings you in on this fine day?” Morty has an evil smile on his face.
“Just dropping off some muffins I made this morning.” She sets a bag down on the counter. I swear I can smell them and my stomach growls.
“Did you get up before the crack of dawn to bake?”
Her eyes dart to me before focusing back on Morty. “I got up at a perfectly respectable time and did some baking. Do you have a problem with that?” Under her breath, she mumbles, but I still hear her. “Everyone’s got an opinion about me just living my life.”
“I didn’t say it was bad,” I counter. Ava finally fully turns and looks me in the eye. Well, I’m assuming. Her giant sunglasses are pointed in my direction.
I’m not swimming in dirty gray sweats, but I’m sure I don’t look that much better. I’m wearing a pair of old jeans and a black hoodie with the resort's logo on the front. I didn’t bother doing my hair when I got up and it’s probably sticking out in a bunch of different directions. Whatever Ava sees makes her scowl. I’m going to take that as a positive.
“Why are you here so early?” She sounds accusatory.
My gaze drifts down to the elixir on the counter. Ava sees it before I snatch it up and put it in my pocket.
“Just picking up a few things.”
Her eyes drop to my sweatshirt pocket. “What is that?”
“That’s none of your business,” I snap. Morty makes a sound that could be a hiss or a chuckle from the other side of the shop. When the hell did he walk away from the counter?
“It is if I’m going to be hanging around you. That could literally be anything. A drugging spell, a love potion.”
“Trust me, if I was going to seduce you, I wouldn't need a potion to accomplish that.”
Well, fuck. As soon as the words come out of my mouth, I want to take them back. How does she get under my skin like this? It’s like I trip over myself to insult her because, Maiden forbid I speak the actual truth. I don’t even want to think about the truth around Ava.
Her face goes blank and her chin tips up. “Trust me, I know how forgettable I am.”
“Ava,” I sigh.
“No.” She holds up her hand to silence me. “I’m good. Morty, I’ll see you later. Enjoy the muffins.”
“Wait one second.” Morty pops up behind the counter again as if he teleported across the room. I know he doesn’t have that kind of magic, so it just highlights how little I’m paying attention to anything except for Ava.
“You and your friends are looking into fated bonds, yes?” Morty straightens the plaid draped over his shoulder. Ava and I both turn to look at him.
Ava’s gaze darts to me and then away. “Oh, I’m not. Not really.”
I roll my eyes. I wasn’t specifically looking into it, but we’ve all been curious about Roman and Josephine's bond. “Yes. Why? Do you know something?”
Morty takes us both in, a sly look on his face. He pulls a muffin out of the bag and nibbles on the edge of it. I want to steal it and shove the whole thing in my mouth.
“I don’t, but you know who knows a ton about fated bonds?”
Ava takes the bait. “Who?”
Morty smirks, and I immediately know I’m not interested in finding out who.
“Fitz.”
“Oh. Um, well, we’ll have to get in touch with her.” Ava looks worried. I get it. Fitz is the scariest centenarian I know.
“I already called her for you. She’s expecting you in”—Morty looks at his watch—“ten minutes.”
When did he call her? He hasn’t picked up the phone since we’ve been in here.
Ava turns to look at me, still wearing her bug-eyed sunglasses. “You’d better go then.”
“No, she’s expecting both of you.” Morty grins and then takes another bite of the muffin.
Ava’s mouth is pressed tightly together. She shoves her glasses up on her head and her eyes are red rimmed. Has she been crying?
“Fine. But I’m driving.”