Chapter 17
17
brAM
“ A re you ready for cake?” Ava grins from the passenger seat of my car. After being smashed into her tin can of a vehicle the other day, I refuse to ever ride with her again.
“It’s ten in the morning,” I grumble.
“There’s never a bad time to eat cake,” Ava says as she squirms in her seat, way too excited for our outing today.
We’re headed to The Enchanted Oven, a bakery run and owned by a witch named Paul. He’s supposedly one of the best bakers in town, but I’ve never had his cakes. Before a few months ago, he was part of the Lumen coven and strictly speaking Tenebris witches weren’t allowed on his side of town.
“How are you feeling after the other day?”
Ava’s eyes widen as she looks at me. Her mouth moves in a silent answer before she cocks her head. “The other day?”
“With what Fitz said. We didn’t really talk about it.” What did she think I was talking about? What else happened the other day? The horrible coven dinner?
The kiss.
Is that what she’s thinking about?
“Oh.” She clears her throat. “It’s all a little romantic without a lot of substance, isn't it.”
“Are you a romantic?” I don’t know why I just asked that.
It’s another gray day. The sky has been threatening snow for the past few days with no follow-through. At this point, I haven’t seen the sun in a week and it’s fucking depressing.
“I would call myself a pragmatist. Kind of goes along with my curse.”
“But love conquers all.” There’s no missing the sarcasm in my voice.
“According to Fitz. Then again, I don’t think Fitz has ever hugged another person, so I’m going to take it all with a grain of salt.” Ava shrugs.
I park the car in front of the bakery. It’s a tiny shop that looks like it’s been plucked out of a Disney main street. There’s a striped awning and the shop’s name is painted in slanted writing on the large front window.
“Paul’s a little prickly but his stuff is amazing,” Ava warns as we get out of the car.
“He moved here a few years ago, didn’t he?”
“Yes, from a small town in Canada that barely had any witches.”
Inside the store are a handful of small wooden tables with no more than two chairs available. The shop is empty save for an elderly man nursing a cup of coffee and reading the newspaper.
“Paul, nice to see you.” Ava approaches the man behind the counter. He’s in his mid-thirties and fit. I have a feeling he likes everyone to know how in shape he is, because his T-shirt is so tight, I’m not sure how he still has circulation in his arms. Everything he’s wearing is white and pristine as if he hasn’t been baking at all today.
Paul eyes Ava just a little too long for my liking. She does look good today. She’s wearing a black skirt and tights with a pair of doc martens. Her sweater is a dark red that makes her skin look like cream. Even her hair looks glossier today, flowing over her shoulders in a gentle wave. She takes off her coat and I step forward to help her out of it. Surprised eyes find me over her shoulder, and I stare down at her. Her eyes look almost golden today, her cheeks extra rosy.
“Thanks,” she murmurs and slowly blinks.
“Are we going to stare lovingly into each other’s eyes, or do you need something?”
Ava jerks her head around to Paul, who looks unimpressed and bored.
“Both, obviously,” I respond, and Ava laughs nervously.
Paul cocks his head. “Fair enough. Are you Ava and Bram?” He comes out from behind the counter with his hand outstretched. He’s even shorter than Ava, but makes up for it with his attitude. Ava’s face falls for just a second before she shores herself up and plasters on a smile. It takes me a minute to figure out what's going on. She said she knows Paul, but he doesn’t remember her. Ava’s curse is a daily kick in the teeth. What must it feel like to be forgotten all the time?
“It’s nice to meet you.” I shake Paul’s hand, squeezing just a little too hard.
“Shit. Ease up on the roids.” Paul snatches his hand away and shakes it out.
“Aren’t you Canadian? I thought Canadians were supposed to be nice.”
“Yeah, well, I don't live in Canada any more, do I?”
“Did they kick you out for being an asshole?” Ava’s tugging on my sleeve, but I ignore her.
Paul gives me an assessing look. “Yes.”
I can’t help but chuckle. During our exchange, Ava’s collected herself. She shakes Paul’s extended hand. “We can’t wait to eat some of your cakes.”
“Let’s get on with it, then. I have an assortment of options for you. I wasn’t sure if you just wanted cake, so I have some pastries, tarts, and even some chocolates.”
“Yum.” Ava grins as Paul sets a large tray of confections in front of us.
Paul walks us through the collection of plates, pointing to each as he describes them. Honestly, I tune him out. It doesn’t matter what they’re called. Taste is the only thing that’s important.
Ava takes a bite of a tiny pastry and closes her eyes with a satisfied hum. My fork stalls mid-air as I watch her tongue flick out and lick a bit of cream off her lip. Fuck. This woman doesn’t do anything in halves. The night I kissed her, she held nothing back. She clung to me and bent to my will as though made to fit between my hands. I want to lick the frosting off her lips. I bet it would taste sweeter that way. The compulsion to kiss her again makes my skin itch.
“I bet that tastes good.” The words slip out while I watch her mouth.
My cake falls off my fork and onto the floor. Ava’s eyes snap open and she giggles.
“Don’t know how to feed yourself, Blackthorn. Here, let me help.” She lifts the pastry, and my mouth opens as if she’s commanded it. I take a bite, and when she tries to pull away, I wrap my fingers around her wrist and hold her hand there. I watch her face, transfixed, as I lean down and capture the rest of the pastry in my mouth. She sucks in a breath when my tongue touches her finger.
“Yeah. I like that.”
In the distance, I hear the tinkling of bells as the door opens, but I can’t look away from Ava. Not until an annoying voice calls out.
“Ava, what a surprise.”
I release Ava’s wrist as she blinks up at me, looking as dazed as I feel. I slowly turn to find her dickhead ex striding toward us. Are you fucking kidding me? Him, again?
He reaches out to squeeze Ava’s arm and leans in as if he’s going to kiss her. I tug her to my side and the prick has no choice but to straighten or fall over. He shoots me a cautious grin before turning his attention back to Ava. I don’t like it.
“I was just walking by and saw you inside. Thought I’d say hello.”
“Uh, hey.” Ava lamely waves. I drop my hand to her waist and pull her in closer. She doesn’t even appear to notice.
“Still love those sweets, huh?” Jamie jabs with his elbow like he wants to poke her in the ribs, but he’s not close enough. “Not as much as you used to, though, it seems. You’re looking good.” His eyes scan down her body and back up again. The darkness rears up inside me, nearly blocking out all noise. I’m going to pluck his eyeballs from his head.
Ava’s mouth drops open and her cheeks flush red. She wiggles to free herself from my side, but I hold on tight. The exasperated look she throws my way is much better. Full of her normal fire.
“Thanks, Jamie,” she mumbles. I don’t like this at all.
“Yes, how kind of you to comment on someone’s body. Not at all inappropriate.”
Jamie turns narrowed eyes my way. “Oh, Ava doesn’t mind. We know each other too well for that, isn’t that right?” His attention moves back to Ava.
“Thanks for stopping by. Ava and I have other things that need our attention right now,” I say instead of ramming my fist into his face. I doubt Paul would appreciate blood splattered all over his pretty little shop.
“Oh, that’s right, you’re planning the Lupercalia party, aren’t you? That’s why you two are paired up.” He knocks his two pointer fingers together. I want to break them. To hear him scream out apologies to Ava for even thinking he was worthy of simply saying her name.
“I keep forgetting and getting confused why you’re together, until I remember.”
A loud moaning sound comes from my pocket. It stops everyone in their tracks. The old man in the corner even lowers his paper to peer in our direction.
The moan happens again.
“Are you okay?” Jamie’s face is pinched. Ava’s eyes are wide, and her lips are pressed together like she’s holding in a laugh.
There’s another moan. “What the fuck is that?” I grumble and fish my phone out of my pocket. I stare as another moan vibrates the phone. It’s ringing, except normally, I just have it on silent. Even when the ringer is on, though, that’s not what it’s supposed to sound like.
“That’s an interesting alert.” Jamie unzips the top of his coat, and then turns his attention back to Ava. “Perhaps after all this sugar, you’d like to go for a walk? Burn off some of those calories.”
“It’s ten degrees out.” Ava gapes at him.
I’m about to toss him out and tell him to get fucked, when Paul slams another tray of baked goods on the counter, making Jamie jump. “Are you going to buy something?”
“Oh. No. I was just passing by.”
“Then keep walking. Customers only,” Paul grumbles, and I find myself liking the prickly man a lot more than when I walked in.
“Fine, I'll have a coffee.”
“We’re out of coffee,” Paul says, crossing his arms. At the same moment, the old man who’s been reading his paper this whole time wanders behind the counter and refills his coffee with an obviously full pot.
“Bye, Jamie. We have work to do.” Ava stands up straighter, but she’s still leaning into my side, as if she needs the support. I squeeze her waist.
“Get in touch, okay? Let’s catch up.” Jamie grins, with what he must think is a slick smile. My magic responds with a snap, shadows flicking out so quickly he doesn’t realize what’s happened. There’s a snap and Jamie’s grunting, bending over slightly at the waist.
Ava gapes up at me, then slams her mouth shut. Her shoulders shake as she holds back a laugh.
Jamie limps out of the bakery without another word.
“Why were you being nice to him?” The question comes out with more bite than I intend, but fucking hell, she should tell him to fuck off.
Paul raises an eyebrow and then spins around, disappearing into the back of the shop. The old man sipping his coffee hums under his breath.
“Because, unlike some people, I’m not a complete asshole.” She pulls away from my grip. I clench my fingers into a fist to keep from grabbing her and dragging her back to me.
“Maybe you should be.”
“Maybe you should mind your own business.”
“Shut up. Either finish eating and figure out your order, or leave.” Paul pokes his head out of the back and wags a finger at us.
I don’t even taste the rest of the desserts.