Chapter 6
Prax
She did not choose the me. I had to admit that the line was very silly, but it made her smile, so it was worth it.
All eyes were on me as we walked into The Witch’s Brew. It was probably my magnetic presence, though I knew I looked dashing in my cowboy outfit, complete with a lasso. Something about the hat perched at the perfect angle always made women cream themselves. Or maybe it was the boots with the spurs. I couldn’t believe I’d missed out on the Wild West! I would’ve had so much fun.
A lady double-fisting a couple of foamy concoctions openly gaped at me, and a pair of college girls tittered.
Sorry, ladies, I’m taken. For now.
My sexy cowgirl walked slightly ahead of me, making a beeline straight for the coffee shop’s counter. She’d changed into a pair of dark skinny jeans that hugged her hips, and I couldn’t take my eyes off her. She wasn’t voluptuous like the women I usually gravitated to for a romp in the hay, but she moved in her body like she owned it, and that was sexier than anything.
“Penny! I thought we were meeting later,” the redhead behind the counter called out.
This must be Griselda. There was a sign on the wall explaining how she’d failed at witchcraft but brewed a mean cuppa joe. A large photo in a gold filigree frame showed what the shop had looked like a decade ago. It once had a sign for tarot readings out front and no mention of coffee anywhere.
Now, it was a modern café, the kind where you paid at the counter and sat down to watch all the people go by. It was filled with knickknacks and eccentric decor that told me this witch, regardless of her expertise, was the type that recharged her magic with items and artifacts.
She looked over Penny’s head and fixed me with a look. “Who’s your friend?”
“He’s not my friend. In fact, that’s why I’m here. I need some privacy. Can I hang out in your apartment for a while?”
“Hey now, Penny. Honey. Baby. You don’t really want to get rid of me, do you?”
The two women ignored me.
“What’s wrong with the wards at your place?”
“Don’t work on him. It’s a long story. That’s why I wanted to talk in person.”
“Okay, gimme a sec.” Griselda turned to the college kid who was helping her behind the counter. “I’ll be right back, Nick.”
She came around the counter, glaring daggers at me as she hooked elbows with Penny.
“Thanks for breakfast, Prax.” The little minx blew a kiss at me and winked.
The two disappeared down the back hallway. When I tried to follow them through the door leading to the apartment above, I hit an invisible wall. The sound of her giggling on the other side as the door closed filled my ears.
I sidled back to the counter and eyed the pastries. They looked good, and I ordered several to savor with my triple-shot ’smores latte. Then I took my goodies to one of the tables to wait for my little witch to come back.
About ten minutes later, as I was biting into the second pastry—a decadent chocolate and hazelnut filled affair—Griselda plopped into the chair opposite me. She mumbled a few words and waved her hands, and by the time I realized she was casting a spell, it was already too late. Invisible but strong cords wrapped around me, holding me in place.
She mumbled a few more words and made a throwing motion. I recognized the second spell. It was a blanket of silence meant to give us privacy. We’d be able to hear each other, but others could not.
“Who do you work for, Prax?” Griselda didn’t even bother with pleasantries.
I was about to tell her that it was none of her business, but when I opened my mouth, the words that tumbled out were, “Desmon, the dragon of Darlington.”
“And what do you do for him?”
I narrowed my eyes. That little tidbit on the sign about her failing at witchcraft was a big fat lie. The first spell hadn’t just immobilized me; it was also compelling me to speak the truth. Powerful stuff.
Unable to fight the magic, I blurted out, “Odd jobs.” I slammed my mouth shut, but my lips refused to stay closed. “But my contract is coming to an end.”
“Do you work for Penny’s dad?”
That one, I was happy not to fight. “No.”
“Why are you following Penny around?”
“I answered her summons, thinking it was just a booty call. I decided to stick around because I like her. Now, I’m bound to her.” The last few words surprised even me, even though I’d already seen the magic threads. Saying them out loud made it more real.
That seemed to appease the witch; she made a gesture, freeing me from her spells.
“The fuck, woman!” I sputtered. “You could have just asked like a normal person.”
“I’m not normal. And Penny’s my friend. She’s been through a lot lately. She might be too nice to force the truth out of you, but I’m not. But congrats, you passed.”
“What’s my prize? And don’t say a kiss. All my kisses belong to Penny for now.”
The witch raised her brows. “Cute.”
I frowned. This was the second time today that a woman had called me cute. I was not “cute.” I was “magnificent”. Oh well. This witch wasn’t the one I wanted to impress, so I let it go.
She reached out to touch one of the strands of Penny’s magic wrapped around my wrist.
I jerked my arm away. “What are you doing?”
“I want to see if there’s a way to remove them.”
“Don’t you dare!” I didn’t need any more of her witchy magic working on me.
She raised her brows again. I must be surprising her a lot today.
“I figured that as a demon recently freed from bondage, which I can tell you are, you wouldn’t want them. Why aren’t you trying to get them off?”
I was unsure myself. Why was I okay with these? For one, they were thin and light, nothing like the thick chains of magic that had once bound me to Nastafar, the last wizard to control me. But that wasn’t it. No matter how delicate, if these wispy silver threads belonged to anyone else, I’d want them off of me immediately.
“I’m not sure,” I admitted. “But I don’t want you touching them.”
The witch just hummed thoughtfully. “Well, I should let you know that Penny’s going to be up there for a while, so I suggest you do something else for the rest of the day. She’ll need to go home and change before we go out tonight. You can bother her again then.”
Griselda returned to her spot behind the counter. Which was for the best anyway, because my phone was buzzing from my pocket. It was Desmon.
We’d taken my car, or rather, the car Desmon had loaned me while I was under contract, even though the coffee shop was within walking distance of her home, so I had my cell phone on me. As much as I enjoyed blinking in and out of existence, the inability to bring necessities along was annoying.
I’d never needed to bring anything around with me in the past. This was a modern problem for a modern incubus. One I hadn’t found a solution to yet.
I shoved the rest of the last pastry into my mouth and stepped outside to take the call.