Chapter Eight
Keep Your Paws to Yourself
Bellamy
“Oh, Bellamy. How lovely to see you out and about so early on a weekday.” Clarissa beams with all that false customer service charisma.
“Clarissa, let’s cut the fluff and just get down to the order. I’m thinking I’ll have a Blood Moon Brew, heavy on the blood.”
Her eyes widen and her hands shake as she considers what to say. I know Hex and Harken doesn’t have a Blood Moon Brew or blood. But, I find that since everyone thinks I’m an evil witch that I might as well play along.
“I…uh…we don’t.”
“I’m fucking with you, Clar. I’ll take my normal Hot Apple Cinnamon Machiatto.”
“Oh, thank the Goddess. You really had me worried there for a moment.”
After paying for my coffee, I hover by the collection area as I wait. My phone dings with another incoming text message. There is only one soul who would bother me this early in the day.
Dog Boy: Good Morning! Hope your coffee’s strong, your fox is well-behaved, and your hexes are aimed at someone else today.
P.S. But if you are hexing me, at least make me taller this time.
My thumb hovers over the response box. Each message pushes me closer and closer to giving in and responding. It’s so close, but then I remember that I don’t want to lead him on.
Clicking the screen back off, I just people-watch as I wait. All these happy couples with their broad smiles and affection makes me want to vomit. Why do people have to touch each other so much?
It’s sickening really. Can you not be around each other without subjecting all of us to the love fest?
Clarissa walks over with my coffee, the ice gently moving around in the cup. She backs away slowly as if I might hex her for existing. I mean, it’s possible. Depends on how this first sip tastes. If she got the order wrong…all bets are off.
The hot, cinnamon and apple flavor splashes along my tongue as the kick from the espresso zings into my system. Fine, she will go hex-free for now.
Pushing open the door, I stop mid-step as a tiny voice screams, “Watch it!”
One of the delivery squirrels is standing there with his canvas bag stuffed full of envelopes, a furry paw on his hip, and eyes that would kill me if they could.
He’s probably related to the one I turned into a snail because he took so long to get my new spellbook to me.
It’s not my fault he was moving at a snail’s pace so I thought he might as well be a snail.
Maybe…be faster…I don’t know what to tell you. My phone dings again in my pocket, the death march tune floating through the air. I can’t help the little smirk that comes across my face as I think about all the things that Dog Boy could have sent this time.
Nyx pops into existence next to me as the smell of sugary cotton candy, sweat, and thrill fills the surrounding air. Ew.
“You’re smiling again because of him.”
“Am not. What was it this time? Carnival or fair?”
He snorts as he shakes his head. “Don’t change the topic. I see it with my two cold, beady black eyes. You were smiling.”
I shrug my shoulders and turn around the corner heading toward Curios & Curses.
My little shop is in the back, where lighting is limited, and few people are brave enough to venture.
Elora has often joked that it fits my personality, all dark and gloom.
I tend to think that only the right souls will come this far in and they are ripe for the picking if you ask me.
This part of town is full of bright, happy shops.
I mean, look, the Apple & Ash General Store literally has shiny, red apples in one of those picturesque wooden crates right out front.
People are mingling in front of the shop as if it isn’t a grocery store.
A few doors down is The Hex Appeal Salon that is known for making you look however you want to look.
Blonde hair? Check. Pouty, red lips? Check.
My lip sneers when I see another person coming out of the salon. I can practically taste the magic used to give her that appearance. It’s floating around her like a cloud of magical dust.
I pick up the pace, hoping to bypass everyone and make it to the side of town that is far darker and far more my speed.
The back street is where my shop is, which is known for curses, hexes, and any little trinket you need to dabble in the dark magic.
You need bones for scrying? I’ve got just about every species you could imagine.
The only other shops back here are run by people like me.
Take, for example, Tooth & Talon Ink. As you have probably gathered, it’s a tattoo salon, and they also offer piercings.
While I’ve not been brave enough to get one of my own, I have gone so far as to hang out with the tattoo artstis when I close the shop, but don’t quite want to go home yet.
I’m just rounding the corner from the bright side of town when I’m hit from behind and someone wraps their hairy, meaty arms around me. It only takes a second for his smell to gather in my nose and I know immediately who it is. Dog Boy.
My body locks up like he just poured ice water down my spine. I can literally feel my muscles seizing up.
No. Nope. Absolutely not.
His arms are warm, surprisingly soft yet solid, and annoyingly comfortable. The exact type of embrace that would trick someone into believing that the world isn’t a shit hole.
“Dog Boy,” I manage through gritted teeth. “You’ve got two seconds to let go of me before I hex you to be three feet tall.”
He laughs—actually fucking laughs—like I’m joking.
Spinning around, ready to give him a piece of my mind, I realize that all I’ve done is turn in his embrace. He didn’t let go like I thought he would, nor did he loosen his hold. If anything, it feels like I’m closer to him now.
“Good morning, beautiful,” he says in a sultry voice, not that I would know what that is, but still.
“This isn’t a good morning. This is assault.”
His grip loosens just a smidge, and I lean back to glare at him. He’s…he’s smiling, all crinkled eyes and dimples. He smiles at me as if this hug fulfilled every dream of his today. Ugh…he’s going to be a touchy person.
He slowly pats my back. What…the…
“What are you doing?” I demand.
He shrugs, as if he isn’t essentially petting me. “Matilda said you love hugs.”
I blink slowly. “Who the hell is Matilda?”
He hesitates, suddenly looking like someone who said something they shouldn’t have. “You know…the matchmaking ghost? She said she knew you.”
Don’t tell me…Did she tell him all her failed attempts? She’s literally the reason we have a headless man riding a Vespa around town.
I stare at him for a long beat. “You need better friends.”
Nyx snickers from the corner of the building. He knows exactly who Matilda is and the fuckery she gets up to. I mean, who matches a vampire with a vegan? There are so many things wrong with that.
I shove at his chest until he reluctantly lets go of me, stepping back like he expects me to miss his warmth already.
Spoiler: I don’t.
“Want to run that by me again?” I say, taking a sip of my coffee that miraculously survived the attack.
Miles’ ears turn a light shade of pink. “Matilda. She’s a…uh…ghost.”
I take a long, slow sip of my coffee. Allowing the silence to stretch into an uncomfortable area before I finally speak. “A ghost told you to…hug me?”
“She’s really wise and well dressed,” he says quickly as if it will make it all better. “She said your love language was affection and that I should show you that you can trust me.”
Nyx gives the fox equivalent of a snort, which sounds an awful lot like a cough. He’s not even trying to hide the gleam in his eyes or the pure humor he finds in this whole situation.
“My love language,” I repeat flatly. “From a matchmaking ghost with a horrible track record?”
Miles brightens. “Exactly! See you get it.”
I walk over to the bench along the sidewalk to set my coffee down. I need to fully commit to this if I’m ever going to get him to understand. Brushing off my shoulders and smoothing out my black lace dress, I turn to face him head-on.
“Dog Boy, I don’t know if it’s because you are new to town or because you’ve been dropped on your head too frequently as a young pup, but let me make this perfectly clear,” I say as I walk back over to stand in front of him again.
“I do not accept unsolicited hugs. Not from strangers, not from friends, and certainly not from people following ghost dating advice.”
“That’s fair,” he says, nodding like I’ve just given him a piece of valuable intel. “So it’s safe to say that affection isn’t your love language?”
I just stare at him, blinking, with my mouth in a thin line. “Obviously. What about me gave off the impression that it was?”
“It’s definitely your warm smiles and expressive eyes. They really call me in.”
Nyx actually chokes this time. I swear he’s laughing. Meanwhile Miles is still staring at me with hearts in his eyes with one side of his lips tipped up in a half smile. The street lamps reflect in his glasses as I watch him patiently wait for my next move.
I slowly step back from him, turning to grab my coffee again. He might want more affection if I stay close to him. Even if I liked his arms around me, I’ll burn at the pyre before I admit that to him. Before I walk away from him, I say, “Keep your paws to yourself, Dog Boy.”
I’ve made it all of three steps away in a graceful, coffee-fueled escape when a familiar voice cuts through the morning. I’m never going to escape this hellhole. If there is a way to open the straight route to hell, now it would be ideal.
“There you both are!”
I glance over to see Elora striding towards us with an oversized canvas bag slung over her shoulder and the I’ve got a plan and you’re going to hate it sparkle in her eye.
Is it possible for lightning to strike right now and take me out of this?
I roll my head back and glare up at the perfectly blue sky without a cloud in sight. Of course not.
Miles perks up immediately. “Hey, Elora.”
She ignores him completely and narrows in on me. “Perfect timing. Both of you. Let’s go.”
“Go where…” I don’t even get to finish my sentence before she grasps my arm and drags me back up the road towards Hex & Harken. And to think I almost made it to my shop.
She points to one of the open tables outside. “Both of you. Sit.”
I blink. “Sit? Like…now?”
“Yes. Now.” She herds us toward the seats with all the authority of a drill sergeant.
“I have a shop to open,” I protest.
“And I have places to be,” Miles adds, though he’s grinning like he thinks this is going to be fun.
Elora plants her bag on the open chair with a thud. “You can spare five minutes. Festival committee emergency.”
My stomach drops. I don’t want to be here, sister or not. “If this is about me running the scavenger hunt again…”
“It’s about you running the scavenger hunt again,” she says, smiling like she hasn’t just sealed my fate. Clearly she hates me.
Elora's smile was radiant, a stark contrast to my own forced grimace.
Miles leans back in his chair like he’s settling in for a good time. “Bellamy, we were literally assigned this task. We haven’t even started discussing it yet.”
“Yes, and I was hoping if I ignored it and you long enough that someone else would be assigned the task.”
“That’s…not how volunteering works,” he says, clearly fighting a smile.
Nyx hops into the empty chair, pushing Elora’s bag to one side. His tail flicks like he’s already plotting my downfall.
Elora leans over and grabs a huge three-ring binder from her bag before slapping it down on the table in front of us.
“I took the liberty of doing most of the work for you since I figured my sister would try something like this. Inside you will find routes, clues, and a list of places we need to talk to for permission. And before you ask it…yes…you’re doing this together. ”
“I work better alone,” I say instantly.
“You work better avoiding people,” Nyx says in my head, his voice smooth and smug.
I take another sip of my coffee, avoiding eye contact with my sister. “Not helping.”
Elora ignores me. “You two have exactly one week to finalize the course so I can print the clue cards and start hyping it on the town board. Which means—” She leans in, all sugar and sweet menace. “You’ll be spending a lot of time together.”
Miles lights up like someone just threw a tennis ball for him. “Sounds great. We’ll start today!”
He is practically vibrating with excitement. I whip my head toward him. “We will not be starting today.”
He leans towards me, eyes glowing with confidence. “Sure, we will. I’m free all afternoon, obviously. So, it’s a perfect chance for us to get to know each other. I mean, work on the project,” he says, smug as a dog who just found the toy you threw in hopes it would take a long time.
Nyx flicks his tail. “You should let him. Imagine the hexes you could do to him while he thinks he’s bonding with you.” His words whisper across my mind.
Bringing my coffee up for a sip, I hide my smirk. “I’m busy,” I tell Miles.
Elora slides the map towards me and winks. Ugh, of course she’s meddling because fate told her something. “Think of this as an opportunity for…bonding.”
I push the map back towards her with a flick of my wrist. “Literally pair him with anyone other than me, thanks.”
“Nope.” Elora stands, ignoring the map and my facial expression. She’s clearly pleased with herself. “You’re my dream team, literally.” She pats my shoulder—an invasion I only tolerate because she’s my sister—and adds, “Fate even said so.”
Miles raises an eyebrow, glancing between us. “Fate? What does she mean by that?”
“You could do it now,” Nyx suggests, voice like silk and mischief. “End him and this meddling business before your coffee is even lukewarm.”
I keep my face neutral. “Tempting.” I watch her walk away, sashaying like a cat strolling along a fence. She thinks she’s won already.
I stand abruptly, tucking my coffee under my arm as I turn to leave. “Well…this has been…awful.”
He smiles up at me like I stroked his fur and told him he was a good boy. Does he literally have to embody the dog personality so much?
“Shall we get started now…or did you need to grab something from your shop first?”
I roll my eyes and start towards Curios & Curses. My boots click against the cobblestone road, putting more and more distance between me and whatever weird fate my sister is attempting to manifest.
Thinking I’ve managed to evade it, a smile starts to spread across my face that’s cut short when I hear…
“Hey! Where are you going?”
Nope. I’m not participating any longer. My day has been derailed long enough. Picking up the pace, I glide around the corner hoping he doesn’t see where I went.
No…such…luck.
My hand clasps around the wrought iron handle of my shop door right as his smell invades my nostrils again. Ugh.