Chapter 21
Mattie didn’t wait for Gunnar. He’d catch up. She pulled her key out, unlocked the door and went in, leaving the door open behind her. Gunnar trailed behind, his phone out.
She left her key and purse on the little table by the door. She tried to get a bead on Blueberry’s magic, but that was harder to do here than at Gunnar’s.
Her house and the surrounding grounds were steeped in magic. His wasn’t, not in the same way. Trying to pick up Blueberry’s signature here was like trying to find a particular drop of water in a large pond.
She went straight to the kitchen. She set the bag of truffles on the counter where she could keep an eye on it, then got to work pulling ingredients and tools.
Flour, eggs, sugar, honey, vanilla, baking powder, salt, butter, bowls, her mixer, pans, a spatula, measuring cups, all the things needed to make the one item Blueberry was powerless to resist.
Her honey cake.
Gunnar walked in behind her, the phone to his ear. “What kind of pizza do you want?”
“Anything. I will literally eat anything.”
“Meat lovers?”
She imagined that was his favorite. No way a bear shifter would go for a veggie supreme. “Works for me.”
He went back to ordering. She got busy with the cake. It wouldn’t take long once the batter was made and the pans filled. The cakes might even be baked before the pizza arrived.
At some point, Blueberry would show up. She just knew it.
How long had it been since he’d eaten, anyway? He had to be hungry. The honey cake would bring him out of hiding. Just the process of making it might be enough.
She was cracking eggs into a bowl when Gunnar returned. “Okay, pizza’s on its way. Must be nice to be in their delivery area.”
“Aren’t you?”
“Not that far up into the woods.”
“Oh. That’s a bummer.”
“Tell me about it.” He leaned in, and for the briefest of moments, she thought he was going to kiss her. Her breath caught. Then she realized he was trying to whisper in her ear.
“Any sign of him?”
She shook her head, her heart pounding.
Gunnar straightened, looking at everything laid out on the counter. “Do you really want me to help with this?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, but I don’t know anything about baking.”
“You don’t need to. Get a drinking glass out of the cabinet and fill it with hot water from the tap.”
He frowned but did as she asked, opening the wrong cabinet first.
“One more over. That’s it.”
He took a glass down and went to the sink.
“You’ll have to let it run a bit.”
He did, testing the stream periodically with his finger. When it was hot, he filled the glass. “Now what?”
She set the stick of butter she’d taken from the fridge, still in its wrapper, on end so it was upright. “Dump the water out and put the glass over the stick of butter.”
He scrunched up his face. “Is this some kind of rookie initiation thing? Like a left-handed wrench?”
She had no idea what that meant. “No. I need to soften the butter.”
“Really. Does that work?” He gave a little grunt. “Okay, it must work or you wouldn’t have asked me to do it.” He dumped the water out and placed the glass over the butter. “What next?”
She walked him through each step of the process, letting him help a few times. Like with creaming the butter and sugar together. And setting the temperature on the oven. All the while, she kept an eye on the truffle bag.
It didn’t do so much as twitch.
Blueberry was either as mad at Gunnar as Gunnar was at him, or he wasn’t here. If he truly was missing, they were in trouble. Without him, there would be no new wish. If Nocturne Falls wasn’t restored to its full, secretive glory, Gunnar might not be the only one asked to leave.
Everyone knew she was Blueberry’s guardian. There was no way she wouldn’t be held partially responsible.
Finally, the pans were ready to go into the oven. She split the batter into the waiting pans, then slid them in. She set the timer, then started to clean up.
Gunnar helped without her asking, washing the bowls and other utensils.
When they were done, the cakes still had ten minutes to go. She had a thought. Another possible way to get Blueberry to reveal himself. Or at least for her to find out if he was here or not.
“You want to meet the bees?”
Gunnar dried his hands on a towel. “Is that safe?”
“With me around it is. They’re all returning to their hives at this time of day. They’re tired and not in any mood to be stinging anyone. Not that they would anyway, not with me there.”
He seemed a little hesitant, but a lot of people were when it came to bees. “Okay.”
“Yeah? Cool.” She grabbed the bag of chocolates and stuck it in the fridge. Then she motioned for Gunnar to follow her.
She took him out the back door. The sun was sinking lower, glazing everything in a golden glow. “The hives are just through the garden.”
He stopped, looking around at all the plants, bushes, and trees. “Did you do this all yourself?”
“Yep. It’s for the bees as much as anything, but it’s pretty too.”
“It’s beautiful.” There was real appreciation in his voice. He bent to sniff one of the flowers, surprising her. Then she remembered what Marigold had told her about him sending bouquets to his mother and sister.
“Do you like flowers?”
He nodded. “I do. Especially wildflowers.” He must have seen the amusement in her eyes. “What? I can’t like flowers?”
“It’s just unexpected. I think it’s nice you like them.”
“I’m a forest ranger. I like nature. And flowers are one way nature shows off.”
“Very true. Come on, let’s go introduce you to the bees.”
As they walked toward the hives, she wiggled her fingers, sending out a little spell to announce herself to the bees and let them know she wasn’t alone.
That got them flying toward her and Gunnar.
She put her hand on his arm to keep him next to her.
The muscle beneath her fingertips was impressive, but she refrained from mentioning that.
“Stay calm and stay beside me. The bees are going to land on you, but they’re just greeting you. They won’t hurt you.”
There was a slight apprehension in his eyes, but he nodded. “Okay.”
Sure enough, the bees swirled around them, and a few landed on each of them. She could sense their mood. They were curious about Gunnar but also wistful. They were longing for something.
“What is it?” she asked them, but she already knew.
They confirmed her guess when they formed the silhouette of Blueberry.
Gunnar’s jaw dropped. “Is that the imp?”
She nodded. “Yeah, they love him. And if they’re doing that, he’s not here.” She watched the bees. “Sorry, but if you bees can’t sense him, he’s not around.”
“Can they sense him when he’s invisible?”
“Yes. Which means …” She sighed.
“What?” Gunnar asked.
“That Blueberry might actually be missing. Or he’s left on purpose. Neither option is good.”
“No,” Gunnar agreed. “As much as I hate to say it, we need him.”
“Yeah, we do.” The bees dispersed, only to whirl once around Gunnar, then reform into a heart.
Mattie’s breath caught in her throat. She quickly tried to distract him. “You want to see inside a hive? Where the honey is made?”
“Sure, but why are they doing that?” He pointed at the heart hovering in the air before them.
“They, um, just love me very much.” She cut her eyes at the bees and sent them a mental push to disperse. They did, but their buzzing grew temporarily more chaotic and louder. They were laughing at her.
“You really can communicate with them, can’t you?”
“I can. It’s where most of my abilities lie.”
His eyes narrowed. “So then … why not have the bees go look for the imp?”
For a moment, she was speechless. “That’s actually a really good idea.”
“How far can they go? What’s their range?”
“Generally, about a mile or two, but they can go up to five miles if they’re really desperate.”
“Can you ask them to do that?”
“It’s the end of the day, and dusk is approaching. They’re tired and need to rest, but I could still have them do a quick search. We’d at least know if he’s around. He might still be hiding in your truck, though. They won’t be able to tell if he’s in there.”
“The driver’s side window is open a few inches. They’re welcome to go in.”
“Okay, I’ll let them know.” She turned toward the hives, pushing a little magic into her voice as she spoke to them.
She held out her hands as she walked deeper into the apiary.
“My friends, please fly out and look for Blueberry. We think he’s hiding from us, and he needs to be found.
Go everywhere you can fit, but don’t go so far you can’t get home. ”
There was a low hum of concern, followed by bees pouring out of the hives. Soon, a dark cloud of yellow and black bodies formed above her and Gunnar. She raised her hands to them. “Thank you.”
They flew down to touch her fingertips, then back into the sky, going in every direction.
“That,” Gunnar said, “was impressive.”
“Thanks. I hope they find something.” She glanced at the time on her phone. “I need to go back in. The cakes should have come out a minute ago.”
He nodded, still watching the sky. “Right behind you.”