Chapter 23
Brianne, Nate, and Ezekiel hovered in the doorway to my office, still unsure why I’d coerced them into gathering there so early on a Wednesday morning. My voice was gravelly from two days of ugly crying; my nose red from the constant nose blowing. I was plum worn to the bone.
It was giving me flashbacks. In the week before my new life began at the Magnolia, I’d done a lot of crying in my office. And living in my office. And hating myself … in my office.
“Thank you all for coming in.” I put on the bravest face I could manage, gesturing toward the four chairs Cecelia had arranged comfortably around my own chair. “Please have a seat.”
“You okay, honey?” Brianne sat next to me, immediately putting her arm over my shoulders.
“I appreciate you all making time for me today,” I replied, bypassing the question entirely.
But I gave her hand a squeeze. Brianne had involuntarily taken a front-row seat to my transformation.
By now, she knew I was no fragile flower.
She’d been there each time I bloomed. So I couldn’t lie to her and tell her I’d wilted. Just a little.
“It’s always a pleasure to see you, Simone.” Ezekiel somehow managed to make crossing his legs and sitting in a chair look creepy. “Especially when you call on me and not the opposite way around.”
“This isn’t a social visit, Zeke.” I not-so-secretly loved the way he winced when I used his nickname. “But I appreciate your time just the same.”
“I must say, Simone, your office is astonishingly lovely.” I smiled at Nate’s compliment and the obvious admiration on his face.
To give us space, my desk had been moved temporarily.
I wasn’t sure where, actually. Cecelia knew.
We sat in a circle in front of the window, with Gumbo stomach-up and snoring from its seat.
“Thanks.” The swell of pride I felt reminded me that, while this situation may have similarities to the past, it wasn’t the same. And more than the office was different. “It’s unusual for anyone other than my patients and Gumbo to see it.”
“And why are we getting to see it?” There was a thread of worry lacing Brianne’s voice. I’d been vague about why they were here, in part because I didn’t want to get Bri’s hopes up.
“We’re actually waiting on one more person.
Perhaps some refreshments while we wait?
” As if on cue, Cecelia populated the small tables beside each chair with specialized refreshments.
She’d blessedly used thick white mugs for Nate’s and Zeke’s respective choices.
I didn’t want to think about what was in there.
Unfortunately, Zeke made that impossible.
“Oh, my! Is this squab?” He swirled the mug like it was a fine wine, dipping his tongue in and pressing it against his lips. Ew. “Exquisite.”
“A noble stag for me.” Nate exchanged a glance with his brother, one of those shared appreciation things.
I gave Brianne side-eye, wondering how she was reacting to their enthusiasm for a bodily fluid.
This was going to be her future once she transitioned.
I managed to suppress my shudder, but Brianne seemed remarkably stone-faced.
Behind me, Gumbo let out a grunt of enthusiasm.
Cecelia had given him a big bowl of cream.
I had mixed feelings about that. I wanted him there as the Mystical Protector, in case this didn’t go well.
There was going to be a lot of supernatural power at play in this room in the next few minutes.
And though he’d promised to keep his farts to himself, I had doubts.
They were settling in with their, um, drinks when Cupid entered. As promised, he looked full-on stereotypical. He’d donned the toga and laurel garb. In addition to the golden quiver he’d shown me a few days prior, he also had his bow. I had to admit, it was a stunning sight.
“Cupid, you’re right on time.” I rose to greet him. Somehow, I hadn’t realized how tall he really was. He towered over both of the vampires, who’d risen from their chairs, identical expressions of surprise on their faces. “Have a seat.”
He took the chair on the other side of me, edging forward so his bow didn’t hit the back. It was only slightly awkward-looking. Then he nodded at me, and I took a deep breath. He didn’t look confident, and I didn’t feel confident. But we were doing this. It was showtime.
“Thanks again for being here, all of you. If you’ll allow it, I’m going to be blunt before we dive in.
I’m about to do something I’ve never done before, and hopefully will never do again.
” That gave me their full attention. Brianne worried her fingers in her lap.
“With your permission, I’m going to use my BMVTM to adjust your memories of this conversation once we leave this room. ”
“Pardon me, Simone, but what is a BMVTM?” Nate asked.
“It’s Big Magic VoiceTM, honey.” Brianne patted his leg. He barely acknowledged her touch, but I caught the slump of her shoulders. I looked to Cupid to see if he saw the pain he’d caused. But he was staring, fascinated, at Zeke.
“As you know, I’m a word witch.” I sat up straighter in my chair. My magic was already pulsing through the room, though it was likely only Cupid truly felt it. I wanted to keep control of the emotions in the room, like a magical air diffuser filled with lavender.
“I’m going to share confidential information with each of you, and I’m going to use that information to resolve an issue that, most likely, some of you are not aware of. At least not consciously.”
“Does this have to do with the Roman god sitting in the room?” Zeke was eyeing him with suspicion, no doubt sizing him up.
And though Cupid could crush him like a bug, I felt a strange protectiveness settle over me.
Ezekiel had a way of challenging any man that got too close to me without lifting a finger.
“It does. And you can call him Cupid.” At my gesture, Cupid lifted one finger, offering them a regal nod that had me biting the inside of my mouth to keep from laughing.
He was playing the part we’d set up for him perfectly, enjoying the game we’d created.
“I’m happy to explain everything in detail, and I assure you no one will be harmed. But we can’t proceed without consent.”
“You have mine, honey.” Brianne’s smile trembled. “I trust you completely.”
“As do I,” Nate said. He was eyeing his wife strangely, as if she were a specimen in a lab. Someone he was seeing for the first time. And I hoped that just the hint that things were awry was making him more aware of the situation.
It was all down to Zeke. If he said no, we could potentially still repair Nate and Brianne’s issues. But I suspected Zeke had a part to play as well. And though he was a slimy, gross, blood-sucking fiend, he was family. I guess.
“Why do I get the feeling I’m not going to like this?” He said at last.
“You’re probably not,” I told him. “It involves change. And most of us don’t like change. Even the good kind.”
He took a moment to ponder. I imagined him finding ways to use this to his advantage. Then he did something I’d never expected, something so out of character that it made me realize I might have underestimated him.
He looked at his sister-in-law, and his entire face softened.
He took in the hint of tears in her eyes, the stress lining her thin-pressed mouth, and the way she fiddled with her pale dress.
And the sonuvabitch actually lowered his defenses.
For all his ostentatious grandeur, at the end of the day, the vamp loved his family.
Well, I’ll be.
“I consent as well, Simone.”
“Thank you, Ezekiel.” He’d earned the full name.
I strengthened my BMVTM, making it visible in the form of hot pink glitter that spread around us all before falling into a delicate circle.
It was part of the show, but Cupid enjoyed it.
“As a reminder, now that we’ve all consented, I will be sharing personal details about one of my patients and what those details have to do with you.
But once you leave this room, you will not remember this conversation. You’ll only feel the difference.”
“It’s me.” Cupid, bursting at the seams to drop the royal presence he’d donned on entry, jumped up and down in his chair. “Hi. I’m the patient. It’s me.”
“Yes, it’s you.” I shook my head. Cupid was gonna Cupid. “Cupid’s been dealing with a personal issue that, unfortunately, has … leaked out into society.”
“My wife left me,” he said with a pout. “And I was afraid Simone wouldn’t help me, so I shot a bunch of arrows at that big birthday party you had and screwed up your sex drives.”
“Well.” I surveyed the room for reactions. Bri, who’d known part but not all, seemed the most surprised. Nate, on the other hand, was still looking at Brianne like he was seeing her for the first time. “That’s it, in a nutshell.”
I let them have a minute with their thoughts. Cupid looked so proud of himself. He gave me a thumbs-up when our eyes met. “Good job,” I whispered to him.
It wasn’t. He’d delivered the news with the finesse of an elephant tiptoeing through a garden. But whatever. It was out there now.
“This would explain quite a bit, actually.” Zeke leered at me in his signature way. Mental note, Simone: shower after this. “You are lovely, Simone, please don’t get me wrong. But lately, I’ve been a touch … obsessed with you. Which is quite unlike me.”
“Obsessed?” Nate pulled his attention from Brianne to glare at his brother. “Is that what we’re calling it?”
“Admittedly, it’s gone too far.” Despite what he was saying, Zeke didn’t look the slightest bit bothered.
I tried to process what he was admitting. Zeke had become obsessed. With me. “Is that why you were conveniently in Illusion Square every time I was?”
“Indeed.” Honestly, it would help if he showed a little remorse. The slightest bit, dude. “And why I’ve spent far too many hours meandering near your home.”
“You mean lurking.” I had chills. All those times I’d felt someone watching me. Ray and his security team increasing their patrols. Ray’s wolf always sensing a threat. “Or is stalking a better term?”
“I believe I will stick with meandering. But I will agree it’s become tiresome.” Despite his lack of shame, his smile was thin. “I assume, since you’re here, Cupid, that you have a solution to this dilemma?”
I gave Cupid a nod of encouragement. “It’s all you, buddy.”
“Simone and I have a theory. It’s untested, but I believe it’ll work.” He ran his hands along his bare thighs, as if to clear his palms of sweat. “I’ll need to check for my mark. If you were shot with one of my arrows, I’ll be able to shoot you again and counteract it.” Cupid paused. “I think.”
“Does it hurt?” Brianne, who’d remained mostly quiet, stared at Nate in concern. “I don’t want him to be hurt.”
“How touching, Brianne.” Ezekiel rose, unbuttoning the cuff of his billowy satin shirt and rolling the sleeve up to his shoulder. “I am willing to endure a little pain in the name of science.”
“Or magic,” I replied. “But Cupid claims you won’t feel a thing.”
Cupid, who’d also stood up, twirled his finger. “Sorry, Romeo, but that’s not where my arrows land.”
“I beg your pardon?” Zeke rolled his arm, not unlike what I’d done when I first saw the arrows, looking for a mark. “Where else would it be?”
“Turn around.” Cupid’s grin lit his entire face. He waggled his eyebrows. “And bend over.”