Chapter 14
Aiden parked the car – the bike wouldn’t have worked with his costume – and knocked at Mia’s door. He grinned when the window above opened and she peered out, her hair wrapped around some odd bright pink thing sticking out at weird angles.
‘I’m sorry, I’m still getting ready. Catch.’ She dropped keys down to him. ‘Come in and grab yourself a drink or something?’ She stuck her head out again while he was unlocking the door. ‘Looking good, Biker Boy.’
‘Thanks.’ He let himself in, still smiling, and put his box carefully on the kitchen table. ‘Take your time,’ he called up the stairs. ‘Do you want me to bring you up a drink?’
‘No thanks. Stay down there. I’ll only be a few more minutes.’
He heard her footsteps when he was about halfway through his drink, and stood to meet her in the hallway, and was so glad he had. She stopped halfway down the stairs and smiled at him, and he could have sworn the rest of the world dimmed – she was that spectacular.
‘Well, what do you think? Sorry for keeping you waiting.’
‘Completely and totally worth it. You could have kept me sitting here until tomorrow and I’d have still forgiven you if you walked in looking like this.’
‘That is so sweet.’ She smoothed the shiny deep amethyst of her dress over her hips and he gulped, transfixed as the material shimmered and flowed beneath her fingers.
The very, very bad part of him couldn’t help but picture what it would look like pooled on the floor of a bedroom in a few hours.
As it was, the rich purple made her skin look creamy and soft, and her hair – now released from the weird pink thing – bounced in soft waves around her shoulders.
‘You really do look incredible, Mia. A proper princess.’ He held his hand out to her.
‘Thank you. Do you want to see the best bit?’ She swirled the skirts and he realised they were lighter at the bottom, and decorated with bats picked out in silhouette.
‘It gets better?’
‘Katie designed it and Ophelia helped. She’s been playing fairy godmother.
Or witch. Is there such a thing as a witchy godmother?
I’m still getting used to this.’ She shook her head.
‘It’s still so bizarre, but look…’ She murmured a word, and the dress came to life, lighting up with a moon that glowed from behind painted clouds on her right hip as the bats shivered and came to life, slowly flapping their wings and starting to swoop in lazy swirls, leaving iridescent trails of stardust that shimmered across her skirts.
‘I…’ He swallowed hard, trying to remember how to speak.
‘You like?’
‘Yes. Wow. Please. Yes.’
She giggled, blushing slightly. ‘I think I like you at a loss for words, Biker Boy. And I was right. You do look good in a suit. Even if it is a cross between Willy Wonker and a crazy chef!’
‘I was going for nutty alchemist.’
‘You look amazing. I like the colour too.’ She smoothed down the dark purple of his cravat. ‘Happy coincidence?’
‘Maybe. Or maybe I nagged Katie until she broke down and told me what colour you were wearing.’ He chuckled. ‘But I had no clue it would look this… wow. But it does remind me.’ He led her through to the kitchen and handed her the little box, complete with the purple ribbon.
‘What is it?’
She really was adorable. ‘Why don’t you open it and find out? But maybe try and keep it that way up.’
He watched as she undid the ribbon and opened the box, and her face lit up. ‘Oh, Aiden, you really didn’t have to do this. But I’m so glad you did. Thank you. Help me put it on?’
The way she watched him as he tied the flower around her wrist made him feel ten feet tall. And like he really wanted to make them late. ‘I tried to get it to match your dress. Lavender, baby’s breath and purple rosebuds.’
‘It’s perfect, thank you. And I love the little silver bat.’ She stroked her fingers over one of the rosebuds with such tenderness that Aiden’s breath caught in his throat again, remembering how it felt to have those fingers tracing over his skin.
‘You’re welcome, Princess.’
She kissed him gently.
‘If you keep looking at me like that, I’m going to be very tempted to make us late.’ His fingers tightened around her wrist.
‘What’s stopping you?’ Her breath had shortened, making her breasts move in a very captivating and distracting way. ‘We can always drive and walk back. That’d save us time.’
‘I’d muss you up.’
She stepped closer, pressing against him. ‘It’s a Halloween costume, Aiden. I don’t think it has to be neat…’
That was all the permission he needed to tangle his fingers in her hair, tilt her lips towards his, and push her against the table.
They had to sneak in – even having driven to the old Mansion Hotel instead of the half-hour walk they’d originally planned, they were still late, and a bit mussed.
‘Do you think we got away with it?’ he whispered.
‘Hopefully. And I don’t care if we didn’t. It was definitely worth it!’ She smiled and looked around, giving him a chance to study her more closely.
If he’d thought Mia looked spectacular standing in her kitchen, then he needed a thesaurus to find new ways to describe how wonderful she looked in the magical ballroom that shimmered with lights from the candles and lanterns that floated in the air which was lightly scented with ferns, apples and what smelled an awful lot like his Sweet Autumn Night spice blend.
The ballroom felt less like the room in an old mansion-cum-hotel that it was, and more like the heart of an ancient woodland grove, decked out in its best finery.
The thick oak beams were barely visible beneath the heavy garlands of ivy, holly, hawthorn and rowan, and glistened with yet more candles.
And pumpkins, of course. Aiden wondered how many of them were currently inhabited by bored spirits, and if they’d planned on behaving that evening or not. He’d bet the latter!
Tables laden with food – including, he noticed with a grin, his baking – lined one side of the hall, glowing subtly with sigils and runes for chilling, warming and hygiene, keeping the feast fresh for whenever merrymakers wanted to dip in and enjoy.
On the opposite end, the raised stage was filled with instruments apparently playing themselves, but if he squinted really hard he could just about make out the pale blueish-purple haze that he knew meant it was a ghostly band rather than just enchantment.
He smiled to himself at that thought: ‘just enchantment’ – it was funny to think how much his life had changed in ten short months.
Barely a year ago he’d been working in accounts, cities and worlds away, and would only ever have thought about ghosts and magic if he’d watched a movie.
Now they guided his hands as he blended and baked magic into his recipes, and his girlfriend wore an enchanted ballgown to dances where ‘spirited music’ had a whole new meaning.
He wondered what Mia thought of it all as he handed their coats to a helpful brownie – hopefully not one of the ones Mist liked to torment – with a small, polite bow.
She squeezed his fingers tightly, her hand slightly clammy, and he realised that despite her elegant confidence, she was more nervous than he’d ever seen her.
‘It’s a lot, right? Finding out magic is real, having it conspire against us, and now this…’
‘It’s incredible,’ she whispered back. ‘And, for the record, I’m pretty glad about the local conspiracy. Although, I have to say, if I’m never sworn at again by a pumpkin, I’ll probably be OK with it!’
‘Agreed! I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to kick a vegetable so hard!’ He laughed. ‘Are you sure you’re OK here?’
‘I’m better than OK. I’m with you.’ Her smile warmed him more than the giant firepits burning in the corners of the room, protected by spell bubbles that sucked the smoke away from merrymakers. ‘What should we do first, drink or dance?’
‘I’d love to dance with you.’
‘Then, Mr Griffiths, may I please have this dance?’ She dipped in a brief curtsey, smiling at him the whole time.
‘Of course, Nurse Howard. I’d be honoured.’ He gathered her up in his arms where she felt so good, and so right. ‘By the way, have I mentioned how much I love your shoes?’
‘When did you even see them?’
‘Haven’t. But they put you at the perfect height to make this’ – he brushed a kiss against her cheek – ‘even easier.’
‘Thought we were dancing?’ But the rose-quartz pink flush in her cheeks told him she wasn’t really put out.
‘Confession time.’ He murmured the words into her ear. ‘I’ve never considered myself a good dancer.’
‘So long as you try not to kick me or tread on my toes too often, we’ll be fine,’ she promised. ‘Besides, for my own confession, I’d have to admit it’s not the actual dancing I’m enjoying most about tonight.’
‘It isn’t?’ He was caught between nerves and excitement, where that weird expression ‘heart in your mouth’ actually made some sense.
‘Dancing is nice. But this’ – she stroked her thumb along his finger where their hands were clasped – ‘being able to hold your hand, kiss you, touch you, without hiding and having everyone know we’re together… This is a whole lot better than just “nice” for me. It’s something a lot more special.’
In that moment – and the ones that followed – with magic and Mia’s fragrance all around him, her hand firm and reassuring in his, her silky dress warm against his palm and her soft laughter happy in his ears, he felt more at home – and more like himself – than he ever had in his life.
‘Well, look who finally turned up,’ Katie – dressed as a rainbow fairy, complete with wings that fluttered in a non-existent breeze – greeted them, while balancing two small fizzing cauldrons that had drinking straws and tiny paper parasols decorated with bats and pumpkins.
‘I won’t ask you why you’re so late, because I’m worried you’d tell me! ’
Mia giggle and flushed, while Aiden shrugged unapologetically.
‘You look amazing, Katie! Rainbow sparkles suit you!’ Mia gave her friend a careful hug.
‘Do you think? It’s a bit different from my usual look. Do you like my ears? Fake of course, unlike some people’s…’