Chapter Twenty Seven
Wednesday after work at Prytania Botanica, Ophelia rushed home to meet Etienne.
She didn’t question why she immediately changed into a fresh outfit, re-brushed her hair, and touched up her makeup the moment she got home.
As she exited her bathroom, she paused, then turned back in to brush her teeth.
She just wanted him to see her as a put-together human.
That was all. The last time he saw her…Well, she’d been a sobbing mess.
Two sharp knocks sounded on her door. Ophelia took a deep breath to calm her nerves, then opened the door.
“Hey, E.” She could feel how big her smile was. How could it not be? It was Etienne in the flesh, in…scrubs and glasses. Good Lord. “Come on in.” She stepped aside to let him through the door.
“Hey, O.” Etienne walked through the threshold and leaned in for a chaste hug. He smelled so good— salty skin, oak trees, and clean soap. Ophelia refrained from breathing deeper.
“When did you get glasses?” she asked and took the opportunity to examine his face.
“Oh, I’ve always had them. My contacts start to bother me at the end of the workday.”
“I like them. They suit you.” Etienne sheepishly smiled, and Ophelia acted like what she said was just a passing compliment and not anything more. “Want anything to drink? I just got off from work at Botanica and am in need of wine.”
“I could use a drink.” Etienne followed her into the kitchen and leaned up against the island counter with his arms crossed, accentuating his biceps.
“I’m opening a bottle of red, but I also have all the liquor and your Miller Lites left over from Red Dress Run.”
Etienne chuckled. “I do like my Miller Lite, but I’ll just have a glass of red since you’re opening a bottle.”
Ophelia grabbed two wine glasses and the bottle of red from her bar cart. Placing the glasses and bottles down on the island counter next to Etienne, she returned to the bar cart to grab the wine opener.
“May I?” asked Etienne as he held the wine bottle in one hand and extended the other for the wine opener. The simple gesture melted her heart. Etienne was nice. He was just …reserved and distant at times.
Ophelia handed him the wine opener and watched the muscles and tendons on his forearms glide and flex as he uncorked the wine. He poured a glass and passed it to her. When he finished pouring his wine, she lifted her glass in cheers.
“Cheers to…” Ophelia thought for a moment. “Never having to be the recipient of the Passing ever again.”
A laugh erupted from him, forcing his dimples to peek through his beard. They clinked glasses.
“Cheers to that,” he said.
“So what’s your treating story? I’m assuming Brutus passed you the gift.”
“Actually, my father did before he passed away.”
Ophelia pulled her drink away from her mouth in shock. “I didn’t know. I’m sorry. How old were you?”
“Twenty-three. The year after I graduated from LSU. I was in med school when he passed from pancreatic cancer.”
She was taken aback. She hated that she didn’t know this already, but she had just moved to New York at the time and was dealing with her own trauma.
Etienne took a sip of his wine. “He was an amazing Traiteur. He went back and forth between the Northshore and Oberlin to make sure my grandfather’s community still had access to a Traiteur.”
“Jesus. Etienne. That’s so much to go through. I’m very sorry. He sounds like he was an incredible man.”
“He was, and so is my grandfather. It was hard on him, too. We got a lot closer after my dad died, and he helped me learn everything I needed to know about treating. Of course, med school helped tremendously with just basic knowledge.”
“Wow,” she said in genuine awe. “You’re a super healer.”
Etienne barked a laugh. “Well, I don’t know about that. But enough of the sad stuff. Where do you want to start? I’m assuming you’ve practiced treating since this past Saturday?”
“Yes, but only once. A urinary tract infection. I haven’t treated since.
I definitely need practice in quickly centering myself and just more of everything, really.
More pulling my magic forth, more experience with various ailments, more advice on how to get a treating practice up and running. ” Ophelia took a large sip of her wine.
“Got it. Let’s start with the basics, then. Should we go to the living room so we can sit?”
Ophelia nodded, and the two situated themselves on her rose-colored couch.
“I want you to try an energy transfer. Let’s get that down first, and then we can move on from there.” Etienne held out his hands palms up, and Ophelia placed her hands on top of his.
“Okay.” She released a breath. His hands were warm and slightly rough from callouses on the pads of his palms, and her hands looked small and feminine in his.
“Just center yourself, pull on your magic, and visualize sending it to me.”
Ophelia closed her eyes and searched for that peaceful place in her head.
She had run this morning, so her body was already exhausted and relaxed.
The wine helped too. After about a minute, she found it, then imagined her internal string secured around her beating heart and pulled.
Her magic meandered around the string, flowing through her body toward her hands.
She wanted her magic to thank him for healing her after the Passing and helping her now, and for him to feel her appreciation.
She thought of that as she let the magic flow through her hands into his.
A satisfying shiver erupted through her, followed by a completely wonderful and whole feeling.
She opened her eyes, and her magic leisurely receded. She curiously examined Etienne for his reaction.
“Holy shit,” he whispered incredulously.
“What? Was that okay?”
“Yeah, it was just…” Etienne was at a loss for words. “Your magic spoke to mine, I guess. That’s the only way to describe it.”
“Oh.” Ophelia was a tad embarrassed and placed her hands back in her lap. “Um, what did it say?”
Etienne ran a hand through his hair as if he was still flustered by her magic. “It thanked me.”
Ophelia’s amber eyes sparkled. “Good. I was thinking that I was grateful for you helping me now and with the Passing.”
Etienne nodded. “It was just…so intense. I’ve never felt someone else’s magic like that.”
Ophelia’s brows cinched in worry. “Did it feel okay, though?”
“Yes, it was just unexpected.” They sat there for a beat, lost in their own thoughts, until Ophelia broke the silence.
“Could you do it to me?” she asked. “I’ve never been on the receiving end of it.”
Etienne nodded. “Of course. I don’t know if I’ll be able to replicate what you did, but I’ll try.”
They resumed the hand-holding position, except Ophelia was now holding his large hands in hers.
She watched as he took several steadying breaths and closed his eyes.
She wasn’t sure if she should close her eyes as well, but she was too curious.
It was an opportunity to freely study his features—the strong slant of his nose, the furrowed brows, the full lips.
She was stuck on that thought as shame consumed her for crushing on him when he had never returned the sentiment, especially when she was interested in someone else.
Mateo was perfectly attentive, gorgeous, and, most importantly, into her.
She took her own deep breath to center herself and opted to close her eyes after all.
She was curious what Etienne’s magic would feel like.
A second later, she felt warmth disperse through the palms of her hands and seductively wrap around her arms. It felt like someone was caressing her with ribbons of silk. She smiled at the pleasantness of it.
The ribbons of silk made their way through her body, twirling around her chest and stomach and abruptly dropping to her core.
Her breath hitched. She didn’t know what was happening, but his magic was moving closer to her most sensitive parts.
His magic felt glorious. She felt herself naturally sink into the touch of the ribbons.
The silk ribbons transformed into caresses of smooth velvet, causing her walls to pulse and her clitoris to swell in pleasure.
A deep moan involuntarily erupted from her, and the sound was like a bucket of ice water thrown on them. Ophelia jumped back from him, gasping.
“Oh, my God. Oh my God. I’m so sorry.”
“Ophelia, wait. Wait. What did you feel?” he asked urgently.
“You don’t know?”
His eyes flitted across her flushed cheeks.
He ran another hand through his hair. “I think I can probably guess. I’m the one who should be sorry,” he said.
“I didn’t even know I could transfer that type of energy.
I promise. I had no idea.” Etienne shook his head.
“I just thought that when I felt your gratitude. I wondered what I could make you feel, and I didn’t mean for it to be that, but…
it turned into it. Fuck. Fuck. I’m sorry. ”
Ophelia sat in confusion. “I don’t understand.”
“I’m sorry. I should have asked first.”
“You should have asked to make me aroused?”
“Of course. What kind of man do you think I am?”
“It’s okay…I…It could have easily been the other way around. Neither one of us really knew we could do that. I had no idea you could feel my gratitude, and you had no idea I could feel your…” Ophelia trailed off and snorted at the hilarity of the situation.
“Did you just snort?” he asked in shock.
“Yes. This whole situation is ridiculous and unprecedented.”
Etienne huffed a laugh. “I liked the snort.”
They both sat in silence, lost in their own thoughts. Etienne seemed like he was still struggling with what he thought was an unwelcomed invasion into her body. She hated that he felt that way and blurted out the truth.
“I actually liked it.” A blush broke out across her face.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” Ophelia drained the rest of her wine, and Etienne followed suit. She wasn’t sure what to do now that she had been magically aroused, but Etienne made the decision for her.
“I should probably go. It’s getting late, and I have work early as fuck tomorrow.”
Now, it was Ophelia’s turn to be embarrassed. Had he not wanted her to like that? Was it just an accident, and now he was leaving so she didn’t get the wrong impression? She reminded herself that there had been plenty of times for him to shoot his shot, and he never did.
“Oh, of course. Thanks again for your help,” she said, standing to escort him to the door.
“Anytime.” He paused at the door and looked as if he was about to say something else, but instead he said, “See ya around. Have a good night.”
She could only watch as he walked from her porch to his truck.