CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Kayla
All my plans for girl talk fall apart as soon as I step inside I Touch My Shelf the next evening to find the rest of the Witch Bitches already enjoying cupcakes and cocktails.
“Sorry I’m late. Victoria wanted me to put away all of the Mario decorations, and I had to talk her into letting them stay up another few days.” I think they make the backyard look magical, especially the floating power-up stars.
Dewdrop launches from my shoulder to loop over the display tables, tucking his wings close whenever he gets too near a bookshelf. “Look at me! I can talk to everyone now!”
Finn, Babybelle, and Princess Buttercup all start to make noise, until the bookshop echoes with yips, bleats, and plaintive meows.
“Yes, I understand you!” Dewdrop yells with glee. “And you, too! No, Princess Buttercup, I can’t give you my necklace. Shadow gave it to me, and it would hurt his feelings if I didn’t keep it.”
The familiars dance across the floor, trying to get Dewdrop’s attention. Finn makes spinning circles, Babybelle does little side hops, and Princess Buttercup leaps onto one of the display tables and sits on top of a stack of books to get closer. They all keep talking.
Hannah sidles up to me. “Oh, boy, you’ve done it now.”
“You can understand all of them, right?”
“I can understand any animal, even the ones who aren’t magical like our familiars.”
“Is it a lot?” I love designing games with talking animals, but games have well-defined parameters. What’s happening right now is flipping chaos.
“It can be. You should hear it when a whole flock of birds gets going.” She smiles. “But I wouldn’t trade my power for the world. Did you know a family of porcupines visits me regularly? The babies are the cutest things ever. They’re called porcupettes.”
“Luke made a crystal that lets him and Princess Buttercup understand each other.” Skye walks up and hands me a cupcake topped with cocoa puffs. “He says Jace expanded upon his spell, and now Princess Buttercup’s demanding she get a ‘better’ crystal.”
“Does that mean Jace can make more?” Autumn comes over and hands me a drink. “Because Babybelle wants one, too.”
“God, I hope so, or we’re going to have a riot on our hands,” Hannah says right as Finn knocks into the table Princess Buttercup sits on, and she leaps away with a yowl.
Books fall, and Hannah claps her hands and yells, “Okay, you know the rules! No damaging the books. All familiars outside to the town green.”
Violeta opens the door, and the animals race outside.
I set down my cupcake and cocktail and start to follow, then pull up short when no one else does. “Uh, I haven’t really let Dewdrop fly around downtown without me. What if someone non-magical sees him?”
“The protection spell will make them think he’s a bird or something.”
“But a bird that can talk?” I ask.
“Doesn’t Dewdrop’s translation crystal only work on magical people?” Skye asks.
“Not sure.” I shrug. “Shadow said the spell’s supposed to let Dewdrop talk to ‘everyone.’”
We all share a look, then bolt for the door.
On the green, the worst-case scenario is already in progress, because of course it is. Mrs. Greely and her dog Max stand surrounded by our familiars, and she’s shaking her cane.
I slide to a halt a couple of feet away, and Dewdrop comes in for a landing on my shoulder. “I don’t think she likes me. I tried to tell her I’m nice.”
“Young lady.” Mrs. Greely’s cane shaking zeroes in on me. “Why in the world are you letting your parrot fly free? It’s not safe.”
I glance at Hannah and mouth “parrot” with a little nod to admit she was right: the protection spell makes non-magical people see the dragonet as a bird.
“It’s okay, Mrs. Greely.” I rest a hand against Dewdrop’s side. “As you can see, my… parrot is very well trained. He comes whenever I call.”
“Humph.” She thumps her cane against the ground.
“Did she understand you?” I whisper out the side of my mouth to Dewdrop.
“I don’t know.” He lifts his wings.
“Say something shocking. See if it gets a reaction.”
“Bananas are better than apricots!” he chirps.
A tiny snort of laughter escapes me. “That’s what you consider shocking?”
“Of course.” He bumps his head against my cheek. “If I said that to other dragonets, it would be a scandal.”
“He certainly squawks a lot.” Mrs. Greely squints at us. “Too bad he’s not one of the parrots who can talk.”
“Yeah, too bad,” I lie, a swell of relief rushing through me. Thank god, I don’t have to worry about letting Dewdrop play on the green.
She continues walking her dog across the grass, headed toward the busy sidewalk where people line up in front of Cake My Day to grab treats before the bakery closes.
I pump a fist in the air. “The town’s protection spell worked!”
“You know, it might have been okay. A parrot would have been a really good cover,” Violeta says. “My tia has one that knows over a hundred words.”
“But that wouldn’t explain the other animals,” Skye says. “Because Princess Buttercup demands her own crystal, and there’s no way to explain a talking cat.”
“Crisis totally averted.” I nod.
The walking tulips race out of a clump of rhododendrons, followed by the rolling pumpkins and flying hearts.
The dragonet launches from my shoulder to dive into the center of the flying hearts. “Hello! I’m Dewdrop. Will you be my new friends?”
Soon we’re surrounded by a swirling mix of my animated creatures and the familiars, who’re barking, bleating, and meowing.
After a few minutes, I call my familiar over. When he lands on my shoulder, I point to the walking tulips, wondering exactly how strong this new translation crystal is. “Can you understand them? Do they talk?”
He tips his head to the side and listens, then says, “No. They don’t talk, but they feel a little bit like you.”
“That’s because I made them come to life, like Victoria.”
Finn trots over to us and yips up at Dewdrop.
“He wants to show me the safe place the fae king made for us!”
“Go on, then.” I give the dragonet a pat.
They race across the green, the rest of the familiars following, along with the tulips, pumpkins, and hearts.
They disappear into one of the larger stands of rhododendrons, which Severin bespelled as a safe place to hide from the non-magical children who sometimes try to catch the “kitties” or “hedgehogs” they see when they look at the tulips and pumpkins.
Hannah plops onto the grass. “It’s such a lovely evening. Let’s have the meeting out here.”
I shoot her a smile of thanks, knowing she’s also doing it so I won’t worry too much about Dewdrop.
We sit in a loose circle, and Autumn says, “I wish we all had our cupcakes and cocktails.” Magic shivers through the air, the food and drinks appearing in our hands.
“Mmm.” I take a big bite, the chocolate cereal crunchies the perfect complement to the soft vanilla cupcake.
The animals and creatures dash back out of the bushes and run circles around us, Dewdrop chattering the whole time, repeating what every familiar says so they can all understand each other.
Pretty soon, they’re playing a fairly complicated game of four-way telephone that makes it clear Finn and Princess Buttercup both think they’re the leader of the group.
Hannah steps in to try to referee. “How about no one’s the leader?”
“How can you say that when you’re a leader?” Finn says via Dewdrop. “You’re mayor of Ferndale Falls and queen of the shadow fae. Therefore, as your familiar, it’s only right that I’m a leader, too.”
“I will never take orders from a canine,” Princess Buttercup says. “Everyone knows cats are superior.”
“This is boring.” Babybelle bounces forward and headbutts first the fox and then the cat. “Let’s play!” Then she takes off across the green, the others giving chase as all the witches chuckle.
“Hoo, boy.” Autumn hooks a thumb toward the familiars. “That is going to be a lot.”
“They’ll sort it out,” Hannah says.
“You know.” Skye shoots me a knowing smile. “Luke told me that translation spell cost Shadow a lot of gold.”
“He’s certainly determined to win you over.” Jasmine winks at me.
“Yeah, ‘win’ might be the key word there,” I mutter and bite into my cupcake.
“Don’t tease us like that!” Violeta digs an elbow into my ribs. “Spill!”
“I could really fall for him,” I blurt, then take a sip to hide my blush behind my cup. “He enjoyed my wacky gaming wedding. He’s learning to play video games. He’s…” I shake my head.
“He’s what?” Violeta’s tone softens.
“He’s kinda too good to be true. So what happens after he wins me? What if he gets bored when there’s no longer any chase?” I ask. “Then there’s the marriage contract. If we do end up together, I want it to be because we both freely chose it, not because Victoria made us.”
“Wait out the rest of the month without consummating and take it from there,” Jasmine says.
“You make it sound so easy.” I throw a cocoa puff at her. “It’s totally not.”
“Because he’s gorgeous and gives you mind-blowing orgasms using only his mouth and hands?” Violeta smirks.
“Yeah.” Why lie?
Autumn says, “Then keep doing what you did the other night.”
I’m too embarrassed to admit all the stuff about never coming with a guy before, but I try to give them something.
“The other night was amazing, but I know the next time we’re together, I’m going to want more of him.
” It’s like he woke up my body, and now I can’t get enough.
Just the thought makes my girl parts tingle.
“You already found one way around Victoria’s requirements for consummation,” Skye says, giving me a saucy grin. “So find others.”
My mind goes into overdrive at her words. She’s right. I’m an expert gamer. If there’s another loophole, I’ll find it.