Chapter Six #3
“Huh.” Elle moves on from the Taser, her fingers stretching toward a large piece of smoky quartz.
I grab her hand before she can touch any of the crystals, the movement instinct more than intention. My heart thunders in my chest at the skin-to-skin contact. “How much experience do you have with magic?”
Heat flushes her cheeks. “None really. Just the stories I’ve heard from Alex about living with you.” She looks up at me, my hand still covering hers. “You’re freezing,” she says, fingers trembling as she pulls away.
The slide of her skin against mine brings a matching blush to my face. I rub my hands together to fight the chill she noted. It’s been long enough since I traced that final calming sigil on Xander’s palm for the warmth of magic to have fled my skin.
“Rule number one of living with a witch is to avoid physical contact with their tools. Even in their inactive state, magical items can influence you. If you don’t know what something is, don’t touch it.”
Elle studies the supplies again, her hands folded behind her back this time. “And how do you activate them?”
“Different ways. Everyone has their own preferred methods. I’m a fan of sigils for focusing intentions and directing energy to work in particular ways, but the main thing all witches do is channel raw magic.
” At her raised eyebrow, I continue. “Really? I can’t believe Xander didn’t get into all this.
He’s asked me a million questions over the years. ”
“He focused on what you could do, not how you did it.”
“Short version…” I say, coming around the table to stand next to her, pointedly ignoring the way my pulse thrums loud in my ears as I close the distance between us. “There’s magic everywhere. Raw, untapped power in everyone and everything. We’re all connected by this infinite web of energy.”
Her brows scrunch. The corners of her mouth twist down. “If magic is infinite, why aren’t witches running around raising the dead or…I don’t know, putting out forest fires or something.”
“Those are wildly different examples.”
Her face twitches, like she’s fighting a smile. A thrill of victory washes through me. I want to make her smile. I want to hear her laugh just to prove that it’s possible.
“My question stands.”
“Magic is infinite,” I repeat. “Humans are not. We’re like…
” I search for the right analogy. Something less dorky than the one I gave Xander all those years ago, but nothing comes.
I sigh and dive in. “Okay, imagine that magic is like a bottomless iced coffee that can never be depleted. Witches like me are straws. Mundanes, like you and Xander, you’re like… coffee stirrers.”
This time, the corner of her lips does quirk up. The corresponding eyebrow raising with it. “Straws and stirrers?”
“It’s not a perfect analogy, but yes. Everyone can technically access magic, but those stirrer holes can’t channel enough magic to do anything.
” I trace the celebration sigil on my palm, showing off the tiny fireworks.
“Witches, on the other hand, are proper straws. Some are those little bendy straws you get in bulk at the dollar store. Some are bigger, like the ones you might get with a soda at the drive-thru. Then there are the big daddy straws, for things like boba tea.”
“Which kind are you?”
I consider the question with her same level of seriousness. “We don’t stay the same straw size for our whole lives. The more often we work with magic, the more we can channel. But right now, I guess I’m one of those reusable silicone straws people use for smoothies.”
“That’s very eco-friendly of you.” Elle leans her hip against the table and crosses her arms against her chest. “That doesn’t explain why there aren’t armies of undead wandering around.”
“Is that what you want to turn this B&B into? A training ground for zombies?”
She snorts a laugh that reminds me of Xander, gentler but just as delightful. A thrill of victory buzzes through my veins. “Definitely not.”
“If you say so,” I tease before I can think better of it.
Fuck. I should not be flirting with this woman, no matter how much my body seems drawn to her.
“Back to our analogy, if magic is a bottomless iced coffee and witches are straws, even a million of the biggest straws could only move so much magic at once.”
“And the amount of magic it would take to create my zombie battalion is beyond the capacity of witches. Even all your straws together couldn’t move enough…coffee.” Elle smirks at me, teasing me right back.
A fluttery feeling swirls in my stomach, but I ignore it. I have to ignore it. She’s a client. She’s Xander’s sister in every way but blood. My focus needs to be on haunting this business. Helping to secure their investors. Helping Xander recover from his broken engagement.
“I thought you weren’t planning to raise an army.” I try to sound nonchalant, but my words come out breathy and charged.
Elle shrugs and pushes away from the table. “Not anymore. Since it’s impossible.” She heads for the door, and I watch her go, my heart in my throat. “See you at breakfast, Pippa. I look forward to watching you work.”