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I turned back to the restaurant and made my way through the tables. The air-conditioning hummed like an anxious bee, and gave the place a chilled, cave-like feel. I suppressed a shiver. Low level light makes the spells easier to see, and Fi
Gripping the edge of a marble table, I crouched, checking for any tell-tell glows along the floor. Nothing. The black and white tiles were clear. No more magic-induced slips or spell-trapped mice ru
A quick scan of the ornate plastered ceiling revealed no magic lurking in the shadows. I sighed, relieved. The glass-fronted counter ru
The door to the kitchen swung open, breaking my concentration again, and Fi
I ignored the stupid little leap of pleasure inside me at the sight of him— so not going there, not when there’s no point—and said, ‘Why not? The restaurant’s a family business; the brownie’s probably been with them for decades... although it’s odd she’d cause this much trouble.’ I tapped my fingers against the table. ‘Unless it’s the manager who’s got herall miffed and just doesn’t want to admit it.’
Fi
Every time I see Fi
‘How’re you doing in here, Gen?’ He rubbed one of his horns. They’re the colour of dried bracken, sharp and stand a good inch above his wavy blond hair. Add in his poster-boy good looks and Fi
‘ Crackedeverything except the coffee machine,’ I said.
‘I could do with a hand in the kitchen when you’ve finished,’ he said with a suggestive grin, ‘if you’re willing?’
In answer I gave him the look I’d been giving him for the last few weeks, ever since he’d started hitting on me—a half-amused, half-tolerant smile that told him no way did I take his flirting seriously—and then turned my back on him smothering a sigh.
Lifting the counter-top, I focusedon the machine. The industrial-sized contraption glowed bright enough to cast a sickly orange glare up the wall. The levers were the worst. Of course, it would take only a second to crackit rather than tease it apart, but true spellcracking involved blasting the magic—and that also blasted apart whatever the magic was attached to. Collateral damage isn’t an option—customers tend to object—so instead I pinched the spell and started to unravel it. Hot steam jetted over my hands and along my arms. Shit. Suppressing a whimper, I shook my hands to get rid of the sensation. The pain was real but the steam wasn’t, so there’d be no burns, just the nasty release of power.
‘Ouch. That’s gotta hurt.’ Fi
I snorted. ‘Like I don’t know that.’
He gri
Gingerly, I poked at the spell. ‘Sounds like you’re talking from experience.’
‘Oh yeah, a whole month’s worth.’ He winced at the memory. ‘Whenever I opened a honey jar, a bee flew out and stung me. Everything I ate tasted burnt, and she hid every single one of my left socks.’
‘There’s no such thing as a left sock,’ I pointed out, delicately unpicking more of the spell. ‘They’re all the same.’
He laughed. ‘’Course there is! It’s obvious, you always put your right sock on first, so the missing one’s got to be the left one.’
‘Ha ha.’ The magic shredded into tiny filaments under my fingers and finally dissipated. ‘So, were you just your usual self or did you do something in particular to a
His shoulders lifted in a careless shrug. ‘Can’t remember now; think it was probably her witch more than the brownie I actually upset.’
Of course, there had to be a witch involved, didn’t there?The witches at Spellcrackers had descended on Fi
Not that I wasn’t attracted. I was, and then some. And there was the whole fae thing going on, which meant the magic was always trying to nudge us together, just to add to the complications. No, my problem was that Fi
He gently touched my hand where the spell had phantom-burnt me. ‘Want to talk about what’s bothering you?’
I looked up, surprised at the concern in his eyes. ‘It’s nothing. ’
‘Yeah? You’re usually much more careful with the magic.’
He was right. I was. ‘Bad morning,’ I said, ‘y’know—pixies, and then I managed to crack the crystal on my phone.’
‘Ah.’ He gave me a thoughtful look for a moment and then smiled. ‘Problem solved then. I just found a new crystal supplier on eBay. The initial quality’s good and the prices are reasonable. I’ll tell Toni to sort you one out as a trial.’
A pretty gift-horse yawned in front of me, but I ignored it in favour of having my distraction work. ‘That’s great,’ I said, ‘thanks.’
Fi
I slid out from under his arm before I let myself get too comfortable. If Stella was at a Witches’ Council meeting, that explained why she was ignoring my messages, and it didn’t take much for me to guess who Toni, our office manager, had been talking about.
Fi
I gave him a teasing look. ‘Worried about competition in your little witch harem, are you?’
He chuckled. ‘Hell’s thorns, Gen, he’s human. Where’s the competition?’ His face turned sly. ‘Just wondering whether Tall, Dark and Handsome is your type as well as Stella’s.’
‘Don’t wander, it doesn’t lead anywhere.’
‘Don’t worry, I know to stay on the path.’ He reached for my hand and traced a finger across my palm. ‘C’mon, Gen, can’t blame me for being curious. I’m a fertility fae.’ His thumb stroked gently over my wrist, causing my pulse to throb. ‘And you’re sidhe fae, your heart beats for passion. Imagine what music we could make: the very birds and bees would sing along with joy.’ He lowered his voice. ‘It would be a grand opera, rich enough to rival Mozart.’