I shook my head. Picking up an unmarked box was a good way to end up dead. The guy was clearly not just an asshole, he was also an idiot.
Evie stood next to me, her eyes narrowed as we both waited. Vic cast a glance around his front yard and shrugged. Then he opened the box.
Tiny, glittery cocks flew at him. A smile played around Evie’s mouth as they grew larger until they were at least a couple of inches tall, and I gaped as they formed tiny mouths and sharp stingers. They hovered in the air for one long moment. Just long enough for realization to dart across Vic’s face.
Then they attacked.
He screamed, swatting at them as they bit and stung. I looked at Evie and her smile widened as she met my eyes.
“Just enough to hurt, but not enough to leave a lasting mark,” she whispered. “He’s not worth ending up in front of the Mage Council.”
We darted out of the way as Vic stumbled down the porch steps, waving his hands and yelling like a crazy person. His voice turned high-pitched, and I raised my eyebrow. Some of the glittery dicks had honed in on the bulge in his jeans, and he was smacking at them with one hand and attempting to keep them off his face with another.
I couldn’t help it. I burst out laughing.
Vic must’ve heard me, because he froze, and then let out another squeal. This time, Evie chuckled.
“Evie, you bitch! I know this was you!”
We both froze. Evie waved her hand, and the dicks seemed to attack with a new determination. Vic let out a hoarse growl, but instead of running into his house, he ran down the street. Huh.
Evie grinned and the spell faded. We hustled back toward my car before anyone could identify us.
“I bet he’s running to his friend a few blocks away,” Evie said. “He’s a low-level mage, but there’s no way he’ll be able to break my spell.”
A low-level mage, huh? “What’s his name?”
“Ben.”
I grinned. “Any chance they’ll attack him, too?”
“Nope.” Evie studied my face. “You know, I’d be happy to repeat this little experiment.”
“Don’t tempt me.”
A sharp scream came from down the street, and I threw my arm around my sister’s shoulders.
“Feel better?”
“You know what? I do. Any man who can scream in that pitch isn’t the man for me.”
I laughed. “How long will they follow him for?”
“The spell will wear off in the next few minutes.”
I dropped Evie back at her house and headed toward my apartment. I was halfway there when Steve called. I put my phone on speaker.
“I got a ping off that phone number you had me flag. She’s back in town.”
My pulse began to race. “Thanks Steve.”
Harriette had been a friend of my mom’s. The light fae had warned me that she was going out of town for a few weeks, but she’d been gone for over six. The last time we’d spoken, she’d told me that my mom had left some things with her, and she had information for me.
Now that I knew what I was, I had more than a few questions for Harriette.
Steve had messaged me her address, and I headed toward Hope Valley. Halfway there, I got stuck in traffic, my car crawling toward the intersection.
Vas dropped down from the sky, hands on his hips. He ambled toward me, as if he had all the time in the world. The lights in the intersection turned green and the guy in the Tesla behind me laid on the horn.
