I snorted. “He said the same thing.”
“He admitted that? Wow. You would’ve had to waterboard that information out of me,” Fiella mused.
“Some of us are able to talk about our feelings.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Like you’re one of them? Sounds like you haven’t told Tandor aboutyourfeelings.”
I sighed in resignation. “I know. I know. I’ve been avoiding it. Everything is just so new and so fun. I don’t want to ruin it by making things serious.”
“So don’t.”
“Huh?”
She sipped her tea casually. “If you’re enjoying how things are going, just let them keep going. You don’t have to go and get mated right this instant. You should tell him how you feel, though. Just to make sure you’re on the same page.”
Her words sank in. She was right, and I knew it. I was just being a little pansy. “I will,” I mumbled.
A few folk knocked on my door, but I refused to let them in, insisting they come back later. Soon, they would be cured of the annoying love enchantment. Soon, everyone would quit bothering me. Hopefully.
After a few minutes of companionable silence watching the sprites whir around the shop while we sipped our teas and ate our pastries, Fiella sat upright. Tension tightened her frame.
“Kizzi,” she said cautiously.
“What’s up, Fi?”
“Is that… is that what I think it is?” She gestured to the corner where Hex was hanging out in their cracked cauldron, half slumped over the side in a position that looked extremely uncomfortable but they refused to shift from.
I took another sip. “Yep.”
“Holy fates.”
I nodded in agreement. “They’re my familiar. Hex.” I spoke up a little louder. “Hex, this is my best friend Fiella. Don’t mess with her or I’ll… do something bad to you.” No suitable threats came to mind, but I was sure Hex could sense my intentions.
Fiella’s gaze snapped to mine. “Are you kidding?”
I shook my head. “No,” I lowered my voice to a whisper. “I accidentally brought them to life and now they’re my magical sidekick. Forever.”
Her complexion paled. “That’s—I mean good for you, badass witch lady, but that’s horrifying.”
“You’re telling me.”
Hex hissed for a moment, but it didn’t have as much bite to it as it used to. Our love-hate (mostly hate) relationship was complicated like that.
Fiella continued her examination of the shop. When she spotted the new cauldron in the corner, filled with a pile of blankets, she jumped to her feet. “Oh! This must be the new one—wow it’s gorgeous!” She approached, gently running a finger over the cauldron’s rim. She had spent enough time around me and other witches to appreciate a well-crafted caldron.
“It sure is. You don’t even want to know how much it cost me; it’ll make you sick. Look inside.” I smiled behind the rim of my mug.
She tossed me a suspicious glance before she tentatively reached inside, removing one of the blankets. She stared blankly for a few moments.
And then she let out an ear-shattering screech. “Kizziah Cedarton! Is this what I think it is?”
I nodded smugly. “It sure is.”
Three shiny, scaled eggs sat in the cauldron, nestled snugly together.
“You smuggled dragon eggs into Moonvale! Actual dragon eggs!” she shouted.
“Yep,” I let the word pop from my lips with a flair. “And they weren’t cheap, either.”
