“I swear,” she said, brushing nonexistent dust from her sleeves, “if one more vampire asks for a third pot of my midnight rose blend, I’m installing a ration system. Or a bouncer. Or both. I know orcs are out there and Lady Limora had good intentions, but these gals are high maintenance.”
I smiled despite myself. “Rough night?”
She looked up at me, eyes bright but tired, the kind of tired that had nothing to do with sleep and everything to do with being the emotional support tea witch for an entire undead population.
“They’re drinking me out of house and home,” she said. “I haven’t seen this kind of demand since the Great Moon Surge of ’72. And let me tell you, that ended with three broken kettles and one very emotional coven leader who cried into her scone.”
Twobble perked up. “Wait, there were scones involved?”
“Always,” Stella said solemnly and waved a hand, “But don’t misunderstand me. I’m not complaining about booming business. I just thought you should know that if the vampires keep this up, Stonewick is going to smell permanently like bergamot and existential dread.”
“That’s… not the worst scent we’ve had,” I said.
She snorted. “True.”
Her gaze flicked past me, landing squarely on the beaded curtain that concealed Nova’s back room.
“So,” she drawled, “how was it?”
Celeste made a small choking sound behind me. “It worked.”
I stepped aside to let Stella in. “You missed it by about three minutes.”
Stella sighed wistfully. “Story of my eternal life.”
She stepped fully into the shop, took in the candles, the crystals, the faint magical residue still clinging to the air, and then her eyes narrowed.
“Wait.” She sniffed.
“Oh,” she said slowly. “Oh no.”
Behind the beads, there was a sudden crash, followed by a very human groan.
“What…what the hell?” came Alex’s voice, rough and disoriented. “Why does my head feel like it’s been stuffed with cotton and regret?”
Twobble clapped a hand over his mouth to stifle a laugh and failed miserably.
Stella’s lips curved into something sharp and delighted. “Please tell me that’s who I think it is.”
Keegan leaned closer to me, murmuring, “I should warn you. She’s going to enjoy this.”
“I know,” I said, already bracing myself.
The beads rattled as Alex stumbled forward, pushing them aside with a scowl. He blinked at the shop, at the group of people staring back at him, and then directly at Stella.
He frowned. “Why are you here?”
Stella gasped, one hand flying to her chest. “Alexander.”
He winced. “I told you not to call me that.”
“And I told you,” she replied sweetly, stepping closer, “that you could take that attitude and store it somewhere the sun doesn’t shine. Preferably very far away from Stonewick.”
Twobble lost it completely.
Alex blinked again. “Why am I in Stonewick? I hate this place.”
Celeste’s jaw dropped as Nova emerged quietly from behind the beads.
