“Tam!” A man shouted as he crossed the street toward them. Sage met him at the sidewalk and passed the boy into his arms.
“What happened?” The man looked to be only a few years older than Malcolm and he recognized him as the father chasing his little child on the broom while carrying groceries earlier that day. His dark hair was cut short, and his hazel eyes were wide with fear.
“Malcolm saved Tam from getting hit by a truck,” Sage explained. The man glanced back at the road where the truck had come to a stop and people were talking to the driver who was craning his neck in their direction as if to see the boy was all right.
Tam’s father turned to Malcolm. “You saved my son? Thank you.” Unused to such open emotions, Malcolm could only nod his understanding.
“I own the pizzeria at the end of Main Street, Zombie Pies. You can get free pizza anytime,” the man said. “Glad to have you here. The name’s Jack Hollow.”
“Thanks, I’m Malcolm.”
Jack held out a hand, and Malcolm shook it. Jack’s eyes widened. “You’re a blood warlock? Haven’t seen one of you in years, not since…” His voice trailed off, a thoughtful look in his eyes. “Not in a long time.” He grinned, changing the subject. “I mean it about the pizza. You’re welcome anytime. Come on, Tam, let’s go.” He carried his son off and the crowd finally dispersed until only Jasper and Sage remained. Hades sniffed the wall behind Malcolm. Malcolm turned and realized there were impact cracks left behind in the stone. There was no way a normal man would have survived hitting the wall like that, not unless they were a cartoon coyote.
“Holy shit,” Jasper murmured as he studied the wall. “I really think you should stick around for magic lessons.”
“Magic lessons?” Sage asked. “At your age?”
Malcolm turned to Jasper, his teeth clenched like a vice. “Thanks a lot, buddy.”
“Um… should I not have said that?”
Sage giggled, and Malcolm wanted to punch Jasper in the gut. There were fewer things more emasculating than admitting you needed magic lessons as an adult, because you really couldn’t teach anyone anything past the fundamentals. After a certain point, it was all about finding your personal connections and channels with magic, which varied from person to person.
Jasper clued in. “Wait, did I say lessons? I meant pointers. Tips. Calli was going to give him a few pointers, that’s all.”
“My Calli?” Sage clapped her hands together in glee. “She’s going to teach you?”
Malcolm stared at her, wondering why that made a difference to her, other than as potential gossip.
She cleared her throat. “It’s just that Calli has been waiting a long time for a growth in her magic, to take it to the next level. Who knows? Giving some lessons to an attractive warlock might kick it into gear.”
“What?” Malcolm said at the same time Jasper replied. “Hold up, you think he’s attractive?”
Sage ignored him and focused on Malcolm. “Lust and attraction can sometimes amplify magic, resonate, and help a witch or warlock reach deeper parts of magic. Her magic is strong, but she doesn’t even have a familiar yet. She could do more if her powers were a little further awakened.” She then turned to Jasper. “And yes, he’s attractive, objectively speaking.”
“So what about me?” Jasper demanded.
“You? You’re cute.” Sage shrugged one shoulder as if that settled the matter.
“Cute?” Jasper repeated the word like she’d stabbed him.
“What’s wrong with cute?” Sage asked him, her cheeks flushing a little.
“Cute is not the same as handsome. A puppy is cute. I am not a puppy!”
“So you wouldn’t want to be cuddled on the couch or?—”
“You know what I want, Sage.” Jasper’s voice was softer, deeper.
Malcolm watched this interaction with fascination. Jasper had a woman in every town, and he’d never had to work hard to entice a woman to say yes. In that he and Malcolm were quite alike but it seemed, Jasper had met his match.
“And I told you what I want.” Sage finally replied, her gaze darting away from Jasper’s.
Jasper’s lips made a thin line as he stared at Sage for a long moment. Then he turned to Malcolm, getting the subject back on track. “Let’s get you over to Calli’s shop. I think you should talk her into letting you stay.”
“Malcolm needs somewhere to stay?” Sage asked.
Jasper nodded. “The inn’s full. I told him he should ask Calli to stay at her place since she has the room. But he ruined her garden and burned her carpet, and for some reason thinks that would make things awkward,” Jasper rolled his eyes as if Malcolm was crazy for being embarrassed at asking Calli if he could stay with her.
