“Well, if I’m staying, I guess we really should start with the magic lessons?” He sure as hell didn’t want to set fire to any more rugs or pumpkins.
“We should go somewhere outside the town,” said Calli, as if thinking the same thing. “Whimsy Woods, maybe? We could practice spells safely out there.”
“Okay.” He glanced around the shop. “What about your bookstore?”
“I’ll get Jasper to come and watch it for you,” said Sage. “He’s still over at the coffee shop. That okay with you, Calli?”
She nodded. “You know where I keep the spare key. Byron will be here at seven to take over.”
“Byron?” Malcolm asked.
“My assistant manager. He’s an English vampire. He takes the night shift for the store’s nocturnal customers. We don’t close except for a few hours between dawn and 9am.”
Malcolm laughed. “This really is a Halloween town.”
“Sage, we’ll head back to my house and trek up to that picnic spot in the woods.”
Malcolm escorted Calli out of Pages & Potions and glanced up at the nearby lamppost.
He nudged her arm. “I think I found your sweater and that cute little lacy bra of yours.”
“Where?” She frantically looked around, but he directed her gaze up to the top of the lamppost.
“There.”
“I hate magic,” she muttered, and Malcolm threw his head back and laughed.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Whimsy Woods lived up to its name. The autumnal glow of the leaves above them and the deep shadows of the forest floor below, pierced by the occasional beam of brilliant sunlight, were whimsical and mysterious. Beyond the woods, Malcolm could see a towering black rockface far beyond.
“What’s that, beyond the edge of the woods?” he pointed in the direction of the intimidating cliffs.
“That’s the Black Cliffs. Its close the edge of what the town considers its primary lands on the north side. “The stone is made of tourmaline. I don’t like going there. It makes my magic feel… weird.”
“Huh,” Malcolm stared at the cliffs a moment longer before he followed Calli on a well-worn trail deeper into the woods.
Hades bounced ahead of them, ever alert, but his tail wagging eagerly. Persephone was tucked into a special backpack that Calli had found at the local pet store in town. The backpack had a clear back with air holes and was designed for traveling with a small pet. At the moment, the kitten was watching Malcolm intently, its head bobbing with every step.
The air around them seemed to shimmer with magic. This was not magic made by witches and warlocks, it was the magic of life on earth, the magic of existence. He drew in a deep breath and shifted the picnic basket into his other hand, then caught up with Calli, who had gotten farther ahead.
Sunlight lit up an open patch of ground ahead. This had to be the spot she mentioned on the drive over. The golden meadow grass was shorter here and clearly a popular spot for visitors. The clearing was empty now, thankfully. He wanted this time with Calli all to himself. He had to get to know her better, given that they could very well end up bonded. You couldn’t exactly break apart a witch-locked pair. If he was going to uproot his life, embrace his magic and spend a life with this gorgeous, sexy woman, he needed to know that he could commit to that life and to her fully and that she could to him.
Witch-locked.
The words kept echoing in his head.
This woman could be his other half, the witch destined to change his life forever. Such bonds were incredibly rare, and even he, a man who swore to live without using his magic except in rare cases, knew what a gift it was. He tried not to think about how ecstatic his father would be to know how close Malcolm was to forming a witch-lock. Then again, his father wouldn’t approve of Calli’s hedge witch bloodline. But when had Malcolm ever done what his father wanted? Not since he’d been a teenager.
Calli rolled out the large picnic blanket in the center of the meadow, and Malcolm set the basket down on it. She had crafted a spell before leaving the house to keep the drinks and sandwiches cold and the basket impenetrable to curious insects. He’d watched her weave the spell, noting the steps and how it was a little different than what he was used to seeing. For the first time since forever, he was actually excited to understand more about magic.
Hades barked at Calli, who set her backpack down and lifted little Persephone out and set the kitten on the ground.
“Watch out for her, Hades,” Calli said. “She’s still a baby and can wander off and get hurt.”
If a familiar got hurt, it could hurt the witch or warlock in turn. Familiars were supposed to live as long as their chosen magic wielder. In rare cases, a familiar could die and it deeply hurt the witch or warlock, sometimes cutting them off from their magic because the grief was too great.
The dog crouched in a play bow and licked the kitten’s face, knocking her little body over. Malcolm stifled a laugh as the kitten pounced on Hades’s nose in response.
