She nodded silently and bent to one knee, careful not to get too close lest they be dangerous, but then she frowned. "I think they're snapdragons," she said looking up at him. "Harmless, but we should bring a few to Ursula."
He pulled out a pocket knife and cut through a stem carefully but when she reached for it he pulled it out of her grasp.
"Just in case you're wrong, I don't want you touching it."
She rolled her eyes. "But you're holding it."
"I'm an officer of the law."
"Oh, does that title come with invincibility now? Or is that just a Salem PD thing?"
He threw her a stern look as he pointed for her to follow him back to the house. Casper kept his shoulder nearly pressed to her hip as they walked and at one point Taylor reached out to tug her gently closer to him when the path narrowed. She smelledhis scent and found comfort in it, even as it was mixed with that earlier spark of kindled anger.
"Thank you for not treating me like," she frowned.
"A silly woman who worries too much?" he hedged in question, stopping to look down at her. "I know about strong women who go through something to make them feel like smaller versions of themselves." A ghost of something passed over his eyes and she wondered if he meant more than his experience on the job. "You're not silly and what you went through is unfathomable and I'm sorry you were made to feel anything other than taken care of."
He reached down brushing his thumb over the apple swell of her cheek and she held her breath.
Warmth spread from her cheek down the delicate column of her throat and shoulders; a shroud of comfort and something dangerously close to passion. The way he was looking at her was like...
And then he stepped back. Dejavu; him breaking a spell between them.
She knew she couldn't get used to him like this, and whateverthiswas, she would either need to dismiss it completely and give it no thought, or she needed to sit with it so that she could understand it before letting it go.
But it would be difficult if Taylor White continued looking at her that way, leaving behind little sparks like fireflies. So she would also have to learn to break the spell.
They walked into the kitchen to find Jenson and Ursula putting away leftovers.
"Oh, where did you find that?" Ursula asked, her dark head tilted and eyes on the flowers in Taylor's hand.
Eloise noticed her friend's curious smile slip into something very guarded when she recognized what Taylor was holding.
"That's a snapdragon, right?" Eloise asked.
Ursula nodded slowly.
The confirmation had Eloise reaching for it, only for Taylor to pull the dark flower out of her reach making her groan.
"It's not poisonous," she said and he ignored her. "Ursula?" Her friend's eyes lifted to meet her own and she felt her heart speed up. "What is it?"
"It's a black prince snapdragon. Very beautiful. But," she shook her head and frowned. "Did you find it in my garden?"
"No. At the graveyard. They popped up around each grave."
Ursula's confusion turned to fear and Eloise walked to her, wrapping her hands around her shoulders. "What is it?" she asked again.
"It's not a common variety. It means revenge."
Eloise looked to Taylor as Ursula looked to Jenson.
12. Lady Hawk
The Black Cat was bursting every morning and throughout the day, even when they didn't typically have a rush. Now that the patio was in full swing, tables filled inside and out, Eloise told Shellee they might need to think of getting creative to add space. Shellee's delight was palpable, and Eloise's knack for business and growth mixed with creativity gave her bubblesof excitement. The alley behind the shop was wider than most in town and the wall that it ran parallel to was an old garden wall covered in ivy and the tops of trees poured over the wall's top on the other side, which sat about twelve feet high. She could fit ten more tables out here, add string lights above, and some more potted plants. She spent time sitting on a lone chair she pulled out there for breaks, drinking a con panna and sketching it out.
"Hey El," Bess's dark head poked out the back door.
"Hey babe, what's up?"
