Page 44 of Sugar, Spice, and Magical Midlife

No surprise there were more turd balls on the floor and floating in the toilet in addition to more goat pubes everywhere. Des made a face while washing his hands, acting as if the entire bathroom was infected with cooties. Those gnome-roaches were looking more and more appealing.

AFTER FRESHENING UP, I crawled into bed beside Ethyl, bemoaning my aching head. Ethyl was already asleep, her littlenostrils flaring as she let out a snore that would rival a taurus in heat. Her dragon slept curled up in the opposite bed beside Des, rings of smoke pouring from his snout with each breath.

I stared up at a creaky ceiling fan while ruminating on the events from the past two days. Something was off about Antonio. I couldn’t quite place it, but his demeanor changed from cold and grumpy to warm and friendly at the drop of a wand. I thought about how I’d gravitated toward his car today, almost as if I’d been spellcast by his smile. And was it purely coincidence that migraine had started after meeting Antonio?

You’re under his spell,a little voice whispered in my subconscious.

Though I wanted to think I was being paranoid, this gnawing in my gut told me it wasn’t safe to fall asleep, so I got up and went to the bathroom once more, shocked to find blood on the toilet seat. What the heck were these satyrs up to? Then again, judging by the moaning sounds coming from their room, at least one of them was in heat. Either that, or they were into very rough foreplay. I did my best to get that visual out of my mind.

After finishing up, I crept down the stairs and into the kitchen while telling myself I wasn’t being nosey. I simply wanted a glass of water to go along with the full glass by my bedside. One could never have too much water.

Rows and rows of salami hung from hooks on the ceiling. They certainly liked their cured meats. Odd how there wasn’t a single pastry anywhere. Whoever heard of a bed-and-breakfast without pastries?

Succubi,an inner voice whispered to me.

For the first time I noticed there were no televisions or radios, and Antonio had already said there was no wi-fi. Succubi hated the static noise, or any noise for that matter.

I could almost hear Colin snickering in my head.You’re being paranoid, Luce.

Was I?

I checked the shelves for any sign of a biscotti or even a candy and found nothing. The fridge had just salami: No orange juice, no fresh fruit. Just meats.Saltedmeats.

I clutched my throat when I spied the flour and sugar canisters on the top cabinet shelf. Maybe they were planning on baking in the morning.

Using my wand, I quietly floated the sugar canister down to the table and opened the lid. I pinched a few granules between my fingers and dropped them on my tongue.

Salt!

Though my hand shook, I managed to replace the salt canister. Then I used the floating spell to move up the stairs as quickly as possible. By the time I softly shut our bedroom door, my mind was reeling.

We had to get out—now.

I tried to lock the door, but the latch was broken. How convenient. I floated the dresser until it was pressed up against the door. If Antonio came after us, at least the dresser would buy us some time.

I shook Ethyl awake, holding a finger to my lips when her eyes flew open. I leaned down and whispered into her ear. “Pack your things. Be quiet. They’re succubi.”

I slapped my hand over her mouth when she let out a gasp. I gently shook Des awake, and he quietly dressed as if he already knew what to do. We packed our suitcases using only the glow of my wand for light. I thought I heard something (possibly underwear) fall out of my suitcase and land behind the bed, but I had no time to look for it. I grabbed butterscotch candies from my purse, wondering why I hadn’t thought of them sooner, and made everyone take one. That fog in my head instantly started to clear, reinforcing my suspicion that they were succubi.

Ethyl clutched her pentagram necklace charm, her eyes wide with fear. “How do we get out of here without Antonio seeing?”

I nodded toward the outside door. “The terrace.”

We crept outside, and I floated everyone down. I was the last to go, Puffy fluttering behind me.

I grabbed our suitcases, motioning to Des. “Follow me.”

He tugged on my shirtsleeve, nodding toward the shed. “Shoo!”

“Not now, Des,” I hissed. “We have to go.”

He hung his head but thankfully followed me.

We were almost to the gate when car lights flashed on the other side. Ethyl let out a squeal, but I quickly concealed us with a masking spell just as the gate opened and a sedan pulled into the drive.

We pressed up against the wall as the sedan drove by us, the tires nearly running over my feet. I looked over my shoulder as we slipped out of the gate, noticing the older woman with a hook nose get out of the car, followed by three hooded figures who were all armed with wands.

They were here for us. Too bad for them we’d be long gone by the time they broke into our bedroom. I had no doubt the succubi were hunting us, just like they’d hunted my parents, but they would soon find out they’d messed with the wrong witch.

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