Page 6 of Potions and Proposals
“She asked me to make sure you didn’t forget about the meeting,” he explained, ignoring her quip.
“As you can see, I’m headed that way now. You can leave.” She wished her mother hadn’t sent her nemesis to remind her of her responsibilities.
“You’ll need a ride up the hill if you want to make it in time. You can’t use your bike; it’s been raining all day and your tyres won’t make it through the mud.” He opened the passenger door and motioned her inside. “Please get in. I’d hate to disappoint our High Priestess.”
“You’re up to something. Your help usually results in my punishment and your amusement.” She was used to taking the fall. If a Matherson, a descendant of dark magic, did something bad, it was excused as their nature. If a Hawthorne miss-stepped, it brought shame to the light.
“Let me guess. You’ll drive me into the middle of the woods and leave me there so I don’t make it to the meeting at all.” It was only one in a million scenarios she could think of.
“Why would I do that? I’d make myself late in the process.”
“To get back at me for the breakfast incident?” she snapped.
“So you admit it!” He grinned.
She gritted her teeth, refusing to respond.
Benedict let out a long exhale. “If I wanted to get back at you, don’t you think I would’ve done it by now?”
“Maybe you’re biding your time, and this is the perfect excuse to drive me off a cliff,” Lucy countered, shoving her hands in her pockets to keep them warm.
“I’m afraid such a scheme would cost us both our lives. Can we please put the paranoia aside for tonight? I don’t want you to be late for another meeting.” He tapped his foot, still waiting for her to get in.
Lucy narrowed her eyes, sensing his impatience as he pulled at his tie. Something was off. She didn’t like that he could still surprise her, and never in a way that brought her any joy.
“Need I remind you that I was only late to the last meeting because ofyou? You melted my bike tyres into the ground.”
He smirked, exposing his dimples. “You’ve no proof.”
“Only Mathersons harness fire magic. I doubt your mum sabotaged my bike.” She preferred him scowling, so she could tell she’d got under his skin.
Benedict sighed again. “Whether or not I melted the tyres has nothing to do with my desire to bring you to this meeting. Nor am I trying to trick you because of what you did at the manor.”
Thinking of the piranhas in the hotel fountain, Lucy chewed her lip to stop herself from smiling. They’d been harmless but frightening; she’d only wanted to plague him with complaints. She’d never harm an innocent with their petty quarrels.
“I only did what I did because you volunteered me to work on the fireworks display for the summer solstice, when you know how afraid I am of fireworks!” she barked, only to grimace when a passing elderly couple looked upon them with concern.
“Lovely evening,” Benedict said to them, and they passed with soft smiles.
“Great. I’m sure everyone in the village will hear I was giving out to you in public by morning,” Lucy groaned.
He closed the gap between them, limiting the risk of them being overheard. However, it forced her to stare up at him – impressive, considering she’d worn her tallest boots in anticipation of seeing him at the coven meeting.
“How far do you want to go back?” he asked, scrubbing his jaw. “I did this, and you did that? Going over twenty-odd years of history would mean neither of us will make it to the meeting.” He stared at her, dark eyebrows pulled together.
He was right, they could keep going for hours, so she moved around him and continued down the steps. “Please, feel free to stay here and reminisce. I’ve a meeting to attend.”
Going down memory lane never led anywhere good. She could go right back to their first day of school, when he had set her backpack on fire. In retaliation, she had suspended him in a bubble of water. The teachers had accused her of trying to drown him, but she’d just wanted to teach him a lesson. Remembering the face he’d pulled behind the teachers’ backs sent a spike of fury through her all over again.She’d far rather use her magic to travel to the temple than be subjected to a fifteen-minute drive withhim.
“Evanescere,” she whispered, blowing him a kiss as she disappeared.
Lucy appeared in front of the temple entrance a few seconds later. Teleporting wasn’t one of her natural talents, and she would’ve preferred to use her bike. Placing a hand over her queasy tummy, she waited for it to settle, assuring herself the nausea was worth it.I don’t feel like replacing another set of tyres if he decided to melt them again to ensure I went with him. He’d probably do anything to follow my mother’s orders.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of crunching leaves.
“You shouldn’t be so careless with your use of magic. The magless in the village tolerate us for history’s sake, but we’re supposed to use magic discreetly in public,” Benedict said, lifting his fancy shoes out of the muck.
Lucy heard him cursing under his breath as she bowed before the towering statues guarding the entrance: the Goddess of Warcarrying her sword, and the Goddess of Peace, a dove cradled in her hands. The entrance, stone engraved with protective symbols and shrouded in overgrown branches and woven ivy, opened for her.
