Page 97 of Potions and Proposals
“Our elements may never return, our ancestors may reject our desire to be together, but Lucinda Hawthorne, I swear in this life and the next. I am yours.” With each word he dotted her body with kisses while she squirmed to free herself.
“I think we should stay here forever,” she decided.
“In the Manor, or this moment?”
“Both, but I think we should stay close. These old manors can be awfully draughty.”
Benedict pressed his lips to the side of her head in agreement, silently vowing that they would never be parted.
Forty-eight hours later, their elements had failed to switch back –and to make matters worse, Lucy woke with a start to find Grams standing over her.
She had a finger to her lips, probably so that she wouldn’t alarm a half-naked Benedict in bed beside Lucy. Thankfully neither of them were completely naked, or she never would have recovered from being discovered like this – though Grams didn’t look surprised in the least.
The fright should have caused her to set her beloved grandmother on fire, but to her surprise, there was no rush of heat coursing through her. Yesterday she and Benedict had simply assumed that the potion hadn’t worked, but as she tried to light the candle on her bedside table with the tip of her finger, her eyes widened in alarm.Maybe this potion just takes longer to work than the first.She wanted to wake Benedict and tellhim, but startling a mostly unclothed Benedict in front of Grams probably wasn’t a good idea. Nor was revealing they’d both consumed a potion containing dragon venom.
“How did you get in?” she snapped, keeping her voice low.
Benedict was still fast asleep, snoring with an arm thrown over her waist. True to his word, he hadn’t really left her side since they’d drunk the potion, but they’d been so busy with the festival that neither had talked about their pending nuptials. Their mothers had taken over all the planning, which gave them some reprieve; Lucy had never seen him so exhausted. She wondered if he was keeping an eye on her until the binding in case the potion kicked in and she suddenly hated his guts again – that, or he couldn’t get enough of her. Not that she was complaining; she liked having a man-sized water bottle to snuggle into.
She tied her dressing gown around her waist and climbed out of bed slowly so she wouldn’t disturb him, though he was clearly dead to the world. They’d been up late trying to figure out how to divide their duties as joint leaders of the coven and how such duties would impact their current responsibilities. The stress had worn them both out, but at least they had each other to help work out the tension. She wasn’t so sure being joint leaders was a bad idea after all.
“Such a simple lock wouldn’t keep me out– although I’ll admit I wasn’t aware you had company,” Grams whispered, smirking at Benedict’s muffled groan. Instead of waking to pull Lucy close, he grabbed her pillow and cuddled it to his chest. Lucy stifled a laugh as a small smile formed in the corner of his mouth.
“What’s so urgent? You never come up here,” she said, trying to take the attention away from him.
Grams rooted in her wardrobe and threw her a pair of jeans and a thick, oversized jumper. She caught them, glad Gramshadn’t said anything about the clothing discarded on the cream carpet like a roadmap of the previous night’s activities.Why didn’t I take Benedict up on his offer to stay at his?
She stopped following Grams down the stairs when she realised all over again that she really didn’t feel the sizzling simmer beneath her skin. She resisted the urge to go back to Benedict and wake him.His element is gone.
A small squeal escaped her as she covered her mouth, only for a nervous chuckle to follow. The elation was so overwhelming that she didn’t even notice Grams had stopped talking and was staring at her.
“What’s wrong with you?” Grams frowned.
Lucy resisted the urge to groan; she couldn’t have the whole element celebration with Grams here. It’d have to wait, and she couldn’t get too excited anyway, not until her water returned. She didn’t feel a hint of its coolness yet.
“Nothing,” she lied.
Gram’s eyes narrowed, but her curiosity was short-lived. “Get dressed– I need you to cover for me at the tarot shop. I’ve had a call from Alpha Beline. One of their youngest wolves is sick. Fever won’t break after their first change, poor thing.”
Lucy paused. “You’re going to go into wolf territory alone?” Grams had gone out on healing calls before, but lately Lucy got nervous when she visited the wolves. Getting lost in the woods, especially with her memory failing, wasn’t a fate Grams should suffer.
“There’s nothing to worry about; I’m more than capable,” Grams said, resting a reassuring hand on her forearm. “I’ve long been given permission to enter their lands, so there shouldn’t be any trouble.”
Lucy glanced over her shoulder, wondering if she should suggest Benedict accompany her. Then again, given his recentrun-in with the wolves at the Manor, she quickly thought better of it.
“Without my help, they’ve little hope of the child surviving,” Grams said urgently. “If I need an extra set of hands, I’ll send someone from the pack to get you.”
Lucy reluctantly agreed, though she couldn’t help feeling guilty – if she ended up going and Benedict found out, he’d be furious to know she’d put herself in a dangerous situation without an element to protect herself. At least Grams was going there to help, and the Hawthorne name was well respected. The wolves wouldn’t have reached out if the situation wasn’t desperate.
It was extra chilly out today, so Lucy was relieved that Grams had opted to keep her shop open instead of hiring a stall; it meant she could keep her back to the toasty radiator and serve customers instead of standing out in the cold. Thankfully most of the customers were just coming in for crystals and some potion jars. Lucy could read tarot, but it didn’t come as naturally as potion-making or translating.
“Lucy, can we talk for a moment?” Emerson asked, appearing in the doorway. “There’s something delicate I want to talk to you about.”
Lucy smiled, speaking in her best physic voice. “You’ve come to the right place for delicate questions. A card reading can help you find the answers you seek.”
“I’m not here for a reading,” he said as she shuffled the deck on the table.
She frowned.
