Page 21 of Fresh Old Bounties

Holly appeared horrified. “You can do that?”

“Of course.”

“But I already paid!”

“Do it my way, or nobody gets lucky in love.”

Holly and Natalia exchanged a look, then jerked their chins in agreement.

I fixed them with a stern glare and began counting with my fingers. “No telling anyone. No marrying within a year. No babies. Babies interfere with magic. Understood?”

Natalia nodded eagerly.

I held out my hand. “Where’s the blood?”

She retrieved a small vial from her pocket and dropped it on my palm.

“Wait here.”

I went back into the shop, apologized to Hannah, and crouched behind the counter to access my magic supplies cabinet.

The trick for placebo dark magic potions, I had learned, was to make them appear like the kind of potion the recipient expected rather than how it should look. For a true love potion, you needed unwilling blood—how the girl had gotten this much unwilling blood, I didn’t want to know—so it stood to reason that a love potion made with it would look kind of bloody. And dark. Because dark magic.

Last time I’d used some flat soda, but I didn’t have any at hand, so I used some of the blood-red syrup I kept for Brimstone and Destruction’s fake blood potions and added some leftover tea from my earlier client. To top it off, I added a good amount of salt. The concoction should be disgusting enough to make anyone spit it out.

If I was lucky, Natalia would think love potions wouldn’t work.

If Natalia was lucky, the person would spit it on her and then feel so sorry it’d start a conversation that would lead to a date.

I brought the vial into the back and put a tiny ward on the bottle so they knew I’d used some sort of magic on it.

Holly elbowed Natalia. “Told you she would do it.”

“Nobody else,” I reminded her sternly. “Or your marriage plans are done.”

“Sure.” She grabbed the vial and dragged Natalia out of the kitchen and into the shop. “Same price?”

Sighing, I followed. “Same price.”

Hannah watched us with curiosity as Holly paid with her phone, but didn’t have a chance to ask anything as Veva entered as the two girls left.

“I should get going, too,” Hannah said, smiling as she brought out her wallet.

“Thank you again for the photos.” I waved her money away. “On the house.”

She thanked me and left, leaving me alone with Veva.

Veva Daly owned Cards & Destiny, a tarot shop on Marquesa street. We had met briefly when I’d been digging into Ian’s parents’ relationship, but I’d liked her immediately.

“Welcome to the Tea Cauldron,” I said brightly.

She gave the room a slow nod of approval. “I like it. Very cozy.”

“Would you like something to drink?” I pointed at the glass display. “Muffins?”

“Yes and yes, thank you.” She sat on Bagley and studied the teas lining the back shelf among the T-shirts. “Earl Grey, please.”

I made her tea, added some milk at her request, and presented it along with a banana muffin, my personal favorite.

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