Page 64 of House of Mages and Raven

“We must put down every black magic practitioner, starting with the druid,” I said, more interested in hunting and slaying the druid than helping Pucker solve his cold murder case. He had my sympathy, but we had to prioritize. The oracle said the fate of the world lay in my hands!

“Trust me.” Pucker pointed two fingers at his eyes. “I’ve been watching, and I don’t sleep. I’d know if the druid even farts. He won’t get near you.”

“But you’re only one ghost, Pucker,” I said. “And I need you to watch the Veil twenty-four seven. Even your coming here to chat is a waste of a resource. What if a Shrieker sneaks in?”

He gave me side-eye. “I’ve told you over and over that I won’t live in the wilderness like a homeless ghost warlock. Who do you think I am? I’m a goddess’s familiar!”

I gave him a hard stare, frustrated by his inability to adapt and compromise, which was often a problem when anyone got older. People who reached a certain age usually no longer gave a shit about anything except their health and money.

The mage house magic suddenly shot toward Pucker’s phantom form, attacking him.

“What the fuck?” he cried out.

The magical wand slapped the ghost guardian in the face. I guessed the house magic had had enough of Pucker’s lack of cooperation.

Even in his phantom form, Pucker couldn’t free himself from the grip of the wand, which now bent into a ring around his neck and dragged him toward the wall. Half of his ghostly torso was pushed through it.

“Wait a minute, please,” Pucker pleaded.

The house magic didn’t wait and hauled him further into the wall, ready to cast him out once and for all. After this, the mage house would bar him for a lifetime.

“Help me, Barbie. Don’t let it throw me out,” he shouted in a pitiful voice. “I came with a mission. I was about to report to you as you demanded before I got sidetracked.”

I sighed. “He’s sorry about being negative, even vengeful,” I told the mage house magic. “Please let him stay for a little longer until he finishes his briefing, as a favor to me. And I’ll vouch that he won’t murder anyone cold-bloodedly in our mage house without my approval.”

The house magic released Pucker, and he bounced out of the wall and jerked to a stop in front of me. He shuddered like a wet phantom dog. “That was intense.”

“What news did you bring me?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.

“You’re cranky, Barbie,” he stated.

“I didn’t get much shuteye last night,” I said.

He shook his head. “I don’t like you and the prince fighting. You overreacted when he seemed to pay more attention to your counterpart, Barbie 2.0. The prince does everything for a reason, and he isn’t exactly interested in her. He’s playing along to protect you. You need to see through the ruse.”

“What the fuck, Pucker?” I narrowed my eyes in anger. “Are you high? Which side are you on? Where’s your loyalty? And how much juice do you still get from that asshole prince? Did he send you to spy on me? Are you his spy now?”

“That’s what I’m talking about.” He sighed. “Even if Prince Killian is distracted by Princess Grace, you can’t exactly blame him. Men are men. Red-blooded males are visual. So maybe instead of blaming him, you should spruce yourself up? Polish yourself a bit more, show less attitude, and beat Barbie 2.0 at her own game?”

My eyes narrowed to slits. Pucker stepped back a few paces and raised his phantom hands in surrender.

“Don’t shoot the messenger, please.”

“Whose messenger?”

“Myself,” he said. “I’m always on your side, Barbie. You should have no doubts. I just don’t sugarcoat things since I don’t need to con you. I can help you level up. With both you and the prince as my patrons, I’m powerful enough to enter any house. Lady America from the House of Fae has good fashion sense. I can raid her wardrobe and bring you the most fashionable dresses, with a discount, which will be two sips from your goddess essence.”

“Once a con man, always a con man, even dead,” I snorted.

“You don’t see what I see,” he said. “I’m older and wiser, and I don’t lie to myself or to you. Queen Lilith, your romantic rival, came before you. Technically, in her eyes, you’re the other woman. So, she initiated the Barbie 2.0 game to beat you and take back her lost ground.” He continued despite my huff of displeasure. “Prince Killian and Queen Lilith appear like a perfect power couple in everyone’s eyes, but I know better. The chemistry between them pales in comparison to the chemistry between you and the prince. Your chemistry with him is off the charts. I can barely breathe whenever the two of you are in the same room with that sizzling sexual tension, which says it all, considering I’m a dead gay.”

A sick feeling brewed in my middle whenever anyone put the chaos prince and his betrothed in the same sentence.

“Oh, they have plenty of chemistry.” I sneered. “Haven’t you seen how she hung on his arm?”

“She wouldn’t need to hang on his arm if they had enough chemistry, and she wouldn’t have to bring in her ward, who looks just like you but is a princess who speaks the heirs’ language, to tempt him and to win him for her. She’s a queen, soshe can’t stoop low to get into a dog fight with you.” He ignored my glare. “However, her ward, who appears to be your upgrade and makes you look like an inferior copy, can do her dirty jobs. Together, they plan to push you aside for good.”

I clapped my hands in a sarcastic way. “Congratulations to them then. They did it! Killian dumped me cold and hard. He’s eating out of Grace’s palm, just like everyone else. I’m not sure if Bea still wants to be my friend after she comes back. I won’t blame her if she ditches me too. The pressure is too high for anyone.”

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