Page 36 of Sugar, Spice, and Magical Midlife

Did I mention Ethyl insisted on bringing Puffy along? Not a single striga among her long list of lovers was available to hatchling-sit. Not that she looked very hard. So she stowed him away in her carry-on, the same suitcase that conveniently carried the pastries we’d packed for our journey. So much for our mid-flight snacks. Like all mythical striga, Puffy had the power to turn invisible, which came like second nature whenever humans were around. He was content to lie low and eat every last pumpkin chocolate chip bar while leaving white dragon splatter all over the bottom of the bag. Too bad it wasn’t actually Ethyl’s carry-on, but mine. She had conveniently left all her overnight bags at various lovers’ houses.

Luckily, Des’s iPad and phone were fully charged, so he kept himself occupied during the flight. We had him up against the window so that strangers didn’t bother him. Ethyl was claustrophobic, so she got the aisle seat, leaving me smack in the middle while my companions took up both armrests. Oh, the joys of being me.

I tried to distract myself from worrying over Ric by reading that succubi book, but it was so droll that I kept zoning out every few paragraphs. I finally closed the book after three chapters. It was mostly folklore and there wasn’t anything I didn’t alreadyknow, so I occupied myself by watching replays of my video monitors from last night. The demon didn’t even come to my door. It had exited a compact car, the shadow from its hoodie hiding its face, and gone straight to Gladys’s house as if it knew exactly where to go. Only it didn’t, otherwise, it would’ve gone to my house. Right?

I was so confused, I was starting to second-guess myself. Maybe it wasn’t a succubus and the police were right, that it was a trick of the light. But, no, I’d seen an aura. And witches didn’t have red, glowing eyes. Only succubi, and only when looking at them from a certain angle. Just like in Gladys’s camera footage.

So what did the demon want with my nosey neighbor?

“Mama, why are we on a plane?”

I looked over at Des who had removed his headphones and was petting Puffy on his lap. To everyone else watching, it looked like my son was palming air. Though I couldn’t see Puffy, I could hear his low purrs as Des stroked him. Des claimed he could see the pygmy dragon, even when he was invisible.

Ethyl gently snored while curled up in her seat. In times like these, I was jealous of her small frame. Humans often mistook her for my teenage daughter or even Des’s twin. I clutched my lipstick wand and whispered a secrecy spell, securing the three of us and Puffy in an invisible cocoon that muted our voices to the humans sitting nearby, though they could still see us.

“Remember me telling you about the bad demon that killed Grandma and Grandpa?” I asked my son.

He blinked at me, his eyes wide and curious. “The succubus?”

“Yes.” I released a slow breath. “She found us, and I believe she framed Ric and will try to come after us if we don’t stop her.”

Recognition flashed in his eyes. “How do we stop her?”

We? I clutched my throat at the thought of my child going up against a succubus. My little boy sounded so mature, and my mother’s heart twisted as I realized he was growing up. He didn’twhine or complain that he was frightened. He wanted to help fight.

I squeezed his hand, pleased when he didn’t pull away. “We start by freeing Ric.”

He looked down at our joined hands then up at me. “He’ll protect me?”

My throat suddenly constricted, and I had to work hard to push out the words. “Yes, he will.”

“Okay.” Des shrugged and grabbed his headphones, indicating he was finished talking.

He made it sound so simple, didn’t he? Free Ric to stop the succubus. Sigh. If only it could be so easy.

I was about to pop our privacy bubble when Ethyl nudged my side.

“Well, how was your date?”

I looked down at her as she stretched like a cat and unfolded herself from her curled position. “It was nice.”

“Nice?” She paused mid-stretch to glare at me. “Just nice? You’ve got to give me more details than that.”

I bit my lip to keep from smiling when I remembered all the wicked things Ric did to me last night. Oh, that purr! “A lady doesn’t kiss and tell.”

“Oh, come on.” She playfully swatted my arm. “I know you had a good time with that giant bite mark on your neck.”

“You saw it and didn’t tell me?” How dare she break the friend code. Friends don’t let friends leave the bathroom with toilet paper stuck to their shoes, they tell them when they have lipstick on their teeth, and they certainly alert them when they have big bite marks on their necks!

“Hell no.” She snort laughed. “I wanted Colin to see.” She sat up on her knees, clasping her hands in a prayer pose. “Please tell me he saw.”

Oh, she was wicked. I supposed she didn’t breach the friend code if making the douchebag ex jealous was part of the plan. I couldn’t hide my smile. “He did.”

“Excellent.” She rubbed her hands together like a maniacal villain. “Will you at least tell me what kind of shifter he is? I heard you tell Alfred he was a sphinx, but I thought they had gone extinct.”

I supposed his identity wouldn’t remain a secret now that he’d been arrested. Witchy gossip had a way of making it across all continents faster than an epidemic of pixie pox. I still looked over my shoulder as if the humans could hear through my secrecy spell. “That’s what I said, a sphinx.”

Her eyes practically bulged out of her head. “So he must be the last of his kind. Why isn’t he in the registry?”

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