Page 5 of The Heartbreak Hex

“‘Morning,” I say, a little sleepily.

Gertrude shrieks, rearing back out of my arms and stumbles out of bed. I bolt up in alarm. What the hell is happening?

“What are you doing in my room?” the witch shouts, pointing at me. “What are you doing in mybed?”

The last vestiges of sleep firmly recede from my mind at her questions and the first thing that strikes me is that, no, I’m not asleep. And if I’m not asleep that means . . . I’m actually in Gertrude Nightshade’s bedroom, for some unfathomable reason. My mind races, trying to remember the night before, but all I remember is going to sleep in my bed, alone, after a long hard day at City Hall.

“Gertrude,” I say, putting my hands up in a calming gesture. “I don’t know how I got here. I’m as much in the dark as you are.”

“Vlad, you broke into my house and got into my bed! There’s nothing to be in the dark about!” Her finger is still pointing at me, accusing, though she looks a little unsure. Strangely, a glowing red string is wrapped around her delicate wrist, trailing between us and disappearing under the covers. But I don’t have time to ask what that’s about.

“Why would I do that?” I ask, keeping my voice even, still trying to calm her down. If there’s anything that my years in public office has taught me it’s how to smooth ruffled feathers. “I would never intrude on your space and abuse your trust. Besides, even if I didtryto break into your house, I wouldn’t have been able to come inside without an invitation, right? I’ve never been here before and you’ve never given me leave to be here, so by all rights, I shouldn’t beableto be here.”

The wariness in Gertrude’s posture relaxes somewhat at my words and her accusing finger goes down. My eyes follow the movement and I notice, for the first time, that she’s hardly wearing anything, just a spaghetti-strap tank and underwear, showing off her perfectly curved thighs and a short expanse of her midriff. She looks delightfully rumpled and undressed. I feel my dick start to wake up and desperately will it down. Him showing up right now willnothelp the situation.

“But if that’s the case . . .” Gertrude says, scrunching her face up adorably in thought, oblivious to my randy dick, “then why are you here?Howdid you get here? What is happening?”

“Like I said, I’m as confused as you are. Last thing I remember was going to bed in my own bed and then waking up here.”

Gertrude just looks even more confused, then scrubs her hands over her face, the string on her left wrist coming back into view. “This would be so much easier to figure out if I weren't hung-over!”

“You’re hung-over?” I ask, with a little frown. Gertrude never really seemed like much of a drinker.

“I had . . . a rough night. Harry broke up with me.”

Everything goes still in my brain. Nothing else matters for a moment, not even our strange circumstances. Harry Moonkin, that sniveling loser, finally,finallybroke up with Gertrude? A shocking amount of happiness and hope blooms in my chest. I haven't had a shot with the witch in years as she stayed with that worthless wolf. But now, she is single. Available.

Hold your horses, Vlad, I chide myself.She said it literally happened yesterday. You don’t want to be the rebound. But part of me, the dumb, lovesick part of me, wouldn’t care if she used me to get over her ex. I just want to be with her in any way she’d have me.

“Anyway,” she continues. “Gretchen came over and we drank until I passed out. Then I woke up . . . wait a second. Maybe . . . wait.No!The potion!”

“The potion?” I ask, totally confused with the speed at which her thoughts are moving.

Gertrude bites her full bottom lip, looking completely embarrassed. “I may have made a totally crazy, completely impromptu potion last night while I was still pretty wasted . . . and then drank it. You don’t think . . .”

“That your potion somehow summoned me last night and that’s why I’m here?” I ask. “Yeah, it kind of sounds like it.”

Gertrude scrubs her hands over her face again, more violently this time. “Ugh, I’msoembarrassed. I can’t believe I got you wrapped up in my mess!”

Her arms swing down from her face, pulling the string on her wrist taut, and the movement suddenly tugs at my own wrist. With another frown, I pull back the covers and see that the glowing string is connected to me too, wrapped tightly aroundmy wrist, but with no knot. There’s no visible way to take it off.That’s alarming.

“Do you think that your potion has something to do with this?” I ask, raising up my wrist.

Gertrude’s eyes go wide, noticing the string for the first time. “What is that? Why are we tied together?” She scrambles at the loops around her own wrist, but nothing happens. She pulls at the string and it yanks on my wrist again.

“Careful there,” I say. “If this is magic, there’s no telling what will happen if you try to take it off.”

“Well, we can’t just stay tied together! I have to get to the shop. You have to get to . . . wherever you have to go. I’m sure that you’re busy. Halloween is just six days away!”

She’s right. I have a lot of things I’m supposed to do today. There’s the ceremonial picking of the City Hall pumpkin, approving visas for the Human Realm portal, the last details to finalize of the Halloween Day Festival and the Halloween Welcoming Ball. Not to mention the various meetings I have with lobbyists, contractors, public works. A mayor's’ day is always very busy. As much as I would like to, I can’t just spend all day with Gertrude at her shop.

“Ok, well,” I say. “What are your ideas? How do we get rid of this thing?”

“I have scissors in the kitchen downstairs,” she offers. “That seems like the most logical place to start.”

“Are they magical scissors?” I ask.

“No . . .” Gertrude replies hesitantly. “But it’s worth a shot. We can work through the process of elimination. C’mon!”

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