Page 295 of Sigils & Spells

“Sure,” Mari muttered under her breath, carefully taking a step at a time until she reached the bottom of the steps. “That wouldn’t be any more awkward. Not at all.”

“Talking to yourself again, Pigeon?” Gibb’s spectral form leaned against the bottom stair banister, his eyebrow raised and a sardonic grin plastered on his face. The twenty something ghost stood straight up and gave her a mock salute. His Bauhaus tee shirt and skinny jeans matched his nineties style hairstyle, his lanky form and pasty white complexion giving him a Goth appearance completely suitable for his snarky disposition.

Despite that, she was glad to see him.

“Shut up.”

He cupped his hand to his ear in mock deafness and leaned forward. “What’s that love? I didn’t hear you.”

She started to retort, then smiled as another couple paraded down the hallway.

God she hated dog and pony shows.

Her dress was too tight. Mari realized it tonight when she tried it on in her room but after avoiding the subject of the Vampire Ball for weeks, she didn’t have time to do anything about it.

Nell, the housekeeper had placed it in her closet with a tart but knowing glance. “Make sure you try that on so I can make alterations.” Her hawk like expression never failed to quail Mari’s already frayed nerves and she’d just as soon not deal with the woman.

Mari forgot. The endless meet and greets and rotations around Salem made sticking around the house for a dress fitting nearly impossible. She was a simple girl that went to school, practiced her spells and worked in a bar before this happened. Now she had to be all Princess Morticia. It never failed to make her laugh.

“You’re about to fall out of that thing.” Gibbs narrowed his eyes. “Can you bend over? I want to test the laws of gravity.”

Mari snorted and rolled her eyes. “You’re horrible.”

“I know. But you love me.” He grinned, his gaze traveling toward the ballroom where more guests had started to congregate.

“Is he here?”

“No.” Gibbs sighed. “What about your boy wonder?”

“Um. I don’t…” Mari walked ahead, trying to pretend she didn’t hear him. It was bad enough she thought about the Fae lord at all. She saw him during meetings and occasionally around town and every time he winked at her.

“Don’t play coy with me. You like him.”

She stopped short and pressed back against a wall. “What if I do,” she hissed. “It’s not like he sees me as anything more than some poor kid his friend changed into a vamp to save her pathetic life.”

Gibbs gave her a stinky look. “You’re stupid. You know that? The man stares at you like a dog with a bone.”

The visual didn’t help and she winced.

“Oops. Sorry.”

“Yeah. I few seconds later and I’d be right there with you hanging out in ghost land.”

“But you weren’t.” Gibbs sighed and lowered his eyes. “I wish someone had found me before…”

“I know.”

He’d been killed by the same rogue wolves and was just as eager to see them caught. His lover Bertrand was in the next room. He’d been trying to connect with him for months and Mari had agreed to try and reunite them tonight.

Before her new life, she’d been a student, ignorant of anything except her work, a stack of spell books she thought were a nice diversion, and her school, work and school again schedule. Nothing was serious.

Until it was.

One night after her shift at The Copper Kettle was over, she trudged down the sidewalk, her mind already on the shit ton of formulas she was going to have to wade through.

Why did English majors even have to do algebra? It wasn’t like she was even going to use it. Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t perceive them until one of the boys stepped out in front of her. Plaid button down shirts, worn jeans and sneakers that had seen better days. They were clean cut and had been nice enough to her inside when she served them a pint or two.

But now there was an edgy quality that set her teeth on edge.

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