Page 9 of Nightmares and Numerology

Andrea’s smile didn’t dim. “Oh, I plan to win.”

There was something in her words that made the skin at the back of my neck prickle. I shook my head after a moment and watched her walk away, noting the sway of her hips with envy. How was it possible that someone with a waist like that could have nice hips and a nice ass?

“Seven,” Angelo said, speaking for the first time since Andrea had left. It made me jump. Indigo would have teased me for not paying attention.

“Seven?” I repeated.

“I’m going to the store to get some things. We’ll have dinner in my office tonight. I think you deserve to dine in, don’t you? I’ll come back when I have everything ready. I’m thinking around seven.”

A candlelit dinner in his office. And after...

“Okay,” I said, my voice small. I couldn’t look him in the eye. If I saw and felt everything he wanted to do to me in that instant, I’d combust right here in Stanley’s nice dining area. “It’s a date.”

***

Wanda’s witchery was a fashionista’s paradise and an empath’s hell.

I’d only been inside the gothic Victorian once to meekly request a cute set of jammies. It had started as a spite-fueled reply to Angelo’s insistence on going around in skimpy pajamas, trying to get me to break first. Anything to get him to end this tense, sexually frustrated stalemate we lived in. I’d been silently begging him to throw me on the queen-sized bed and ravish me. Unfortunately, I could never force the request past my lips.

But back to Wanda’s clothing store, I’d quickly found myself overwhelmed by the sheer variety of styles and patterns available. It had taken me a distressingly long time to realize the headache knuckling at my temples had been from the sheer bombardment of magic from all sides. Most of it centered around sensuality, luck, and other positive feelings, but there were enough cursed items to make my teeth ache. It took real malice to make hexes and curses work, and Wanda was capable of that depth of feeling. Not everyone with magic was though. Indigo was constantly disgusted by my inability to do dangerous magic. If she’d been awake and aware, she probably would have bemoaned her luck getting stuck with me. If Indigo had latched onto someone like Wanda, she’d at least be able to defend herself without an issue.

Fortunately, I’d gone in the evening, and Wanda had taken pity on me, guiding me into her backroom while she bustled about selecting pieces that both boosted my confidence and looked great. Less fortunate for me, it was daytime now. Through a set of complicated events, Wanda was left having topretend she wasn’t a witch. Indigo and I weren’t sure how long her ‘vampire’ tale would hold up under scrutiny. One just had to be in proximity to realize she had a healthy pulse.

And to top the whole embarrassing situation off, I wasn’t here looking for underwear this time. I was looking for a slinky number to wear on a date with an incredibly sexy demon. And the moment I expressed that, the warlock was going to give me a look. That universal look that all men seemed to have when they realize you’re a woman looking to get lucky. It was smug and knowing and always made me want to punch someone.

And besides, I wasn’t even sure where to begin. What exactly did one take into consideration in a situation like the one I was marching into? Romance? Durability? Contraception? God, I just didn’t know. All I did know was that it was far worse to drag Angelo inside the store with me to make lewd commentary in front of the daytime manager, a grumpy warlock by the name of Maverick.

Said warlock glanced up when the bell above the door tinkled, announcing my presence to the room at large. I was tempted to cut and run before he could open his mouth and start interrogating me. Only the absence of any other customers in the store allowed me to step inside and close the shop door behind me.

The bell let out another warbling sound before dying off, leaving just the hush of the air conditioner to fill the silence. The man straightened to his full and impressive height, draping himself in a practiced motion over the cash register. It was casual and a little appealing. It might have even been flirty if I didn’t have Angelo’s antics to compare it to.

“Welcome to Wanda’s Witchery. May I help you?”

It was the first time I’d interacted with Maverick Depraysie outside of a council or emergency setting. I mostly knew him as Police Chief Taliyah Morgan’s loyal bounty hunter first and afashion designer’s assistant manager second. It made him more than a little intimidating in my book. I had to actually clear my throat before I could find my voice.

“I… um… I was looking for a dress.”

Maverick gave the shop’s interior a meaningful look. “We have plenty of those.”

“Oh, right.”

“So, you’ll have to be more specific about what type of dress you’re looking for.”

“Okay.”

“Wanda just finished a luck line in women’s business wear. Two women have already reported getting the promotions they were asking for. Though in your case, you probably want something to speed up the divorce.”

“Oh, you heard?”

He nodded. “I heard Taliyah talking about it after the last Black Cat Cocktail Club meeting.”

And yet again, I found myself red in the face and struggling to look a man in the eye. I’d only attended a few of the boozy gossip fests held by the local supernatural set, but they’d been memorable. Wanda had mixed the drinks so strong during the last one I’d ended up drunk texting Angelo on the way home. He still teased me about what I’d said that night.

“I’m…I’m not looking for luck.”

“Okay, what are you looking for?”

I cleared my throat and couldn’t hold his gaze. “Well, I was thinking less conservative and more…” I gestured vaguely at the nearest rack. The tea dress was a little too cutesy for tonight’s date, but it was a step in the right direction. There was no way I was getting Angelo out of his pants if I showed up in 80s shoulder pads.

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