Page 30 of Stolen Magic
“Oh, nonsense.” Char waved her hand in dismissal and pulled me from my murderous thoughts. “I made enough for everyone. We never sell anything that does not meet our high standards. Sampling is the best way to perfecting a product.”
My sigh came all the way from my toes.
“Allie, can you help me please? We will be right back,” my friend told the three people in our store, and without waiting for a reply, she nudged me toward the door behind the counter.
I didn’t need to be told twice, and bolted like my behind was on fire.
“I’m going to kill her.” I seethed in the back. “I swear I will give her hemorrhoids, along with making her hair fall out.”
“You’re funny.” Cool as a cucumber, Char busied herself with pouring tea I didn’t know she made into small shot glasses. “This actually turned out better than planned.” We both avoided mentioning the tremor in her hands or the quaver in her voice. “I also called Damian, just in case. He should be here any moment.”
“How is Jasmine being here a good thing?”
“It won’t look suspicious if random people drinkthe tea.” She made air quotes with her fingers. “He knows something is up, I can feel it.”
“This was a dumb idea.” Dutifully, I held the tray where she placed the small glasses filled to the brim. “So we are all drinking a memory-erasing potion? Am I going to forget myself too?” although Jasmine forgetting all about me sounded heavenly.
“Nope.” Without any further explanation, she pointed at the glass closest to me. “You’ll take that one.”
“Okay.” Grumbling, I followed her back to the front of the store.
I almost spilled everything when we found Jasmine draped over Dimitri like a chinchilla coat. The human was squeezing his bicep like a stress ball, and my vision turned red. To his credit, the shifter made a valid effort to pry her roaming fingers off him with no avail. Internally, I chanted “Don’t kill the human, don’t kill the human,”while the older man watched me like the cat that ate the cannery.
“Time to test the tea.” Char clapped her hands just as I placed the tray on the counter, and that removed Jasmine from Dimitri.
I waited while she handed one glass to the human, one to Dimitri, and reached a third toward the older Bell. His fingers brushed the glass when I picked mine up, and the liquid just about tipped over when, instead of taking what Char offered him, he snatched mine from my hand.
“Thank you, dear.” The genial smile on his face was a tad too sweet and forced for my liking.
“You’re welcome.” The words were pushed through my teeth. Panic formed dark spots at the corners of my vision.
We messed it up. Instead of the old man, it would be me who forgot myself. Numbly, I felt another glass being pressed in my hand, and I tipped it to my lips, unseeing. Jasmine gushed about fruity flavors and the universe knew what else, but it was all distant noise coming from afar. The potion had a tang to it that I actually liked, and for a moment, I wondered if the flavor was that way because of my blood.
“Are you alright, Miss?” a deep voice pulled me to the present, and I blinked up at Dimitri.
“Yes, I’m fine.” I still remembered who I was, so the potion didn’t work, obviously. Disappointment smacked me like a brick until I glanced at the Alpha’s father.
The old man looked confused.
“Dimitri.” His father cleared his throat, seeming lost as he turned to look this way or that. “I think we should go, or we will be late.” His eyes mostly stayed on me, full of puzzlement.
My heart skipped a beat when Dimitri gave my forearm a reassuring, as well as comforting, squeeze. Jasmine stared daggers at me from behind him.
“I absolutely love the tea. Thank you.” The shifter turned to Char. “The cost was fully covered with my payment?”
“Yes, fully paid.” My friend beamed at him and pulled out a gift bag from under the counter, which she placed in his hand. “If you need more of it, just call. A day or so in advance if possible, in case we are missing some of the ingredients.” A ton of hidden meaning was packed in her conversational tone.
“Have a good day.” Gift bag tucked into the inside pocket of his suit jacket, Dimitri and his father left, taking the tension with them. His silver blue gaze flicked to me a time or two, but I was too numb to return it.
The bell chimed as they left.
“It wasn’t Dimitri Bell.” Jasmine glowered at us with both hands slapped on her hips. “I know what I saw.”
“If anyone mentions Dimitri Bell in the next ten years around me, I swear I’m going to lose it.” Jasmine had some self-preservation, so she took a step away from me when I hissed at her.
“It worked.” There was wonder and pride in Char’s whisper, so I turned to face my friend with my heart thumping in my throat. She grinned so wide all her teeth were showing. “It worked, Allie.”
“It was nice. I’d give you that,” the human mumbled, and we both ignored her.
