Page 42 of Potions & Prejudice
Women might have used Elm frequently, but he never seemed to care–or notice. He’d give money, sex, favors, whatever they wanted fromhim, and when they were done with him, he showed no emotion. It was the oddest thing, and I’d never been able to understand it.
“And you are now?” Morty asked with far too much interest.
Elm looked away.
Right. I’d ruined that. Elm had asked Adelaide out on an official date yesterday, and she’d turned him down. He suspected it was because of my contemptuous relationship with her sister. I hadn’t meant to get into another argument with Elspeth, to ruin her family game night. It seemed every interaction of ours would end in disaster.
“Not quite,” Elm said.
Morty turned her dark green eyes on me. “And what about you?”
I scoffed. “You’re not matchmaking me, Morty. Besides, you’re retired from all that.”
Morty’s tea shop, Steeped in Love, was famous for making tea—and love matches. She’d regularly hosted matchmaking events when she owned the shop. She might’ve been retired from the shop, but I had a feeling she still couldn’t help but meddle in relationships.
I was sorry to disappoint her, but I had no interest in love. I didn’t have time for it. Not with a sister to care for, a tavern to run, and spells to perfect.
“Too bad,” Morty said. “I heard five new witches came to town a week ago.”
I choked, and Elm burst out laughing. “Now that’s an idea.”
“Oh, that wouldn’t be good,” Edgar said. “Draven got into a horrible argument with one of the witches at his tavern.”
I shot him a look, but the dragon went on.
“Terrible business. I had to hide under the countertop. I was afraid they might get out their wands and start a duel.”
I rolled my eyes. “It wasn’t that bad.”
“It ended with you tackling her,” Elm said. “Then you tackled her again yesterday in the brook, and from what I’ve heard, again at their cottage last night.”
I thought of my body pressed to Elspeth’s, and my cock twitched. Witch’s tits, that was disturbing. But for whatever reason, ever since last night, I couldn’t get Elspeth out of my mind. The feel of her lithe body under my large one. How she’d moved under me and made me think of all the ways she might move if we’d been doing other things.
It hadn’t helped that she’d been soaking wet in the stream yesterday morning, her entire dress plastered to her body, her nipples peaked. Some feral part of me had awoken, and I’d wanted to grab her and kiss her senseless. Kiss her so hard she’d stop arguing with me.
I swallowed, pushing those thoughts away. I was clearly overtired and overworked. I might not have needed a relationship, but I needed a release from all this tension. To bed a woman and get it out of my system. Get her out of my system.
“Oh, I heard,” Morty said. “It sounds like you’ve met your match, Draven Darkstone.”
I glowered at her. Elspeth wasn’t my match. She was a pain in the ass.
Georgie ran over, holding up a pair of jeweled high heels, the fabric on them a pale pink, sparkling gems lining the heels in a vertical pattern. “I love them.” She squeezed them to her chest.
“Georgie,” I said. “When would you even have an occasion to wear something like that?”
“Maybe I don’t need an occasion. Maybe I can just wear them whenever I want.” She stuck out her bottom lip. “It’s not like you’d ever take me anywhere where I could wear them. I just want something pretty.”
“I like them!” Edgar piped up, his lips peeling back to reveal his sharp teeth. “They’d go wonderfully with that pink dress you had your eye on.”
I cut him a look, and he dove behind Elm, peeking his head over my friend’s shoulder. Georgie didn’t need more things. Spending money wouldn’t fix the problems that lay between us, the problems with her confidence, her outbursts.
“That dress?” Morty pointed to it.
“Draven already said no,” Georgie mumbled.
“It’s pretty,” Morty said. “Fit for a ball.”
“Well, unfortunately, we don’t attend many of those.” I gave Morty a curt nod. “Now, if you’ll excuse us?—”
