Page 45 of Bewitched By the Voodoo King
I found that even though we’d just left a sad occasion, my heart and soul felt lighter than they had before. The magic in the air was palpable. It was alive, and it did something to me that I had never felt before.
The courtyard had been transformed. Tables were pushed together beneath strands of charmed lanterns that floated above like miniature moons.
I trailed behind Maggie as she muttered to herself about whether or not she’d made enough gumbo. The scent alone made my stomach rumble.
“What else is there to eat?”
I had gumbo on my date with Rune. I was ready to experience everything else this magical city had to offer me. Maggie waved around a wooden spoon and laughed. “Girl, everything your heart desires. Jambalaya, boudin balls, red beans & rice, or crawfish étouffée!” She blew out a breath as if she couldn’t wait to dig in. I was on the same page. “And if you get a little parched—sweet tea on the table!”
The live brass band didn’t take long to make it back to the compound, and I found myself tapping my foot to the upbeat music. A woman passed by me with what looked like a cake and icing on top. “Oh, what’s that?”
Maggie grinned. “I forgot to mention! Bread pudding with a whiskey sauce. Mmmm! We also have doberge cake, pralines, and a pecan pie.”
All of that sounded decadent. My mouth watered. Witches bustled between tables with trays of hush puppies, boudin balls, and what I thought to be platters of pralines wrapped in wax paper. Laughter rippled through the air in soft waves.
“Go on now,” Maggie swatted at me. “Go get something good in your belly and enjoy yourself.”
“Should I do anything?” I still felt like an outsider.
Maggie’s face softened. “You’re one of us now, my girl. Dance if you feel the need to, talk and mingle, meet new people. They will love you just as I have come to.” She winked. “Even if you did make a mess of my kitchen.”
That was the only push I needed. I drifted to the edge of the gathering, watching as others began to filter in. Everyone moved with a kind of rhythm I didn’t yet know—but I wanted to learn it. I yearned to belong to it.
A young witch I didn’t recognize touched my arm gently and offered me a cup of sweet tea. “Be careful, its addictive.”
I took a sip out of the glass, and my lips puckered. It was certainly sweet, but I wasn’t sure if it was mycup of tea.
I wandered toward the dessert table, lured more by the scent than intention. The air smelled like sugar and spice and browned butter—comfort, folded into calories.
My fingers hovered over the bread pudding as I watched the steam rising up from the cast-iron skillet shimmer.
I scooped a small piece onto a plate, the whiskey sauce pooling golden around the edges. I took a cautious bite—and everything slowed.
The music softened. The air around me seemed to still. For one breathless second, I felt him.
Rune and Adelle’s father. The previous Voodoo King.
I shook my head as I stared down at the plate of dessert. What just happened?
“I take it your previous coven didn’t have many diviners, or you would have known that they would put my dad’s memories into his favorite foods.” A woman standing beside me scooped up a massive helping of bread pudding onto her plate.
“Your dad?” I asked stupidly.
She smiled, and I saw the resemblance to Rune and Adelle immediately. “I’m Seraphine.” She held her hand out to me, but I was too transfixed by the color of her eyes to do anything. They were like Rune’s, but there was bright gold through them.
Her smile only grew as I tried to recover and shake her hand. “The bread pudding has magic in it?”
She grimaced. “Yes, someone should have told you. Diviners love to do party tricks.”
“I didn’t realize Rune and Adelle had another sister.” I shot her an apologetic glance before I looked down at the spelled dessert. Did I give it another chance or throw it out? I wasn’t sure if I wanted to experience it again, even if it was cool.
Seraphine remained friendly. “We actually have another around here somewhere, Calisto. We both live in the Quarter, so we don’t really come to this compound often. We wanted our freedom from our parents.” She shrugged. “We own a magic shop for tourists.”
“That sounds like a lot of fun,”I said wistfully. I wanted to have a bakery someday.
“You should givethe bread pudding another try. It shouldn’t affect you again unless you want it to.”
I decided I would give it another try later. There were so many other dishes for me to dig into. Seraphine squeezed my shoulder. “It was so nice to finally meet you, Maple. I hope we get the chance to see each other again soon.”
