Page 7 of Home Is Where the Witch Is
Hell, even mundane elections were a nightmare.
“Ready?” Declan had appeared in the doorway to their ensuite, looking every inch the witch king in plain dark green slacks and a lightweight white linen shirt rolled up at the sleeves and open at the collar. He wore a necklace that bore a medallion of his family crest, which, while more than a little ostentatious, definitely marked him as being important.
Rosie’s self-consciousness ramped up. Her wardrobe was limited owing to the size of her pregnant belly, and she’d struggled to find anything that would not only allow her freedom of movement but which would also look the part without her overheating more than she already would.
She’d settled for a plain cotton midnight-blue maxi dress that she could bear to spend a whole day in. Dressing it up with a silver-beaded headscarf that she’d also used to bunch her hair up in so it was off her neck, Rosie added the silver moonstone necklace given to her by Aggie, Angelique and Savilla.
Declan was by her side before she knew it. “You look beautiful, my Queen,” he murmured against her ear in a way that instantly sent a hot shiver through her body. She leaned into the warmth of his breath, willing to tempt a hot flush if it meant being close to him. “Mmm,” she murmured in response with half-closed eyes. “You smell so good.”
“Maybe we should stay here instead of tormentin’ ourselves at this thing,” Declan teased. She could hear the smile in his voice, and she matched it with her own.
“And miss my very first Council election? Tempting.”
He chuckled, pulling away from her slightly. “We’d better go, or we’ll be late.”
“We have to be back by four,” Rosie reminded him. “I don’t want Gabe to have to amuse Maggie for too long.” They both might have had duties to the Council, but she wasn’t about to let this take over her whole damn life.
“Deal,” Declan nodded.
It had already been decided that instead of driving back and forth to Hayes each day for the campaigning, the fairy tree in their yard would be connected to the wider network of transportation options the other members of the Council were setting up. After ensuring that none of their neighbors were paying much attention to their front yard, Declan slipped through into the tree while Rosie pretending to be examining the daisy bush by the front porch steps, which was in full summer bloom.
When she was certain enough time had passed and the cast was clear for her, she went over to the tree and extended a hand. Her palm pushed through the seemingly solid bark into the space beyond, proving the transportation spell was still in effect. With no further hesitation, Rosie stepped through the tree and through the portal.
A cold blast of air from some magical cooling spell hit her in the face as they entered.Oh thank goodness. Her fears of being too hot in the space instantly allayed. It had to be Emperia’s doing, she reasoned, and Rosie sure was grateful. Having the elfin-like witch from Antarctica bring a little of her homeland’s chilled atmosphere with her was a blessing, and Rosie was living for it.
Maybe they could have Emperia come and do the same spell at Carol-Ann’s.
Although she’d been walking past and wondering about the old, abandoned sugar mill for years, Rosie was sure the inside of the old Hayes building didn’t normally look like this.
The main mill floor was about half the size of a football field, which still made it huge. Large steel pylons soared upwards into a factory-styled ceiling, which was largely made from hard plastic sheeting that had cracked and chipped and fallen away over the years to expose patches of sky.
Two mezzanine floors had been built around the entire perimeter of the main area, obviously to accommodate the hundreds of witches who were already crowding into the space. The center of the floor was bare, serving as a kind of makeshift stadium complete with a podium flanked by five throne-like wooden chairs.
“I guess we get the best seats in the house,” Declan joked, leading Rosie in by her hand as they took it all in.
“Or the worst,’ she pointed out. “I don’t particularly feel like being gawked at for months while this takes place!”
“Good point,” Declan agreed, obviously just realizing that being in the public eye meant he would need to be on his best behavior. Rosie smirked, knowing how Declan liked to joke and what a hardship that would be for him. Her thoughts were interrupted by an excited squeal that could only have been emitted by one person.
“Rosie! Honeychild,wherehave you been?!”
Hella Getho was a fellow Council member and the tiniest, most fiery little drag queen. Her flawless dark skin was so gorgeous, it seemed to glow from within, and Rosie made a mental note to ask Hella what moisturizer she was using these days.
“Workin’. Napping. You know the drill,” Rosie grinned, pressing an air-kiss first to one of Hella’s perfect cheeks and then the other. “You?”
“Y’know—same. A sugar-baby’s day is never done!”
Rosie chuckled, but she could tell if Hella was joking or not.
The crowds were starting to thicken up like a good stewed chicken and dumpling dinner. More and more witches were pouring in through all the portals, and Rosie nodded at a particular man who was standing not very far away.
“Who’she?”
He was only slightly shorter than Declan, which still made him ridiculously tall. His dark hair fell in long, luscious waves around his face, framing his square jaw and full, pouty lips.
“Mmm, you gots somegoodtaste sugar,” Hella purred approvingly. “That’s Alain D’Louncrais—France’s answer to the European Line.” Pressing her bright pink lips together, Hella released them in a smack that was louder than Rosie would have liked. It drew the attention of the Frenchman, whose gaze took her breath away. He must have had that genetic condition where he had two different eye colors, because one was green and one was blue. Far from detracting from his already striking appearance, it simply added another whole layer of beauty.
Without a second’s hesitation he made his way over to the two women, a lopsided but charming smile on his handsome face.
