Page 12 of A Touch Charmed

Olivia had the rare distinction of being one of the few women on the island around my age who I hadn’t slept with. And Jesus, just saying that sentence in my head made me want to punch myself in the face. But those were facts. She’d been friends with Thora in high school, and I made it a point never to fuck with her friends.

I bit back a groan as they got up from their bench and hustled over to me.

“Hey, Finn.” Olivia sidled up next to me and smirked at Paige. I suddenly had a very clear understanding of why Thora had been avoiding her friends since she got back. “Those are pretty flowers. What lucky girl are those for?”

“My mom.” When she sighed, I made a mental note to buy my mom some flowers. It would only be a matter of time before someone told her to expect them.

“That’s so sweet.” Olivia inched closer. “I thought they might be for Thora. Since I heard you got in a fight with the mayor?”

“Yep. Big fight in Constellations.” I tucked a hand in my pocket and took a careful step to the side. “Ripped his heart right out of his chest and ate it with a side of Sally Jean’s horseradish sauce. I guess that makes me the mayor now.”

“That sounds messy.” She let out a nervous giggle as she glanced at Paige, who shrugged in response. “Anyway, do you have plans tonight? Kenna’s got this really great band lined up and I was wondering if you wanted to join me for a drink.”

It wasn’t the first time Olivia had made a pass at me, but it had been a while. I really didn’t like how her sudden renewed interest just happened to coincide with Thora’s return. But that wasn’t my business anymore.

“Can’t,” I said. “I’m on call.”

Technically true. I volunteered for the fire department, so I was always on call in the loosest sense of the word. Mostly it made a handy excuse for getting out of shit I didn’t want to do. And I really didn’t want to have drinks with someone who called Thora a friend, then pulled this garbage behind her back. Contrary to popular belief, I had some standards.

Her face fell. “That’s too bad.”

“Maybe some other time.” When she perked up, I bit the inside of my cheek. “Gotta run.”

I took off before she could attempt to make definite plans, wiping the sweat from my brow. For someone who despised drama, I sure as hell found my way into a lot of it. The sidewalks were crowded with people outside Capricorn’s Coffeeshop. No doubt trying to get their hands on one of Gretchen’s lemon poppy seed cupcakes. Audrey’s shop was already busy too.

Thora stepped onto the sidewalk and I hung back as she turned toward town with a pinched expression. Goddamn, she was so beautiful, it almost hurt to look at her. How had someone like that ever given me the time of day?

The flowers I’d gotten her suddenly felt heavy in my hand. They were a stupid idea. She belonged in ballgowns on crystal dance floors, dancing with men who used three different forks at dinner. Not with a guy who once ran small cons on men who cooked meth in cracked bathtubs.

I threw the daisies in a nearby trash bin and turned to go, but paused when she darted into the forest. She obviously wanted to be alone, which was why she’d taken one of the trails that ran parallel to Stardust Parkway instead of just sticking to the sidewalk. Still, I followed her, and stayed far enough behind to remain unnoticeable.

I felt like a creep, but it’s not like I was stalking her. I just wanted to make sure she’d be okay. I didn’t like the idea of her wandering in the woods alone. Not when the curse favored the least populated places on the island.

I’d been keeping my distance, figuring I could approach bit by bit, the way one might approach an injured cat capable of tearing out the eyes of anyone who crossed it. Our last encounter had been a disaster. I could do better though.

Not insulting her or kissing her would be a good start.

Her muted scream split the air. My heart jumped out of my chest as I took off running, fear pumping through my blood and pounding against my eardrums.

I should’ve caught up to her sooner. I should’ve told her not to go into the woods alone. I should’ve touched her first so I could move faster.

Anything would’ve been preferable to not being there when she needed me.

I rounded a curve in the trail to find her on the ground, frozen with fear. A black snake the size of a baseball bat was attached to her ankle by its teeth. A line of sweat broke out over her too pale face as she looked at me with wild and terrified eyes.

“I can’t feel my body.” Her entire frame convulsed and she fell to her side.

Panic gripped my throat as a streak of red began to crawl up her leg, the poison moving fast and mercilessly through her bloodstream.

“Son of a bitch.” I grabbed the snake around the middle to yank it off of her. “I’m so sorry. I swear to God, I’m never leaving your side again.”

She couldn’t hear me. She’d already fallen unconscious.

The snake reared its head back before sinking its fangs into my forearm. Motherfucker. That burned worse than when I’d gotten stabbed with a rusty knife by a coked-out dealer. I wrapped my fist around the head of the snake. It narrowed one of its dead, glassy eyes at me before it evaporated to smoke and slid between my fingers.

My head began to feel light. My body was heavy. Standing took too much effort. I collapsed on the trail next to Thora. My muscles seized up as I reached for her. So close. All I needed was one finger to brush hers. The paralyzing poison continued to climb up my arm, making its way toward my heart. It had one, maybe two beats left.

The edge of my finger touched Thora’s. Bright light, clear and pearlescent, glowed from our palms. It was the last thing I saw as my eyes rolled to the back of my head.

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