Page 36 of A Touch Enchanted

“That was before Stewart Koning got attacked at the park.”

“That snake was going after Violet,” I said. “If Stewart hadn’t hit it with his cane, it never would’ve paid him any attention.”

“What about the tourist this morning?”

Okay, that was a little harder to explain. There hadn’t been a magic user anywhere near the beach at the time of that attack.

“That’s exactly the problem,” Wes said. “That’s why we’re trying to get everyone off the island now, before the curse traps you here and you don’t have a choice.”

“That’s not what the mayor thinks.” Dell’s gaze darted between the two of us, down to our palms and back again. Like we were the ones to be feared.

“For fuck’s sake,” Wes muttered. “What’s that idiot saying now?”

The memory of the mayor holding court in the park settled like a rock in my gut. I thought he’d been going on about how dangerous it was for us to be in public when the curse was launching attacks at us.

But what if he’d been telling people that we were the dangerous ones?

What a careless, short-sighted thing to do. Those of us with magic were the only ones who could stand between this island and the curse. If people suddenly started thinking we were the threat, their resistance would make it that much harder for us to protect them. And it wasn’t an easy task to begin with.

Dell held his hands out. “Keep in mind that I’m just the messenger here.”

“Of course you’re just the messenger,” I said. “Quit looking at us like we’re going to smite you or some shit if you look at us funny.”

Dell paled, which only exacerbated my frustration. “He’s saying there is no curse. That you all are causing this stuff so you can take more of the island for yourselves.”

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” Wes exploded and it was the exact wrong reaction. I could see the moment when Dell shrank back from him, probably replaying whatever the mayor had told him, thinking this just proved that Wes was a loose cannon.

“Listen.” I moved in front of Wes, making it clear to both of them that calm and reasonable was the way we needed to go here, despite the fact that I was seething with rage internally. “You grew up with the legend. Hell, you grew up with me. The mayor is making a power play because he’s pissed that Thora is after his job, that’s all.”

“I don’t know.” He still eyed Wes like he might be struck with lightning if he stepped too far out of line. “The mayor made a pretty compelling argument. And none of that freaky stuff started happening until you all began using magic.”

“Because when magic was released from the stones, there was no longer anything in place to bind the curse. You know this.” Disgust cut hard lines into Wes’s features. “I can’t believe I’m having this fucking conversation right now.”

I turned around and push him back a step. “Dude. Chill the fuck out. We already have a designated asshole in this family, and his name is Cole.”

“Anyway.” Dell took slow steps back into his kitchen. “I’m not sure what I believe just yet, but there are plenty of people already siding with the mayor. It wouldn’t be good for my business to be caught having dealings with you right now.”

With that, he closed the heavy metal door, shutting both of us out.

“This is such bullshit.” Wes kicked a stray can that had fallen out of the dumpster. “I’ve put my goddamn life on the line to protect this island.”

“I get it, but you going through town and yelling at everyone who believes the mayor isn’t going to do any of us a damn bit of good.”

“What are we supposed to do then? Sit around with our thumbs up our asses while he spins whatever story he wants? Fuck that.”

There was no point in trying to reason with Wes when he was this pissed off. He just needed to walk off his mad and he’d eventually see that I had a point. “Why don’t we go check on Audrey at the shop? You can tell her what’s going on.”

“Yeah.” At the mention of his fiancée, Wes instantly calmed several notches. “That’s a good idea. I should make sure she’s okay.”

If anyone could turn this rumor around, it was Audrey’s grandmother, Selene. Most people on the island respected me and Wes as Lathams, but I also couldn’t deny that they viewed us as The Man. It came part and parcel with owning half the island. But Selene had the respect of the island because she was beloved by most of the residents, and there was no way in hell she’d stand for the bullshit story the mayor was trying to spin.

With the lunch hour approaching, tourists who’d spent the morning on the beach began to fill the streets, looking for something to eat. None of them paid attention to us. But as we got further away from the restaurants and food stands, it became obvious that the mayor’s influence was starting to take hold. Not everyone avoided our gaze or ran from us when we tried to greet them, but enough of them did to make it a concern.

Audrey’s shop was just as busy as always, but I had no doubt she’d already heard. Selene had ears everywhere. Wes nodded toward Capricorn’s. “I’m going to grab Audrey a caramel latte, see if Gretchen is still with us on shutting down.”

Gretchen Nguyen, owner of Capricorn’s Coffeeshop, had been one of the first people we’d approached about shutting down for the summer. She and Janessa, owner of Gemini’s Gems, were friendly with Audrey. The three of them often formed a unit when it came to advocating for the small businesses on the island.

A bell above the coffeeshop door dinged as we entered. The spicy scent of espresso mixed with the sweetness of fresh-baked cupcakes made my mouth water. Violet and I had cooked breakfast together this morning, but after last night’s acrobatics, I needed several five-course meals to replace my energy.

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