Page 11 of Toadstools and Vampire Kisses

I nod as I grip my robe together around me. “Uh, yeah, it’s four in the morning,” I point out. “Only insomniacs and the graveyard shift are awake at his hour, and they wouldn’t be either if they could help it.”

His lips quirk slightly. “Or a vampire.”

He immediately sobers before I have a chance to be drawn into that faint smile and jostles something on his shoulder. I gasp. Is that Jack Bell?

“What the hell happened? Hurry, get him in here.” I step back, allowing him entry.

Giving me a grateful look, he heads directly for my bed. Beast stands and begins to growl again but falls silent with a sharp “hush” from me as I trail after Reynard. The blonde vampire draped over his shoulder looks deathly pale, far more than I recall him being the few times I saw him.

Reynard dumps the prone male on the bed and shakes his head down at him. “He is just earning his comeuppance. Unfortunately, I put a little more power behind that blow than I intended and stole his breath.”

“Youwhat?” I scurry over to the bedside fretfully. “Did you kill him?”

Reynard snorts disdainfully. “Of course not. Dragori can go several hours without breathing due to the extra oxygen reserves stored within our bodies. I just need your assistance so this isn’t a rude shock for him when I push the air back into him and revive him. I understand that you have skill with potions and hope that you might have something to ease his revival so that it is not as excruciating as it would otherwise be.” Remorse flickers in his eyes as he glances down at his cousin. “I truly did not mean to do that much damage.”

I lean down, peering at the unconscious vampire, and prod at his jaw, ignoring the way Reynard tenses as my energy attempts to seed through Jack. Though vampire anatomy and biology are somewhat different than that of humans, hiding a secret that I don’t get more than the slightest glimpse at, I can feel the fractured bone and bruised tissue. Drawing back my hand, I cluck my tongue.

“What on earth did he do to deserve that?”

“A minor disagreement,” he replies cryptically, and my eyebrows shoot up.

“That’s the result of a minor disagreement?” I demand, gesturing at the male on my bed. “What the hell do you do to your enemies?”

His lips bow in a seemingly guilty smile. “We are vampires, Fran. These sorts of conflicts are typical for us. The fact that I brought him here is a show of my deep affection for the ass. As for my enemies…” he sobers, “I either remain far from their territory or kill them depending on their threat to the general population.”

Mollified, I swallow sharply. “Good to know,”

Okay, no big deal. Just think of this as the vampire version of closely related witches cursing each other with uncomfortable inconveniences. It’s a little extreme, but they are vampires. What do I really expect?

“I do have a quickening elixir that I can make,” I admit. “It’s designed to revive those who suffer trauma but acts in a way that allows them to rouse slowly in a natural fashion. I assume that’s what you’re after.”

He smiles and nods, the relief on his face palpable. “Yes, precisely that. We usually buy such items from witches’ apothecaries, but we don’t travel with such supplies on us. I’m glad to see that your skill with plants and potions was not exaggerated.”

I lift an eyebrow at him as I go to the nearest wall and pass my hand over the largest hidden cupboard. It immediately lifts from the wall, drawing an impressed whistle from Reynard. I try not to blush with pleasure as I grab out the necessary ingredients, but it is difficult. How often has my magic drawn such attention?

“He is going to need a poultice for that jaw to fix him up too,” I warn him. I bite the inside of my cheek as I pull down the rest of what I need and close the cabinet. “Can I ask who told you about my specialty?”

He frowns thoughtfully, his gaze drifting down to his lax cousin. “Some young male witch with abundant hair who reeked badly of alcohol. I had to ask him three times where I could find help for Jack when he failed to come around. I was ready to give up when he directed me here to your door. He said that you were the best in the entire region with various potions and remedies and that you see to the entire coven’s needs for whatever they do not make for themselves. I am glad to see that he was correct.”

I nod. “That would be Dade. He’s young and enjoys the celebrating a bit more than I have the energy for anymore. I believe he was tipping back Pumpkin Spice White Russians the last I saw him, but he’s right. It’s what I do,” I agree as I carefully begin to measure out the portions of powdered herbs and tinctures. “My business that I run from my home is exactly this. I grow all of my own plants so they’re at optimal potency and use them to serve the coven, as well as various witches and families throughout the region.”

Reynard gives me a look I can’t quite interpret. “The coven must be very grateful that you will someday be the one to lead.”

I flinch, almost dropping the container in my hands, and look at him askance. “Who in the world told you that?”

He shrugs and tips his head toward the unconscious vampire. “Jack worked it out from rumors of what he heard of Katherine Durmont’s daughter.” He cocks his head inquisitively. “Are you saying that it is not true?”

I shake my head. “No. Well, kinda. IamKatherine Durmont’s daughter, but I am not next in line no matter how my mother wishes I were. That honor will go to one of my cousins, likely Eleanor. My skills and interests don’t mesh with what is needed to run the coven, and honestly…” I glance up at him with a small smile, “I don’t think I want it. I enjoy my solitude too much.”

He smiles in response, his eyes warming. “NowthatI understand.”

I feel my smile widen before nervously clearing my throat. “Ah, it will be just a minute. I need a moment of silence while I get this incantation right and then we should be in business.”

Reynard inclines his head in agreement, his gaze bright and focused as he watches me. I fidget a little under what is clearly his undivided attention and turn my body at an angle to his to give me some semblance of privacy so that I’m less distracted. Leaning over the bowl, I breathe the words of the spell, calling up the powers to their purpose as I weave the complex pattern of energies together with my right hand. When it finally settles, it glows a soft healthy green color, and I quickly bottle it in an easy-to-take draught.

I brandish the potion, and he smiles as its light bounces off his eerily reflective eyes. “Shall we?”

He nods and takes a place on the other side of the bed to give me room to work. I mouth my thanks, appreciative of the small courtesy that not everyone has the sense to do and lean over the vampire.

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