Page 25 of Toadstools and Vampire Kisses

I still, my breath catching as I imagine my magic mingling with hers. Katherine gives me a curious look, and I shake myself free from my mental wandering. “Of course. Consider it done.”

Anything to taste the ecstasy of our entwined powers… and perhaps an opening to speak to my mate. Anything for Fran.

ChapterSixteen

FRAN

I’m a coward. After running off to the rose garden last night to avoid Reynard until I was sure that it was safe to return to my room, the last thing I want to do is attend today’s event. I just know that the moment I go down, everyone will be staring and gossiping about me as they had yesterday when Reynard publicly ditched me to dance with Sarah most of the evening.

I hadn’t minded on the first night of the ball when several of my cousins and coven kin commented on how he remained by my side, but being abandoned so soon last night certainly caught everyone’s attention. It had been all anyone wanted to talk about. Poor Fran being set aside for Sarah—and didn’t they make an attractive couple? Because of course everyone appreciated Sarah, who was tall and built like a model, next to Reynard’s elegant appearance. They were the beautiful couple, and I was reduced to the charity case he had generously spent the first evening with so I wouldn’t spend the entire ball as a wallflower or following my mother around.

It had been embarrassing enough to hear that in snatches of conversation—and some casual speculations as to why I imprisoned Jack in the vines for introducing them—but then Reynard had to make it worse. I don’t understand what possessed him to perform the jack-o’-lantern dance for me when he’d spent a good part of the evening with Sarah, but I felt the weight of everyone watching us as he danced right there in front of me, outdancing those around him until even Adeon stopped to watch.

And it had all been for me. There was no way to deny it since he looked only at me the entire time. It had been flattering, and his undeniable skill had been enchanting, pulling a smile to my face, but also terribly confusing and intensifying my embarrassment. So I fled at the first opportunity, unable to face those watching or Reynard. And I still can’t face any of them.

Because of that, I’ve holed myself up in my room, only emerging to sneak down the stairs to raid the kitchen or take Beast out to potty. Otherwise, I’ve been having a lazy day in bed with Beast and a book. That is, of course, when I have not been staring moodily at the fox mask that had been carefully left on my bed for me to find the night before. I should put it back in the trunk, but I can’t seem to bring myself to do it yet. There is something about it clings to my awareness and a sense that the magic imprinted upon it long before my birth has recently been fulfilled, though I don’t understand how. It occupies my thoughts as much as the one who wore it does.

I haven’t encountered anyone during my brief excursions from my room, but I know that it’s just a matter of time before mother comes up to drag me out to join the coven. Today is the Haunted Garden, one of her favorite events of the ball. She certainly isn’t going to let me hide away up here for long.

The only reason my absence has gone unnoticed is that everyone is doing their own thing this early in the day and will reconvene later this afternoon for the garden party. There might be a few of my cousins in the garden doing last-minute preparations, but I know mother well enough to know that most of those have been done since last week.

I roll onto my side, lifting my chin to dodge doggy tongue as I glance at the cellphone. Sighing, I rub Beast between the ears. “I have a feeling our lazy day is nearly over. Mother will be up here any minute to drag me out there. I’m jealous that you can stay in here with your toys and bed while I have to go pretend that I wasn’t embarrassed twice last night in front of everyone.”

I squeeze my eyes shut at the light nock on my door.And there she is.

“Fran?” My mother’s voice carries through the door. “Open the door, honey.”

Letting out another sigh, I sit up and drop a kiss onto Beast’s head before gently depositing him on the floor and standing. There is no point in waiting. My mother will sit out there and wait until I open this door one way or another if for no other reason to make sure that I’m okay.

I give her a disgruntled look as I open the door and immediately flop back onto my bed as I try to pretend she’s not eyeing me with concern as she follows me into the room. I am not the least bit surprised when she stops at the foot of my bed and proceeds to look around at the snack wrappers and books.

“Well, I’m glad to see that nothing is wrong with you, though this mess could stand to be cleaned up, but why on Earth are you in your bedroom at this hour?” She lifts her wrist to show me the delicate gold watch on her wrist that I have no hope of reading without my glasses. “It’s late enough that all the vampires are up and mingling with the coven. That tall one, Reynard, has been moping around for hours. It seems he’s looking for someone.”

I shrug. “Have you pointed Sarah out to him? He’s probably looking for her.”

My mother’s nose wrinkles in confusion. “Sarah Goodwin? Why would he be looking for her?”

“I don’t know, probably because he danced with her all evening?” I scoff. “Until the jack-o’-lantern dance, they were inseparable from what I recall everyone saying.”

She snorts indelicately and shakes her head. “I wouldn’t let coven gossip get to you. They are going to talk about everything and everyone—that’s what family does—but their hearts are in the right place even if they are wrong eighty-five percent of the time.”

“Yeah, well, I’m the one who got pushed aside, so in this case they aren’t wrong,” I mutter. “So forgive me if I don’t give a rat’s ass who he’s looking for or if he’s even breathing.” I think for a moment. “If vampires breathe, that is… I’m not sure.”

My mother’s frown is full of disapproval at my attitude, but I’m having a difficult time caring right at the moment. I just want to go home to my little cabin in the woods and forget about all of this.

“Very well, but you should at least get up and join the festivities. You will feel better than you will just moping in your room all alone with your self-pity party. Forget Reynard. We don’t even have to acknowledge his existence. And you don’t even have to worry about Sarah Goodwin. Last I saw, she was entertaining that young vampire… What is his name? Jace, I believe. They are doing a little extra work on the cemetery we set up over the by the pond, so you might not even run into them any time soon. You can join me like you usually do on the walkthrough while the rest enjoy our little show.”

I grumble, but my lips twitch as she sits down beside me and bumps me with her hip.

“Come on, kiddo, the Witch’s Ball has always been our special thing. It would never be the same without you.”

Sighing, I squint up at her. “What about Adeon? Isn’t he your personal shadow this year?”

She waves my question off. “If he insists on tagging along, we will just ignore him too.” She wrinkles her nose as if she suddenly had an unpleasant thought. “Honestly, it’s getting a bit exhausting. Every time I turn around, he is there. I wouldn’t be surprised if he were camped outside of your bedroom door right now, waiting for me to come out. A man who is interested in being a companion is one thing, but being followed around by a broody dragon isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”

I chuckle despite myself. “Mother, he did dance for you. Quite a bit, if I remember correctly.”

“And Reynard danced for you,” she challenges, arching a brow.

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