Page 21 of Kiss and Spell

Mr. Ghoul sauntered out of the room with his entourage following him. Guests who saw the whole conversation avoided looking in her direction. Suddenly she didn’t feel thirsty anymore, wanting to get away from this area and be alone. Her hands shook and she couldn’t catch her breath. This house was big enough that she could get lost for an hour. She’d find Xavier when she was steady enough to face him.

Ursula wandered the house until she found a reading nook filled with mystic items. She texted Xavier where she was and went about scanning book spines, running her fingertips over the embossed titles. The nook, outfitted with fluffy pillows and leather cushions, was next to a wide window looking out over the neighborhood and onto Freya Grove. The town from this view, with its crooked houses and dimly lit windows, looked like a hand-painted miniature of a spooky village. The scene before her was, for lack of a better word, enchanting.

Ursula took out her phone and opened her wish list. Tonight wasn’t going to go to waste. What was one thing she could do now? Wish on a star in the sky caught her eye. The stars were out. Ursula scanned the sky outside the window, trying to find the brightest one.

“Star light, star bright,” she sang. She settled on one that seemed to twinkle just for her. She heard someone approach the nook. From the corner of her eye, she saw his profile and knew Xavier had found her. Ursula quietly wished for a sign. She needed a sign that the magic, no matter how small or tiny, was still on her side. She’d felt it, but she hadn’t seen it.

“The first star I see tonight, I wish I may, I wish I might—”

“Have this wish I wish tonight,” Xavier finished.

A sudden thread of night magic, as delicate as a cobweb, shimmered in the air around her. She gasped softly at the sight. Ursula didn’t move, not wanting to disturb it. The thread disappeared. Hope lifted her spirits. She thanked the star and turned toward the waiting prince.

Xavier stood by the tall lamp by the doorway, which gave the room moody lighting. His bright eyes blinked at her from behind wire-rimmed glasses. His beard was a bit wild. He wore a light-green button-down shirt that was slightly open and showed off a V-shaped slice of skin. The stone pendant shined bright against his collarbone.

“I apologize for being delayed.” Xavier held out a white gardenia. “Happy equinox.”

“Thank you.” She studied it for a heartbeat. Gardenias symbolized tenderness. Joy lit up within her. Ursula took the flower and tucked it behind her ear. She moved over in the nook and patted the spot next to her. Xavier sat down near Ursula, the leather cushion squeaking underneath him.

“I interrupted you.”

Ursula shook her head. “It was nothing. I was just looking at the stars.”

“I haven’t seen natural magic like that in a while,” he said.

“You saw that,” Ursula said carefully. Practicing her craft in front of another person always made her feel as if she were caught cooking buck naked. It was private. Intimate. She looked at Xavier warily, worried about what she’d see in his face. Lincoln had treated her craft with disdain. Dad ignored it.

But right now, Xavier peered at her with nothing but curiosity. She relaxed.

“You picked a good spot to cast a spell,” Xavier said. “I think Whitney bought this place just for this room.”

“This home is lovely.” Ursula chuckled. “Did your godmother win the lotto?”

“No, but plenty of people have asked her if they could win. I think that’s her most requested wish,” Xavier admitted.

She was quiet for a moment, putting all the pieces together. Her face burned as the realization hit. “Wait, your actual godmother is the Faery Godmother.”

Xavier nodded; a small smile crossed his face. “She’s one of them. Whitney inherited the job title from the previous fae when they retired.”

“I can only imagine the retirement plan for faery godmothers,” she said with a hint of awe. “I hope they get to keep their wands when they leave the office.”

His smile widened at her comment. “Well, Whitney used to grant wishes full-time, but she’s semiretired now.”

Ursula made an impressed sound. “Does she only grant wishes on the weekend?”

“That’s a good question.” Xavier’s brow lifted in thought. “I’ll have to ask.”

“My godmother’s a soap opera actress,” Ursula said teasingly. “How did you end up with a whole Faery Godmother to yourself?”

He wrinkled his nose in recollection for a second, then said, “Whitney grew up with my mother in the Realm. They attended boarding school together. When I was born, she insisted that she be my godmother.”

“I wonder why.”

His voice grew wistful. “We were both born on a blue moon. She took it as a sign to look after me.”

“I like that story.” She leaned in slightly toward Xavier, tilting her face to his.

He was close enough that she caught a whiff of his cologne. Fresh-squeezed grapefruit, newly cut grass, and hot-syrup-drenched pancakes on the table. Stars above. How did he smell like the perfect weekend? He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and peered at Ursula. An invisible arrow of desire worked its way past her ribs and landed right in the base of her spine. When was the last time she was attracted to someone like this? Heat rose inside Ursula, causing her skin to flush all over. The arrow dug in deeper and twisted.

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