Witch's Potion (Thornheart Coven Book 1) Read online

  “I don’t know,” she admitted eventually.

  “Then maybe he’s not it. Who have you met recently that could have changed how the box reacted?” Faye asked, flipping from the emotional woman of moments ago to the logical thinker that she was. Mia’s immediate response was to say Felix, but she wasn’t ready to admit that aloud. She’d deal with him when she had to.

  “No one.” Faye raised a questioning eyebrow, clearly not buying it in the slightest.

  “Hmmm.”

  “No one, Faye.”

  “We’ll see.” There was a twinkle in her eye as she said it, a clear sign that she thought Mia was deluding herself. And maybe she was, but it was Bex’s wedding day, now wasn’t the time to sort out her love life. Which was ironic given that just yesterday she’d planned for it to be just that.

  Chapter Six

  Felix half-raced through the hotel. He was already picturing the smile on Mia’s face when he presented her with the jewellery boxes. They’d been exactly where she’d said they were, and after discovering she was more than just a human, he hadn’t felt the need to snoop around her house as much. There was no need when he was safe in the knowledge he’d be spending a lot more time there soon. In Felix’s mind, there was very little doubt about what she was to him. The only problem was that she obviously hadn’t come to the same conclusion, especially if she was using a love potion on someone. Why would she even do that? She was gorgeous, no way did she need to trap a man to her side, they were probably falling at her feet as it was. And that thought wasn’t a pleasant one. Definitely not.

  A soft thump left him reeling, and he almost fell to the floor, just catching himself with a steadying hand on the wall. He looked down to find the dark haired object of his most recent thoughts looking up at him with a wide-eyed innocent stare. He could get used to that. Though he would bet almost anything that she wasn’t as innocent as she first appeared. That seemed impossible.

  Her hand was pressed against his chest, the heat of it almost searing his skin through his shirt and he had to resist the urge to take it in his own. That would be too much for her. He was going to have to win her round slowly, though all he really wanted to do was back her against the wall and have done with it.

  “You’re back,” she said, her voice soft and breathy. If she kept this up then she was going to be the death of him.

  “I said I would be,” he replied, equally as soft, giving off the impression that they were actually having a lovers’ moment and not their third conversation to date.

  “I know, just—”

  “And we’re on a deadline right?” A small crease formed on her forehead, and an adorable expression crossed her face. “Your sister’s wedding,” he prompted. Her mouth opened, making a perfect ‘o’ shape.

  “Sorry, I—” She frowned and cocked her head to the side. “I don’t know how I forgot that.” She shook her head as if trying to chase something away.

  “I get it.” And he did. There was definitely something happening between them, and it was all he could do to remember his own name, never mind the fact he was at a friend’s wedding. He stopped cold as realisation hit. No wonder Bex and Robert didn’t seem right for one another. Robert was as human as they came, and if Mia was a witch then that meant that Bex was too. She wasn’t meant to be with Robert because Robert wasn’t her mate. This wedding could go horribly horribly wrong if that was the case, and he didn’t want it to. The last thing he wanted was for Mia to be upset because Bex hadn’t had the day of her dreams.

  Neither of them moved, and Mia’s hand still pressed against his chest, leaving them connected in a way that he’d never felt before. There was definitely something about her that he just couldn’t get past, and if he was honest, he didn’t really want to.

  “Would you like them?”

  “Huh?” she asked, her eyes flicking to his lips, making him long to close the distance between them and kiss her like he wanted to. It’d be the most intense kiss of his life he was sure.

  “The necklaces. Would you like them?”

  “Oh. Yes, please.”

  He handed her the two boxes and she took them, her hand leaving his chest and leaving him feeling a little bereft at the loss of contact. She studied the top one for a moment before pressing the catch and frowning as nothing happened.

  “Was it supposed to open?”

  “I guess not,” she responded, a confused look on her face. “What made you ask that?”

  “It didn’t?”

  “No, I mean why aren’t you questioning why it didn’t open?”

  “Oh, well you’re a witch right?” She looked at him, shocked, then nodded once.

  “How—”

  “You left you spell book out by the fireplace.”

  “And you looked?” It sounded like she was supposed to be sounding shocked, but failed miserably. Instead she sounded a little bit in awe.

  “You could hardly expect me not to, Mia.” He liked the way her name sounded, the feel of it on his lips almost as delectable as kissing her would be. Maybe it was what he should settle for for now. He’d have to do the kissing part later. Maybe after she got a few drinks in her and forgot whatever man she’d used the love potion on.

  “So why aren’t you freaked out?” She looked adorable. Confused but intrigued. He liked it. Though that was hardly surprising, he seemed to like everything about her.

  “Did it cross your mind I might not be just human too?” He said it slowly, not sure how she was going to react, but when she didn’t say a word, he pushed his sleeve back, revealing the bark bracelet he’d put on today. If anything would convince her then this would.

  “You’re a dryad?”

  “Yes, how did you know?” he asked, surprised that she’d caught on so quickly. His kind tended towards secretive.

  “I’ve heard stories about how dryads take part of their tethers with them when they’re away from it.” She reached out and touched the bark gently, sending shivers through Felix. He hadn’t realised how good that would feel. He wasn’t even sure that she realised what she was doing at all. There was something magical about her touch, especially when light blue sparks began to dance over her fingers and the bark.

  “Yes, I’m a dryad.”

  “What tree is it?” she asked, looking up at him again with her wide eyes.

  “A willow tree.”

  “Where is it?”

  “Back at my flat, in the kitchen.” She laughed, a musical sound that lit up his heart.

  “Does it have a swing too?”

  He frowned. “No, why would it?”

  “Well if I had a tree in my kitchen then I’d make sure that it had a swing on it, just for fun you know.”

  “Maybe I’ll put one there for when you visit,” he murmured the words, not realising just how close the two of them had actually gotten as they’d been talking.

  “And you’re assuming I will?”

  “I’d never assume, it makes an ass out of you and me.” She laughed again, and leaned that little bit closer. She was so close he could almost taste the sweetness of her lips. It wouldn’t take much to kiss her now, and he was arguing inwardly about whether or not to actually go ahead and do it.

  “But you want me to?”

  “I’ve seen yours, you should see mine,” he responded.

  “That seems only fair.”

  “It does doesn’t it?”

  “But has anyone ever told you that you’re incredibly cheesy?” she asked.

  “No, they haven’t.” Despite himself, he lifted a hand and almost tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, but stopped himself just in time. He didn’t want to freak her out too much. He did however, lean inwards, coming close to touching his lips against hers.

  Which was when she freaked out, almost vanishing into thin air, which wasn’t a normal witch power. He stood there, frowning in the direction that she must have gone, disappointed that things hadn’t gone better.

  Chapter Seven

  N
o way had she come that close to kissing Felix. She was on a date with Skyler, the man she couldn’t seem to forget up until today. And yet there she was constantly doing so.

  She looked into the bathroom mirror, pinching her cheeks to try and make herself focus. Not that it helped, her traitorous mind kept going back to thoughts of Felix’s lips close to hers in the moments before she’d pulled away. She wished she could splash cold water on her face, but ruining the meticulously done make-up wasn’t an option, especially when she didn’t have Faye’s skills to magically reapply it. Instead, she locked the bathroom door and hoped that it would be enough to entice Squeak into an appearance. She guessed correctly., and the tell tale soft blue glow of her mouse familiar filled the bathroom. She held out her hand and Squeak ran up to it, nestling in her palm. It sounded ridiculous to anyone that wasn’t a witch, but there was something about the appearance of her magical familiar that made her feel less alone. Probably because no one else would ever actually see Squeak, though her cousin Luke swore that he’d seen his best friend’s familiar once. Mia wasn’t sure whether to believe him or not, but she wouldn’t be voicing that opinion today. It was best not to upset the wedding photographer, especially when he was bringing his new tiger shifter mate with him.

  “Okay Mia, you can do this. No way is the dryad going to beat you.” A dryad. Felix was a dryad. That opened up a whole number of possibilities that she hadn’t even considered before. Maybe she was being as naive as Bex was with Robert. After all wasn’t she the same in tricking a human into loving her? Did that make her a bad person? And why the hell hadn’t she had these thoughts before. It would have been good to have considered these things before drugging Skyler. “Am I really a bad person Squeak?” she asked her familiar, only getting a faint noise in response. Well of course he wasn’t going to answer, he was made of sparks.

  Knocking pounded on the bathroom door. Damn she was fed up of knocking today, it seemed to be all that she was doing and receiving.

  “Coming,” she called out. She unlocked the door, a pang of regret going through her as she watched Squeak disappear. Not her mate on the other side then. He’d be the only other person to ever see her familiar. She opened the door to find Skyler standing in front of it, and dread replaced the regret. Well at least that one solved that question. But, just to be sure, she threw herself into his arms and kissed him. He kissed her back, and there was clearly passion in it, which meant that there was likely at least a little attraction on his side under the love potion, but that was all. She didn’t feel the tingles that she’d felt when Felix had nearly kissed her earlier. Which could only really mean one thing.

  She broke the kiss, giving him a weak smile that he returned with a lovestruck grin. At least her potion skills weren’t under question she supposed.

  “Your sister sent me,” he said without adding anything else.

  “Which one?” Not that it mattered, she just needed something to say.

  “The blonde one.”

  “Faye,” she supplied, already feeling annoyed that he couldn’t remember her name. It wasn’t like she hadn’t talked about her sisters before, and she’d given him the rundown on the way to the hotel earlier too.

  “Yes, Faye.”

  “Did she say anything else?” she asked. Impatience now adding to the annoyance.

  “Just that it was about time to start and that you needed to take your place at the end of the aisle.” He shrugged.

  “What about you?”

  “I have a seat on the bride’s side apparently.” He didn’t seemed bothered in the slightest, which was odd. Surely he should do considering she’d just kissed him, and he’d effectively being invited into such an important day for her family.

  “Fine, let’s go.” They walked off, leaving the bathroom, and the kiss, far behind. It was all very odd. This wasn’t how she expected a love potion to work. He should be doting on her surely? Instead he just seemed indifferent. Unless...maybe something about a mating bond superseded the love potion’s magic. That seemed like the kind of thing that would happen. Except that it couldn’t. If she accepted that that was a thing, then she had to accept that Felix was her mate, and she wasn’t sure she was ready for that. Even if there had been sparks when she’d touched his bracelet earlier. She’d never sparked accidentally before. No. She had to stop thinking about this, otherwise it was going to take over her mind and completely ruin the date she was trying to have with Skyler.

  Chapter Eight

  Felix watched Mia from across the top table. It was nearly time for his speech and he was anxious to know how she’d respond. He’d had to keep it generic anyway, there was no way that he couldn’t without revealing anything terrible about Robert. Or that he didn’t think Robert and Bex were well suited to one another. He was even more sure of that now, which made him unreasonably glad that there was nothing personal in the speech itself. He didn’t want to mislead the woman he was meant to be with into believing Robert was a good choice for anyone.

  He tapped his spoon on his champagne flute, calling the room to silence and rose to his feet. At other weddings he’d been to, the groom was actually the one to kick off the speeches, but that didn’t seem to be happening here. And Robert had said that Bex’s Dad had refused to give a speech at all. Maybe he wasn’t the only one to think this marriage was a bad idea after all.

  “Hi everyone, thank you for coming to this special day of Bex and Robert’s,” he started, clearing his throat nervously. “It’s really something to meet the one person that’s meant to be yours forever, and it’s something that should be treasured beyond everything. I remember the day that Robert told me he was going to propose. I was surprised, I think, but then I met Bex and it all made sense. She’s a talented, beautiful and kind woman, who-“ he stopped speaking. He didn’t want to say that she deserved the happiness she was getting today. Partly because he didn’t believe that Robert could provide it, but also because the bride in question didn’t look particularly happy in the slightest. In fact, she looked as if she was about to cry. He glanced over at Mia who was watching her sister with concern and exchanging glances with the younger one, Faye he thought she was called.

  “Sorry about that, something caught in my throat - emotion probably,” he caught himself and the audience laughed. Pandering most likely, it hadn’t been that funny. “Anyway, I was saying how wonderful Bex was and how she deserves as much happiness as could possibly come her way. Which I’m sure everyone that’s ever met her can agree with. Robert’s been my friend for a long time, and I can safely say that he is one of the luckiest men alive to have this woman as his own today. So, to the bride and groom!” He raised his champagne flute in a toast, and it took everyone a couple of moments to catch on that he was done. He supposed that was to be expected considering that his speech had been on the short side.

  “The bride and groom,” the room chorused. He glanced back across the table and his eyes met Mia’s, something like understanding passing between them. She’d heard between the lines of what he was saying, he was sure of it.

  The blonde man to her left whispered something in her ear and she almost batted him away, but didn’t break eye contact with Felix. Interesting. From their body language he seemed a lot more into her than she was to him. Maybe this was the guy that she’d used the love potion on. But if that was the case, then why wasn’t she more into him too? Unless it was something to do with the odd bond that seemed to be forming between the two of them. Felix almost grinned to himself, pleased that he seemed to be having an effect on the pretty dark haired woman.

  Chapter Nine

  Mia waited at the side of the dance floor having narrowly avoiding dancing with Skyler. Her interest in him was waning by the second and she needed to find a way to ditch him for good. Maybe then she’d stop throwing gooey eyes at the best man.

  Felix was standing across the room and clearly trying not to look at her almost as much as she was trying not to look at him. Something was connecting the t
wo of them and it was getting more and more difficult to ignore. If she wasn’t careful then she was going to end up doing something stupid. Though on second thoughts, that sounded kind of fun.

  Mia glanced around the room, making sure that she couldn’t see Skyler. While he was still under the love potion she didn’t actually want to hurt his feelings. Not seeing him anywhere, she weaved through the dancing couples, briefly noting how stiff and formal Reese and Faye seemed as they danced. She made a note to herself to see if there was anything she could do to help her sister and the shifter. They clearly wanted one another, so there must be some kind of block on them stopping them acting on it. But right now, she had something far more important to deal with.

  She reached the other side of the dance floor and glanced up to see that Felix had given up trying to not watch her. Instead, his eyes followed her like a hawk as she approached. She thought about just jerking her head as a signal to follow her, but decided against it. She didn’t want there to be any chance that he’d misunderstand her. Instead she reached him and grabbed hold of his wrist, dragging him towards the double doors next to the DJ booth. Felix didn’t resist at all, and she quickened her pace. Now that she’d decided she was going to do this, excitement was building and she was desperate to get started.

  They exited through the doors without anyone really noticing, and she turned left, down the corridor that contained a cupboard she’d spotted earlier. She could have taken him back to her hotel room, but then where was the fun in that?

  Yanking the handle, she opened the door and pushed him inside, already reaching behind her to undo the back of her dress. Catching on to what she was trying to do, Felix’s hands flew to the zipper at the back of her dress and slowly pulled it downwards, his hand caressing her skin as he did.