“Oh, yes… yes, we were planning on attending.” I hadn’t even thought about the show until this moment and then I put the two-and-two together, figuring it was Alixandre who would be performing. And that suddenly made a lot of sense, since I was pretty sure he was the only magician in town. Probably the only real magician in all of Oregon.

  “We? You and…” he asked and there was something in his voice that sounded… off? Something that seemed a little… disappointed, maybe?

  “Oh, my son, I was planning on attending with my son.”

  “Ah,” Alixandre answered on a quick nod and appeared… relieved? But, no, that didn’t make any sense. I was nothing to him just as surely as he was nothing to me—nothing but complete and total strangers.

  “He’s been so excited to see the show ever since I told him about the flyer,” I continued, before reminding myself I was supposed to be on the offensive, not spilling details about Finn like I had diarrhea of the mouth.

  “Excellent.” He reached into his suit coat and pulled out two gilded tickets with a little flourish, and handed them to me. “I look forward to seeing you both there... as my special guests.”

  “Oh, thank you,” I answered and then said nothing as our fingers brushed and a feeling of energy seemed to radiate up mine. I looked up at Alixandre then and noticed his pupils were wide again. He made no motion to pull away and neither did I. Instead, we both just stood there, facing each other, maybe a foot apart. His fingers were still touching mine, and as I glanced down, I watched him shift his index finger from the base of mine, up to my fingernail.

  “It is… it’s very good to finally meet you, Poppy,” he said and his voice was a little breathless. And his eyes… God, they were enchanting. So much so, that I barely registered his use of the word ‘finally’.

  Before I could respond, he pulled his hand away and spun on his toes, walking towards the door, before he apparently remembered something, and turned back to face me. “Oh, and when you come to the show, would you be so kind as to bring Ouire with you?”

  It took me a second to realize that ‘Ouire’ must have been the book’s real name. The book… oh, God, Finn was going to be so disappointed…

  “Oh, yes, yes… of course.”

  He nodded and paused at the door and it almost felt like… like he didn’t want to leave. And, strangely, I didn’t want him to leave.

  “Poppy, it has been… a strange delight to meet you,” he said, his voice taking on a deeper sound. And there was an expression of surprised delight in his eyes. I had the very definite feeling that Alixandre understood this strange attraction between the two of us better than I did.

  Regardless, a ‘strange delight’ was a good way of putting it.

  Before I could respond, he was gone—simply disappeared right in front of me as if he were showing off another of his tricks.

  The shop felt very empty then, and a little chilly after Alixandre made his grand exit. I had the strangest urge to go after him, like a piece of tin being dragged along in a magnet’s wake. I had to shake my head to knock the silly feelings loose. He was a stranger, no matter how much it felt like I’d met him before, or how handsome he was.

  And that was the strangest part about the whole thing—Alixandre was incredibly handsome, maybe even the most handsome man I’d ever seen and yet, it hadn’t been his GQ good looks that had first grabbed me—it had been the energy between us, the strange and mysterious force that insisted I knew him.

  I’d never felt so drawn to another person before. I didn’t understand what was happening, why I felt and was still feeling the way I was. I had to take a few deep breaths to steady myself and when that didn’t seem to want to keep my knees from buckling, I leaned over the counter and steadied myself against it with my elbows. The realization that this was something completely out of my control scared me beyond words.

  At the sound of the bell jingling above the door, I looked up to see Wanda entering. She was wearing a skin-tight black dress that ended at her ankles and was cut low in front, so much so that her cleavage looked like it was ready to burst free. Her hair flowed out behind her in long tresses of shiny black and her heels were so tall, I had no idea how she didn’t trip and fall flat on her face. But such would never happen to Wanda, first because she was a witch so her magic wouldn’t allow it, and second because she was, quite literally, a femme fatale and they didn’t trip.

  “Who in the spell was that?” she asked, shaking her head. “Holy Hecuba, that man could give you an orgasm just by looking at you.”

  That was one way of putting it.

  “That was Alixandre Osmont, traveling magician… who I’m pretty sure is an actual honest-to-goodness real magician.”

  “And I would honest-to-goodness love to see him sans that suit—sans any clothes, actually.” Wanda shook her head as she sashayed up to my counter, walking in the way only Wanda could—her hips seemingly walking the rest of her body.

  “Don’t you have a boyfriend?” I managed.

  She waved away my concern. “It’s not like you’re going to tell Lorcan and, besides, it isn’t illegal to lust after other men. It’s… perfectly natural,” she managed and then turned around to look through my windows, as if hoping Alixandre was going to come back. Then she faced me again and gave me a big smile. “Besides, it wasn’t like our traveling magician was into me anyway—he only had eyes for you.”

  I frowned. “What are you talking about?”

  She gave me that secretive smile and eyebrow arch that were so distinctly hers, she could have patented them. “Oh, just that when he left your store, he was beaming and then said to himself ‘Poppy, Poppy, Poppy’ like he’d just won the lottery or something.”

  “Hmm,” I managed as I breathed in deeply. “There was something… weird that happened between us.”

  “Weird?” Wanda repeated with a frown and then placed both hands on the counter as she leaned over, her face right in mine. “Spill it, sister.”

  If there was one thing Wanda loved, it was gossip.

  So, I told her—about how Vellum had shown up at my doorstep, how Alixandre had come for it, and then how he’d managed to keep my potions from breaking until we’d made eye contact. And I told her about the weird feeling I’d had about him feeling so… familiar and yet, I was fairly sure I’d never laid eyes on him before. And, finally, I told her how attracted I was to him—how I’d never felt that way about anyone before, especially upon first meeting them.

  “Well, yeah, all you had to do was take one look at those Hollywood good looks and—”

  I shook my head, interrupting her. “No, it wasn’t about that. It was like this feeling…” I breathed in deeply. “It’s hard to explain. But it was like our… like our souls were connected somehow, like they recognized each other.”

  She shrugged. “Maybe you’re soul mates, in the real sense of the word. Maybe it’s like a cosmic connection.”

  “Is that even a thing?”

  She frowned at me before she pulled back and started inspecting her nails. “Are Gypsies a thing? Are witches a thing? Vampires?”

  “Okay, point made.”

  “So, you’re going to go to the show, right?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, I have to return the book.”

  “Well, when he asks you out, be sure to say ‘yes’.” Then she turned around and, reaching for one of the baskets I kept just beside the counter, she swayed down one of my aisles (with potions starting with the letter ‘B’) and reaching for the Blessing Oil, placed it in her basket.

  “I can’t go out with him, Wanda,” I frowned after her, surprised she’d even suggest it.

  She turned to face me with ennui in her expression. “And why not?”

  “Um, because I have a boyfriend?”

  She frowned and cocked her hip to the side as she studied me. “You do?”

  I couldn’t help my laugh—sometimes Wanda was so insensitive, but contrary to bothering me, it was actually one of the things I loved about her. “Yeah, Marty, remember?”

  Then her frown deepened. “Are you guys still a thing?”

  “Yes, we’re still a thing.”

  Then she shook her head. “You seem to be the only people who don’t realize you’re no good for each other, but… you’ll figure it out in time.”

  “What are you talking about?” I demanded as I walked around the counter and then approached her as she pushed aside a bunch of potions on my shelf, searching for something she wouldn’t find there.

  “Bliss Oil, Calming Oil,” she read, shaking her head. “Where’s the—”

  “Dragon’s Mist Oil?”

  She nodded and gave me a quick smile. “Yeah, that one.”

  I handed it to her, and she put it in her basket.

  “What were we talking about again?” she asked.

  “Why Marty and I aren’t good for each other and how we’ll both figure it out in time.”

  She nodded. “Right. What you just said.”

  “You can’t just say things like that without explaining yourself, Wanda.”

  “What’s there to explain? You and Marty are exactly the same.”

  “Huh?”

  “It’s like you’re both fashioned out of daisies and rainbows and happy, little fluffy bunnies.”

  “Um…”

  “You’re both sunshine and kumbaya and camping songs.”

  “We are?”

  She arched her brows at me. “How can you not see that?”

  “Consider me dense, I guess.”

  “Okay.” She continued running her fingers down the line of potions, now on the letter ‘E’. I handed her the Enchantress Oil she was looking for and then reached for the Erotic Exotic Oil she’d be after next. “My point being, two of the same doesn’t work, Poppy. It’s the prescription for B O R I N G.”

  “It is?”

  She nodded. “Yes, and you and Marty are boring with a capital B.”

  “Thanks.”

  She nodded again. “What you need is the opposite of what you are.”

  “The opposite of kumbaya and baby fluffy bunnies?”

  “Right.”

  “So, like, I need a rabid, slobbery wolf who listens to Metallica?”

  She looked at me and frowned. “Funny, Poppy, but yes… what I’m trying to tell you is you need someone who isn’t the same as you—someone who’s going to pull you out of your comfort zone and actually make you live a little.”

  “I think I live plenty, thank you very much.” I breathed in deeply because I actually understood what she was getting at and I also couldn’t help but wonder if maybe she was right—maybe the fact that Marty and I were both so kumbaya was the reason why I wasn’t really feeling the chemistry with him. Roy and I had certainly had lots of sexual chemistry and I definitely wouldn’t have characterized him as kumbaya or fluffy bunny. Hmm… “Maybe you have a point,” I conceded.

  “Of course I have a point!” she railed at me and then shook her head. “Where’s your Midnight Blue Oil?”

  “Um, that would be in the ‘M’s’.”

  “Where are those?”

  “Past the ‘L’s’,” I answered on a smile as I reached out and handed her the potion she was looking for. “So… you think Alixandre has wolf potential, is that what you’re trying to tell me?”

  She looked at me. “Put it this way, if I were you… and thank spell I’m not…” I let that one go, but did give her a sarcastic smile. “I would be seriously considering investing in a Little Red Riding outfit.”

  Chapter Eight

  My breath fogged the evening air as Finn and I made our way up the block to the Half-Moon Bar and Grill.

  We’d just finished having dinner with Marty, who was then off on a ghost-hunting case, which was just as well because I hadn’t invited him to the magic show. I just… there was something about this strange connection I had with Alixandre that told me it probably wouldn’t be a good idea for Marty to witness it. Not until I could figure out exactly what it was and what was going on.

  That was what I told myself anyway… I couldn’t help but wonder if the truth was more along the lines that I felt incredibly guilty for my obvious attraction to Alixandre and with Marty in the same room with Alixandre, that attraction would feel all the worse.

  Not to mention the fact that Wanda’s words were still echoing in my head—how Marty and I weren’t right for each other and we seemed to be the only two people who didn’t see it. Could that be true?

  Regardless, I was only too grateful that Marty already had plans and wouldn’t be able to join us.

  The glass of the double doors of the Half-Moon were fogged up with the strange June chill meeting the warm air of the brightly lit building. Golden light spilled out into the night, and every time someone opened the door, snippets of music and voices slipped free.

  The Half-Moon Bar and Grill was a popular spot for hosting events, mostly for mundanes, or those that were mundane-friendly, since it was one of the larger establishments in town, and one that served great food to boot. For more private or supernatural only gatherings, Lorcan owned quite a bit of property in town that he either leased out or kept in reserve for magical needs. Sometimes we just needed a private space where we didn’t have to worry about a regular human stumbling in and starting a big problem. Heck, when I’d first moved to town, they’d made me sign a contract to promise not to reveal any of the town’s magical secrets, and I wasn’t exactly normal.

  There were about fifty people inside the restaurant when we stepped through the doors, a busy week night as far as the Half-Moon was concerned. Or maybe things had been more crowded lately. I hadn’t been in very much, with things still being a little bit raw between Roy and me. But lately, those raw feelings seemed to have been fading, and I was fairly sure Roy and I would be back to being good friends again in no time.

  Now he didn’t appear to be working behind the bar, but I wasn’t sure if he just wasn’t working this night, or if he was busy getting stuff ready for the show. A selfish part of me hoped it was the former. Finn was just so excited to see the show, I didn’t want my messy relationship stuff to get in the way.

  Even with the amassing crowd, somehow Finn and I managed to squeeze our way through to the man at the front who was dressed in a top hat and cape and was taking people’s money and providing them entrance. I figured we should give our tickets to him, so we did just that.

  “Ah, Alixandre’s special guests!” he said in a strange accent (maybe Eastern European?) that sounded counterfeit.

  “Special guests?” Finn repeated as he looked up at me with wide and excited eyes. I just shrugged as the man flourished his cape as he turned and led us down the aisle, pushing people out of the way as I made our apologies. He led us to a pair of chairs that had been moved almost front and center and were guarded by a piece of golden rope laid over each seat like they were waiting for us.

  “Thank you,” I said to the man, who bowed low and then, throwing his cape over one shoulder, breathed in deeply as he promenaded back up the walkway. I, meanwhile, helped Finn squirm out of his coat in the narrow space, and then we settled in, waiting for the show to start.

  Even though he’d been excited to see the performance for days, Finn was also really sad he’d have to give up Vellum. I was surprised there wasn’t a little raincloud bobbing around his head. He clutched Vellum in his lap, stroking the book’s spine absently like you’d pet a nervous animal. The little red ribbon gave the occasional twitch of a wag, like it was trying to hold still but was just too excited to keep it all in. I didn’t think anyone would notice the ribbon’s twitching, and it seemed cruel to put the book in a bag, so I just sat forward a little, blocking anyone’s curious gaze.

  “Mom, do we really have to give Vellum to this guy?” Finn asked for the nth time, his mouth pulling down unhappily.

  I sighed. Finn hadn’t taken the news well, not that I’d expected him to. “I’m sorry, honey. But Vellum—or, Ouire—was never ours to begin with.”

  “He was really happy with us, though.”

  I nodded. “While that is definitely true, sweetie, he belongs to someone else… to Alixandre.”

  Just saying the man’s name did something funny to my head and my stomach, and I immediately pushed the feelings aside. The sooner I got over whatever this bizarre reaction was, the better.

  Finn’s head drooped, and he smoothed a hand over the book’s leather cover, but he nodded. After a minute, he looked at me again. “Do you think this magician guy might know where we could get a Vellum of our own?”

  I wanted to reach out and smooth Finn’s hair back from his forehead, or pull him into a hug, but he could be touchy about those kinds of things in public these days, so I just smiled. “Well, we can definitely ask him.”

  That seemed to cheer Finn up, at least a little, and we settled in to wait for the show to start.

  Someone had moved all the chairs and tables out of one corner of the room in order to set up a stage. And even though we were all facing the stage, some of us not so patiently, the voice that rang out didn’t come from the stage at all, but from behind the crowd. And it was a familiar voice that caused me to catch my breath.

  “Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for joining me this night.”

  Alixandre Osmont strode down the aisle between the chairs, dressed in a black suit that matched the darkness of his hair and the stubble on his cheeks and chin. As he strode down the walkway, he smiled at the audience.

  “I make you one promise,” he continued as all eyes centered on him. “And that promise is that this will be a night to remember.”

  He hopped up onto the stage without breaking stride, long legs clearing the rise with ease. Then he turned to the audience, falling into a charming patter as he waxed on about this and that, and in no time at all, everyone was laughing. Yet I didn’t hear a word of it, I was so transfixed by Alixandre. I was barely even aware of Vellum, who started hopping up and down in Finn’s lap as soon as he saw his… owner, for lack of a better word.