Хармони Харт - Basic Witch

“Cade, please be seated,” Mayor Davenport said.

“In a minute,” he responded. He turned to face the table, putting his arm around me as he spoke. “Gemma here has had a hell of a night. It’s a lot to take in! I could tell she needed a hug.” He lowered his head and winked as he whispered, “Don’t let the horns scare you. I’m just a big teddy bear. But I can tell I’m going to like you, Gemma Bradbury. Anyone messes with you, they’ll have to answer to me.” He grinned, his white teeth a stark contrast against his deeply tanned face, and I couldn’t help but smile back. The Council, with its endless parade of man candy and edgy flirtations, was certainly pretty to look at. But it was nice to know at least one of the members was genuinely friendly.

“Thanks, Cade.”

He clapped his hand on my shoulder, squeezing it once before striding back to his seat. “Not every day we have guests. The rest of you could use some lessons in hospitality.”

“And I previously introduced Mr. Covington,” the Mayor said.

The vampire spoke, a sly smile playing across his lips. “It’s a sad day indeed when the deadly minotaur is the friendliest one of the bunch.” He nodded to me. “Forgive us… Gemma. Your arrival in Salem caught us by surprise. Allow me to take you out for a drink to make up for our rude behavior.”

“A drink… of me?” I asked.

“Aren’t you a delight?” Bennett tossed his head back, letting out a smooth, sophisticated laugh. “While that sounds quite lovely indeed, I’m satisfied with the donor supply. We vampires strive to be good citizens, and that means following all town ordinances. Especially with regard to not eating our neighbors.”

“That’s a relief,” I said. “I was worried you—”

“Gemma,” Mayor Davenport interrupted. “What is it you did for work back in…” She turned to give Gilmer a pointed look, and he jumped to whisper in her ear. “Oregon?”

“It’s going to sound crazy, but I just inherited a new age store about a month ago.”

“New age?”

“Tools and supplies for…” I scratched my neck, suddenly feeling self-conscious. Might as well come out and say it , I thought. Not like anyone here will judge you. Not for that, at least. “Witchcraft?”

“How convenient!” She clasped her hands together, her bright blue eyes sparkling. “The Coven is already making plans to train someone to take over Morty’s shop, which as you can imagine is essential to the everyday magical dealings of a witch. Especially since Morty has a monopoly on most of the magical goods in town. But you! You don’t need any training at all, do you? At least not on shopkeeping. It’s perfect.”

“Well, I mean, I only know the basics of—“

“Your magical training is another matter entirely. The Coven will assign you a tutor, of course. You have a lot to learn about Salem.”

“Magical training? I know you think I’m a witch, but I—”

“It’s settled! You’ll manage Montcrief’s Magic Shop. Bennett will draw up your employment documents.”

“Employment documents?”

“You need to make money somehow, don’t you? The Coven will pay you to run the shop, of course. And an additional salary for managing Morty’s real estate portfolio. All of those tenants to keep up with... There are just a few forms to get out of the way. Patrick here will ensure you get an account with the Bank of Salem. And of course, there are benefits. Healing insurance, a broomstick stipend, wand reimbursement, and monthly contributions to your gold coin vault. The usual.”

“Of course. The usual,” I agreed, nodding my head in an effort to conceal the fact that I was on the verge of a complete and total meltdown.

“She’ll need a place to live,” Cade interjected. “I suggest she take up residence in Morty’s apartment. Zeus knows he’s not using it anymore.”

“Shouldn’t we ask Mason if that’s alright?” Kai replied.

“Agreed. Mason is the rightful heir to Mortimer’s assets,” Bennett said.

“We can’t just assume Morty left everything to Mason,” Gabriel said.

“Of course we can. Mason is his only living relative,” David argued.

“Be that as it may, there are procedures to be followed,” the Mayor stated. “We’ll need to review his Last Will and Testament to be sure. Bennett, put in an Open Records Request with the Hall of Records.”

“Are you mad, woman?” Bennett asked. “Do you have any idea how long it takes to get a response to an Open Records Request? I’m still waiting on our last request from the last Vortex Cycle. That was seven years ago!”

“Seven years is nothing in the grand scheme of immortality,” she said. “You are the Town Barrister, and you will follow protocol. What good is a society without law and order? For now, the Coven will assume guardianship of the property, and Gemma Bradbury will assume legal tenancy and shop management responsibilities, as well as management responsibilities for the remaining properties in the Montcrief portfolio. Bennett, you’ll get her a list?” Bennett groaned, dropping his shoulders in acquiescence. “As you wish.”

“Um, I don’t mean to sound ungrateful for the offer of free housing, but are there any other options that don’t involve living in a dead man’s apartment? It just feels... squicky.”

“Well, there aren’t any other residential properties available in Salem. As we mentioned before, we only get new townies once every century,” the Mayor replied. “So unless you plan to sleep on a bench in the Town Square…” “She could stay in one of my cabins,” Gabriel offered.

“Nonsense,” the Mayor said. “Bear Mountain is too far from the shop. Gemma needs to be in town to handle her duties effectively.” After a brief pause to ensure no one else dared argue with her, she turned her head and snapped her fingers at Gil. “Call in Professor Bacchus!”

I turned to check on Titus, who in typical cat fashion had curled up in a ball and somehow managed to fall into a deep sleep at my feet. As I lifted my head and turned my attention back to the Council, a man appeared in front of me.

One look at him and every other man in the room seemed to disappear.

He was tall, with thick, dark eyebrows framing deep brown eyes, casually messy sable hair that looked as if it had just survived a particularly satisfying bedroom session, and a barely-there five o’clock shadow that made me wonder what it might feel like to rub my cheek against his face. He strode toward me with purpose, his lean, tightly muscled frame moving like a panther stalking his prey. Okay, so maybe the stalking was wishful thinking on my part. But seriously, he was the most beautiful specimen of a man I had ever laid eyes on.

“Professor Beauregard Bacchus. You can call me Beau,” he said. He extended his hand, and I offered mine in return. When our palms connected, I felt a little zap of energy followed by an incredible feeling of warmth flowing through my body. His eyes widened, but he didn’t release my hand.

“Gemma Bradbury,” I replied. “Just Gemma is fine.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Gemma. Looks like we’re going to be spending quite a bit of time together.” I mentioned that I have a thing for accents, right? Beau’s had a hint of Italian, and every word was killing me, in all the best ways. We stood there for a moment longer, our gazes locked on one another. I could have sworn I heard his heart beating in unison with mine. But I knew that was probably just more wishful thinking. I could have stayed there all night, staring into his eyes, if not for the Mayor’s interruption.

“You have quite a bit to catch up on. I’ll schedule your wand certification exam for 30 days from now. You’ll be working with Professor Bacchus every evening until you’re knowledgeable enough to pass your exam. Upon receiving a passing grade, you’ll be granted a license to purchase a full-power wand, which, as I said before, the Coven will reimburse you for. There is the background check and three-day waiting period, unless of course we happen to have a wand show in town. In that case, you can bypass the background check entirely.”