powers are linked together somehow.”
I remained silent, sipping my coffee and letting my mind make what it wanted from his words. This was all so surreal, but I was about to ask something that would make it seem even more so. “Things like, what? What could you use the magick for?”
“Anything.” Kace took another sip of his coffee and smirked at me. “You look gorgeous when you’re lost in thought, by the way.”
I dropped my gaze to the top of the table we sat at and felt my cheeks heat. “Whatever.”
“You’re not too great at taking a compliment, are you?”
“Not when I think someone is making fun of me,” I snapped, raising my eyes to his.
“I wasn’t making fun of you; I was telling the truth. I think you’re hot when you’re lost in thought.” His light blue eyes seemed to darken with seriousness, and I forced my gaze back down, this time to look at my cup, because even with them darkened, his eyes were sexy as all get out.
“If their magick became muted when my mother left, then how can Adam and Callie’s parents still use it to run their businesses?”
“They don’t use their magick, obviously. This is where the Hoodoo comes in.” He took a large bite of his cookie and made several noises that I thought should only be heard in the privacy of a bedroom.
My cheeks heated as my thoughts seemed to cloud with images of him in a bedroom and all the things I could do to him that would make those noises come from him.
“There’s a family here in town that our parents…worked out a little deal with a while back,” Kace said matter-of-factly, oblivious to my dirty thoughts. “That way they could keep up the lifestyles they’d all used magick to create before your mom left. The deal with the Van Rooyens they created is pretty simple, actually… We pay for their services and they provide them, no questions asked.”
“For their services?” I asked, wanting a little more information. “What type of services?” Please don’t say Hoodoo dolls and hexes.
Kace hunkered down a little more so that a couple who’d just sat at the table beside us couldn’t hear. “Spells and stuff—ones to take away sickness, keep a business thriving…” He held up the last remaining piece of his cookie. “Make food to satisfy everyone’s tastes.”
I glanced down at the cookie of mine resting on my napkin. Picking it up, I took a small bite, testing to see if what he said was true. It was pure bliss on my tongue. “Oh wow, this is the best!”
“I know, right?” He grinned.
Nothing Kace was saying sounded so horrible; I didn’t know why I had been so freaked out by it all. Or better yet, why my mom had left when it sounded like she’d had things so good here.
“So, that’s it? You don’t do anything to harm anyone or put hexes on people and stuff?” I asked seriously.
Kace laughed; its rich loudness startled me. “Of course not, why would we? When you have magick to make things go well, there are no negative things that come about. And now that you’re here…well, things can only get better for all of us.”
“What do you mean?” I asked before polishing off the last crumb of the cookie I’d devoured in seconds.
“You’re our fourth. With you here, we’re balanced and we can initiate our group. Then neither our parents nor us will need to pay for services we can do ourselves ever again. You’re the catalyst to this all, Addison, our salvation from being under the Van Rooyen’s thumb any longer.”
Catalyst? Salvation? I wasn’t so sure I liked the sound of either of those two things being associated with me, but I could understand where he and the others might be inclined to think those things. After all, it seemed like me being here allowed them to be free from their dependence on the Van Rooyen’s spells finally. No pressure, though, right?
“Don’t look so scared.” Kace smiled.
“I’m not, I mean…it’s just a lot to take in at once, that’s all,” I
I remained silent, sipping my coffee and letting my mind make what it wanted from his words. This was all so surreal, but I was about to ask something that would make it seem even more so. “Things like, what? What could you use the magick for?”
“Anything.” Kace took another sip of his coffee and smirked at me. “You look gorgeous when you’re lost in thought, by the way.”
I dropped my gaze to the top of the table we sat at and felt my cheeks heat. “Whatever.”
“You’re not too great at taking a compliment, are you?”
“Not when I think someone is making fun of me,” I snapped, raising my eyes to his.
“I wasn’t making fun of you; I was telling the truth. I think you’re hot when you’re lost in thought.” His light blue eyes seemed to darken with seriousness, and I forced my gaze back down, this time to look at my cup, because even with them darkened, his eyes were sexy as all get out.
“If their magick became muted when my mother left, then how can Adam and Callie’s parents still use it to run their businesses?”
“They don’t use their magick, obviously. This is where the Hoodoo comes in.” He took a large bite of his cookie and made several noises that I thought should only be heard in the privacy of a bedroom.
My cheeks heated as my thoughts seemed to cloud with images of him in a bedroom and all the things I could do to him that would make those noises come from him.
“There’s a family here in town that our parents…worked out a little deal with a while back,” Kace said matter-of-factly, oblivious to my dirty thoughts. “That way they could keep up the lifestyles they’d all used magick to create before your mom left. The deal with the Van Rooyens they created is pretty simple, actually… We pay for their services and they provide them, no questions asked.”
“For their services?” I asked, wanting a little more information. “What type of services?” Please don’t say Hoodoo dolls and hexes.
Kace hunkered down a little more so that a couple who’d just sat at the table beside us couldn’t hear. “Spells and stuff—ones to take away sickness, keep a business thriving…” He held up the last remaining piece of his cookie. “Make food to satisfy everyone’s tastes.”
I glanced down at the cookie of mine resting on my napkin. Picking it up, I took a small bite, testing to see if what he said was true. It was pure bliss on my tongue. “Oh wow, this is the best!”
“I know, right?” He grinned.
Nothing Kace was saying sounded so horrible; I didn’t know why I had been so freaked out by it all. Or better yet, why my mom had left when it sounded like she’d had things so good here.
“So, that’s it? You don’t do anything to harm anyone or put hexes on people and stuff?” I asked seriously.
Kace laughed; its rich loudness startled me. “Of course not, why would we? When you have magick to make things go well, there are no negative things that come about. And now that you’re here…well, things can only get better for all of us.”
“What do you mean?” I asked before polishing off the last crumb of the cookie I’d devoured in seconds.
“You’re our fourth. With you here, we’re balanced and we can initiate our group. Then neither our parents nor us will need to pay for services we can do ourselves ever again. You’re the catalyst to this all, Addison, our salvation from being under the Van Rooyen’s thumb any longer.”
Catalyst? Salvation? I wasn’t so sure I liked the sound of either of those two things being associated with me, but I could understand where he and the others might be inclined to think those things. After all, it seemed like me being here allowed them to be free from their dependence on the Van Rooyen’s spells finally. No pressure, though, right?
“Don’t look so scared.” Kace smiled.
“I’m not, I mean…it’s just a lot to take in at once, that’s all,” I
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