Chapter 12

D ominic

"Vix, get me my potion master, please."

My well-paid head of security sighed on the other end of the line. I'd been making her earn her keep around here lately.

"Seriously, Dominic?" Vix groaned. "I've got a half-alive reporter I'm trying to revive while simultaneously clearing his memories. You're already onto something else?"

"I didn't kill the reporter," I said defensively. "I followed your orders."

"Yes, you did a very good job of that," Vix said sarcastically. "You stopped just short, then gave me the fun job of keeping him alive, wiping his memory, and generally cleaning up your mess. Well done, you. Gold star."

"That's what I pay you to do."

Vix clicked her tongue at me. "It's overtime, boss."

"I pay you more money than you could ever need in your lifetime," I said. "And you're immortal."

"That's not the point," she said airily. "Vampires deserve fair compensation. Don't get me started on women's rights."

"Women's rights have come a long way since you were born in the eighteenth century."

"What do you need a potion master for?"

"Not just any potion master. I need Belinda Brite."

"Dom. No."

"She's the best. The most precise I've ever come across."

"You know she's got her quirks. "

"And I've got mine. Get Belinda here—I don't care what it takes."

Vix hung up the phone. Despite her lack of concrete response, I knew she'd do what I asked of her. I paid her too well for her not to.

Unfortunately, it took two days for Belinda to make her way to my penthouse. Apparently she'd been on some expedition to retrieve a certain spice from Argentina for her exotic collection of rare herbs that she used in her fantastical potions.

In those two days, all had been relatively quiet on the home front. No news from my brother. No news from the reporter, obviously, since Briggs was still technically recovering in guarded captivity. Vix assured me that even once he was released, he wouldn't be spewing more nonsense about Trixie. He wouldn't even remember her.

Speaking of Trixie, she'd been quiet too. I wondered if she'd taken what I'd said to heart about a thank you letter and was biding her time, waiting for me to make my move in our new little war.

She could even be preparing a defense. Or a counterattack. Or maybe packing up her place so she could get a move on when her apartment was swept out from beneath her after fifty-something more days.

On the other hand, Lucas Paul the Third and Levian had hit the campaign trail hard. Their faces were everywhere, spouting the reasons people should vote for them. I'd stuck with Trixie's style of saying no comment to anyone who asked.

Already, the hubbub had died down. It was pretty clear that there were only two real candidates in the running at this point, and the interest in me and Trixie was quickly waning.

The light rap on my door came on a bright morning while I was mid-sip of coffee that my housekeeper had left warming for me. Not because I needed the caffeine, but because I was bored and stressed and looking for something to do with my hands.

Belinda Brite entered my apartment in a flurry of sparkles and pixie dust, literally, seeing as that was her preferred method of travel despite its incredible unreliability. Only a potions master as confident as Belinda would risk leaving half her body behind to travel via pixie dust "just because it glittered".

Belinda had purple tips at the end of her hair that sort of matched the hot pink velour tracksuit she was wearing. She didn't look much older than Trixie, but because of her complex heritage—part pixie, part elf, part fairy—she was actually just a few decades younger than my three centuries.

"Alas, we meet again." Belinda stopped moving, and the cloud of pink smoke behind her started to settle into a fine powder on the floor.

My housekeeper would have some questions.

"This better be good," Belinda said. "You interrupted my tour of South America to come back to The Hollow."

"I'm paying you handsomely."

"You've got to stop using money as leverage for every relationship in your life." Belinda peered through rainbow-colored frames at me. "It's not going to get you very far in your personal relationships."

"What the hell are you, part genie too? "

Belinda shrugged. "I've been around a long time, known you a long time, Dom. I'm not killing anyone for you. No matter the price."

"That's what you think of me, Bel?"

She put one hand on her hip and puffed her hip out to the side. "Like I said, I know you."

"Actually, I don't need anyone, um, un-alived," I said, scratching at my hair. "I need a sort of complicated prank."

Belinda's pink-lined lips parted at me. "You called me up here for a prank ?"

"I am paying you—"

"Cripes, Dom, it's not about the money. I've been around as long as you. If I wanted to live in a rich-ass penthouse I could. I don't need your money."

"I'll never understand why you choose to peddle your love potions on Venice Beach when you could be doing so much more," I drawled. "You could have a penthouse. You choose not to."

"You just don't get it."

"There's a witch who lives on the seventh floor. Trixie Gardens. She pranked me, and I need to get her back. She's very powerful. There's only one rule: You cannot hurt her."

Belinda's gaze jerked up at me and her mouth split into a wide grin. "Dammit, Dom! Why didn't you say so at the start?"

"Say what?"

"You love her."

"Oh, absolutely not. I just met her."

"With us paranormals, love doesn't work like it does for humans. At least, not all the time. "

"What's that supposed to mean?" I stood behind the counter, fiddling with my cup of coffee.

"This is the real reason you called me." Belinda winked again. "I'm the love witch. Sorry, Dom, no love potions, even for you. The stuff I peddle on Venice Beach, as you so lovingly pointed out, is a watered-down potion that is completely legal—"

"Mostly legal."

Belinda ignored me. "Those human-strength potions wouldn't have any effect on you. They hardly have an effect on humans. So, no, sorry. I can't help you. Real love potions are illegal."

"I don't need Trixie to fall in love with me," I said. "And what do you mean love doesn't work the same with us paranormals as it does with others?"

"As immortals, sometimes our souls have a connection to someone who is not here yet. Humans don't have that capacity because frankly, they can't. They die off too quickly. Sometimes, humans must settle for the best mate available to them at the time of their existence . Which is a big caveat when you think about it."

"But with us immortals?" My throat felt scratchy.

"Our souls can long for someone for ages and ages, centuries or more. Then when that person arrives in your life, it can feel so sudden and abrupt the way we feel so strongly for them, so protective of them. We may begin to feel signs of love at what others would consider a rapid pace."

"However, you're arguing it's not actually all that rapid. "

"I'm saying it's the slowest, sweetest love story of all time." Bel gave a hefty sigh. "When a paranormal meets their person, it's a relationship that's been in the making for ages."

"That sounds like some form of sadistic torture." I licked my lips, sipped the bitter black brew. "At least humans don't know any better when they're settling. What about us? We're just supposed to sit around, resigned to wait centuries for the right person? And in the meantime, we have to be content knowing our lives have a void that can't possibly be filled?"

"Bingo. Sucks, huh?"

"What about you? Have you found your person?"

Belinda shrugged. "This isn't about me today. All I'll say on this is that your life doesn't have to be a dismal place until your mate arrives; that's on you, Dom. You choose to be grumpy. There are plenty of women who'd have been willing to date you for their entire human lives while you waited for your mate to arrive."

"What's the point of that?"

Belinda rolled her eyes. "Fun? I know, hard to comprehend."

"How am I supposed to know when it's the one?"

Belinda considered, pursing her bright lips. "It's a feeling. Sometimes you know instantly, other times it takes a while. Sometimes the love between you grows slowly, curiously, and you find yourself wondering what's happening and why you can't stop it."

I nodded, thinking for me it was a bit of both. I'd known something about Trixie was special from the moment I'd met her, but I hadn't been able to put my finger on what it was exactly. Then, as we'd spent more time together, I'd been absolutely convinced that she was special, even if I still couldn't voice the exact reasons why.

"Eventually, there'll be no question." Belinda scanned my face, watching for my reaction as I processed. "She'll feel like a salve for your soul. She'll soothe an ache so deep within you that you didn't even know it existed. You won't be able to live without her; you'll do whatever it takes to keep her, to have her, to protect her."

I swallowed another sip of coffee. "You're scaring the hell out of me."

"You don't scare easily, Dom." Belinda grinned. "She must be pretty special."

"She is," I mumbled. "And I can't do anything about it."

"Don't fight it," Belinda encouraged. "Lean into it. There's only one pain as great as losing someone who you deeply love, and that's the pain of never giving it a chance."

Belinda's sparkling blue eyes clouded over, and the cheery potions master seemed to dull a little bit, as if maybe, she knew more than she was letting on. As if maybe behind the joyful, happy face of Belinda, there were layers deeper than I could ever imagine.

"You're getting ahead of yourself," I said. "Trixie hates me."

"So why do you want to hex the woman you think you might love?"

"I don't love her," I said. "Just to be clear. The witch and I are opposites in every way. I need a potion to get back at her for jinxing my penthouse. "

Belinda licked her lips. "You're going to have to take a step back and explain, because I think I'm liking her sense of humor already, and I'm not sure she deserves one of my special tinctures for that."

I cocked my head. "Are you siding with the enemy?"

"I can appreciate a good prank when it's done well." Belinda clapped her hands together. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to have some fun."

"You seem happy to be here."

"Well, I didn't know this was about love," Belinda dragged out gleefully. "I'm always on hand to help out with a good fated mates gig. Not to mention, it's a nice break from your constant requests to maim and mutilate your enemies." Belinda winked at me. "So tell me, what does this mystery witch do for a living?"