BEWITCHED & BOTHERED

06 ✰ Night, October 2nd

Vibrant neon lights painted the nearby city streets in purple as I stood, basked in the ethereal glow. I shifted my weight from one spiked heel to the other constantly.

The signboard above the restaurant read 'The Amaryllis', in elegant, cursive letters.

I looked at my slim, gold wristwatch.

8.10pm.

I was late for the meeting, but only by ten minutes. To be precise, I spent five of those minutes waiting outside the restaurant, building up the confidence to go in.

I've always been a confident Witch. In fact, both things were usually synonymous with each other, but tonight was different.

Tonight, I was nervous like hell.

As I was getting ready for the meeting, I made the executive decision to do the deed tonight. The master plan was to have one of the Faction males pop my enchanted cherry. Except Magnus, of course.

Magnus MacCallan and his damn grey eyes were off-limits.

On the way to the restaurant, Elder Lyrina's words kept replaying in my head.

"Choose wisely," she said.

And I had every intention to do so.

I channelled Lucy's positive vibes and hoped that tonight was the night I'd pick out my (literal) soulmate amongst the available men in the Organising Committee. Someone who, fingers-crossed, wasn't going to mind being bound to me for the rest of their waking days.

Easy peasy.

To ensure maximum success, I dressed for the part. For the first time, the dress was to steal the spotlight, not the shoes. A pair of black, satin MiuMius became the footwear of choice, which was considered simple by Lena Winterhaven standards.

As for the star of the show, I reached into the most neglected part of my wardrobe for a particular slinky black dress with a low-cut back and straps so thin, one could use a blunt butter knife to slice them in two without much effort.

I opted for an equally dangerous makeup look, with glossy red lips and razor sharp cat eye around my violet eyes. My hair was sleeked into a high ponytail, exposing my back the cold night chill, which in hindsight, was a terrible decision because I was freezing.

The whole process took me over an hour. After my beauty products almost took me out yesterday, I decided it was best to leave magic out of it and relied on my very, inexperienced hands. By the end of it, I was more or less satisfied with how I looked.

This was all a means to an end. According to Lucy, who FaceTimed me earlier, I looked "absolutely bang-able."

Which was the whole idea, right?

I shifted my weight to another heel again, almost tripping this time.

I never felt this self-conscious in my life. I figured it was probably because the stakes were higher. I couldn't risk losing my powers, not when being a witch was all I'd ever known.

"Aren't you going in?"

A gentle voice broke through my inner turmoil and I turned to see Nicky Brazog, Teddy's older brother, smiling at me. Upon seeing my face, he looked noticeably stunned.

"Wow," Nicky said. "You look different, Lena."

Unsure if it was meant to be a compliment, I replied, "Thanks, I guess?"

"In a good way, I mean!" Nicky shook his head vigorously, in case I got the wrong idea.

The older Brazog was handsome, but not in the roguish way like Teddy. He was of average build, with dusty blonde hair and a slightly crooked nose. His best feature, though, was his kind, hazel eyes and the way the corners of them crinkled whenever he smiled. He was wearing a cashmere sweater paired with dark jeans. Comfortable and practical.