BEWITCHED & BOTHERED

34 ✰ Morning, October 19th

"Is there anything better than a vanilla Frosty on an autumn day? Or any day, actually."

Elder Lyrina's eyes rolled to the back of her head in bliss as she spooned a large dollop of confection into her mouth, looking more like a carefree pre-schooler than a centuries-old Elder Witch capable of chaos and mass destruction.

I choked back my laughter when Lucy pinched my thigh from under the table.

"There really isn't," I said gruffly in an effort to recover.

Lucy followed with a dutiful, "Yes, Elder."

Surprisingly, there weren't a lot of people at Wendy's today. In fact, aside from the two teenage cashiers, the three of us were the only ones huddled up in a corner booth, surrounded by a sea of empty tables and chairs.

Huh.

I highly suspected this had something to do with Elder Lyrina. She was never a fan of mortals, so I wouldn't put it past her to put a temporary hex on the Wendy's branch just so she could enjoy her Frosty in peace.

"So..." I said, making tiny swirls on the top of my melting Frosty with a spoon.

Elder Lyrina snapped her eyes onto mine, momentarily lost in thought, before she regained her composure and set her Frosty aside (gently, with a twinge of reluctance).

"Leonora, Lucy, I apologise for sending a Raven Mail so early in the morning. I was afraid you would've slept in and missed it."

I scoffed. "Kind of hard to ignore a massive black raven going at my bedroom window like a drill-hammer at seven a.m."

Lucy, the ever pushover, was quick to add, "But we're so glad to be here, Elder." She then hummed enthusiastically as she shovelled some ice-cream into her mouth. "This is so good."

I rolled my eyes discreetly. Lucy hated vanilla.

"After yesterday's..." the Elder paused to find the right words. "...events, I thought we should talk. And by 'we', I specifically mean you, Leonora." Her bright purple eyes needled into my soul, and for a moment, I thought she was casting a spell on me.

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. "Me?"

Elder Lyrina smacked her lips disapprovingly. "Yes, you. Unless you know any other witch who's been caught red-handed getting intimate with a werewolf?"

I grimaced. Never in a millennia would I have expected to hear those words said to me. And certainly not by Elder Lyrina. I turned to Lucy for support but she remained mum, looking like one of those helpless drivers who slowed down their cars to gawk at an accident.

"What—" I cleared my throat when my voice came out squeakier than expected. "What do you want to know?"

"Let's start with why you were abducted," she said diplomatically.

"It's a long story," I said with a sigh. But when the Elder began to frown, I quickly added,"To sum it up, I was kidnapped for ransom by Sonny Grasso, a member of the mafia that's been extorting money from Magnus."

Elder Lyrina's frowned deepened nevertheless. "Oh. I see."

"Not Magnus' fault," I quipped defensively.

Lucy clicked her tongue. "Except your relationship with him is the reason you were taken in the first place." I shot Lucy a deathly glare, and she pretended to be heavily invested in her dessert. "So good," Lucy whispered beneath her breath before devouring the Frosty.