BEWITCHED & BOTHERED

37 ✰ Afternoon, October 24th

The glass vial was cold as I rolled it between my palms, causing the cherry-hued liquid inside to slosh around. A small gold-rimmed card was tied to the mouth of the vial, with the words 'Drink when the clock strikes midnight on October 30th' embossed in elegant script.

I eyed the potion warily. Kaiser better had gotten the spell right, or the Dark Society Elders will lose their heads. And then the whole committee will lose our heads—literally.

A slash of guilt went through my body when Tara's face popped into my mind.

She'll kill me once she finds out about me and Magnus.

I never thought of myself as a home-wrecker. It surely put the whole Teddy-Ylvaine thing in perspective. I should pay Tara a visit soon, even if my powers were all but gone and she'd rip me to shreds. At least I'll die with dignity.

I set the invitation vial down onto the kitchen counter and checked my phone.

Kaiser: You're the first to get the Invitation Vial. Touched?

I rolled my eyes when I read the text. One thing I was looking forward to the most about turning human was the prospect of never seeing a single warlock again.

When the courier delivered the parcel earlier, anxiety flared in my chest at the thought that it was sent from Sonny Grasso. Thankfully, my fears were sequestered once I found the Invitation Vial inside.

Lena: Hardly. Did you spike it?

Kaiser: One way to find out.

Lena: No thanks.

Kaiser: Offer still stands, babycakes. I'll make it worth ur while.

As much as I'd love to ask the warlock to fuck off, I didn't give him the satisfaction of a reply and clicked my phone shut, shoving it into the back pocket of my Levi's in a loud huff.

The Dark Masquerade was precisely next week. Come to think of it, Magnus and I still had some finishing touches to discuss regarding the Ball's decorations—mainly concerning props and furniture to rent. If this was going to be my last Ball, I had to make it so memorable that I'll think back on it proudly for the remainder of my mortal life.

So maybe a professional meeting was what both of us needed to set our minds on.

Not a date.

Even if that idea made my stomach rumble in anticipation.

Before I could dash upstairs to rethink my outfit for the hundredth time, the doorbell rang. I nearly stumbled over my own feet to get to the door, yanking it open with a ridiculous grin on my face.

Upon seeing me, Magnus' eyes darted to my feet.

"Interesting choice of footwear."

I looked down at my Dolce & Gabbana leopard print booties, a statement piece that stood out in contrast to my plain white tank and straight-cut jeans.

I shrugged playfully. "I'm a big Shania Twain fan."

His face broke into a sly smile that made my heart flutter. "And here I was, thinking a rodeo date would be far too adventurous."

"We're going to see cowboys?" I asked, my brows shooting up in excitement.

"Sorry, you'll have to settle for one boring werewolf instead."

I pretended to be let down. "Bummer."

Magnus held out his arm to me. He was clad in a powder blue button-up and grey slacks, looking like a princely escort out of many women's fantasies. And just because it all seemed too good to be true, I visibly faltered.