Hex on the Beach (The Magic & Mixology Mystery Series Book 1) (23 page)

“What was it supposed to do?” I kept my voice as quiet, as non-judgmental as possible, though I wanted nothing more than to shake him, shout at him, ask him why he’d ever done such a thing.

“They gave me a powder. Said it should knock Neil out, that I could slip it onto his glass, and when he drank it, he’d pass out. My instructions were to kidnap him.” Aarik shifted his gaze to me. “Much like I’m doing now.”

“But he didn’t wake up,” I said softly.

“I think it was poison, and I think my employers lied to me.” Aarik’s voice was barely audible, filled with pain. “They tricked me.”

“Did you do the same thing to Leonard?”

“I refused, but I’m sure it was one of them.”

“And Harpin too?”

Aarik shook his head. “I kidnapped Harpin, but he’s safe.”

I frowned. “Why did you do that?”

“My employer needed you alive, and Harpin was a wildcard. I couldn’t tell if he meant to kill you or not at the tea shop.” Aarik shot me a pleading look. “I kidnapped Harpin to keep you safe. I knocked him out with his own tea, but he’ll be fine, I made sure of it. He’ll come around in a few days and call for help.”

“Why are these people killing—and kidnapping—the Mixologists?” I asked.

“They’re not,” Aarik said. “When I explained to my employer he’d given me the wrong powder for Neil—that it’d killed him—he smiled. Said that they weren’t after him, not really, so it wasn’t a big deal. I
know
they gave me poison on purpose. They wanted him dead.”

“I still don’t understand why.”

“Because they wanted
you!
” Aarik’s face clouded. “Neil wasn’t the real Mixologist by blood. There’s only one Mixologist alive, and that’s you.”

“But if they kill me, there will still be another Mixologist eventually. They can’t stop the cycle.”

“They don’t want to.” Aarik shook his head. “They want to change the cycle. Have you work for them.”

“The Faction,” I said, understanding. “I can’t believe it. They killed the last Mixologist so The Isle would be forced to find me. Leonard, Harpin, Kenny, the previous Mixologist—they’re all collateral damage.”

“I didn’t kill Leonard. I don’t know who offed him, but that was someone else. They wanted me to do it, but I said no.”

“What did he have to do with anything?”

“I don’t know. Maybe they wanted to frame you. Maybe the poison was meant for you, but it was only supposed to make you sick and not kill you.
I
don’t know.
”

“You don’t have to do this anymore,” I said, my voice firm. “Aarik, let me go.”

When his gaze returned to me, the calm was back. “If you tell my employers that I breathed a word of this to you, you’re dead. I don’t care about your life nearly as much as they do. I’ll find you.”

Aarik’s words set a shiver down my spine. “Look.” I nodded over his shoulder as the opposite shore loomed into view. “We’re almost there.”

Our captor turned to glance at the shore, and just as I’d hoped, Kenny was ready. His nimble fingers got to work, pausing only when Aarik glanced back at us.

“Is that a person?” I asked, nodding once more to a shadowy object on the shore. It could just as easily be a bush or a tree, but I didn’t say that.

Aarik turned forward and squinted as well. Kenny’s hands got back to work. The bindings on my hands slipped away after a few more seconds of Kenny’s quick work, and I caught them before they fell, keeping my wrists hidden behind my back.

I considered my options. Magic wouldn’t work—I didn’t know a single spell. I could lunge at Aarik, but I didn’t hold out much hope for the success of that plan. First of all, he was much bigger than me. Second, my jean skirt didn’t exactly promote nimble movements.

As I glanced at my out-of-style eighties clothing, I noticed the teensy bulge in my pocket, the outline of a vial.
Hex on the Beach
. It wasn’t much, but maybe, just maybe, a bit of magical potion could help. I had no idea how the spell might work, or even if it
would
work, but it was my only option.

“I think it’s a person on the shore,” I said, leaning forward. The more I looked, the more I realized it might actually be a real person. Probably a late-night fisherman, but at this point, I’d take anyone. “Look there, can’t you see a hat?”

Aarik leaned forward, and I took the opportunity to slip the vial out of my pocket. In one fluid motion, I uncapped the cork and downed the liquid in one gulp. I had my hands behind my back before Aarik stood up straight.

The potion burned on the way down. But then I started to feel stronger. More… confident.

At the same time, Aarik’s hands went to his throat. “Is it getting harder to breathe?”

I shook my head. “I don’t feel anything.”

Behind me, Kenny coughed. He didn’t seem to be struggling as much as Aarik though. I felt bad Kenny had to be involved, but there was no way around it.

“What did you do?” He turned toward me. “Magic, I feel it.”

“I don’t know magic,” I said. “I’ve never used it.”

“Lies!” Clutching his throat, Aarik lunged at me. “What did you do?”

I cried out in surprise, the vial dropping to the floor of the boat and shattering. Aarik crashed into me, and the two of us tangled on the floor. I let my bindings fall away, struggling for a way out from underneath my attacker.

But I was smaller than him by half. I’d never been in a fight, never taken tae kwon do, never thrown a punch in my life. I was vastly unprepared, and it showed. Aarik held me down easily, his hands tightening around my throat while he coughed, struggling to breathe. The tighter his hands got around my neck, the more he gasped for breath.

Blackness curled around the edges of my brain, my consciousness fading as erratic thoughts crossed my mind. As stars burst in my vision, I had the sudden realization that at least I could say one of my spells had worked. Aarik wasn’t choking on accident. That was
my
potion. My creation. My
Hex on the Beach
.

The harder Aarik squeezed, the redder his face became.

Kenny leapt to his feet and lunged in our direction. Aarik’s eyes shot up, noticing Kenny’s movements, and a dark expression crossed his face.

Before Kenny could reach us, Aarik made the boat rock violently, so hard that Kenny lost his footing and toppled over the edge. From what I could see of his fingertips, Kenny’d barely managed to hang on to the boat. As he struggled to pull himself up, the watercraft rocked, its edges dipping into the lake.

Waves built up quickly—dark, stormy, thrashing waves—tossing us with a fervor. It was only a matter of time before the vicious swells threw Aarik across the boat, his fingers releasing my throat.

Wobbly, weak, and light-headed, I sat up, sucking in air. The oxygen burned on its way down. I reached for Kenny, who was still dangling from the edge of the boat, his legs in the water, the rest of his body drenched. Just before I could reach his hand, Aarik snatched my leg and pulled me back. I missed Kenny’s hand, screaming as I flew backward.

I kicked, connecting with Aarik’s gut, and scuttled to the back of the boat all in one moment. I couldn’t last all day dipping, dodging, fighting, but as I looked up, I realized I might not have to. If I could just hang on until we reached land…

The boat hurtled toward the shore, tossing and dipping every which way. My head knocked from side to side, the cold water stealing my breath and freezing my skin. If I could just last a bit longer… maybe, just maybe, the figure on the shore would be able to help.

The shadow raised both arms. He had a large, stoic form, his fingers alight with magic. I could just make out his glittering eyes, black as the deepest depths of the lake. His determined expression was as full of rage as the thrashing, biting waves.

I made eye contact with the figure just as the moon came out from behind the clouds, the light bathing him. But I couldn’t make out a face. The person—a man, I was guessing, judging by his size and stature—wore a cloak that obscured my view.

The cloaked shadow twitched his fingers upward, and a tsunami rose before the boat. My heart sped up, trepidation heavy in the air as my breathing came in gulps.

Aarik’s face filled with horror as he noticed the wave trembling above us, disaster seconds away. The water hovered for a moment. In that second of calm, I realized I wouldn’t make it out alive.

Then the tip of the wave curled into an icicle, the water freezing—sharp, glittering, lethal.

The figure moved his hands downward.

The icy wave plummeted straight toward us.

I stood, held my breath, and took a flying dive into the frigid, unforgiving water. As I sank, I grabbed Kenny’s waist and yanked him down with me into the deep, black depths of the Great Lake.

A sense of déjà vu hit me once more, this time before I even opened my eyes.

The sound of a wind chime tinkled merrily in the distance. A soft breeze danced across my face, the floral scent fresh and warm. My skin touched something smooth—sheets maybe, or a nice blanket. I inhaled a deep breath, basking in the simple fact I was breathing oxygen, not cold, painful gasps of Lake Superior.

I had yet to open my eyes. I didn’t want to ruin the moment. What if I opened my eyes and discovered I was dead? Or what if I’d been captured by The Faction?

I inhaled and exhaled evenly, realizing how much I’d failed to appreciate the simple act of breathing. Never again would I take a pleasant, fresh gulp of air for granted. My throat didn’t hurt, and my body wasn’t decorated with goose bumps. I was comfortable. Which meant I might just keep my eyes closed forever, lying here, basking in the scent of…
lilacs
? I groaned, already piecing together the familiar scent with the footsteps approaching.

One second later, Mimsey’s voice filtered through my daydreams. “Are you awake, dear?”

I scrunched my eyes shut tighter. More familiar footsteps. Hettie’s, I thought.

“Don’t you even dare pretend to be asleep, young lady.” Hettie’s petite frame made surprisingly loud stomps. “You think you can fool a house full of witches with your fake sleeping? Playing the old
I’m sleeping
trick hasn’t worked for fifty years in this house.”

“Ma, she’s fragile,” Mimsey said. “Be gentle, for crying out loud. She’s been through an ordeal.”

“She’s a strong one, this girl,” Hettie said without an ounce of sympathy. “This one don’t need babying, am I right?”

Reluctantly, I opened my eyes. “I’m all right.”

“You are not all right.” Mimsey bustled about, fluffing the pillow beneath my shoulders, resting the back of her hand against my forehead, pulling sheets up to my chin. “You need rest, relaxation, and food.”

“To heck she does,” Hettie said. “She needs a pat on the back and some answers.”

I grinned. “Actually, I’d love some answers.”

Mimsey frowned. “Not
now
.”

“Why not?” Hettie crossed her arms. “Don’t be a wimp, Mimsey. You’re a sap.”

Mimsey wrung her hands. “I led him right to her. This is all my fault. That man—I suggested you go with him past the lilacs… I wanted you to
kiss
him.”

“It’s not your fault,” I said. “Please, don’t blame yourself.”

“It is too her fault,” Hettie said. “But it don’t do any good feelin’ sorry for yourself. Look, everything turned out all right. You’re alive.”

Mimsey burst into tears.

“Hettie, stop it,” I said. “Mimsey, come here.”

My plump, huggable aunt hesitantly sat next to me, the bed curving under her weight. I drew her in for a long, squishy hug. By the time we separated, she was sniffling but no longer crying.

“I’m so sorry. I walked that man right up to our doorstep. To think, if you hadn’t returned… if you…” Mimsey nearly relapsed into tears.

Hettie gave her daughter a light
thunk
on the side of her head with an open palm. “Stop your crying! You apologized. She said it’s okay. I don’t like whimpering in my home.”

I patted Mimsey’s back. “It’s really okay. I know you didn’t mean any harm. If it helps you feel better, I trusted Aarik. I chose to walk him out. In fact, I thought… I thought…”

“Oh for goodness’s sake, spit it out,” Hettie said.

“I thought he’d stopped by because he liked me.” I looked down, playing with the end of the comforter. “When we got to the edge of The Twist, I thought he was going to kiss me.”

“Oh, this is just gross,” Hettie said. “I thought you had the hots for that Ranger? I like Ranger X much better. I bet Aarik has gross breath.”

“You told me you wanted great-grandkids, and you can’t get great-grandkids without being… gross!” I said, feeling my ears turn red. “But that’s irrelevant, since I don’t have the hots for anyone. It’s dangerous.”

“You don’t have to explain how to make children,” Hettie grumbled. “I had a few of my own.”

“You seemed quite keen to see how it happened with Ranger X,” I said. “So keen, in fact, you waited in the hallway and spied on us!”

“I didn’t spy.” Hettie shook her head. “Plus, he’s smokin’ good-looking. I’d have to be dead not to appreciate that man. Do I look dead to you?”

I looked at my tiny, wrinkled grandmother, all attitude and sass—hands on her hips, pointy elbows out in every direction. I burst into laughter. “You definitely don’t look dead. You guys are funny. I can’t even be mad you spied on my love life. Er… not love life, my business life.”

Mimsey lips curved into a shy smile, but just as quickly, it was replaced by uncertainty. “I’m sorry about everything, dear. We love you, we really do.”

“Stop sniveling,” Hettie said as Mimsey’s eyes welled up with tears once more.

“It’s not
wrong
to tell your granddaughter you love her,” Mimsey said. “For crying out loud, Hettie, you just met her. It wouldn’t hurt you to say a nice thing once in a while.”

After a moment, Hettie spoke, her voice holding a note of begrudging agreement. “I’m not
sad
you found us, and I don’t want you to leave. Is that better?”

“That’s sort of sweet,” I said, nodding. I would pretend she’d said something more along the lines of “I love you, granddaughter, and we couldn’t bear to be without you now that we’ve met you.”

Mimsey glowered at her mother, but when she turned her gaze on me, it softened. “I’m sorry about today, and I’m sorry about the rest of it. I’m sorry we missed out on your childhood.”

“We can’t change the past.” I planted a kiss on her cheek. “I’m happy to be here now, and I don’t blame you for anything that happened. Please don’t blame yourself.”

Mimsey nodded, a look of relief covering her face.

“I do have one question for you. About that curse, the one you say prevented me from coming here a long time ago,” I said. “Is it a curse
on
me? Is it still… around?”

My aunt stood, bustling as she pulled the sheets back up to my chin. “That’s a conversation for a different day.”

“But—”

“A different day.” For the first time since I’d woken, Mimsey sounded like her motherly self once again. “You need rest.”

“I don’t—”

“You have a visitor.” Hettie clapped. “A very nice tush is here to see you.”

I groaned.

Hettie stuck her head outside the bedroom door and shouted down the hallway. “Hey, you. I’m talking about you. Get in here. Yes, you… who else would I be talking about?”

I closed my eyes. Hettie had shouted so loudly, I was sure the entire house had heard her.

“I have a nice butt,” Poppy yelled back from somewhere far down the hall. “Can I come in and see my cousin?”

“No,” Hettie yelled back. “I’m not talking about you. I’m talking about
you
. Yes,
you
.”

I couldn’t see Hettie’s hands, but I imagined she was poking her finger in someone’s face.

“Here he is.” Hettie pulled her head back into the room, smiling devilishly at me. “Smile, granddaughter.”

Mimsey leaned in to give me one more squeeze, whispering, “I left lilacs on the table.”

“Already with the matchmaking?” I whispered back. “I’m still not recovered from the last one. Can’t you wait a few days?”

“But this one’s a
Ranger
.
That’s different.” She winked, grabbing her mother by the wrist and yanking her from the room as she made an exit.

Hettie wouldn’t be outfoxed, however, and got in one quick pinch to the Ranger’s backside on the way out. She winked at me. “Ignore my hands. They’re just feeling a little…
cheeky
.”

“I’m
so
sorry about that.” My face flamed as I stared at a very unamused Ranger X. “She’s feeling the effects of the lilacs, probably. Her hands must have flown out of control.”

Ranger X cleared his throat.

I gestured toward them. “In fact, do you mind getting rid of the lilacs? You can just toss them in the garbage. And close the lid, and burn the whole thing, and throw it out of the window. They’re sort of what got me into trouble in the first place, my family’s whole matchmaking business.”

“I know the power of lilacs.” Ranger X finally moved, closing the door and muttering something as he rested his fingers against the wood, his forehead leaning against the door.

I frowned at his words. Then I realized it was a spell. All at once, the wooden door turned transparent, revealing four sets of ears—Hettie, Mimsey, Zin, and Poppy—pressed tight against the door.

“You guys!” I shook my head. “Have you ever heard of privacy? Stop eavesdropping.”

Having the gall to look sheepish, my family dispersed down the hall, Hettie mumbling about magic.

“Family is so embarrassing,” I said. “I never realized it when I didn’t have any…”

Ranger X pressed his fingers to the door once more and murmured another incantation. The door returned to its normal state. “Door’s soundproofed now.”

“Thanks.” I glanced down, suddenly aware that the thin silk nightie I was wearing had the thinnest of shoulder straps. I pulled the comforter tighter. “I love my family, but… well, you know how it is.”

Ranger X didn’t respond.

“Or maybe you don’t,” I babbled. “Do you have family nearby?”

He stepped closer.

“I’m sorry…” I flailed my arms wide on the bed. “Can you just say something so I don’t feel like an idiot talking to myself?”

He stepped close enough to the bed so that if I reached out, I could touch him. “Did that man do anything to hurt you?”

Without thinking, I raised a hand to my neck. “Aarik? No… nothing, I’m fine.” I bit my lip, remembering the figure who’d quite possibly saved my life. “Was that you on the shore?”

Ranger X’s fingers gently caressed the outside of my throat. “Does this hurt?”

I shook my head.

“I’m sorry I put you in danger.” An emotion that looked like fury darted through Ranger X’s eyes before he composed himself. “I should never have left you here alone.”

“You couldn’t have known I’d walk myself right into a trap.” I gave a half smile. “Nobody suspected him. He walked right up to the door next to Mimsey. Not her fault, of course. Then I volunteered to walk him out alone. It was an unfortunate mistake.”

“I don’t like
unfortunate
, especially if I have the ability to prevent it.” Ranger X crossed his arms, pacing next to my bed. “You’re trouble for me. I should never have listened to you. I should’ve just kept you at my cabin. Alone. Safe, with me.”

“No sense looking back now. Hindsight is twenty-twenty.”

Ranger X stopped his pacing. His gaze met mine, his lips tightening into a thin line. Eventually, he shook his head. When he resumed his pacing, I breathed again.

“My job, first and foremost, is to protect you and everyone on this Isle,” he said. “I can’t let…
things
get in the way anymore.”

“Are you calling me a thing?” My eyebrows crinkled. “I’m confused.”

He pressed both hands to his forehead, kneading his temples. “No.”

“Sit down and explain, then. You don’t have to mince words around me.” I patted the bed until he gave in and perched as far away from me as possible.

“As a Ranger, I’m not allowed to get married. We don’t have relationships.”

“I know that. Why are you telling me this?”

“Because I like you.” Ranger X crossed his arms. “You waltz onto this island smelling like honeysuckle… with skin so soft I want to hold you close, even when you get mad.
Especially
when you get mad.”

I swallowed hard. I didn’t know where to look.

“But for me to continue doing a successful job as a Ranger, I
can’t
care about any one person more than another.” He blinked, shifting his gaze to mine. “We chose the job over our own lives.”

I said quietly, “I understand.”

He stood, the bed shifting as he moved. “Well, I put you before my job this time. Listened to you despite my better judgment.”

“I’m sorry I asked to leave your hut. Is that what you want to hear?”

“No, it’s not that, Lily.” Ranger X turned to face me. “I couldn’t keep you in my cabin where you would have been safe, because I wouldn’t have been able to avoid kissing you.”

Both of us fell into silence. Seconds, minutes passed, neither of us speaking.

“Was that you out on the lake?” I asked quietly. “How did you find me?”

Ranger X didn’t answer. Instead he strode with purpose toward me, clasped my cheeks, and pressed his lips to mine in a possessive, deep kiss.

His mouth roved mine hungrily, his hands sliding back into my hair and gripping the strands tightly. Though his actions were firm and demanding, his lips became pliable and tender. My world disappeared, my chest rising and falling as my mind faded to black. All that existed was him, me, and the kiss that stole the breath straight from my body.