"You each sacrificed for the other, so you both get what you wanted. It"s cla.s.sic. I"m so glad I got to be part of this!"
Jasper felt a bubble of hope rise in his chest. "So . . . is she going to let me in?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Dorcas told her that under the terms of her contract, any contact would result in you turning into a cat again."
Stunned, Jasper tried to process that information.
"Personally," Julie said, "I think that part"s null and void. If each of you sacrificed for the other, I think you lifted the spell. I mean, neither of the provisions of the contract came true, right? You"re still a guy and she has her magic. So I can"t believe that she"d turn you into a cat just by looking at you, but she"s very scared about that."
Certainty flooded him with warmth. "I"m not scared. I want to see her."
"Then we have to strategize."
"I won"t lie to her, Julie. I did that once before and that"s how we ended up in this mess."
Julie looked disappointed. "I thought we could cook up a plan that would get her to open the door, and then you"d just step up and there you"d be, looking at each other."
"Nope. I"m going to try the truth and see how that works." He walked to the door and rapped on it softly. "Anica, can you hear me?"
"Yes, but I wish you"d leave."
His heart beat faster. So close and yet so far. "Let"s think logically. We each signed a contract giving up what was most precious-your magic and my human form."
"And I couldn"t be with you."
"And I told myself I couldn"t be with you, either, because I wasn"t a worthy partner when I was half cat and half man. But guess what? You have your magic and I didn"t change back into a cat at six this morning. So those contract clauses didn"t come into play, right?"
"No, but maybe we"re not supposed to be together. Maybe that"s the price we"re supposed to pay."
Jasper leaned his forehead against the door. "I don"t believe that. I don"t believe that the kind of love that allowed each of us to make that sacrifice is supposed to be tossed aside. If I can"t be with you, I might as well be turned into a cat again. But I refuse to believe that will happen."
"I don"t know, Jasper."
"How can you doubt the power of our love? Look at what happened because of it. You"re magic again and I"m a man again. Don"t let fear keep us apart."
"But-"
"Trust that our love is good, and we"re meant to be together. I think that"s what we"re supposed to learn. Open the door. Please." He closed his eyes and concentrated on sending all the love he had through that door.
When the lock clicked open, the sound was more beautiful than a symphony. Slowly the door opened. She stood there with no makeup, her hair mussed from sleep, and her eyes wide with fear. She was so frightened she was quivering, but she stood there.
She was so beautiful and he longed to go to her, but he stayed very quiet, not moving at all. As sure as he was that this would work out, he was no expert in magic. There had to be some risk.
Gradually her eyes grew bright with joy. "You"re not changing."
"No."
She launched herself into his arms. "You"re not changing!"
"No." He began to laugh. He"d never been so happy in his whole d.a.m.ned life.
"I was so scared. Jasper, I love you, love you, love you!"
"I love you, too, Anica. I couldn"t imagine a life without you." He took time to breathe. "It was torture thinking that I would never see you again."
She smiled at him. "For me, too. But now . . ."
"Yes, now." Then he had no need for words, because his kisses said more than his words ever could.
"I"ll just be going," Julie said.
He should thank Julie. He knew he should, but he"d have to take care of that later. He backed Anica into the apartment. Much later.
Epilogue.
Around ten on a sunny morning in April, Dorcas brewed a cup of tea in her kitchen and headed down the hallway of the renovated Victorian toward her office at the front of the house. At the same moment her black cat, Sabrina, trotted out of the parlor and sat facing the front door, whiskers twitching.
"Ah, the mail must be coming." Dorcas paused, and sure enough, several letters and a gardening catalog whizzed through the mail slot and plopped onto the hardwood floor.
Sabrina waited while Dorcas scooped up the mail and started toward the office. Tail high, the cat followed and leaped to the desk.
Dorcas set her mug on a coaster and located her gla.s.ses. "All right, all right. Honestly, Sabrina, I think you have a fetish." Flipping through the mail, Dorcas plucked out an envelope decorated with stars. She slit the flap with a jewel-encrusted letter opener and pulled out the card.
"Yes!" She pumped her fist in triumph. "An engagement party for Anica and Jasper. Ambrose will be so pleased. I"m so pleased!"
Sabrina b.u.mped her head against Dorcas"s hand and meowed.
"Oh, for Hera"s sake. You are a strange cat. But I agree, it"s the perfect envelope." Dorcas took scissors out of her desk drawer. A few snips here and there and she"d created a paper crown out of the envelope. She placed it carefully on Sabrina"s head. "I crown thee Queen Sabrina of Big k.n.o.b. Happy now?"
The cat perched on the desk in regal splendor, purring loudly.
Ambrose strolled into the room. "I see the mail came and Sabrina has another crown."
"And we"re invited to an engagement party for Anica and Jasper!" Dorcas beamed as she thrust the invitation at him.
"Excellent. I had serious doubts about those contracts, even with the a.s.surances of the Wizard Council, but it all worked out."
"It wouldn"t have if they each hadn"t chosen to sacrifice for the other," Dorcas said. "We had to go on faith that their love was strong enough to make those unselfish choices. That was one of the scariest weekends of my life."
"Mine, too. So where"s the party? The Bubbling Cauldron, I"ll bet." Ambrose held the invitation at arm"s length and squinted at it.
"Ambrose, for Hera"s sake, when are you going to admit you need gla.s.ses? One of these days you"ll . . ." She paused. "Hold on. There"s a note written on the back of the invitation."
Ambrose turned it over and squinted even harder.
"Let me read it." Dorcas s.n.a.t.c.hed it from him.
Dear Dorcas and Ambrose, I appreciate the scrying session you did for me two weeks ago to help Jasper and me find the perfect condo. It"s gorgeous, close to Wicked Brew, and has an extra room for an office or a nursery. . . . aBut now I need a scrying for Lily. Griffin isn"t paying any attention to her, so I talked her into getting a dog to take her mind off Griffin. Although Lily loves Daisy, she"s still fixated on Griffin. I"m worried that she"ll do something rash, but I"m not sure what. Can you try to find out?
Light and love, Anica Dorcas glanced at Ambrose. "Do you have anything pressing to do this morning? Because I"d like to get right on this."
"Sounds urgent to me. Let"s do it."
"I don"t suppose we could dispense with Frankie Avalon this one time."
"I don"t suppose we could." Ambrose began whistling "Venus" as he left the office and walked toward the doorway leading to the bas.e.m.e.nt.
Ten minutes later, they had the gas fire lit under the cauldron, the necessary herbs sprinkled into the water, and Frankie Avalon crooning on the CD player. Dorcas made sure everyone-Ambrose, Sabrina and her-were inside the circle before she closed it.
She was sick to death of Frankie Avalon, but there was something to be said for the entertainment value of watching Ambrose"s jerky cha-cha as he circled the cauldron, followed by Sabrina, who had the cha-cha down pat. Dorcas merely walked around the circle, but she couldn"t help stepping in time with the rhythm of the song, much as she hated the tune. The steam rose and Dorcas repeated Anica"s wish, to find out what her sister was up to.
A scene shimmered in the mist. Lily, surrounded by the vivid red and orange decorating scheme of her apartment"s living room, was on her knees brushing a golden retriever.
Sabrina went on alert, her tail twitching and her green eyes focused intently on the dog.
"So that"s Daisy," Ambrose murmured. "Seems like the right dog for Lily."
"Uh-huh," Dorcas said. "Shh. Lily"s saying something."
"Daisy, all I want is a guy who"s as loving, smart, loyal and good-looking as you," Lily said. "Is that too much to ask?"
Daisy whined and wagged her tail.
"Anica has a guy like that, so why can"t I find one? I"m at least as pretty, maybe prettier. I think Griffin wants to ask me out but something"s holding him back. If only I could break through that wall he"s built around himself . . ." Lily paused to gaze at her dog. Then she gasped. "Of course! You"re the answer! All I have to do is capture your qualities in an adoration elixir! It"s brilliant!"
Dorcas groaned. "It"s sheer stupidity! I"ll call Anica. Maybe she can stop Lily before it"s too late."
Please read on for an excerpt from.
Vicki Lewis Thompson"s.
Chick with a Charm.
Available from Signet Eclipse.
In all her twenty-six years, despite being somewhat of a rebel, Lily Revere had never cast a spell on anyone. But dire circ.u.mstances called for drastic measures. She needed Griffin Taylor"s devoted attention beginning tonight.
That required creating an elixir this afternoon before heading off to work, but her apartment manager would stroke out if she built a fire under a cauldron in the middle of her living room. Technically she could manage the fire without burning down the building, but she might set off the smoke alarm, which would alert the manager, for sure. She was fond of this apartment, located a short bus ride from downtown Chicago.
To avoid possible eviction, she"d abandoned the cauldron and settled for a fondue pot on the floor as she brewed her adoration elixir. She didn"t need much of it, anyway. A couple of drops slipped into Griffin"s drink during happy hour tonight should start the process.
Her job as bartender would make that easy, and three hours after sipping his drink, Mr. Handsome would be fixated on her. If they had s.e.x within twelve hours, the spell would strengthen, growing more powerful with each s.e.xual encounter. Yummy prospect.
Lily wouldn"t have to worry about being too tired to have s.e.x with Griffin after work tonight. Performing magic jacked her up more than chugging down three triple espressos in a row. It was a side effect not experienced by many witches, but she"d inherited the tendency from a great-aunt and she"d learned to live with it.
While Daisy, her golden retriever, watched expectantly, Lily opened the magic circle that contained the steaming fondue pot and a small basket of herbs.
"Come, Daisy." Lily beckoned the dog into the circle and guided her to sit on one side of the fondue pot. Daisy was critical to the project. She doted on Lily, and that was the quality Lily intended to transfer to the elixir.
It seemed like the only way to get Griffin off the dime. He"d been a happy hour regular for weeks, and only a stupid woman would miss the heat in his hazel eyes when he looked at her.
When he"d failed to go beyond those burning glances, she"d asked around, thinking he was engaged or married. Nope. Finally she"d taken the initiative and suggested meeting for coffee. He"d politely-and with obvious regret-turned her down.
Lily wasn"t much given to a.n.a.lyzing a guy"s motives, but Griffin flipped all her switches, so she"d made an exception in his case. She"d concluded that his lawyerly self had decided they weren"t a good match based on her non-traditional job and cheeky personality. Lily thought that was plain dumb, especially considering the chemistry between them.
Lily hadn"t been this interested in a guy in ages. On top of that, her older sister Anica"s budding romance with Jasper Danes had become annoying. If conservative, predictable Anica could end up with a hot guy like Jasper, then Lily should be able to snag someone of similar s.e.x appeal.
Griffin Taylor, for example. His close-cropped brown hair and square jaw made him look like a jock, an impression intensified by the way his suit jacket hugged his broad shoulders. Lily knew from barroom conversation that Griffin worked out and would probably look great naked, but he was also smart, and Lily really liked smart men.
Anica and Jasper"s engagement party loomed on the horizon, and Lily wanted to go on Griffin"s arm. The elixir should guarantee it.
Closing the magic circle, she sat on the opposite side of the fondue pot and gazed at her dog. She"d always wanted a dog, and Anica had convinced her to adopt Daisy, probably hoping that would take Lily"s mind off her obsession with Griffin.
Daisy was great-Lily couldn"t ask for a better companion, especially because the dog had turned out to possess more than a touch of magic herself. She seemed to understand every word Lily said and apparently could read a bit, too. If Lily asked Daisy to bring her Vogue from the magazine rack in the living room, the dog sorted through the rack and brought back Vogue.
No doubt about it, Daisy was special and Lily was grateful to have found her. But when all was said and done Lily still wanted what Anica had, a guy who adored her.
"Okay, Daisy, this is it. You must stay very still." Taking a deep breath, Lily picked up a handful of herbs from the basket, sprinkled them in the steaming water and began to chant.
"Pure devotion fills me up. I have found it with this pup."
Daisy regarded her with that wise, brown-eyed stare that was her trademark. Because Daisy was seven years old, she might not appreciate the pup reference, but Lily had discovered that very few good words rhymed with dog.
She continued with the chant she"d created specifically for this spell. "Pure devotion, strong and true, makes a lover stick like glue. From the dog into the brew!"
The mist that had hovered over the fondue pot gradually rose and swirled around Daisy"s head.
Lily hadn"t tried this particular spell before, so she was pleased that at least something was happening. Daisy snorted, as if the moisture had gone up her nose, but she didn"t move from her a.s.signed spot.
Both Lily and Anica, a powerful witch in her own right, had evaluated Daisy after retrieving her from the animal shelter, and they"d concluded Daisy was an unusually sensitive dog in addition to being very smart. Apparently she was used to creating spells, because she"d taken Lily"s magical activities in stride.
After the mist had swirled around Daisy"s head a while longer, it changed direction and dove into the fondue pot exactly the way a genie would disappear into a magic lamp. Lily was gratified with the results. Anyone watching would have to conclude that something from Daisy had been transferred into the liquid in the fondue pot.
Lily hoped it was the devotion she"d talked about in the chant, and not some other doggie trait like ear scratching or tail wagging. By tonight she would know.
ALSO BY VICKI LEWIS THOMPSON.