Maudlin's Mayhem (Bewitching Bedlam #2)(9)
I winced, my head aching more by the second. “Yeah, they’re in the medicine cabinet. Andy made up a fresh batch the other day just before I dropped in there, and I’m glad that I thought to pick up some.”
Andy McGee owned McGee’s Apothecary. He was the local pharmacist and he made the best tonic in the world. Come to think of it, I hadn’t been taking it regularly. I usually took one tablespoon a day and it kept me fit as a fiddle, but the past few weeks I’d been so busy with the B&B that I had all but forgotten about it. That must be what was happening. I’d let myself get rundown and it all hit at once.
Sandy headed off to the bathroom and I poured myself a glass of water, sipping it slowly. I’d had a lot of caffeine and booze over the past couple of weeks, and was probably dehydrated.
Aegis entered the kitchen. “Are you all right, love?”
I shrugged. “Headache threatening to turn into a migraine. Sandy’s grabbing me some Throb-Be-Gone from the bathroom. I’m just a little rundown and overtired. If you don’t mind, I think I’ll call it an early night and go to bed.”
He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close. “I don’t mind,” he said, burying his face in my hair. “I’ve got a lot of cooking to do for tomorrow, so I’ll take care of that and make sure the bookings are all organized. I have rehearsal tomorrow night. We’re writing a couple new songs so next week’s going to be pretty booked up. But let’s make sure to get some time together,” he added, kissing my neck.
“It’s a date.” I gave him a quick kiss.
Sandy returned, and Aegis moved aside so I could take the medicine. As I swallowed the capsules and went to bed, I realized that I still didn’t have a clue as to who sent me the heart. As I stripped out of my clothes and slipped under the covers, I decided that it didn’t matter for now. I placed the heart in its box on my nightstand, and—as Bubba jumped on the bed and curled by my feet—I closed my eyes and drifted off to a dreamless sleep.
Chapter 3
I WOKE UP, feeling one hundred percent better. As I sat up, pushing the covers back, the sun burst through my window and I realized that I had slept in. I glanced over at my phone, and there was a note beside it.
Love, I turned off your alarm. You needed the sleep and I’ve asked Thornton to serve the guests their breakfast. You were right—he’s a gem. Can we keep him? XXOO ~A.
There was a single red rose in a bud vase next to the phone, along with a tea dish holding a blueberry muffin. I smiled as I picked up the rose and smelled it. The fragrance was as deep and rich as the color was, and as I replaced it in the vase, I thanked my lucky stars again that Aegis was part of my life.
As I slipped out of bed, I looked around for Bubba. He was almost always there to greet me in the morning, but today, there was no sign of him. He was probably cadging breakfast off of Thornton. Bubba was fickle when it came to food—feed him and he was your pal for life. Rub his belly, and you were in his merciless grasp. Laughing, I headed for the shower.
After a quick rinse off, I braided my hair back, put on my makeup, then slid into a black A-line skirt and slipped on a green tank top. I was wearing my prettiest purple bra and, as I adjusted the girls beneath the shirt, I brushed my fingers over my nipples, thinking about Aegis and how much I wished it were his fingers instead of mine. Shivering, I thought about pausing for a quiet moment with Bob—my neon green vibrator. But a glance at the clock told me there wasn’t time for any hanky-panky this morning, even if it was a solo affair.
As I pinned on the brooch, I again felt another shiver run up my spine, but this time, the shiver was less horny and more startled. It wasn’t a bad feeling, more like somebody had brushed against me with an ice cube.
Shaking my head, I resolutely picked up my muffin, grabbed my purse, and headed for the door. After a quick check-in with Thornton, who was already hard at work scrubbing the downstairs bath, I headed for my CR-V, keys in hand, ready to start the day.
FIRST STOP WAS mandatory: Bouncing Goats Espresso Shack. I couldn’t function without my caffeine and BG was the place to get a good latte.
I pulled up to the microphone and was startled to see Gillymack’s face staring at me from the camera. Gillymack was a local celebrity of sorts—infamous rather than famous. He was notorious for raising hell with the Greyhoof boys. Except Gillymack was a Meré who had been cast out from his home after accidentally setting off a hand grenade. He ended up blowing up the underwater lair of his people and the elders didn’t take kindly to that.
The Meré were the merfolk. When not found in lakes, they mostly stayed in the waters around Bedlam Island, though a few dared the coastal waters over by Ocean Shores. Most of the merfolk on this side of the continent sought out lakes and rivers because the Pacific Ocean could be so wild and dangerous.
They could stay out of water for up to eighteen hours at a time, but then they would rapidly lose their stamina after that, until they went swimming under the water again. It was a lot like our need for sleep. Don’t get enough sleep and it wears on you. Except for the Meré, staying out of water too long would kill them. One day, they could handle. Two days were iffy. Three, and they could easily die. When they came ashore, they lost their tails and fins, much like the selkies when they transformed into human shape. But the merfolk needed the water even more than the Sealkin.