~
“Perhaps if we substitute the base spell for this one…”
Harold showed Daniella the tablet, and the screen shot of the spell from the database that he had created from collected spells, and she hummed to herself as she scanned it and mentally broke it down into its purest form.
Morgana couldn’t say that she wasn’t impressed by what the man knew, and she was guessing that she was just scratching the surface with the spell thing. It was true to say that she still didn’t like a human messing around in her world and with all things craft related, but if the man was a walking – talking encyclopaedia of spells – that could come in handy at times.
Something about Joseph and the way that he’d looked at Nathaniel was still tapping at the back of her mind and trying to garner her attention, and she was trying to not let it.
Nathaniel was like a spare part, mooching around the shop and making sure that he didn’t get in anyone’s way; whilst eavesdropping on what was happening, and trying to make it look as if he wasn’t.
The front door to the shop burst open and Nathaniel was in front of Morgana in a heartbeat…
“I thought you locked that…”
“I thought I had too…” Morgana hissed back at his reprimand…
“Morgana … oh … what a damn night I’ve had, and my morning hasn’t been much better either…” Claudia announced. Her voice filled the void of the silence out back as everyone looked to Morgana for conformation of that voice belonging to a friendly…
“It’s fine…” Morgana shoved Nathaniel aside as she started for the front of the shop. “Just a little human drama.” She whispered back to them before she slipped through the curtains and drew them tightly closed behind her.
“There you are!” Claudia announced; her big blue eyes taking her friend in and she huffed, absorbed with her own problems. “I so need a reading, and like now.”
“You had a reading four days ago, Claudia…” Morgana reminded her.
“Yes, but that was before I caught that no good cheating, butthole of a boyfriend shagging Karen…” There was acid in her voice and her eyes pinned Morgana to the spot…
“Don’t look at me. I’m not psychic and the cards told you there was going to be problems…”
“Well, now they need to tell me how I can get rid of the body…” Claudia ground out.
“It doesn’t work that way…” Morgana teased her friend and Claudia rolled her eyes in her head and huffed once more.
“I should have listened to you.” She tossed up a hand in frustration. “You said there was something off with him…”
“It’s not the end of the world. You’re twenty three…”
“Twenty two and two thirds…” she corrected.
“And that extra third makes all the difference to those frown lines you’re creating on your forehead…” Morgana said and watched her friend immediately reach up with her fingertips and mentally snap her frown away. “I’ll give you a reading when the dust settles a little more…”
“I suppose I have to go to work…” She huffed with indecision.
“Yes, work is good … your cards said so, and you can’t put your life on hold for that butt munch.”
“True.” Claudia’s whole persona changed, from needy and whiny to business professional. “I’m going to work and I’m going to kickass at it today…” She nodded, cementing her resolve.
“Great … door’s where you left it on the way in…” Morgana grinned.
“Are you trying to get rid of me?” Claudia had the nose of a bloodhound when it came to iffy…
“Yes,” Nathaniel said as he appeared through the curtains.
Claudia’s appreciative eyes took him in. She grinned long and hard – then she leaned in towards her friend and whispered…
“Where do I find me one of those?”
“Trust me, you don’t want one…” Morgana offered back and Claudia gave a dirty little chuckle.
“Not even for a night or two?” she raised her perfectly plucked eyebrows and wiggled them.
“That would be a very long night…” Morgana bit out, annoyed that her friend had been so wrapped up in the drama of her cheating boyfriend one moment, and the next she was stalking her new prey and laying claim…
It was one of Claudia’s signature traits. Still, the good outweighed the bad, and when it mattered; she had a heart of pure gold…
“Just the kind I like…” Claudia batted her eyelids at Nathaniel…
“We were just about to have a quickie up against the wall before I have to go to work…” Nathaniel said, his eyes flicking to Morgana as the witch’s jaw moved like she was chewing a wasp…
“I’ll leave you to it then…” Claudia grinned and her eyes sparkled with mischief as she turned and headed for the door. Then she stopped, clicked her fingers, and turned back. “You might want to lock this.” She said before disappearing out the front door and pulling it closed behind her with a little giggle…
“A quickie?” Morgana turned her glare of disbelief towards the vampire and he gave a small shrug.
“She bought it,” he motioned towards the front door. “And where’s the harm?” He had that teasing tone in his voice again that made Morgana want to hurt him…
“The harm is that now I have to explain you to my best friend…” Morgana stalked towards the front door and locked it. She could have used her magic, but she felt that if she had the magic at her fingertips then she just might have released it on the vampire…
“I’m easy to explain – it’s all about the sex … I mean, just look at me…” he expanded his hands at his sides and Morgana groaned as she started towards the curtain…
“I swear one of these days I will stake you myself.” She bit out.
“Kinky. Will you be dressed up like a villager and carrying a torch and pitchfork too?”
Morgana shot him a glare a moment before she disappeared back behind the curtain. Nathaniel couldn’t help the chuckle that rolled through him. She brought out the angel and the devil in him, and he thought he liked that devilish side best…
~
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“I can’t work with that witch – I’m going to end up killing her myself…”
Morgana bit out on a whisper designed to be low enough not to be overheard by the professor and Daniella, but plenty loud enough for the vampire to hear…
“Calm down and take a deep breath in and…” Nathaniel’s voice was soothingly melodic, but still Morgana felt the need to rip Daniella’s head off and hand it back to her before her body hit the ground.
“And then kill her?” Morgana asked, tipping her head to one side and giving him a pointed stare.
“We need her alive…” Nathaniel reminded the witch and she sighed – looking everywhere but at Nathaniel or the others; who were still huddled together over a counter at the other side of the shop’s back room.
“How about I just maim her a little…?” Morgana grumbled.
“How about you find a way to relieve some of that pent up tension inside of you…”
“Are you offering me the means…?”
“I can think of a thing or two we could do to relax you…”
“Like bounce you around the back yard with my magic?” Morgana had an evil look in her eyes. She knew what he was talking about and she only wanted to zap him all the more…
“That wasn’t exactly what I had in mind, no…”
“I think we need to look at this again tomorrow with fresh eyes…” The professor announced, and Morgana groaned as Nathaniel turned his attention back towards the others.
“That’s another night when someone could be taken…” he reminded the man.
“I’m aware…” Harold said with a bland tone to his voice.
“And uncaring?” Nathaniel offered back…
“Don’t be a … vampire.” Daniella sneered.
“Don’t be a meddlesome witch, and allow the grownups to talk,” Nathaniel offered back, and noted the way that she raised her hands and prepared to use her magic, but the professor raised his hand to stop her.
Nathaniel knew right then and there that the witch truly was the teacher’s pet…