The long sword was just suddenly there, and when Nicole slid it over the demon’s throat, there was no blood. No noise to hear either. Bryce wondered if it had worked, if he was actually dead, when Nicole turned, putting her blades away, and left the big room.

  “Lady Bryce. Did you want a piece of the demon?” Bryce asked Striker why she’d want that. “Everyone that has a piece of the demon will have to bring them all together again to raise him up. All the pieces. So if you should…well, destroy your piece, then we can all be assured that it will never bother us again.”

  “Who told you that?” She said that all faeries knew that, and had stashes of ash hidden all over the world because of it. “Do any of you ever destroy the pieces? How is that even done?”

  “A grand witch must do it, my lady. She has only to crush the piece in her hand and the ash is forever destroyed.” Striker put several pieces in her palm when she put it out. “I have nine such pieces here of other demons if you would be so kind as to rid them for me.”

  Crushing them was much too easy, she thought. But when she opened her palm after Striker asked her to, she could see that there was nothing left of it. Not even a small speck. Striker seemed satisfied and began cleaning up the mess. Bryce then remembered Potter.

  “He is resting. It will take him many days to rest up after this ordeal. There has been little damage done to his heart or head, but his body has suffered greatly. My lady will help him along with some of her power, but he will not be able to serve again. He is afraid, you see.” Bryce thought she knew what he was afraid of, but she asked anyway. “Of harming others, my lady. Lord Potter believes that he has failed a great many people, and will not reign again. His wife will do nicely by us all, and she has an open heart as well. There will be others around now to care for his lordship, but his fear of failure is great.”

  Bryce headed home after that. Noah met her at their front door, and he looked as exhausted as she felt. They had, together, saved a man and his realm, destroyed a demon and a witch, and were none the worse for it. She was, however, worried about Devon.

  “Don’t be.” Bryce asked Noah why. “Because when I saw him a few minutes ago, he was whistling. He doesn’t do that when he’s stressed out. He and Jamie, his dog, were walking into town, he told me, to get himself a piece of apple pie. I guess everyone in our little town is bursting with extra fruits and vegetables right now.”

  Bryce decided to go and visit her mom and grandmother. They had been absent from her life lately, both of them enjoying their new home. And even though they only lived a short distance from her, she missed them as much as if they lived halfway around the world.

  Her mom was making jams. The entire home smelled of fresh strawberries and blueberries. There was also a large container of corn on the cob ready to be blanched to freeze for the coming winter. Grandma was knitting, talking a mile a minute about this and that.

  Bryce sat down and started snapping the peas that were brought in by some of the faeries. Then she entered the conversation as if she’d been sitting with them all afternoon. That’s what she loved about these women; they were as accepting as anyone she knew.

  “Did you guys have any of the berry cake that Nicole made the other night? The one that was layered with berries between each little slice?” Grandma said she must have missed that, but Mom had had it. “I was wondering if you could get the recipe from her. That’s all Noah has talked about, that cake, since we got home. And the chocolate rose cake too. That was much too delicious to be considered anything as mundane as just cake.”

  “Well, I for one loved the salad. I was surprised to be able to taste each of the different flowers they added to the greens. Who would have thought that a few sprinkles of fresh flowers could make a salad so appealing?” Grandma looked at what she was doing. “Dear, don’t throw all the pods away. I have a notion to dry them and see if I can use them in some of my spells. I think I have one in mind that will turn your hair green.”

  “Why would I want my hair green?” Grandma just stared at her. “I see. Because why not, right? I’ll save them, but I don’t want you to touch my hair. Noah likes it just the color is it.”

  “Yes, if you say so. By the by, did you hear about the new shop in town? They’re going to be selling candles and such. I myself never use them much for spells, but I heard that there are witches that use them all the time.” Mom asked what difference it could make if they used them or not. “Nothing other than to stink up the room when they’re put out. Oh, that reminds me as well....”

  Bryce listened to them with half an ear. They would go from one subject to the next with ease, and come around to the beginning of it like they’d never mentioned like fifty other things. All Hallows Eve was mentioned several times, but it was a holiday that Bryce had always enjoyed celebrating alone. This year she might enjoy it more with Noah.

  “Bryce.” She looked at her mom and noticed that not only was the mess cleaned up, but the jars, several hundred of them, were still resting on the counter. Bryce asked her mom how long she’d been gone. “A while. A long while, as a matter of fact. I would like to talk to you about something. It’s about a job.”

  “You don’t need to work, Mom.” Mom nodded and said that she might not need the money, but she did need a job. “All right. What is it you have in mind? I’m sure that you have something going on in that wonderful head of yours.”

  “I think I’d enjoy teaching.” Bryce knew that her mom had been a teacher long ago, but she had stopped after marrying her dad. “I know that I have a lot of life experience, which I was told was wonderful, but I need to get out of the house for a little while. Since I’ve been getting around a great deal better, thanks to you, I need something to keep me active. There are so many openings around town that I might look into as well, but teaching children seems to be what I focus on most.”

  “Then you should do it.” Mom nodded but didn’t look convinced. “What is it? What might you think is holding you back? Mom, if you want to do this, then do it.”

  “I don’t know how to drive.” That shocked her. But then whenever Mom wanted to go someplace, she had always relied on her or Grandma to take her. “There are a lot of things that I don’t know how to do. Being with the two of you, it has been so much fun, but I’ve come to realize how much I’ve missed out on too. Driving is just one of them. I don’t even know how to use a computer.”

  “There are classes you can take online, or there is a nice college right here that you can go to.” Mom thought that she was too old for that. “Never. And I will destroy the person who says that to you.”

  “You’d be surprised how hard I am on myself with all that’s going on in my head.” No she wouldn’t. Her mother had always been the hardest on herself. “I think I’ll do it. I do need something to do, and why not go back and learn the things that I want? Then I can go to the school to teach all on my own.”

  Her mom was excited, and so was Bryce. If Mom wanted the world on her finger, then Bryce would do it for her. But in this, she knew that her mom would enjoy it better if she didn’t intervene with magic. Let her learn at her own pace.

  After showing her mom where to find information about learning to drive, Bryce went to find Noah. He was her comfort zone, and she needed someone to pamper her a bit. Finding him on the couch, reading a book, she sat down in her easy chair and did the same. She needed to brush up more on what she could do, it seemed to her.

  Chapter 9

  Nicole put the last of the sugar cubes on the plate to dry. She was having a blast with making them for the faeries, and they were always bringing in new things to mix with them for extra flavor. In two hours they were going to open the restaurant, and she was decidedly calm about it. Looking up when Striker said her name, she grinned at her faerie.

  “I don’t like my name.” Nicole asked her why not, trying her best not to agree with her. “It sounds like a man’s name. I am not a man. Do you not think that it is a hard name? Like a fire to the dried wood, I was told. I do not want to burn fire.”

  “No, you’re not a man. Whoever told you that wasn’t very nice about saying that to you if it hurt your feelings. Did someone say something to you about it?” Striker said she had overheard someone talking about it. “All right. Have you given any thought to what you’d like to be called now?”

  “Yes. I would like to be Bloom again, please. My mother said I was silly for thinking to change it even though I could. She is under the impression I was trying to impress someone.” Nicole asked her if she was. “Nay, my lady. You do not seem to be impressed by much, and Lord Jackson keeps calling me by both names. It is most confusing.”

  Nicole wasn’t sure what to think about being not impressed by much, but decided to let it go. For now anyway. As the cubes were poured into the molds, she fixed up the next batch of the blackberry ones. She could only hope that the patrons enjoyed them as much as the others did. They were going to replace the tea bags that other restaurants put out for people who drank it.

  “Do you know how many we have coming in tonight? I thought that we were full up, but I keep hearing the phone ringing.” Bloom, what she’d have to remember to call her again, nodded and said that the other faeries were setting up the outside for guests. Nicole looked up at her, startled. “We have outside seating now?”

  “Yes. It is very lovely. The others have put out lots of planters and flowers to make it seem special. There are candles too, though I have warned them about keeping an eye on such things. I think it is lovely anyway. Just being out of doors is the most fun for me.” Nicole knew this too. “Lord Jackson said that he’d be joining you in here when you are ready to start serving. He had a few things to take care of, he told me.”

  “He told me that this morning. I guess he was planning some kind of trip. Oh, before I forget, Noah’s parents are looking to find them some household help. I was wondering if you could assign someone to help them out with that.” Bloom said it would be her pleasure. “What else is on your mind? It’s not like you to come here and talk about your name change. Which, I must confess, I do like Bloom much better.”

  “Thank you, my lady.” She moved around the table, not touching anything, but she did seem distracted. “Did you know that you can have several faeries at your command? As many as you wish instead of just me.”

  So that was it. Someone had told her that little rule. Making sure that she chose her words well, Nicole tried to think how she could best tell her right hand man that she needed only one, because she was the best there was. Not that she had a great deal of experience with having a faerie, but Bloom had never let her down.

  “Do you believe you need more help with helping me? I don’t need anyone more in charge to help me. You do a really good job. But now that I think on it, I do believe you could use a staff.” Bloom looked at her, confused. “Not a rod staff. A staff of people or faeries working under you. You would be in charge of them. It would help you, I think, not to have to be doing every small bidding that I need done.”

  “A staff. I was confused, my lady. I can only carry a small stick, so that would do little good.” Jackson joined them at the last of Bloom’s statement, and asked what was going on. “I am to pick myself a staff. Not the kind that men who are bent over use to walk, but a people staff. It would help me care for Lady Nicole.”

  Jackson quickly bent his head—Nicole knew that he was laughing. The man was finding humor in the strangest things lately. When he popped a cube into his mouth, both her and Bloom could not catch him in time to not eat it. They had tried making hot sugar cubes for meats she wanted to try.

  “Holy shit. That’s fucking good.” She stared at him as he grabbed another cube. “Really. I love it. It’s hot and spicy, but it also has this lingering after taste of sweetness that makes it all that much better. Wow, you could seriously sell these to any and all dragons and they’d love it.”

  “It’s a dragon thing, isn’t it?” Jackson grinned as he grabbed two more and popped them into his mouth. “You’re insane. If you’re kidding me about this and I give them to the other dragons, I’ll make Bloom beat you senseless. Do you understand me?”

  “They’re coming in to try it. I swear to you, honey, these are very good.” He helped set up the station with her. The salad bar in the kitchen was ready for the staff with the endless plates again. Then there were the dressings that were on each table. “I like the idea that you don’t have any other dressings but what’s on the table. Six is still a lot, but it’ll be easier on the staff to keep from running back and forth to refill them.”

  The dressing bottles would refill by themselves once the waitstaff put them back in the middle of the table. It was using a lot of unnecessary magic, she supposed, but it would be better for everyone around if they didn’t have to keep running their feet off every night. Nicole wanted this to work. More importantly, she wanted people to like the food.

  All of Jackson’s friends were in the kitchen a few minutes later, eating all the hot cubes. They were a hit, but she was told that they didn’t think the human population as a whole would enjoy them so much. So, mentally marking them on her list as gifts, she ditched the idea of those. For now, anyway.

  “All right, you’ve had your taste of the cubes. Now get out of here before I put you all to work.” They didn’t move. “Seriously, guys, get out of here. I have enough shit on my plate to deal with.”

  “We’re your staff for the night. Well, some of it. We’re going to schmooze the customers. Seat them and have some fun. It’s opening night, and we’re here to help you out. Also, we’ve talked it over. Each waitstaff is going to get a bonus for putting up with us, as well as the rest of the kitchen. Also, if it’s all right with you, we’re going to comp every meal served tonight. Just to put people in the mood to come back.” She asked Connor if they thought they wouldn’t. “Damn it, Jackson said that would be the first thing you said. No, honey. We want them to tell their friends what a wonderful time they had. We even have tuxes to make us look sexy.”

  She had to admit, they did look nice. Nicole thought that they’d been having dinner and wanted to look good, but this was so much better. After they were assigned a staff member to be with, she put Connor at the bar. He was single, and said he was looking for someone to have fun with. Wondering if he’d find it or his mate, she started getting herself ready for the night.

  The time flew by. If there was a complaint, she didn’t hear it. Jackson stood across from her and finished plates for her. It was the hardest job, she thought, having to put whatever the customer wanted in the way of potato or veggie on the plate. Extra whatever they wanted. She only had to put on the meat or seafood and hand it to him.

  The dragons came back from time to time, to get some more of the cubes of sugar, as well as to grab something to munch on. Connor suggested never putting peanuts or such at the bar—he thought it would stop people from ordering appetizers. Apparently those were going over well too.

  The night was over, and she finally started to clean up around her. It had been a while since she’d had this much fun, she admitted to Jackson, and he said the same. Things were looking up for the place if any of the guys were right about the compliments to them. Also, they decided that on Friday nights, if they could, some of them would be there to hang out. They’d apparently enjoyed it a great deal as well.

  “There was only one complaint, my lady. From the staff. They are concerned that you will burn up before they can retire from here. I did not know what that meant, so I only told her I would keep the matches from you.” Nicole explained as she cleaned up her skillet. “Ah. Burn out. Yes, I understand now. You will not, will you?”

  “No. I had fun. Didn’t you?” She said that all the faeries had. And they had made sure that the floor was kept clean as well. “They were out where people could step on them? I don’t want anyone hurt. You tell them that.”

  “They were fine. Picking up a fallen napkin and putting it back on the lap was quite a challenge for some, but they managed it. I do believe they made it a game. Also, they have taken the corks home with them. They have things they can do with them. Is that all right with you.” Nicole told her that if they needed more of them, she knew a place she could get them really cheap. “I will tell them that. When sliced correctly, they make good insulation for the walls of their homes. Also, they can make softer chairs with them.”

  “That’s a wonderful idea. You tell them that if they find other ways to recycle things like that, or simply to make us a nice green place, you’ll let me know. I know that Connor said that he was going to break down the wine bottles for them as well, to use as pretty stained glass.” When she was finished, she looked at her friend. “I have a treat for the faeries if you’d like for them to come and get them. I’ve been working on it when you’re not here so you’d be surprised as well.”

  “Oh, my lady, that was not necessary. They will think it too much.”

  She said that she’d had fun making it for them. Telling her to call them in, Nicole was glad now that she’d made a lot more than she’d thought about at first. The faeries were numbering in the hundreds, it looked like.

  “Her ladyship has made us a gift. You will behave and enjoy it no matter—”

  “We will enjoy it.” The big brownie, Log, that she’d been teasing of late, moved closer to where she was standing. “You go ahead, my lady. Anything that you make is always good for us.”

  She pulled out the tray of treats for them and set them on the counter. Not one of them moved to eat off any of the pretty little plates she’d made for them. Nicole started to worry.

  “I got the tea sets online. They were so adorable that I thought when you were finished with them, you could take them home. I don’t know that I have enough right now, but I will order for the rest of you if I don’t.” They then looked at her, as if she was telling them to. “I’m sorry. I thought it was—”

 

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