Penny & Her Heru Ch 8
Rent-A-Witch: Whynot Coven
8 - Table For One
I pulled my sleeping mask off when I couldn't ignore the idyllic birdsong coming through the window any longer. The mask was one of my favorite enchanted objects. The soft cotton fabric and silk ribbon were comfortable but the fact it knocked me out for a good seven hours was the key. Before I found it in a magic shop in downtown Salem it took me hours to fall asleep, but after a week of falling asleep within minutes of putting it on I went back for extras. Thankfully I stuck one in my purse.
I climbed off the bed and took care of all the things a person needs to do first thing in the morning; all the while ignoring the pull in my chest that told me Heru was beneath me. Something must have gone wonky with the ball of energy in my chest during the night. Maybe it was like one of those little dancing flowers that you put on a sunny windowsill. As long as sunlight hit the little grid it would bop and sway to music no one could hear, but as soon as the sun went down it would twitch a couple of times before going still until it was hit with sunlight again. It made sense to my barely awake brain considering our bond was less than twenty-four hours old.
After a quick text to Nora, I grabbed my purse and headed downstairs to find coffee and carbs – the only way to start each day. I knew I’d have to go out to find some. The first morning Bea woke up in Pink House, she called me in a tizzy because there wasn't a coffee pot in the kitchen. She wasn't a morning person, so when she woke up she wanted her caffeine. It was one of the few appliances she had in her van when she traveled.
I slipped on my shoes and headed to the living room to check on Bray. I'd set the little pixie up in an open space of a bookshelf for the night. I knew from Bea that Darla wasn't normally up before noon, and I wanted to check if they needed anything for breakfast or to be let out of the house before I went on my quest for sustenance.
Every cell in my body froze for a split second when I spotted Heru stretched out on the couch reading a book. The pull in my chest hadn't been wrong. He was sitting below me as I puttered around in my room.
"Morning Little Dove." He held his place in the book with his finger and rested it on his thigh as if he said hello to me every morning. "Did you sleep well?"
"Morning?" I ran a hand over my hair and looked around the first-floor hallway for how he got in.
"Don't worry, Darla knows I'm here. She let me in when she got back last night." His tail flicked against his ankles like a cat.
"Right. Of course. I didn't think you broke in to sit on the couch all night." I made my way into the living room and stood a few feet from him. "I was going to check on Bray and then go find breakfast."
One thick eyebrow went up in silent question. Under normal circumstances, I’d raise my eyebrow. Unfortunately, this morning was far from normal, and I wasn't feeling like my sassy and confident self. Seeing him calmly sitting on a couch reading when I came downstairs threw everything off.
"I was eating Oreos last night in the kitchen, trying to figure out what to do and there was a knock on the window, so I opened it and there was a little pixie and their cricket that they named Horse. Anyway, I let them in because they want a job in the garden, but I have zero authority to say yes or no because I don't even work here. I'm just staying here while we sort this out." I waved my hand between us like a loon. "Because you made it clear what you want yesterday but I still don’t know what I’m going to do."
He placed the book on the table and leaned forward resting his elbows on his knees. His mood went from happy to not quite angry but unsettled. I started babbling faster when the spot in my chest that connected us started throbbing.
"I mean I think I know what I want but is it the right thing? I have no idea. I said it yesterday and I'm gonna say it again. I had no idea you existed or that I had a fated mate out there waiting for me. I thought my luck with guys was just horrible. A part of me always thought my ex left because I suck. I gave up dating. I gave up on finding a guy." I started pacing across the living room. "Well, not forever. I figured one day I’d sign up for Bumble or Broom or something and find someone to hook up with when I got tired of taking care of business myself."
A low growl filled the room making Heru's opinion of my plan clear.
"The point is I had a plan." I brushed the hairs on my arms back down and changed the topic of my rant without looking at him. "It was a good plan. Get my license and set up my consulting business. Get an apartment and fill it with cats and plants and a collection of enchanted stuff to make my life easier. I'd be content."
The tips of his wings brushed the ceiling when he stood up and reached for me. Part of me wanted to step into his arms and let myself believe everything would be fine if I just gave in and agreed to be his mate, live in Whynot, and help him run his clan. The other part of me wanted to run because it was way too much too soon.
"Your heart knows …"
I cut my hand through the air between us and stopped whatever he was trying to say from coming out of his mouth.
"Nope. No, thank you." Electricity shot up my arm as I poked him in the chest emphasizing my words. "You don't know my heart or what it knows! For the love of cheese, you met me twelve hours ago. You know what you think you want my heart to know, but that doesn't mean that is what my heart actually knows!"
His brows dipped in confusion. "I just …"
I smacked his pec. "No!"
That was it. I was done. He could think he knew whatever he wanted and that could keep him warm at night. I spun on my heel and headed for the door, Bray completely forgotten. I needed to get out of the house and away from Heru. If he tried to convince me that he knew what my heart wanted I would walk straight to the Gatehouse and return to Salem.
"Where are you going?" Heru held the door shut with a hand over my head when I reached for the knob. I crossed my arms and stared at the intricate lock on the door as I tried to get my heart rate under control. "I need coffee and carbs."
"Then you shall have coffee and carbs." He stepped back so I could open the door and followed me outside, clearly not understanding I wanted to be alone.
Lucky for me Pink House was only a block away from the downtown area of Whynot, and it seemed the residents of the small sanctuary town loved three things – places to eat, magic shops, and book shops. Heru easily kept pace with me as I nearly ran to the first place with a coffee cup logo on the window. If I were thinking rationally, I would have known I couldn't outrun him, the guy was almost two feet taller than me and could fly.
He made it to the door of the cafe and opened it for me like a gentleman. Any other day it would have been a sweet gesture. I stopped a few feet short of the door on the sidewalk looking from him to the door and back again. He simply held the door waiting for me to go in further stroking my annoyance.
"Look. I get that you're being nice, and I appreciate it. I really do. But I need some alone time."
His tail flicking against his ankle was the only sign he was getting annoyed. "Why?"
I closed my eyes so they wouldn't pop out of my head and counted to ten. "I'm pretty sure I told you already."
"You said a lot of things, but none of them explain why we can't have breakfast at the same place."
For a brief moment, I wondered what it would take to get rid of him permanently, but the spot he'd attached himself to in my chest froze at the thought. Not that I would go through with it. I was just curious.
"Fine. You can eat here too but not at my table. No talking. No charades or passing messages through the wait staff." I looked him in the eye so he would know I was serious. "And if there is a single guy in there who wants to size me up as your potential mate, I expect you to throw him out the door. I'm not in the mood to deal with that."
Heru muttered something I couldn't hear. It sounded suspiciously like I was in the perfect mood, but I let it go and walked through the door.
The hostess smiled and grabbed two menus as the door shut behind us. Her smile faltered when I told her we weren't together as if she couldn't comprehend the concept of a woman not wanting to be with Heru. Lucky for her she picked up on my mood and showed us to a separate table before disappearing into the kitchen typing away on her phone screen. No doubt sharing the news that not all was well between Heru and me.
Which was great. Just great.
