WITCH SHIfT

Maryse

“Good morning,” I said handing over a coffee from the coffee cart we went to last night. He smiled as he took it and my heart skipped a beat.

My conversation with Harper last night wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. She admitted they had dated for a brief time and that she was actually the one who more or less broke things off. She said he was too regimented and not fluid enough for her lifestyle and she knew he wouldn’t change. Of course then she admitted he was fun in the beginning and she did miss that.

Of course at that point I just gave her the look that girls know that someone is off limits and she laughed at me. The last thing she said was “don’t worry honey, if you want to take him for a test drive, he’s all yours.”

Looking at him now I was thinking thoughts about more than a test drive but I knew that wasn’t possible having no magic. His family would never approve of me, and I wouldn’t handicap any witch like that, but it didn’t hurt to dream.

“Thanks,” he said taking it and taking a drink

He looked like he could use it and I wondered what he got up to last night after we said goodbye. “Stop it Mar, he isn’t yours.” I mentally yelled at myself.

“Thanks, I was up late last night.” He said taking another drink.

“What were you doing and who were you doing it with?” were the questions I wanted to ask but I knew I couldn’t but the thoughts were there and I kicked myself of how needy I was getting.

“Well I am glad a cup of coffee will help. I really don’t think the truck will show today,” I said instead.

“Me either,” he said taking another drink.

“Then why are you here,” I asked quietly because I was hoping for a special answer. My god I was such a school girl with her first crush.

“Al’s going to come unglued. I want to talk to him and see if we can come to an arrangement before he does. Al is not someone you want as an enemy, but neither am I, and he knows that. I want to walk away today knowing you are safe and he isn’t gunning for you.”

“I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, but why? I mean we just met and you are taking a lot of responsibility for me. Not that I mind, I mean, but why?” I asked.

“Well, let’s just say that I am making up for being such an ass when we first met.” He said with that so sexy smile that he had and damn it, I wanted to believe every word that came out of his mouth. “So, while we wait, tell me about your family.”

“My dad and mom are both doctors. My dad might be kind of important,” I said downplaying it and he almost snorted his coffee out that he just took a drink of.

“You think?” He said laughing.

“My sister is a level forty-five and works for the East Coast Coven as a traveling trouble shooter. She is promised to Marcel Bartholomew, Who owns and runs a school in Maine, for witch children, getting them used to their powers. It’s expected that she will renounce her position and take a teaching position for him at the school.”

“I can tell you don’t think she should,” he said taking another drink.

“I mean that’s what is expected. Why do we have to do what is expected? Of course I got out of it so it’s easy for me to say. I don’t know. She really likes her job. I hate for her to have to sacrifice something she loves for something else just because it’s expected.” I said irritated.

He was smiling at me and I wanted to punch him. “Relax. I just like how passionate you get.”

“Fine, tell me about your family.” I threw back.

“It’s what everyone knows. My parents are famous because they invented the testing system and broke the molds. They are the epitome of what a witch is and they work on the president’s staff for National Security. My brother is being molded to take their place and my parents are pursuing the right relationship that makes that possible.”

“If it’s up to them he will be on the president’s staff and then they will retire and probably start working on me. I’m hoping that doesn’t happen anytime soon. So that’s my family,” he said laughing.

“I had heard most of that growing up, but it’s nice to hear it from your side.” I said thinking he was one of the special ones. Shit, I was falling for him. Crap, crap, crap, I didn’t need this. “So it’s getting late enough now that I assume the truck isn’t coming. I’m going to have to make some calls to the council.”

“Ah, here he comes. Whatever happens in the next few moments act like we planned this? He would expect it from me and in turn that will protect you. I will explain later, I promise.” He said as Al got closer.

I had no idea what he was talking about but I wasn’t really in a position to argue. I just nodded and watched as Lincoln came out of his building and was heading for us as well. Oh hell, shit meets fan coming right up.

“So are you here to gloat how you ruined my business,” Al said coming toward us. He had something in his hand and for the first time I was nervous. He aimed what looked like a gun at us and pulled the trigger.

I stared as time seemed to stop and something come flying at us. “Protego,” JP yelled and the air in front of us took on a shimmer of gold. Whatever the weapon was it let out five more shots that again hit the shimmer and fell harmlessly to the ground.

JP yelled another word, ‘Reintro’, and Al suddenly stood stiff like he was immobile. The golden haze dropped from in front of us and JP went walking toward Al and he didn’t look happy. I turned to see Lincoln was gone, my guess he was safely behind the door of his own business.

“You just had to hold your calm and talk to us but no, you had to be the big bad dwarf, now you see where we are at?” JP screamed at him. “I could kill you Al, do you understand that? I could kill you like you tried to kill us. Is that what you want?”

JP wiggled a finger and Al breathed deep like he hadn’t been able to. Lincoln came back out of his building and he looked smug as he walked toward us. When he joined us before he could speak I raised a hand and stopped him.

“I was coming to talk to you both about a temporary solution until Maryse got the supplier angle handled, and you had to attack us.” JP said again.

“It wasn’t fatal.” Al grumbled. "It’s like the human stun guns. It would have shocked you both and made you fall helplessly to the ground. I’m not a killer.”

“Guess we won’t know that now,” JP said. “Just not sure I can trust you now. Too bad too, because I spent last night arranging for good dwarvish ale to be brought down from the mountain so you both had plenty of ale. The elves were also going to supply me with summer mead. Lincoln could have been able to expand his supernatural clientele and you Al could have let the humans experience what it was like to drink like a super, but no, you had to go and ruin it.”

“We didn’t know,” Lincoln whined.

Al just stared at him. He was mad but now he was thinking. It’s too bad he was thinking after he took shots at us. JP was just shaking his head like a father would at his children. Ok, crap, no way was I going to get that image in my head.

A cop car was coming down the road with its lights swirling. Not sure who was going to be in the most trouble now. I hoped JP was in the clear but with the hold he had on Al I wasn’t sure. I hadn’t paid attention enough growing up to know which spells were legal and which ones weren’t.

A goblin got out of the car and walked toward us. Sure had to be a goblin didn’t it. Crap now I was stereotyping. That was wrong and I mentally chastised myself as I watched as he got closer. He walked by Lincoln and then he walked past me and JP and walked up to AL. He took a little device from his pocket and clipped it to Al’s ear.

“Let him go,” the Sheriff said to JP and he wiggled his hand and the field that was holding him fell and Al could move freely. Al didn’t look at any of us and was purposely looking at the ground. “I told you I wanted no trouble from you.”

Al didn’t say anything and the sheriff turned to look at the small disks that littered the ground where they hit JP’s shield and fell. He shook his head. “Do you want to press charges?” He asked JP.

“I don’t but it’s up to Maryse. Do you want to press charges?” He asked me and I was taken off guard. I just wanted all the problems to go away. If JP really had this figured out I wasn’t going to get in his way. We needed to work together, and just thinking that I smiled.

JP

Ok, her smile scared me. It was one of those mischievous smiles that you didn’t know what they meant. Of course as beautiful as she looked this morning I would let her do whatever that smile wanted. Damn I couldn’t fall for the girl, my family would kill me, but damn.

“I don’t.” She said.

“You’re all ridiculous.” The Sheriff said shaking his head. “I’m leaving it on Al till I decide you don’t need it anymore. One more instance and I will throw you in jail whether anyone presses charges or not. Do you understand me?”

“Yes I understand,” Al said pissed.

“If you do screw up I will tell your mom as well. Now knock it off and get along.” He said walking to his car and getting in and turning the lights off. He drove away as we all watched. I watched as Maryse took in the fact they were friendly, it was funny.

Now it was time to get this immediate problem wrapped up so I didn’t need to worry about Maryse’s safety.

“Here are the deals boys, I will supply you with ale and mead until the humans can get their shit together. You will get along and play nice, or I will stop both of you from having a supply. Maryse will get your orders and she will be your contact from this point on because one I am too busy to deal with your shit, and two, because I just don’t want to. Are we clear?”

“Yes,” Lincoln said thinking deep.

I wasn’t surprised he was like that. He really didn’t like catering to humans, preferring to cater to supernaturals rather than humans, but he would serve them to.

“Yes,” Al said. “I will get an order together. Of course with my human customers it would have been nice having some human brews as well.”

“I agree,” Maryse said before I could say anything. “That’s why Lincoln is going to split that last load he got with you.”

Lincoln began choking.

“I know what you got and what you can spare, if you don’t want to, and then maybe this new arrangement won’t work for you?” She said smiling at him.

Lincoln looked at me and I just shrugged. I already told them Maryse would be their contact not me. I wasn’t going against her now, that would undercut her, and I wouldn’t do that.

Al was laughing. “She’s got you shifter. She’s not going to let either one of us have an advantage. We might as well just accept it and move on.”

Lincoln looked at Al and his teeth showed and then he started laughing. It was a throaty laugh and it would scare a human, but we were used to shifters here and it was just funny.

“Fine, but we need something special. We have to have something different from each other to push to maximize profits. What else can you get?” Lincoln asked me and Maryse. Al seemed to be all ears too.

“Maybe some spirits,” I said thinking.

“Maybe we should look into IPA’s,” Maryse said. “I know a couple of small brewing companies, we could see what they have and maybe each of you could carry one of those and push those to build profit. I will look into that and get some samples for each of you.”

“Let me know,” Lincoln said smiling and walking away. “I’ll get the beer ready for Al, don’t forget my check.”

“Don’t forget she knows how much you pay for it you swindler,” Al called and Lincoln never even turned around.

“I’ll thank you to watch him,” he said nodding to Maryse and then he walked away as well.

That left me and Maryse standing again on the sidewalk outside Al’s place like we always seemed to do now. I heard something and looked up to see a car come screaming toward us. “Protego,” I yelled throwing up my shield. The car hit it head on and I tried holding it but it was too much. I heard metal scraping and then I fell.