Samhain (Matilda Kavanagh Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page B

faltered.
    “It’s fine,” I said with a wave. “Plenty of humans prefer to use fake names. Most are a little more creative than that, but it doesn’t really matter to me.”
    Jane scuffed her toe on the floor, catching the edge of my area rug. She was wearing black dress shoes—flats, not heels—and black tights under a gray skirt that almost reached her knees. Her black jacket was short with a curved collar that reminded me of something a little girl would wear. It almost looked as though she was ready for a funeral, while I looked as though I was ready for bed.
    “Can I take your jacket?” I knew she would refuse before she even shook her head. “Suit yourself.” I shrugged and turned for the kitchen, expecting her to follow me. At the stove, I picked up the eyedropper and went back to filling vials.
    Jane followed me. She stopped at the edge of the counter, her brown eyes wide again as she watched me. Artemis growled from his perch. I glanced over my shoulder at him, my hand hovering over the pot. The sound was a low rumble, warning and anger all at once. His yellow eyes flicked to mine before he jumped off the window sill and stalked to the back of the kitchen, putting distance between him and my unexpected visitor.
    “What a cute cat,” Jane said.
    “Doesn’t seem to think the same of you,” I said casually, and turned my attention back to the eyedropper.
    “What’s that?” she asked.
    “What is it you wanted from a witch tonight, Jane?” I hit the syllable of her fake name hard, ignoring her question. “A love potion?”
    “I, uh,” she stammered again.
    When I glanced at her as I corked the vials, I saw a bright red flush had crept up her neck and flooded her cheeks. “It’s okay, you know?” I said. “You’re not the first and certainly won’t be the last, though most human girls come around for love spells in January and February, not October.”
    “Well, it’s just that—” She swallowed hard. Her face was becoming so red, I expected to see steam shoot out of her ears. She fought with the buttons at her throat, opening her jacket as if she was having trouble breathing.
    I caught the glint of gold at her throat. She was wearing a simple cross on a delicate chain. Her fingers moved over the charm, almost absentmindedly, as her eyes flittered around the room.
    “Tell you what, go have a seat in the living room, and I’ll bring you some tea,” I said as I corked the last anti-jinx vial. I glanced at the healing potion and the anti-love potion. I needed to get those into corked bottles as well, but with a customer, they would have to wait. “You can catch your breath, and we can have a little talk about what you need.”
    Jane blinked, looking as though she was having trouble keeping up with my words. After a moment, she nodded and turned to rush out of the kitchen. I leaned around the edge of the kitchen wall to make sure she actually sat down. When she was on the couch, her back as straight as a pole, I turned back to the kitchen. I wasn’t sure what she was so pent up about, whether she was raised in a very religious home or if she was afraid I was going to bake her into a pie and eat her, but I had the niggling feeling that I wanted her out of my home as quickly as possible.
    I turned the burner on under the kettle, listening to the click-click-click of the ignition before the flames took. The stove was already hot with the three spelling pots, so I knew the water in the kettle would boil fast. I set a cup with a tea bag on a tray, along with a plate of stale cookies, before I pulled a pre-mixed love potion and a finger stick out of the cabinet. I placed both on the tray as well.
    The kettle wasn’t whistling, but I saw a thin trail of steam lifting from the spout, telling me it was hot enough. When the cup was full and tea stained the clear water, I added one small drop of a calming draught and stirred it in. It wasn’t abnormal for a human to be nervous in my apartment, but