Total pages in book: 49
Estimated words: 46787 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 234(@200wpm)___ 187(@250wpm)___ 156(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 46787 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 234(@200wpm)___ 187(@250wpm)___ 156(@300wpm)
The bell at the front of the diner jingled, interrupting my train of thought and I heard a familiar voice.
“Hey, Goldie—how about some coffee to go?”
It was Willow—the latest addition to our town. She came here through a magical doorway, running from a Hell Hound and an abusive ex. Luckily, she found a guardian gargoyle (who was a lawn ornament before she woke him up) to keep her safe. He took care of the hound and the ex and now the two of them are Heartmates and living their best lives right here in Hidden Hollow.
Kael, the gargoyle in question, was right behind Willow. The two of them had opened up a magical supply shop right next to the Lost Lamb Bakery, where I get all my desserts and pastries. I was glad they were there—we’d been needing a supply shop for ages. I get tired of having to go to the forest or out into the Mortal Realm to gather all my own ingredients whenever I want to cast a spell and I know a lot of other witches and warlocks feel the same way.
“Just coffee?” I asked, heading behind the counter to where my coffee machine was already perking. I serve only the finest magical brew with beans that have been enchanted to taste extra delicious—you can’t get a better cup of Joe anywhere in Hidden Hollow than at my diner.
“We’re going to stop in at The Lost Lamb bakery and get some bear claws to go with it,” Willow explained. “That way we can say good morning to Sarah and Celia too.”
Sarah was another fairly new resident of Hidden Hollow. Like Willow, she’d come through a magical doorway that appeared when she needed it most. She and her Heartmate, an Orc named Rath, are regular customers.
Celia, my other friend, actually owns The Lost Lamb and Sarah helps her run it—along with Celia’s Heartmate, Malik, the demon who came out of the magical portrait she inherited. The two of them are happy as can be, even though Celia thought for sure she was too old to settle down.
I couldn’t help sighing again when I thought of it—it seemed like most everyone in Hidden Hollow had found their Heartmate. Everyone but me.
But that’s not just because I’m picky, it’s because as a half-Succubus, I need more than one guy to keep me satisfied. If I only have one, he won’t be able to keep up with my needs. And he’ll end up feeling tired all the time—like he’s got a low-grade case of the flu. I don’t wish that drained feeling—the feeling I was having now myself—on anyone, especially not a man I love.
So I can’t settle down unless I can find at least two guys who are willing to share me and sadly, that’s not something that’s very common. Most men get so territorial and angry when you ask them to share—it’s almost impossible to keep them both happy because they get so jealous of each other.
“Hey, why the long face?” Willow asked, as I poured her coffee into a magical to-go cup which was spelled not to burn her hands and to keep the coffee hot down to the last drop.
“Are you well, Goldie?” Kael asked, echoing his Heartmate’s sentiment. He was almost seven feet tall and his huge, feathery wings stuck up from his broad shoulders but he had them folded neatly against his back, so they didn’t sweep anything off the counter, thank the Goddess.
“I’m okay—just lonely,” I admitted as I slid the coffee cup across the counter to Willow. “I haven’t found a Heartmate—or Heartmates—yet, so it looks like I’m going to have to make a trip to the Human World to deal with my cravings tonight.”
I didn’t mind telling Willow that because we’ve gotten pretty close in the short time she’s been here. I even let her use my Lust Hut when she needed to work a complicated spell to rescue Kael from Hell, where he ended up when he was trying to defend her. By using my hut, she’d pretty much seen the Succubus side of me, so I knew she wouldn’t be shocked or offended by anything I had to say.
“Oh I’m really sorry.” She gave me a sympathetic look as she added cream and sugar to the coffee. “But maybe you’ll find him—or them—soon. I was talking to Goody Albright the other day and she said she thinks love is in the air in Hidden Hollow.”
“What does that mean?” I asked, frowning. “Is it some kind of spell someone cast or what?”
Willow shrugged.
“I don’t know—maybe you should ask her. She seemed to think that because four couples have been matched lately—me and Kael, Sarah and Rath, Celia and Malik, and Harmony and Tark—that more are sure to follow.”
“From her mouth to the Goddess’s ear,” I grumbled. “I hate having to go hunting for sexual nourishment in the Human World. Human guys are the worst.”