The Witch: Book Two of The Sorceress Saga by Taliesin Govannon (top 10 novels of all time .txt) 📗

                He got up and walked over to the dresser where an assortment of baked goods were stacked on a silver tray.  Next to that was a silver urn with steam coming out of the top, and he poured me a mug of the hot liquid.

                “My love, I present you with the best coffee in the Fae world.” He handed me the mug and I took a sip.

                “Wow!” I said.  “This looks black, but it tastes...” I took another sip.  “Yes, it tastes like vanilla, caramel, and… is that cinnamon?”

                Vincent shrugged.  “It tastes different to everyone.  It’s supposed to mimic your favorite flavors in coffee.”

                “What does it taste like to you?”

                “Blood and chocolate.”

                I closed my eyes.  "I must be really tired because I think I'd drink this even if it tasted like that!"  I drank again, grateful that it didn't.  I drank again, and then looked at the cup.  "Uh, I've drunk half a cup, but it still looks full."

                “Oh, that’s because it won’t run out until you’ve had enough.”  He said, stepping away.

                I looked at my drink.  “This is the coolest thing ever.” I said, completely serious.

                “So, did you have fun last night?” Vincent asked, carrying the tray of pastries over.

                “Yeah, but not as much fun as Evie and Raina had.” I replied, plucking a square pastry off of the top of the stack.

                “Ah, did they catch a ride on the orgasm express?”

                “And then some.”

                “All Fae love sex.  Some are just a little freer with it than others."

                “You could say that again!” I took a bite, and the pastry tasted like a chocolate tart.  “Is this magickal too?” I asked, holding it up.

                Vincent nodded.  “They think it’s the best way to keep guests happy, to make the food really good.”

                At least it’s not all sex! I thought.  “So, did Jack ever arrive?”

                “Late last night.” Vincent sat on the edge of the bed.  “We can go find them after breakfast.”

                I looked at my still-full coffee cup.  As long as I’m not too wired!

                                                                                                *                *                *

                We found Jack sitting outside of a multicolored house just a couple of street-like paths away from our accommodations.  Every building looks alike, yet completely different I mused to myself.  I felt like I could get lost there, yet never get too lost.

                Jack waved us over, and I sat next to him. A silver pot of magick Fae coffee sat on the small table between us.

                “Coffee?” he asked, holding a mug up.

                “Oh no," I said, my hand raised, "I've drunk a gallon, I think."

                “If only they could do this with Mountain Dew.” he said wistfully.

                Hatsu stuck her head out of the door of the house.  “Oh good, Vincent!” she said.

                “Yes?”

                “May I speak with you for a moment?”

                Vincent went inside with her, and I leaned in to speak quietly with my friend.

                “So, how’s it going with you and Katsu?” I asked with a grin.

                “It’s… going.” he replied, nodding.  “Going quite well.”

                I shook my head.  "Really, dude? You don't date for two years and then hook up with a five thousand-year-old mystical being?"

                “Um, what about you?” he retorted, eyebrows raised.  “You practically never dated anyone, and now you’re banging someone that’s not only centuries old, but also isn’t even human!”

                “Touche.” I surrendered, hands raised.  “So what took you so long?”

                Jack squirmed slightly in his seat.  “Yeah, well, you weren’t the only person with questions about my intentions.” he said.  “Seems that her big Sis also wanted to have a sit-down with me.”

                “Scary.” I said, eyes slightly wide.

                “You're not kidding!" he agreed.  "But it wasn't so bad.  She just wanted to make sure that I really liked her, not just..."

                “Not just looking to get laid?” I finished.

                “Exactly!”

                I grinned.  “You know, if you weren’t attached, you’d be swimming in Fae sex right now.”

                He stopped and looked at me.  “Seriously?”

                “Seriously.”

                “So the things that Hatsu said about Fae orgies?”

                “Totally real.”

                “Damn."  He smiled.  "It's a good thing that I like her."

                I smiled, and then saw Vincent emerge from the house alone.  He took another seat by the table, a chair that appeared as he needed it.

                “So, dude...” he said, looking at Jack, “you already got the ‘don’t break the heart of my little sister or else’ talk from Hatsu?”

                Jack swallowed. “Yeah. Something tells me that I should take her seriously.”

                “You should." Vincent couldn't keep the amusement from his voice.  "These supernatural types have seen too much bullshit to ever 'hope for the best'.  They find that it's more effective to threaten evisceration and depend on an individual's self-preservation instincts to kick in."

                “Great.”  Jack’s voice told me it was anything but.

                “So I assume that Hatsu wanted to talk to you about things other than her scary face.” I said, moving on.

                Vincent’s face grew more serious.  “She did.  It seems that her friends in the paranormal underworld have been noticing a lot of ‘movement’ on the less traveled pathways.”

                “Movement?” I asked.  “What does she mean by movement?”

                “Ways of traveling that aren’t used that often, either because of difficulty or danger, are becoming more active.” he explained.  “Whoever’s behind it is powerful, too. To not only travel these paths, but to also cloak their identity from Hatsu’s friends… who, I should remind you, are some powerful fuckers… it’s kind of concerning.”

                “What’s going on?” I asked, baffled.  “Do you think that it’s connected to the attacks on me?”

                Jack and Vincent exchanged glances, ironic grins and chuckles shared between them.

                “Should I tell her?” Vincent asked.

                “Nah, let me.” Jack answered.  “I’ve known her longer.”

                “What?” I was seriously confused.

                “Annabelle, darling.” Jack said, looking at me.  “You’re the Sorceress.  There hasn’t been a Sorceress for over a century.  There are millennia-old creatures that