Witchy Sour (The Magic & Mixology Mystery Series Book 2) (8 page)

“C’mon now, use your legs,” Hettie said. “You look drunk. People are gonna assume we’re bringing you here to detox.”

“What happened?” I asked, a bit dazed. “You have to warn me next time we go hurtling through a black hole.”

“Black hole,” Hettie scoffed. “That was a tiny portal. You’ll get used to it. Until then, at least try to land on your feet. People are staring.”

“Welcome to Ranger Headquarters!” A familiar, peppy voice sounded, and I turned my attention to Poppy, who was waving us in. “How ya doin’, Lily? Sorry about that. The entrance can be rather abrupt.”

I climbed to my feet and gave her a begrudging hug. “You don’t say.”

“I’ve been meaning to show you around the place, but Gus keeps you so dang busy counting herbs, or whatever you do locked up in your bungalow, that I haven’t gotten a chance to steal you away.”

Zin and Hettie also greeted Poppy, and I took the opportunity to glance around the space. “Wow,” I breathed. “This is...something else.”

“It’s comfortable.” Poppy shrugged, clearly unimpressed by the space. “You want a tour?”

“I’d love one!”

“Follow me, you’ll need a badge.”

I followed Poppy to a counter that looked like the reception desk for the Ritz. Stepping through the portal between the trees had landed us in a hallway with ceilings so high I could barely see the top.

The walls were black and shiny, the furniture a combination of dazzling metals and spotless white. Black leather couches and coffee tables formed a square in the middle of the space, giving off the feel of a modern, uber-sleek lounge. Soft music played in the background as one or two men dressed in sharp suits crisscrossed through the room, disappearing into a dark hallway.

A woman stood behind the front desk. When she smiled, the motion was so striking I did a double take. She laughed and extended a hand. “Hello, you’re a friend of Poppy’s?”

I nodded, trying not to stare at her features. I quickly shook her hand which felt as delicate as paper-mache.

With hair as white as a star and eyes as blue as sea glass, I doubted she was human. The creature wore a tight black dress that fell midway to her thigh, covered by a gauzy shawl over thin arms. At least three inches taller than me, she had the height of a supermodel and the fashion wardrobe of a CEO. Stunning was not a strong enough word to describe her beauty. Ethereal, maybe.

“No problem,” she said with a wink, her laugh sounding light and airy. “Let me print up a pass for you.”

“Do you need my name? Information?” I tried to peek over the counter, but there were no computers anywhere in sight. No machinery, gadgets, or technology of any sorts. “I’m—”

“I know who you are,” she said. “You’re the new Mixologist.”

“You’re famous.” Poppy elbowed me. “This is Elle. She’s the secretary here, but don’t let the job title fool you. She runs this place.”

Elle shook her head. “I’ve just been here a long time. Knowledge seeps in over the years, you know.”

“Surely you haven’t been here more than five or ten years,” I said. “You’re not old enough.”

Both Elle and Poppy broke out in a laugh. “Try five hundred years,” Poppy said. “Elle is Fae. Here on The Isle, Fae live long lives. She never forgets anything, either, which can be a real bummer for people who try to cross her. Someone stole her lunch three hundred years ago, and the poor witch still doesn’t have a parking spot for her broomstick.”

“It’s a blessing and a curse,” Elle said with a grin. “Here you are, Lily. Just put your wrist out.”

I extended my wrist, shooting a curious glance at Poppy.

“It doesn’t hurt,” Poppy explained. “Relax.”

Elle took my wrist in her long, delicate fingers and held it so that my palm faced up. She pressed her thumb onto my forearm for a long second.

“You have a beautiful manicure,” I said, trying to ease the awkwardness as Elle continued to press down on my arm with a cool touch. “I like that color.”

Elle gave a half smile and glanced at her glittering silver nails. “Thanks, I’ll give you the name of the witch who does it. Really skilled.”

“Wonderful,” I said. Running out of things to talk about, I gazed around the room some more until Elle’s fingers heated against my skin. “What’s happening?”

“We don’t use those human badges,” Poppy said. “Not needed. My mom told me about those plastic cards. We use a much simpler and foolproof method here. A Fae’s touch leaves a dusting of magic on your skin. It’ll allow you access to all of the places you need to go, no more and no less. It wears off in about an hour, so we should get moving.”

“It was great to meet you, Lily,” the beautiful creature said. “I’ve been meaning to stop by Magic & Mixology, but I haven’t gotten around to it.”

“I imagine they keep you busy down here.” I couldn’t help but return her smile. Somehow, even her intense beauty couldn’t offset her genuinely pleasant personality. That a person so gorgeous could also be so kind, however, made me wonder if there was hope for the rest of us on this island.

“That they do, but I enjoy it.” Elle grinned. “Never a dull moment here.”

Poppy took my arm, whistled for our cousin and Hettie to follow. They didn’t seem to hear.

“What are they doing?” she muttered. “I can’t take them anywhere.”

A few more stern whistles got their attention, and soon Hettie and Zin had marks on their arms courtesy of Elle. We set off down one of the long, dark hallways, the only light to guide us stemming from tiny, star-like dots along the wall. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust.

“It feels like we’re on the Milky Way,” I whispered. For some reason, the eerie quiet seemed sacred.

Poppy’s laugh echoed off the walls. “We’re so far from space that you’re more likely to see the center of the earth than the moon. We’re underground. Deep underground.”

“How long have you worked here?”

“On and off since I turned eighteen,” Poppy said. “I still split my time working dispatch and the supply store. We have a few other girls on dispatch rotation, so it’s a pretty flexible schedule. Good benefits, and all of those ‘adult’ things, you know.”

“I’d have never guessed,” I said, my eyes still drawn to the dark, mysterious walls. “Benefits. That’s funny for some reason.”

Poppy raised an eyebrow. “Vamp Vites aren’t cheap, ya know. How are those coming along, anyway?”

“I’m missing one ingredient,” I said with a sigh.

When I first arrived on the island and learned about Poppy’s blood-intolerance issue, she’d explained that our grandfather, who was the Mixologist at the time she was born, had concocted a beverage that provided all the nutrients a normal vampire might need.

“I can’t figure out where he ordered Dust of the Devil. There are no stores on The Isle that carry it. I’ve checked them all. I even asked Harpin.”

“How is that possible? Where else could he get it from?” Poppy led the way out of the tunnel, showing us into a hallway that was all reflective gray. Metallic walls below, above, and to our sides. “He was getting it from somewhere.”

“I know,” I said. “But Gus has no clue, which in itself is quite strange. Normally Gus does all of the ingredient orders. He catalogues them and puts them away, but he told me he’s never been asked to restock Dust of the Devil. Our grandfather and Neil were the only Mixologists to make this potion, right? Did they ever say anything to you—a hint or a clue or
something
?”

Poppy shook her head. “If they did, I wasn’t listening. Mostly, I just wanted the potion to work. It’s not fun if it starts to wear off. The cravings get pretty bad, pretty quick.”

“It’s not fun for any of us,” Hettie said, waving a hand in front of her face to signal a noxious smell. “We’re forced to feed her raw meats, and that doesn’t sit well with her stomach if you catch my...drift.”

Zin snorted. “Clever.”

“Funny! You guys are really funny,” Poppy said sarcastically. “You try to live without half of the nutrients you need and tell me how that sits with your stomach.”

“It’s more like you ate a vat of broccoli, topped it off with a bit of asparagus, and then devoured a bathtub full of beans,” Hettie said. “I mean really, it’s impressive. That could be your Uniqueness if you wanted to be a Ranger.”

Poppy’s face reddened, and she opened her mouth to speak, but I interrupted first.

“I’ll find it, don’t worry,” I told Poppy. “I’ve talked to Gus in depth about it, and we’re on the lookout. He’s asking all of his suppliers for advice.”

Poppy sighed. “I appreciate it.”

We reached the end of the hallway made of metal, which was a good thing because I was getting so dizzy I couldn’t tell which way was left or right, up or down, but I could say for a fact that the contents of my stomach were about to come up.

“This is the lab,” Poppy said, pointing off to one side. “Lily, I thought you’d like this in particular.”

The metal had melded into a series of hallways made from clear glass. Sort of like a carnival fun house. Without Poppy, I would’ve knocked myself unconscious by waltzing straight into a solid, see-through panel. Thanks to her slow, guiding steps, however, we made it to the lab in one piece.

A glass wall surrounded the lab, and I stood as close as possible without smudging it. Inside, men dressed in sharp suits covered by white coats moved with purpose from one station to the next.

Small flames licked the top of one table, while another table held a container the size of a small whale filled with teensy glowing fish. Above the fire sat a series of eight vials, each of them different sizes and shapes. Some were tall, some were short, some were green, and some were gold. All of them sparkled as liquid bubbled and brewed inside.

“What are they making?” I glanced out of the corner of my eye at Poppy.

“I have no clue,” Poppy said. “It’s way over my head. I can try to get you a pass sometime though, if you’d like. It’s not unheard of to bring guests into the lab, and I bet they’d be happy to have you.”

I made a face. “I bet not. I’d just get in their way.”

“Wrong.” Poppy’s grin brightened her face. “Lily, don’t forget. You are the Mixologist. You can ask people to do things for you. A lot of folks would bend over backwards for the chance to share their work with you. This island has been waiting for the next true Mixologist for a while. We’re really happy you’re here.”

I sighed. “I don’t know about that. Lately, I’ve been feeling like I have no clue what I’m doing. There’s so much to learn, so little time to learn it, and so many things to accomplish. The list is so long, and I haven’t even gotten started yet.”

“You’re not alone. Gus is around to help, and so are we,” Poppy said. “You are practically royalty here.”

“Royalty...” I said with heavy sarcasm. “Definitely not royalty.”

Poppy waved a hand in dismissal. “You’re a big deal. People listen when you talk. Even if some don’t realize it yet, they will soon enough. Even Elle knew who you were before you introduced yourself.”

“I think that’s her job.”

“Yeah, well...” Poppy bobbed her shoulders up and down. “She didn’t know my name when I was first hired, and I’ve lived here all my life. Just ask Hettie and Zin. Speaking of… Hettie? Where’d they go? Zin?”

My head swiveled in all directions as well, but the two ladies were nowhere in sight. Though it was hard to imagine where they could’ve disappeared to, seeing how all of the walls were made of glass.

“They do this every time,” Poppy said in annoyance. “Did you know they banned Hettie from this building for seven years? She kept disappearing and causing trouble. I told her to watch it or they’ll kick her out again.”

“What sort of trouble?” I had to pick up my pace to stay with Poppy. “Poking into business that wasn’t hers?”

“That, among other things. For a while, Hettie used to sneak into the bathrooms and take the little bottles of hand soap.”

I burst out laughing. “Why would she do that?”

“She likes the scent!”

I laughed, struggling not to run into any of the clear walls. “Do you know where they went?”

“I have a feeling,” Poppy said. Then she whirled around and stomped toward the edge of the maze. “Before we find them, I have to ask you one thing.”

“What?”

“You don’t have to whisper. Nobody can hear us.”

It was eerie being here, surrounded by enough glass to build a castle. Everyone could see one another, but nobody could hear whispered secrets. It was a bit of a thrill. “Is everything okay?”

She stepped so close that her nose was an inch away from mine. Then she ignored her own advice and dropped her voice to a nervous whisper. “I’m running low.”

“Low on what?”

“The Vamp Vites. I only have a week’s supply left.”

“A week?” My jaw flew open. “Poppy, you should have said something!”

“You told me you were looking for the missing ingredient!”

“I was! I still am. But you should have given me more advance notice that you were almost out. Some of our suppliers take two weeks to ship the goods. Even if we find it, the stuff might not get here in time. Not to mention, I don’t have the potions book right now. With
The Magic of Mixology
stolen, I don’t have any of my recipes.”

“How have you been operating in the meantime?” Poppy frowned. “Gus has to remember, right?”

“Probably,” I said. “But I haven’t asked him about the details because I haven’t had all of the necessary supplies.”

“You can do it. I know you can, Lily.”

“Do what?” My voice turned into a bit of a screech. “Find a book stolen by a professional thief? Find an ingredient that Gus and I have never once seen? All in one week?”

“Yes.” Poppy’s voice was firm as she nodded. “I have faith in you.”

“How? I haven’t done anything yet.”

“You’ve done plenty,” Poppy said. “You don’t think Gus brags about you when you’re not looking? I’ve heard the stories. Plus, I know all about why you had to close up shop today. Creating and serving The Elixir is serious business.”

“How do you know about The Elixir? That just happened this morning.”

“I work dispatch with all of the Rangers, and when things out of the ordinary are happening, it’s their job to know about it. If you think they’d miss something like a request for The Elixir...” Poppy blew out a breath. “Let’s put it this way. They knew the second that man walked into your bungalow.”