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“Pfft, that’s nonsense.” Heidi waved a hand at me. “It wasn’t expensive at all.” Her gaze flicked to Levi, who continued eating as if nothing was happening.
What was that?
“I insist.”
“It’s a gift to my favorite angel,” she said.
A small smile tugged at my lips. “I’m probably the only angel you know.”
She winked at me. “Exactly.”
“Seriously, though, I can’t?—”
The smile was gone. “Ariella, I’m an old and powerful witch and I’m telling you this is a gift. Now take them and be happy before I turn you into a toad!”
For a second, the entire table was quiet and tense.
Then Lacey let out a howler of a laugh, Heidi’s laughter sounded more like hiccups, and even Levi’s shoulder shook as he tried to hide he was laughing.
I smiled at her. “Thank you. Really. You might not want money, but I’ll repay you for your kindness someday.”
She finally cut a piece of her pancake, put it in her mouth, and said before she started chewing, “That I wouldn’t mind.”
* * *
When Levi drove away from Durango, his hands on the wheel, and me in the passenger seat beside him, I finally asked him.
“What did you do?”
“You have to be more specific, sweetheart, because I do a lot of things.” His tone was flirty, casual, but I was sure he knew what I was talking about.
“You paid for the potions.”
“Nah—” He glanced at me and probably saw the teasing was over. At least for now. “Whatever you’re thinking, that’s not it, sweetheart. I’m doing this for selfish reasons. If you get caught, you’ll get hurt, and if you get hurt, I’ll get hurt.”
“How much was it?”
“It doesn’t matter. Like Heidi said, it’s a gift.”
“It matters to me.” I wanted to take note of it so one day I could repay him. I really didn’t want to owe money to a demon. Even if he said it was a gift now, he could use that against me in the future. I would repay him with money and Heidi with kindness or help. She had done a lot for me. “All right, don’t tell me. I can use the price I paid for them in Houston and make my own calculations.”
“Sweetheart, just?—”
I glared at him and he shut up.
Another ten minutes of tense silence went by before I worked up the courage to ask. “What happened to Heidi? She seemed well yesterday, and today, it was like she had only twenty percent of her energy left.” It couldn’t be the potions, could it?
“Heidi is a lot older than you think, and she has been dealing with arthritis. Every time she uses her magic, it flares up.”
“What? But that’s a human disease.”
“Tell that to her body. Lacey is a great healer and she can’t get rid of it. She can make Heidi feel better, though.”
“That’s why she stayed.”
Levi nodded, his eyes on the road. “With the proper rest and Lacey’s magic, Heidi will be like new in no time.”
I could see he really cared for Heidi, like he cared for Lacey. And the women cared for him too.
