Love Croakies by Sam Cheever (the kiss of deception read online .txt) 📕

the bedside table. I grabbed the heavily buttered slice and took a big bite.

“I’m going back to the store. We’ve had a steady line of Ben E. Nigma fans pouring over the stock since we got back. There was a line around the block.” She shook her head. “Thank the Universe for Baca. She’s been a goddess-send.”

“Baca?” I asked, crumbs spewing from my mouth.

Sebille ignored my question, stepping through the door.

“Bring me back a cookie!” I yelled after her. She ignored me, and I lay back on the pillow with a sigh, closing my eyes.

I dozed. Waking up only when the mice all squeaked in alarm and dove back under the covers. I sat bolt upright, ready to grab Wicked if he jumped onto the bed to stalk them.

But it wasn’t my cat. Hobs stood in the doorway holding a plate. He fixed me with a pale blue gaze filled with guilt. “Miss. I brought you cookies.”

I patted the bed next to me. “Thanks. Sit. I think we need to talk.”

He dragged himself over to me, looking miserable. I took the plate from him and set it on the bedside table next to the cold remains of the toast.

Hobs stood beside the bed, eyes downcast and long fingers nervously twining. The little shock of light brown hair between his big ears lay limp against his pale skin, mirroring his dejected attitude.

I couldn’t bear to see him so upset. Taking a deep breath, I got right to the point. “You stole the love serum, didn’t you?”

He frowned, his gaze still not meeting mine. He pulled a hand out from behind his back and handed me the serum. It was in a small bottle, only three inches tall and rounded at the bottom with a narrow neck.

I looked it over, noting the broken wooden stopper that seemed to have been glued back together.

Just like that, a lightbulb lit in my brain and I knew.

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “That’s not right. You didn’t take the serum. The brownie took it, didn’t she?”

“It’s not her fault, Miss. That mean lady was in the vault. She was breaking everything. She didn’t see the bottle fall and the lid crack. Baca grabbed it and ran to hide until the noisy came on and the lady popped out of there.” His eyes glistened with unshed tears. “She only wanted to fix the lid, Miss.”

I stared at the tiny bottle, wondering how something so small could cause so much trouble. I needed to make Hobs understand how important it was for him not to mess with the artifacts. I didn’t know how to start. Finally, I just started with the first question that popped into my mind.

“Why?” I’d get to the rest after he told me why he’d broken my trust and endangered us all.

“Baca’s my friend, Miss. I didn’t want you to make her leave.”

I bit back a sigh. He obviously thought I was horrible. “This is not a playground, Hobs. Messing with artifacts is dangerous. In this case, people were hurt. You almost died. This is serious.”

Then I remembered his little tux, and I asked, “Did you take some of this serum?”

He shook his head. “Not on purpose. When she showed me I…” His chin dropped even lower. “I think some got on my finger.”

Closing my eyes, I couldn’t believe the mess of accidents and coincidences that had occurred to bring the whole Cupid thing to boiling point. My eyes popped open again when I realized, if Baca and Hobs hadn’t taken the serum, Desiree might have gotten her hands on it. And she’d have done much worse things with it.

An ugly thought occurred on the heels of that one. What if the brownie had intentionally left some serum residue on the bottle when she’d given it to Hobs? If she had, she needed to leave immediately. In the meantime, I had to make Hobs understand that he didn’t need magic to be loved. “Hobs, people should love you just because you’re you. If you need magic to create love, then it’s not really love. You know that, right?”

He nodded, but he hesitated just long enough that I doubted he really did understand.

I reached out and took his hand. It was warm, and the skin was baby-soft. “You’re very loveable,” I told him. “I love you. Sebille loves you. If Baca’s the right girl for you, she’ll love you too.”

He sighed, his chin dipping lower. “I messed up, Miss. I’m sorry.”

On an impulse, I pulled him closer and gave him a hug. “Yes. You did. Because you should have brought it to me right away. Sebille and I have been looking all over for that serum.”

“I know, Miss. I was going to bring it. But then I started feeling all funny inside and I…I forgot.”

“I know it’s hard for you to resist using the artifacts,” I told him in a quiet but firm voice. “But you can’t live here unless you do. You know that, right?”

He sighed, tears glistening in his eyes. “Yes, miss.” He stood up. “I’ll leave.”

I reached out and snagged his hand before he could get away from me. “No. I’ll talk to Sebille and Grym. They need to agree to give you a second chance…” Sebille because she worked with me at Croakies and I trusted her judgment. Grym because, technically, misuse of magical artifacts was against supernormal law.

Hobs’ hopeful gaze lifted to mine. “Really, Miss?”

I nodded and then laughed when he threw himself at me. “I’m sure they’ll be fine with it,” I said. “But no more messing with the artifacts.”

“Yes, Miss!” He turned toward the door, stringy muscles bunching to sprint away.

“Hobs?”

He skidded to a halt. “Yes, Miss?”

“How did Baca come to Croakies?” I wasn’t surprised that, once she’d gotten inside, Sebille and I hadn’t seen her. Brownies did their work at night while others slept, cleaning and fixing things in the places where they lived.

His smile fell away. “She was sleeping outside, Miss. In a box. I