Phantom’s Kiss – Chapter 1
The pot hovers in the air, pouring steaming coffee into a mug. The refrigerator door opens, and a carton floats out, opens its spout and tilts, releasing a dollop of cream into the dark liquid. Two sugar cubes drift from the bowl on the counter into the mug. When Bridget reaches it, a spoon is swirling the mixture together.
She picks up the cup with both hands, savouring the warmth as the aromas of fresh-baked bread and frying bacon hit her. She takes a sip and closes her eyes.
“Is it the way you like it?” asks Moric.
“It’s perfect.” Bridget indicates the pan on the stove, where tongs are busy turning over strips of bacon. “I see you’ve changed the menu.”
Moric shrugs. “What can I say? I’m a convert. Bacon is so much nicer than fish.”
“Not as healthy, though.”
“Once in a while won’t hurt,” says Moric.
An orange tabby leaps up onto the counter.
“Down, Milo,” says Bridget.
Milo stretches out, tail dangling off the edge. Bridget picks him up and deposits him on the floor. He tenses, ready to spring again. Bridget catches him and pulls him onto her lap.
“Your familiar seems agitated this morning,” says Moric.
“Stop referring to him as my familiar. He’s a pet.”
“Most of the time he gives the appearance of being an ordinary cat, but this morning, while you were still sleeping, he watched me with an unblinking stare.”
“Hoping for food,” says Bridget. “He knows who the better cook is around here. So, what does your day look like?”
“Magic requalifications,” says Moric. “I have to demonstrate my competency so I can officially carry a wand for the next year.”
“That sounds like fun,” says Bridget. “I get to spend the day reading through the financial records of a corporate manager suspected of embezzlement and tax evasion.”
“That sounds int… mind-numbingly boring.”
“It is. Want to trade places?”
“No, thanks,” says Moric. “I prefer to pass my exams.”
Bridget smiles as she sips her coffee. She watches as Moric turns to watch the pan, notes the way his muscles shift under the thin fabric of his shirt. The burner turns itself off, and the pan moves itself off the burner. Bacon floats from the pan to a plate covered in paper towels. Moric breaks off a piece and offers it to Milo, who climbs from Bridget’s lap back onto the counter.
She met him a few months ago while investigating a case of spontaneous combustion. Moric showed up at the scene, claiming to be a detective from the magical city of Estrellien. She thought he was a crackpot until he disappeared right in front of her. The case progressed into the murder of a high-ranking member of a magical cartel, with the backlash spilling over onto the streets of Toronto. Since then, he’s been a fixture in her life. Most nights, he’s either in Toronto or she’s in Estrellien.
He looks at home here. She can imagine him here every day, her coming home… She stifles that thought. Casual, no strings. She doesn’t have space for anything else.
“Are you okay?” asks Moric.
Bridget startles at the sound of his voice. “Fine. Why?”
“Your phone is ringing.”
“Oh.” She fishes it out of her pocket and answers it. She listens. “I’ll be right there.” She puts her phone away and looks at Moric.
“You won’t be joining me for breakfast, I take it.”
“Sorry, just you and Milo today. That executive I’ve been investigating–he’s been found dead. Likely murdered.”
Moric slices off a piece of bread, wraps it around a few pieces of bacon and offers it to her. “Bacon sandwich to go.”
She accepts it and kisses him.
