The Entity Within

“Welcome to the neighborhood,” she said cheerfully. “My name is Daniella Delaney.” She opened the box’s lid. “And I brought cupcakes.”

“I can see that.” Zoe looked around, half expecting to find Damon lurking somewhere nearby.

Satisfied that he was not waiting to pounce, Zoe returned her focus to Daniella.

“I’m the owner of Heavenly Cupcakes,” Daniella said.

Zoe studied her. “You’re part druid.”

Daniella was clearly taken aback by Zoe’s abrupt comment. “How did you know? Did Nick tell you?”

“No. Your aura told me. It’s an unusually strong gold with tinges of bright royal blue, which is very rare and would indicate your druid heritage.”

“Is that a problem?”

“Not to me,” Zoe said.

“And you are a…” Daniella paused, clearly unsure how to complete the sentence.

“Soap maker.”

“Right. Nick said you’re also a…”

“A witch?” Zoe nodded. “That’s right.”

“Nick told me that you seemed surprised to learn about the vampires.”

“True.” Zoe suddenly realized two things simultaneously—that she was being a poor hostess and that the smell of those cupcakes was making her mouth water. “Oh my gosh. I didn’t mean to keep you standing out here on the porch all this time. Come on in.”

Turning around, Zoe realized that in the time it took for her to come downstairs and answer the door, Gram had completely unpacked the contents of the living room.

Daniella expressed her surprise. “You did a lot of work in a short amount of time.”

“It’s an Adams family trait,” Zoe muttered, praying Gram wouldn’t pull any more magic tricks while Daniella was here. While it was true that the cupcake maker knew Zoe was a witch, she didn’t want Gram getting accustomed to always casting spells to meet their needs.

“The Adams family like the vintage TV show?”

“Not really. Don’t expect to see the shark mounted on the wall with a guy’s leg in it like on the TV show.”

“I actually have a soft spot for fish mounted on the wall,” Daniella said wistfully.

“You do?”

Daniella nodded. “You could say that a singing fish saved my life, but that’s a long story.” She nodded down at the cupcakes. “I brought red velvet. And with St. Patrick’s Day coming up, I included mini mint along with a few Irish cream.”

Zoe eyed the sweets before noticing the teapot on the coffee table. Gram’s work again. Zoe really did need to speak to her grandmother about keeping the magic under the radar for now. Zoe took Daniella’s lightweight coat and zebra-print silky scarf and hung them on the coatrack by the door.

“Please have a seat,” Zoe said. “Would you like some tea?”

Nodding, Daniella sat on the couch and took the cup of tea that Zoe poured and then offered her. “I heard Damon gave you a hard time at the meeting today. Don’t take it personally.”

“It’s hard not to,” Zoe said, taking a seat on the couch beside her.

“I know.”

“Did Damon give you a hard time when you first arrived?” Zoe asked.

“Actually I was born here. My family owns the local funeral home.”

The news surprised Zoe. “So you grew up surrounded by vampires?”

“No. Well, yes, I guess I did. But I had no idea. I was totally in the dark. I left to go to college, and after my training as a chef I worked in New York City. I only met Nick when I opened my cupcake shop back in early October. And I only learned about the vampires shortly after that.”

“Is that when you met Damon, too?” Zoe asked.

“No. Damon’s only been here since mid-January.”

“Yet he acts like he owns the place,” Zoe muttered. “Sorry.”

“No need to apologize to me.”

“Nick seemed nice but not Damon. Damon already warned me that Nick is taken.”

“That’s correct,” Daniella said proudly. “Nick is taken by me.”

“Wow, I didn’t think vampires and druids got along.”

“I’m only part druid,” Daniella reminded her.

“Right. You’re a hybrid,” Zoe said.

“Not that I go around bragging about that,” Daniella said.

“Believe me, I totally understand. I don’t go around bragging that I’m a witch, either,” Zoe said.

“I do brag about my cupcakes, though.” She picked up the box and held it out to Zoe. “Here, have one.”

Zoe selected the red velvet. Taking a bite, she closed her eyes as the perfect blend of moist cake and cream cheese frosting hit her mouth. “Mmm, magical,” she said before taking another bite.

Daniella beamed. “I’m so glad you like it.”

“I don’t like it. I love it. And could easily get addicted.” Zoe eyed the remaining cupcakes and then studied Daniella. Had the cupcake maker used some secret kind of druid magic on her cupcakes to make them so delicious?

As if reading her mind, Daniella said, “It’s not magic. I don’t have any kind of magical abilities. Well, sometimes I get premonitions about the future, but that’s it. Oh, and I can protect myself from evil vampires if necessary.”

“How do you do that?” Zoe asked.

“It’s a druid thing,” Daniella said.

“So only druids can do it?”

“That’s right. Only hybrid druids.”

“Too bad,” Zoe muttered. “There’s a certain evil vampire I could use some protection from.”

“Damon isn’t really evil,” Daniella said. “He just takes his job as head of security very seriously. We had an incident around Halloween that set everyone on edge.”

“An incident?”

“Um, yes.” Daniella paused to take a dainty sip of tea. “With a rival clan of vampires.”

“Great,” Zoe muttered. “So we’re living in the middle of a turf war between vampires?”

“No, things have settled down and Damon’s job is to make sure they stay that way.”

“I’d like things to stay that way, too.” Zoe finished her cupcake and dabbed at her mouth with a linen napkin printed with the Adams family monogram before asking, “How do you do it?”

“My recipes are top-secret.”

“No, I mean how do you get used to living surrounded by vampires? You said your family runs the local funeral home. Do they know about the vampires?”

“No. My brother and father have no druid blood. They are human and it’s safest for them not to know what’s going on.”

“What is going on?” Zoe asked.

“I can’t answer that. But it’s nothing that would involve you or your being a witch or a soap maker.”

Could she trust Daniella? Maybe Nick had compelled her or something. Or Damon had.

“I can’t be compelled by vampires,” Daniella said.

Zoe squirmed uneasily. “Can you read minds?”

“No.” Daniella laughed. “But I could tell by the expression on your face that you were suspicious. If I were in your shoes, I would wonder if a vampire had compelled me. That’s one of the first things Nick noticed about me. That he couldn’t compel me. They can’t compel witches, either, just in case you were wondering. Don’t take my word for it, check it out on the Internet yourself. Or with someone you trust.”

“This move to Chicago is turning out to be a lot more complicated than I thought,” Zoe admitted.

“At least you’re not here alone. You’ve got your grandmother. Oh, and a cat.”

Zoe held her breath as Bella strolled into the room. She gave the feline a warning glare about not speaking in front of Daniella. Yes, the other woman knew about Zoe being a witch, but experience had taught Zoe that