“Then... then why?” Coming here had been a mistake, one I wouldn’t have made if lives hadn’t depended on me. As much as I wanted to be anywhere else, my body was firmly attached to this bit of floor by leaden legs.
His mouth twisted. “This apartment is spelled against listening by mundane or magical devices.” He sighed and tugged his wand out of a pocket sewn into the thigh of his jeans. “Berkaan sowil.”
A spell enveloped the two of us, preventing our words from reaching anyone or anything but one another. He lowered his wand. “I have cherished that picture as I cherished you or would have cherished you, had I been old enough and self-assured enough to make different choices. In truth, it has become so much a part of this room that I forgot to change it.”
“How long have you lived here?”
“Two years.”
And a picture of me had been featured in his living room the entire time.
“I change it when clan members come over, though I avoid having them here if I can.” The pain in his voice had faded to a matter-of-fact tone.
Now that didn’t make sense. He was in good standing with the clan.
He must’ve read my thoughts on my face. “In favor doesn’t mean I like them or what they’ve done.”
I only had two more questions, and for one of them, I’d have to talk him into being under a truth spell. “Why did you move to Nashville?”
Jamie pressed his lips together. “To be close to you.”
Taking a deep breath, I drew my wand and shoved magic into the spell. “Esaz ihaz berkaan.”
His shoulders bunched, and he glared at me.
“I’m sorry, I’ll undo the truth spell as soon as you answer one question.”
Jamie moved his head in a tiny nod.
“Are you stalking me?” I held my breath, and after everything between us, I prayed it wasn’t him. That was a wound I didn’t know if I could heal.
A muscle in his jaw twitched. “No.”
I dismissed the spell and sucked in deep gulps of air. With no regard for the structure of the spell he’d cast to assure our conversation stayed between us, I sat on one of the arm-less leather couches. It wasn’t him.
Eyes closed, I leaned over and rested my head in my hands. In a moment, my head would stop swimming.
Jamie knelt beside me. “Kel, how long have you had a stalker?”
“It started around the time we broke up.” It was my turn to whisper.
“Narzel’s ass, and you thought it could’ve been me? All this time?” He swore again. “I missed you, let the clan use me as their voice so I could see you. I would never...”
“Had to be sure after... after that.” I flapped a hand toward the wall.
Warm fingers touched my cheek. Opening my eyes, I found him looking at me, brows pulled together. “Did you pack a change of clothes?”
I nodded.
“Why don’t you put on something more comfortable, and I’ll feed you while we talk? Can you trust me enough to dismiss this spell? On my honor, the apartment is safe.”
I nodded again, not trusting my voice. This week had done something to me for me to suspect Jamie. Even discounting all the caring he’d shown me when we were dating, there was the incident with the clan bully and his sister. He’d burned Aiden’s eyebrows off after Aiden had ignored Emmie turning down his offer of a date twice and asked her a third time. For that, the clan had made Jamie spend a week making magical burn salve. He’d always said it was worth it.
He slipped the heels off my feet. With one arm, he helped me stand. Shoes dangling from his fingers by their straps, he guided me back to the closet and let me pick up my bag. Another hidden door revealed a half-bath.
“Or you can use my bedroom?”
“This is fine.”
He set my shoes inside and moved back.
Unlike my apartment, the hinges of this door were new and didn’t make a sound as it swung closed. I turned the lock, more out of habit than need.
Trading the dress for my khakis, a thermal undershirt, and a polo with “TBI” embroidered on the chest made me feel more like myself. For now, I skipped the shoes and socks. Surprisingly, the marble was warm underfoot. A perk of the penthouse, I guess.
White walls did little to bring color to my complexion, and the woman in the mirror didn’t look ready for tonight’s spell work.
Inside, I felt raw. Too little sleep, too much stress, and too many emotions were catching up with me. Tonight’s emotions were far from over, and the spells to capture the werewolf would take all of me.
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Whatever revelations awaited me at dinner, I promised myself I’d leave here ready to do my job. Fatigue and stress could get me in the morning. Tonight was mine.
With color back in my cheeks and a light akin to my normal energy in my eyes, I was as ready as I could be to face Jamie again. I wasn’t ready to ask why he’d broken up with me if he regretted it so much, or why he didn’t try to get back together. A pleasant dinner and the magic for the spells. That was all I had in me.
Earlier, the living room had drawn me in, but this time, I followed my nose to the kitchen. The austere effect of many modernist homes was shattered by the mess. The sauce had splattered, leaving flecks of red on the white counter. Discarded bits, a cutting board, and knife and parsley stalks littered the space beside the sink.
Jamie had two plates beside the stove and carefully piled the fettuccine noodles on before dousing them in a hearty sauce with chunks of mushrooms, olives, and other delights.
He handed me a plate and scooped up his own before directing me to a long white table with clear chairs. The garlic bread was already on the table. Two glasses held water and a carafe sat ready for refills.
The clear chair was comfortable enough, but I had a feeling it wouldn’t age well. Plastic like this tended to show every scuff and scrape.
A sigh drew my attention over to Jamie. He lifted his glass, looking into it like it held the secrets of the universe. “I’d intended—well, no matter.” He lifted his glass and locked eyes with me. “To better understandings.”
“I can drink to that.” I tapped my glass against his and took the symbolic sip before applying myself to dinner. The garlic bread was as good as I’d hoped.
Piano music filled the gaps, of which there were many. Our earlier conversation hadn’t fixed our relationship. It felt strange to be sitting next to a man whom I knew so little about when I’d known the boy so well. I was finishing the last of my pasta when Jamie broke the awkward lack of conversation.
“Perhaps dinner wasn’t my best idea.” He stacked his plate atop the now-empty garlic bread tray.
“It surprised me. Of the prices I expected to pay for your help, this wasn’t it.” I toyed with the last piece of mushroom on my plate.
“I’ve missed you.” He picked up the pile of dishes and headed to the kitchen.
Narzel fart. How was I supposed to respond to that nicely?
I hadn’t missed him. I’d spent most of the past six years wishing I lov—liked him a little less so I could hate him. There had to be a safer topic. “How’d you land the job here in Nashville?”
“I called in a favor.” He held out his hand. “Are you done?”
Wordlessly, I handed him the plate.
“Olivia refused, but after she sent me to Thailand and then to Greenland and everyone saw how badly I traveled, it didn’t take much.”
“Remember that trip to Ireland?” I couldn’t help but smile. “You were jet-lagged the entire time.”
“And it took me a month to adjust when we returned.” He shook his head. “I tried to tell them.”
I joined him in the kitchen. “How do you like the job here?”
“Well enough.” He washed his hands before leaning against the counter. “It pays the bills nicely.”
“And keeps you housed nicely.”
“Your place has more charm.” His eyes moved over me, as if he was memorizing every angle, curve, and line of my face.
I doubted he realized the longing that shone in his eyes or that watching him soak in the sight of me dug at the old wound in my heart. Once the memories from years past were sweet. Back then we didn’t have walls up, and I wasn’t trying to hide barbs in every sentence.
He blinked. “You need magic to catch that creature.”
“Uh, yes.” For a moment, I’d forgotten.
Jamie held out his hands.
My eyes stayed on his face as our palms met. Looking at him kept me centered in the here and now rather than sliding into memories of the times we’d held hands like this.
His magic pressed against my skin.
Opening my shields also opened the connection between us. Magic flowed, and for those moments, I was open and vulnerable. He politely didn’t press against my thoughts. It was only when I was overflowing with magic and he had broken the link that I realized he could’ve learned about my necromancy because I’d forgotten to shield that part of me. I had to do better than that if I wanted to enjoy a long life.
“There,” Jamie said raggedly.
“Thank you.” The magic buzzed inside my skin. Holding this much power wasn’t comfortable. “Did it buzz against you?”
He leaned heavily against the counter. “Like angry bees.”
“You gave me too much.” I held out a hand. “Take enough back to steady yourself.”
“No.” He tipped his head toward the cabinet. “I have a potion waiting, second dinner in the fridge, and a date with my bed. I’ll be fine. You’re the one going into danger.”
“You’re sure?” If I could’ve given him magic while his shields were up, I would’ve.
“I’m sure I’m tired of you asking.” He pushed away from the counter and stood on his own. “Socks, shoes, and you can be on your way.”
Pressing my lips together, I retrieved them and settled on his white sofa. He leaned against the wall, and if the slow deliberate movements were any indication, he would be tucking himself into bed as soon as I left.
The empty frame caught my eye. I finished lacing my shoes as I looked at where my picture had been. Maybe this had been one great deception. Even a few days ago, I wouldn’t have put it past him, but... The boy I’d known wouldn’t have kept my picture for years on the off-chance of using it to manipulate me.
“Could I see it again?”
Silently, he picked up the remote. The picture of me, eighteen and so sure of the world, reappeared.
“It’s a beautiful picture.”
“It’s a beautiful memory of a beautiful person.”
I could almost hear him, each of the thousand times he had smiled as he called me beautiful. And the day he’d taken this picture when I’d asked him to stand next to me and drink in the view and he’d said his view was better.
Hoping the memories didn’t show in my eyes, or his, I turned to him. Jamie’s face was almost blank. Only the pinched corners of his mouth gave away how poorly he felt after draining himself.
“I can’t thank you enough for the magic.” I fumbled for the words. “I’ll do, well, I’ll try—”
“Don’t get hurt. Capture or kill the werewolf.” He smiled slightly.
“That’s the plan.” I didn’t know what it felt like to be mauled by a werewolf, and I sure didn’t want today to be the day I found out. “I still owe you.”
He shook his head. “No, you don’t. Now get going.”
My backpack felt heavier than it had before dinner and the hallway to the elevator shorter.
Jamie pressed the button and waited with me. A soft chime announced its arrival, and the door slid open.
“Thank you.” Before I could think better of it, I went up on my toes and pressed a kiss to his cheek. The magic he’d given me flared. Before anything could come of it, I stepped into the elevator.
He reached out. “Kel.”
The door started to close, and he pulled his hand back. “Be safe.”
The door closed on an expression so pained I felt like I’d intruded on a moment I wasn’t meant to see. A tiny piece of my heart that had died six years ago flared to life again. It hurt just as much now as it had the day he’d killed my love and left me broken.
For as long as the ride up had taken, the ride down was too short. Along the way, I pushed past the buzz of magic, the unsteadiness seeing him had caused, the fresh feelings, and found me. Kelsey Pine, witch, reluctant necromancer, and TBI agent.
