Page 60 of Shadow Witch

“Wait, that’s it?” Dewey asked. “That was ridiculous. Oh well, okay, move on.”

Henry moved forward, a slight smirk on his face. “Paige, you are the beauty that puts roses to shame. The light that outshines the stars. With you, every day is poetry, and every moment is a sonnet. I promise to cherish you with the grace and elegance of the finest verses.”

“Dang,” Dewey said as he shot a glance at Paige. “That was awesome. You’d be hard-pressed to vote for Devon in this round.”

“But I have to. If he wins this round, we’re one step closer to finding my mom.”

“Right, right, right, right, right. Yeah, got it.” Dewey buzzed forward, poking a claw in the air and opening his mouth before he shook his head and returned to Paige. “Wait, I don’t know if I can, in good conscience, vote Devon. It sounds stupid.”

“So what? Cheating is encouraged. Just go say Devon.”

“Fine, fine.” Dewey flew forward again. “Paige’s vote is for…Devon, against my better judgment.”

All eyes turned to the conference of judges at her side. Ben announced, “Henry.”

Paige’s eyes went wide. “So, now what happens?”

Gasps went up through the crowd, and Dominic waved them away. “In the event that there is a split decision, scores shall be averaged. If you all would score the attempts on a scale of one to ten, with ten being the highest score, and one being the lowest.”

Dewey dug a whiteboard from under her chair and handed it to her. With her stomach twisted, she rated Devon a ten and Henry a one.

“Seriously?” Dewey asked. “At least give him a five. His was way better than Devon’s.”

“No way. I need to drag his average down.”

“Fine,” Dewey said with a sigh before he delivered her scores to the judges’ panel. They entered them into a spreadsheet projected on the big screen. Paige’s heart sank as she spotted Henry’s much higher score.

“Henry is the winner of round 2,” Ben announced.

Dominic flicked his eyebrows up as he stepped forward again. “Our final round will decide the winner of this battle.”

Drucinda massaged Devon’s shoulders. “You got this, Devon, finish him.”

Devon cracked his neck as he stepped forward for his final round. He nodded as he stepped forward. With a lick of his lips, he flicked his gaze to Paige. “Paige, uh, I had something prepared for this round, but…obviously, I’m awful at written stuff, so…I’m just going to wing it.

“From the moment I saw you, I knew there was something special about you. And even though I tried to kill you sort of, I still…was also into you. And that’s why I kidnapped you and asked you to marry me. And even after you said no, I still helped you because, baby, we’re meant to be together. We’re written in the stars. And I’m going to do everything I can to make you happy, starting with a key to my heart.” He dug a key from his pocket and presented it to Paige amid oohs and aahs.

“Wow, that’s…that’s a ten for me,” Paige said as she held the brass key in her hand.

“That was pretty good,” Dewey responded. “Let’s see how Henry does.”

Henry stepped forward with a single red rose and scroll, sealed with wax. “Paige, our love is a timeless symphony, a melody that will never fade. I see a future with you, filled with shared dreams and unwavering support. I promise to be your partner in creating a love story for the ages. And these promises, I have outlined in a written document that is binding. If I should go back on any of them, it is punishable by death. This is how strongly I feel.”

Applause broke out as he stepped back. Dewey flicked his gaze to Paige, his features expectant. “Well?”

“Well, what? Devon. Vote Devon.”

“Oh, right. Okay. Although, I think Henry’s was pretty good. Punishable by death? Wow, that’s next-level stuff.”

“Just vote for Devon,” she said through clenched teeth.

“Got it.” Dewey flew forward and made the announcement, however, it conflicted with the judges’ decision. Paige scribbled her scores down on her whiteboard and handed it off.

As the judges conferred, her heart thudded against her ribs. Would Devon win this round or would they face a setback in her quest to find her mother?

CHAPTER 14

Paige chewed her lower lip as scores began to fill in on the spreadsheet. She eyed the two averages at the end, hoping that Devon edged out Henry. As the judge typed in the final number, she bit her lower lip, waiting for the new averages to appear.

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