Page 23 of Shadow Witch

Paige let her eyes rise to the ceiling as she sighed.

“Or maybe ‘Honey Buns.’”

“Oh, that has a nice ring, little man. Especially given Devon’s rather cute rear.”

Devon grinned at her. “Thanks, Dru, I appreciate that.”

“This is important. Yes, whether or not I call Devon my apple dumpling or my sugar pie is really solving the problem here.”

“I like apple dumpling. It’s unique and believable,” Devon said.

“There we have,” Dewey said as he poked a finger at Paige. “Apple dumpling it is.”

“I’m not calling Devon apple dumpling for the rest of the weekend. I was joking. This is insane. We need a new–“

A knock on the door interrupted her. “Now what?”

She stormed across the room and tugged open the door, her eyes going wide as she spotted Dominic. “Mr. Durand. Hi.”

He offered her a fleeting smile as he wandered into the room. “Hello. I had hoped to catch you alone, but I see the gang’s all here, as they say.”

Devon snaked an arm around Paige’s waist. “Well, I couldn’t wait to get back to my sugar pie.”

He squeezed her side, shooting her a wide-eyed glance. “Ah, right. And I couldn’t spend a moment away from my apple dumpling.”

She smiled up at him before he leaned in for a kiss. She offered a nervous chuckle as they awkwardly pecked each other’s cheeks. “So, uh, what did you want?”

“Just a conversation. I’d like to get to know my son’s fiancé better.”

“Might want to hold off in case I perish in the love games.” She laughed at the joke, her giggling dying off as she stared at his very serious expression.

“If you truly love my son, you likely won’t. If you are afraid of death, though, perhaps there oughtn’t be a wedding.”

Paige wrinkled her nose at the man. “What? Are you saying true love always prevails?”

“Oh, no, of course not. Perhaps in an underhanded move, Ivy bites you. You would die.” He shrugged as though that meant nothing. “But still, in the games themselves, you have the best chance of winning if your love for Devon is greater than hers.”

“Oh, great. So, true love prevails unless underhanded Ivy decides not to play by the rules. Why don’t you just kill me now? She’s not exactly the most trustworthy person.”

Dominic studied her for a moment, his eyebrows raising. “I may actually like you as a daughter-in-law.”

Devon tugged her closer with a grin. “She’s pretty great, right, Dad?”

“We shall see how great she is during the games. The picking ceremony will be held in thirty minutes. Ivy has arrived. You should prepare.”

Dominic offered her a curt nod before he spun on his heel and strode from the room. Paige tossed her hands up in the air with a groan as the door clicked shut. “Great. This is horrible. I can’t win.”

“You can win. Oh, unless Ivy bites you. Speaking of, I should whip up a batch of anti-venom. That way if she nails you, you can self-medicate right away and hopefully live.”

“Hopefully?” Paige groaned as her stomach twisted into a knot. “Also, how do you figure I can win? This hinges on true love. We’re not in love.”

“Speak for yourself, Paige. I proposed. I’m in love.”

“Well, maybe you should fight Ivy for your hand.”

“Sorry, kid,” Dewey said as he landed on her shoulder. “Doesn’t work like that.”

Paige shook her head. “Fine. Fine. Since everyone is okay with me risking my life and no one wants to help me brainstorm another plan, let’s go down and see what ridiculous tests of love I will be presented with.”

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