Page 6 of Shadow Witch

“Wait, wait,” Dewey said from inside the carrier. “Is this what a daywalker would do? Get down on one knee?”

“Of course not,” Devon said with a scoff. “I just thought Paige may prefer it.”

“What would you do?” Paige asked reluctantly, almost afraid to hear the answer.

Devon offered her a confused glance. “Kidnap you and put you in a tower room until you give in. But we already tried that and it didn’t work.”

Paige slid her eyes closed, heaving a sigh as she shook her head. How had this become her life? “Okay, fine. Just lay it on me.”

Devon popped open the ring box with a grin. “I hope you like it.”

“Holy shi–“ Dewey began when Paige’s gasp cut him off.

“Is that real?”

“Yep. All five carats.” Devon grinned as he pulled the diamond-trimmed blood-red ruby ring from the box.

“Five carats? I hope I can lift it,” Paige answered.

“It was my grandma’s.”

Paige’s heart sank as he slid it onto her finger. “I can’t wear this.”

“Umm, you’re kind of going to have to because my dad will expect it, so…”

“No, I mean, what if I lose it or break it?”

“Don’t do that,” Devon said with a wrinkled nose. “It wouldn’t end well.”

Paige sucked in a breath as worry clouded her mind over the ring. “Great. The way my luck runs, I’ll melt it or something.”

“Don’t do that either.”

“Yeah, I’ll try my best. Okay, I guess I’m ready to shop.” Paige grinned at Drucinda.

The woman rolled her eyes and groaned. “Oh, this is going to be so not fun.”

Paige hurried to keep up with her as she strode across the archive toward the stairs. “Don’t you mean fun?”

“No. You dress like someone’s grandmother at a knitting circle. You turn cozy into an entirely new fashion genre.”

Dewey burst into laughter, slapping the sides of the carrier.

Paige froze for a step, her nose wrinkling before she hurried after the woman again. “I do not.”

Drucinda glanced at Paige’s current outfit. “You’re joking, right? Look at that jumper. I didn’t even have anything that cutesy when I was five.”

Paige recalled meeting Drucinda at ten when they time-traveled. No, she couldn’t imagine her wearing anything considered cute.

“I like cute stuff. My tunics are cute. And comfy.”

“Comfy is hardly the look we’ll be going for at a Durand party. The creme de la creme of society will be there. We don’t want them all to question Devon’s judgment.”

“Someone should question Devon’s judgment,” Paige said as they climbed the stairs. “This is not normal behavior.”

Drucinda scoffed as they passed by the paintings of the former Paris librarians. “No kidding. The fact that he let you slip away and didn’t drag you back by your hair and lock you in that tower room is a real head-scratcher.”

They pushed into the main portion of the library. Paige hurried to keep up with Drucinda’s long strides, the carrier bouncing off her hip. “Are you being serious or are you joking? I never can tell.”

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