Page 76 of De-Witched

She made a beeline, planting herself in their way. “You got some ’splainin’ to do,” she accused.

Dressed in a teal sheath that bared her shoulders, pearls gifted from Bastian at her neck and ears, Emma screwed up her face. “Huh?”

Leah pointed to where Kole leaned against the wall, flirting with a pretty server.

Emma’s cheeks flushed bright red. “He wanted to come.”

“Didn’t get an invite, did he?”

“You’d have wanted him here before.”

“I do want him here if I don’t have to suffer big brother censure.”

Tia arched her eyebrows, stunning as always in an ivory mermaid gown shot through with gold overlay. “I’m not sure that’s him being a big brother.”

“Whatever.” Leah struggled not to show her annoyance, aware there was a photographer working the room. “You said you’d trust me. So, do it. I like Gabriel. Deal.”

“How, though?” Tia wrinkled her nose. “He’s so...cold.”

“Not all the time.”

Two pairs of eyes locked on her.

“Yeah, we kissed.” Leah dared them to say anything, folding her arms. Then unfolded them and posed for the photographer as she came up, calling out for a smile. Likewise, her friends moved into position.

All three faced off again when she moved away.

“I supported you,” Leah said to Emma, voice tense enough to hum. “When Bastian came back, I supported your decision to make the best of things. I trusted you. Trust me.”

There was nothing but the tinkle of the piped-in music, the murmuring of the crowd. Emma reluctantly nodded. “She’s right.”

“Emma, don’t be soft.”

“She’s right, T,” Emma reiterated. She looked away, at her fiancé dancing with an elderly lady dripping with diamonds and laughing her ass off. A soft smile touched her face. “We have to trust her.”

“I don’t trust him.”

“Tia.”

Tia held Leah’s unrelenting glare for ten seconds before huffing. “Fine. Fine, make a mistake. But don’t tell him the truth.”

Leah made an as-if noise, pretty sure a guilty blush colored her skin.

Tia ran a hand down her necklace to toy with the pendant. “And if he so much as hurts a hair on your head, I will use the hex bag that’s tucked under the counter at work.”

“You already made one up?”

“No.” Her eyes gleamed. “I made six.”

“You’re a scary woman,” Leah told her, but had to laugh. She touched each of their arms. “Are we okay?”

“Always,” Emma said instantly.

“It’d take a lot more than one warlock to get in the way of us.” Tia grabbed her hand, squeezed it, much as Kole had. “You know I love you. It’s just...you’ve never really liked someone before. I hate that it’s him.”

Instant denial rose. “That’s not true.”

“Name me one man you’ve liked longer than a month.”

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