Page 98 of Bright Dark Curses

“You’ll watch over them, right?” I asked anxiously as I put on my sneakers.

He crossed his arms and leaned one shoulder against the door frame. “I’ll make sure nothing too bad happens.”

Ian was definitely a “let them learn from their own mistakes” kind of guy. “And you will text me as soon as they’ve decided on something?”

He leaned down and gave me a fast kiss. “I’ll drop by later.”

“With any luck, I’ll be passed out,” I warned him. “If Preston has what I need, I’ll do the potion right away.”

“Want to take the dogs?”

As if Fluffy had heard him, she trotted in from the kitchen, and I crouched to give her some goodbye pets.

“Nope, you keep them.” I grinned. “They’ve missed you very much.”

“‘They,’ huh?”

My grin turned cheeky. “I don’t want to inflate your ego too much. Gotta keep you guessing.”

He gave me a knowing look, and memories of the night flashed through my mind again. Not much guessing to be made.

Blushing, I squeezed his forearm, warm and deliciously solid under my touch. “I’m happy you and Hutton are getting along.”

He grunted, and I laughed as I opened the door and went outside.

The air was cold and crisp, the sky slightly cloudy, and with my potion crystal in sight and the new trap plan, opportunities were, suddenly, infinite.

TWENTY-EIGHT

Preston was waiting for me at Little Owls, a modern coffee shop with way too many versions of coffee available and a decent selection of Danishes. I put in an order for hot cocoa, then joined Preston at one of the small tables. Around us, patrons concentrated on their laptops, and the sounds of key-clicking and the noises of the espresso machines filled the air.

Sitting across from Preston, I looked at him expectantly. “Thank you for loaning me the crystal.”

He studied me for a few moments, then drank some of his coffee. He had opted for some sort of espresso and a plain Danish.

I blew on my cocoa, then took a sip. It was okay, but the one I served at the Tea Cauldron was way better.

“How’s the shop?” he asked with his usual fake cheerfulness.

“Doing great, thank you. Halloween was a wonderful boost.” I set the cocoa down and wrapped my hands around the mug, offering him a bland smile. “How are the opening plans for Tabbies coming along? Will everything be ready in time?” I had received invitations for the opening in two weeks, which I had burned in my backyard’s fire pit while eating pizza with Dru.

“Everything is going according to plan. We’ll be ready for opening day.” He arched a brow. “Will I see you there?”

“I’m sorry,” I said with fake politeness. “Unfortunately, I have a previous commitment that day.” Namely helping Dru with her shop so it’d eclipse Tabbies and yeet the bastard into the sun—her words not mine—even though the two shops had nothing in common.

He snorted and took a bite of his Danish. He took his time chewing and swallowing as my fake customer-facing smile slowly became engraved on my cheeks.

“So,” I finally said, “the charged black jade?”

He patted his mouth with a paper napkin. “I have some conditions.”

My smile dropped. “Conditions?”

“I’ll lend you the crystal if you tell me where Dru got the money for the shop.”

Of all the underhanded things! “That’s none of your business.”

He leaned forward, pinning me with his gaze. “You want the jade, you tell me where that money’s coming from.”

---