Page 53 of Signed in Incubus

No. She had to nullify the spell.

I must have sighed aloud because Seth asked, “You like this witch, don’t you?”

There was no point in lying. “Yes. Very much so. I’ve been living with her since I left Desmon’s estate. I don’t want to forget her, but I can’t continue to let her be in danger.”

“You know what? If it is really meant to be, you’ll find each other again. You two can make new memories. And if you don’t, it wasn’t actually meant to be.”

“Then I guess it’s best to have her do it soon before either of us gets too attached.” But in my heart, I knew the truth: I already was attached, and losing her would mean losing the happiest moments of my life. “Thanks, Seth. You’re not too bad for a wizard.”

“I get that a lot. No problem. If you need anything else, just holler.”

I knew what I had to do. No way would Penny nullify the spell if I was still around. She’d gotten attached to me just as I’d gotten attached to her. In order to keep her safe, I’d need to break both our hearts. The only consolation I had was that if I was successful, I wouldn’t remember any of it.

And Penny? She was smart, witty, and beautiful. She would find someone better—her real perfect man—in no time.

Chapter 26

Penny

I woke up alone.

The home was eerily quiet, with no sign of Prax anywhere. I looked outside and immediately saw that his vehicle was not parked in its usual spot downstairs. A sick, sinking feeling settled in my belly.

I went back to the bedroom to grab my phone, and there, under my device, was an envelope with my name on it. The sinkingfeeling grew until it felt like I’d swallowed a truckful of lead. With trembling hands, I opened the envelope, hoping it wasn’t what I thought it was.

It was.

I couldn’t decide what was more hurtful. Prax ending our time together with a Dear Jane, or him starting the letter by thanking me “for a good time.” Who the hell does that? It made it feel as if what we had shared was nothing more than unimportant fun. Maybe that was all it had been for him: a good time. And now that he’d gotten his jollies, he was off looking for something else.

Why was I so surprised? I’d known what he was from the beginning. I’d also known that he wouldn’t settle down. Prax was an incubus. I couldn’t expect him to deny his very nature.

Tears blurred my vision as I continued reading. He called what we were doing “playing house” and said that while it was “enjoyable,” he wanted his freedom again, please and thank you. Domestic bliss wasn’t “as much fun as he thought it would be.”

He went on to say that he’d gotten confirmation from a reputable wizard that nullifying the spell would leave most of his memories intact. The only ones he’d lose would be those associated with me, and he didn’t mind losing those anymore.

He told me I could keep the necklace or sell it if I wanted—he didn’t care—then ended by saying I knew his number and to call him if I wanted a good time after I nullified the spell. He might not remember me, but he was sure we’d have fun. But it was very clear that wild, sexy times were all he could offer me.

Hot tears hit the page, and I crumpled the paper up and hurled it across the room, suddenly very angry at myself for getting so attached so soon. I was so stupid; very, very stupid!

What had I expected to happen? That I’d be able to keep Prax, anincubus, forever, and he’d end up being my perfect man? I already knew the spell had fucked up, so why had I thought it would be right about him?

At least he left a note instead of just disappearing on me, like Travis.

He wanted his freedom, did he? Fine! He’d get his freedom. It was better this way, anyway. Two weeks of happiness had served its purpose: I’d gotten over Travis really freaking fast. That had been the whole point, hadn’t it?

Hadn’t he said he liked to comfort heartbroken women? Well, he’d done his job admirably. It was my fault for thinking it was anything more.

It was for the best that he did this now before I fell in love with him. Because Iwasn’tin love with him. It was way too soon for that. It had been a fling, nothing more. Like, what type of stupid idiot falls in love with someone after only two weeks. Two amazing weeks where we barely left each other’s side.

Who the fuck was I kidding. I was exactly that type of stupid idiot.

Before the negative self-talk could spiral and snowball into something bigger, I forced myself to take a breath and step away for a better look. I refused to believe that the last two weekshad been a mistake. Because they hadn’t been! Look at all the positive changes I’d made!

I had my own place and was making my own decisions now. I had friends who cared about me, and I lived in Darlington, a place where I could practice magic freely. I’d also sent a very clear message to my family that I was my own person. I felt free for the first in a very long time.

And I had done it all with Prax by my side. So there: I decided that no matter what happened, no matter how he thought of it, I would always see the last two weeks as a good thing.

Perhaps the universe had known I needed a little extra help and support and had sent me an incubus instead of an angel. He’d done his job, and he’d done it well. I didn’t need him anymore, so he was gone, his job as my temporary cheerleader over and done with.

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