Page 20 of The Secret Life of a Witch

“I’m glad you’re so happy about that, but I’m completely confused as to why.” Hunter grunts as he stumbles to his feet.

“Oh, my gosh, are you okay?” I ask, rushing toward him.

He nods as he staggers sideways. “Other than getting my ass kicked by a cocky-ass demon, I’m just lovely.”

I hold his arm as he steadies his balance. “Did he hit you with a curse?”

“Yeah. I think it was a freezing one. He tried to hit me with a couple more, but ended up hitting my hair instead.” He looks at me worriedly as he ruffles his singed hair into place. “How bad is it?”

“Um …” I press my lips together, debating whether or not to lie.

“Come on; just rip the Band-Aid off.”

“Other than a few bald spots in the back, you look as sexy as always.”Whoopsie.I so didn’t mean for the sexy part to slip out.

“Sexy?” he questions. Then his eyes enlarge as he shoots his hand to his head. “Baldspots?”

“It really doesn’t look that terrible,” I lie as he fusses with his hair. “There’s just a few in the back.” I put my hand to my mouth and cough out, “And, like, seven in front.”

“Seven!” Fury flames in his eyes. “If I ever see that demon again, I’ll kill him.”

“No killing. But feel free to hit him with a molting spell.” I retrieve his wand from my pocket. “You dropped this back on the sidewalk.” I hand the wand to him. “Maybe you can do a spell to make your hair grow back.”

“Thanks.” Leaving one hand on his head, he takes the wand. “But I can’t use my wand for probably at least twenty-four hours, if not longer.”

“Why?”

“Because a demon’s curse hit it.”

“Oh. Well, that sucks.”

“Yeah, it definitely does.” He gives a contemplative pause. “Hey, maybe you could do the spell.”

Thinking he’s joking, I snort a laugh. But the hilarity dies when I note his serious expression.

“Did the demon hit you with a lose-your-mind curse?” I ask. “Because that’s the only reason I can come up with as to why you’d ask me to use my magic on you.”

“It’s just a small spell,” he insists. “And I’ll help you.”

“Or you could just wear a hat.”

“The only hat I own is the standard wizard’s hat, and I refuse to walk around town with that on my head.”

I kick the tip of my boot against the grass. “Why? Troy used to do it all the time.”

He gives me a stressing look. “Exactly.”

I sigh. “Hunter, please don’t make me do this.”

He struggles not to sulk. “I won’t ever make you do anything, but I really wish you’d try.”

Guilt creeps up on me. I shift my weight uncomfortably as I rotate my wand around in my hand. “You really think I can do it?”

He nods. “I really think you can. It’s a fairly easy spell, and like I said, I’ll help you.”

Swallowing hard, I nod. “All right, let’s do it.”

He grins from ear-to-ear, but the slightest bit of nervousness is evident in his eyes. “Okay, put the end of your wand to my head and repeat after me.”

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