Page 72 of Blue Moon Mistress

“No. I made this choice. If there are consequences, they are mine. And mine alone.”

Ten

The wolves perk upas gravel crunches outside and I look up at the gray windows. The wolf I know is Joshua’s is most excited, so I’m not surprised when the man himself comes through my front door.

He looks from the wood to me and his lips twitch with a smile. “Must be nice to open doors without having to get up.”

I’m in the middle of my living room floor, surrounded by books and papers. “Sometimes, getting up means excavating yourself, and a pinch of two fingers is just easier.”

He closes the door behind him and shrugs out of his jacket.

“Ditch the boots and you can come in here. Otherwise, it’s going to be a minute before I can get to you.”

I lay a scrap of twine between the pages of my great aunt’s grimoire and set it aside. There are the appropriate stones and crystals holding down almost everything else, but when I stand, my pen rolls from my skirt onto a loose page I hadn’t gotten to yet.

And it distracts me.

“I didn’t realize you’d have so much homework in this profession.”

I snap back to attention. “I’m sorry. I’m looking for a spell I haven’t used in at least a decade and that keeps leading me down rabbit holes.”

“It looks a little consuming.”

I nod, wondering why I don’t remember the paper in my hand. The handwriting is my grandmother’s but I don’t recognize the ingredients or the paper it’s written on.

The last thing I want to do is perform a spell when I have no idea what it’ll do. I set it under a chunky piece of blue kyanite and make a mental note to research it later.

“Would you like me to make you tea?”

When I look up again, his brow is pinched with concern and he watches me like I might tip over.

“I’m sorry.” I place the pen on top of the grimoire—I’ll get back to it first. “It’s too easy to lose track of time when I fall down one of these.”

I look around my living room and grimace. It looks like a tornado has blown through and… I have no idea what time it is. Picking up my skirts, I hop over the piled spells and notes. I don’t let them go when I stop in front of him and turn my face up for a kiss.

He obliges. “We were starting to think you were avoiding us.”

“Of course not.” I reach up and hook my arms around his neck, stretching out sore muscles. “But I do think I need that tea.”

Grabbing my phone off the end table, I lead the way into the kitchen and can’t help but grimace at the number of missed messages. “Shoot.”

Thomas had had a weekend tournament, Joshua was on overtime to get the buoy set up finished for the December unveiling, and Chase worked weekends, so aside from a brief walk on the beach with Johnny and the wolves, I hadn’t seenany of them all weekend… And I didn’t realize it was already Tuesday.

“We didn’t want to come barreling out here… your space is your space, but after two days…”

“I honestly didn’t realize I’d been in there that long.”

“Pretty sure you’re going to need something more than just tea. Lunch?” Joshua goes to my fridge and pulls it open. “What would you normally eat after a bender like that?”

I have to chuckle at the word. “There’s a green container on the top shelf. And a round one on the middle that’s got a red lid. Grab both of those out for me, please.”

“What are these?” He asks, setting them on the counter and popping their lids.

“That is a tempeh and broccoli salad.” I say, handing him the baster. “The vinegar dressing at the bottom needs to be redistributed. Please don’t stir it.

“And those are some whole wheat pitas.”

“Let me guess, the one goes in the other?”

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