Page 42 of Spookily Yours

“Come here,” Damien whispered, holding his hand out to me.

I took it, surprised when he spun me into his arms.

“Oh, you have moves, do you?” Maybe part of me was just surprised he knew how to dance. Especially as he spun me around, his feet moving faster than my eyes could seem to keep up with.

“It’s the demon realm, not hell,” he said, his deep voice rough against my ear. “I learned how to dance when I was young.” Why did that make him even more endearing?

He shut his eyes, a warm smile curling on his lips. “My mother loved to dance.”

“Damien…” I murmured. That was the sweetest thing he’d ever said. “What happened to her?” I’d lost my own parents, but hearing him talk about her in the past tense made my heart ache.

He shook his head. “My father… the palace… even with all the guards, it wasn’t the safest place for her.” A distant look filled his eyes, like he was thinking about the past. “She died protecting me.”

I knew what it was like—losing a parent—but not like that. “Mine passed in a boating accident,” I said in a whisper. “I’m sorry you had to go through that alone.”

His eyes connected with mine, and the pain evident in them… It made me want to kiss him again, just to take it away for a little while. Or maybe give him a hug. I wasn’t sure which one. But given that we were in the middle of a crowded dance floor, I just kept letting him lead me.

“It’s been a long time.” His grip on my back tightened. “It doesn’t hurt as much anymore.”

I rested my head on his shoulder. “That pain… It never really leaves you, though.”

“No,” he agreed. “It doesn’t.”

We were quiet for awhile after that, just losing ourselves in the music’s flow.

“Can I ask what happened to them?” Damien’s voice was quiet, resigned. Like he thought I wouldn’t answer.

“I don’t talk about it much,” I said, honestly. “Most people in town know what happened, and my coven, well… You’re the first person who’s asked about them in a long time.” I fiddled with his shirt with my hand that wasn’t still holding onto his. “They’ve been gone for years. I still miss them, of course, but I stopped crying ages ago. I had to be strong for Luna. Keep it together for her.”

“How old were you?” He murmured.

“21. I was in college when I got a call. There was a freak accident. And Luna, she… She’d barely graduated high school.”

He rubbed my back. “So you came back?”

I nodded. “So I came back. Finished a semester early, got my degree, and then kept our house from falling apart as Luna went to pastry school. She knew what she wanted and I…” Didn’t. Hadn’t had a dream.

“Did everything for your sister.”

“Yup.”

He made a noise of agreement. “I know what that’s like. To feel you’ve given up your life for your sibling.”

“It’s not that I don’t think it was worth it. I love Luna. I love working together, the business we’ve grown. The Witches' Brew is my baby as much as it is hers. It’s just…”

“Not your dream.”

I looked up at him. “Yeah,” I whispered. “It’s not my dream.”

He cleared his throat. “So what is?”

“You know, I think I’m still figuring it out.”

“Me too.”

I laughed. “What, two hundred and eighty-seven years wasn’t enough to figure out what you wanted to do with your life?”

Damien brushed a hair behind my ear. “It didn’t feel like much of a life until I met you.”

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