Page 26 of Wickedly Yours

He’s a demon.Surprise flashed through my eyes.

“Nothing.” My sister focused on the dishes,scrubbing at them instead of continuing the conversation. Avoiding whatever truths were in her mind.

It had to have been a joke, right? Ademon?

Like… an immortal, supernatural being fromHell?She had an evil spirit living in her house? Sleeping in her bed?

But he couldn’t bebad. He looked at her the way my dad had looked at my mom. Like he cared about her. There was no mistaking it. You couldn’t fake that kind of affection.

When she finally turned back to me, I rolled my eyes. “I’m just saying. I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”And even having my doubts, I hadn’t been able to deny that after seeing them together at the bar.

“Like what?” Willow’s voice was barely a whisper.

“Like you’re his entire world.”

Yes.He was just as smitten as her.Head over heels. She’d known him for a month, and yet, seeing the way his gaze was heated as he watched her…

It was how I wanted Zain to look atme.

“Oh.”

“Yeah.Oh.”I pinched her arm lightly. “If you don’t tell that man how you feel about him, I’ll do it myself.”

“Luna,”she bemoaned, drawing out my name. “It’s still new. I don’t want to ruin it.”I raised an eyebrow, and she held up her arms in defeat. “Fine, fine! I’m going home now.”

“Tell your man I say hello.”I gave her a little finger wave as she grabbed her stuff.

“Don’t stay too long yourself,” Willow said, almost an afterthought. “Goddess knows you could use some time away from this place. You practically live here, I swear.”

I couldn’t disagree with that.

Besides, Zain would be waiting for me upstairs.

“I won’t.”

It was a promise I could keep.

Halloween had finally arrived, and I was closing up the bakery early before meeting up with Willow and Damien for the festivities. I wished Zain was here to see how Pleasant Grove celebrated, but he'd told me two days ago that he was going on a business trip.

I’d been pouting ever since he’d left, but luckily Willow was too busy with Damien to pay attention to how my mood had been all over the place. To how my heart beat faster every time I thought about Zain.

I loved my sister, but I didnotneed to explain to her about theolder manI’d been seeing. Not that I’d asked him his age yet. The thought made me frown. One of these nights, I’d have to ask. Clearly, we needed to do more talking in the evenings when he came over.

It was just so hard to keep my hands off of him after that first time. Every time he showed up, I could barely resist pouncing on him, and we ended up with our clothes off within the first ten minutes.

Evidently, I needed to clear some things up. About what this was. Were we just hooking up? Or was it… more?

Tying up the trash bag in my hands, I headed towards the back alley of the shop.

After this, I just needed to turn out the lights, and I could go upstairs and get changed for the party. I still had a few hours before it started, giving me ample time to do my hair and makeup.

Halloween night in Pleasant Grove was always incredible—when you paired the magical abilities of the town’s residents with a celebration of all things spooky, people went a little over the top. Willowlovedit. She’d been the biggest fan ofHalloween for as long as I can remember, always excited when we were little to pick out her costume and go trick-or-treating together.

I smiled, thinking about the first year when I’d been learning to control my magic, and I’d levitated my plastic pumpkin alongside us until an older boy had bumped into me, causing me to lose focus—and my candy to tumble to the ground. My eyes had filled with tears, but it was Willow who jumped to my rescue, ready to fight the boy who ran into me. She’d even hexed a broom, sending it after him until he ran home crying tomommy.

I couldn’t remember my costume or my favorite candy that year, but I remembered how my big sister would do anything for me.

She’d always been my best friend.

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