Page 39 of Cursed By the Love Witch

Violet eyes meet mine and I’m happy to see them clear.

“Not bad,” he says softly.

Pride floods my veins. I did it?

“Really?” I ask, reaching for the cup.

Bael snatches it from me before I can bring it to my lips. Walking on his long legs towards the fireplace, he quickly tosses it into the low-burning fire. It hisses, and an eruption of black smoke billows from the hearth. Bael returns to me and sets the cup down.

“Not bad, but still poisonous.”

I deflate like a balloon falling back into my chair. I’m truly hopeless at this.

“You forgot one key ingredient,” he says, nodding towards the end of the table.

My eyes land on the glass pot of licorice root. Goddess, I had forgotten all about that. It was the exact thing I needed to counteract the final properties. Without it, the poison was still deadly.

“I knew I was forgetting something,” I mumble before my whole body freezes. “Wait, how come you aren’t dead?”

Bael chuckles, waving a dismissive hand.

“My kind are immune to such things.”

“That’s handy.” I cross my arms over my chest and lean forward. “So what are you exactly? That is if you don’t mind telling me.”

Bael smiles softly.

“I’ll tell you whatever you want to know, Darcee.”

I blush in delight.

“My father was a demon from beyond the veil. On the winter solstice, my mother had summoned him, and well—one thing led to another, and I was born. As a halfling, I have some of my father’s power, and I can see into the veil more easily than others. As you've seen, I also have some of his more beastly attributes. And his long lifespan.”

“Is he still around? Do you see him?”

Bael’s lips turn down. Sadness dances over his features.

“No, my mother and he passed away a few decades ago.”

My hand comes down on his, and I thread our fingers together before squeezing him.

“I’m sorry for your loss, Bael.”

He smiles at me before gently tugging on my hand. I rise and round his desk, as he pushes back into his chair. I allow him to settle me into his lap, feeling whole again for the first time since this morning. His hands go to my waist, gently squeezing me.

“While it wasn’t perfect, this attempt was much better than your last.”

“No explosion this time, you mean? I ruined my favorite sweater that day.”

We share a smile, clearly remembering the screaming students and the walls painted in a thick goo. I had just thrown everything into the cauldron and hoped for the best. Now I see how foolish that had been.

“In any case, a reward for improvement is undoubtedly in order.”

I giggle as he rises with me in his arms. With a wave of his hand, his desk is wiped clear of our lesson, and he settles me on the smooth surface. The cool wood seeps into my clothes and soothes my heated skin. There’s something decadent about letting him have me in here. His large frame looms over me before he sinks to his knees.

His face is at the perfect height of my heated core. I prop up on my elbows and lift my hips as he reaches beneath my skirt and slips off my satin panties. I watch him tuck them into his pocket as his hands slide up my booted legs and hook me around the waist. He drags me closer to the edge and flips up my skirt, baring me fully to his hungry gaze.

“I think Prue knows about us,” I blurt out.

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