Page 22 of Captivating Magic

A door clicked shut behind her, and Lo’s gaze swept the newcomer before focusing on her again.

“Burns? How exactly?” the man she assumed was Clutch asked, joining them.

“You can see me?” When he nodded, she became oddly emotional. Gratitude flooded her entire being, and she had a massive urge to throw herself into the man’s strong arms.

She took stock of his person, too overcome to speak. Standing about six-three, he was dark-skinned and possessed a smoothly shaved head. His midnight-colored eyes glowed with an appreciative light, and when he grinned at her speechlessness, straight white teeth greeted her.

“You’re gorgeous,” she blurted.

“Excuse me?” Lo choked on a laugh.

“Oh, I… um, he…” She cleared her throat. “His build. He’s pretty much perfect.”

“Yeah, I get that a lot,” Clutch said with a deep belly laugh. His was the voice of a soulful blues musician, and the pleasurable raspy sound added to his appeal.

“I bet you do,” she mumbled, unable to take her gaze from his thick biceps and heavenly shoulders.

Lo’s fingers materialized in front of her, and he snapped them a few times to gain her attention.

“Ebba! Stop eyeing him like a tenderloin at a steak-lovers’ convention and focus on the subject at hand.”

Clutch’s grin widened. “He’s just jealous I’m hotter than he is. Eye-fuck me all you want, girl. I live for these moments.”

She laughed. How could she not when the man was so down-to-earth and funny?

“As if,” Lo muttered. His surly attitude and Clutch’s throaty chuckle caused her to laugh harder.

“I bet the sight of you two together has caused many a woman to check with her cardiologist.” Pleased her comment had Laszlo fighting a smile, she winked in his direction. “But now I understand why you never brought him around while we were younger.”

“Yes, he only seeks me out when he needs something.” Clutch’s warm gaze traveled the length of her and back before he shook his head. “Too bad he saw you first, Ebba girl.”

“Oh, we aren’t a thing,” she assured him. “He’s?—”

“He’s interested, so hands off,” Laszlo growled with a glare for his friend.

“Careful, Lo. You’re beginning to sound like your ex.” A sardonic smile curled Clutch’s generous mouth. “That girl was pure evil.”

“She wasn’t,” he denied.

“That’s why it required a spell to get rid of her, right?”

Ebba looked at Lo with new eyes. “It did?”

His discomfort with the conversation was seen in the tensing of his shoulders and the micro grimace before he changed the subject.

“We have a problem, Clutch, and I’m hoping you can help.”

The man got right down to business. “Possession?”

“Yes, but he’s magical. What tricks do you have in that book of yours to extract him?”

“It’s not as simple as whipping out a voodoo doll, my man. It’s more nuanced with witches and warlocks. You know that.”

“But you’ve come across this before, right?”

As the two men conversed, they strode across the room to an altar-like area filled with what appeared to be antique relics. In the center was a black leather-bound book, roughly twenty by twelve inches. The exposed edges of the pages were wavy and darker than regular paper, as if they were aged parchment. Ebba had only ever seen the like in museums.

A wave of dizziness struck her, along with a bitter cold.

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