Page 44 of Curses and Cauldrons

“If I must spoon-feed you.” She sighs and takes a bite of her pain au chocolat. I wait for her to wash it down with a sip of her drink, my irritation growing by the second.

“Why are your curses subdued around each other?”

This is her idea of spoon-feeding me?

The blood drains out of my face. I lean down close enough that my whisper can be heard. “How do you know that?” Every word is enunciated and precise. Fitz pokes her finger against my forehead, pushing me back. I don’t feel the touch, which only makes me angrier. What is she playing at?

“I know lots of things, Roman Blackthorn. Stop treating this as though it’s a mirage that will disappear the moment you look into things. Find out why. Dig up the dirt, and maybe you’ll figure out the answer to more than one question.”

22

JOSEPHINE

R: I’m picking you up at eight. Dress warm.

Istare at Roman’s text for the hundredth time today. He sent it around lunch, and I was so unbalanced for the rest of the day that I barely noticed my mother’s insults. My sister was at the spa today and evenshecouldn’t distract me with her jabs about my appearance. I sent Roman back an “okay” and then proceeded to worry about why he wanted to meet for the rest of the afternoon.

I’m ready well before eight. I start to clean my apartment, but that only makes me sweat, so I settle for intermittent pacing and sitting rigidly on my couch. Ava and Piper came over after I panicked and forwarded the text to them both.

“Where’s he taking you?” Ava throws a piece of popcorn up and catches it in her mouth. She’s probably one for five, and kernels litter the chair she’s sitting in. She’s watching some show where no one knows how to bake.

“I know as much as you. He didn’t tell me.” I gnaw on my fingernail and then fluff the pillows on the couch.

“Have you had any motherwort tea lately?”

“Ava.” Piper scolds, but she’s trying to fight a laugh as she turns to me. But then she can’t help herself either. “Have you?”

Motherwort tea is the witching world’s equivalent of birth control and protection from all diseases. I gasp and press a hand to my chest even as my cheeks heat. “Piper. I expect this from her, but you?”

“Why?” Ava snorts. “You know Piper’s probably a freak in the sheets. It’s always the quiet ones.”

“I am not.” Piper laughs. It’s been a while since she’s looked so carefree. It’s nice to see.

“Only for lack of opportunity. I’m sure Bobert Randolfo couldn’t find a clit if you pointed a giant flashing light directly at it.” Ava rolls her eyes.

“First of all, his name is Bobby, not Bobert. And secondly, I have never and will never touch that man in a sexual way.” Piper shudders, and I nod in sympathy.

There’s a knock on my door, and my stomach leaps so far up my throat that I’m afraid it’s going to pop out if I open my mouth. I knew he was coming. Why am I so surprised?

“Wish me luck.” I throw on my jacket and open the door to a devastatingly handsome Roman. His dark hair is almost entirely hidden by a beanie pulled low on his forehead. He’s wearing jeans, hiking boots, and a hooded jacket.

Roman’s eyes trail down my body and back up until I’m so hot I’m desperate to get outside and into the cold air.

“If we don’t hear from you in three hours, we’ll assume you’ve been murdered and call the cops.”

Roman’s brows lift, and the corners of his mouth fight a smile. He leans into my apartment.

“Hello, Ava. I’ll take good care of Josephine. I promise.”

Ava makes a choked sound, and the faint response of “I bet you will” is enough to get me out the door.

I squeeze past Roman and pull the door closed so quickly it slams hard enough to make the walls vibrate.

“Eager to get going?” Roman chuckles.

“Yep. Let’s go do this mysterious thing.”

Roman’s car is waiting at the curb. I vaguely remember it from the other night when he rescued me from the woods. It reminds me of him as a man. Dark, handsome, powerful. He opens the door for me. It’s so foreign that, for a moment, I’m frozen. No one has ever opened a car door for me. What a stupid thing to stop me in my tracks.

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