Page 45 of Curses and Cauldrons

“Jo? I swear no murders are planned for this evening?” Roman’s hand brushes down my back. I have layers of clothing on, but the touch still makes me swoon. His words bring a smile to my lips and reset my brain into action.

“Planned? But some may still occur?”

“Never say never.” Roman grins at me as I get in the car.

The temps outside are in the single digits, but it’s still warm inside from his trip to come pick me up.

“We’ve got a little bit of a drive,” Roman announces once he’s settled in his seat and pulls away from my apartment.

“I’m just going where the night takes me. Murder and all.”

Roman sticks to the residential streets as we drive through town. Technically, the Tenebris coven isn't supposed to be on the Lumen side of the river. It’s a completely absurd practice because who’s even enforcing it? Mystic Hollows has a tiny police department staffed by a handful of humans. They wouldn’t even know that Roman shouldn’t be on this side of town. That’s not to say that someone from the Lumen coven won’t see Roman’s car and connect it to him. Then, the coven leaders would fight it out with little to nothing coming of it in the end, except for a bunch of wasted time.

“Are you going to tell me where we’re going yet?” We pass by houses glowing in the night. They all look so warm and cozy, butyou never know what’s happening behind closed doors. Images can be deceptive.

Roman glances my way. The dash gives off a blue-tinted glow, and his features look more defined than normal. “Are you someone who likes surprises or not?”

I chew on my fingernail, but Roman gently tugs my hand away, threading his fingers through mine. Warm currents of energy flow from the touch, and I sink back into the seat, almost instantly relaxing. My magic reacts as if Roman struck a match and lit my soul on fire. It strains toward him, making my body feel like it’s glowing. Roman makes a low, rumbling sound that takes me from relaxed to aching in less than two seconds.

I fumble to answer his question, lost to all the sensations swirling under my skin. “I suppose it depends on the surprise. Mostly I’ve just had the not fun variety in life, so I tend to want all the details. Not that I often get them.”

“In that case. I want to take you on a date.”

“A date?” my voice squeaks, and Roman grins, his eyes staying on the road as we leave Mystic Hollows.

“Unless you want to go shopping at Woodroot’s Apothecary, there really isn’t a spot in Mystic Hollows where the two of us can go without setting both covens on our asses.”

He’s not wrong. Which makes me wonder what we’re doing. I don’t want to miss the opportunity to feel touch without pain, and the more time I spend with Roman, the more I realize that I really like him. But in the long run, how could anything possibly work between us? I shake my head. It doesn’t matter. I’m getting completely ahead of myself. For Maiden’s sake, he’s taking me on a date, not proposing.

“My brother, Ambrose, Odie, and I have a cabin on Eternal Mists Lake. It’s far enough to get away from the pressures of the coven and our families.”

There are lakes all over the Upper Peninsula, but Eternal Mists Lake is close enough that I’ve heard of it. It’s about a forty-five-minute drive from Mystic Hollows.

“Do you get along with your family?” The radio is on, but the volume is turned down low. I catch snippets of a blues riff.

“Bram and I have always been close. I don’t have a great relationship with my parents. They’re more concerned with appearances than anything else. Well, my mother. My father’s main focus is sleeping around. You have two sisters, right?”

I nod, causally absorbing the comment about his father and leaving it alone. “I do. I’m close with my youngest sister, Penelope. Camille is nineteen, but we don’t really get along. My mother is all about power and the hierarchy of the coven. In my family’s eyes, I’m not the right representative of the Delvaux lineage. Camille will take over as head of the family when my mother steps back someday.”

Roman’s brows pinch. “You’re the oldest, though.”

“I know.” I shrug. Honestly, that doesn’t bother me. I don’t want to be part of the coven’s council. I don’t want to argue about how we’re superior to the Tenebris coven. I can’t imagine anyone would listen to what I have to say, especially because I want things to change. Still, I can’t help but think about what my mother said to Camille the other day. About my curse and her plans for me. I haven’t been able to figure out what she meant.

“Does your sister have more power?”

“No. I’m the strongest healer in the family. My mother has water magic. The healing abilities come from the Delvaux line. Camille has middling abilities, but she doesn’t often use them. Penelope is still learning, but she may be more powerful than me in the end. I’m better at harnessing my magic because I use it every day, but Pen will probably surpass me since she doesn’t have to deal with the curse.”

The car swerves a little, and I grab hold of the door with my free hand. Roman’s still clutching my other hand in his fingers.

“You’re a masseuse. You use your magic every day. Even though it pains you?”

I fall silent. I guess that didn’t occur to him before now. How can I explain that I don’t mind helping people? I just wish it were others more deserving than the rich assholes who come into the spa. I don’t get a chance to respond because Roman asks another question.

“And does your sister Camille do the same work?”

I hesitate, knowing how this will sound. “No, she works on the office side of things.”

“But she has healing abilities and doesn’t have your curse.” Roman’s words grow clipped. His relaxed posture has disappeared.

---