Page 3 of Magic and Matrimony

“Tonight. There’s a flight to Vegas from Sawyer.”

Sawyer is the closest airport. I frown at her and squeeze out the extra water in her hair. Piper’s eyes close almost all the way, but she’s still looking at me.

“You want to go now? In the rain?”

“Right now.” She glances at the window, as though expecting a monster to burst through the panes.

Her phone rings. She digs her fingers into my arms, her hands gripping so hard they’re turning white. Or maybe they already were from the cold.

“No,” she whispers. “Take it from me. Hide it. Please.”

The phone is in her front pocket. I can’t exactly go digging around in there. “You’re acting very strange, Piper.”

Tears stream down her face. “Please. Hide it. Now.”

I shake my head, but work my fingers into her sodden jeans, retrieving the phone. She reaches out as if she wants it, but when I hold it out for her, she shouts. “No. Get it out of my sight.” She moans, as if the outburst causes her pain.

I shove the phone behind my back in surprise. I don’t think I’ve ever heard Piper raise her voice before. She lunges at me while tears stream down her cheeks. There’s some magic at work here that I’m not aware of. I slip out of the bathroom and shut the door, holding on to the handle so she can’t get out. Peering down, I see the nameTuckerflash across the screen.

Her uncle.

Piper’s rattling the handle, but as soon as the ringing stops, so does the fight on the other side of the door. There’s a thump of her body sagging against the door.

Why was she so desperate to both get rid of her phone and answer the call from her uncle?

Tucker Beaumont is a piece of shit. He was part of the old coven council that essentially tried to curse the entirety of our coven at the masquerade ball last month. He’s currently under house arrest while the rest of the coven tries to figure out what to do with him and the other bastards that tried to curse us.

The soft sound of crying reaches me through the door and my heart breaks. What is happening to Piper? I look around the hallway and drop Piper’s phone inside an urn that probably held some royal’s ashes or was a product of a dynasty that collapsed five hundred years ago. The phone makes a loud thunk as it hits the bottom of the vase.

When I open the bathroom door, Piper is on the floor. Her arms are wrapped around her knees and her head hangs down. I kneel in front of her, reaching out to grab her hands. A spark of magic zips from her skin where it touches mine. She lifts her head, and her eyes are so bright when she looks up at me, it takes my breath away.

“I need help, Ambrose.”

My magic warms in my chest. A tight ball of energy that wants to zip out and unleash illusions around me. But I keep it tightly contained. I don’t know why Piper is asking me for thisfavor, and I don’t know why she won’t tell me. All that’s clear is that I have no choice. I can’t turn her away. I know what it’s like to be alone and hopeless. Piper doesn’t deserve that.

The agony radiating from her is so palpable I swear I feel it deep in my bones. Neither she nor I have empath magic, so that can’t be it.

Mystic Hollows is a town of contradictions. The city’s entire identity is wrapped up in the idea of witches finding a place where they could practice magic without persecution. Yet, we’ve inflicted so much pain and misery on generation after generation of witches. Our curses have shaped our lives and who we are. I don’t know for a fact that any of this has to do with Piper’s curse, but there’s a good chance that’s what we’re dealing with.

Even if it’s not, I won’t leave her to figure this out on her own.

“I’m always up for an adventure. I didn’t think it would ever end up with a marriage, but stranger things have happened.”

3

PIPER

Relief washes over me. It’s so profound, I struggle to choke back tears. I’m sure I’ve already made Ambrose incredibly uncomfortable. I don’t need to make things worse. I can’t look at his warm whiskey-colored eyes. They’re too concerned, too caring. I focus on my breathing. Ambrose holds out his hand to help me up. I grasp him so hard my nails dig into his wrist, but he doesn’t seem to care.

“Let’s get you some dry clothes, and then we can figure out the next steps.

My relief immediately turns to panic. “No. We need to leave right now.” The towel falls off my shoulders, and Ambrose’s eyes drop to my soaked t-shirt.

“You look like you just jumped in the river, Piper. Besides, it's after three in the morning. It’s not like the justice of the peace is open right now.” He looks up in the air, his forehead wrinkling. “Do we need to get a blood test? Is that still a thing? How long does it take to get a marriage license? I never thought I’d be asking these questions.” Ambrose chuckles to himself as he pullsme out of the bathroom. I tug on his hand, and he looks over his shoulder at me.

Ambrose Roth is beautiful. He reminds me of the sun. The Maiden, Mother, and Crone must have all come together and blessed him with beauty, because he’s absurdly good looking. With golden blond hair and eyes the color of dark honey, he practically glows. Then there’s his smile, which is so bright it makes you feel as if he’s bestowed a gift when he turns it on you.

I don’t have time to get distracted by his insane handsomeness. His looks don’t matter. “No. We need to go now. Tonight.”

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