Page 12 of A Match Made in Coven
Sarah Michelle glared. “It doesn’t matter how pretty his face is. Or if he’s into me, which he’s not.” She set her coffee mug down with more force than necessary. “He’s a Black. He could be the most attractive wizard in the world, and he’d still be off-limits to me.”
“Oh, come on,” Andromeda protested. “Just because his great-great-grandfather supposedly killed your great-great-grandmother centuries ago?”
“No, not supposedly.Actuallykilled,” Sarah Michelle snapped. “I can’t ignore the longstanding feud between our families because he has a nice smile.”
Andromeda rolled her eyes. “Shelly, we don’t live in the Dark Ages. You can’t let some ancient grudge or coven loyalty dictate your love life. Or lack thereof.”
Sarah Michelle bristled, but Andromeda cut her off before she could talk. “Look, all I’m saying is, maybe Lorcan is more than his last name. Was he upset by his partner’s death?”
The image of him crying alone in the courtroom assaulted Sarah Michelle.
“Yes.”
“He doesn’t sound like the heartless monster your family has made the Blacks to be.”
Sarah Michelle chewed her lip, Andromeda’s words echoing in her mind. She hated to admit it, but her roommate had a point. Lorcan’s grief had been authentic, raw, and unfiltered. It was a far cry from the callous, unfeeling reputation that preceded the Black family.
“Even if you’re right, he’s still an interested party in a case I’m working on. So double off-limits.”
Andromeda threw up her hands in exasperation. “Fine, be that way. But don’t come crying to me when you end up a spinster witch with only Nox for company.”
Sarah Michelle lifted her gaze to the ceiling, but a smile tugged at her lips. “I’ll survive.” She stood up, stretching her arms above her head. “Right now, I need to focus on the case. Speaking of which, I should shower and get ready.”
“Ready for what? I thought you just got off a night shift.”
“I did. But I have to attend the victim’s funeral.”
“Will TBM be there?”
Sarah frowned at the unknown acronym.
Her roommate rolled her eyes at her thickness. “Tall, Blond, and Magical.”
“I’m going to a memorial, not a bachelor auction.”
“Umm. So he’ll definitely be there.”
Sarah Michelle threw her arms up in exasperation and left the room, but still caught Andromeda’s parting salvo. “Shave your legs and wear nice underwear, just in case…”
Chapter Seven
Under MyBlackUmbrella
LORCAN
The gothic cemetery, with its ancient, moss-covered tombstones and wrought-iron fences, stood as a silent witness to centuries of sorrow.
The angry gray sky wept an icy drizzle, creating a persistent, chilly dampness that seeped into bones and souls alike. Lorcan clenched his jaw against the sprays that attacked his black suit, the black umbrella he was holding up—one in a sea of many others—was almost useless under the deluge.
The priest’s solemn words washed over the damp mourners gathered around Elijah’s grave, interrupted only by the whistle of the wind rustling among the bare, gnarled oak branches that framed the macabre picture.
Since his best friend had been human, Lorcan was the only wizard at the function. With a glaring exception. His eyes drifted across the open grave to a twin sea of black umbrellas, the figures huddled under them like crows perched in skeletal trees—faceless. All except for one. Detective Sarah Michelle Callidora stood on the opposite side of the gaping hole in the earth, her gaze fixed straight ahead. Raindrops glistened on wisps of hair escaping her short ponytail. Despite the dreary weather and grim circumstances, she looked frustratingly beautiful in her civilian clothes—a tailored black trench coat emphasizing her slight curves.
Lorcan exhaled, his breath misting in the frigid air.
As if sensing his stare, those penetrating brown eyes locked with his. Lorcan met her assessing gaze head-on. The faintest of frowns creased her brow before she looked away.
Ah.Getting under the unflappable agent’s skin was proving to be an unexpected source of entertainment in this bleak situation.
