Page 40 of Magic & Mochas
“You still haven’t told me,” I said, a little breathlessly.“How long you plan to stay in Willowmere.”
“A guild in California has asked me to join a raid team for a dungeon they’ve been having trouble clearing.”His words were hard, but his eyes seemed almost sad.
“Does that mean you’re leaving soon?”I thought he was done with that sort of life.Why did it feel like my heart was cracking all over again?
“I have to give them an answer by noon tomorrow,” he said, dodging the question.
My hope soared.He hadn’t decided yet—which meant I still had a chance to convince him to stay.
Thorne held me a little closer as the music shifted into its final notes, both of us lost in thought.I leaned my head on his shoulder, my cheek brushing the soft fabric of his lapel, and closed my eyes.I didn’t want to imagine opening the shop every day alone.I knew I would miss seeing the shadows dance when he walked into a room, and the way his casual touches warmed me from the inside out.
As the last chord faded, neither of us moved to let go.
I exhaled, eyes still closed, and whispered, “This doesn’t feel like we’re pretending anymore.”Nerves and anticipation set the butterflies aflutter.
Thorne’s breath stirred my hair.“It hasn’t for a while now.”
My eyes snapped open as a little thrill went through me.If I asked him to stay, would he?
“Thorne, I—”
“Look at these two liars, acting like the world revolves around them,” sneered the absolute last voice I wanted to hear.
The room went silent as Rasmus staggered over to us.Nyssa trailed behind him, a smug look on her face.They were wearing matching dark green outfits, but it was the drink in Rasmus’ hand that really caught my attention.
He was drunk.
I shot a glare at Nyssa, but she just smirked.How had they found out about my arrangement with Thorne?Not that it mattered now.Could I not haveonenice event to myself without one or both of these two trying to ruin it?!
“I could say the same of you.”A few snickers broke out, and both of their faces flushed.“Could you save your emotional outburst for some other time?In case you hadn’t noticed, some of us are trying to enjoy ourselves here.”
Thorne set a heavy hand on Rasmus’ shoulder.“I think you’ve had a bit too much to drink, friend.”He angled himself in front of me protectively, which only seemed to further enrage him.
“I think everyone here should know that you’ve been lying to them this whole time!”Rasmus continued as if we hadn’t spoken, and roughly shook off Thorne’s hand.Now I wasn’t the only one shooting them glares.
Should I hex him into silence?But thenIwould look like the bad guy, and everyone here would be distrustful of me, thinking I had something to hide.Which was likely why they had decided to air our dirty laundry in the middle of the ball in the first place.I could see his parents trying to shove their way through the crowd, horrified looks on their faces.But they weren’t going to make it in time.
“You and that disgusting shadowmancer have only beenpretendingto date to get back at me, to make me jealous!”Rasmus was beginning to slur his words.“And everyone has a right to know that a monstrous mur—”
Thorne stiffened, his shadows coiling around Rasmus’ feet, as if readying to strike.But I wasn’t about to let Rasmus make this place a living hell for Thorne because of me.
“Haven’t you embarrassed yourself enough, Rasmus?”I snapped, cutting him off.“Not only did you cheat on me, your ex-fiancée, with the witch your pedigree-obsessed parents wished you were marrying, in our bed, but you also chased me all the way here,mistress in tow,while pretending to be on a work trip.”
After looking into it some more, I had learned that Rasmus wasn’t here on business for his coven like he’d first claimed.If Rasmus had simply left me alone, I would have kept my mouth shut.But of course, he hadn’t.
A collective gasp went up, and my face burned.I saw Kana and Mei look at me with pitying expressions, and Rasmus’ parents froze, horrified.Even Nyssa had the good sense to look embarrassed.But honestly, what had she expected?That I would just roll over and take it?I may have, once, but that wasn’t who I wanted to be anymore.
Rasmus’ face turned purple, and a vein throbbed in his forehead.“Shut up, Clover!It was just a little fling!A mistake!Just come home with me, and we’ll pretend like nothing ever happened!”
Nyssa looked at him like he’d punched her in the gut.“What?A mistake?!”
He strode forward and grabbed my wrist, yanking me roughly towards him.My heart jumped into my throat and magic gathered at my fingertips
Shadowy vines leaped for Rasmus, wrapping around him, gagging him and completely immobilizing him in seconds.A look of thunderous wrath darkened Thorne’s expression as he grabbed Rasmus’ wrist and squeezed, until the warlock cried out in pain and he had to release me.
The moment he did, I stumbled back.In an instant, Thorne was behind me.He scooped me up into his arms like I weighed nothing, princess style, and declared to Rasmus and the entire ballroom, “You were right about one thing.Clove asked me to pretend to be her boyfriend to get you to leave her alone.But we’re notpretendingany more.So if you ever so much as breathe in my girlfriend’s direction again, don’t expect to walk away unscathed again.”
I was so busy gaping up at Thorne that I barely even noticed how his shadows formed a cage around both Rasmus and Nyssa, trapping and displaying them on the dance floor like exotic birds for everyone to gawk at.
