Page 36 of Once Upon a Curse for True Love
The hedgehog shot Shelly a pleading look.“Please explain to her how unwise this is.”
Sarah Michelle’s eyes crinkled.“You mean how it’d be reckless to get involved with someone she met during a murder investigation, who initially saw her as a suspect?”She tapped her chin.“I don’t know, Quill.I’ll have to think about that and get back to you.”
Andromeda snorted at her familiar.“She met Lorcan the same way.”
The two witches burst out laughing.Because Sarah Michelle had arrested her boyfriend for murder the previous Halloween.After proving his innocence, they’d fallen into a whirlwind romance that had been going strong ever since.
As if on cue, the doorbell rang.Sarah Michelle’s eyes lit up, and she was on her feet in an instant, overnight bag in hand.
“That’ll be Tall, Blond, and Magical,” she said, using Andromeda’s preferred nickname for Lorcan.“I’m off.Don’t curse anyone else’s hair while I’m gone.”
“No promises,” Andromeda called after her as Sarah Michelle reached the door.
Lorcan’s voice echoed low in the entryway, followed by Sarah Michelle’s laugh.A moment later, her roommate was gone, and the house became uncomfortably quiet.
Nox had gone with Sarah Michelle, leaving Andromeda alone with Quill, who was still vibrating with disapproval on the coffee table.
“No lectures.I’m tired,” she warned.
“I would never presume to lecture.”Quill sniffed, even if his entire tiny body radiated judgment.“Merely to express concern for your welfare and choices.”
“Noted,” Andromeda conceded dryly.“Consider your concerns expressed.”
With a huff that contained at least three centuries worth of disapproval, Quill waddled off the table and out of the living room, presumably to go compose letters of complaint to whatever mystical entity governed familiar-witch relations.
Andromeda slumped, lying down with an arm covering her eyes.The silence settled around her like a blanket—not a particularly comforting one.She’d never minded being alone; in fact, she usually preferred it.Dealing with people was not her strong suit, and solitude had always been a welcome refuge.
But tonight, the emptiness of the house felt strange, oppressive.As if she were missing something—or someone.Which was ridiculous.She’d only just met Donatello Malatesta, and most of their interactions so far had involved him accusing her of crimes she mostly hadn’t committed.Hardly the foundation for… whatever this unsettled feeling was.
She was contemplating whether to drown her confusion in midnight ice cream or channel it into a late-night coding session when her phone rang.An unknown number.A client with an emergency, most likely.Not in the mood to work, she almost didn’t answer but then figured she could use the distraction.
She let it ring twice more before answering.“Hello?”
“Did Callidora give you grief?”Donatello’s deep voice poured through the phone, skipping past pleasantries.The sound sent an unwelcome warmth spreading low in her belly while something stupidly giddy bloomed behind Andromeda’s rib cage.“Grief about what?”
The other end of the line went silent, long enough that Andromeda thought he’d hung up.“That kiss on the porch.”
Her pulse jumped, a quicksilver flutter that raced from her chest to her fingertips.So Malatesta wasn’t one to beat around the bushes.
“Oh, that,” she said, aiming for casual and landing near breathless.“No, she didn’t give me grief.Just filled me in on some critical details about you.”
“Yeah?”His voice had the slightest edge to it now—curiosity mingled with caution and the usual cockiness.“Like what?”
“How you’re a decent guy but also a cocky jerk.”
Donatello low whistled.“High praise from Callidora.I’m flattered.”
“Don’t be.She mentioned your tendency to work alone, which suggests severe trust issues or the emotional availability of a brick wall.Neither makes for a great dating resume.”
“Is that what we’re doing?”he asked.Andromeda could picture him with that half-smirk on his face.“Dating?”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself, detective,” she said.“We haven’t even had that kiss yet.”
“Yet,” he repeated, and the word hung between them, charged with promise.“Optimistic of you.”
“Realistic,” she corrected.“We both know it’s going to happen if you keep looking at me like you did tonight.”
“How was that?”His voice had dropped lower, a rough edge to it that made her stomach flip.
