Page 705 of Love Bites

Math could have sworn that he heard her muttering under her breath, “Please work. Please work. Please work.”

The witch blew on the piece of paper. The puff of air from her breath levitated the paper in the air for just a moment before it burst into colored smoke and fiery sparkles.

Math’s dragon heartily approved of the way her magic looked. Fire was warm. Fire was comforting. He felt the beast lift his spiritual head and scent, trying to inhale the magical smoke.

As the shimmering firefall of her magic reached the floor, the flames coalesced into a dozen glittering, multicolored mice that scurried into the pile of debris. Working together, the apparitional rodents scooped and shoved the litter back into the wastepaper basket.

Some of the smoke that had risen into the air curled in on itself and became small birds that grabbed the basket, tugging it upright.

Two of the birds landed on the witch’s shoulders and gave her a nuzzle, but she just laughed at them and sent them back to work.

Oh, was that just stinkin’ cute, or what?

The mice burrowed into the carpeting, cleaning up every last speck of ash and dust that had come out of the wastepaper basket and tossing it in just as the rim rose too high for them to reach.

A turquoise mouse scurried up the witch’s trouser leg and sat on her shoulder, watching with its beady, blue eyes.

The rest of the mice jumped into a pile, becoming a small, pink anteater that hoovered up the last of the dust and then cannonballed into the wastepaper basket, disappearing in a shower of cool, blue sparks.

The witch held out her arm, and the turquoise mouse sprinted down to her hand and leaped into the air, swan-diving into the sparks, and disappeared.

The birds, likewise, popped back to the magical dimension from which they had come with aerial twists and flourishes.

Math grabbed the corner of the desk for balance, a slow grin spreading over his face. She wasexactlywhat the casino needed. “Can you do that on a larger scale?”

The witch pressed her lips together in a prim smile. “Of course. It just takes longer to draw the incantation.”

“You’re hired.” He turned back to the hiring manager. “She’s hired, effective immediately. I don’t care how much she costs or where you get the money. Wait, actually, I do care. There’s been enough sloppy accounting in this casino. I will make sure the money is in place for her salary by this afternoon from the Draco family finances.”

The hiring manager scowled at him. “This position isn’t salaried. It’s a temporary independent contractor position.”

“Whatever. I’ll have the money ready for you.” He spun back to the witch. “Come with me. You have an enormous job to do, and I will pay you whatever you ask if you can get this casino ready for the angel investors that are coming in a month.”

“A month? The whole casino? That is an enormous project. I don’t know whether I can do it.”

“Hire whomever else you need. Hire workers or teams or subcontractors.”

“I don’t need to hire anybody. I just have to conjure the helpers. But that takes time.”

“I will pay you whatever you want. I will make it rain dragon’s gold on you if we’re ready for the investors’ walk-through.”

Her coy smile warmed his skin, and she cocked out one curving hip and braced her fist on it. “Well, that offer would be hard to refuse.”

“Come with me. I’ll show you the worst parts of it that absolutely must be cleaned up before this dog-and-pony show for the angel investors. It’s scheduled for one month from today, whether we’re ready for it or not. I don’t even know what to call you. What is your name?”

“Bethany Aura. Are there going to be real dogs and ponies at the angel investor show?”

“I’m Math Draco,” he introduced himself, “and no, it’s a figure of speech. No dogs or ponies, shifter or natural.”

Her frown made a cute crease between her slim eyebrows. “That seems disappointing.”

Math grimaced. “Real angels, though.”

“Oh!They’re quite imposing.”

“To say the least. I’d rather have live dogs and ponies.”

Math tried to slow his stride so she could keep up, but the little witch, Bethany, trotted at his side, mincing along in her high-heeled boots.

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