Page 53 of The Warlock & the Witch

“Or sleep,” Maddox suggested. “Rest the brain and everything.”

“I’ve slept a lot these past few days.” And dreamed of one specific warlock, either with that scowl on his face or them in the dirtiest positions. There was no in-between. “If I sleep another hour, I’m going to break something.”

She glimpsed Ruby and Maddox looking at each other, a silent communication that had always been exclusive to them. Ruby brightened and broke eye contact first.

“We can head to the bar,” the woman said. “It’s your favorite source of entertainment.”

“Who’s going to the bar?” Moon asked, strolling in freshly showered and already dressed to go out. “Because I have nowhere to go, there’s no full moon, and I’m bored.”

Maddox nodded. “We are.”

“Yeah.” Ruby turned to her. “Go do your thing. We will keep you company until you find a decent man and tell us to leave.”

It was a suggestion that Pearl took in stride, even often initiated, and on any regular day, she would have been in the bar hours ago hunting for the next person to work her charm on. But the idea of a handsome man seducing her into a good time no longer felt nice, her stomach churning in protest. A specific face floated in and she made an impatient noise.

“He didn’t contact me.”

“Huh?” Moon asked.

“It’s been almost two weeks with no trouble and no word from him,” she declared, waiting until what she was talking about sank in for her listeners. “Maybe my hex failed.”

Ruby tilted her head, thoughtful. “Or maybe it worked.”

Pearl straightened. “I should go there and check.”

“Because it worked?” Maddox asked.

“Yes. Maybe it’s working too perfectly and the shadow needs to detect a weakness to appear again. Maybe we need to talk about it.”

The men went quiet. Ruby didn’t, but she shrugged. “Okay. I’m not going to ask.”

At that, Pearl bristled. She began to walk around the room, putting things aside and yanking her coat on. The failure of her potion revved her up, and she needed something to release the disappointment. Ranting about Henry seemed like the best solution. “I’m not going to visit because of the damned man. He could rot in hell for all I care.”

“I meant I wasn’t going to ask because it’s your confidential task,” Ruby amended. “But okay.”

“We’re not talking about the task. We’re talking about him.”

The two men exited the room, but she barely noticed. Ruby stayed with her.

“We are?”

“Yes,” Pearl decided. “He’s a cold man and too formal for his good.”

“So, he’s no fun.”

But Henry was fun, especially when she got him talking. His sense of humor wasn’t for everyone, but it tickled her bones in a way that left her dazed and breathless, and…

“He’s hard to read. He’s too set in his ways. He’s high up in his standards and refuses to let anyone past that infuriating defense wall.”

“Right.”

“He’s so high and mighty, it drives me nuts. It’s like…”

“You can’t keep up,” Ruby deduced, frowning. “Is that how he makes you feel? That you’re nothing compared to him?”

The question startled Pearl, but she thought about it. Slowly, she shook her head. “No. He doesn’t make me feel that way.”

“Does he question your capability?”

---