Auggie leaned in closer. “Maybe.”
My heart skipped a beat. “And perhaps lovely lips, as well?”
Auggie’s mouth parted and I took that as a sign. I moved to close the distance between us, until our lips were only an inch apart. I stared into his eyes, then down at his lips. I wasn’t going to make this easy for him. If he wanted to kiss me, then he would have to—
I blinked as Auggie’s lips met mine. I smiled into the kiss, his lips as soft and gentle as I’d imagined. I cupped the side of his face when we broke our kiss.
He stared back at me with a stupefied expression. I ran my fingers down his cheek, and he closed his eyes, leaning into it. “Callum,” he said, softly. “You’re … very good at that.”
I chuckled softly. “I’m good at a great many things.”
“You don’t say.”
My mouth went dry as he placed his hand on my chest. “I think I would—”
“Mr. Witch! Look who it is!”
I flinched as Auggie pushed away from me, hiding his face. It took every fiber of my being not to reach out and run my fingers through his hair. Instead, I turned to watch as Therese hopped through the doorway.
Therese, oblivious to what she’d interrupted, made a happy thrumming sound with her frog throat.
“This had better be good, Therese,” I grumbled.
Auggie looked past me at Therese. “Ah, yes. You have Therese as well.”
“What? Therese?”
Auggie nodded, not meeting my eyes. “A friend. Therese. That’s what we were just talking about.”
I smirked. “Oh, is that what was happening?”
Auggie straightened and yanked on his shirt collar, as if it may have gone askew as we’d kissed. “Yes. You need friends, as I was saying.”
“Well, Therese is more of a nuisance than a friend, really. She just won’t go away.”
He grinned. “Smart girl.”
Freya swept into the room just then, scowling as Lexi followed closely. “Stop hovering. Your services are no longer required.”
My eyes found her right side, the space where her arm used to be, a spot so empty that it hurt my stomach. A cutout where the appendage used to protrude only offered a glimpse of flesh, a smooth mound that looked as green as the rest of her and healthy.
“How are you feeling?” I asked as Freya strode to the table.
“If I stay here for another minute longer, I might scream,” she said.
“Oh, okay.” I stood. “You’re better then? How does it feel?”
Freya hesitated, glancing sidelong at Lexi before returning her gaze to me. “I feel it, like it’s still there.”
“Oh, Miss Witch,” Therese said. “You miss it.”
A sound caught in Freya’s throat, like a garbled laugh. “I suppose I do. It was a part of me, after all.”
Lexi patted her shoulder. “You’ll get used to it. That’s the thing about healing. No matter how fast something heals, it always leaves its mark.”
“Would you like some tea before we go?” Auggie asked, gesturing to the teapot. “Callum is surprisingly domestic.”
“I would rather go,” Freya sniffed. “Besides, we have a deadline to meet, do we not?” She looked at me meaningfully.
