I lift a shoulder. The words rise in my throat, threatening to spill. We’re supposed to be searching for the coven, not trading trauma stories.
But Julia’s watching me, waiting.
My fingers pause on the keyboard. “My parents didn’t love me. Not really. They moved out on me as soon as I turned eighteen. Left me behind to travel. I was always an inconvenience to them, like a dead weight stopping them from living the life they wanted.” I open Maya’s calendar to avoid Julia’s gaze. “I think the few years you got with a mom who loved you is better than eighteen years with parents who didn’t. I’m sorry you had to lose her. That isn’t fair.”
When I glance back, Julia is watching me with an expression I can’t read. Her brow is pinched—not in pity, thank God, but more like she’s recalculating me.
I turn back to the screen, heat creeping up my neck. Yup, I’ve spilled too much again.
Focus. Find the coven.
On the laptop, Maya’s calendar sits open, appointments and peoples’ names scattered throughout the month. “Hey, tell me if any of these names sound familiar. Maybe she’s still in touch with witches.”
Julia abandons the bookshelf to come closer. “Sure.”
I rattle off some calendar entries, waiting for her to stop me. She peers over my shoulder, and my mouth goes dry as her cloak brushes me. The soft fabric against my bare skin sends a tingle through me that settles deep in my belly. The heat of her body radiates into me, and her warm scent has a dizzying effect.
“Um.” My tongue suddenly doesn’t work properly. “Yoga with Addy… That’s every Thursday, so I don’t think there’s anything suspicious there…Meet with Elizabeth? Know any Elizabeths?”
“I did,” she murmurs. “What’s the surname?”
I click the entry, but there’s no further information. “One sec…”
I return to her inbox and type ‘Elizabeth’ into the search. A few emails pop up. “Elizabeth Barnwell?”
Julia’s fingers close over my shoulder, warm against my cool skin. “That’s her. A green witch. She’ll know where Rebecca and my other sisters are.”
The skin-to-skin contact awakens that delicious connection between us, pleasure flowing into me like an IV drip.
Then her words register, and my heart leaps. I look up at her in disbelief. Did I seriously just find something useful?
“What else does it say? Is there a location?” she asks, her tone growing urgent.
“L-let’s see.” I scan the email subjects, looking for context, though it’s really hard to focus. She’s standing distractingly close, her warm, apple-cinnamon scent making me drunk. And the fact I’m face-level with her cleavage is not helping. Her skin looks so soft and smooth, and her bodice is pushing her breasts up. My fingers itch to trace along that exposed curve.
As if suddenly aware of what’s happening, Julia lets go, leaving a cool draft where her hand was.
“It’s okay,” I say. “You can—I mean, I don’t mind if you—” I cut myself off, unsure what I’m getting at.Touch me,my annoying inner voice finishes.
She looks down at me, and my pulse quickens. When she licks her lips, my gaze catches on her tongue for long enough that it’s obvious I’m staring at her mouth.
Dammit.I absolutely cannot be attracted to her. I’m not even convinced this is just the binding spell at work—she’s objectively stunning. She’s confident and gorgeous, and she has the most piercing eyes. But putting aside the fact that she’s a sanguine witch and a literal murderer, she’s also got to be twenty years older than me. Or like, a century older, depending on whether you count the cursed sleep.
And anyway, I already decided I’m done letting myself have feelings for anyone, so this fluttering can fuck right off.
I turn back to the laptop, my breaths shallow and my face hot. “I’ll see if I can find an address.”
“Good,” she murmurs.
The way she says that single word of praise makes me tighten between my legs.
Stop it. Focus on getting info about Elizabeth.
Before I can move, my scalp tingles pleasantly, as if…
Oh God. She’s playing with my hair. Combing her fingers gently through the strands.
My eyelids flutter, and I stay perfectly still. Each stroke sends ripples through me.
