“I think we’re even.”
My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I reluctantly removed my hand from hers. My brother Marcus was calling. “Talk to me,” I answered.
“None of our witch associates have experience with death magic, but they are working on it. We have ties with the fae and demons as well, who are looking into it,” he answered.
“You guys never say ‘hello’ or ‘hey’ before you get to business,” I heard his fiancée, Daria, say.
Before he left the life, Marcus was closer to me than Sam, both of us hardened by the life we had to live. Pleasantries were never our thing. We rarely socialized together, and not at all after he left the business. Admittedly, that was my fault because I was angry with him for leaving. Only over the last year had we reconnected, and the most we’d ever done was shake hands. I never hugged my brothers. Like my father never hugged us. It didn’t dawn on me how little physical connection I had to people. I saw my daughter, but she was not a hugger since entering her tween years. Any other touch I did was the sporadic indulgences I had with hook-ups. What I was doing with Camilla was unique for me, and I loved the hell out of it.
Daria interrupted my thoughts. “Is she there with him?”
I blinked, looking over to Camilla, who was staring at me with questioning eyes. “Yes, Camilla’s with me.” I put the phone on speaker. “Daria, Marcus’ fiancée, is on the phone. She’s a necromancer.”
Camilla leaned forward. “Hi, Daria, hey, Marcus. Congrats to you both on the engagement. I’m so happy for you. Marcus is a good guy.” She looked back at me. “Looks like now you’ll have a sister in the family.”
I heard Daria give a dry laugh through the phone. “Hehe, I thought you were like a sister to them.”
I scrunched my face in displeasure. “Who told you that?”
“Oh, Marcus and Sam did. They said Camilla was like a sister to you all. Right, honey?”
“Yup, that’s what I remember,” Marcus said dryly.
I wanted to crush my phone. I shouldn’t be surprised that Marcus would not help me out as some kind of amusement to himself. He knew how I felt about Camilla. Sister was far from it.
“But that was only Sam and I who thought that way,” he went on, “Big brother had a crush on Cammy since we were kids.”
Okay, I lied, my brother was coming through. I’d give him a pat on the back when I saw him next. Right now, I gave Camilla a pointed look, hoping she’d take everything I’d told her more seriously.
She gave me a playful smile. “Is that so?”
“Yeah, he was like a lovesick puppy from day one. Even when we became adults. He would whine about her all the time.”
My eyes dropped to my phone. That pat on the back was about to turn into a slap over the head.
“Aww,” Daria cried. “And now you two are stuck together, making up for lost time. I love it. Well, not the death curse part. That’s so not cool, and I wish I could help. Well, I can help if you both die. I could bring you back as zombies.”
Camilla bared her teeth at the phone. “Uhm, thanks?”
I cleared my throat, moving past my earlier humiliation. “But we won’t let it come to that. With as many resources and connections as we have, someone can break this magic. It’s just been one day. We can fix this.”
“Well, enjoy the time together,” Daria began. “Marcus and I were once stuck together.”
I nodded, although she couldn’t see me. “Right, he…placed you in hiding when that demon gang wanted your services.”
“Oh, yeah, that, too.”
I narrowed my eyes. What else was she talking about? Before I could inquire further, Marcus cut in. “While I’m sure it’s greatyou’re catching up, we don’t want this to last. Do you want us to be where you are just in case you need Daria’s help?”
“No, thanks. We know how to grab you quickly.”
Camilla leaned toward the phone again. “I can teleport us to you.”
“I have a witch on retainer who can.”
Camilla cut her eyes at me, and I shrugged. “You muted that part of your powers, remember?”
She replied with a tight-lipped smile. “Right.”
