“But you won’t make it look like we’re together,” I snap.
Devlin’s sharp gaze flicks toward me. He hesitates but says, “No, we’ll arrive separately so that no one will suspect. The last thing that we need is for anyone to think that we’re joined at the hip.”
“Amen.”
Devlin clears his throat and turns his attention back to my parents. “I promise that I won’t keep her for any longer than I have to, but right now I do need her near me.”
My dad shifts his attention to me. “And you’re okay with this?”
It feels like my rib cage is hugging my heart so hard that it’s about to be smothered. The world has literally been sucked away from me in the past few minutes. I’m going home with Devlin Ross. I have to help him see the future. I have to help him, period.
This isn’t something that I thought I’d be saying. But he’s going to help me, too. Devlin is going to ensure that I win Storm Grayson, the mysterious inventor. By the time this courting season is over, I will know everything about Storm Grayson, including what kind of supernatural he is.
All with Devlin Ross’s help.
I steel my heart, which is screaming and tugging me by the imaginary sleeves of my dress in the other direction. It wants us to run away, and I don’t blame it.
But I mentally lock it in a box. This is for the best. This is a business transaction. I help Devlin. He helps me.
End of story.
I smile widely at my mom and dad. “Am I okay with this?” I say, repeating my dad’s question. “Of course I’m okay with it. Devlin needs my help, and I’m the one person who can do that.”
Turns out, he’s the one person who can help me, too.
Fingers crossed this works.
10
As soon as I step into Devlin’s home and the reality of this situation sinks in, I have one thought—I am going to kill my grandmother.
Even though she swears that she had nothing to do with this wholeFreaky Fridaysituation, I don’t believe her. The woman had her face pressed up to the glass and was staring at us, for goodness’ sake.
“Make yourself comfortable,” he says as I walk into his house, my bag slung over my shoulder like I’m a hobo about to jump on the next freight train straight out of town.
Boy, that is tempting.
Devlin’s home is clean, and it smells like cotton sheets and Febreze. Like, it smells really good. And there are little knickknacks sitting on shelves. No, not knickknacks, I realize on closer inspection.
“This is the pocket cauldron.”
He steps back into the living room. His tie’s now completely undone, and he’s unbuttoned his collar by one, no, two buttons. He looks sex-rumpled. Like he jumped out of bed and straight into an underwear commercial.
It’s unnaturally sexy.
So I look away.
But now he’s standing right next to me, and his scent is filling my nose. It’s all over this place. I can’t escape it.
He picks up the miniature cauldron and turns it over before handing it to me, which I suppose that I’ll just have to take since he’s offering.
It’s the tiniest little bowl and honestly looks like a kid’s toy except that when you push a button, it explodes into something much, much bigger.
“The invention that changed my life,” he murmurs.
“Not just yours. Every witch and wizards, too. You no longer had to stow a life-size cauldron in a bottomless bag. Those can get so heavy.”
“I know. That’s why I invented this. It’s great for whipping up a potion anywhere, anytime,” he adds, a spark in his eyes.
