Never in my life have I felt so blissfully alive and happy. I’ve never been cocooned in a feeling like this. Oh, I’ve had boyfriends before, but there was always a shadow covering those relationships—my fears, my insecurities.
But with Stone, there’s none of that. It’s absolute freedom.
I never want this feeling to end.
We wake up in the middle of the night and find ourselves tangled in the sheets again. Once more in the shower after we wake up.
Then Stone asks if I’d like to go with him to pick up Natalie and drive her back to school, but I tell him no.
There’s a potion I need to make.
Thatpart I don’t tell him, obviously. But my knees wobble as I watch him leave the house to take his sister home.
I have one night of perfect memories and an emerald ring that fits snuggly on my finger. He gave me his trust, and I’m going to ruin him with it.
There’s nothing to do except move forward.
Soon as he’s gone, I text Cristina and tell her I got the bloom. It’s sitting in the kitchen window, where I left it last night after I pulled myself out of Stone’s grasp long enough to drop it in a vase of water.
Cristina arrives about an hour later with Hercules, who takes one look at me, walks right on past, and heads for his bed.
“What’s wrong with him?” Cristina says. “He didn’t even greet you.”
“He’s mad at me, I think, for everything that’s happened.”
“He’ll forgive you soon enough.” Her gaze lands on the flower. “Is that it? Is that the bloom?”
“That’s it.”
“It glows even during the day?”
“Pretty cool, huh?”
She touches one of the petals gently. “Yeah, almost as cool as waking up to a field of pink flowers in the pasture. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”
“Me? Whatever are you talking about?”
“Don’t lie. I saw you out there last night with Stone,” she says in a playful voice. “Coco, what are you going to do? I don’t mean about him. I know what we’re doing. But what about your magic?”
“I guess I’ll keep it a secret as long as I can.”
A divot of worry creases the space above her nose. “I don’t think you can keep this kind of secret—not forever. You’re powerful. It’s almost scary.”
“Don’t worry. I have no intention of dropping a memory-swiping potion on you.”
“Thank goodness.” She winks. “Ready to start?”
No.“Of course. Let’s get this done.”
I haven’t opened the book since we found the counter spell, and I fear opening it now. The last thing I need is more foreboding wind mixed with a lightning strike to suggest this spell is even more doomed than the first.
But I recall Dot’s warning about the land. She never fixed her spell, but I will fix the one on Stone.
I place the book on the table. It hums as if it’s anticipating what’s about to happen and is excited for it.
I peel back the cover and squint, waiting for a gale to sweep through the cottage.
But what I get is ... crickets.
