The lights flicker back on, and it feels like all the oxygen’s been sucked from the room.
“That. Was. Wild,” Cristina whispers.
The magic of the spell still lingers in the air, blanketing the atmosphere with energy.
Then it dissipates, too, just like the steam that vanished from the pot.
I exhale a shaky breath and respond to my friend. “Yeah, thatwaswild. What do we do now?”
She scans the text. “Now you bottle up some of the substance— Ew, that is gross.”
I peek over the rim of the steel pot and agree. The mixture has taken on the appearance of dark-green slime.
Cristina pats my shoulder and says teasingly, “Now you get to feed it to him. According to the book, it won’t take much. But he’s got to eat it. I guess make sure whatever you put it in is delicious.”
She blows out the candles and slides off the stool. “Do you have a plan for how you’re going to get Stone Maddox to ingest that?”
It takes a moment for one to form, but once it does, it’s solid.
A slow grin unwinds across my face, though inside, my stomach flutters. “Oh yes, he’ll take it. And once he does? He’ll see everything.”
Cristina shoots me a worried look, but I wave her off.
“Maybe. It’s just a joke, right? Nothing’s going to happen.”
Chapter 10
Coco
“What do you want?” comes Stone’s grumpy voice from inside the trailer.
No one said this would be easy.
“I’d like to talk,” I reply cheerfully.
A moment later the door swings open and Stone Maddox appears, scowling like a broody pirate hero in a romance novel. It wouldn’t surprise me if he said,Argh, walk the plank, missy.
But he does not. Instead, he snaps, “If you’ve decided to accept my offer, you don’t need to be here. You need to be at city hall, pulling the paperwork that’s screwing me over!”
He shouts the last part with such force his breath blows my bangs from my eyes.
As much as I would like to say his breath smells awful, it doesn’t. It carries notes of coffee and hazelnut.
Two things I love.
I lift the pastry box and sleeved to-go cup I’m holding. “I’ve come with a peace offering.”
His gaze briefly flickers to the box before settling back on me. His eyes smolder—not in a good way. Instead of looking like he wants to strip off my clothes one piece at a time, Stone looks like he wants to tear me limb from limb.
I would much rather be stripped.
Wait a minute.
What am I thinking? I hate this man. Despise him. Detest him. Even if he does have molten-jade eyes.
He scoffs, yanking me from those strange thoughts about him, which I will now light on fire and forget ever existed.
Stone folds his arms. “I’ve already explained how you can bridge the peace between us. Or are you here to talk me out of telling your little secret?”
