“Hey! Give that back.”
He grinned and brought the drink to his mouth again like he was going to chug it all.
Griselda laughed. “You two are adorable. You should stick around, you’re good for him.”
“Oh, I’m just here for a bit. I’ll be back in New York soon, hopefully.”
Just because Graham had finally admitted there was something between us and we were actually spending time together now didn’t mean I expected anything permanent. The man was a gargoyle, a stupidly attractive and offensively rich one. I kept repeating that this was just a fun chapter for future me to laugh about, not something serious to get hung up on. Also, I’d just ended things with Karim. I shouldn’t be diving into anything serious again, even if a very reckless part of me really, really wanted to.
“So where are you two headed next?”
“The farmers’ market. Graham says it’s different from any other farmers’ market I’ve ever been to.”
“It is! Especially since The Wall fell. We’ve got a whole slew of green witches in the area, and they always have something interesting to offer.” Griselda said that like green witches were a totally normal thing.
“I can’t wait!” I snatched my drink back.
“Well then, slowpoke, what are you waiting for?” Graham asked, already turning for the door. “Let’s go.”
Chapter 19
Graham
Thefarmers’marketwasalive with noise and color. Sunlight slanted through the awnings, and the air smelled of baked goods, damp earth, and fresh herbs—mostly basil. Magic hummed just beneath the surface.
Meera walked one step ahead of me, her eyes wide with wonder. I didn’t mind following. Not when I could watch the way the sunlight caught the dark strands of her hair, making them shine.
After days of dodging her and trying to convince myself that I wasn’t interested, I’d finally stopped lying to myself. A tiny voice in my head screamed that I’d regret this, and that I was only setting myself up for heartbreak. A larger part of me felt relief that I didn’t have to continue holding onto something that was already long gone.
Meera stopped at a stall where silver leaves lay curled in a basket. The green witch behind the counter with greenish-blonde hair was busy weighing out and packaging an order for another marketgoer.
“Tea of Truth,” Meera said, reading the sign over the basket. “Guaranteed to get you the truth. Most of the time.Seriously?” Her skepticism was written all over her face.
“Yeah. They work,” I said. “But only around ninety percent of the time?”
“And the other ten?”
“They don’t.” I shrugged. “It’s why they can’t be used legally in court. But it’s good for those who are already mostly sure of the answer.”
“Serving that to Karim would’ve been easier than planting cameras,” she said drolly.
“There’s only one problem.”
“What?”
“It tastes like ass.”
Meera laughed and moved on to the next stall. She pointed at a bulbous plant that pulsed with soft light. “What’s that? “
“A warding plant,” I said. “You plant it near doors and windows, and it glows to alert you when danger is near.”
“So if I plant this by my door, it’ll warn me if someone’s breaking in?”
I hesitated. “Depends.”
“Depends on what?”
“If you’re looking at it.”
