Page 44 of Moth to a Flame

Even in the deep mountains where my family lived, we’d heard about it. Atropa Pharmaceuticals was the biggest player in what my mother always referred to as Big Cauldron. The scandal had rocked the supernatural world.

An insider, a whistleblower, had released internal documents with Atropa’s secret recipes. But it turned out the recipes weren’t secret at all, just refined versions of folk cures and knowledge—and Atropa had destroyed the original copies.

Well, except for their copies, of course.

For the last few years, new illnesses had been ravaging the supernatural population, especially shifters and those with animal traits. The whistleblower had released the recipe for a very expensive medicine needed by a small subset of shifters. The medicine was crucial; they couldn’t survive without it once the illness set in. But Atropa charged exorbitant amounts for it.

Or at least they had.

Huge protests had erupted in the supernatural community, calling for the release of more recipes.

That was until the whistleblower had “mysteriously” disappeared.

Looks like I’d found her.

And who had cursed her.

My brilliant, brave witch.

She’d had it all. She’d been heir to the fortune of one of the oldest and richest corporations in the supernatural world. And she’d risked it all—lost it all—to try to do what was right.

A person like that was rarer than any ancient magical bond. No wonder she could shine so bright. She had courage which had overcome the greatest curse of all—money.

How would I be worthy of her if I didn’t do the same? Plus, my great-grandpappy didn’t fight at Blair Mountain for me to give into a couple of fancy suits.

I grabbed her face in my hands, forcing her to look at me, and pulled her into a kiss. There was an annoyed sound behind us, but I didn’t care. All I cared about was her, and how sweet she tasted, and the way the bond opened between us, clear and warm.

No hiding. No guilt. No shame.

Just her and me.

She didn’t get it yet. Even with our bond, the thought of trusting someone was so foreign to her that she didn’t understand the feeling. Seeing her family, I understood why. I understood the walls she’d built.

So some things just needed to be said aloud.

“It is a lot of money. But don’t you get it, Lucia? I’d do whatever you asked. I’ll do whatever it takes to make you happy, to make you smile. I’m not going anywhere.”

As the words left my mouth, the wind picked up and swirled around us, carrying crimson and ochre leaves with it. Our bond thrummed, and I felt our heartbeats sync as magic tugged between us. Magic that felt like being wrapped in a warm blanket on a chilly October night.

I pulled her to me, wrapping my wings around her protectively, but just as quickly as it had started, it was over.

I spun to punch Deimos right in the face for using magic to try to intimidate us, but he looked just as confused as I was.

“Fascinating…” He waved a hand, and all the ravens in the trees around us started squawking. “Yes, make sure we have that noted.” He shook his head. “My time is very valuable, so if you wouldn’t mind⁠—”

“How about a counteroffer? You get back into your nice car. You take your offer with you and shove it up your ass.”

The silence that followed was magnificent.

Deimos looked me up and down again, lingering on the holes in my boots and the grease under my nails.

“You’d walk away from that much money? For her?”

“It’s not about money.” I smiled wide and vibrated my wings. “Some things can’t be bought, and what I have with her is real. More real than anything I think you’ll ever understand.”

“I’ll double it.”

I popped my wings open with a snap that made him take a step back. “I suggest you leave before you find out what really happened to that bridge.”