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She let out a gasp, her body relaxing against me for four gloriously excruciating seconds.

“Let go of me,” she demanded, wrenching herself out of my grasp and nearly stumbling again.

I flung both arms in the air, surrender style, and hoped like hell that she did not trip again, because I knew damn well I’d dive in and rescue her. Again.

I glanced at the back door. I ought to leave. I wasn’t needed here. The only thing I knew about explosions was that dying in them wasn’t fun. And I sure as hell didn’t need to put myself in a situation where I might touch Cassandra again.

And yet, I sighed and headed to the front of the shop, where Asmoday clutched a thick, frayed electrical wire while he explained why the thing had exploded.

“…between age and lack of upkeep and⁠—”

“That damn cat,” Queenie muttered.

“Actually, I think she may have been warning us,” Cassandra cut in. “Earlier, when she dropped that very wire at my feet.”

Queenie scowled.

Asmoday shifted his attention to Cassandra. “At any rate, you’re going to need to replace all the electrical wiring in this shop. Unless, of course, you want to take a page from Selina’s book and use your magic to keep the place running.”

Cassandra flung her hands into the air. “I keep telling you people, I can’t use my magic.”

“Won’t,” I amended, lifting my finger for emphasis.

Which earned me a hell of a glare from Cassandra.

“Is this what you meant when you said she was bad at being a witch?” Daruka asked, earning me another solid glare from Cassandra.

“I didn’t say it,” I tried to clarify. “Queenie⁠—”

“Replacing the wiring it is,” Asmoday announced.

“That’s going to take weeks,” Cassandra said. “And a whole lot of money I don’t have.”

Asmoday shrugged. “You could ask the genie to do it. Just remember, you only get three wishes. Once they’re used up, that’s it. There’s no negotiating for more. Trust me, don’t waste your breath.”

“I didn’t even realize I got one wish, let alone three,” Cassandra said.

“He runs the mercantile store and also only lets you purchase three things at a time, so keep that in mind,” I added helpfully and immediately regretted speaking. I didn’t want to be helpful.

And I didn’t want her to stay in Arrythmia.

This place was for displaced monsters. A last chance for those of us who did not fit into the human world.

It was exactly why I was here. And sure, she insisted she couldn’t—wouldn’t—use her magic, but did that really classify her as a displaced monster?

“Is that three per trip or three per day?” Cassandra asked. “Or is it weekly? Monthly?”

I shook my head. “Per trip, I guess. I’ve never really thought about it before. I just…followed the rule.”

“So, it’s about the threes, not the wishes,” she noted, forcing me to admire her intelligence. As if I needed another excuse to be attracted to her.

“Asking the genie is a good idea,” Daruka said. “We can pitch in and help with the rest, but the electrical, yeah, you should just burn a wish. Faster. Easier.”

Daruka, like so many others in this town, really liked coffee. The idea of waiting the weeks it would take an electrician to fix this place before she could get her next espresso surely had nothing at all to do with her encouraging Cassandra to ask the genie to do it for her.

“Genie it is,” Cassandra announced. “Where can I find this person?”

Asmoday glanced at his watch. “I gotta get back to my ribs.”