by Nicole Hall
They can’t see me.
Keely glowered at him. “I’m special then?”
An older woman nearly collided with him, but he side-stepped at the last second. Keely sighed and opened the gate so he could come into their tiny courtyard area.
Evidently.
Keely leaned against the brick and lowered her voice. “Why can I see you if they can’t?”
It’s part of the spell.
She waited, but he didn’t explain. He sniffed at the potted plant Dru must have put there; she always brought home sad looking plants. Nothing about him said anything other than llama to her, and a seed of doubt started growing a little at a time.
“Do I get a better explanation than that?”
Nope. Also part of the spell. I can’t talk about the details.
She couldn’t deny his voice in her head, but she’d heard hallucinations could be vivid.
Hallucination or not, she knew an easy solution that didn’t involve grilling a reluctant fake llama. Charlotte was only a phone call away. Her sister-in-law and best friend came well-versed in the hidden magical world.
Seth nibbled on a broad leaf of the plant while Keely pulled out her cell phone. Who are you calling?
“My best friend.”
Need reassurance you’re not crazy?
Keely ignored him, and Charlotte answered on the third ring, breathless. “Yes?”
“Is that how we’re answering the phone now?”
“It is when I know who’s calling and I was busy doing something else.”
Keely winced. She didn’t want to think about Charlotte and her brother getting naked. “Gross. Isn’t it the middle of the day there? Who’s watching the twins?”
A low grumble in the background preceded a door closing, and Charlotte sighed. “Well, now you have my full attention. Rav is with the boys.”
"Your imp is babysitting the twins?"
"It's fine. She does it all the time. Honestly, she's better with them than we are."
"They're four times her size!"
Charlotte was silent for a moment. "How big do you think the twins are?"
Keely shrugged even though Charlotte couldn't see her. What did she know about babies? Seth pulled on the leaf and almost knocked the plant over. Keely swatted at him, and he huffed warm air across her arm.
“New topic. I’m going to ask a question, and it’s going to sound crazy. Remember when you called me about Rav and I totally believed you right from the start? I’m going to need some of that faith.” Keely took a deep breath. “What do you know about invisible, telepathic llamas?”
Charlotte laughed so hard on the other end that Keely considered hanging up and calling her brother instead.
“It didn’t seem that funny to me.”
Charlotte gasped for breath and finally calmed down enough to respond. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I’ve never heard of an invisible llama. I know telepathy is possible but rare among magical types. I’m afraid I can’t help you.”
Keely deflated. “That’s what I thought you’d say.”
Charlotte sobered. “Are you in trouble?”
“No. Just having a hard day.”
“Okay, but be careful. Llama or not, magical creatures are tricky. There’s always more to it than what they’re telling you.” A high-pitched squeal echoed in the background, and Charlotte sighed. “That was Jax. I have to go. Love you. Be careful.”
“I will. Love you too.”
Keely hung up and shoved her phone back in her bag. Seth hadn’t moved, but the plant was missing a couple of leaves. “If I do this, you’ll leave me alone? There’s no fine print involved in this magic?”
He tilted his head at her. Spent some time with the Fae, have you?
“No. And you didn’t answer the question.”
There’s no fine print. You kiss me. I change back. Done.
It still felt dangerous to simply do as asked. Complicated magic often didn’t take free will into account. Or so she’d heard from Charlotte. Keely’s experience with magic was limited to second-hand accounts and meeting Rav the one time she’d gone home when the twins were born.
Frustration leaked into his voice. All I need is one little kiss. It won’t cost you anything, and I can go back to my life. That seems like a pretty good trade-off to me.
She looked away with a frown. He was right. One stupid kiss wouldn’t kill her, so what if he needed it on his backside instead of his front. What could possibly happen that would be worse than the day she’d already had?
“Okay. Fine. Turn around or whatever before I change my mind.”
His relief filled her mind. Thank you.
A second later, she was face to butt with a llama and really questioning her life choices. At least he didn’t smell bad.
Keely pressed a kiss to his flank, making sure she pushed hard enough to get past the fur and connect with muscle. The surprisingly soft hair tickled her cheek, but when she pulled back, nothing had changed. Seth was still a llama.
Fuck.
Yeah. That seemed about right.
Pick up your copy today!
Impulsive Magic
IMPULSIVE MAGIC
© 2020 Nicole Hall
All rights reserved
Also by Nicole Hall
Modern Magic series
Modern Magic
Surprise Magic
Accidental Magic
Insidious Magic
Treacherous Magic
Impulsive Magic
Rebellious Magic
Forgotten Magic
Chaotic Magic
Valiant Magic
Rise of the Old Gods series
Muse Interrupted
Goddess Forsaken
About the Author
Nicole Hall is a smart-ass with a Ph.D. and a potty mouth. She writes stories that have magic, sass, and romance because she believes that everyone deserves a little happiness. Coffee makes her happy, messes make her stabby, and she’d sell one of her children for a second season of Firefly. Her paranormal romance series, Modern Magic, is available now.
Let Nicole know what you thought about her sassy, magical world because she really does love hearing from readers. Find her at www.nicolehallbooks.com or Muse Interrupted Romance on Facebook!
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