At first, she thought he would deny it, reject her response with a laugh or sneer. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and studied her, as if looking for something to prove what she said was true, apart from what he just witnessed.
“A witch?” he repeated. “Like, wiccan and pagan shit?”
She shook her head. “No, I mean like real, magical, witch. I have been all my life. It’s not a religion. It’s who I am.”
Devin ran his fingers through his hair and she noticed the way his body glistened with sweat as the light in the fireplace made him shine. If the situation allowed, she would have wanted to run her hands all over his chest. Right now, he probably didn’t want her anywhere near him.
“You’re a witch… That explains so much.”
Krystal was sure her heart stopped beating for a split second. “What?”
“Did you cast some spell on me to make me fall in love with you?”
She didn’t know how to feel about that question. Joy made her breath hitch at the idea that he might have fallen in love with her just as she had fallen for him. Then rage mingled in that he might have thought her so conniving that she would actually charm him into wanting her. It wasn’t unheard of. She always thought those witches and warlocks were rather desperate to think they could make someone love them with their magic. Love had to be organic to be lasting.
“No, Devin, I never used magic on you.”
It was a fib and somehow, he picked up on it. How could he tell when she wasn’t being honest like that?
“Don’t lie to me!” he snapped. “Did you cast a spell on me?”
Krystal held up her hands. “Okay, I did use a little magic, but it was in your coffee yesterday, that’s all. You were so exhausted, and I just wanted to help.”
Devin’s face contorted with suppressed fury as he snatched his pants and underwear off the ground. He dressed, and Krystal was scared he would storm out of the house. She crawled across the couch cushions and wanted to reach out to hold him there, but he flinched away.
Her heart was ripped into two jagged pieces when he turned on her.
“Why didn’t you tell me from the beginning?”
She huffed in disbelief. “What would you expect me to say? That kind of conversation isn’t exactly something you bring up over dinner.”
“It’s better than hiding it.”
Krystal gripped the arm of the sofa. “We have to hide this, Devin! What if the world knew about witches and magic? What do you think would happen? They would just be fine with this? Or did your history teachers not talk about the Salem Witch Trials?”
Devin jerked back and shook his head. “We? There are more?”
Each breath came out shaky and she could feel the fiery anger build up in her. Krystal had to calm down or the fireplace would get out of control again. “Yes, there are more,” she replied delicately. “That’s what my family does. We’re all witches. My parents are on the council that keeps track of every magic folk in this part of the country.” Might as well spill all the ugly truth now while he was still receptive.
Devin stared, unblinking, but she could see the way he was grappling with all this new information.
“I didn’t want you to find out this way,” she said softly, glancing to the burning logs in the fireplace.
“How was I going to find out? Was I going to see you flying around Goldcrest Cove on a broomstick instead?”
So much distain sullied his words and Krystal wanted to wail out in frustration. “We don’t fly on broomsticks. I didn’t know how I was going to tell you. Please,” she pleaded. “Please understand that this isn’t easy for me to tell you. I only hid this from you, because I didn’t know how you would react.”
Devin shook his head in disbelief. “I never thought that this is what you were keeping from me. I thought maybe your family was part of some crime syndicate, or something. This would have never occurred to me.”
“For any normal person, it wouldn’t.” Krystal sat up a little straighter, hoping that they were at the end of the shock phase, so they could talk this over rationally. “My entire family line is made up of witches and warlocks, people who were born with the ability to use magic. We can do almost anything. Remember that broken brake light on Alexa’s car? I fixed that with magic without ever having to get out of the car. That time you spilled coffee, I used magic, so it wouldn’t mess up your clothes.”
“And what you just did?” he questioned, gesturing toward the fireplace.
Krystal gulped, bracing herself for the ultimate confession. “All magic folk have this thing we call special magic, or dark magic. We kind of come into it when we’re adults. I’m just finding out that I can manipulate and create fire.”
Devin nodded. “That explains what happened the other night when you made the smoke alarms go off.”
Excitement took the place of fear. He was beginning to understand, and she could sense he was finally beginning to settle down. That harried, frantic look in his eye was nearly gone. “Yes. It was completely by accident, though. I didn’t realize what was going on until after you left.”
“And that’s why you needed time to think?”
Krystal thanked every god and goddess she could think of. Devin was a smart, rational man. Relief mushroomed within her, though it might have been too soon, and she closed her eyes. “Yes. I had to make sure this is what I wanted. Whenever we’re together, a little more of my special magic was coming out and it was becoming dangerous. Not only that, but my family would much rather me marry a warlock. Mostly because this is a hard conversation to have with non-magic folk. It’s just a lot easier for witches to marry within their own circles.”
She opened her eyes and watched the way his face softened with understanding. There was still a hesitance there, but with time, maybe that would go away altogether. Would he give her that time, though?
“But you want to be with me anyway?” he questioned. “Even though you know this could never work?”
She hastily shook her head. “No, this can work. It’s worked before many times with other couples.”
Then she thought of the scar on his shoulder. Did that have something to do with what he said? It could work for her, but would this relationship work for him? Every time he kissed her, he’d be playing with fire, the kind of fire that burned him. The kind of fire he was afraid of.
Devin moved toward the coffee table, his steps laden with hesitation as if he were ready to pounce and run if she moved too quickly. He was within reach now, so close she could reach out and touch his cheek, but she refrained.
“So, what is it that you do, exactly?” he asked as he sat on the coffee table.
Krystal shrugged up one slender shoulder. “We just live like anyone else. You know I have a job, a family, friends, a cat. I’m normal, just like anyone else. I just have magical powers, that’s all.”
It sounded so corny, but it was the truth. Question was, would he even believe that? Could he accept it?
He leaned forward on his elbows, studying her face, probably to see if she was lying. They had no more secrets now. At least, not on her part. She could tell him everything about her life and her family. She could finally explain about that family photo on the mantle. She could tell him how the very thought of him was what made her elemental magic come to life. She could be completely open and free with him. Despite her initial fears, Krystal had never been more in love with him.
Devin didn’t run, he didn’t scream. He stayed. Thank Gaia, he stayed.
“Are witches responsible for these murders?”
It was so left field that Krystal jerked back in disgust. “What? No! Absolutely not. We value all life, no matter how simple. Remember how I told you that I didn’t like to cut flowers? A lot of my upbringing has to do with that.”
“Do you have the ability to find out who the murderer is?”
Krystal’s slight smile failed her. Was she talking to the Devin that she loved, or the detached cop who was just doing his job? He
r shoulders slumped a little, but she replied, “We can find out, and we do want to help, but I don’t think we can.”
Devin squinted in confusion. “What do you mean?”
Krystal settled back against the sofa and curled her legs beneath her. “The number one rule amongst magic folk is that we don’t use our powers on non-magic folk. That can include helping them. I break that rule every day, but I don’t have the ability to find out things like that.”
“What do you mean you break that rule?” His fingers tightened over his knuckles.
She took a calming breath and explained to him about the coffee shop, their mission, and the good they were trying to do for the community on whatever small scale they could manage. It wasn’t much, but they were proud of what they did accomplish. There was no reason to tell him about Amber’s special scrying magic, even though that could be the key to cracking open their case.
“In a lot of ways, we hold the same values. You become a cop, so you can help the innocent. I started my coffee shop, so I could help the people of this town. We’re not that different, Devin.”
He nodded, a certain calmness seeping through the muscles that had once been taut. “I can see that… But I need you to do something for me.”
“Anything,” she breathed, leaning toward him a bit.
“Don’t get involved in the murder investigations,” he said with all the coolness in the world. “If Aaron’s theory is right, and this guy is going after people that don’t line up with religious standards of ‘righteous’,” he said with air quotes for emphasis, “then you’re just as much at risk as any other witch or magical person in town.”
He might have been right, but Krystal knew they were safe for now. “I understand that, but unless the murderer knows that we’re witches, we should be safe.”
Devin shook his head. “I don’t want to risk you.”
It was a simple phrase, made up of simple words, but to Krystal, it was the most beautiful thing she had ever heard. He not only seemed to accept her, but he cared for her. Maybe he wouldn’t recant what he said earlier about loving her, but she wasn’t going to push it. Not tonight when he still had so much to process.
Anyone would be dazed by the amount of information she just tried to cram between his ears. It wasn’t going to be easy for him to grasp the idea that magic and witches existed. That’s why she didn’t mention werewolves, vampires, fae, or anything else that she knew existed. Not yet. Not now.
“I can promise you that as long as we don’t become targets, we will stay out of your investigation.”
Devin’s gaze dropped to the space between them. “I hate to say this, but I need some time to think.”
Whatever was left of her heart splintered and cracked as those words flowed out so smoothly, so casually like it wasn’t supposed to mean the end of her world. But they did. All sanity left her and turned to ash in the fire.
“Take all the time you need,” she said. And before her brain could tell her mouth to not form the words, she said, “Just know that I’m still willing to be with you, to be your girlfriend. I don’t care if it goes against the grain. I… I love you.”
Devin didn’t move. He didn’t reply or return her sentiment and she could feel her heart fracture more with each passing second of silence. She wondered if any magic in the world could put the pieces back together. Then, she knew that one type of magic could, but it was nothing she personally possessed. Only the love of the man in front of her could heal her wounded spirit.
Devin picked up his shirt from the floor and inspected the empty spots along the front of his shirt where only tiny threads poked out from the fabric. In a daring move, Krystal reached out her hand and used her magic to retrieve the buttons that had popped off earlier. He watched the plastic buttons float through the air and then refasten themselves to the shirt with brand new thread that seemed to materialize out of thin air.
It was all Krystal’s doing and though he watched with odd fascination, he said nothing. Not even a thank you. When she was finished, he slid his arms through the sleeves and stood to tuck his shirt back in.
She said nothing as he moved around the sofa and toward the foyer with his boots in his hands. Krystal bit her lips together as silent tears burned along the edges of her eyelids. She wouldn’t cry. Not while he was still in the house. She shouldn’t have been crying at all. It wasn’t like he totally denied her. He just said he needed to think. She had pulled that line on him once before, but did he mean the same thing?
She listened to him sit on the hall butler bench and slide his boots on. A soft meow drifted down the stairs along with the light patter of cat paws coming down the hall. Krystal looked over the back of the couch and saw Artemis trot toward Devin with absolutely no hesitation.
This, she had to see.
Krystal jumped off the couch and went to the cased opening into the foyer. Artemis was brushing himself against Devin’s pant leg, purring like a loud motorboat as he looked up to Devin with expectant eyes. She had fed the cat earlier, but this wasn’t the usual supplication for food. He wanted attention, and from a complete stranger. That never happened.
Devin finished lacing up his boots and then carefully scratched Artemis behind the ears.
If there was ever a sign that Devin was the one who was destined to stay, it was this. Forget the dark magic and the way he made love to her. If Artemis actually liked Devin, it was a universally accepted truth that he should stay.
She wanted to run to him and throw her arms around his neck to beg him to stay just a little longer, but that wouldn’t have been fair. He gave her space when she asked for it, and Krystal would do the same for him.
Devin stood from the bench and walked to the door. He took one last look over his shoulder as his hand wrapped around the knob. She met his blue eyes and tried to smile, but the unbidden tears kept her from fully expressing how grateful she was for the benevolence he had shown her tonight.
“Your secret is safe with me,” he said. “I promise, I’ll let you know when I’m ready to talk about this again.”
Krystal nodded in understanding and watched him walk out the front door. With his absence came that cold loneliness that she couldn’t shake. Artemis looked up to her as if questioning why the perfect man was just leaving her like that.
She shook her head to the mute question. She didn’t know either. There was no use understanding why she loved him. Why she was willing to give him the world if he asked for it. Why she was willing to give up everything she ever knew – including her powers – just so she could be with him.
Chapter Fifteen
Krystal sipped on her chai tea latte, wishing that painful ache in her chest would just go away.
“And then he left?” Valerie asked. The two girls had been clinging to every word of Krystal’s story of how she finally came out of the broom closet with Devin. Of course, she didn’t tell them about the sex that preceded the talk. That was none of their business and she couldn’t handle any questions about whether there were rights read or handcuffs involved.
She nodded and swallowed what was in her mouth. As always, every sip reminded her of her family, the traditions that had been such an integral part of her life. It reminded her of evenings spent in craft stores with her mother, browsing for fall decorations or candles to use in some ritual she wanted to try. Right about now, she was beginning to think that she wanted to change her drink choice to something less nostalgic.
“He left and I haven’t heard from him.”
They had just opened for the morning. Not one customer had come in. They were probably reading the headlines of that morning’s newspaper. Big bold letters screamed that the murderer was still on the loose and Harry Middleton was the second victim. She doubted that anyone would come walking through those doors all day, not even Aaron or Devin.
And for once, she didn’t care.
The business meant little to her in the wake of this new personal tragedy. She had done a lot of thinking, goi
ng over his reactions and how she had the fleeting hope that he would understand. He probably understood, but that didn’t mean he was comfortable with any of it. That look in his eyes, the way he said he needed time to think. It wasn’t good. Even his promise as he was walking out the door meant little now.
“Maybe he’ll call later today?” Alexa offered. “He’s got to come in for his coffee anyway.”
Valerie passed her a look. “Or he could just send Aaron to get it.”
“I don’t think either of them are coming in,” Krystal said as she set her cup down on the counter, tired of the drink after just three or four sips. “I don’t think Devin would have told him about us, but he’ll probably make up some excuse for them not to come in. Either that, or he’s going to be swamped with work. They still haven’t caught this murderer yet.”
Alexa shivered. “I know. I don’t know what news is worse. That you may have lost Devin or that this killer is still on the loose.”
Krystal shook her head. “I don’t think Devin was ever mine. Last night, we kind of came to the conclusion that we wanted to be a couple, but that was before… you know.” She crossed her arms over her frumpy light blue sweater, the one she always wore at home when she needed something soft and comfortable to wear. She didn’t care if it wasn’t professional looking.
“I’ve seen the way he looks at you,” Valerie said. “He’s totally in love with you and he even admitted it. Just give him some time to adjust. This is a small town. It’s not like he can avoid you.”
“He can transfer out.” The words came out cold and bitter from Krystal’s lips. “That’s what he did when things got tough in Boston. Who’s to say he won’t do it again?”
Alexa put a reassuring hand on her friend’s arm. “Because he’s crazy about you and you’re crazy about him. He just needs to realize that.”
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