When I emerged, Zeph was waiting in the kitchen, dressed in his usual pair of holey blue jeans and a t-shirt, and sneakers. He’d brushed his hair a little, but apart from that, I couldn’t tell he’d made much of an effort at all.
“Is that the same shirt you wore yesterday?” I frowned. “What exactly have you been doing this whole time?”
Zeph glanced me up and down. It was that same once-over scan he’d given the pretty girl on our first case with the bogles. This time, however, his lips parted slightly. He swallowed, and when our eyes met, he was blushing a little. “Cut me some slack, would you? I’ve been working hard. Doing this stuff isn’t as easy as it used to be. Not to mention I had to give that bonehead Eldrick directions to the grocery store. He couldn’t find his ass with both hands even if someone drew him a map.”
“Doing what stuff?”
“You’ll see.” He smirked as he stood up and led the way out into the hall, stopping just long enough for me to put on my shoes.
“Leave it, you’ll be fine,” he said when I started to grab my coat.
“But it’s freezing out.”
“Not where we’re going.”
Oh no. What was he up to this time?
I followed Zeph across the hall into his apartment, looking around for anything suspicious. Nothing jumped out at me, though.
That is, not until he closed the door.
On the back of his front door, Zeph had drawn the most complicated display of spellwork I had ever seen. The intricate spell was filled with hundreds of symbols of all shapes and sizes, positioned within rings that spanned outward from the doorknob. Some of it had even been scrawled onto the brass knob itself.
“What is this?” I traced my fingertips over some of the designs.
He shrugged. “Something I was toying around with back when I worked with your dad. We called it an ‘anydoor,’ but it still needs some tweaking. I think this’ll work just for today, though.”
I smiled. “It’s beautiful.”
“Pfft. You haven’t even seen what it does, yet.” Zeph held a hand out for me to take. “Come here, princess. Let’s give it a whirl.”
Zeph gripped my hand tightly as we stood in front of the door. He reached out for the knob with the other, and hesitated. He combed some of his bangs away from his eyes, rubbed the back of his neck, and took a deep breath.
I cleared my throat. “Is everything okay?”
“Uh, yeah,” he mumbled. “Look, I haven’t tried this one in a while. Fair warning.”
“You’re not going to start throwing up again, are you?”
He laughed hoarsely. “No. I mean, probably not. But, uh, there’s a slim chance we could end up on Mars or something.”
“W-what?”
“Hey, I said it was a slim chance. It’s probably fine. I’m pretty sure I got it right.”
“Zeph Clemmont, if we die in the vacuum of space, I swear—”
He grabbed the knob and twisted. The runes ignited one by one, shining brilliantly across the door with a crescendo of chimes. My skin tingled as a warm shiver climbed my spine. Zeph’s hold on my hand tightened. His jaw went rigid and he squeezed his eyes shut as he pulled the door open.
I shut my eyes, too.
There was a rush of bitterly cold air, and for an instant, I felt weightless. My stomach swam, and I squeezed Zeph’s hand with all my strength. The harmony of the chimes was still echoing in my ears with a cadence like an ocean tide. Little by little, their sound began to fade. Something else sounded in the distance—a different kind of tune. It almost sounded like … country music?
Suddenly my feet struck solid ground again.
“Are we on Mars?” I whispered, my eyes still pinched shut as I clung to Zeph’s arm.
“Not unless Mars has started serving funnel cake,” he rasped.
I cracked an eye open. Zeph was doubled over, looking pale again. He was fighting for breath, coughing and wheezing. Oh god. He’d overdone it! I should have known better than to let him try something like this after what we’d been through.
“Zeph,” I tugged on his arm. “Does it hurt? Do you have any of Hank’s cigarettes? Here, sit down, keeping taking deep breaths. I’ll try to find you something to—”
He shook his head. “I-I’m fine, princess. Just gimme a second.”
I fidgeted with the sleeves of my sweater, watching as he steadied himself against the door. A sudden roar and squeals of laughter made me turn. Was that … a roller coaster?
Warm sunlight caressed my face and the savory flavors of popcorn, fried treats, and cotton candy wafted past my nose. Hundreds of people were walking around in shorts and t-shirts, munching on tasty treats, and standing in lines for game booths and carnival rides.
We were standing right next to a small building, and behind us was a door marked “Employees Only.” Was that the door we’d just come through? But—how? We’d been in Zeph’s apartment only seconds before.
I blinked up at him, breathless and dizzy.
“Cool, huh?” He chuckled, the color back in his cheeks. “Let’s go. I don’t wanna miss the pig races. I’ve got money on number four. He’s a sure thing.”
I stumbled along as Zeph took my hand again and we jumped in line to get our tickets. “Is this a carnival?”
He cocked an eyebrow. “Not just ‘a’ carnival. This is the best carnival, ever. It’s the Florida Strawberry Festival.”
“We’re in Florida?”
Zeph’s expression dimmed a bit. “Yeah. Is this okay? I just thought—”
“No! I mean, yes! It’s amazing. It’s perfect.” I was still coming to terms with the fact that we’d walked through his front door and somehow wound up on the other end of the coastline. This whole magic thing was going to take some getting used to.
He smirked and looped an arm around my shoulders, drawing me in against his side. “Good. I didn’t exactly have time to come up with a Plan B.”
He didn’t need one. Bathed in the warm Florida sun, we walked the fairgrounds hand in hand, sampling all the delicious treats and trying out the game booths. I won a cute stuffed lion on my first try at a shooting gallery game. Turns out, my aim was dead on.
Zeph was smiling nervously as we wandered back into the crowd, my toy lion sticking out of his pocket. “Remind me never to piss you off again.”
“I’ll try but you’ll probably do it anyway.” I laughed.
We rode the roller coaster and took a tour through the big livestock arena where all the pigs, cows, sheep, and other animals were waiting to be judged. I breathed in deeply the musky scent of the hay and animals. That paired with the way Zeph’s sturdy fingers wove through mine made every part of my heart warm. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been this … happy.
I didn’t want to lose this—not ever.
“Hey? You okay?” Zeph was studying me, looking totally ridiculous in a foam hat shaped like a giant strawberry.
I sat down on the bleachers next to him, waiting with the rest of the crowd for the pig races to begin. “Just wondering what you’re going to do with that hat after today.”
He grinned. “If my pig wins, Hank has to wear it all night at work and he owes me twenty bucks.”
“Lucky number four?”
“Yep.” He offered me the basket of fresh strawberries he’d just bought. He’d been cramming his face full of them nonstop. This place was a vegetarian faerie’s paradise.
Swiping a few, I sat back to watch as six little pigs were lined up in a miniature starting gate like racehorses. Each one was wearing a felt coat stitched with a number on it. Number four was a small, fuzzy piglet with orange spots. When they loaded him into the chute, Zeph stood up to shout.
I whipped out my phone and snapped a sneaky picture. Zeph in that dorky strawberry hat was going to make the perfect background wallpaper.
The rest of the crowd stood up as an announcer over a loudspeaker gave a countdown to a g
unshot. The chutes opened, and six little pigs came racing out onto the track while everyone cheered. Zeph and I screamed, jumped, and waved our arms as the pigs charged past. The group was clustered at the first turn, tripping all over one another. But as they came around the last corner, lucky number four had taken the lead a snout-length ahead of the rest of the pigs. He darted over the finish line, locking in first place.
Zeph whooped and yelled, waving his hat in the air.
I giggled—right up until he suddenly whirled around, snagged an arm around my waist, and planted a triumphant kiss on my cheek.
My body tingled. I blushed, glancing up at him as he beamed. It was nothing, just a silly kiss on the cheek. But it made my heart race and my thoughts scatter.
He was still strutting and chanting about his victory when we left the bleachers, headed for the Ferris wheel. The sun was beginning to set. We couldn’t stay much longer. But I wanted to do this—no, I had to. I would get Zeph on that Ferris wheel if it killed me. Maybe I didn’t know much about romance or dating, but I knew the rule of Ferris wheels. If anything romantic was ever going to happen on a date to a carnival, that was where you had to be.
As soon as we got close to it, my heart sank. There must have been two hundred people waiting in line.
Zeph glanced down at his phone and sighed. “Doesn’t look like we’ve got time for this. I’m supposed to be at work in an hour.”
My shoulders sagged. “Okay. Should we go home, then?”
“Nah, let’s do one more thing.” He rubbed his chin and looked around. Then his eyes widened. He pointed to the dunk tank. “That one.”
I arched a brow. What was the big deal about a dunk tank, anyway? As we got closer, though, I saw what had him so worked up.
The grand prize was a freshly baked strawberry pie.
The game was easy enough; all you had to do was hit the target with a beanbag hard enough to trigger the collapsing platform. Nothing new there. But as we went to pay for a round, the lady selling tickets waved us off. “Sorry. We’re closed.”
“Seriously?” Zeph frowned.
“The tank guy is on break.”
“Pfft. Closed my ass,” Zeph snatched off his strawberry hat and took my stuffed lion out of his pocket, shoving them both into my arms along with his nearly empty basket of strawberries. “I’ll be the damn tank guy.”
I blinked. “Wait, it’s not a big deal. Let’s just find a different game. I’m sure there’s other places to get pie.”
It was too late. Zeph stripped off his shirt, balling it up and adding it to the stack of stuff in my arms.
My throat went dry. I noticed a few other women standing nearby staring at him, too. Bronze skin, corded arms, and a perfectly sculpted torso—it was hard to ignore a physique like his.
“It’s a matter of pride,” he said as he kicked off his shoes and went to climb into the tank.
The ticket-lady didn’t even protest. She was too busy gawking. Her eyes never left him as I put our stuff down, paid for three beanbags, and took my place in front of the target.
“Okay, princess. Let’s see some more of that wicked aim,” Zeph taunted.
I narrowed my eyes, reared back, and hurled the first beanbag. It sailed wide, missing the target entirely.
He smirked. “Ooh, that’s too bad. Maybe try a little less checking me out and a little more hitting the bullseye.”
“Oh, shut up.” I drew back again, slinging the second beanbag.
It smacked the target dead on. The platform dropped, dumping Zeph into the water. He came up laughing and sputtering, wiping his hair out of his eyes. I cheered, running over to do a victory dance in front of him as he climbed out of the tank.
He took his shirt back and used it to dry his face. “Yeah, yeah. No one likes a showoff, you know.”
“You’re soaked! Look at your jeans.”
“Hmm. Yep, looks like I’ll need some help drying off.” I caught a flash of his mischievous grin half a second too late. Zeph grabbed my arm and dragged me in, hugging me against his wet body and lifting me off my feet.
“Ah! No, stop! This is my favorite sweater!” I giggled as I tried to wriggle free.
Zeph spun me around once and then he put me back down. But he didn’t let me go. His muscular arms stayed wrapped around me, and his gaze flickered to my mouth. My stomach fluttered. I could feel my pulse in my throat.
Yes … yes! Our lips were so close. Just kiss me, you idiot.
“We should go,” he murmured.
The wind rushed out of me all at once. “We still have time.”
He wouldn’t meet my gaze again. “No, Josie. We don’t.”
As he let me go and began putting his shirt back on, I struggled to figure out what had gone wrong. It wasn’t just me, right? That moment—the way he’d held and looked at me. He had wanted it, too. Why was he throwing up walls now?
The answer pierced my mind like a cold spike.
It had to be because of the curse.
Zeph sat down on a bench to put his socks and shoes back on. His jeans were still soaked, and his shaggy dark hair was dripping onto his face and shoulders. I watched him for a moment, biding my time. I was going to ask him. Surely he wouldn’t lie to me again, not about this.
I took in a deep breath.
“Zeph, will you—”
The wind gusted right in my face all of a sudden. It snatched the foam strawberry hat right out of my arms and sent it skipping across the ground.
“Crap! Hang on, I’ll be right back.”
“Hey, wait!”
I ignored him and darted after the hat. It blew across the ground right out of my reach, disappearing into a crowd of people standing around a performance stage. The music was loud, and the people smashed in around me as I ducked through, searching for the hat.
Someone stepped right into my path.
I leaned around, trying to see which way the hat had blown. “Excuse me, I’m just trying to …”
A cold chill shuddered over my body.
I looked up into the flat gaze of a young woman with long hair white as frost. Her pale skin caught the sunlight like porcelain as she tilted her head slowly to the side.
My adrenaline spiked. Something wasn’t right about her.
The woman’s glacier blue eyes never blinked, but one corner of her mouth curled into a sneer. Suddenly, she snapped a hand out and touched my forehead with a finger.
My body went rigid and my chest spasmed as though my breath had frozen in my lungs. I couldn’t move. My knees buckled.
I toppled forward, but in one fluid motion, the tall woman crouched and picked up my limp body. I heard something—a cutting sound near my ear—right before she hefted me over her slender shoulder effortlessly and began striding away into the crowd. There were hundreds of people standing around us, staring at the stage, clapping and singing along with a country music tune. Not a single one of them looked our way. Couldn’t they see me?
Oh god, no. What was happening? Who was this woman? Where was Zeph?
My pulse thrashed in my ears. Tears welled in my eyes. I was hanging there, helpless, unable to make a sound as the woman walked calmly through the exit gates and into the parking lot. The two security guards watching the gates never even looked at us.
My throat burned, but I couldn’t scream.
We were halfway across the parking lot when a crashing sound made the woman stop short.
“Lumi!” Zeph’s voice boomed over the noise of the fairgrounds. “You’ve got something that belongs to me.”
“Are you still alive?” The woman’s voice was calm. “Pity. You must be running short on time by now, though. How many more months is it? Two? Three?”
Zeph growled low. “Put her down and walk away. Last warning.”
“Or what?” She snickered.
“Or your mistress is gonna have to come scrape what’s left of you off this asphalt. Then again, maybe you’r
e Fir Darrig’s bitch, these days?”
The woman’s shoulder tensed under me. She growled—a canine sound that reminded me strangely of Eldrick. The temperature started to plummet. Chills swelled over me and the eerie echo of music whispered in my ears.
The air exploded around me like a blast from a deep freeze.
I was flying through the air, arms and legs flailing out of my control, until I smacked against something hard. A car? My numb body slumped to the ground and I landed on my back, staring up at the endless blue sky. My vision went fuzzy, I still couldn’t move anything, but all around me the sounds of combat raged—metal crunching, glass shattering, and two beasts snarling and bellowing. Chimes blared through the air as though someone were slamming their fists onto a piano, and each chord came with an explosion of energy sizzling in the air.
I couldn’t even turn my head to watch. What was happening? What had that woman done to me? Was I … dying?
Darkness closed in, swallowing me whole.
A second passed. Maybe two. Or was it longer? Time seemed so irrelevant in that blackness.
A sudden primal scream shattered the darkness. Light poured over me, blinding me for a moment.
Through the haze, I saw him.
Zeph was crouched over me, his mouth forcing breath into my lungs and his hands working my chest. cpr? He drew back, his expression twisted and his eyes wild. Blood oozed from a deep cut across his forehead.
I sputtered and sucked in a frantic breath. Instantly, my head cleared. My vision snapped into focus. “Z-Zeph.”
The next thing I knew, his arms were around me. Zeph was shaking all over, gripping me tightly against him. Soft feathers from his wings brushed my cheek.
“I-I can’t move my legs.” My throat was raw. Every word was agony. “What happened?”
Somehow, we were back in the hallway outside Zeph’s front door. Oh god, how long had I been out? What had I missed?
My front door burst open and Eldrick stormed out, his chest thrumming with a beastly growl. His shoulders were hunched, his sterling eyes flashed, and his teeth were bared in a snarl as he glanced down the hall both ways. “I smell her—where is she? Where is Lumi?”
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