Chapter 41
Calvin stands as soon as I reenter the bar. Concern etches his crinkled forehead and narrowed eyes. “You were gone a long time.” His tone is the soothing comfort I need after my third vision in less than twenty-four hours.
“I know.”
“Are you feeling better?” He reaches to wrap me in a hug, but I step back, press my hand against his chest to keep him away.
“I’m exhausted. I need to head home.”
The crinkles deepen, and he shoots a glance over my shoulder before cupping my chin. “What happened?”
His tone is hard and leaves no option for me to ignore him, but I do. I don’t have the energy to explain my vision. To explain that I might be wrong about Dane. To listen to Cal say I told you so and then tell me my plan is as doomed as my love life.
I was so sure Dane was the man in my vision. Who else can it be?
Cal’s grip on my chin shifts as his thumb strokes the tear streaks on my cheek. “Sienna, what happened?”
I turn my head, slip from his grasp. “Nothing.”
“Why are you lying to me? Was it Dane? Did he hurt you?” He steps toward the bar where Dane’s talking to Rowan and Elara with his palms up, like he’s offering them something.
I grasp the front of Cal’s shirt and drag him toward our table for privacy. “Why do you always assume the worst about him?”
“He uses people.”
“He builds houses for homeless families.”
“The perfect place to hunt for clients to swindle. He always comes out on top, leaving broken people in his wake.”
“If that were true, I would know. People would talk, but no one does.”
“Brett and Julian.”
“We don’t know that was Dane fault. Give him a chance. If not because he deserves it, then for my sake. I’m a good judge of character.”
He snorts. “You aren’t.”
Whatever. “See you tomorrow.” I brush past him and grab my purse from the back of my chair.
He falls in step with me. “I’m walking you home.”
I elbow him. “I don’t want you to.”
“Too bad.”
“Dane is walking me home.”
Cal swallows thickly. “Your plan worked, then? You’re taking him home to…”
“Sort of.”
“What the hell does that mean?” He growls low in his chest, like he’s a shifter, not a mage. “Are you taking him home to fuck him or not?”
“Shh. No. I don’t know. I’m not sure. I need to figure out some stuff. He’s waiting. Good night.”
He cups my elbow and pulls my chest flush to his.
Toe to toe.
Like in my vision.
No.
“Sienna, tell me the truth. What happened outside? Why are your eyes bloodshot?”
I don’t want to fight with Cal. I need to get out of here. How do I keep this vision from coming true? A partial truth, maybe. “Dane and I… we talked.”
“Talked?” He doesn’t believe me.
“Mostly.”
“Sienna…” He grumbles my name.
“I had a vision, but it’s fine.”
“How? Who was it about?”
I glare at him because he can guess the answer.
“He kissed you?” His eyes shutter like he doesn’t want me to see his reaction to my answer.
“His thumb brushed my lip. I saw… someone breaks his nose. Out front. But it’s not today. He was wearing a different suit.”
Cal’s fingertips stroke the angle of my jaw. “If he triggered a vision, he can’t be the one to break your curse.”
“Don’t you think I’ve had that thought?” I weave past patrons toward the front door.
“Then why are you leaving? With him?” Cal steps into my path. “You shouldn’t be anywhere near him. If someone kicks his ass, he deserves it.”
“Your judgement is clouded by your hatred.”
“Your visions always come true.”
“Only the kissing ones.”
“Then what about your sex dream?”
“Shhh.” I smack my hand over his mouth. “Don’t broadcast that to the whole bar.”
He peels my hand free. “If he triggered a vision, he’s not the guy. Kissing him doesn’t—”
“Maybe he has a spell or something that will free me. That will fix me.”
His eyes shift from frustrated to a caress. “You aren’t broken.”
I hate the pity in his voice. “I am. But I think… I know… I need to see this plan through. I need to try.”
“He’s not the guy. He’s not right for you.”
“Then who is?” My frustration gets the best of me and my voice climbs higher than I want it to. “It’s not like anyone else is stepping up to sweep me off my feet. I am so tired of being alone and scared of forming attachments. I know you think I’m an idiot—”
“I don’t—”
“But I don’t need your permission. I don’t need your blessing. I need you to trust me. That’s all I’m asking.”
“I don’t trust him. Not with you.”
I roll my eyes. If he trusted me, he’d trust me with Dane. “Good night, Cal.”
“Sienna, you know better than this.”
“Obviously, I don’t. And you don’t know me very well either if you can’t see I’m trying to save myself from an eternity of isolation.”
“You have me.” He slaps his hands against his chest. “And Lyric. We won’t—”
“Until you find your soulmates. Hell, I’m pretty sure if you asked her, Lyric would marry you tomorrow.” I choke on the truth like a sob.
“No, she wouldn’t.”
“And that breaks your heart, doesn’t it? I see it in your eyes. Her Siren’s call sings to you. She’s your mystery crush, but you don’t want to admit it because then I’ll be alone, and you’re saving my feelings.” The words fly out of my mouth with as much venom as I can infuse them with.
I need him to admit he loves Lyric and that everything I felt tonight was a farce. I need to believe Dane breaks my curse because the alternative—life alone—is too depressing.
“I don’t love Lyric,” he grinds out, his jaw flexing with anger.
“Then who are you in love with?”
Another jaw flex. His gaze drops to his boots.
“That’s what I thought.”
“Dane isn’t in love with you.”
“I don’t need him to love me. I need him to break my curse and fuck my brains out.”
Calvin winces. “That’s not true.”
“True love is a lie. It doesn’t conquer all.”
“Sienna—”
“I’m done. Dane’s waiting.” I fling my arm toward the group of beautiful witches watching us fight. “Go find someone who meets your high standards because I’m too exhausted to climb that ladder.”
“That’s not—”
But I don’t hear the rest of his argument. I’m fighting tears as I shove out the front door.
If I’m destroying my longest friendship, Dane had better know how to break my curse.
I don’t know if freedom is worth losing Cal.
The waterfront around the Hex is quiet this time of night.
Across the street, the Town Green is empty, all the Farmer’s Market stalls shuttered.
Fluorescent light shines out of Driftwood Pointe Diner’s windows, but only three booths inside are occupied.
A familiar black cat with a white spot licks its paw from its perch on the wall surrounding the Hex’s patio.
I lean against the wall and swipe the tears from my eyes, settle my heart, and control my breathing.
When I round the corner, Dane pushes off the wall. “I was starting to worry McNamara changed your mind. He couldn’t convince you to stay though, could he?”
I rub my hands up and down my arms to chase away the goosebumps. “I’m here.”
“And freezing. Here.” He slips his jacket from his shoulders. “Put this on.”
The fabric is soft and warm from his body. His grass and eucalyptus scents amplify as I sink into the fabric. The tingle of magic weaves through the threads. He’s put a spell on it, but the magic frays at the edges when the power tries to wrap itself around my arms.
“I have a confession,” he says.
“Already? Should I be worried?”
“I hope not.” His smile is sweet and self-deprecating. A soft ocean breeze tousles his hair into his eyes and gone is the confident man I’m used to.
I nudge his shoulder with mine. “Out with it, then.” We turn toward the shoreline.
“I’ve wanted to ask you out for a while but didn’t think you’d say yes.”
My eyebrows pinch together. “Why?”
“Your bodyguard, for one. What was happening between you two earlier? Looked… intimate.”
“It was…” Overwhelming. Sensual. Erotic. Confusing. “Cal and I are best friends.”
“Looked like he was finally staking his claim.”
Finally? Ha. “No.” As if Cal would ever have romantic feelings for me. He thinks I’m a na?ve idiot, not the love of his life.
“He’s okay with us hanging out?”
“Oh, he absolutely hates this.” I gesture between Dane and myself. “But he doesn’t get a say in who I spend time with.”
“Good to know.” He holds my hand to help me climb the boulders toward the lighthouse shining in the distance, and when we reach the top, he doesn’t let go. His hand against mine doesn’t shoot the tingles across my skin that Cal’s did, but the sensations aren’t unpleasant.
We lapse into a comfortable silence as we walk along the boardwalk.
Seagulls cry overhead. I appreciate that neither of us needs to fill the peacefulness with extra words, but I need to continue the conversation we started before.
If he’s the one to break my curse, I need to know more about him and his work. There’s a clue in his magic. I know it.
Sand squishes under my feet. “You know all about my magic after my little episode. Will you tell me about yours?”
“What do you want to know?”
“You barter in magic. Loan yours when people need a boost.”
“That’s the easiest definition, yes.”
“How does that work, exactly?”
He drops my hand and shoves his into his dress-pant pockets. “You want the nitty gritty details?”
“I don’t know anyone else who’s magic is like yours. Makes me curious.”
“The easiest analogy is a bank. Someone needs extra cash to buy a house, so the bank loans them the money, collecting a little interest in return.” He taps his chest. “Same idea. I help people make their dreams a reality.”
I squeeze his forearm. “I love that you help people like that.”
“It’s an honor to be of service.” He tips a fake hat.
“How did you get started?”
“When my dad was sick, the Hex loaned me enough power to extend his life for a few more months so he and Mom could celebrate their fiftieth anniversary. I’m paying it forward.”
That explains why he hasn’t aged. A man who would do that for his family can’t be as bad as Cal thinks he is.
“What other powers do you have?”
“Nothing worth reporting.” He slows his pace. “Why? You’re a powerful witch. Is there something I can help you with? I didn’t think this was a business meeting, but if you need help, I’m happy to do what I can.”
“I wondered… do you know any way to break my curse?”
“I’d need to know more about it.”
I tell him what I know. Saliva equals visions. Cursed since birth. Realized how they are triggered when I was four. Haven’t shared a utensil since.
“What about the rest of your family? Are they cursed too?”
“No. We have no idea where this one came from or why it chose me. They took me to the wise woman when I was younger, but she’d never heard of it either.”
“That makes things harder. Do you have any ideas?”
“For a while, I hoped true love might be the answer since love is the strongest magic we know, but…” My arms fall to my sides. “No soulmate, so I can’t break the curse.”
“What if you do have a soulmate, but you haven’t found him yet?”
“He’s taking his sweet time showing himself.”
“Maybe he’s scared to approach you.” Dane’s fingers brush my arm, and magic prickles through the suit coat like static electricity.
I scrape my nails across my arm to remove the sensation. “There’s nothing intimidating about me.”
He scoffs. “You harvest magic from the earth. That’s an amazing gift. It gives you power most witches envy.”
“Everyone else in my family has the same power. It’s not rare.”
“It is when combined with your visions. We could do so much good.”
“What good is knowing someone is going to be injured if I have no power to stop the future?”
“We can warn people. Give them time to prepare. If you see them die, they can get their affairs in order and say goodbye. That’s a blessing.”
“You really think so?”
“If I’d known you can do more than grow amazing flowers, I would have asked you to be my partner sooner.”
My shoulders straighten. “You paid attention?”
“How could I not?” He scrapes his mustache with nails. “What I’m trying to say is, you are an amazing witch. I was scared to approach you before, but I want you.”
I shake my head. I didn’t hear him right. No way did he say he wants me. He’s a handsome, charismatic man who can have any witch he chooses. I’m a schoolteacher with a catatonic kissing curse. “You want me… to what?”
“I want you, Sienna. That’s the entire sentence.” He tucks a wayward hair behind my ear with a gentle stroke. “I never said anything before because why would a woman like you be interested in a man like me? Not with McNamara lying about me. Tonight gives me hope.”
“A woman like me?”
“Powerful and compassionate. We can be an amazing couple. We can do a lot of good to help our town.”
My mouth falls open.
His eyes soften. “You don’t even realize your power, do you, Beautiful? Everyone loves to be around you. I feel a tug that draws us together. Do you feel it too?”
“Yes.”
He threads his fingers into my hair. “We can help so many more people if we combine our magics. Will you do that with me?”
“I don’t understand what you’re asking.”
“That tug… we’re soulmates. You and me. It’s destiny.”
“Are you serious?” I screech.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” He caresses my cheek with his eyes.
“I’ve waited for a hundred years to find someone who compliments me.
I didn’t know it was you until I held you in my arms at the Hex.
The bar called me. It told me you’re the one I bond with.
That combining our magic will satisfy our every need.
If we bond at the Hex, the bar will bless our union. ”
“But my visions. Will this bond stop them? Will I be free?”
He holds my gaze. The tug in my chest intensifies, and every fiber of my being trusts him. “Be my bonded soulmate, and you’ll never be afraid of your magic again.”
The bonding spell is what’s missing. The answer is that simple. Is it wishful thinking to believe him?
Combining our magics, becoming soulmates—that’s not a decision to take lightly.
Do I know Dane well enough to make this decision?
No.
But I trust him. Completely.
That’s what the tug in my gut says.
I’m done being afraid. I’m done worrying that every time I get close to someone, I’ll see them ripped away while living with the sure knowledge of how it will happen.
I want to be free. “I don’t want to be afraid anymore.”
“Tomorrow night. We’ll meet at the bar just before moonrise to cast the spell and seal the bond.” He kisses my knuckles. “This is what we need.”