Chapter 7
As Mallory was cuddling, Dante took a deep breath and said, “This may not be the most romantic topic, but I just thought of something.”
Oh well. The afterglow had to fade sometime. “What’s that?”
“The symptoms you’re experiencing, you said they only started recently, and you don’t have any weird family history. What if they’re the result of a curse? Or some kind of spell that backfired?”
“A spell? Like actual magic?”
“Yeah.”
Mallory sat up and the sheet slipped off of her. Dante’s eyes bugged out, as if he’d never seen breasts before.Is he salivating?She’d better get him back on track before he forgot what he was saying.
“Is there such a thing as a real curse?”
“Yeah, I think so. I know a couple of witches and a wizard. From what I understand—which isn’t a lot—curses are really frowned upon in magic today. Unfortunately, some people are unscrupulous—or sociopathic—and don’t care what happens to others.”
“What people?” Mallory asked. “Who could do something like that?”
“I guess there are a few who know how to dabble in black magic.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. It’s pretty nasty. It can backfire on the sender, but that’s not our problem. I think what we need to do is find someone who could identify and remove a curse if there is one.”
Speechless, Mallory just stared at him. The idea that someone would put a curse on her had never even crossed her mind. Why? She hadn’t done anything really terrible in her whole life. Who could wish her ill?
“I know it’s a long shot.” He cleared his throat and sat up. “I’m thinking of a wizard I’ve heard of. He has a good reputation as someone who knows what he’s doing and has high principles. Would you accept his help?”
“That depends. What if he’s nuttier than I am? A wizard? I’m pretty open-minded, especially now, but that doesn’t mean anything if I freak out over his abilities.”
“Don’t you want someone who has mind-blowing abilities? I’d want to know he can accomplish what needs to be done.”
She didn’t answer, because she wasn’t sure.
“Say something,” Dante pleaded.
“I’m thinking.”
“Look, I may be grasping at straws, but I want to help, and this possibility just popped into my head. You don’t have to…”
“I guess it would be worth looking into.” Before she chickened out, she said, “Call him.”
Dante bounded out of the bed. “I left my phone in your kitchen.”
As he pulled on his jeans, she had a good look at the well-muscled Adonis she’d just slept with.NowI’m salivating!She fetched her red satin robe from the closet and put it on as she followed him downstairs.
When Dante grabbed his phone off the kitchen floor, she was reminded of the passion they’d shared the moment they got in the door. She had never fallen this fast or this hard for anyone. It should have scared her, but it didn’t. She trusted Dante. She didn’t know why, but she did.
Dante pressed a couple of buttons on his phone, and moments later, he was speaking to one of his brothers. “Hi, Jayce. I’m looking for Kurt. Do you have his number?”
Jayce must’ve asked what he needed it for, because Dante frowned and said, “It’s kind of personal.”
He listened for a few seconds and then let out a deep sigh. “I need one of his special skills, if you know what I mean.”
He glanced at Mallory. “Yeah, I’m with my girlfriend. But she’s cool. She’s the one who needs his help.”
Dante glanced around the kitchen frantically, as if looking for something. Mallory guessed it might be pencil and paper. She pulled a notepad and pen out of her junk drawer. He smiled and took them.
