Page 56 of Of Magic and Murder

“It’s Morrigaine’s mirror. It does what it wants.”

Riordan smirks. “Sounds like a certain witch I know.”

Another week goes by. I’m careful not to mention his curse, he’s careful not to bring up his mate, and though we’ve made it through seventy of Garnet’s seventy-five possible locations for the lodestones and found nothing, I’m currently thinking about both Riordan’s curse and his mate as we trudge back to his cruiser after another afternoon spent together in the forest.

No wonder he can’t convince his mate to choose him. Lately, we’ve been spending more time alone out in the woods, as though he seems to think that finding the lodestone will somehow drop the identity of Olivia’s killer into his lap. We’ve spent a couple of hours in the library the entire past week, and, checking the time on my phone as I approach the passenger side of the car alongside Riordan, I see it’s already too late to stop by and get some shelving done today.

I’m wondering if we can put a hold on searching for the last five landmarks tomorrow because I’m feeling guilty for abandoning Ash when, out of nowhere, Riordan breaks the companionable silence with four words:

“Do you trust me?”

I pause, phone in my hand. Thinking it over, I slip it into the pocket of my skirt. Then, before I answer Riordan, I look over at him.

We’ve made it back to the cruiser, but instead of opening my door for me, he’s turned so that he’s standing right in front of me with an expression so serious that my stomach goes queasy.

Do I trust him?

I have no idea why he’s asking me that—especially not now when nothing we’ve done today should indicate that I don’t—but it takes all of a few seconds for me to accept that the answer is: “Of course I do.”

I don’t know who’s more stunned at how easily I can tell him that: Riordan or me. Probably Riordan. For a split second, he looks shocked, and I shrug my shoulders because, well, I do trust him.

He nods slowly. “Good. That’s good, Pen. Because I’d like to try something, if that’s okay with you. I just need you to let me and know I’m doing this for a good reason.”

Talk about deja vu. We’ve had this same thing happen before, only I was the one who wanted him to trust me. Funnily enough, he did. He had no reason to—we barely knew each other then—but he trusted me to let him look at his curse.

Whatever he wants to try, I trust him now.

“Okay.”

“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking… it all goes back to that day in the jail cell. I can’t get over how I used my curse against you⁠—”

“It’s okay,” I cut in. “I know you didn’t mean it like that. I know you won’t do it again.”

After all, he hasn’t since…

Riordan gives me a grateful look. “Thanks, Pen, but, honestly, you can’t know that. I’ve spent fifteen years being careful, and I still slipped with you.” His gaze locks on mine. “So I want to make sure I can’t. This time, I’m going to use my curse against itself.”

My witch brain doesn’t always work the way I want it to, but I think I understand what he’s getting at. “You’re going to order me not to listen to you if you accidentally order me to do something?”

The relief in his golden eyes is a beautiful thing. “Yes,” he breathes out. “That’s it exactly.”

“Then go on. Do it.” When he hesitates, I add, “I told you I trust you.”

Those, it seems, are the magic words.

Riordan sets his shoulders. Then, in his rich, deep voice, he says, “Penelope, you will never obey a magically compelled order unless you freely choose to obey it. Not from me. Not from anyone. Ever.”

The magic hits me. My breath catches as green power wraps around me, sinking beneath my skin before vanishing.

Riordan looks pale beneath his tan. He’s breathing a little heavily, though I can’t tell if it’s because the curse took a lot out of him or if he’s worried that he messed something up. “Did it work?”

“I don’t know. I think we need to test it.

His throat works before he says, “Give me your hand.”

Power snaps through the words. My arm twitches, like it’s going to rise on its own accord, but then it stops. It just stops.

And I giggle. “It works. You did it! You figured out a workaround without having to rely on your mate!”