Page 99 of Christmas Magic

A faint smile curved her mouth. “Sorry, Lucian, but—”

“You’re sorry? Are you, really?”

Her eyelashes flickered.

“What have you done, Molly?”

“I did what I had to. I saw no other choice.”

He hissed a breath. “I’ll have no other choice. You know that, right?”

Uncertainty tinged her expression.

“I’ll have to tell The Experts that you trapped me in this room. That won’t bode well for you.”

She shrugged. “They probably already know.”

Indeed, they might. They’d have noticed the flares of magic.

“Julius knows,” she added.

“He—?”

“He approved my plan.

What? Had The Dealers managed to influence Julius, too? They could well intend to destroy The Experts from inside the organization.

“—and he’ll be here soon.”

Lucian fought the roar rising in his throat. He had to get free.

“I fink Wucian’s going to pop again,” Tim mewled.

Molly grinned. She tried to cover her mouth with her hand.

“Molly,” Lucian seethed.

“I’m not going to let you out. Might as well get comfortable in there.”

“Comfortable? While you’re doing what?”

“Managing the store.”

“Don’t treat me like a fool! That’s not all you’re doing.”

She shook her head. “I need to get back to work. If you get hungry, there’s food and water in the fridge. We’ll talk again once Julius arrives.”

She turned her back to him and walked away. His eyes followed the graceful line of her back, the enticing sway of her hips. A beautiful and dangerous creature.

But, he had a duty to protect Cat’s Paw Cove. She wasn’t going to stop him. Neither was anyone working with her.

Lucian stepped out of view of Tim and Galahad. With a turn of his fingers, he called up Molly’s spell and set to work.