Page 24

I eat it anyway because I don't waste food. It's delicious, and I hate-love every second of it.

A little after we get off work, around seven in the morning, Ekon arrives at my door so I can try the spell again.

Black chalk scrapes against my living room floor, and the sound cuts through the quiet like nails on bone. I'm on my knees, hunched forward, tracing line after line. The pentagram takes shape under my hand. Normally, I'd draw it on my table, but that clearly isn't working. Something more powerful is blocking me.

Ekon sits on my couch, silent for once. His gray eyes track every movement, and the weight of his attention tingles down my spine. I connect the last line of the pentagram to its starting point and sit on my heels, blowing chalk dust off my knuckles.

"Alright," I say, more to myself than to him. "Second time's the charm."

A low sound comes from the couch. It's a half grunt and laugh. I ignore him and whisper the first word of the incantation. The Nacht language spills from my lips in a cadence that doesn't belong to my mouth. The words are older than this city, older than the continent.

The air thickens, pressing against my skin. The hairs on the nape of my neck lift in a slow wave. I grab a handful of salt and sprinkle it onto the ground, whispering my intent. Find Ekon's mate. Show me where she is. Give me a direction, or a name. Hell I'll take her thong size at this rate. Give me anything.

The second the salt hits the floor inside the circle, warmth blooms behind my eyes. The frigid scent of winter floods my nose. Magic flows through me, lighting me up from the inside. Then the air snaps.

The salt gathers in the center, forming two very distinctive letters.

Ekon shifts on the couch. "I'm sorry, but why is there an XL on the floor?"

A snort leaves my mouth. "Apparently, your mate wears an XL thong."

Ekon's eyes narrow. "So I can expect an ass like yours?"

Rolling my eyes, I gather the salt in the center and throw it at him. "Shut the hell up."

Ekon dodges it before heading home. The next morning right after work, we start the third attempt. This time, I use a compass, infusing it with my magic. It's supposed to point toward his mate's location. I set it in the center of the pentagram, whisper the incantation, and watch as the needle spins...and spins...and spins.

It doesn't stop. It just keeps rotating in wild, useless circles until I grab the damn thing and throw it across the room.

Ekon catches it one-handed without looking up from his phone. "Want me to get you some water?"

"I want you to shut up."

He exits through the front door, phone in hand. Thirty minutes later, he returns with water, a sandwich, and a blanket. He feeds me, and I grumble, snarling at the chalk lines like they've personally betrayed me until he leaves.

The next day, I try a pendulum. It's a simple witch tool. A crystal hangs on a chain that swings toward the target. I hold it over the pentagram, whisper the spell, and wait. Nothing happens.

"At this rate, why don't we try to locate my shit, you little klepto."

His words echo in the room, and the pendulum swings hard. My jaw unlatches as it sways toward my bedroom with so much force the chain nearly slips from my fingers.

Ekon sits up straighter. "What's it pointing at?"

"Nothing," I snap, but my face heats.

The pendulum wants to point at my sock drawer, where I keep the three stone dicks I stole from him. The crystal strains against my grip, pulling so hard I have to wrap the chain around my fist twice to keep it from flying out of my hand.

Ekon's eyes widen, and then his mouth curves into the most insufferable smile I've ever seen. "Yue. Are you telling me the spell is reacting to—"

"It's a malfunction."

"It's pointing at my—"

"It's a malfunction."

He leans back on the couch, arms crossed, looking far too pleased with himself. His brown eyes flash with something darker, and my stomach drops. Wait a fucking second... does he know I've been... He can't, right?

My entire body goes hot. "Get out."