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“Indeed.”

I look him over. He’s still human and still wearing Derek’s sweatpants. He’s still unfairly attractive. “Huh.”

Gabriel raises an eyebrow. “Did it work?”

I consider him. “Do you feel any differently?” I do, but I won’t be admitting that out loud.

His mouth twitches. “No.”

“How disappointing.”

“Very.”

We stare at each other. And for one crazy second, I think he might kiss me again. But then he steps back.

“Okay,” I say brightly. “Next!”

Gabriel closes his eyes. “God help me.”

Over the next hour, we try six different methods of curse removal.

None of them work.

We light more candles. I make a circle of salt around Gabriel’s feet. I try multiple incantations. I don’t have sage, but I found an enormous rosemary bush growing right by the front entrance. So I wave a bundle of fresh rosemary around him.

Gabriel sneezes. Twice.

“Well,” I say. “That’s something.”

“Yes. You’ve successfully irritated my sinuses. Huzzah.”

I try having him stand back inside the circle of salt while I walk around him three times in one direction, then three times in the other.

He informs me that I look deranged.

I tell him his attitude is probably why he got cursed in the first place. He doesn’t appreciate that.

We try a cleansing bath. Well, technically, I suggest a cleansing bath. Gabriel looks at the upstairs bathroom, takes one look at the ancient claw-foot tub, and informs me that he’d rather remain cursed than risk drowning in whatever might be living inside the plumbing.

Fair.

I try playing a meditation video that promises to release negative energy.

Gabriel lasts forty-seven seconds. “Turn that infernal noise off.”

“It’s supposed to be healing.”

“It sounds like someone is strangling a harp.”

That makes me giggle, but I turn it off.

We try positive affirmations. “Repeat after me: I am worthy of love.”

He stares at me. “Absolutely not.”

“Come on.”

“No.”