Page 80 of Bones

“Nothing. But you’re a challenge I couldn’t best, and those are rare. My ego isn’t happy.”

“Your ego is fine, you pick-me,” he shot back.

Juno’s angry glare cut to Denny. “Didn’t I say to block his TikTok access?”

Denny rolled her eyes. “Anyway, thankfully, she wasn’t successful because he got his body back. And eventually his memories.” Her cheeks flushed, leaving little doubt what had brought on the change.

Juno took over next, sharing that she’d been adopted and grew up simply believing she was a great and all-powerful witch. She hadn’t known who she truly was until Nate had called her his sister.

“While she was high as a kite after her stores had been destroyed,” Stellan added.

Genuine heartbreak wafted from my sister. “Those Absolve bastards destroyed priceless art.”

You own an art gallery?

That’s the most shocking discovery today.

“Better,” Juno answered my mate’s question before it’d finished illuminating across the air. “A comic store.”

That checks.

“Plus, a bookstore and candy store. All three interconnected. They’re amazing. But those bastards tried to take them from me.”

“Yeah, well, they tried to takeyoufrom me when they shot you,” Stellan growled.

My voice was just as rough. “Theyshotyou?”

Juno just waved that off. “I was fine.”

“You didn’t know you would be,” Stellan grumbled as he held her tighter.

Juno backtracked, filling us in on meeting Stellan when he’d been the detective assigned to the destruction of her stores. He’d suspected her involvement at first before giving in to hisattraction. Juno had continued to fight it, him, and the entirety of the world on her own.

Especially when she thought she’d put a target on her mate’s back because mindless Absolve lemmings continued to try to take them out.

And when she thought she was losing her magicks.

“But I wasn’t weakened.” She gave a cocky smirk that quickly fell. “Wait, this would be better with a chair spin.”

Stellan gave the slowest, most half-assed spin.

It was good enough for her because her smirk returned. “My mate made my powersgrow. I know, I didn’t think it was possible, either. But thanks to him, everything comes easier, and I barely have to try.” She waved a hand.

And an asthmatic dog appeared.

Breathing heavily before it even started running, it quickly toppled ass over head.

Victoria let out a small bark as she eyed it with disdain from her spot near the fireplace.

The dog ran over and sniffed her. It shook like someone had set it on vibrate. Victoria gave a haughty sigh before slowly trotting off with him.

“See?” Juno said. “No effort. Like breathing.”

“We believed you,” Denny said, fighting—and failing—to hide her lip curl as she watched the dogs go down the hallway.

“I like to show off,” she said, to the surprise of exactly no one. “Plus, he’s been lonely without Lea to come get him when I’m gone.”

The heartbreak about her stores was nothing compared to the grief that darkened her expression.

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