Page 41 of Love Spell

“Heard of, not familiar.”

“My skill set is not limited to astrologer and coffee connoisseur.About a month ago, I attended a friend’s wedding, where I ran into one of life’s little critics.I should have walked away, but there’s no fun in that and I was in a bad mood.He called me a charlatan, said he wanted proof, so I said okay and put a spell on him as soon as I got home.”

“Come again?”

“He was there alone, had a bad nosebleed that he got under control while standing in a corner alone, and I’d a hunch he was trying to pick me up when he first addressed us.With that information, nicking one of the blood-soaked paper towels from the bin that he’d used, and learning his name from Lars, I decided what such a poor lonely soul needed was a love spell.Really just doing him a favour.”

“You’re joking.”

“Do I look like I’m joking?”

Noah stared at him.Julian stared back.

“Okay —” Julian shrugged.“So I didn’t mean it as a favour.But how was I supposed to know he’d go for you?To be clear, we’re talking about nudging existing energies and influences in our perceived waking reality.Not fireballs and summoning flesh-and-blood dragons.Your boss had it in him to fall for you, or there’d have been nothing on Earth or beyond I could have done to push him your way by magick.But he did and I did — and it looks like you’re the one suffering for it.I’m sorry about that.”

“You’re serious?You cast some kind of spell on Timo?Like a long-distance hypnosis, a power-of-suggestion thing?”

“Sure, something like that.”

“And made him obsessed with me?Won’t leave me alone?Like a damn stalker for a boss?”Noah’s voice kept rising as he went on.He had no idea if he even believed Julian, but it made more sense than anything else that had happened between Noah and Timo in the past month.“No subtlety, either.I’ve had to put up with his advances, my co-workers’ mockery and back-stabbing, and now I can hardly even get away from the man for an hour at a time because, in addition to working together all day, I’m living with him!”

Julian sat back, eyebrows raised.“I can’t take the credit for that.If you want to move that fast it’s up to you.”

“I don’twantto live with him!”Noah was on his feet.“I don’t have any other good options!I happen to be homeless right now!”

Julian gazed for a moment at the ceiling, as if considering offering a space, as if wondering how sorry he really was.Either that wasn’t it, or he decided he wasn’t sorry enough to actually do anything about it.

“I shouldn’t have kicked all this off,” Julian said calmly.“You’ve every reason to be upset, but it was never meant for you.You said you’re soon returning to North America?”

Noah snorted and started pacing in a circle around his own chair.“As if that would stop him.He’ll probably follow me.Even if I leave prop trading.He’s certifiable.Don’t you know the Spider-Man quote?”

Julian frowned.“Does whatever a spider can?”

“‘With great power comes great responsibility.’You can’t go around doing that kind of thing to people.Saying it’s only a little energetic nudge is no excuse.Hypnosis can lead someone to walking off a bridge!”

“Voltaire said that.”

“Well, Spider-Man made it famous to a modern audience.”

“You mean Stan Lee?”

“Shut up!”

Julian opened his mouth, dark eyes glinting, but he again sat back, lacing his fingers together, making a point of demonstrating that he was going to let that one go, which only annoyed Noah more.

“You did this.”Noah faced him.“You have to put it right.How do you undo the spell or lift the hypnosis or whatever?What has to be done?”

Julian regarded his own locked fingers for several seconds that seemed an age in Noah’s furious turn of mind.

Finally, he said, “I can lift the spell.”

“Yes, please, now —”

“If… Timofei makes a full apology.”

A chill spiked down Noah’s spine.“Apologise for what?”

“For doubting.For how he acted at the wedding.”

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