Page 85 of Magic and Matrimony

“Shame on you, Piper. You thought you could get away from me.”

38

AMBROSE

Istare down at my phone with a pit in my stomach. My call has gone to Piper’s voicemail, again. I’ve texted so much, I’ve fully plunged into stalker territory. When she didn’t answer texts, I began calling, which she also ignored.

I’ve barely slept. After Piper left, I went up to my room, laid on my bed, and stared at my ceiling. Despite how weary I am from the last few days, my brain wouldn’t shut down. I kept thinking over the mistakes I’ve made and the position that I put Piper in. The worst part of all is that she’s cursed to be obsessed with me for the rest of our lives.

I roll out of bed, still in my clothes from last night.

There are reminders of Piper taunting me all over the house. I shower and remember the way she trusted me when she was sick. Not just to watch over her, but to care for her when she was too weak to stand. In the kitchen, I stand at the stove, knowing I should eat something, but all I can do is remember Piper in here making potions.

I open the fridge just to slam it shut. Fuck. My stomach is empty, but it churns with the feeling of true loss.

My feet take me to the library before I realize where I’ve wandered. I stare at the pile of books on the table. Piper and I spent so many hours researching, laughing, and enjoying each other's company in here. The fireplace has a tidy stack of wood waiting to be set alight with the spark of a match. I always make sure it’s ready for Piper since she loves the warmth and snap of the fire, the hint of wood smoke, and the way it makes the library cozy.

There’s an open book on the table, as if Piper was interrupted when reading, and now I don’t know if she’ll ever be back to finish it. The thought hits me like a blow to the stomach. My heart physically aches in my chest.

I’ve fallen in love with Piper. I can’t even pinpoint when it happened. It was a creeping vine that grew slowly tangled around my heart and now it’s squeezing until it feels like I can’t breathe. I can’t function. Sitting in that chair when Piper was sick, watching to make sure she didn’t stop breathing, eating tacos with her while we shared admittedly awful stories about our pasts, seeing her break out of her shell and crawl onto my lap at Heathens, it was every moment we spent together that made me fall.

But how unfair is it for me to tell her that, when I know the way she feels about me is the result of a spell and not real?

It’s not fair to me and it’s definitely not fair to her. She’s trapped because of my fucking curse. How fucking ironic that I’ve been abandoned half my life, but now I know I need to push Piper away for her own wellbeing.

I’m not sure I can, though.

I drag my hand through my hair and dial Piper’s phone again. I know she’s upset, but knowing she’s cursed to love me, I’m surprised that she could walk away from me. I should let her have her space to sort through everything that has happened, but there’s a nagging feeling that won’t let me leave her alone.

Her phone goes to voicemail again.

Fuck it.

My magic thrums in my chest, a persistent buzz that won’t go away. That’s it. I can’t take this anymore. I grab my keys and rush out to the car. Piper can’t ignore me if I’m standing in front of her. We need to figure out how we move forward. Because I can’t sleep without her next to me, and I don’t want a life where she’s not by my side. If we have to comb every book in my library, or hold Fitz hostage until she tells me how we can free Piper from the false love of my curse, then that’s what we’ll damn well do.

I speed across town in a blur, arriving at Piper’s without barely a memory of any of the streets I passed. Shit, did I even stop at the stop signs? My magic twists in my chest, anxiety burning with every breath as I sprint up the steps of her building. My fist is poised to knock on Piper’s door when Roman sticks his head out of the apartment he and Josephine share. Josephine, Piper, and Stellan all live in the same building. Like a dorm.

“What are you doing here?” Roman looks up and down the hallway, as if expecting someone to be with me.

“I’m here to talk to Piper.”

“Piper’s home? I thought she was at your place.”

I make a frustrated sound, blowing him off. When I raise my hand to knock again, something stalls me. There’s a muffled sound of banging.

“Do you hear that?” I ask, but I don’t bother waiting for a response before I try the knob. The door is unlocked.

I run into the apartment. The sound of glass shattering, cursing, and furniture toppling have me running to the bedroom. I burst through the door, and the sight that greets me makes my blood run cold. Rage, unlike anything I have ever felt, pulls in my chest along with my magic.

Piper’s broken body is lying on the floor. Looming over her is Tucker, his face disfigured with burns and boils, but it doesn’t hide the malicious grin as he kicks Piper.

My magic bursts out of me like a cyclone of power and tunnels into Tucker’s mind. Tucker freezes, and then crumbles to the ground. His body shakes as I send illusion after illusion into his mind. It’s an assault on all of his senses. Every one of his worst nightmares is playing out in real time just for him. No one else can see, but I’m breaking him.

In his head, all his bones are broken. He’s helpless and vulnerable, just like he made Piper feel time and time again. I’m forcing him to reckon with his inner psyche and it’s a monster.

“That’s enough.” Roman’s hand claps on my back. “He’s gone.”

Tucker’s body might still be there, but that man’s mind is broken beyond fixing. His eyes are open, his body twitching, and drool slides down his chin. I nearly stumble back, my shoulder colliding with the wall. I’ve just used an excessive amount of magic, but I need to get to Piper.