Page 83 of Lunar Diamonds
You are unworthy of his kindness, trash.
“They’re really good,” I said, opening my eyes.
His friendliness reached my core as a warm caress. “Phew. Right, I’ll let these cool.”
He made a second batch, talking about his job. I laughed at the funny stories, frowned at the difficult customer tales, reveling in every second of it.
An interesting development. My walls down, rules broken—or at least cracked. The deeper I went, the more complicated things would become, leaving me vulnerable.
But that didn’t have to happen. Listening to these stories didn’t mean anything.
The fluttering in my chest meant nothing. Thinking how his lips might taste didn’t, either.
He is incandescent…
Shit.
“Mrs. Langdon is the sweetest customer,” Riley continued. “Adores romance books, borrows ten a week and asks me to hunt down any new ones she might like. I could spend all day with her.”
“I like that.”
He groaned. “Man, I’m waffling too much.”
“No, you’re fine.”
“What about you? Any hobbies? What did you do before, well, you know?”
“Before Rhianna?”
He winced. “Sorry.”
“For what? You’re allowed to say her name.”
“Okay.”
“Freelance work,” I answered. “Hired to find things and people. Nothing special, really. My life was boring. I work, I sleep, I work some more.”
“Ah, but did you find anything super special?” he asked, shaking chocolate chips into the mixing bowl.
This kitchen smelled heavenly.
“No rare treasures so far,” I answered. “Although the lunar diamonds will count as special.”
It wouldn’t be long before we ventured into the catacombs. My insides warped at the thought, but I couldn’t let Riley see my fear. I wanted to help, to prove to him that I was on his side.
“Yeah,” he said. “They left those out of the history books.”
Because I’d found them by mistake. I made contact with a few shimmer witches versed in the history of celestial power. Dr. Philips, a brilliant professor at the Bath University of Magical Studies showed me a document about the diamonds—a document she shouldn’t own. She’d been a friend of Janet Aurora, The Star.
I told Riley this.
“Wow…” he breathed.
Lunar Diamonds. Solar Diamonds. Starlight Diamonds. The Aurora’s most important tools, passed down from the first triplets to now.
He brushed his forehead with his arm, leaving a line of flour across his skin. I wasn’t sure how it got there, seeing as onlyhis hands were caked in baking residue, but I couldn’t help the chuckle.
“What is it?”
