Page 73 of That Mafioso Magic
“I guess I am.”
Xavier shook his head. “I just hope you know what you’re doing.”
“I’m not all that sure. I just know that being with him feels so right.”
“That you don’t care if it’s wrong?”
“That’s the thing… it’s not wrong. It’s fate.”
“You know what?” Xavier threw his hands up in surrender. “I’m not even going to touch that. If you’re happy, then we’ll leave it at that. I might stay in that condo, because it’s fucking beautiful as long as he doesn’t charge me three grand for it.”
I laughed. “He probably won’t charge you at all. If he does, it’ll be something you can easily afford. I may be in love with him, but I also think he’s in love with me. His actions speak volumes.”
“So, this Jewel hottie, is she like… going to always be around us?” he asked, moving the conversation along.
“I believe so. She’s my bodyguard, so she’ll end up working in the office with us and going on missions with us,” I said. “Why? You don’t like her?”
“No… not that at all. Just curious.”
“Are you going to be flirting with her?” I asked.
He looked devilish. “And if I do?”
I shrugged. “Then you do. I don’t think she’s gay like Nadia and Shi.”
“Yeah, I caught the vibe from them a few days ago. Still, I enjoyed the view,” Xavier said and laughed. “Okay, what else do you need me to do?”
I looked at everything all set up for the spells I was going to attempt to work. “Nothing for now. Just keep me company.”
“Can do. So, what are you going to do if you find who shot that bullet?” Xavier asked, pointing to the bullet on the table. The tip of the bullet was crushed from having hit the barrier spell, and some of the poison was gone because the capsule had ruptured. But I felt like enough was there for me to use it.
“I need to break down this potion that was used. If I know the ingredients, maybe I can track down where they got them. Or, if I can somehow find the essence of the mage who created it, I can track them down that way. Point is, I have options… I just hope they work,” I said.
Xavier whistled. “You’re sounding like an expert in magic. That book must be something else.”
“Well, I’m not going to lie and say that I don’t feel more confident. I do. When we put our two halves of the book together, something flowed through us. It made absorbing the knowledge in the book easier.” I shrugged. “I’m not sure how to explain it, really. Kind of like it put us on a fast track.”
“So, do you have it memorized?” Xavier asked as he watched me flip through the grimoire.
I shook my head. “Not really. I mean, I remember names of spells, what they are for. But I still have to reference the book to make sure I don’t miss anything. Also, there are some spells that only Sage can see. I can’t tell you how curious I am about those.”
“Yeah, you told me, like they are the darker spells. Must be because he doesn’t have any problem going there. Killing is probably very easy for him.” Xavier gave me another look as if he were secretly trying to warn me to stay away from Sage.
“That’s a part of him I’m learning to accept, Xavier.”
“Jesus, are you kidding me?” He slapped both hands on the table.
“You can kill. Hell, you have. Should I shun you?”
“I’m not proud of that and I did it to save my team, myself, and for my country. Not because some asshole owed me a grand,” Xavier pointed out.
I held my hand up. “Look, I don’t want to argue about it. Besides, you already said you were going to drop it.”
Xavier sighed and sat down in the nearest chair. “Yeah, I know. I just had to give it one more shot. Trying to talk some sense into you.”
I looked at him. “I heard you. But my decision is made.”
He held both hands up. “Fine. So, where is lover boy anyway?”
