Page 41 of Cursed Luck
“Cook’s choice it is,” she muttered, excitement bubbling at the idea of cooking for Edward when he came home. “Whoa… home? Well, he is coming home, but my home isn’t his home, so…”
A man she passed gave her an odd expression. He must’ve heard her. She offered him an apologetic smile and kept her thoughts to herself. A couple blocks down, she spotted the café Brandy worked at.
She considered stopping in for a tea when her feet slowed at the sight of Edward’s car parked along the street. Her stomach fluttered with excitement. Mia hurried her steps and peered into the café from the outside, searching for him in the busy café.
Her brows narrowed, and her knees began to buckle at the sight before her. She stepped back and placed a hand on a cool surface behind her. Logically, there had to be a reason Edward was home sooner and why his arms were wrapped around a dark-haired woman. She started to tell herself it was Brandy and she had cut her hair, but then Brandy came around the counter and joined them.
Hot rage formed in her belly. He touched another woman, and he lied…What all had he lied to me about? she wondered.
Her magic swirled within her, electrical pulses running down her limbs as Edward spotted her staring at them. A frown filled his handsome face, and she could not bear standing there any longer.
Mia grabbed the fabric at her knees and ran. She ignored a woman whose eyes flashed red at the surge of power Mia emitted as she dashed down the street. Tears burned the backs of her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.
“Mia!” Edward yelled.
She tripped at the sound of his voice and skinned her hands and knees on the concrete. The pain in her heart surpassed the damaged skin, and she pushed onto her feet.
“Mia, are you okay? What’s going on?” Edward asked, his hands trying to steady her.
“Don’t touch me!” she snapped, slapping him away.
Hurt flashed in his eyes. “I don’t know what you think you saw, but I can explain.”
She saw red at his expression.“Silentium!”
His mouth opened, but nothing came out. Edward’s hands clawed at his throat, and his fear turned into anger.
“Stay away from me,” she stated before turning on her heels. Each step away from him crushed her from the inside. Silent tears slid down her face, but she held her head high and returned home, to the only place that would aid her in grieving the loss of a mate.
As soon as she reached her building, she found her car keys and locked up. She drove for three hours and parked in a break in the trees. With her wallet locked in the glove box and her sandals on the car floor, she exited her vehicle.
The moment her bare feet stepped onto the soil, she sucked in her first deep breath. The only other time in her life she had been toldlet me explainwas after finding her lover of two years in the throes of passion with another.
She vowed she would never hear those words again.
Mia moved through the forest in the waning night and found a soft patch of dirt to rest on. She cast an invisibility spell around herself and curled on her side. Flowers grew from the ground around her as she allowed the earth to take her in, needing the comfort it offered.
She’d roamed the forest often since she was a child. It was the one place she found solace and healing. She went there regularly, needing to recharge after living among buildings. Since Edward had arrived in her life, she had not been taking care of herself.
Her mind pushed him forward against her will. A little voice told her she did not understand. Edward would never hurt her. He was her mate and would not want another so long as she lived.
Unable to process it, Mia shut a door in her mind and fell into a deep sleep.
Chapter 19
Panicked, Edward was torn between shaking Mia until she undid whatever spell she had cast and kissing her until he could not breathe. When she left him on the street, there one minute and disappearing the next, he hurried back.
“Was that Mia?” Brandy asked once he stepped inside.
“She looked awfully upset,” Claudia said.
His lips formed a thin hard line before he opened and shut his mouth. He grabbed both women by their arms and pulled them to the back. Opening the office door, he waved them inside.
“What’s going on, Edward?” Brandy asked, fear flashing in her eyes.
He opened his mouth to make a noise, any noise, but not a damn thing came out. Raising his arms in frustration, he sighed and stared at the ceiling.
“Oh my God, he can’t talk,” Claudia said a moment later.
