Page 69 of No Charm Done

“Adrienne—” Hector’s voice held a warning note, but Adrienne was on a roll now.

“No, no, this is perfect. Look at this description: ‘Transport yourself and your romantic interest to a lost era of sophistication.’ That’s not a spell, that’s a theme restaurant in Williamsburg.”

More laughter now, and Luna felt the moment slipping away completely. They’d lost. The coven had decided CastR was a joke, and nothing she or Elias said would convince them otherwise.

Adrienne squinted at her screen. “Oh, and it’s got a ‘Try It Now’ button. Of course it does. Probably opens a payment portal or asks for your credit card.” She tapped the screen. “Okay, Mr. Vex, let’s see what kind of—wait.” Her expression changed, just slightly. “Huh.”

“What?” Diego asked.

“It’s asking for my location.” Adrienne frowned at the phone. “And access to my contacts. And my camera. And—Jesus, it wants access to everything except my dental records.” She looked up, her amusement fading slightly. “That’s actually pretty aggressive for a scam app. Usually they ease you into⁠—”

The phone buzzed in her hand.

“Huh. It says ‘Preparing Your Glamour Experience.’ That’s new.” Adrienne tapped the screen again, and Luna saw her finger slip. Just a tiny flinch and then, “Oh shit. I didn’t mean to⁠—”

The wards around Track 61 began to thrum. A low, resonant hum that Luna felt in her teeth, her bones, the roots of her hair. The tiles started to glow—first just a faint shimmer, then brighter, like someone was turning up a dimmer switch on the entire tunnel.

“Adrienne, what did you—” Hector started.

“I didn’t mean to activate it!” Adrienne’s voice pitched with alarm. “I was just trying to see the details⁠—”

The light intensified, and Luna heard Diego shout something—a warning, maybe, or a counterspell—but his voice seemed to come from very far away. The tiles were blazing now, each one a perfect mirror reflecting not the coven’s sanctum but something else entirely.

Luna tried to stand, to move toward the twins, toward help, but her legs wouldn’t cooperate. Beside her, Elias had gone rigid, his hand tightening around hers almost painfully.

“Luna—” he started.

The world lurched.

When Luna’s vision cleared, she was no longer standing in the vintage subway car.

The smell hit her first: brine and oysters, gin and cigarette smoke, the sharp ozone scent of magic gone sideways. Then the sound: music, jazz piano, the clink of glasses.

She was standing in the Grand Central Oyster Bar, except it wasn’t the Oyster Bar as it existed in 2026. This version was all warm amber light and art-deco glamour, the curved ceiling soaring overhead like a cathedral to decadence. Small round tables dotted the space, each one topped with a white tablecloth and a single candle in a glass hurricane. A player piano sat in the corner, coaxing something complicated from the keys—was that “Anything Goes”? The bar itself gleamed with fresh polish, bottles arranged in precise rows that would’ve made a geometry teacher weep with joy.

The room was completely empty except for Luna and Elias.

He stood a few feet away, looking as disoriented on the outside as she was on the inside. His gaze swept the room once, twice, then settled on her with an expression she couldn’t quite read.

“Well . . .” She could hear him working to keep his voice steady. “This is unexpected.”

Chapter 21

Even Educated Fleas Do It

Luna turned in a slow circle, taking in the incomprehensible space. “Where’s everyone else? The coven, Adrienne⁠—”

“Gone.” Elias moved to one of the arched doorways and peered into the darkness beyond. “Or we’re gone. I’m not sure which.”

“What did that spell do?”

“I think,” Elias said, turning back to face her, “it might have been designed to create an ideal romantic setting.” He gestured at the candles, the music, the suspiciously perfect ambience. “A fantasy for two, from my time.”

“Oh.” Heat crept up her neck. “Oh no.” Of course this is how it goes. It couldn’t be some simple trap. No, this is an elaborate romantic glamour specifically engineered to make everything as awkward as possible.

“Oh yes.” Despite everything—the confusion, the danger, the complete uncertainty of their situation—Elias was grinning.

What does that expression even mean? she wondered. Is he grinning at the adventure of it all? Or at the me of it all? Does he even know why he might grin at me? Or did his feelings for me disappear with his memories?