Page 21 of Wanderer

Meet me inside the magic shop. You can help Riley, but there’s something we need to discuss quickly.

Oscar:

?

I didn’t reply to the witch. Maybe that was rude, yet I couldn’t find it in me to care. I was growing impatient. All I wanted was a chance to convince Riley that being my mate wasn’t the worst thing in the world. I wanted to prove to him that I could be everything he needed. My magic, my heart, my everything was his when he was ready to give me a chance. With the aversion spell broken, I hoped I’d at least get enough time with him to talk about my research and what that meant for us.

When Oscar entered the shop, Riley was behind him. I had enough presence of mind to hide in the back until Riley’s sneezing fit sent him back outside. The windows had a one-way spell for privacy, so he couldn’t hear or see anything we said from the street.

The witch roamed the store, likely filling time until my arrival.

“Hi Oscar,” I greeted him, stepping out from the back area. The warlock who ran the store had taken a break to give us time to chat.

Oscar startled, then calmed when he saw it was me. “Hey. Everything okay? You were kinda vague in your message. Am I allowed to help Riley?” he asked anxiously.

“Of course,” I immediately soothed him. “It’s just… Did you see the magic on him? Did you know there are two curses?”

“Two? What?” Oscar looked horrified.

I quickly went about explaining the layers of magic on Riley and the aversion curse. Oscar’s face fell when he realized he wouldn’t be powerful enough to break the wandering curse, but he was grateful for my help in getting rid of the aversion curse.

“So, once I break this, you can speak to Riley without him wanting to run away?”

“Well, hopefully. Depends on how deep his trauma runs. He’s probably got a good reason for avoiding warlocks in the first place. I think the aversion curse just helped push his fight-or-flight buttons.”

“True. I hope it’s enough to get him to talk to you. I hate seeing him looking so lost and lonely.”

“You’ve been a good friend to him. I hope you’ll continue to be friends, no matter what happens between me and Riley.”

“Do you mean that?”

“Of course. Let me walk you through this spell. I won’t make Riley wait outside in the cold for too much longer.”

Thanks to his magical training in his former coven, Oscar picked up the spell quickly. I taught him how to scan people for magic, something he hadn’t learned before. He was so grateful to me and confident he could strip at least one curse from my mate.

When he left the store, he had a lightness in his step he’d never had before in Greyhaven. He walked straight over to Riley, some of his prior apprehension returning.

From the store window, I watched Oscar break the first barrier to my mate.

The store owner returned just as I saw the tension leave Riley’s face. I knew Oscar was eager to get us together in the same room, but I wasn’t sure if it was right to push.

With my hearing amplified, I listened to their conversation. Riley made a face when Oscar offered to help him find a warlock.

“Now?”

“Yeah, why not?”

Riley scrubbed a hand over his face. “What if—”

“The spell worked, Riley.”

“I want to test it, but…”

Oscar’s stomach chose that moment to let out a growl that had to be obscenely loud to Riley’s shifter hearing.

My mate let out a laugh. “How about I make you dinner as a thank you?”

“You don’t have to do that!” Oscar protested.