Page 44 of Witchy Chick

I wrinkled my nose at him. “You aren’t Clark. He’d never say something like that.”

“He would, but you’d laugh and think it was funny instead of vulgar. You’re married to him, after all. He broke into the fortress of your heart and stole your love.”

He? Did he not admit to being Clark? It didn’t seem possible that this monster was the man I’d loved so utterly. I curled my lip at him. “All for a bet because I didn’t automatically want you?”

He sneered back at me. “All for a bet because I automatically wanted you. Your long pale neck, your unsmiling mouth, your suspicious eyes. Because then when you opened up and gave me my first smile, it was something valuable, hard-won and precious. And your touch. I fought for every brush of contact. Your hand on my arm, your fingers brushing my cheek as you pushed back my hair, and the first time you held my hand? I thought I was going to float away I was so happy.”

“You can actually levitate. Floating away doesn’t mean anything to you.”

He straightened up, moving into my space so I automatically took a step back. His eyes started to glow, a low blue burn that gave me goosebumps. “You mean everything to me. And I’m not going to stand by and let my family be slaughtered because you dislike face tattoos.”

I sputtered and then shoved against his chest, which didn’t move him an inch. “I dislike lies, liars, and arrogant princes who kill people for the fun of it! I dislike your inability to admit that it was wrong to lie to me, to pretend that you were someone you weren’t, to trick me and humiliate me for a bet, far more than I dislike your face tattoos. Although, you’re right, they’re ridiculous! As bad as your evil villain name. Teeth? It’s as in-your-face annoying as the rest of you!” I shoved him with all my strength, and he finally stepped back off the porch, onto the poor stunted lawn.

His glower was intense. “I made you happy with my lies. You couldn’t be happy with anything other than perfection, so that’s what I gave you. And I’m not sorry, because being with you, even in the shades of deception, was more happiness than I ever imagined I could have.”

I threw up my hands. “Seriously? It’s my fault that you lied to me because I wouldn’t accept imperfection? Seriously?”

He smiled. “Seriously. I’m not sorry for lying, but I’m sorry you found out.”

I threw the spatula at his head. He moved to the side, and it sailed past him, landing in the yard. “Get off my lawn, you miserable lying cow!”

His brows lowered. “I’m not leaving until you’ve become strong enough to defend yourself. Also, cow? A bull I could accept, but a cow? That’s just ridiculous.”

I almost attacked him with my bare hands, but instead I whirled around and went inside, slamming the door behind me.

Sage was standing there, staring at me like she didn’t recognize me. “Mom? Are you okay? You shouldn’t yell at people. Also, a cow?”

I sputtered and raised my chin. “I said what I said. If you can’t understand me that’s not my fault. Are Donny and Ray coming to study?”

“To tutor me and read your books? I think so.” There was something off about her.

I pointed at her. “What?”

She batted her lashes at me. “What?”

“Don’t tell me that you tried to kill Donny again.”

“I haven’t! It’s like you think I’m a monster.” She frowned at me. “Seriously, where did you pick that guy up?”

“He’s too heavy. I could never pick him up.”

“Mom,” she warned, eyes narrowing.

“Seriously…” I studied her. If I didn’t tell her what was going on, didn’t that make me as bad as Clark or Peregrine or whoever he was? “The other night I went to the cemetery at midnight.”

She waited while I stood there and felt like the world’s biggest idiot. “And…”

“And I accidentally raised all the dead bones. And they were going to kill me, but this guy showed up…” I thumbed over my shoulder towards the door. “And he put all the dead down, but the thing is…”

She wiggled her head. “The thing…”

“He’s the guy who slaughtered Ray of Sunshine and Donny’s parents. Because they were evil, I guess, and he would’ve killed me, except…” Oh. That’s why he didn’t kill me. Because I was his wife. And he’d protect me even if I was evil. And now my eyes were burning. Was that sweet?

She grabbed my arm. “You’re kidding! He has to leave! He can’t be here when Ray of Sunshine and Donny come! He’ll try to kill them.”

“He won’t try. He’ll either kill them or not, but it’s a not because I made a deal to get drinks with him.”

She stared at me. “He asked you to get drinks? When you said you were going to meet your lawyer? I thought you looked too good for that.”