Witch Is The New Black (Paris, Texas Romance #3)

Looking down at the pavement of the parking lot, she nodded. “Of course. What was I thinking?”


“Besides, you didn’t trash the place. Violet did. She started this mess. She was ready to nail an elder over some plastic balls and a card with a bunch of numbers on it. That’s unacceptable.”

“And now she’s bald.” Her gut clenched. Violet had run from the center sobbing. Ugly, loud sobs of horror.

Ridge barked a laugh, clamping his mouth shut the moment she shot him an angry glare.

“Not funny.”

“Aw, c’mon. It’s definitely a little funny. Violet’s most precious resource is her hair, which leads me to believe your magical Spidey senses have the rare gift of reading others’ deepest desires. Interesting.”

They were getting too deep for her. She didn’t know the nuances of her magic because she’d never considered it magic, or even at all magical, until ten months ago. She had no frame of reference and all the kitschy catchphrases and topics applied to said magic were beyond her vocabulary.

“Where is Violet, anyway?”

“They called in Greta and she located her. Violet’s in some serious trouble. She’ll go before Baba Yaga and the Council for attacking an elder. When they locate Baba, that is.”

She took far more pleasure in that than she should, but she kept it on the inside. “Good. Now I have to go.”

“Is that all you have to add to this conversation, Bernie Sutton?” His tone was teasing, warm, and making her tingle all over.

“Yep.” She dug in her purse for her keys, avoiding Ridge’s eyes again. Avoiding the heat of his body, the scent of his cologne, the width of his thick chest.

Tilting her chin upward, he asked, “What coven are you from, Bernie?”

And now her trouble was really beginning. “I’m from the coven of cul-de-sac in small-town Massachusetts.”

“Cute. Now seriously?”

Her shoulders lifted in a shrug. “My parents were free birds. No constraints, no declared covens.”

“Right. I rather figured that. They chose to live among humans. I did, too, when I left college and went to Dallas. But they didn’t just hatch. They had family somewhere along the line. How old are they?”

She stiffened; the dull pain she always felt when her parents were mentioned took a stab at her chest. “Were they. They died before I went to prison.”

His thumb scraped along her lower lip. “I’m sorry. Mine are gone, too. Plane crash. My dad was a private pilot.”

So witches could die? They were immortal, not infallible. Check.

She felt the remembered sting of losing her parents on Ridge’s behalf. “I’m sorry. Losing your parents is hard.”

“Do you mind if I ask how you lost yours?”

“Murder.”

His fingers tightened on her jaw for a moment. “I didn’t know, or I never would have asked. I’m sorry, Bernie.”

“Me too.”

“Does the coven know they were murdered? Was there an investigation from Council or were they cast out when they chose to shun their counterparts?”

What was this, the Witch Inquisition? Shun? Is that what happened if you decided you didn’t want to be a practicing witch? Again, this was getting too deep. Dangerous, murky waters she knew nothing about.

“I’m not clear on the details. My parents were very private.”

Dropping his fingers from her jaw, he instead wrapped them around her waist and pulled her close. “Bernie?”

She gulped. All rational thought stopped when his delectable body pressed to hers; her head, resting against his chest, was dizzy and she was at a loss as to where to put her hands. But she was going to give it a go by placing them on his waist with a stern reminder they were to move no farther.

“What?”

“You’re lying.”

Her heart almost popped out of her chest.

What to do, what to do? Maybe gasp like she was insulted? No. Denial was always a sure sign of guilt. Don’t panic. Answer a question with a question. Avoid, evade, find the nearest bed with covers you can pull over your head.

“Excuse me?” she asked into his chest, which was hard and comfortable all at the same time.

“You’re lying and I’d really like to know why.”

“You hardly know me. It’s just a little shitty to label me a liar, don’t you think?”

“That’s true. But I know witches. I’ve been a warlock for a long time. That means the rumors about you are true.”

Her heart throbbed so hard, she almost couldn’t breathe. “The rumors?”

“I don’t pay much mind to gossip, but there’ve been plenty of rumors about you and your situation from day one. To not at least know the coven your parents came from? To have no knowledge of calling sanctuary when accused of a crime like robbery? The look of complete surprise on your face when you stopped that mini-cyclone? It all leads to one thing. The rumors are true, Bernie. You really didn’t know you were a witch, did you?”