Halfway Hexed Read Free Page A

“I’m glad to see you, but dropping by for lunch isn’t the same as accepting a dinner invitation, and we both know it.”
    I glanced at the oriental place setting and the white potbellied teapot. “I don’t see what the difference is,” I fibbed. “Mr. Jenson said there’s a guest chef here today, and this dining room’s as fancy as any restaurant. So, what’s for lunch?”
    “Sushi,” he said. “My favorite.”
    “Makes sense that that’d be your favorite,” I said.
    He drew his brows together. “Why?” he asked.
    “Your selkie genes.”
    After a moment’s contemplation, he burst out laughing. A few days earlier we’d figured out that we’re each part magical creature.
    Bryn continued smiling. “I guess that’s one possible reason for my preference, but let’s not spread that theory around.”
    I glanced at the empty chairs, then to the room’s corners. “I thought the video surveillance of the downstairs didn’t include sound.”
    “It doesn’t, but now’s an excellent time for us to practice concealing our secrets.”
    Thinking of the brooch, I agreed, though we clearly had different secrets in mind. “Why?” I asked.
    “Several members of the Conclave are en route to Duvall.”
    The blood drained from my face, and I braced my hands on the table. The Conclave was supposed to be the World Association of Magic’s version of the CIA and FBI, but the only Conclave guys I’d met had been more into lawbreaking than law enforcement. Plus, the people on the way were sure to be angry and suspicious because of the recent deaths of their colleagues.
    “When will they be here?”
    “Tomorrow, according to my sources.”
    “Well, what should we do? Leave town? Move into a cave or a jungle hut? Somewhere without telephones or ley lines?”
    Bryn and I had broken WAM’s laws. We weren’t supposed to associate with each other or to share magic, and all they would have to do to find out Bryn and I had spent time together last week was to ask Bryn’s neighbors. Then the Conclave could lock us up. Or worse.
    Bryn reached into his suit coat and slid out a piece of paper. He set it in front of me.
    I opened it. It was a fax dated the day after the WAM wizards had come to town. It said that Bryn had won the appeal against the injunction that prevented us from seeing each other. I was shocked. All the sneaking around I’d done was for nothing?
    “Why didn’t you show me this last week when it came!” I bit off the rest of what I was planning to say when the door opened. Mr. Jenson came in with lunch and a place setting for me. I glared at Bryn, who was as calm as ever. I clenched my fists in my lap until Mr. Jenson left. “Well?” I demanded.
    Bryn poured me tea and said, “You’re going to tell them that I did tell you about this back then. That’s why we’ve been seeing each other, because as far as we know, it’s perfectly legal for us to do that.”
    I cocked my head. On the one hand, it was a nice simple solution to our problem. On the other hand, I couldn’t understand why he hadn’t told me about the ruling earlier. I glanced at the signature on the bottom. John Barrett. The president of WAM. A guy that hated Bryn for interfering in his politics and for stopping him from getting too much power. Barrett had sent wizards to get evidence against Bryn—and to kill him. Why would Barrett have sent the letter to clear Bryn of wrongdoing? Had someone made him do it?
    “Did he have to sign this because you won the appeal?”
    Bryn smudged some ginger on a California roll and shook his head.
    “So then why did he send it?”
    “He didn’t. It’s going to be proven a forgery.”
    My jaw dropped.
    “But we’re going to lie convincingly about it, or we’ll end up in jail.”
    “Can’t we just say that the wizards they sent were homicidal maniacs and that we did what we had to do to survive?”
    “We’ll say that, too, but it wouldn’t be enough. There are proper