Page 123 of Magical Mischief

“I think I do,” I said with a shaky laugh. “Or maybe it’s wearing off now? I don’t feel like I’m about to disclose too many more dark secrets. Although you do look stunning today.”

“So do you, Maeve.” He gave me a half-grin. “And I could handle this all day long if you tell me more about how great I look.”

A strangled laugh escaped me. “Stop encouraging me!”

“I can’t help it. You do wonders for my confidence.”

My cheeks felt scorching again. “Right. Well, fresh air, and then maybe my mind can go back to G-rated monologues.”

“I’d rather have the R-rated.” He chuckled, stepping aside so I could grab a towel and wipe the sweat from my brow. I wasn’t sure if it was from another well-timed hot flash or just a side-effect of mortification.

I rolled my eyes and chuckled as I tried to steady my pounding heart. “Please, I’m sure you know how good-looking you are.”

His hand ran along my shoulder, and he spun me back around. “And I sure hope you know how beautiful you are.”

His eyes stayed locked on mine, and I felt the same flutter that I’d tried so hard to push away, and I smiled. He just smiled, hovering in the doorway, and even with my face burning, I couldn’t help but return the grin. Because, truth serum or not, I felt oddly free for the first time in a long while.

Chapter Thirty-One

I noticed it out of the corner of my eye. Just a soft shimmer, right at the crack beneath the cellar door.

At first, I thought it might be a trick of the firelight, but the fire was dying low, barely more than a glow in the hearth. And this… this had a greenish tinge to it. Faint, like moss in moonlight. Definitely not fire.

“Keegan?” I called, not taking my eyes off the door. He was in the kitchen and peeked his head out.

“Yeah?”

“Have you ever seen that before?” I pointed. “The light coming from the cellar?”

He turned, looked, then frowned slightly.

“No,” he said, wiping his hands. “I haven’t.”

I stayed rooted, one foot tucked under me on the couch. Frank looked concerned, waddled over, and gave it a sniff.

“It’s not doing that thing where my imagination’s just trying to make something out of shadows, right? Because that’s been a thing recently.”

“Nope. That’s real.” He was already heading over. “Want me to go take a look?”

I shrugged, though I wasn’t feeling nearly as calm as I hoped I looked. “Sure. I mean, unless it’s ghost-related.”

Miora’s voice hummed from somewhere and nowhere at the same time. “It’s not a ghost.”

He grinned at me, hand on the latch. “If I don’t come back up, remember me fondly. Or at least make sure no one messes with my magic.”

“Deal.”

The door creaked as he lifted it, and the green light flickered brighter briefly before it faded to a soft pulse. He descended without another word.

I waited, hands wrapped around the lukewarm mug I’d forgotten I was drinking from. I listened. The cellar had always been quiet.

A few seconds passed. Then the stairs creaked again. Keegan reappeared and looked at me.

“It’s Bella,” he said. “She’s using the pedestal. She wants to talk to you.”

My eyebrows shot up. “Bella? From the Academy? I thought the pedestal just showed things.”

He nodded. “They’re handy inventions.”