Page 40 of Minnie

The words curse breaker echo through the empty cafe, giving me hope. I may finally be free of Julian, once and for all. I won’t have to worry about going on the cruise, and I’ll finally be able to date. Maybe even fall in love… or find true love. But even if the chameleon is just the latest in a series of spells courtesy of Maude Montgomery, Delphine is still my ticket to freedom.

Chapter 21

Minnie

Delphine gives us a shy smile. “I don’t know if I can break the curse, but I should be able to nullify it while I’m around.”

Amber nods. “So you… what? Just wiggle your fingers and poof? Curse gone?”

Delphine shakes her head. “I don’t cast. Magic just stops working whenever I’m around.”

Which is how I realize Delphine is a complete and utter fraud.

I’ve been inside the warded prison enough times to know what it feels like to have all the magic I’m carrying disappear. Formula M, Summer Spritz, Cloud 9 ½… they’re all still hard at work.

Amber, whose magic stopped working the day she conceived, seems to buy it, hook line and sinker. “I’ll message the guys and let Julian know he can head out. That’s how we test the curse—I’ll explain later. But first, how about a drink, on the house? What are you in the mood for? Caffeine? Chocolate? Or maybe a pumpkin spice latte? They’re always a classic.”

Delphine smiles. “Chocolate and caffeine sound great.”

Amber grins. “Hot, or iced?”

“Definitely iced.”

“How about a chocolate cookie frappe then?”

Delphine nods, but I yawn. “Before you go giving away free drinks, you should know that Delphine is a fraud.”

Delphine’s gaze snaps to me. “Excuse me?”

“You’re not a null witch. If such a thing even exists.”

“Of course it exists. You think I want to ruin every one of my sisters’ birthday parties and not even be able to be around my family without wearing this gaudy thing?”

I roll my eyes and mentally sing ‘liar, liar, pants on fire.’

Delphine reaches for her expensive gold pendant. “This amulet nullifies my powers. Get it? Nullifies?” She chuckles, and my gaze locks on her necklace.

It looks nothing like the magic dampener, a necklace Amber has that does the same thing. Well, except that both pendants are round. Delphine’s is made of gold, and the pendant is much larger. The dampener is bronze with a jet black stone set in the middle and is much smaller.

Delphine glances at the door. “Do you think we could go somewhere less public before I take it off? People tend not to react well when their powers stop working.”

Amber nods. “We can go up to the apartment. Let me just make you that frap, real quick. And let me tell the guys.”

Amber pulls out her phone, sends a quick message to her mates, and gets to work on the frap. She finishes it while I’m still working on my Unicorn Hot Chocolate and makes herself a steaming hot mug of peppermint tea.

We’re all set by the time Amber’s mates come downstairs, Natty settled happily on Wes’s shoulders.

Natty squeals. “Minnie, look at me!”

I grin on the inside. “You’re so tall.”

Natty nods. “I’m three.”

“And I’m a bear shifter,” Wes adds, not to be outdone.

Amber quickly does the introductions, and then Julian gives her a quick kiss and heads for the front door with a wave. Chase gives her a kiss, too, even though he’s not going anywhere, and takes over behind the counter.

Wes turns to me. “We’re heading to the park, if that’s okay with you, Minnie.”