Page 55 of Minnie

I’m so tired of sounding bored. I’m so tired of taking Formula M. I’m so tired of Maude Montgomery’s games. Of the stupid curse I’ll never be able to lift. Of the pain.

“Come on, Minnie. There must be something you want. Something I can give you in exchange for marriage. Name your price.”

Fix my life, I think, but even Damien can’t do that. Can he?

He could pay for the cruise I can’t afford. He could shell out the two hundred thousand dollars it would take to pay for Formula M 2.0. He could buy the bakery and get us water and electricity. And maybe, just maybe, he could finally admit that he’s always loved me. That he made a mistake, but he regrets leaving me behind.

“Not in a million years, Damien Starr.”

Because who am I kidding? I could never say yes. Formula M would never let me. And I should be glad. It saved me from being a gold digger who marries a man she’s never stopped loving, but who never truly loved her, because she can’t get a decent job.

And despite all the things wrong with me, at least I’ve never sold myself…

Damien scowls at me, shoves away from the wall, and shifts into a yeti. He breaks into a run, down the alley, onto the street, and I let him go. It’s not like I have a choice.

But I can’t help wondering… if I stop taking Formula M, could I marry him? Or would the curse prevent me from marrying a man who isn’t Julian?

Chapter 28

Minnie

The moment I get back to Jewels Cafe, Amber rushes around the counter to greet me. “Minnie, tell me everything!”

I wave my arm dismissively. “There’s nothing to tell.” Then I bat my eyelashes and giggle. “Hi, Julian.”

“Oh no you don’t. We need to talk.” Amber grabs my hand and tugs me toward the stairs.

Well, that doesn’t sound ominous at all. But what am I supposed to do, get myself uncursed so I can stop flirting with Julian?

Amber pulls me past Chase, who’s so engrossed in whatever he’s typing on his laptop, he doesn’t even look up. “The muse strikes when the muse strikes,” she says absently. “The same is true for a lot of things, apparently.”

Like ex-best friends who pop into town and offer you money in exchange for marriage when they could have their pick of women.

My mind is still on Danny turned Damien when we get upstairs. A delicious aroma wafts through the apartment, and I hope Wes made enough for everyone. I’m also a little jealous that Amber has a mate whose hobbies are to cook, clean, and play with kids—I never thought men like that existed, but the proof is in the bear shifter.

He’s on the living room floor with Natty. They’re both laughing as they build a tall tower out of blocks, while Latte circles around them, barking and wagging his tail. Tiptoe’s on the pup’s back, hanging on to the pup’s fur, pink collar jingling.

All four of them shout hellos as Amber tugs me through the living room, down the hall, and into the nursery. She shuts the door. “I’ll get the magic dampener. You dish. Juli told me about the mate bond and I want to hear every detail.”

At least she didn’t bring me up here to yell at me for hitting on Julian.

It’s not the first time Amber’s gotten the dampener so we could chat, but what the goddess do I say? That my fated mate is Damien Starr? And by the way, he’s a complete ‘hole with a capital ass,’ as Zoe likes to say. And oh, Amber, you should stop fangirling all over him at every opportunity because his ego is inflated enough already?

By the time Amber snaps the magic dampener around my neck, I’m still drawing a blank.

Amber tosses two pillows from the windowsill onto the carpeted floor next to the broken cribs. We sit down, and then she turns to me, eyes sparkling. “First thing first. What’s his name?”

It’s not like I can tell her it’s Damien Starr. “Danny.”

“Danny…” she repeats. “What’s he like?”

Cocky, arrogant, self-centered. “Confident. Self-assured. Knows what he wants.”

Her eyes widen. “He looked… more like the intellectual type.”

“He’s a chameleon shifter, like you.”

She gasps. “Oh my goddess! Now it all makes sense.”