Page 105 of Christmas Magic

“Not long ago.” Molly drummed her fingers on the countertop while she thought back over the past couple of days. “If I remember correctly, he seemed different the morning I found him and Cora together in the store.”

Daisy’s eyes went rounder. “The morning after she brought her Christmas cookies.”

“Oh, no.” Molly looked at Julius. “Is it possible to put a spell on food?”

His gaze sharpened. “The cookies, you mean?”

Molly nodded.

“It is indeed possible. Did you check them for magic?”

“No.” Guilt squeezed her conscience. “The readouts showed some anomalous energy, but I believed it came from an antique in the store.”

“Where are the cookies now?” Julius asked.

“In the trash in the back room.”

The older man strode for the rear of the shop. Molly followed, the felines running beside her.

As she took in the state of the room, she inwardly cringed. What a mess. The bubble wrap she’d tucked under Lucian’s head still lay on the floor, along with shattered ornaments and shredded cardboard. She snatched up some of the larger sections of the mangled box, and as she did so, a newspaper-wrapped item landed with a thump by her feet.

She picked it up. Straightening, she saw Julius had retrieved the container of cookies. Holding the box with his left hand, he set his right hand on the lid.

“I’m definitely picking up magic. Some of yours, Molly—”

“Mine?”

“—blended with a tainted love spell crafted by The Dealers.”

“How—?” Shock made her head spin. “I swear, I am not working with them.”

“I believe you. Agnes allied herself with them, though, months ago.” Julius’s expression turned grim. “My colleagues and I suspected The Dealers had sampled, studied, and begun developing facets of Agnes’s powers. Since similarities in DNA allowed her to possess you at the time she was working with The Dealers, that meant they’d sampled, studied, and developed facets of your energy, too.”

“Not good,” Galahad growled.

“No,” Molly whispered.

“They probably incorporated your magic, Molly, to strengthen the romantic corruption of the spell.”

Rose’s eyes narrowed. “Why would the enchantment have caused Lucian to go all ‘knight in shining armor’? More so than usual, I mean?’”

“Spells don’t always turn out as expected, especially when cast on people who already possess strong magic. If I had to guess,” Julius said, “I’d say that because Agnes’s powers link back to her original lifetime in the Middle Ages—”

“—the energy revived the medieval lord in Lucian,” Molly said.

“Exactly. Also, because it was a love enchantment, it rooted out Lucian’s feelings for you. It distorted them into old-fashioned chivalry and protectiveness toward Cora.”

Her heart aching, Molly sank down into the chair nearby. “What’s happened to Lucian is all my fault.”

“No,” Daisy soothed.

“What’s happened is all The Dealers’ fault.” Marigold rubbed against Molly’s legs. “Shame on them, for being so horrible to you and Lucian.”

Molly sighed. “I still don’t entirely understand. How is Cora involved? Why would she want to use dark magic on Lucian?”

His expression thoughtful, Julius asked: “Cora isn’t a Magical, is she?”

“No,” Molly said.