Page 92 of Enchanted to Meet You

But he hadn’t been blessed with the gift of time travel.

He’d been given a different gift, instead.

“Bartholomew Brewsterismy brother—half brother.” His voice sounded as rough and as raw as hers. “And hedidfound the World Council of Witches. All of that is true. But it’s also true I’ve never been a member. I hate clubs. I also hate my brother, for whatever that’s worth.”

That didn’t earn him the laugh he was hoping for, only a reproachful look.

“But Iwassent here to help save your town,” he went on, desperate now. There was nothing else he could do. He was going to have to tell her the truth, even though doing so might be worse than letting her think he’d lied. “Just not by the World Council of Witches.”

She let out a tired sigh. “Who sent you, then? Go ahead, lay it on me, Derrick, I’ve heard it all. I’m a witch, remember? Conspiracy theories have been getting people like me killed since the beginning of time. So who was it? The CIA? Homeland Security? MI6?”

“No,” he said. “My mother, Gaia.”

Jessica

To rid thyself of sadness, peel the whole of an onion.

Goody Fletcher,Book of Useful Household Tips

Of all the excuses I’d expected Derrick to give for his behavior, claiming to be the son of the goddess of all creation was not one I was expecting.

I had to admit, it was pretty creative. It made me laugh.

Notha ha halaugh. But metaphorically.

Rosalie was right: I really did have the worst luck where men were concerned.

“Good one,” I said to him. Then I straightened. I didn’t need the wall to support me anymore. I could manage the way I’d been managing for all these years: on my own. And with Dina’s shoulder to cry on. “Look, I’m going to go in there and be with Esther. Even if it turns out she’s not the Bringer of Light, she’s still my mentee, so—”

He looked genuinely confused. “What are you talking about?”

I smiled at him—very sweetly in my opinion, given the circumstances. The circumstances being that what I wanted to do was knee him in the balls.

“Gosh, Derrick, didn’t you know? That prophecy you showed me last week was written by Rosalie Hopkins’s witchy old ancestress Elizabeth back in the sixteen hundreds. Which makesRosaliethe Chosen One, and her daughterLizziethe Bringer of Light—a fact I would have thought that you’d be aware of, considering that you claim to bethe son of the Mother Goddess, who is all knowing. Oh, well.” I’d started back toward the dining room doors, stopping only to pat him on the shoulder along the way. “Better luck in the next town, champ. I don’t care how magic your mother is. I think you should find different accommodations than my house tonight—”

He reached up and, with lightning-fast reflexes, seized my wrist, anchoring me to his side.

“Hey,” I said, looking up at him in surprise. Not because his grip hurt—it didn’t. The contact of his skin against mine was sending waves of painless gold fire all up and down me. He was playing with an unfair advantage, and he had to know it.

He didn’t let go, however.

“Who told you that?” He breathed down at me. “About the prophecy? Was it Rosalie?”

“Yes, of course it was Rosalie. Yourbest friend, who you snuck out onto the dock with last night at Trivia. Who else?”

“It’s not true.” He kept his hold on my wrist. The tingles continued, in parts other than my wrist, unfortunately. Honestly, I should have known all along that he was otherworldly. What mortal man could touch you on the wrist and make you wet between the legs? Dammit. “Yes, I talked to Rosalie last night on the dock, but to warn her about the muffins, nothing else. Can’t you see they’re trying to play us, Jess?”

“Who is? And I swear to God, Derrick, if you say demons, I’ll—”

“I don’t mean demons.”

“Who then? Your brother?”

“Yes. And Rosalie.”

“To whatpurpose?”

Derrick’s silver-eyed gaze had gone hard as flint. A drunk man in a tux came barreling through the dining room doors, evidently set on ordering something a little harder than wine from the bar, but got one look at Derrick’s steely-eyed gaze and muttered, “’scuse me,” and trundled right back into the dining room.