Page 58 of No Charm Done

Luna felt his hand find hers under the table, their fingers intertwining. The contact sent a little jolt through her nervous system, like touching a live wire, but in a good way.

“Even if we get help,” Nate was saying, “we’d need to coordinate. A lot of people, all working together, all focused on the same goal. That’s . . . complicated.”

“Everything about this is complicated,” Kelly said. She looked tired suddenly, and Luna felt a pang of guilt. “But we can’t do this alone. We need allies. Witches, magicians, anyone who understands what’s at stake.”

Luna took a breath. “Louise said she knows someone. An investor who might help.”

The temperature at the table dropped approximately fifteen degrees.

“Louise Demain,” Kelly said slowly, “is not someone whose help comes without strings attached.”

“I’m aware,” Luna said. “But she approached Elias at the town meeting. Said she had a friend who’d be interested in backing the plan.”

“A friend of Louise’s?” Scarlett made a face.

“I hear you, Scar. But I think dealing with Louise is worth the risk. She indicated that this friend could help with funding.”

“I don’t know, Louise is very⁠—”

“No, Luna is right,” Kelly said.

“Now that’s not something you hear every day,” muttered Scarlett.

“If we’re going to pull this off,” their mother continued, “if we’re going to inflate Vex’s valuation enough to make his fall matter? We’ll need serious money. Investor money. If Louise’s friend has access, then we have to consider it.”

“So we take the meeting,” Delilah agreed. “See what this friend wants. If it’s too sketchy, we walk away.”

The pub’s ambient noise wrapped around them—the clink of glasses, the low murmur of other conversations, the creak of old floorboards. Across the room, Luna could see Aphra at the bar, chatting with a couple of regulars. The normalcy of it was almost jarring.

Zahir emerged from the kitchen with a tray of food: wings, fries, and other treats that reminded Luna she hadn’t eaten since breakfast. He set plates down with the efficiency of long practice. “On the house,” he said when Kelly reached for her wallet. “Heard you folks had a rough day.”

“That’s putting it mildly,” Scarlett said, but she was already reaching for the wings.

“Anything else you need, just holler.” Zahir’s gaze traveled around the table, lingering on Elias. “Are you that magician everyone’s talking about?”

“Depends on what they’re saying,” Elias replied carefully.

“That you got out of the Void. That you’re helping the Melroses with their latest disaster.” Zahir’s expression was unreadable. “That true?”

“The first part is definitely true. The second part I’m still working on.”

Zahir nodded slowly, then surprised everyone by extending his hand. “Well. Good luck to you, then. We could use more magicians with sense.”

Elias shook his hand, looking genuinely touched. “Thank you.”

After Zahir left, Luna nudged Elias. “See? Not everyone hates you on principle.”

“Just most people,” he murmured back.

“Just the magicians who want to arrest you and the witches who think you’re a con man.”

“So . . . most people.”

She squeezed his hand. “I don’t think you’re a con man.”

“Only because I haven’t conned you yet.”

“Yet?”