7. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

Michael

By the time I was done blurting all that out, my chest was heaving like I'd run a marathon. Even to my own ears, I sounded like a crazy person. Bonkers. Lock me up in a padded room and throw away the key. If anyone from my office had heard me spouting all that verbal vomit of lunacy, they'd probably have security escort me out the door.

Callum–and wasn't that a sexy name–blinked slowly at me with his gorgeous green eyes behind those glasses of his, that he kept pushing up his nose every few minutes. Those glasses. Fucking hell, those glasses made me want to do absolutely dirty, dirty things to him. And if I wasn't convinced the next bad thing to happen to me wasn't right around the corner, I might be inclined to show him just how sexy I found guys who wore nerdy, black glasses.

Callum was seriously cute with a capital C.

"That," he said slowly, "was a lot to unpack."

"Tell me about it." At least he hadn't responded by telling me I was a complete nutter and to leave his shop. That had to be a good sign.

Callum came out from behind the counter, his eyes roaming up and down the length of my body, and I shivered slightly in my still slightly damp clothes. Just his gaze running over my body felt like a lover's caress, and goosebumps broke out across my skin. A fire of want sparked low in my belly, but I ignored it. Now was not the time for me to be focusing on getting my dick wet.

And since when did someone turn me on with just a look?

Callum Turner was pressing all my buttons without even putting any effort into it. Which was strange, because that never happened to me, and he wasn't my usual type. Other than the nerdy glasses, which was a kink I kept to myself.

As his narrowed eyes drifted over the length of me, I was once more struck by how seriously cute Callum was. Had he been this cute in school? I figured I would have noticed if he had been, but truthfully, I hadn't remembered the guy until a few minutes ago. And barely even then .

From the little I did remember of him, he had been a skinny, short, nerdy kid with wild hair that looked like he barely brushed it, and glasses that had hidden his gorgeous eyes. Nothing about him then had even registered on my radar.

Now Callum was tall, maybe only a couple of inches shorter than me, which meant I wouldn't get a neck ache when I bent down to kiss him. Why was I thinking about kissing Callum? Stop it, Michael! Stop it right now! He was lanky, all long, gangly limbs, and legs that went on for miles. His black hair was on the longer side, still a bit wild, and my fingers wondered what it would feel like to touch it. Would it be silky soft?

And those eyes of his. Even the glasses couldn't hide their beauty. Vibrant green, the lids tilted slightly at the corners, surrounded by long, thick lashes. Cat's eyes.

I should have recognized he was related to Daphne as soon as I had walked into The Witch's Brew. They had the same hair and distinct eyes.

Callum did a slow circle completely around me, looking for what I wasn't sure. Feeling like a deer caught in headlights, I stayed completely still, as his heated gaze slid over me.

Standing in front of me, he held up one hand. "May I?"

Not sure what he was asking, all I could do was nod. There was something about Callum that I trusted. The fact that he didn't think I was losing my mind probably helped.

He placed one warm hand on my chest that was still moving up and down way too fast. Heat burned through the thick material of my black hoodie where his hand rested, shooting straight to my dick. After a few seconds, he removed his hand and I immediately missed his warmth. Until he took both of my hands in his, entwining our fingers together.

I wasn't a hand holder. Never had been. But I held onto his hands like they were a lifeline.

He closed his eyes, not moving, and I wondered what he was doing. The only thing that kept me from questioning him was the slim hope that he might be able to help me. Finally, he stepped back, taking his hands with him. He blinked a few times, looking slightly dazed before his vision cleared.

"You're not cursed," he told me softly, holding my gaze and pushing his glasses up with one finger. "It's a spell, nothing more. Not even that strong of one."

"How can you know that?" I whispered, wanting to grab his hands back. Holding Callum's hand had felt…like I had been missing something my entire life and I hadn't even known it.

But I didn't. I kept my hands at my side, where they belonged. Because my need for figuring out what absolute fuckery was wreaking havoc in my life, far outweighed my need for touching Callum.

"Because I can see your aura." His words were softly spoken, like he didn't want to say it too loudly even though we were alone in the shop. He ducked his head, his cheeks pinkening like they had before, and then he stepped back, taking his warmth with him. "And I can see and feel that there's no curse. There's just a pinch," he held his thumb and finger together, "of black on the edges of your aura, which is more than likely due to your own emotions and nothing more. Lots of blues and purples, a bit of red and orange. It's a nice aura actually, very pretty. But there's no curse. Just a teeny tiny spell that honestly, I'm surprised has even worked."

That news, said with assurance and confidence from him, should have made me feel much better than it did. Brows knitted together, I was focused on the other thing he had said. "You can see…colors around people?"

He shrugged, "I can see auras, so yeah. Everyone has an aura. They tell a lot about a person."

"So, when you look at a person, they are just surrounded by different colors? All the time?"

It was oddly fascinating, and I couldn't believe I was starting to buy into any of this. But I was. For the first time in my nearly thirty-one years, I was starting to believe that witches might be real and reside in Salem. Yep, I was definitely losing it .

What was that like for Callum, to always see people surrounded by colors? Was it strange? Distracting? Had he always seen people like that? Even in school? How did he even focus if he saw people surrounded by colors when he looked at them? Or was it something he had just grown used to? I had so many questions.

He moved back to his spot behind the counter, and I wondered for a second if it was his safe zone. And if he had felt any of the things I had felt when he had touched me.

Get your mind back on the problem at hand, Endicott.

Callum stroked a hand down Hex's back, petting the cat. "Pretty much. I've been able to see people's auras my entire life. I thought it was normal for the longest time. I mean, I guess it's not not normal, just different."

Oh, it was definitely not normal, but I wasn't about to tell him that. Not to a guy I found attractive and who also might be able to help me with…whatever this was.

Callum waved a hand dismissively. "I guess I should have said, for my family it's normal."

"So…" I hedged, moving closer to him, "your family?"

It wasn't like I hadn't heard the rumors in school about Daphne being a witch. But rumors of witches ran rampant in the halls. I mean, our mascot had been a witch for fuck's sake. This was Salem. You couldn't turn around without seeing something witch related. I didn't begrudge anyone for cashing in on what our town was famous for, but that didn't mean I believed any of it .

Callum gave me a small grin, and I swear my heart dipped right down to my dick. Because, whoa! That grin did all kinds of things to my insides.

"Mmmm. Well, yeah, we're witches. The real deal. Not like whoever put that spell on you. Definitely not a born witch." He gave another small shrug, running his finger over the display case and not meeting my eyes.

Like he hadn't just announced to the room that he was a witch.

Yes, Salem was famous for our witch trials back in 1692, but that had been a bunch of overzealous people with a mob mentality. Innocent people had died, but I didn't believe witches were actually real.

Never had.

Not really.

Until now.

Witchcraft had always been nonsense. A bunch of coincidences and things that could all be easily explained away with solid facts.

Now a guy I found extremely attractive had just told me he was a witch, without batting an eye, and that the spell on me wasn't that powerful.

And a part of me believed him! Or wanted to believe him. Honestly, I wasn't sure what I even believed anymore. The string of absolute bad luck that had taken over my life since that guy had muttered those words a few nights ago, had me firmly leaning towards the witches-might-actually- fucking-be-real side of life. Callum talking about auras, curses, spells, oh and the little thing of him and his family being witches so casually, was nearly pushing me right over the line.

"You're sure I'm not cursed?" I didn't know why a curse sounded so much worse than a spell. Or why I was even entertaining the idea of either, but I was just going to roll with it. I should probably be walking as quickly as possible for the exit, seeing as Callum had declared himself a witch, but I wasn't. My feet were rooted firmly to the spot.

He shook his head, "You're not cursed. There's a slight trace of a spell. I felt it when I touched you, but it's not that strong. Whoever cast it isn't a natural born witch, and likely just starting out. Their spell casting isn't that great. Either way, it should be fairly easy for Daphne to break. She's really good at breaking spells. Like the way I can see auras, she can see spells."

My right eye began to twitch, but I ignored it. "I don't know what any of that means."

Callum used his hands to demonstrate, and I found myself strangely transfixed by his long fingers. "All spells have threads, but most people can't see them. Daphne can, which makes it easy for her to…basically unravel them."

Sighing with relief, because that seemed simple enough, I felt some of the tension leave my shoulders. " Okay, great. So where exactly is Daphne? Is she going to be home soon? Can she break this…spell?"

I had almost said curse again, but I was quickly realizing there was some kind of difference between the two, though I really had no clue what.

Curses…spells…hexes…it all seemed like a bunch of hocus pocus nonsense. Until it had happened to me.

"About that," Callum ran a hand through his hair, and pushed his glasses back up his nose. The man really needed to get his glasses adjusted. The way they constantly slid down his nose was ridiculous. But also, his constant pushing them back up was super adorable. "Daphne, our mom, and our Gran are out of town for another week and half, and they can't be reached."

His words had my world crashing down around me, and I felt dizzy. "I need this spell broken now. I can't even believe I'm saying this, because I don't even believe in any of this. The last few days have been hell, absolute hell, and I'm afraid of what could happen if this goes on much longer."

Callum stared at me behind his glasses, then wrinkled his nose. "Tell me what's happened. Most things can be attributed to mere coincidence and your own mind playing into your fear. This spell is not that strong, I'm telling you. It's barely there, so I have a hard time believing it's done anything that drastic. So, let's talk this out. "

I heaved a sigh of relief, sure that once I explained to Callum all the things that had happened to me the last few days, he would understand that whatever this spell was, it was bad news and much more powerful than he thought it was. "Where do you want me to start?"

He ran a hand over Hex's fur, stroking the cat but totally focused on me. Again, I was struck with a need to find out what those hands of his would feel like stroking over my skin. "Gran usually says starting at the beginning is the best place to start. So start there."

"I picked up this guy at a club. We went back to my place, and–" I hesitated, because for some unknown reason I didn't want Callum to think badly of me. Or that I was the type of person who routinely picked up random people at clubs, took them home, fucked them, then sent them on their way, with no intentions of ever seeing them again. Even if that was exactly what I usually did. "Later, when I asked him to leave, he got mad and started mumbling under his breath and then he said he had cursed me."

Both Callum's black brows rose in unison above his pretty green eyes, and the black frames of his glasses. "Yeah, okay, I think there's a lot missing from that explanation."

Waving a hand, he motioned for me to continue.

"The next day–yesterday–I lost all my court cases. Every single one of them."

Callum shrugged, "Lawyers lose cases all the time. I mean, you've got a fifty-fifty chance, right? "

Scowling, I huffed, "I have never lost a case I've prosecuted in two years." Holding up two fingers, I reiterated sharply, "Two years. Even the ones where we were setting up bonds, or preliminary hearings, something went wrong. Two cases were tossed on technicalities that hadn't been discovered before yesterday." Almost like they hadn't been there before yesterday.

Dial back the paranoia, Michael.

"Bound to happen, though. So far, it sounds like you were just having a bad day." His voice wasn't unsympathetic, but I could tell he was just trying to placate my feelings.

My shoulders slumped dejectedly. "It's just never happened to me before. And to lose them all that day..." my voice trailed off and I tried to not sound like a pouty child, who had lost at a game.

"What else you got?"

Searching my memory, so that I didn't forget one tiny thing, I said, "I tripped on the curb, fell into traffic, and nearly got run over after leaving the office."

Callum's green eyes grew wide with concern hearing that. "Were you hurt?"

Holding up my hands, I showed him my still red palms. "Some road rash, but nothing serious."

Callum looked slightly troubled now, less dismissive, but it was hard for me to read him. He kept his face pretty expressionless, and it was distracting and annoying. I was used to reading people's faces. Clients, defendants, and most of all, juries. "My condo building caught on fire last night."

His eyes widened comically with shock at hearing that, and he straightened from where he'd been leaning against the counter. "Was anyone hurt?"

"Some smoke inhalation, but that was it. My condo got a lot of smoke. The fire started in an empty unit on the first floor. I'm on the penthouse floor and the firefighters were able to contain it before it reached that far."

Callum rolled his eyes. "Of course you are."

Not really liking what he was implying, I ignored his slightly sarcastic tone. "I won't know actual damage for a few days. We're not allowed back in yet."

Which was a pain in the ass. Luckily, since I'd grabbed my wallet, I wasn't without resources, but I really didn't want to replace my entire wardrobe while I waited for them to let us back inside.

"I'm glad no one was hurt," Callum's tone was gentle now. "I'm glad you weren't hurt. But Michael, all of this is honestly nothing more than just a very bad day."

"Look I get that this sounds like I'm being paranoid, believe me," I ran a hand through my hair, something I had been doing a ridiculous amount of lately. "But never in my life have I had this much bad luck at one time. When I got to work this morning, I found all my pending cases for the next two weeks had been reassigned, and I was told I needed to take two weeks off. To clear my head."

"Michael, look, this is more than likely just nothing more than a run of really, really bad luck," Callum repeated, and shrugged, "maybe Mercury is in retrograde or something."

Pursing my lips, I asked, "Is it? Seems like something you would probably know." Not that I believed in astrology and signs any more than I believed in witches, but at this point I was willing to believe in just about anything to make my life go back to the way it had been. Charmed and filled with good luck

"It wasn't, no, and before you ask, it wasn't a full moon either. But none of this means your bad luck has been caused by this spell. Most spells are harmless."

Panic rose up inside me, like a hand tightening around my throat. How could I tell Callum it was more than just all the extremely bad luck that had my nerves on edge. That it was a feeling, a tickling along my nerve endings, my spine, that told me something bad was happening to me. Or was going to happen to me.

"If it will make you feel better, you can come back when Daphne is home and have her remove the spell," he told me softly.

A thought occurred to me. "Aren't you a witch? Why can't you make this spell go away? You said so yourself, it's not that strong of one."

He hesitated for a brief second. "I can't help you."

"I'll pay you," I blurted, because money wasn't a problem for me. I'd pay whatever their going rate for spell breaking was. Hell, I'd pay triple even. I wanted this spell, curse, whatever the fuck that little twink had put on me gone from my life.

Callum shook his head, "It's not that. I just can't. I can't do it."

Shoulders slumping, I sighed dejectedly, feeling defeated. "Okay. I'll just come back when Daphne is here, I guess. Thanks for your help and not thinking I'm crazy," I told him, turning and heading for the door.

Thunder boomed overhead, shaking the earth and lightning split the sky outside. Through the glass of the door, I could see the storm suddenly start raging once more, the rain pelting loudly against it and making a pinging sound. Pushing against the wind, I shoved the door open.

"Wait!" Callum's urgent voice had me turning back to him, the door swishing closed behind me and blocking out the rain.

Callum had come from around the counter, his eyes wide. He stood in the middle of the room, chewing nervously on his bottom lip.

"I'll…I'll help you. I'll break the spell for you."