100% That Witch - Celia Kyle Page 0,53

in the middle of a reinvention, one she was fully aware of and even giving herself permission to enjoy.

As she came around the curve in the narrow lane and the clearing with his cabin unfolded before her, Tiffany couldn’t stop her heart from flitting between her ribs. That earned another hard look in the rearview.

Stop. It.

At the sound of her car door, Nero appeared in his doorway with a broad smile. As always, that combination of rugged mountaineer and gentle naturalist caught her in the throat.

“Long time no see,” he greeted as she approached.

“Yeah, I thought I’d see you at the house this weekend.”

He shrugged. “Nathan had other plans and I didn’t want to intrude.”

Tiffany wished he had but then slapped herself internally. Still, she couldn’t help wanting to show him what she could do, the need to impress him irresistible.

When she reached the first step to his porch, she paused. “One sec.”

Closing her eyes, she concentrated hard. With a soft pop, a basket appeared next to Nero’s ankle, brimming with baby ducks and chicks in a full array of easter colors.

“Are you serious?” He let out a broad, unguarded laugh, and reached down into the basket, scooping up a lavender duckling.

“Hello, buddy,” he murmured as he brought it up and peppered it with featherlight kisses. The sight of his pursed lips made her stomach tighten even more.

“Hey, that’s for snuggling, not eating.”

He looked up at her in mock indignation as the duckling nibbled at his beard. “I would never!”

They both giggled a bit as he tucked the little ducky back among its kin and nestled it by the door. “After we’re done, we can walk them to a pond around back. They’ll be happy there.”

“Sounds good.” As much as she liked the idea of these little cuties getting to bask in a natural habitat before returning to the universe, she knew they’d be gone in a matter of minutes. Still, she didn’t want to burst his adorable bubble.

They stepped into the cozy refuge of his cabin and she felt startlingly at home—not only in the place, but in her own skin. That kind of wholeness was as uncommon as it was welcome.

“It’s strange, actually…” she found herself saying as they settled at the table.

“What is?”

“Until recently, things like that have just popped out unbidden. But lately, it’s like I’ve finally taken control of my powers. They only happen when I want them to. I haven’t had an accident in days.”

Thankfully he bypassed any juvenile teasing about wetting the bed. “Not so strange if you think about it. You’re not denying them anymore. Or yourself. I mean, just look at you. The Righteous Indignation? They should be proud to be emblazoned across your chest.”

The idea of him paying any attention to her chest—let alone mentioning it—made her blush. Of course, he remained completely unembarrassed by any of it.

And why should he be? He’d already found his Beloved, so he certainly wasn’t flirting with her—despite how much a big part of her wanted him to.

“Shall we get started? After all, we took our last session off.” There was a naughty glint about him, as if having dinner and drinks instead of studying was as much an indulgence for him as it had been for her.

“Let’s do it.”

The books cracked open, and to her amazement, Tiffany found herself actually understanding the material. When the question of fulminating compounds came up, she was able to enumerate the properties that different ingredients offered. Not only that, but she found herself able to suggest substitutions, and offer up incantations in both Greek and Latin.

“Impressive,” Nero said with raised eyebrows. “You’ve clearly been working on your own.”

“Not really.” But she had. The desire to impress him had blossomed within her, far more than the need to pass Dr. Judd’s exams. Getting her grades up was now a secondary motivation. The look of admiration on Nero’s face had kept her up at night poring over her books.

And the image of a different look had kept her awake at night long after her books were closed and she was nestled under the covers.

A brilliant bolt of lightning jolted her out of her reverie. The whole cabin glowed with it, and Nero looked up at his rafters.

“We may have a big one rolling in.”

The answering clap of thunder confirmed his assessment. The windows lit up again in brilliant flashes, and they laughed at each other between the thunder claps.

“We’re gonna need a fire if this keeps up.”

Tiffany couldn’t keep