Witching You Weren’t Snowed In (Witching You #2)

Chapter 12

Sage

The light was dim when I opened my eyes. My muscles ached, and my head had a dull throb, but I was warm, and wrapped in a thick blanket. I wrinkled my brow, noticing the distinct lack of popstar posters on the ceiling. I was not in my bedroom, and this was definitely not a twin bed.

That’s right. I started an avalanche. Leo had called it a sluff—but for anyone who asked, I would call it, ‘the big one.’

I rolled carefully onto my side, tucking the blanket under my chin, and realized I wasn’t alone. Leo was asleep in a chair he’d pulled close to the bed. His head rested on his shoulder, legs crossed at the knee. Frown lines marred his forehead as if he were having a bad dream.

Maybe that was all this was—a dream. I’d wake up Monday morning, alarm clock blaring, walls shaking as the train rumbled past on the tracks near my apartment. I’d shuffle into the office, coffee in hand, and read over my next case file. Other people’s miracles waited. My life was exactly the way I’d left it .

So then why did I clutch the blanket tighter, staring at Leo, afraid to even blink in case the room around me vanished?

It was dark outside the window, nighttime creeping in while I’d slept. Leo must have sensed me wake because he caught me watching him. For a long moment, neither of us spoke. The weight of his gaze made everything else blur like a shaken snow globe, and I soaked it in, reluctant to break the spell.

“Hi,” I whispered.

“Hey.” He leaned forward, concern etching his features. “How do you feel?”

I stretched out my legs, pointing my toes to test the twinge in my muscles. “Honestly? Like I won the mattress lottery. Who knew an upgrade was a ski accident away? I would have bought a lift ticket the day I arrived.”

Leo’s lips twitched. “I meant your head. But I’m pleased you’re satisfied with the lodge’s memory foam density.”

“Is this your room?” I asked, suddenly less interested in the mattress than the window into his private domain.

Leo had thrown a sweater over the back of an armchair, next to a small table holding a well-worn novel. An older pair of skis leaned against the wall, alongside a pair of boots. The bindings were unclipped. There were no framed photographs or family pictures. Only a glossy panoramic view of the mountain taken from an overlook spot sitting on a shelf.

It was strange how a room could be both cozy and lonely at the same time.

“Yes,” he answered, oblivious to my inspection. “I’ve been staying at the lodge. It’s convenient and cheaper until I can get a place of my own. I hope you don’t mind that I put you in here. Medical checked your head injury—no concussion, thankfully—and gave you something for the pain. It knocked you out pretty quickly. You’ve been asleep for hours. I called your parents. They know you’re staying here tonight.” He paused. “And you don’t have to worry about Aaron and the other two. They’re gone.”

I nodded and closed my eyes, but all I saw were Blair and Gretchen’s mocking sneers. I blinked them away. “I’m sorry about what happened. I should have listened to you and told them no. It was stupid of me to think they’d changed.”

“It wasn’t stupid, and it’s not your fault. I wish I could have done more than just kick them out.”

“But they’re your friends.”

“Not anymore.” A laugh rumbled under his breath. “You should have seen it. I told them to get off my mountain. It was intoxicating. I think the power might go to my head. Where’s the line between villain and mega-villain?”

I smiled softly. “I think it’s more of a gray area.”

“Shady and mysterious. That tracks.”

I struggled to sit up and winced as pain spiked in my temple. The amusement vanished from Leo’s face, replaced with a quiet intensity that caught me off guard. He leaned forward to help adjust my pillow.

His scent wrapped around me, and I let my eyes drift shut for a moment. This time, all I saw was his steady hand as he helped me out of the snow, and the way he’d lightly brushed the flakes from my hair while we waited for ski patrol .

My breath caught when I felt Leo’s fingers graze my cheek. Agonizingly slow, like ice melting on warm skin. He made a rough sound in the back of his throat, checking himself, then pulled away to curl his hand into a loose fist.

His withdrawal left me feeling off balance. I was caught between wanting more and the fear that if I got my wish, it might all be an illusion. After today, I didn’t know what was real anymore or if I could trust myself to figure it out.

Leo pushed out of his chair and paced in front of the bed.

“Are you hungry?” he asked, spinning to find his room key. He tucked it into his pocket and opened the door. “I’ll go get you something to eat. Relax…or feel free to snoop in my medicine cabinet. I already hid all the embarrassing stuff.”

He grinned, slipping back into his playful banter, only to wince and shake his head before closing the door. I waited until his footsteps faded down the hall. While the medicine cabinet was tempting, there was something I needed to take care of first.

My phone sat on the coffee table, and I hobbled out of bed to collect it. Time to face facts. My weather curse wasn’t broken, and I didn’t have any clue how to fix it. I thought helping Leo would stop the snow, but it seemed to have no effect. A job well done had not brought clear skies. It had only made my feelings murkier.

I was still a liability in the agency’s eyes, and they weren’t going to let me work on my next case. I’d run out of time, and while I wouldn’t be fulfilling miracles in Wood Pine, there was still a miracle I could grant .

I typed the message, asking to name my replacement. I wrote a bulleted list of all the reasons Delia was ready, leaving out that it was the prophesied word of a questionable fortune teller. Though now that I thought about it, maybe there was something there.

With a satisfied crack of my knuckles, I hit send.

Ten minutes later, my phone jingled with the message: Request granted.

I sank into the armchair, pulling Leo’s sweater into my lap for warmth. My life was still a mess, and I was stuck in Cold Spell for a while longer, but this was the right thing to do. Delia deserved the chance to prove herself.

Now all I had to do was call her and deliver the good news.