Falling Hard

by Shelly Bell

  What?

  Oh, shit. Talking to me.

  Focus.

  Focus. “Yeah, I am. Your car going to be okay?”

  He nodded and looked back at his unfortunate mistake. “Cosmetic.” I smiled. “So I should get going.” He lifted up a hand in a low wave and started to walk away and I instantly felt his absence. Ugh. “See you in Law, Hazel.” My name sounded like warmed brown sugar on his tongue and I melted.

  “Hey, Grayson!” He turned around and flashed his trademark smile. “Come by Billy’s tonight, I’ll give you a trial run,” I called with a wink before slapping down my visor and driving away.

  This would either be the best idea I’ve ever had, or the worst.

  Chapter 3

  Grayson

  Business Law was torture. Seriously, I would rather be tied up with enchanted rope. I sat in the back of Professor Kelley’s class, relearning things I’d learned years ago. As exciting as today’s lecture on negligence and ethics was, it couldn’t hold my attention. Not when Hazel was sitting in front of me.

  I could smell her hair. It was falling out of the loose knot at the nape of her neck. Her sweater pulled to the right and bared her perfect shoulder. I was hard just thinking about sinking my teeth into her delicate skin. Pull it together, Lynch, you cannot touch a witch.

  My morning plan, although derailed by running my poor baby into a bridge wall, had worked perfectly. I was going to have the chance to spend time with Hazel, even if it was at work. I didn’t need a job. But I did need to be as close to her as possible.

  Especially with Loren about to paint the town red. Literally. He must have tracked me by my phone. That was my fault for being too much of a softy to turn the damn thing off.

  Hazel shifted and bit her thumbnail, the way she always did when she was absorbed in a lecture. Most of the girls in Law spent the class undressing the teacher with their eyes. And I’ll admit, he was a handsome man, he’d make a solid wingman. The number of short skirts being worn on this freezing October day confirmed it.

  But not Hazel.

  She was completely absorbed by the subject matter. And I was completely absorbed with her. I didn’t see how she could be so excited, but the woman seemed fascinated by anything to do with running a business. Which was incredibly sexy.

  I leaned forward in my desk, made for someone several inches shorter than me, and poked her back. “What?” she hissed, annoyed I’d interrupted her.

  “You still feeling okay?” I asked. I knew better than to talk to her in class, but I couldn’t waste a single minute. I had less than a week until the Halloween deadline and less than sixteen hours until Loren arrived.

  “Uh, yeah. I’m fine.” She looked down at her paper and back up at the board. “Crap. What did he say?”

  “Facilitation fees,” I said, flashing a devastating smile. Her teeth absentmindedly chewed on the end of her pencil. I was torn between jumping inside with joy because I was getting to her and wanting to pull my hair out at her unintentional teasing.

  “Ah, so bribery. Huh,” she said absentmindedly, making another note. “So, you doing okay?”

  This was my chance. I glanced up to find Professor Kelley still prattling his lecture. “Little shaken. It kills me to know I almost hurt you.” Her head snapped around, eyes locking with mine. “There’s something bewitching about you, Hazel Evanora.”

  Her eyes widened before she turned away, her cheeks as red as our textbook. A smile played at the corner of her lips and I gripped the side of the desk, desperate to kiss that mouth. I had to get over my lust for this damn witch.

  But she was unlike any witch I had ever met. Any human I had ever met. Any other I had ever met. She wasn’t caught up in what she was or how she was. She just was herself. She laughed like no one was listening, worked like her life depended on it, and was unfailingly loyal to her small group of friends.

  She looked at me from under her eyelashes and smiled wider. “Thank you,” she said in a gravelly voice.

  My heart whacked my ribcage and I couldn’t catch my breath. Jesus, I was a goner. “Listen, let me take you out sometime to make up for it. Maybe lunch? It’s almost two and I haven’t eaten yet. And by the sound of your stomach, you haven’t either.”

  Her cheeks tinged red again, but this time I knew it was a different red. It wasn’t the sugary-sweet “you just embarrassed me by making me feel pretty” blush, but the “you just embarrassed me because I’m so poor I can’t afford to eat” blush. I wasn’t an idiot, I knew her financial situation.

  And it didn’t matter if I was a witch hunter and she was a witch. I could not let any woman go hungry when I had the power to do something about it. “Just lunch,” I qualified. “Not a date, not even a friend date if you prefer. Just me, buying you lunch for trying to kill you with my car.”

  She worried her bottom lip and I paused, knowing that I needed to let her work through this on her own. It’s how she preferred to do things. “Ms. Evanora, is there something I can help you with?” Professor Kelley asked from the front of the room. She spun back around, her entire body flushing.

  Dammit. Class. I’d totally forgot we were in a class. Sonofabitch.

  I heard the low chuckles from my other roommates, Hutch and Blake. Awesome. They would probably tell Mitch that I’d got Hazel in trouble. Shit. Time to man up.

  “That was my fault,” I said, lifting my hand. “I was confused about something and asked Hazel. She was politely telling me to shut the hell up and pay attention.”

  Professor Kelley smirked and Hazel sagged in relief. “Mr. Lynch, perhaps next time you can raise your hand and asked a paid faculty member instead.”

  “Yes, Professor Kelley. I will not make that mistake again.” He nodded at me and returned to his lecture. I glanced over at Hutch and Blake who were laughing silently. Blake was miming silent kisses and Hutch kept looking between Hazel and me.

  Hazel flipped around in her desk and mouthed, thank you. I gave her my best smile. She really was something very special. My heart thudded again. I kept forgetting that I was here to destroy her, to take away her power.

  I rubbed the heel of my hand across my chest, coming to the realization that I didn’t know if I could do it. But I had to, for Fenton. He was my favorite brother. Oh, I know I’m not supposed to pick favorites, but I totally have one.

  In the winter, we used to stay up too late and watch terrible infomercials. And in the summer we’d get up way too early and play soccer or swim in a nearby creek. Summer sunsets in Maine brought so many mosquitoes, they could carry you away. Yet I’d been so happy there.

  On days we didn’t have to hunt, anyway.

  I remembered the first time Fenton had to kill a witch when he was six and I was seven - he’d cried for a month. Hell, he couldn’t even kill a spider without getting upset. He’d been vegan from the moment he could talk.

  I promised him he’d never have to kill again. And from then on, I did his killing for him. And now, I had to do it again. I needed to do this to save him. His soul was worth saving - he was all the good I wasn’t.

  I let out a distressed sigh and ran my hand down my face. I fucking hated this job. I hated who I was and who I was going to become. Sometimes destroying a witch was easy. Some of them didn’t deserve to walk this earth.

  But destroying Hazel, my pure Hazel, would be unlike anything I’ve ever done. And I knew, just knew, that destroying her would destroy me too. But losing Fenton would kill me. So what was I going to do?

  I needed to un-invite Hazel to lunch. I needed to keep my distance and just figure out another way. I couldn’t get any closer. Not when it felt so good. I was just about to tap her shoulder when she reached around and dropped a small folded note onto my desk.

  With an intake of breath, I grabbed the note and opened it. Lunch sounds great.

  Dammit. And finally.

  Chapter 4

  Grayson

  Despite being the only coffee shop in town, Roasted was better th
an Starbucks. Which was good, because the closet Starbucks was twenty miles away. Roasted carried fresh sandwiches on homemade bread, baked chips, and every coffee combination under the sun.

  We sat at corner table near the back. Hazel just stared at her food, as if she were surprised to see it, as if she were trying to savor it with her eyes.

  “Eat!” I ordered. “If you don’t eat all of it, you don’t get dessert.”

  “Dessert?” she asked, confused.

  I popped a chip into my mouth and leaned forward. “Yes, dessert. Pastries.”

  She swallowed hard. “Pastries?” Her brow furrowed. “I can’t remember the last time I had a pastry,” she whispered, and I wasn’t sure if she’d meant to say it out loud.

  My stomach turned over. How many times a day did I take my food for granted? When I was hungry, I ate. End of story.

  But not her. Not this amazing woman in front of me who could stand to gain at least ten pounds. Hesitantly she picked up her sandwich and took a bite.

  She moaned and closed her eyes, chewing quickly and taking another huge bite. I tried to look away, but I couldn’t. I was caught between needing to hear her moan again and letting her eat in peace.

  I finished my half of my sandwich in the time it took her to finish her entire meal. It was as if she hadn’t eaten for days. She ate like a person who knew real hunger.

  I clenched my fists, angry with myself for caring. But I couldn’t stop the burning in my chest when I thought about her. I kicked my foot purposefully against my backpack, feeling the weight of Pandora’s Box. I had shoved it in my bag with hopes that this morning I would reach Hazel before she left her apartment. Instead, I almost killed her on the bridge. In retrospect, that would’ve solved my problem since her powers would’ve been released when she died.

  I hated myself for even thinking about it.

  No matter how hard I tried, nothing stopped me from wishing I could make sure she never went hungry again, even if I’d be gone the moment I got what I came for. I shook my head slightly to clear my thoughts. Getting more attached to the woman in front of me would sentence Fenton to death. “When was the last time you ate three full meals?” I asked, unable to stop myself.

  She looked at me, wide-eyed. “Don’t you dare pity me,” she said through clenched teeth.

  “I don’t pity you. It was just an observation.” I pushed my unfinished lunch toward her. “Want the other half?”

  Her purple eyes snapped to mine and held my gaze defiantly. But eventually, hunger won. She pulled the rest of my sandwich closer to her and ate every last crumb. I smiled.

  “Thank you,” she said softly.

  I rapped my knuckles on the table and stood up when they called my name from the order station. I brought a plate full of chocolate croissants, fresh fruit breads, and handcrafted donuts to the table. Her eyes glazed over. I chuckled as I set the plate down. “Dig in!” I smiled, generally warmed by the child-like enthusiasm that cut through her sharp expression.

  She was the first woman in a long time that had given me a real smile. A smile based solely on how happy she was, and not a con to get to my dick - and my wallet. Unlike Hazel, I was most definitely not poor.

  “This is too much,” she said, digging in her coat pocket and grabbing a twenty. “Let me pay for something-”

  A white rectangle fell onto the table. I reached for it to hand it back to her, until I realized it was her driver’s license. She tried to snatch it back from me, but I held it up over my head. “Put your money away and I’ll give this back.”

  “Let me pay for something.”

  “My late mother taught me to always pay for a lady, even on a non-date. So you’re out of luck.” Clearly, that crumpled twenty was more important than what I had spent on lunch. That money was already reserved, or else she wouldn’t be half-starved. I was an asshole but not that big of one.

  With a glare, she stuffed the bill back in her pocket. “Fine.” Then she held out her hand for her license. With a wink, I lowered it down slowly, taking my time to look at the picture. She was adorable, even in her state-issued identification photo.

  Then my heart skipped a beat. It was a weird sensation, like I had lost all my breath. I was startled. “It’s your twenty-first birthday today?” My arm came down on the table, extending the license between my pointer and middle finger. “Well then, you have to eat the pastries. I didn’t have time to order you a cake!”

  She gripped the license out of my hand and angrily shoved it back into her pocket. “I don’t celebrate.”

  I picked up a chocolate croissant and took a giant bite. “Then I’ll celebrate for you!” I said with a mouthful, trying to entice her. I almost moaned myself as it melted in my mouth.

  She crossed her arms and stared at me, clearly contemplating getting up and leaving. But eventually, the pastries did their job. She reached for the other croissant and pulled off a flaky piece, inhaling the scent deeply before savoring each bite.

  I stopped chewing. I was transfixed by the way she ate with such reverence. “Sorry,” she said, pink staining her cheeks. “I haven’t had one in years.”

  It just didn’t make sense to me. “Why not?” I asked, being brave. “The meal plan is accepted here.” Dammit, Lynch. Do. Not. Get. Involved. But I couldn’t help it.

  “You don’t understand,” she explained softly. “My family...” she trailed off, finishing the last of her treat and reach for another. “I don’t want to take out any more loans. I negotiated the scholarship to cover my textbooks instead of my meal plans. I need textbooks more than I need dessert.”

  I begged to differ. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. If you don’t have a textbook, you can share with a friend or copy pages from the library. But if you don’t have food, you’ll die!” I let my anger color my voice. “Seriously, Hazel-”

  “Thanks Dad, for the lecture in finances,” she spat, grabbing her purse and coat. “Thanks for lunch. I’ve got to go.”

  Way to suck at life, Lynch. “Hazel, wait.”

  She stopped a few steps away. “What?”

  I sighed and stood up, crossing to the counter. I reached over the ledge and grabbed a large take-out box. I filled it with all of the pastries and handed it to Hazel. “I’m sorry. Really. I think you’re the strongest person I’ve ever met.” I can’t believe I said that out loud.

  She accepted the container with reverence, her eyes wide and glassy. “Lynch?” she said in a low voice, as if she meant to say “thank you” or “I’m speechless.” She cleared her throat. “Remember that tonight when I have you working your ass off.”

  My laugh erupted from my chest as I watched her walk out the door. “Whatever you want, birthday girl.” I couldn’t wait for tonight. Everything was going according to plan.

  Chapter 5

  Hazel

  “Hello, sweetheart. Miss me?” The familiar voice immediately kicked my fight-or-flight response into overdrive. At almost seven foot tall, the bald man in a taught leather coat was menacing. He cracked his knuckles, just to look even scarier. It worked.

  “Wh-wha-what do you want, Eric?” I choked out. He had never come to my house before. Work, yes. Math class? Yep. But never to my home. My protection spell must have been wearing off.

  “You were short on your payment last month. So I’m here to collect a little early.”

  I took a step away from my bike, trying to negotiate a path to the door. For once, Mrs. Pennington wasn’t peering out her lace curtain. Seriously? Every morning she watches for nothing, and when something finally happens, she’s nowhere to be seen.

  “That’s why I was headed into work early, Eric,” I spoke slowly, like I would to a child, just to make a passive-aggressive point. “To make extra money. See, that’s how this whole paycheck thing works. Come back Friday, and you’ll have it in full.”

  He took another step toward me. “If you are even one minute late on Friday, you’ll have another ghost hanging around. That pre
tty boy you had lunch with is a human, isn’t he? Shame if something were to happen to him.”

  Oh no he didn’t. Gone was my anxiety, replaced by rage for all of the times I’d moved, every job I’d had to leave, every cherished item I’d had to hock, every fragment of power I’d had to sell to make enough money to drive somewhere new and start over. And now this asswipe was threatening someone who I’d purposely kept away? Someone I dreamt about, only to wake up panting?

  Oh hell no.

  I walked right up to Eric until we were toe to toe. “You so much as look at him, I will make a potion that will boil your skin off, then leave you out in the woods for the coyotes.”

  He grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked my head back. I bit back a scream. The bastard wouldn’t have the satisfaction. “No, I don’t think you will. Remember, Hazel Evanora, I know exactly how much power you’ve sold. And that last little bit was too much, wasn’t it? You’re having trouble keeping your spells together, aren’t you?”

  I smiled viciously through the pain. “Ah, but I can still use a knife, dirtbag!” I grabbed the knife in his belt holster and slashed it across his face. He let go of my hair with a roar and I stumbled back, the knife clattering to the ground. Crap.

  His arm swung and I wasn’t fast enough to dodge it. White-hot pain cascaded over my upper cheek bone and the corner of my eye. “SONOFABISCUIT!” I screamed, holding my face. I hated when he took cheap shots at my face. I really should’ve known it was coming, this was his m.o.

  He lifted his arm again, only to freeze the moment a police siren wailed from the bridge. I looked back at Mrs. Pennington’s window to see the corner of her yellow lace curtain drop. Maybe having her as a neighbor wasn’t so terrible after all.

  I turned back to track Eric, but he was already gone. The police cruiser sped into the parking lot and my favorite chubby, bearded police officer, Jimmy, jumped out of the car the moment the car stopped.