Free Mirrorlight by Jill Myles Page A

understand.
    Cora shook her head at him. “I don’t speak…Welsh. If that’s Welsh, that is.” Maybe it was Old English. She had no idea. Defeat began to settle over her. Even without the mirror separating them, she couldn’t talk to Aric?
    “Not a problem,” Muffin said, and pulled out the long pale stick of wood. The ribbon on the end danced as she touched it to his hand, and then wiggled it in the air. It…looked like a wand. Muffin waved it again, and then touched the tip to her nose and smiled. “Try now, my dear.”
    “I said, what do you do here in this strange place, Marguerite?” Aric spoke, his words lilting with a sexy accent. He looked surprised at his words, and then looked over at Cora.
    “I am speaking your language?”
    “Just a bit of magic fixed that right up,” Muffin crowed. “And call me Muffin, dearie.
    Everyone in this time does.” She leaned over as if he were deaf and cupped a hand to her mouth, yelling. “M U F F I N.”
    “Very well.” Aric smiled at her and then turned to her, his smile growing even broader. “And what do I call you here?”
    “You can just call me Cora,” she said softly, feeling suddenly shy. At his nod, something else registered and she turned back to Muffin. “Did you say…magic? Is that a magic wand?”
    Muffin gave me an indignant look. “Of course it’s magic. What else do you expect from your fairy godmother and a magic mirror?”
    Cora felt weak at that, setting down her suitcase on the driveway. “I’m sorry, did you say fairy godmother?”
    “Yes I did. You’re both assigned to me. I’ve been trying to pair that one up,” she waved a hand at Aric. “For centuries. Oh, and speaking of, this is for you.” She held out a wallet to him.
    He took the small brown leather square in his hand and stared at it.
    “Open it,” she said in an impatient voice. “We haven’t got all night, my dear.” Cora moved to his side and showed him how to flip it open. Inside was a driver’s license—Alaska—with Aric’s full name on it, his age, and his address. Also inside were credit cards, a social security card, and some other paperwork. “How did you…”
    “Magic,” Muffin said again, her tone annoyed. “The passport’s over at my house.
    You can stay the night before heading back home tomorrow.” She pointed a finger at Cora. “And no making out against my mirrors, you dirty birds. Keep it clean.” Cora’s face flushed bright red. “But…what…does…” she turned to Aric. “Do you want to go with me?”
    He moved to her side and touched her cheek, grazing his thumb across the soft skin as he stared into her eyes. Gone was the sad look on his face. A hint of a smile touched his mouth again. “More than anything.”
    She returned his smile. “I want that too.”
    “I hear there’s a nice company hiring up in Alaska,” Muffin said pointedly.
    Cora grinned. “Got it. I’ll check it out.”
    Muffin reached between them and took Cora’s suitcase, hiking down the road with it.
    “Follow me, you two. The cottage is this way.”
    She glanced over at Aric, and he turned to her, his hands moving to her waist. He pulled her against him and Cora’s hand went to his chest. He felt big and real and so wonderful against her. Her fingers brushed over his heart and sure enough, his pulse was steady and warm. “This is real, isn’t it?”
    He leaned in toward her. “I think it is. If it is real and not a dream, what do we do now?”
    She looked up at him, a smile curving her mouth. “Well, I guess we could start with happily ever after.”
    And she finally, finally got to kiss him.

    The End