Free [Southern Arcana 1] Crux by Moira Rogers

closet.
    Checking herself into an institution might be the most logical choice, but she hoped to save it as a backup plan.
    Having decided to go forth as if she believed all of the outrageous things she’d heard and seen today, she felt a good bit steadier as she pulled her clothes back on. By the time she’d run a comb through her hair and hung up the towels, she thought she might even be ready to try some basic conversation.
    The smell of tomato sauce and red wine greeted her when she opened the bathroom door. She wandered down the hallway and past a tiny office before spotting Jackson in the small kitchen.

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    Moira Rogers
    He must have sensed her there, because he raised his head from peeking in the oven and smiled. “It’ll be ready soon.
    Want to start with some wine and a salad?”
    “Sure.” She glanced around, feeling out of place. “Can I help you with anything?”
    “Nah, everything’s mostly done. Have a seat.” He gestured toward the round oak table in the breakfast nook. “I figured we could eat in here instead of in the dining room.” It was cozy, and right now that was what she wanted more than anything. Comfortable, normal things. She slipped past him and pulled out one of the chairs. “It smells wonderful. It’s been a while since I had a home-cooked meal.” He brought over a couple of wine goblets and started to fill them. “That’s a shame.”
    She glanced at him. “The guy? Marcus? He tried to snatch me on July fifth. I got away two days later, and I’ve been running since.”
    “You’ve been on the road for over a month?” he asked incredulously.
    “I guess, yeah. Seems longer. Seems like forever.” He put the wine on the table and gave her a serious look.
    “Alec and Kat have already started looking into this. Do you happen to remember Marcus’s last name?” 84
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    Crux
    She only wished she’d been able to forget it. Everything about that first encounter was burned into her memory.
    “Foster. He said his name was Marcus Foster.” Jackson stopped and flashed her another of those easy smiles that made her heart skip a beat. “By the time we finish our salads, the chicken should be ready.” He pulled a large wooden bowl out of the refrigerator and dished salad onto the small plates already on the table.
    They ate in relative silence, until he finally looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “So, what did you do before you hit the road? For a living, I mean?”
    “Actually, I was a bartender. Not that I planned on that being my long-term career or anything. It’s just pretty hard to pay the bills as a dancer if you’re not interested in taking your clothes off.” She’d done it in Chicago, though, working in a strip club when she couldn’t find another job.
    “You’ll like working for Nick. She’s pretty down-to-earth, all things considered.”
    Mackenzie took a sip of her wine and eyed him over the rim of the glass. “Who wouldn’t like working there? The place is always full of handsome, charming men.”
    “Just remember that handsome, charming men are usually trouble with a capital T.” A quick wink accompanied his next words. “I just happen to be the exception that proves that particular rule.”

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    Moira Rogers
    She smiled at him again before she could stop herself, realizing too late that it didn’t feel fake. She was giving him the smile she gave men she was interested in. Great. I’m a freakish shapeshifting cat and I’m flirting with a guy who can make himself invisible.
    Maybe she was crazy and stupid. Or maybe the sheer normalcy of flirting with a handsome man was exactly what she needed.
    So she lifted her glass to him and refused to feel guilty about how pleased she felt when he quickly glanced away.
    Witches and shapeshifters and invisibility were far beyond her realm of experience, but men she understood.
    He cleared his throat and raised his glass, as well. “To