Free Fire Spell by T.A. Foster Page B

led him to my room at the end of the hall. I liked the quiet and privacy having an end room gave me.
    I retrieved my key card and slid it into the slot. Jack waited while I tried to let us in. I was holding my breath the entire time, confused and anxious to find out why he left Sullen’s Grove and drove to Charleston. After tonight, nothing made any sense. I might as well add something else to the list.
    He closed the door behind us, and I slouched on the bed. I didn’t think I could muster the energy to keep my good posture going. The exhaustion had settled into my muscles. All I wanted was a hot shower.
    I looked at him. “Ok. Tell me. What catastrophic thing has happened in the book world that couldn’t wait?”
    He knelt in front of me on the floor. We were almost eye level this way. His eyes pooled with warm chestnut hues. For a fleeting second, I thought how amazing it would feel for him to wrap me in his strong arms and hold me until I could figure everything out. But that was impossible. No touching. We were work colleagues, and I was not going to contribute to his death. Plus, too much had happened since Vegas.
    “Jack, just spit it out.” He seemed to have lost his nerve.
    His eyes locked on mine. “I remember.”
    I shook my head. I wasn’t sure what he meant. “What do you mean? What do you remember? A new deadline?”
    “No, Ivy. I remember Vegas.”
    “What?” My lungs were still working, but the breath sliced through them in sharp slits.
    His hands cupped my shoulders. “I’m confused and I don’t know what’s happening, but I remember everything from Vegas and don’t try to tell me it’s a dream.”
    I shook his hold and moved closer to the door. It felt like the room was closing in on me.
    “I seriously don’t know what you’re talking about. You and I have never been to Las Vegas together.” This couldn’t be happening. Holly’s spells were foolproof. She had never lost her hold on an Eraser Spell . She was the best Eraser.
    He braced himself on the edge of the bed and stood. “I knew you would try to backpedal.” He smirked. “And I don’t know why you had your cousin do whatever voodoo she did to my head, to my memories, but they’ve all come back. I know it’s not a dream. I remember Helen, and the Locator Spell . You showed me that floating light thing at my house. I know you’re a witch.”
    “No, you are definitely talking crazy talk. I think you should go.” I reached for the door, but he blocked me.
    “Stop. We’ve done this exact thing before. You tried to run, I stopped you, and you finally trusted me. I remember it.” He rubbed his palm along his jaw. It looked like he hadn’t shaved in days. “What I don’t understand is why you did it. Why did you erase it? We shared things.”
    I couldn’t take the hurt look on his face. In his mind, Holly and I had done the unthinkable.
    “I was going to take you on a date.” He cut the distance between us.
    I pressed my palms against his chest, trying to keep him an arm’s length away. There was no use trying to pretend all of it was a dream. He obviously knew too many details to try to use that story.
    “It was to protect you. Can we leave it at that?” I searched his eyes.
    “No. That’s not good enough. What did you need to protect me from? I already saw you defeat the Proxy. What else was there?” He hung his head. “What in the hell could be worth stealing my memory?”
    “You were going to die! Ok? I did it to keep you alive.” It all came out in rapid succession. More than I meant to say.
    He took a step back. “What?”
    “Your life was in danger if you knew about my magic. It was the only thing I could do to undo it.” I slid against the door until I was sitting on the floor.
    “Why didn’t you just tell me?”
    “That’s not how it works. If you knew about my witchiness, you were going to die. There were no other options.” I paused, remembering how it tore my heart in two to make the