Free To Love A Witch (A Novel Nibbles title) by Debora Geary

magic headed out of control.
    And then the truth of Carla’s words hit her, and
she knew what to do. She reached for love, and let it go along with
the magic. Power sang out of her and down Jake’s fingers into the
ground. Love sang out of her into his heart.
    It was a relatively small earthquake, all things
considered.

Chapter 14

    Romy stepped out of Jake’s shower and smelled
the ends of her hair. Much better. She didn’t smell quite so
fire-roasted any more. Wrapping a red terrycloth robe around
herself twice, she walked out into the hallway. A glorious smell
was calling her name.
    Jake grinned as she came into the kitchen.
“Carla delivered a care package. She figured you’d be hungry after
playing with that kind of power.”
    Hungry didn’t begin to describe it. For food,
first, but she had more than one screaming need in her belly.
“Thanks for the robe.”
    “Please keep it. My mother sends one every
Christmas. She swears I’ll need it one day.”
    She didn’t really want to think about his
mother’s ability to see the future right now. Every hormone in her
body was singing.
    Jake carried two plates to the table. “Carla
also left a message. She said to tell you ‘totally normal’. She
said you’d understand.”
    Romy tried not to blush. If the way her insides
felt right now was the totally normal result of working magic,
Franco was a very lucky man. She scooped up some of the linguine as
her stomach growled loud enough for Jake to hear.
    He just grinned and handed her a slice of warm
garlic bread.
    “I called the hospital while you were showering.
Aylen is fine, and she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. Molly
and Jolie are with her.”
    Romy grimaced. “Did Jolie experience all the
labor? I’ve heard that can be pretty intense.”
    Jake shook his head. “Molly says no; the
connection shut off right after the rescue. And she says Jolie’s
already angling to bring Aylen and the new baby home with
them.”
    Oh, boy. Jolie was a force to be reckoned with.
“How does Molly feel about that?”
    “She has a heart bigger than Tabletop Rock. I’d
imagine Jolie just managed to procure herself a baby sister.”
    Romy could feel a soft, goopy glow sinking into
her belly that was more than just good food. Jolie was one small
witch who wouldn’t fall through the cracks. And whatever Aylen’s
past, a friend like Molly seemed like a pretty good turn for
anyone’s life to take.
    “You do good, important work, Jake.”
    She saw him start to shake his head, and then
stop. “Yeah. I do. And I don’t work alone.”
    No. He knew an awful lot of people, from Molly
and Carla to people on the end of a phone, willing to do whatever
he asked. He was the kind of guy that made a lot of lives
better.
    Even if he bent a few rules. “So when were you
going to tell me about your career as a teenage computer
hacker?”
    He spoke around his linguine. “It’s a longer
career than you think.”
    “People go to jail for that kind of thing.” And
no one like Jake should ever have to spend a moment in lock-up.
    He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Only if
they get caught. In my young and stupid days, that was a distinct
possibility. It isn’t any more. Sometimes what’s right and what’s
legal aren’t the same thing.”
    She could hardly argue with that. Several lives
had been on the line tonight.
    Including hers. She knew that now. Calling the
fire had been an act of sheer, stupid bravery.
    She suspected, however, that her bravery
couldn’t hold a candle to his. “What was that spell you cast?
Sounded like a rap song.”
    He shrugged. “I always thought old-fashioned
rhyming was boring.”
    She closed her eyes and tried to pull the words
up. He reached for her hands and saved her the trouble.
    “ Take her magic, make it mine
    Two into one, by love’s design.”
    Romy was a novice with spells, but she was
pretty sure she had this one worked out. “You weren’t just calling
my power, were you.”
    He shook