They all looked up at me. The elf tapped on his glasses before getting to his feet. “That would be fine, Leo.”
“What about you?” I asked the pixie.
“Mine isn’t that important,” she said, looking at Glimmer. She frowned, as if knowing that something strange was taking place. “Is she going to be all right?”
“I think so. She’s under the influence of a dangerous spell, and it’s going to take a little bit of work on my part to remove it.”
The pixie nodded knowingly. “I’m sure she’s in good hands, then.”
I turned to the last, a dark-haired young woman with a tattoo on each hand and piercing brown eyes. She had to be a witch, though she wasn’t one of Callie’s coven. “What about you?”
“Mine can wait,” she said softly.
“Are you sure? If you need anything, I could recommend a good human healer. Doctor, I mean.”
“That’s fine. I can wait.”
They headed out of the apartment, and I locked the door behind them.
“Was that so hard?” I asked, looking to Lilah.
“I didn’t want to disappoint anyone,” she said. “They rely on you, Leo. Everybody here knows just how skilled a healer you are, and they come to you because they want what you have.”
I looked at Mumbles, who was still holding Glimmer’s arm, squeezing with a little force. His green skin had taken on a darker quality, and even his eyepatch looked a bit rugged tonight. “What about you?”
“I don’t care if we disappoint anyone,” he replied. “Besides, now I can watch my shows.”
“And I told you that you could watch them before,” Lilah said. “Aren’t you watching them on that tablet I gave you?”
“It’s not the same. Leo’s TV is nicer.”
“It’s not that nice,” I said.
With that, I took Glimmer’s arm. She started stroking my hand immediately.
“Where should we go on our honeymoon?” she asked. “I have so many ideas, but I’m sure you have some as well. We would have to tell my parents, of course, but they will most certainly approve of you. How could they not?”
I just shook my head.
“What about your parents, Leo? I’m sure you’d want them there for the ceremony.”
“My parents are gone,” I said softly.
I wrapped power around us and teleported.
It took us to the street outside of the witch coven’s warehouse. I dragged Glimmer across the street and knocked quickly on the door.
Glimmer frowned at me. “Is this where we’re going to get married?”
“This is where a friend of mine is,” I said.
When the door opened, one of the witches stepped out, a cute blonde with freckled cheeks and a twinkle in her blue eyes. She was the kind of girl I probably would’ve hit on had Callie not been there. The witch looked at me, then at Glimmer, and finally at Lilah and Mumbles. Seeing her, Glimmer started struggling to break free of my grip and shouted, “She can’t have you!”
“Is Callie around?” I asked the witch.
“Something go wrong, Leo?”
“You have no idea.”
She motioned for us to follow, and we hurried into the warehouse. The coven had done a much better job of restoring it after the Order of No attack than I had done of my apartment. For the most part, the walls had been completely rebuilt, leaving the place looking as if the flames had never torn through. They had their kitchenettes, where cauldrons were filled with bubbling liquids. Rows of vials and mixtures, various oils and powders, and other compounds the witches mixed into the spells lined the shelves. In the middle of the warehouse were different living areas, couches and chairs and TVs all angled in different directions, breaking up the space and giving people a sense of privacy.
The witch led me down the hall to a door that I remembered all too well and knocked. “Callie? You have a visitor.”
She nodded to me, then left us there.
“Who’s Callie?” Glimmer asked. “Is she going to marry us?”
“Sure,” I said.
Callie pulled open the door. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and paint splattered her face. She wore an oversized T-shirt that was equally splattered and ripped jeans.
“Leo?” she asked, glancing for me to Glimmer.
“I need your help, Callie.”
She frowned. “What is it?”
“Desire demon.”
Her eyes widened slightly, and she motioned for us to follow her.
We headed into her bedroom, though I didn’t know whether that was a great idea. While we were confined to a smaller space, I didn’t want to break Callie’s belongings. The room was decorated with art leaned up against the walls, paintings she had made that reminded me of the binding ritual I’d encountered with Lilith. She had a couple of sculptures as well, much like the handful out in the main part of the warehouse.
“What happened?” Callie asked.
“Well, Glimmer here found me and seems to be a bit enamored. I detected the desire demon, and I wanted to make sure I pulled it out and it wouldn’t get away.”
Callie studied Glimmer for a moment, then turned her attention to me. “I’m happy to see you.”
Glimmer suddenly growled. “You need to stay away from my man.”
“See?” I asked.
Callie nodded. “Unfortunately.”
“I’d been wondering what happened to that desire demon, and unfortunately, it doesn’t surprise me that it’s on its way back to me again.”
Callie circled around Glimmer, who continued to glare at her. “It surprises me. I tamed it with a bit of magic, and I expected it to return through the shroud to the source. That’s how it usually works.”
“Obviously, that didn’t happen.”
“It went looking for a new host?”
“Apparently, it found Glimmer and made her fall for me.”
Callie looked at me, a playful smile on her face. “That’s not really how it works, Leo. It only intensifies desires already felt by the host.”
“What are you saying?”
She shrugged. “Glimmer must’ve had little crush on you before.”
“Oh, it’s not a crush,” Glimmer interrupted. “We’re in love.”
I shook my head and leaned toward Callie. “Just play along and keep her pacified while we figure out a way to remove the desire demon.”
“Sure,” she said. “I’m more than happy to play along.”
“Great,” I muttered.
Callie crouched down and leaned toward Glimmer. “What sort of wedding are the two of you going to have?”
“It’s going to be beautiful,” Glimmer said. “Just a gorgeous affair. Leo wanted to elope, but I think he’s having second thoughts about that. I would rather have a large ceremony and invite all of my friends and family so that they can see the two of us together and celebrate our love.”
“Really?”
“Oh, yes. Leo, of course, will be wearing a magnificent tux, looking as handsome as he always does.” Glimmer touched my chest again, tracing her hands down my abs and looking up at me with a sultry expression. “And I will wear a flowing white gown and an enormous train. My sisters will fly in with me, spreading the train wide, when the ceremony begins.”