Witches for Hire (Odd Jobs #1)(53)

Despite his nonchalance, Jeremy’s shoulders relaxed. He didn’t know how to drive to the place the werewolves attacked without drawing attention to himself, and if Desmond cleansed the area before Rudy’s pack arrived, that was one big worry gone.

Desmond stretched out his arms over the door, and lines of power crackled out of them like lightning, spreading from wall to wall. “That should do it.”

The lines disappeared, leaving an afterimage in Jeremy’s eyes. “We’re not having sex.”

“Are you all right in there?” Clive asked from outside the door.

“I have a few smelly and loud spells to perform, so I placed a ward on the room. I promised not to harm Jeremy’s supplies and offered a trade for the inconvenience. I prefer not to advertise my valuable possessions.” Desmond scratched his head like a sheepish schoolboy, as if Clive could see him. “It’s in my best interest to be careful trusting you with my secrets when a knight of your power hasn’t quite established where his loyalties lie yet.”

“Jeremy?” Clive said.

“Oh, now you’re concerned for my safety.” Jeremy rolled his eyes. “It’s like he said, we’re trading while we burn the body.” He shook his head at Desmond. “You’re an idiot,” he mouthed.

Desmond reached in his pocket and pulled out a small glass rod with brass rings on one end and tiny colored spheres that looked like a rainbow of marbles floating inside it.

Jeremy’s jaw dropped. “Where the fuck did you get that?”

“An otherworlder gave it to me in exchange for housing and a job.”

“Jeremy?” Clive repeated.

“Go away!” Jeremy shouted.

“I was just checking on you.”

“Yes, yes.” Jeremy sprang out of his seat when he heard Clive retreat. Immediately, Desmond held the rod out to the side. “Don’t be a prick.”

“I’m not. But you’ve been tonight. What did I say about you being sweet?”

Jeremy leaned against Desmond’s body. “I’m being nice right now. Please let me hold your staff.” He batted his lashes.

“It’s amazing how rare magical items improve your manners.”

“Letting me touch them will improve my manners even more.” Jeremy kissed Desmond’s chin. The rod lowered, so Jeremy lunged for it. The magic guarding the door grabbed Jeremy’s wrist before he could succeed.

“You didn’t think I saw that coming?”

“It was worth a shot,” Jeremy said.

“I see.” Dark brown eyes looking down on Jeremy gleamed, and then Jeremy’s body slammed against the wall.

“I bloody knew it.”

“I genuinely want to trade a few things, but fucking is good too.”

Jeremy turned his neck what little he could to glance at the corpse. “This feels like literal gore porn.”

“Not for long.” At Desmond’s words, a clear film covered Gulley from head to crotch.

As the glaze gleamed brighter, Jeremy heard bones crunch. “What are you doing?”

“You’ll see.”

As more crunching and cracking filled the room, Jeremy blinked. He could swear the body was a little bit smaller than before. After a minute of the grotesque noises, the body had lost a quarter of its size. The film sparkled blindingly, and Jeremy pursed his lips as the body was now half its size. “Ohhhhh. You have to teach me that trick.” Blood filled the now crystallized object, and a large rock sat in Gulley’s place. Smaller and smaller it shrank until a crystal the size of a half-dollar rested where the body had been. “No ashes, no fuss.” Jeremy blew out his breath in exasperation. “Why didn’t you do that from the beginning?”

“Because I needed an excuse to do this.” Desmond winked, and Jeremy’s clothes disappeared to reappear neatly folded on his desk.

A chill spread over Jeremy’s body as if he had been doused in alcohol. When it receded, the stench that had seemed permanently attached to him was gone. The clothes were a simple trick, but the cleaning spell required hair of the target. Jeremy ran his fingers through Desmond’s hair at his neck. Pretending to obey my stipulations and flaunting his lie in front of me. I’ll steal that damn rod and his pretty crystal. “I assume your ward is now blocking sound.”

“You assume correctly unless you want the knight to hear.” Desmond grinned against Jeremy’s nape. “It has been a while since we had an audience.”

“Not a chance in hell.”

A resigned sigh blew air across Jeremy’s neck. “You’ve become a prude over the years.”

“Fuck you. I don’t want to worry about the crazy shit in your life coming back to bite me in the ass if someone finds out we’re lovers. Last time I checked, you have werewolves and energy vamps with you in their sights.”

“And who ultimately is responsible for that?”

Jeremy’s jaw clenched, but he faced the front. “All you had to do was mind your own business.”

“What was that?”

“Nothing!”

Desmond laid his hand in the middle of Jeremy’s back. “Yes, it was my decision to take credit for your curse, but you weren’t complaining when you had peace to mourn Levi.”