Finn sucked in a deep breath and strode down the street, stopping only to get a whole bag full of hot pretzels before making his way to the bookstore.
The door was unlocked for business.
But when he tried to enter, he felt an invisible wall slam into him.
“Did it hurt? I hope it hurt,” Selene said, appearing out of the depths of the store. “A lot of wards come out kind of rubbery, so they don’t do any real damage. I added in some mystical concrete. Not enough to break your nose, but I hope it crunched a little.”
He barely resisted the urge to reach up and rub it.
“I deserve it.”
“You do. And unless that suit is hiding a grand romantic gesture, a heartfelt apology, or asoul, you’re not getting in.”
“I am sorry, Selene.”
“Are you?” she asked, folding her arms across her chest. “Iris deserves fairy-tale-level love. You gave her campaign optics and emotional whiplash. Newsflash: you don’t get to be Prince Charmingafterthe heartbreak montage. That’s not how this works.”
“I know I screwed up. I know it seems like all I cared about was my campaign. But that’s not true. Trust me, I knew what I had long before Iris was willing to givemea chance.”
Selene’s unmoved gaze said she was going to need more.
“I was willing to accept her asking about my prostateand sticking dead bugs to the wall. And collectinggynecologicalequipment.”
That got a little snort out of the witch.
“That may have been my doing. I had a whole list. We never did get to the best parts.”
“My point is, I was happy to accept those … eccentricities. Because they were a part ofherand I knew how special she was.”
“And yet you let her walk away last night.”
“Selene, if I followed her, the press would have too. There would have been no privacy to talk it out or try to patch things up. I gave her privacy, figuring we could fume about it together back at the apartment.”
“So it was Henry.”
“Of course it was Henry. I wouldn’t do that to her. We had a special day.”
She was melting.
But he could still feel the ward radiating in front of him.
“Please, Selene. I don’t know what to do without her. I don’t know who Iamwithout her.”
“If you come in here and you hurt her again, I will turn you into a toad. A really ugly, warty one. Who can only eat dung beetles.”
“Understood.”
Her head tipped to the side, brows drawing together. Any softness she’d been showing him dissipated. When she spoke, her words were cool once more. “You know what breaks this ward?” she asked. “Sincere intentions. Weird how it’s still holding strong.”
Finn let his anxiety and fear fall away, leaving only the raw, desperate need to see Iris again.
“Fine,” she said when they both sensed the ward falling.“But don’t make me hope you’re different then prove me wrong. I hate hoping. It’s bad for my blood pressure. And my brand.”
She waved toward a door to the side of the building, and he could feel her critical gaze on him until he disappeared on the other side of it.
Finn’s gaze slid around the room until he found a lump underneath a pile of colorful blankets on the bed.
He took a deep breath, suddenly anxious about what he was going to say. He’d been so focused on finding her that he hadn’t figured out what he might say when he did.