When I was ready, I grabbed my purse and headed out to the lobby. Sure enough, Matt was sitting at a table, reading a newspaper. He wore a white button-down, with a brightly colored plaid sweater over it, and navy slacks. The sweater was loud and obnoxious, but it made a statement. I wasn’t sure what that statement was…but it was there.

He noticed me, and grinned. Something about the grin was off. He looked a little too triumphant considering he didn’t know what I planned to say.

You can do this. You have to do this. I blindly grabbed some food, and then approached his table—not wanting to waste any time. Might as well get this over with.

He set the newspaper down, folding it carefully as he looked up at me.

“Can I sit here?”

He sat up straighter, waving a hand at the chair across from him. “Of course.” He took a sip of his coffee, trying to hide the smug look on his face. His grin had to mean he was pleased I’d come to him, and for a second, I thought he wouldn’t give me any grief for being rude to him yesterday.

Maybe this wasn’t going to be so hard after all.

“The wolf get tired of you already?” He said right as I took my first bite of grapefruit.

I’d known the dig was coming—had even been waiting for it—and still he managed to catch me off guard. Had Matt picked up on my crush? I hoped not, or I’d never hear the end of it.

He couldn’t know. Only I knew. Unless I’d made a complete idiot of myself at breakfast yesterday.

I slowly chewed and swallowed, as I thought about what to say. The best I could come up with was not to dignify it with a response. Instead, I changed the subject. “You said you knew the local coven?”

He relaxed back against the chair. “Yes, I do.”

I took another bite of my grapefruit. He was going to make me pry it out of him, but I would do my parents proud and not lose my temper. “And what do you know of them?”

“They’re an all-male sect. They live like monks in a small town an hour south of here.”

I was trying not to just jump into the favor. If I asked the right question, maybe he’d offer to take me there and save me from asking. It might be a long shot, but it was worth a try. “Do you know anything about the kind of magic they practice?”

He scrunched up his brows as he leaned forward. “What kind of a question is that?”

I nearly sighed. Could he really be that dense? “A valid one.” Although if he said anything other than black magic, I was going to be suspicious.

“All magic is the same.”