We leaned against the wall and Periwinkle had no idea what would happen next. Most likely it would be hot, magical, and she wouldn’t like it. How had she got herself here.

She’d done her research, scouring the dating application database to find her perfect fake lover. It should be easy enough. Periwinkle practically built Spellbound, the official cross breed Magick dating app. Water sprites with bear shifters, leprechauns with alchemy wizards, Periwinkle had made scores of successful matches. She deserved to be promoted but no one took a wingless pixie seriously. Foolish lore saying pixie wings are first love’s bloom made Periwinkle the butt of jokes for decades.

Methodical, Periwinkle attacked the problem like a puzzle. Find a platonic boyfriend, pretend to have a passionate relationship and an even more passionate breakup. Wings or no wings, no one could accuse Periwinkle of being a cold fish.

Eureka, Periwinkle cross-referenced Spellbound applicants who were signed up by someone else and refused all dates. Harlow was ideal. Widowed artist recluse with an overbearing mother eager for heirs, the funny-looking warlock could probably use a fake girlfriend. Best of all, she’d met Harlow before to commission a statue making their cover story believable.

On a rideshare winged stallion, Periwinkle sped to Harlow’s mountain top studio, TearFall. Perpetually overcast with extra cobwebs, the spooky vibe was mad fire, she thought. Luckily she had been here before to collect her commission or she would have never found the place. Witches could be such weirdos with their I’s so mysterious with my secret lair spells. Periwinkle fed her ride a bucket of acorns and headed for the artist’s door rehearsing her proposal. Hand raised, she steadied her breathing.

Door thrown open, a ridiculously handsome warlock grabbed Periwinkle and pulled her against the wall. Curled Titian locks, well muscled lanky frame, and honest to fates deep dish dimples, the breathtaking creature who resembled a sexy ass version of the artist she met last Michelle’s cupped Periwinkle’s face tenderly.

“What is happening? How did we get here? I hate all of this,” Harlow said.

Periwinkle’s eyes went wide. Drawing him closer, her fingers tangled in his unruly hair. Crushing and frantic, they kissed. Mount TearFall erupted in irises. An exclamation of larks took to the air. And somewhere in a resplendent castle a very old witch crackled.