Love and Magic

LOVE AND MAGIC LOVE AND BONDS BOOK 2 LIZ E. COOPER Love and Magic By Liz E. Cooper CatDog Publications Love and Magic is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. COPYRIGHT © 2023 BY LIZ E. COOPER All rights reserved; no part of this document shall be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form and by any means without the express permission of the author. Nor may this document be printed or circulated in any form, binding or cover, other than that which it is published. ISBN: 979-8-88895-146-0 Created with Vellum CONTENTS Acknowledgments Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Epilogue About the Author Other Books by Liz E. Cooper Other books by the author under the name CC Solomon ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Thank you to my editor, Jenni Gauntt, for your valuable feedback. Thank you to my proofreaders and my formatters at Yours Truly Book Services for your awesome services at every level. Your quick work and professionalism have consistently come through. And thank you to my readers whose response keeps me writing! CHAPTER 1 LILA “You can have anything you want in here and as much as you want, babe,” the slimy man said before kissing the neck of the woman beside him. He bit his thin lips, his teeth slightly yellow. Too much coffee or cigarettes, perhaps. His thinning black hair was slicked back, and I assumed he was meant to look dressed up that night in his ill-fitting black suit and red button-down shirt. The woman jumped at his contact and gave a little giggle. She wore a tight pink dress, barely covering her bottom, and her massive boobs were practically spilling out of the top. Sure, I was being a bit judgmental, but I wanted to go home. I fought the extremely strong urge to roll my eyes. He was acting like he took her into a jewelry store and said cost meant nothing. It was an ice creamery and bakery shop, not Tiffany’s. Although I had the walls painted in the same blue shade as the famous jewelry box. I mean, it was my dessert shop, and it was as precious to me as fine jewelry because it was mine. Lila’s Love is what I called it. Named after me, Lila Ramirez. Maybe that was vain, but it felt right. Somehow this girl, who started her childhood off in a crime-ridden neighborhood and then foster care, had found success in life by having her own shop that was doing really well. So well, in fact, that I was considering opening another location in the city. Of course, none of that mattered at the moment because I had an employee call out, and I was working the counter, ready to close up for the night but had to watch this man grab his girlfriend’s ass like they were home alone. I cleared my throat and put on a sweet smile, at least, I thought it was a sweet smile. “So, what would you like?” The guy raised a hand in my direction as if to shush me. “Take your time, baby.” The hell? I leaned back. I was about to slap the lights off and kick them out. I did not need customers that bad. I had plans, and it was already closing time. I noticed movement to my left from the corner of my eye. A man stood in front of the baked goods section, hands behind his back. He was tall, over six feet, with an average build. His skin was extremely pale. His face was partially covered by long, forest-green hair that hung to his shoulders, giving his skin an almost sickly tint. He wore black sunglasses and was dressed plainly in green cargo pants and a black long-sleeved T-shirt, no coat, even though it was chilly out. I hadn’t even seen him come in. Something about him made my skin itch. I couldn’t quite place it. Maybe it was the sunglasses. What was he hiding? I moved past the ice cream counter and the register to stand behind the baked goods section. “How may I help you?” He looked up at me with a grin that had the effect of making me shiver, and not in a good way. Something was definitely off about this guy. “Are you the Lila in the sign?” His voice was deep and haunting. Not something I’d want to wake up hearing in the morning. I did not want to answer, but I didn’t think lying would hold up. “The one and only.” His smile grew, and he stood up straighter. “When does this place close, Lila?” I did not like him saying my name. It made me feel icky, like I needed to shower. What was this guy? He wasn’t a regular human. Our world was full of all types of beings, and being an ice mage, I tended to have a good grasp on who was what. This guy I couldn’t define. I just knew he had an air of darkness around him that I wanted no part of. “Store closes at 7 today.” He nodded, turning to the couple. “It’s after 7.” Something about the way he was looking at them made me very happy the couple I hated a minute ago was here with me. Baltimore had its ups and downs, but I had never felt unsafe in my store. Not in this area. Until now. “Yes, but you can still order.” “I’ll take your devil’s food cupcake and