Wish You Weren't Here

by Janeen Ippolito

  “Okay. I mean …” Gideon paused. “It’s not like he has the soul of a wolf or any of those other really possessive shifters. He’s a raven. I don’t know much about them, but he seems pretty chill. He must know you work with a lot of people.”

  “Yeah, we’ve had discussions about our shared ability to attract flirtations and propositions.” I pressed my lips together. On the one hand, there had been some seriously weird chemistry between Kiran and me. On the other, I could handle weird chemistry without going crazy. I was thirty-three, for crying out loud, not some doe-eyed teenager.

  “My gut says Kiran is on to something.” Plus, he was still acting stupidly coy about invading my Dreamscape, and I wanted answers. “I’m tired of wrecking the world around me, so if Kiran can help even a little bit, that’ll be something. I’m making the deal. I’ll send Cendric a text with the details.”

  Gideon shrugged. “As long as you’re sure. As for me,” he glanced at his watch, “the guild inspectors won’t be here for another three hours. I’m taking a swim.” He turned on the pump to the kiddie pool and shifted to otter form.

  I nodded. “Josie can help for the rest of her shift.” Good thing she had grown used to working with an otter who enjoyed being an otter. “I’ll go talk to Kiran.”

  “No making out.”

  I snorted. “As if.”

  Gideon made a little, raspy otter laugh. “I know.”

  Just had to feel as sure as he did. I drank the last of my coffee and walked through the front room.

  I was completely confident in this choice. Absolutely. Sure, a tiny part of me felt oddly drawn to Kiran, but that was precisely why I needed to get close to him to figure out why. Getting intel was one of my specialties. Besides, I was fed up with my magic. No more café au lait tarantulas or coffee bean monsoons. Cendric might be a bit possessive, but he said he trusted me. He’d understand.

  Totally.

  As soon as I walked outside, Kiran was there, leaning against the wall, looking far too casually attractive. I rolled my eyes. “Okay, lounge lizard. I help you figure out this love potion mess, and you help me get a handle on my magic.”

  His lips twitched. “Glad to see you made the right choice.”

  “But I want some training first.”

  “All right then. I know just the place—”

  “And, I need another coffee.”

  Kiran chuckled. “Of course you do.”

  More than that, I needed backup. If it couldn’t be Cendric at this moment, then I’d call in a favor from another source.

  Chapter 7

  A moment later, I entered Uncommon Grounds coffee shop. Kiran stayed outside, citing a sudden dislike of coffee. I knew better. He and Matthias didn’t get along. I wasn’t sure why, but I bet it was something Kiran had said. He rarely went out of his way to make himself likeable. Most of the time he settled for neutral, fading into the background. All of which was fine by me. I could use a break from Kir already.

  Or maybe just the opposite. Maybe I want him closer, so I can rip his head off. Or kiss him so hard his lips explode.

  A human with no interaction or knowledge of Fae might find these urges disturbing. But the thing is, Fae are, in general, gorgeous, and if they aren’t, they use their glamour illusions to convince others they are. That goes double for certain races, like elves and mers and apparently, Jinn. And sure, Kiran and I had a lot of history, but that didn’t have to own me. I shoved the urges away. Go home, Jinn magic. You’re drunk.

  I focused on my immediate surroundings. Uncommon Grounds occupied a corner of the brick building, its large windows looking out on the steeply sloping street. Inside, a black counter spanned the left side of the shop, a cash register at the front and an array of coffee-making equipment butting up against the other half, which was lined with high stools. The rest of the shop was filled with circular tables and chairs, along with a special corner for shifters who felt like using their animal forms. That area was filled with everything from perches to plush pillows to a pool of water with a small waterfall.

  I inhaled the marvelous scents of roasting beans, aromatic teas, and fresh baked goods. The smells settled me. My shoulders loosened, and I tilted my head back. Then the noise and chaos of my surroundings hit me like a freight train, along with the weight of everyone’s desires and fears.

  The iron elf wearing a red suit and tie waiting in line desired coffee and a kolache now, not in five minutes, and was afraid he wouldn’t get a promotion. The teenage cat shifters behind him wanted A’s on the test they were skipping. Naturally, they were scared of being caught and getting F’s. I shook my head. A naiad man waiting for his coffee at the end of the high counter wanted the number of the barista.

  I snorted. Not likely to happen, considering how hung up Matthias was on Jack, and never likely to admit it because she was in an awkward situation with her mate still being alive and trapped in a tree. Weirdass Fae shit, as Jack would say. It was funny just how complicated life could get around immortals and almost-immortals with access to power.

  I could grant all the desires. If I wanted, I could grant so many things.

  But granting wishes always came with a cost. At least when my Jinn magic went haywire on me, no one else was affected except as bystanders.

  What do good and bad matter? There is only chaos.

  The singing, alluring chaos of death and rebirth, of burning roses and the ice-cold symmetry of molecules being reshaped and vanishing. No people. No laws. Only the pulse-pounding release of newness. The beautifully aching sensation of swirling the patterns of the universe as easily as ice cream on a cone.

  An image flashed through my mind. Holding an ice cream cone, petting a polka-dotted penguin. The Dreamscape Kiran had invaded and been burnt in, mentioning some curse. What was he involved in? Why drag me in?

  For what? Just to try and get me back?

  Kiran wouldn’t work that hard. Not after we’d called it quits.

  Loud whispers sounded around me, talking about fire. I glanced down to see my hands aflame and quickly clutched them tight to extinguish the blue fire.

  Augh. I pulled into my button-down and set mental shields in place, so many steel doors slamming shut in my mind. Instantly, the coffee shop changed from a high-octane whirlwind of desires and fears I longed to silence to the normal afternoon rush. I sighed.

  As soon as the man at the end of the counter stopped his come-hither eyes at the barista and stalked away on expensive sneakers, I eased over and flashed Matthias a smile.

  “Hi, Matt. Is Jack in?”

  “Yeah, give her sec. She was up late with some monsters, who won’t be waking up ever again,” he answered in a friendly tone with a hint of music. He returned my smile with a sly grin that only made his face even more handsome. Then again, you’d expect that from the world’s only male siren, able to get whatever—or whoever—he wanted. It didn’t take wish magic to figure out he wanted to turn the metal stirrer stick in his hand into a weapon and take out the obnoxious guy who had been hitting on him.

  As a former assassin and an Unspoken, it was well within Matthias’s capabilities and nature to do so, enough that I raised my eyebrows. “You okay there?”

  “Oh, I’m good.” He gave himself a little shake, his expression turning amiable and innocent. “How about you? For a moment it looked like you were ready to flambé something.”

  “Yeah, it’s been … a morning.” I sighed.

  “Does it have something to do with the Jinn outside my door?”

  “Ah, so you noticed that.”

  He gave me a sharp look, and when he spoke next, some of his native Greek accent came through. “Why is he there, Allis?”

  “Oh, he’s just … taking up space?” I shrugged. “I might have cut a deal with him. Help him handle some inquiries about illegal love potions, and in turn, he trains me in Jinn magic.”

  Matthias glanced out the window. His eyes darkened to deep blue oil-slick glimmers. Trying to read Kiran’s em
otions, most likely. It wouldn’t be easy, if it was even possible. Jinn were usually only readable to other Jinn. He frowned. “Static, as usual. Be careful, Allis. I know the signs of someone trying to lure someone to their doom.”

  “Which is why I’m here for Jack. I figure she can be there for backup.”

  “Smart.” He nodded, then paused. “Not Cendric?”

  I shrugged again. “He’s dealing with love potions too. Said I should go ahead and investigate on my own, and we’ll compare notes. He trusts me.”

  “Why wouldn’t he?” I jumped at the warm, baritone voice that came from behind me. “You’re married to him, after all. And meant to be partners.”

  Well, we’re not yet. I turned and looked up to see a Japanese man standing there in a loose button-down, vest, dress pants, and yellow Converses. A glint in Jack’s eyes showed she was enjoying my startlement. Foxshifters, especially kitsune, enjoyed playing their tricks. It’s what made us good friends.

  “What brings you here, Allis?”

  “Coffee.” I paused, hesitant to voice my request. But if I didn’t say anything, Matt’s empathy and Jack’s reading of my body language would pick up on my ulterior motives anyway. “Also, I need some intel on Kiran out there before he gives me my first lesson. Are you up for it?”

  Jack nodded over to Matthias and ran a hand through her short black hair. “Gonna take this, and then pick up the twins from school, all right?”

  “Yeah, just make sure you let me know if you need help.”

  She grinned. “You act as if I take chances, Matt.”

  “Oh, chances are a given. Just don’t take the stupid ones without me.” He looked between Jack and me. “Either of you.”

  “Stupid chances are the most fun.” Jack gave him another smile that showed her sharpened teeth. “Okay, let’s see what trouble the world’s most dangerous genie has gotten herself into.”

  I followed her over to a back office, trusting Matthias to create another amazing brew. On the way, I noticed how many women in the shop were checking out Jack. Beneath the flat, muscled chest and strong shoulders was a vixen who was all female and only had eyes for Matthias and for her tree elf mate—who was currently imprisoned in a tree by Jack’s in-laws, who strongly disapproved of their union. That had happened five years ago. Matthias had been there ever since, helping her care for her kits. A deep bond with romantic undertones had naturally developed between them, but if I told Jack, it would only make her ashamed. Shifters took their mates super seriously.

  We entered her office—a generously large room with comfy furniture, lots of shelves with ledges around them for easy climbing in fox form, a basketball hoop in a corner, and a very small desk thrown in like an afterthought. Jack hated paperwork more than I did.

  She walked over and sat on the edge of the desk, gesturing to an overstuffed chair. “You smell like Jinn. Horny Jinn. Not your smell. Lemme guess, after the drunk texts two months ago, Kir finally remembered you existed? Bit late for that.”

  I flopped into the chair. “It’s not what you think.”

  “Oh yeah? So he doesn’t want to jump your bones?” Jack raised her eyebrows, slipping into her true human form, but keeping the men’s clothing. Her delicate face narrowed to a point, framed by red hair in a pixy cut. Scars, some faint and others less so, covered her face, arms, and other exposed skin, some of which looked suspiciously like carvings. The results of her training by her skoffin family after they kidnapped her to make her into a psychotic berserker. It didn’t quite take—although Jack could turn psychotic berserker when she chose.

  I sighed. “Okay, that part’s true. But I’m not about to let him.”

  “Then why let him stick around?”

  “He’s kinda useful. And I can’t really—” Stop him. The words stuck in my throat. They were true, but I didn’t know why. And I wanted to know why before I admitted it to Jack. She’d been my boss for five years. It was only in the last few months that she’d seen me as an equal and we’d leveled up to deeper friendship. I wanted to keep that. “He brought up love potion issues, and then Gideon told me that with the recall of dark magic-tainted alchemy potions, there could be some truth to his claims. I have to figure out what’s going on.”

  She nodded, her fox ears flicking up and down with thought. “I get that. And you’re not exactly helpless in difficult romantic situations. That’s your specialty.”

  “Exactly! I totally have him, and this. All of it.”

  “Right.” She snorted. “Okay, so what about the dream you had last night?”

  I curled up in my chair. “What about it? Wait, how did you—”

  “I can smell it on you. Kitsune side plus three tails means that I can smell if someone has a majorly screwed up Dreamscape. It exudes from them.”

  “Why haven’t you mentioned this before?”

  She leaned forward. “I could barely smell your magical signature before with that curse-mark. Now? You fill up any room you’re in. You’re freaking powerful, Al.”

  “Yeah, well, if all I can do is tarantulas and coffee bean downpours, it’s not that useful.”

  “What’s that?”

  At that moment, Matthias eased in the door with two steaming to-go cups: one plain black, the other topped with what looked like caramelized meringue. He handed the meringue one to me and the boring one to Jack.

  “Enjoy,” he said. He gave me a mischievous smile. “I tried some new things with leftovers from baking last night.”

  I grinned. “Matthias, you are a wonderful man.”

  “And you’re my most interesting customer.” He gave Jack a nod, his eyes softening for a moment. “Are you feeling better?”

  She nodded back. “Yeah. Thanks for the bandaging, friend. I was healed by the time I woke up.”

  “Any time.”

  The siren slipped out the doorway.

  Jack eyed my drink with distaste. “When are you gonna realize that coffee is a beverage, not an excuse for more dessert?”

  “Hey, if you want to live your life without extra desserts, more for me.” I bit into the meringue topping with a satisfying crunch. The floof was laced with vanilla, and the actual liquid wafted scents of cardamom, cinnamon, hot sauce, and honey. I grinned. I might buy coffee from many different places, but I had only one barista.

  Jack made a little gekkering sound unique to foxes. “So, your dream from last night?”

  I poked at the meringue with a finger. “I dunno. Cendric and I are still trying to make sense of it. One part Kiran was imploding, and another he was insulting my love of polka-dotted penguins, and then he was saying he was using me to help him and he wished we could get back together. It was weird. Any interpretations?”

  “Other than he wants to break up your marriage?”

  “He’s delusional.” I shook my head. “Look, Kiran and I were friends for eight years before we started dating. One reason he always cited for not popping the question was the curse-mark.”

  “Which you don’t have any more.” She took a swallow of coffee. “You’re a hot commodity now. Be careful.”

  “You’re giving me relationship advice?”

  “I understand power dynamics. Yours and his suddenly shifted, and now you’re equal to him, if not ahead of him.”

  “That’s ridiculous. I’m still part human.”

  “You know as well as I do that magic dominates. And we still don’t know who your dad was.”

  I snorted. “Not my fault.”

  At this rate, I didn’t want to know. He’d never, ever been a part of my life.

  “Fair enough. Okay, to sum it up, you’re handling this investigation by making a deal with your untrustworthy, too-sexy-for-morals ex for Jinn magic training, and in exchange, we help him figure out some mess with love potions.”

  “It’s completely legit.”

  Jack scowled at me. “You’re playing with fire.”

  I scowled back at her. “I know Kiran. We’ve been friends for a decade.” />
  “Which makes him more dangerous. You haven’t known Cid that long.”

  “It’s not a numbers game,” I snapped. “Cid and I are bound.”

  “On his end.”

  “Thanks for the vote of encouragement. Do my words mean nothing?”

  “Your words are what keeps everyone here, Al. You’re the center.”

  I shook my head. “Center of trouble, maybe.”

  “Nah. Not that.” She sighed, staring at her coffee. “Look, I have a mate, and even then … experiences count for a lot. Crap gets complicated, feelings and love get muddled. I just want to save you that stress. Ravens are very devoted to their mates. I know that much. But I don’t know about Jinn nature—”

  “And neither do I. I’m tired of not knowing how to use my own magic. First it was blocked, and now, I still don’t know enough. I could hurt someone from ignorance.”

  She pressed her lips together. “I guess that makes sense.”

  I took a gulp of my drink. “Besides, it’s relationships and romance. Exes. Inconvenient attraction. You said yourself I know how to handle relationship stuff.” All true. I’d dealt with a lot of Fae and Unspoken coming on to me. I could handle this. “And since my vampire guy has someone screaming at him, who better to watch my back then my new behind-the-scenes partner?”

  A slow smile spread across her features. “I wouldn’t mind an easy day shift, for once. Or watching you throw Kiran’s sex appeal in his face. But I’m still not happy with how he never did right by you with his mother—or how you put up with it.”

  “What can I say? We all make stupid mistakes.”

  “True.” She set her cup on the desk and hopped off. “Okay, I’m in.”

  “Yes!”

  “But I can only give you an hour and a half right now. Two max. I have to pick up the twins today and have some cuddle time. They’re always nervous when Mommy gets in home late smelling like her own blood. Makes them twitchy.”