Derrick is busy flirting with the waitress and paying for breakfast while I sit thinking how to break the Kimberly news to my mom. There is no doubt that I can keep her in the dark any longer when her life is at risk, not to mention mine and Jen’s. The sound of crickets erupts from my tote and I pull out my phone. When I check the screen to see who it is, I realize someone’s ears must have been ringing. “Jen?”
“Hey, what are you to up to?”
She lets out a sigh. “I’ve been stuck inside all day.”
“Hold on a sec.” With the waitress gone, Derrick is busy making chirping noises in the background. He’s doing an excellent job of mimicking my text ringtone. I try to smack him with my dirty napkin, but he easily ducks my assault. Derrick is quickly becoming the big brother I never had. I turn my attention back to Jen. “That sucks. I forgot you were still grounded.”
“Yeah. One week down, one more to go. Hey, who were you talking to? The businessman?”
She has a lot to learn about my taste in men. Then a pang of guilt hits me. We have some serious issues to discuss, but I can’t tell her about the danger she’s in over the phone. To keep things light, I decide to make up a soap opera about the businessman instead. “No way. Turns out he was a jerk like most ordinary guys. He bought me dinner and then handed me his room key.”
“Wow, that is a total jerk move.”
“Exactly. So that’s why I called up Derrick. We’re going to the beach. I need some fun after such a crappy night.”
If she only knew how I really spent my evening. The heat of Jerome’s breath still lingers on my neck.
She sighs. “I’m super jealous. Looks like perfect weather. Say hi to Derrick for me.”
Derrick is making all kinds of silly facial gestures because I’m lying so much, but I ignore him. “So how did it go with Ainsley? It seemed like you guys were hitting it off when I left the gallery.”
“It would have been nice if you’d given me a head’s up that he was a vampire.”
Then she probably would have run screaming, I think to myself. “Look, I knew you’d be mad that I didn’t tell you, but I thought you might not go out with him if you knew. You’re still kind of a newbie to the whole paranormal thing.”
“Well, I figured it out when we kissed.”
She must have felt his fangs. That would totally turn me off, but the fact that she went for it is great news. They have chemistry already. Ainsley will surely do his best to teach her how to shift into animals. Plus, as they bond, he will help protect her as well. “Awesome! I’m so happy for you. When are you going out again?”
She sighs. “Probably never. Unless you cast another spell on him.”
I really need to build up her self-confidence. “What are you talking about? I didn’t cast a love spell on Ainsley. He asked you out himself.”
“Wait, what? He wasn’t under a spell?”
“No, I just knew you guys would be good together. I didn’t need to use magic.”
“Why, because shifters and vamps are romantically compatible?”
I laugh so hard I knock over what’s left of my fruit cup. “Where did you hear that?”
There’s a long hesitation and then she says, “I just…”
I cut her off. Her lesson in self-confidence starts now. “Is it so hard to believe he was into you all on his own?”
“Kind of.”
Derrick, who has been eavesdropping on the entire conversation, rolls his eyes and grabs the phone from my hand. “Jen, you’re being ridiculous. Don’t you know how beautiful and smart you are? If Ainsley didn’t ask you out, I was going to.”
Derrick hands me back the phone and whispers, “That, Miss Brooklyn, is how you bolster someone’s confidence.”
I have to admit he sounded pretty convincing. Maybe he’s a bit into Jen, as well. Some guys really go for the girl-next-door type. I throw back my shoulders and prepare myself for an even more aggressive confidence boosting session. I can’t let Derrick show me up. “Jen don’t be so clueless. Guys like Ainsley and Derrick know what you can do. What’s sexier than a girl who can morph into anything she touches?”
There is a long silence before I hear her speak again. “Sorry, it’s a lot for me to take in.”
I’ve pushed too hard. Just like me to test her limits. “Right. I’ll back off. So, when are you guys going out again?”
Another long moment of silence lingers between us. “I don’t know. He hasn’t called me.”
I want to toss my phone across the parking lot. “What? You have a hot kiss and he hasn’t called you yet? You gave him your number, right?”
“Um no. I’m so rusty at the whole dating thing, I totally forgot.”
Teaching Jen confidence is going to be far harder than I thought. “Man, you really have been out of the game.” Switching to my contact screen, I scroll through my list looking for Ainsley’s number. At first, I can’t find it, then I realize for some crazy reason I’ve listed him as Mom’s Vamp Friend instead of Ainsley. “Hold on, I’m looking up his number.”
I quickly memorize it and click back over. “Okay, it’s 555-534-6254. I’m going to get off the phone so you can call him right now.”
I look over to find Derrick is whispering a spell as his hands mimic punching in numbers on the phone. “What the heck are you doing?”
He gives me a devilish smile. “Knowing that Jen is really shy, I dialed Ainsley’s number on her phone.”
“No way. And you thought I was being pushy.”
His devilish smile returns. “Sometimes people need a magical push.”
The BMW speeds down the 405 Freeway heading toward the Valley. Instead of driving off to spend the rest of the day laying around the beach like I told Jen, Derrick is taking me home.
He glances at me fiddling with the ankh pendant. “Don’t worry about telling Eshe about Kimberly. She will take the news much better from you than if I told her.”
How did he know I felt like chickening out and asking him to do it? Do wizards have a spell so they can read minds? “I know I need to be the one to tell her, it’s just going to be such a gut punch to her ego. She was outsmarted by a…wizard.”
Derrick slams his foot down on the accelerator and passes a Prius. “I know we were ancient enemies in the past, but we’ve managed to work past our differences and join forces. I hate the fact that this rogue order is going to set us back.”
Ancient nemesis. That’s what my grandmother told me back in Egypt when I was a kid. She pulled me aside one day and pointed out a man with long white hair who walked slightly stooped over and wore tattered brown robes. In her wonderful ancient Coptic language, she said, “You see that man over there? The man appears harmless, doesn’t he? Don’t let his outward appearance fool you. He is a powerful wizard in disguise. Never trust a wizard—ever.”
“My grandmother taught me wizards are not to be trusted. But then I met you and I realized things have come a long way since my grandmother’s time.”
He laughs. “Your grandmother can’t be older than sixty.”
“True but she is a very old soul. To me she is more like my great-great-great grandmother. She lives in old Cairo, so she is surrounded by ancient buildings and she speaks the Coptic language as they do in her circle of witches.”
Derrick smiles. “Then I can understand why you think of her that way. She must be a fascinating woman.”
I lean back in my seat relishing the memory of the time I spent with her sitting in her magical walled garden. The planting beds were full of mignonette flowers that flooded the courtyard with their wonderful vanilla fragrance. “She is. And I so wish I could visit her. We were supposed to go this summer, but the divorce screwed everything up.”
He nods. “I was so sorry to hear about your parents. And now to find out a wizard was responsible…I just feel terrible.”
I reach over and squeeze his hand. “It’s not your fault. Neither is the fact that some fake ass blonde wizard is up to no good. The Twelfth
Order has its hands full keeping the major cities of the world from collapsing. They can’t be blamed if they don’t know about some loser order in Nova Scotia.”
Derrick laughs as he hits the off ramp to my house. “I’m glad to know you are not letting what happened hurt our relationship.”
I squeeze his hand as he downshifts onto the main boulevard. “Der, you are a good friend. You have made the move to California so much easier for me. You’re like the long-lost older brother I never had.”
Derrick beams. “I think that is one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me.” He turns the corner and slows down. “Do you know what you are going to say to your mother?”
Good question. We pull onto my street and I close my eyes and try to practice how to break the Kimberly news to my mom, but everything I come up with sounds lame. The BMW stops at the curb. I climb out of the car, toss my tote over my shoulder, and I’m suddenly petrified. I tap on the driver side window and Derrick powers it down. “Hey, can you hang tight for a minute? I want to make sure my mom is home. If not, maybe the beach isn’t such a bad idea.”
He gives me the thumbs up sign as I walk over to the garage to see if my mom’s car is inside. I peer through one of the fan shaped windows and find my mom’s black Honda Accord parked in its usual spot. I wave and Derrick drives off, chatting away on his phone, leaving me to face my mother alone. There is no easy way to tell her about Kimberly. I mentally cross my fingers as I turn the front door key. Crossing my fingers behind my back as I enter the house, I hope my mom is in a good mood.
My hopes are quickly dashed when I see smoke pouring out of the kitchen. I walk in to find my mother tossing a burnt casserole in the trash. She looks up and slams the lid shut. “So much for my culinary surprise.”
Cooking is my mother’s way of blowing off steam. She must be upset that I chose to be with Tara last night instead of her. If she knew I actually spent it with Jerome, she’d be really ticked. A shiver runs down my arms when I flash back on a memory of my mother using a viewing spell to spy on a rival witch. What if she used it to watch me last night? I shiver again. No, she wouldn’t violate my privacy like that—would she?
I drop my tote on the breakfast table and reach over and give my mom a hug. “Don’t worry about making dinner. A pizza is fine.”
She flops down on one of the breakfast chairs, her hair falling in her face. I walk past her and open the kitchen window over the sink to clear out the smoke. My mother hasn’t looked this upset since the divorce happened. I sit down across from her feeling more than a little bit guilty. “I’m sorry I didn’t stay with you last night. But sometimes I need a bit of space.”
She nods. “I’m glad you felt comfortable enough to reach out to Tara. She cares about you a lot.”
I hate lying to my mom, but it certainly won’t be the first time. “Thanks for understanding. I just needed some space to process the truth bomb you dropped on me. I always knew you would protect me from the normal stuff in life, but I also know now that you have powerful enemies.” I take a deep breath. “And I hate to be the one to tell you this, but you actually have one you don’t even know about.”
Her eyes narrow. “What are you trying to say to me?”
I bite my lip thinking now is not the time to tell her. She’s already upset enough. “I can tell you on a better day.”
“No. You listened to my distressing news yesterday. Despite my mood, I want you to tell me what you have discovered.”
“All right. It’s Kimberly. She’s not what you think she is.”
“Are you going to tell me that there is something more to her than her head of dyed blonde hair and an equally phony tan?”
My mother’s hatred is so thick it hangs in the air over us like a thundercloud. “There is a reason she was able to take Dad away from you.”
Her brow furrows. “How do you know so much about Kimberly? You only met her once.”
I shift in my chair, my mouth growing drier by the moment. “I’ll explain everything, but I need something to drink. You want anything?”
She shakes her head as I walk over to the fridge wishing I could have something stronger than orange juice. I pour myself a big glass, guzzle down half, and sit back down. It’s my turn to be the bearer of bad news. “There is no easy way to tell you this, so I’m just going to spit it out, Kimberly is not just a fake blonde, she’s a wizard.”
My mom bolts up from her chair knocking it over. “What? That’s not possible. I checked her aura every time I saw her. There was no indication she was anything but an ordinary person.”
So not the reaction I was expecting from my normally calm and in command mother. “When I did the FaceTime with Kimberly, she let down her guard and I saw the distinctive reddish tinge in her aura. I know it seems impossible, but Derrick confirmed my suspicions.”
My mother picks up the chair and sits back down totally defeated. It has to be devastating to be out maneuvered by someone like Kimberly. I reach over and grab her hand. “You were blindsided. I’m so sorry.”
She pulls her hand away. “No one betrays me.”
I see her eyeing her spell book. “Please don’t do anything crazy. We need to play stupid for a while. Kimberly has no idea I’m onto her. She thinks I’m a total newbie witch and not a threat to her. I’m certain Derrick was discreet when he found out the information about her order. We have the advantage right now.” I look her straight in the eye. “Let’s not blow it.”
A faint smile crosses her lips. “When did you become so clever and cunning?”
“I learned from the best.”
We both laugh and I’m grateful that the worst of our hurt feelings are behind us—at least for now.
She gets up and grabs a bottle of Evian out of the fridge. With no sign of anger, she pours herself a glass of water and takes a series of rhythmic sips. I’ve seen my mother use this tactic to calm herself down before. It is almost like a meditation for her. “Did Derrick tell you anything else?”
“He’s working on getting more information about the order. All he could find out so far is that they are a small order and from Nova Scotia of all places.”
Her brow furrows. “Then why did she go to all the trouble to lure Paul away from me? What is her end game?”
I push back from the table a bit in case she launches out of her chair again. “The order wants to use your power for some scheme of theirs. Derrick doesn’t know what that is yet, but he’s working on it.”
“If they wanted to use me, they could have done it without breaking up my marriage.” She fights back her building rage. “They could have kidnapped him,” she takes a breath, “or you.”
“I thought long and hard about why the order made Kimberly do it, and I think there can be only one reason—to find a weakness in your powers.” I hate to use my own mother’s words against her, but I know my point will sink in if I do. “You always told me, people are ruled by their emotions and that is a person’s biggest weakness.”
She tucks her head down toward her chest, her hair covering her face like a curtain. Have I crossed a line? My heart aches. We were so tight, almost like best friends, and in a matter of twenty-four hours we’ve sunk to a place I don’t know if we will ever get past. She takes a few deep yoga breaths and then pushes her hair off her face. She has fought back the tears that were building in her eyes. “I’m sorry life has been so unfair lately. You’ve had to grow up so much in the last couple of months. It’s aged you. I feel terrible about taking away your last bit of innocence.”
I take her hand in mine. “You have been an amazing mother. But you can’t protect me from life—especially one in the paranormal world.”
She squeezes my hand. “True, I knew I couldn’t shield you forever. I just wish it lasted a bit longer.”
I glance over at Ra, who is sleeping soundly in the living room window. “That cat is definitely out of the bag.”
Her lovely melodic laugh fills the air.
I give her
an encouraging smile. “Now let’s come up with a plan to kick Kimberly and her crappy orders ass back to Nova Scotia.”
13
Dog Magic
I usually hate sitting in my Algebra class so early in the morning, but after two pretty emotional days, there is something soothing about doing math. Just me and my equations—no drama involved. Once I complete my class assignment with time to spare, I decide to flip through my notebook until the lunch bell rings. My fingers hit the page where I wrote, How to Snag a Shifter—A Bestie for Life.
I’m so happy my prophecy pushed me to make a new friend right away. Jen is the bestie for life I’ve been looking for since I was five. And it’s so exciting that I’m almost done with the list. Time to check some things off!
#1 Earn the shifters trust and friendship. (The friendship came easily. The trust was a bit harder. But I knew when Jen allowed my mother to watch her shift, it showed she had a tremendous amount of trust in both of us.)
#2 Gently coax the shifter into revealing her ability. (This one happened pretty fast and unexpectedly. I’ll never forget watching Jen turn into a dumpster—my mind is still blown by the sheer power she wields when shifting.)
#3 Find the shifter the perfect teacher to help her discover all her powers. (I couldn’t be happier to have Ainsley as Jen’s teacher. Someone I know and trust.)
#4 Ask the shifter to join the coven to earn her trust. (This actually needed trust on both sides. Glad the coven accepted Jen too!)
#5 Once the shifter has gained all her powers, solicit the help of the shifter for coven emergencies. (With Jens’s growing abilities and attachment to Ainsley there is no doubt she will be called into action, but not to help the coven—to help Ainsley as well as herself in the fight against Murdock.)
The lunch bell rings, and my head darts up, surprised the class is over already. With a great sense of accomplishment, I close my notebook and toss it and my course book into my tote and throw it over my shoulder. I work my way toward my locker to pick up my treasure chest lunch box. As I head toward the courtyard, part of me is excited to see Jen, and the other would like my drama free morning to continue into the afternoon.
How to Snag a Shifter-The Book of Brooklyn Book One: A Young Adult Paranormal Romance Witch Series (The Book of Brooklyn Witch Series 1) Page 11
