I looked at Halloway, the deep brown of her eyes and the light sandy color of her hair. I’d never noticed how beautiful she was, how unassuming and sweet. Used correctly, those could be pretty dangerous attributes. That was something every girl knew.
“No,” I insisted. “Come with us.”
“Really.” She looked at me, her eyes flecked with the deepest kind of pain. “I’m fine. I’ll just stay here. I won’t be much help out there tonight. I’m not really feeling up to it. I’d be of much better use to everyone trying to figure this thing out.” She lifted the large book Abben had been reading from earlier.
I wanted to say something else to try to convince her to come along anyway, but I knew better. I’d been there too. I’d been upset about things I didn’t want to talk about. I’d kept quiet and stayed home while my friends were elsewhere. Sometimes, a girl just needs her space, and as much as I wanted to be the one who broke her free of her emotions, I knew that sometimes, you just had to let them ride.
“All right . . .” I said. “If that’s what you want. But if you change your mind, you know how to find us.”
“I do.” She smiled. “Don’t worry.”
“Come on then,” Babbs said. “Let’s head home and get ready for the club. Guys are always willing to come off a little more information if you give them something to look at!”
Back at the apartment . . .
“Here!” Babbs handed me a glass of white wine. “Something to get you a little loosened up.”
“Thanks,” I replied, taking a sip of the wonderfully sweet beverage. “Dessert wine. Nice.”
“Ain’t nobody got time for that dry crap. It’s classy and all, but we’ve got some flirting to do!” She leaned back, turning her gaze toward the bedroom. “Speaking of flirting, how you coming along back there?”
I was about to say something when a shadow quickly appeared below the door, then vanished nearly instantly as someone pushed a small envelope under the door.
“What’s that?” Babbs asked.
I scooped the envelope up. There was no stamp, no address. Whoever brought this to my apartment must have been the same person who’d written it. I slid my hand under the flap, tearing the seal and pulling out a small piece of paper.
“It’s a note,” I said. “It’s a threat, telling me to stay away from Buckhead Luxe.”
“Edward Tide,” Babbs said softly. “It has to be Edward. He didn’t want our clothes in his store. I don’t get it, though. If she’s dead, then he’s the owner. Can’t he just drop us?”
“No,” I replied. “I signed an agreement with the company a little while ago. I’d have to leave of my own accord.”
This was ridiculous. How could one old man care so much about a store that he’d be willing to threaten and demean two young designers? I didn’t trust him to begin with, but after seeing this thing, I was beginning to wonder if maybe I wasn’t the only person he’d threatened.
“Throw it away.” Babbs scoffed.
“What if he killed Hannah?” I said. “Maybe he poisoned her or something.”
“Do you believe that?”
“I don’t know what I believe.” I sighed, placing the note in a kitchen drawer.
“I don’t know about this.” Abben stepped out of the bedroom wearing a Babbs McGhee original. It was one of the outfits I’d had little to do with, the kind that my best friend loved to design specifically for nights out. They always incorporated the same rules.
Flashy.
Sexy.
Original.
“You look awesome!” Babbs clapped her hands together. “You’re serving such sexy witchy realness, and I’m all about it!”
“What?” Abben said, looking down at her white sequined pants and multi-colored hi-lo crop top. A jeweled neckline framed her face while long strands of fabric hung by her side, cascading down her leg like a colorful waterfall. As usual, original and sexy were understatements when it came to Babbs’s designs.
“You don’t think it’s too much?” She looked at me.
I was frustrated, yes. But I was also glad for the distraction.
“Too much?” Babbs asked. “Too much? Why . . . just look at yourself!”
“Oh, my God,” I muttered under my breath. “This again.”
“Look at myself?” Abben asked.
“Yes!” Babbs leapt to her feet, throwing back one of the largest gulps of wine I’d ever seen. “You’re amazing! Tonight is your night. The world will be all like . . . librarian? Librarian who? Did you see that sweet thang over there wearing that one-of-a-kind Babbs McGhee original design? I’ve gotta get closer to that!”
“I don’t think anyone is gonna say—”
“Oh, they’ll say it!” Babbs said. “They’ll say it!”
“Abben,” I said. “Just wear the outfit. It’ll be easier for us all, and she’s right. You do look really good.”
“All right.” Abben took a final glance in the mirror. “What are you girls gonna wear?”
“I’ll be dressing everyone. You’re all welcome!”
A short time later, everyone was looking pretty fabulous and ready to go. Once again, I’d managed to convince myself that Nicco was completely innocent and that the truth of what happened in that store would come out, setting everything right and giving me the opportunity to figure out just how I was going to handle things between us. It was as simple as finding someone to decipher an ancient Lycan language. How hard could that be?
8
For a club, the place was pretty calm. There was music, yes. There was a bar, yes. But the whole flashing lights and too loud to hear yourself think thing wasn’t really happening here. At first, I thought we’d arrived too early, but as the night went on, I realized that lycanthropes are just a little different when it comes to social events.
A few people danced in the middle of the floor, though much slower than I’d expected. The while place just seemed to live slower than other clubs. It was a much darker, steamier version of everything. It wasn’t until after scanning the building a few times that I realized what I was doing. I’d been looking for Nicco and I hadn’t realized it.
He was nowhere to be found though. I’d scanned the faces of every man there, studied their movements, the way they held themselves, trying to find a connection. It was useless. Nicco wasn’t like any of these people. It was in that moment that I began to understand why he’d never mentioned other wolves to me. Like me, he didn’t really fit in.
“He’s not here,” I said under my breath.
“I know, babe.” Babbs sighed. “I looked for him too.”
“All right,” Abben said. “Does everyone have a copy of the photo?”
“I do. Wait.” Something caught my eye. “Babbs. Look. Isn’t that the guy? The one from The Cheesecake Factory?”
“Finn? Where?” She turned on her heels, nearly falling to the ground. “Yes. That’s him!”
“I didn’t know he was a werewolf,” Abben said.
“You know . . .” Babbs wrinkled her forehead. “Neither did I.”
“Are you going to talk to—”
“Hey, Finn!” Babbs yelled across the room. “Finn!”
His head popped up as he scanned the room, his eyes focusing in on Babbs. He looked at her, a devilish smile washing over his face. Then he stood and slowly made his way across the dance floor. Black pants wrapped tightly around his legs, holding perfectly with each step. He wore a gorgeous leather shirt with barely enough trim to mention, but enough to know it was there. It was expensive, I could tell, and he looked damn good in it.
“Hello, beautiful,” he said. “You look gorgeous.”
“Obviously!” she deadpanned. “Forget to mention something the other day? Like maybe the fact that you’re a werewolf?”
“How did you . . . ?” A look of confusion fell over his face. He stepped back, his eyes scanning the four of us as the realization of who he was talking to fell over him. “You’re witches.”
“
Yes.” Kianna swooped in, a hint of anger in her voice. “Powerful ones. Try anything with my girl Babbs here and you’ll find out firsthand. Go it?”
“Hey.” He held out his palms. “I mean no harm. I had no idea she was a witch. I just thought she was cute.”
“She is cute,” Kianna replied. “And sexy too. But that’s just facts. Why didn’t you tell her you were a wolf?”
“She didn’t tell me she was a witch,” Finn replied.
“That’s fair,” Babbs said. “But if you had known I was a witch, would you have told me then?”
“Probably,” he replied. “But it’s hard to say. It’s not something I usually bring up right away. People kind of either know, or they don’t.”
I could see where he was coming from. If he thought he was speaking to a regular mortal, the last thing he would do was to say something like, ‘Oh, by the way. I’m a werewolf.’ It’s not like I told everyone I met that I wasn’t a mortal. Still, though, there was just something a little hard to swallow about the sudden surprise. But in the end, I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he, like Nicco, was a good guy.
“So . . . you lied to me?” Babbs asked.
“Not about anything important,” he replied.
“Really? Something tells me I wouldn’t find a lot of Lycan packs in Kentucky if I were to go looking.”
“I lied about the location, fine. But that’s it. Everything else I said was true. It just all happened in a different place. That’s all.”
“It’s still a lie,” Babbs replied. “Luckily for you, I have bigger fish to fry right now.” She held out her phone. “Any idea what this means?”
“Where did you get this?” Finn’s eyes widened to the size of golf balls. “Do you have any idea how powerful this symbol is? What it means?”
“No . . .” Babbs shrank back a little.
Finn held the phone in his hand, staring intently at the Lycan image, reading the words we couldn’t understand. He looked up, then back down again. I felt my heart begin to speed up again. The weight if it all was crushing me with every moment that passed.
“Me either.” He shrugged.
“Excuse me?” Abben snapped.
“I was kidding.” He smiled. “I have no idea what this thing means. I know it’s Lycan, but that’s about it. These things, these hieroglyphs are old. Like . . . way old. I was never taught to read them.”
“How dare you!” Abben said, her hand balling tightly, a swell of energy emanating from it. “This is important and you’re joking?”
“Oh.” Finn stepped back, surprised by her reaction. “I didn’t know it was so serious. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you.”
“Doesn’t change the facts.”
“I really don’t know what it means, though,” he replied. “But . . . I know someone who might.”
“Who?” I asked.
“My grandmother,” he replied. “She’s the matriarch of our family and she’s very old. If anyone would know what this thing means, it would be her.”
“Where is she?” I asked.
“Ginni.” Abben turned to me, her back facing Finn. “I don’t know about that. To go traipsing into a lycanthrope house? We might not get the warmest reception.”
“It doesn’t matter,” I replied. “It’s a chance I’m going to have to take.”
I’d seen Nicco risk his life for me on two separate occasions. When I told him I was going to the mortal realm, he smiled, shook his head, and said he’d pack a bag. Sure, it was easy to chalk it up to the whole imprinting thing, to say he didn’t have a choice, but that wasn’t true. Just because he imprinted on me didn’t mean he had to do everything he’s done. He loved me in the truest sense of the word. There was no denying that. I owed this to him.
“I’m going,” I said, my eyes locked onto hers.
“You don’t have to follow.” Babbs looked at Kianna and Abben. “But if my girl is going, then I am too.”
“I’m not afraid,” Kianna replied. “I’m in.”
Abben looked at me. She wanted so badly to tell me no, to insist I was being childish and that walking into danger was never a good idea. She was right. I wasn’t about to say otherwise. It just didn’t matter, that’s all. Right or wrong, I’d made up my mind.
“Take us.” I looked at Finn.
“I don’t know what the big deal is.” He shrugged. “My family doesn’t care about witches. They never have.”
“It only takes one wrong move to start a war. I’ve seen it.”
“Then stay,” I replied. “Go back to the library. Stay with Halloway. She looked like she could use someone anyway.”
“I’m not going to abandon you. I’m not going to chicken out.”
“You’re not. You’re doing the smart thing. I won’t be alone. I’ll have Kianna and Babbs. They’re strong, and even stronger together. We’ll be fine.”
“Again . . .” Finn interjected. “It’s really a non-issue. I assure you. Nothing will happen. My family aren’t bad people. We have no problem with witches.”
Abben ran a hand through her dark hair. I was serious when I told her I wouldn’t mind. Not going was likely the smart thing to do, especially given the fact that she’d been away from the library for so long. Still, though, the decision weighed on her.
“Fine,” she finally replied. “I’ll go back to the library. Kianna, if anything happens. Anything at all.”
“I know,” she replied. “We’ll be fine.”
One final gulp of my Cosmopolitan and we were out the door heading to meet Finn’s grandmother while hopefully finding some answers and avoiding a war with the lycanthropes. Fingers crossed, right?
Or at least, that’s what I thought.
“Ginni.” Her voice carried through the air like a stench I just couldn’t escape.
I’d last seen Cally Whiterock a few days after my fashion show, you know . . . the one I’d let her walk in? The one where I’d put her on the runway in my final look, no doubt the most exquisite garment that would ever grace her double-crossing back.
But I guess I should have known better than to invite her back to my apartment, the one place she could get her troublesome little hands on all of mine and Babbs’s hard work. I guess I just have a problem with trusting people too easily. Either that, or she just has a problem with going behind her friends’ backs. Either way, I wanted nothing to do with her.
“What’s the matter?” she asked as I stared at her. “Surprised to see me?”
“You mean since you looted my apartment for your own personal gain?” I asked. “Yeah . . . a little bit.”
“Come now, Ginni. We both know that was just me clearing a debt. You promised me a fashion line, and you gave me a fashion line. Simple.”
“I didn’t give it. You stole it. And we made those promises when we were eight years old, Cally. Things change. People change. You weren’t the one who helped design and sew those clothes. That was Babbs. You benefited from our work.”
“I don’t see it that way.”
“No surprise there . . .” I sighed. “What do you want?”
“Word on the street is that you and that hottie you’ve been keeping in your apartment have hit a rough patch. I thought I’d look him up, see if he needed a little company.”
Her words cut into me like a salt-covered blade, stinging and burning as it made its way deeper and deeper into my skin. I knew Nicco and I knew her. Cally Whiterock was the last girl in the world he would be with. She was wasting her time, I knew that. Still, though, just the thought that she was looking for him, the thought that she’d expel her energy trying to woo him, upset me to no ends.
“We’re not having a rough patch,” I replied. “We’re fine.”
“Really?” She smiled. “I heard he’s been down here drinking at the bar for the last two days, telling anyone who’d listen how he’s messed everything up. Doesn’t sound like nothing to me.”
“Here?” I asked. “He’s been here?”
“Well, now. You’re so in love and yet you don’t even know where he’s been hiding? Poor thing. Wake and smell the roses, Ginni. You’ve lost him. He’s a free agent now. And wouldn’t you know, I just happen to be looking for a new player.”
I felt my blood boil and my fists clench into tight balls. Each one pulsated with a level of battle magic I hadn’t used in a long time. I tried to stay calm, to keep my emotions at bay. Still, though, the look on her face, the way she slurred her words when talking about Nicco. I wasn’t about to go for that. Not today.
“Listen!” I said, a bright blast of blue energy exploding from my hand, shattering the floor beneath me. “If you think for one second—”
“Ginni! Babe!” Babbs placed her hand on the back of my neck. It wasn’t until I felt a wave of calming clarity wash over me that I even remembered she had such strong empathic abilities. That a simple touch from my best friend had the power to wildly alter a person’s mood. “Please. She’s not worth it. We need to figure this thing out.”
“You’re right,” I said, reeling from Babbs’s touch. “She’s not worth it.”
And you know, for a minute, I actually thought I was going to make it out of that club with my emotions still intact. But as it always does, at least for me, life had other plans. I was about to come face to face with one of the snobbiest people I’d ever met. And not only that, I was also about to accuse him of murder. Crazy, right?
“You’re in a hurry,” Edward Tide said as I neared the door.
It took me a second to recognize him, but once I did, I could feel myself getting mad all over again. We’d only had one conversation, but he’d been rude to me, saying bad things about my clothing and about my friend. Then there was the whole note thing. I mean, come on, a handwritten note, really?
“I don’t see why it should matter to you.”
“You took something from me,” he replied.
“What is it with this place?” I yelled aloud. “Seriously. It just attracts the worst people.”
Magic & Mini Skirts Page 5
