by E. M. Moore
Wow. I couldn’t believe I’d just admitted that to myself.
I ran a hand through my hair and sighed. “I need a Norah group hug.”
“Group what?” Randy asked, smirking.
“Hug! Get your mind out of the gutter!”
Randy smirked. Gabe didn’t bother wasting any time. He threw his arms around me, quickly followed by Liam. Randy was last, his strength forcing us all together in one heap, a mess of bodies and limbs—and hearts.
Chapter Twenty
After the total drain earlier, I decided to take it easy the rest of the day. Randy called off work, Liam could pretty much graduate now apparently, or at least that was the gist I was getting from him. Travis and Gabe, too, were all on path to graduate in the summer. They had wondered about staying in college because it made a good cover-up for them. Four dudes living together didn’t seem so weird when they were roommates and at school, and of course, they fit in well with the college senior scenario. Part of me knew they were probably just afraid of the unknown. Couldn’t say I blamed them. Life was scary as shit sometimes.
I’d claimed one of the many sitting rooms in Liam’s parents’ house for myself. It was directly above the living room downstairs, just not as big and more homey. The furniture was situated around the full glass wall as if everything important was outside, and it was bringing that in. My mind felt numb as I thought through everything. Could I really stay in Salem? If I committed myself to the coven—assuming I was the fifth—could I move here? I couldn’t ask all four of them to move when they had roots here. All I had was my shop. Granny’s death had taken family away from me, and I really didn’t have many friends to speak of, a byproduct of being weird my whole life. Kids in school either hated me because I was different from them or were scared of me. I supposed I could bring my shop up here. I had all the inventory. Boxing it up and shipping it, or maybe even renting a truck to bring it all up, wouldn’t be that bad. Just like in New Orleans, I was sure I’d have competition, but I’d been able to thrive so far. One of my goals was to move my shop closer to Bourbon Street and though I hadn’t managed it yet, I was well on my way there.
A soft knock sounded on the frame of the entryway. I turned my head slightly to find Liam leaning against the doorjamb. His adorable floppy hair and glasses put a smile on my face immediately. “Do you want to be by yourself?”
I had been avoiding them since calling the training quits. There was just a lot to work through and figuring out how everyone fit into that was hard enough when they were right there. Don’t get me wrong, I was happy they were right there, but at the same time, I just needed a little space. I patted the seat next to me and Liam waltzed over. He sat in the corner of the couch with his hand wrapped around the top, inviting me to just cuddle right in like I had yesterday. Instead, I took his hand down and threaded my fingers through his, staring at the way they interconnected.
“Ahhh,” he said, sighing. He wiped a hand down his face and turned toward me. “I don’t get how you’re so perfect for me, yet seem to be the same to the other guys. We’re nothing like each other.”
Wasn’t that the truth? Gabe was Mr. Happy-Go-Lucky Sports Enthusiast while Randy was Lean-Mean-Mess-With-Me-and-I’ll-Kick-Your-Ass-Dude. Honestly, Liam wasn’t one of the ones I’d pick out of a crowd and know I would jive with. He was intelligent, a little on the geeky side, and though he was hot, he didn’t push the same testosterone buttons that Randy did. I squeezed his fingers. “Beats the hell out of me.”
“I guess I shouldn’t analyze it too much. The guys are always saying I’m too scientific about basically everything.”
I shrugged. “It’s not bad to be that way. Sometimes things can’t be explained away though. It is what it is.”
I looked back out toward the ocean for several minutes and we sat in companionable silence. After a while though, Liam shifted on the sofa. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something.”
“Yeah?” I turned toward him. Oh. My stomach dropped as I caught the look on his face.
“I know we already took our relationship to the ultimate level, but,” he looked up. “Um…”
I smiled and bit my lip. He was so incredibly cute.
“I was hoping maybe we could rewind it for a bit.”
My stomach clenched. “You want to take it back.”
“No. God, no. I—Trust me, I had fun. Just from the first time we met, I was already kind of planning on dating you. You know, picking you up with flowers, taking you to dinner, the movies, then escalating it to what we did the other night. I do not want to take that back,” he clarified. “That would just be stupid of me. I just want the chance to have the relationship I’ve always wanted. Who knows?” he laughed at himself. “Maybe it’s because I kind of dreamed that my parents—my real parents—were just two crazy kids in love, but it’s what I’ve always wanted.”
I squeezed his fingers. “You’re asking my permission to take me out on a date. With like flowers and chocolate and…” I didn’t even know what to add to that. It sounded perfect the way it was and butterflies erupted in my stomach just thinking about it.
“I know it’s probably not a modern notion or anything…”
I put my hand on his shoulder. The cute little embarrassed pink circles on his cheeks had started to form and even though they jumpstarted my heart, at the same time, I hated that he was ever awkward around me. “I love that idea,” I told him, speaking right from my heart. The idea of being pursued was like, a major turn-on. Holy hell. I rolled my eyes at myself. It was obviously difficult to keep my hormones to myself around all these hot guys. It was proving to be damn near impossible. “I’d love to go out on a date with you, Liam.”
His eyes widened just a fraction. I didn’t know how I could surprise this guy. We’d already seen each other buck naked and done the most intimate things with one another, how much more surprising could it get?
He squeezed my fingers back, and I almost dissolved into a fit of happy giggles. Shit, I needed to get a grip.
“Maybe we could go tomorrow when you’re feeling better?”
I smiled so hard my cheeks hurt. “Yes, I can’t wait.”
He was happy for about three seconds until the serious expression returned to his face. “Maybe we ought to wait until we figure out why Dupre and this guy Jay want you. It probably wouldn’t be good to show up strolling around Salem when we don’t know what’s going on yet.”
“But, we’re stronger together, right?” I didn’t want to give this up now. “It couldn’t hurt that much. You handled the two guys at the cafe when it was just us.”
His deep brown eyes sparked with interest as if I’d given him a new hypothesis to go on. “True.”
I knew I was reaching for excuses, but I couldn’t help myself. Going out on a date with Liam sounded like the best idea this century at the moment. “We can always try, and if we get weird feelings, we can just come back here. We should even head to the apartment to get some of your guys’ stuff. You’re going to run out of clothes sooner or later.”
“Speaking of, do you plan on bringing your stuff from New Orleans up here?” He looked down at our hands as soon as he said it.
“Why, Liam,” I joked, putting on my best southern accent. “I do declare, are you asking me to move in with you?”
His face turned full-blown red this time. “I-I guess so.”
I chuckled to myself and propped myself up to give him a quick peck on the cheek. “I was just thinking about that, actually. If we are really a coven—”
“Or even if we’re not,” Liam said.
Now it was my turn to be surprised. “What?”
“I’m not saying I don’t think you are the fifth because I do. But it’s not about that. It’s not entirely about that, I should say. No matter what, I want you here, and I’m pretty sure Gabe and Randy agree, too. So, even if you’re not the fifth—again, not saying you aren’t—you should be with us because we want to be, not just because we’re i
n a coven together.”
My mouth immediately went dry and sparks of hope fluttered in my belly. It was like he’d just given me the reassurance I didn’t even know I needed. It wasn’t just about being their fifth, it was deeper than that. I stood up on my knees and faced him. “I was thinking, maybe I could bring my shop up here. I’m sure I could find a storefront somewhere for rent. Does Salem have a lot of voodoo places? We could call it like, ‘A Hint of South in the North’ or…yeah, that was bad, but you get the idea. I have to do something up here besides spend time with all of you and help rescue people from negative magic.”
Liam leaned forward, his eyes sparkling. “I can think of just the place. There’s one occult store a few streets over from the main shopping area, but nothing voodoo related. I bet you the tourists would eat it up.”
“Yeah?” I asked, hope surging inside me.
“I can get you the place, if you want. I mean, my parents’ money is just sitting there.”
“No,” I said, my voice rising. Liam didn’t like his parents’ money, so I didn’t want to use it. Then again,, I’d probably have to look into a loan. “Well, maybe at first. I’d pay you back though.”
“You don’t need to pay me back.”
“Liam, I’d pay you back.”
Two sharp knocks came on the door frame. “If you two are done bickering…?”
Bickering? Who’s bickering? I looked up to find Travis in the doorway, his hands crossed over his chest. I groaned a little at his interruption.
His eyes narrowed at me. “Sorry, I barged in during plan-our-future time, but something’s come up and you guys need to come downstairs.”
Liam gave my hand a quick squeeze, most likely trying to stifle the smartass comeback I could feel working its way up my throat. He gave me a tug and stood, pulling me along behind him as he addressed Travis. “What’s up, man?”
Travis took the stairs two at a time as Liam and I followed. I pumped Liam’s hand when Travis didn’t answer and gave him an inquisitive look, but he just shrugged. When we got down, the rest of the guys were already comfortable in their seats. Liam let me go, and I took a seat next to Gabe who was sprawled out on one sofa with his hands behind his head. “Hey there, feeling better?”
I nodded and poked his side. “What’s this all about?” It wasn’t that Travis couldn’t call a meeting, it was just I hadn’t been around when he’d done so. He looked serious—even more serious than usual. His green eyes intense as he surveyed us. Gabe shrugged in response. “He’s been so off lately,” he whispered. “I think you’re throwing him for a loop.”
Yeah, a pissy loop, I wanted to respond, but Travis moved to the middle of us all, his hands on his hips, effectively shutting me up. “Got a call from a friend back in Salem. She wants our help.”
“Magic help? Just what friend would that be, Mate? No one knows what we do but our families and superiors.”
Travis’s chin dipped, scorching Gabe with his best murderous look. “Obviously she doesn’t know what we are—exactly. She just knows we’re something different. She’s Wiccan herself so she’s not completely devoid of powers. And she actually doesn’t know anything about you guys. She asked for my help, but I don’t do anything without the rest of you,” he finished, looking pointedly at me.
Ice slithered up my spine. Yikes.
“Anyway,” Liam said, drawing out the word to end the death glare match between Gabe and Travis. “Who is it and what’s the problem?”
“Her name’s Kaitlyn. She—”
“Christ,” Randy spat. “Kaitlyn? That Kaitlyn?”
Liam looked between the two of them, his expression more than just a little confused while Gabe chuckled. “Wait, is this the chick he was seeing before—?”
Travis’s green eyes flared. “Jesus, I didn’t know your guys’s asses were so far up my love life. Yes. That Kaitlyn.”
My whole body tensed, and Gabe reached up to rub my back. Tension soothed out of me, but this was outright ridiculous. It wasn’t like I had a claim on him, on any of them, but my body felt the exact opposite. “Okay, so what’s wrong with Kaitlyn?” I asked, trying not to snarl her name, “that she thinks we—you—can help her?”
Travis ran a hand through his dark hair. “She’s claiming something’s happening at her sorority house. I told her I didn’t think so since none of us have felt the pull, but I also didn’t want to give away too much, so I told her I would check it out.”
“Sorority house?” Jesus fuck, of course he would be into sorority girls. Exactly like Mandy. Anger bubbled up inside me and started to pop like hot bacon grease.
“Good point,” Liam said, pointing at me as his mind worked. “Sorority house. That rings a bell. Is it the same sorority house Mandy belongs to?”
My mouth dropped a little, but I tried to cover it up. Of course I meant to put those two things together based on solving this case and not because I was jealous as fuck that I was literally the exact opposite of the sorority girl type, therefore the exact opposite of the type of girl Travis went for.
“The same one,” Travis said.
Liam looked at me and smiled as if I was a genius. “Maybe there’s something to it.”
I wished I could think more clearly without the idea of Travis being with this Kaitlyn chick in the back of my head. While the rest of the guys made plans to check out the sorority house tomorrow, I sat back against the couch and prayed it would swallow me right up. Instead of focusing on what was important, I wondered if Travis could feel my glare. Or if he also held feelings for me deep down. So deep down that he’d probably never admit to it.
It was useless to think about it at all if that was the case. But apparently, I loved torturing myself.
Chapter Twenty-One
I was just pulling on my pajamas before getting in the plush bed Liam said I could take when the door creaked open. I looked back to see Gabe standing there, a pair of sweats hanging off his hips and nothing else. Jesus hell. The perfect cut of his muscles disappeared just beyond the waistband and I couldn’t help that my eyes were drawn there immediately, admiring him for the athletic guy he was. I expected him to say something funny, but when he remained quiet, I looked up. “Hey.”
“Your door was ajar. Okay if I come in?”
A smile peeled my lips apart. “You never have to ask, Gabe.”
He turned, shut the door, and then made his way to me. He reached out for my hand, and I put mine in his. “You nervous about going to the sorority house tomorrow?”
I shook my head. “No. We don’t even know if it’s anything. And if Dupre is there, at least we’ll have our answer. The only thing I don’t like is not knowing what’s going on or why we’re being targeted.”
He nodded, his head tilted away and finding something very interesting on the wall behind me.
“Hey,” I said, putting my finger under his chin and tilting it back toward me. “What’s wrong?”
He took a deep, steadying breath, then squeezed my fingers. “I just got off the phone with my grandfather.”
“Right. He was in the Order, too,” I hedged, not understanding why a phone call with a family member would make him look like this.
“For a while.” Gabe pulled his hand from mine and scratched the back of his head nervously. “I don’t know how to say it so I’m just going to come out with it. I asked him about girls being in the Order, like if it ever happened, and he said that ‘couldn’t happen’ and there were rumors that a long time ago women were allowed in the covens, but—”
His voice broke off, and I nearly came up off the bed. “What?”
“He said there was something about the connection the coven members all had. That it was more powerful than just five men and that because of this, the magic…destroyed them. All of them.”
My breath caught in my throat. Their magic destroyed them? That didn’t seem possible. “Like in…”
“In that they all died, Norah.”
My stomach hollowed out. At
the same time it sunk in, I couldn’t accept it. “But if that’s the case, why would magic pull me here? Why would it want that?”
Gabe dropped his head, looking very, very tired. I reached for his hand again and he wrapped his around my fingers. “I’m not saying I totally believe it. He did just say it was a rumor.”
“Did you tell Liam so he could look into it?”
Gabe shook his head. “I wanted to tell you first.”
My stomach clenched. Maybe Granny had been right. I was somehow exactly where I should be, yet not. She’d said she’d heard of instances where people OD’d on magic. Well, that made perfect sense now, didn’t it? My very presence here could hurt the guys if we wanted to believe these rumors. The color drained from my face. It was one thing to hear Granny say it, but it made it all the more real if Gabe’s grandfather had also heard the same thing. I’d left Liam that note to start researching it, but with everything going on, he might not have had the chance yet.
“Don’t freak out,” Gabe urged. “This is why I was debating on whether I should tell you or not, but I figured it was only right and that you probably wouldn’t forgive me if I didn’t.”
“I should leave, right?” I asked him, my eyes wide as I caught his stare.
“No,” he said forcefully, practically growling the word at me. “We don’t even know if it’s true, and even if, by some miracle it is, there has to be a reason why magic brought you here.”
Gabe searched my face, and when I didn’t—couldn’t—say anything in return, he darted forward, his lips sealing onto mine. On instinct, my lips parted for him and he drank from me, my body responding automatically, and my magic brimming at the edges.
“You’re not going anywhere,” he said in between kisses. His hands wound around my back and he carefully laid me on the bed. “I told you so we could fight this together. So we could go through this together.” He shifted his weight to one side, trailing one hand up the inside of my thigh until it hit its target. “Mmm,” he murmured after my knees fell to the sides, giving him as much room as he needed. “I need you.”
