by C. J. Pinard
“Well.” She paused, and I could picture with her thumbnail to her mouth. “The shop is kind of slow right now. Hang on.” I heard a rustling sound. “Hey, Mom, think you can hold it down here for a couple hours? Ayla needs me.”
Her mom’s faraway voice responded immediately. “I bet she does after that cluster last night. Yes, but no getting involved in vampire business, young lady.”
“I’ll see you in an hour,” Sanja replied, a smile in her voice.
“Thanks, girl.”
I ended the call, took my phone to the bathroom to dry the rest of the water from it, and started up the shower. I made a mental note to get myself a new toothbrush and keep it in my purse, because finger brushing was annoying.
I leaned down through the open window. “Thanks for the ride, Jeff,” I said, smiling as I closed the passenger side door.
“No problem, Miss Ayla,” he replied. “Call me if you need a ride back.”
“I’m sure my friend can give me a ride, and tell Kellan I’ll call him when I’m done here.”
I saw Sanja’s new little red Honda her mom had gotten her for graduation parked in the lot. The sun was still high in the sky, but there was a smattering of white clouds overhead, and in the distance, I could see very dark, ominous ones heading this way for an afternoon rain shower. The air was cool, but it wasn’t cold. I had borrowed one of Kellan’s T-shirts that had a Union Jack flag on it, and paired it with the black pants I’d worn last night. I put my black jacket over it. I knew I would need it later when the sun went down and it cooled off.
I tightened the end of my fishtail braid and pulled it over my left shoulder, then moved my purse to my other shoulder as I walked up the three rickety steps to go into the store. I pushed open the door. Its white paint was chipping, and the windows could use some updating. A bell chimed overhead as I entered, and the overwhelming smell of incense and something flowery assaulted my sensitive nose. I tried to just breathe through my mouth.
“Over here.” I heard Sanja’s voice, and I looked to see her sitting in a 4-person table by herself, sipping something hot and steaming. There was a coffee bar behind her, with a big assortment of pastries. A tall, thin guy wearing an apron came over and stood next to the table and began chatting with her. She had finally quit the bookstore-slash-coffee shop a couple months ago and was obviously working fulltime, helping her mom in their own shop.
I went to her and sat across from her. “Hey, thanks for meeting me.”
She nodded. “No problem. It’s nice to catch up with my old coworkers anyway. Oh, this is Derrick.”
I waved. “Nice to meet you.”
He nodded. “Can I get you anything?”
“Ya know, a latte would be everything right now.”
“You got it,” he replied, and walked off.
“Cute,” I mouthed, darting my chin at Derrick.
“Seventeen,” she mouthed back.
We both laughed.
I saw the Swifts come in and waved them over.
“Oh, my God. I’m so nervous. Those cops have such a bad reputation for being hard-asses and putting people in to supernatural prison and stuff.”
I laughed. “Calm down, you’ll see they’re just like regular people who know about us.”
I moved over to sit next to Sanja so they could sit across from us.
Derrick brought out my latte and I thanked him. He asked the Swifts if they wanted anything, but they said no.
“Jessica and Jason, this is my best friend, Sanja Burman.”
“Nice to meet you,” Jason said, smiling.
Jessica nodded. “You’re a witch, correct?”
I stared at the buxom blonde and noticed something looked different about her somehow. Her hair was still big and perfectly curled, and her lips were blood-red and the rest of her makeup was flawless. But her face looked almost too perfect. Maybe she’d had some work done? Her cleavage was still on display under a black V-neck T-shirt. I told myself to stop staring. If she wanted to get a little Botox or a nip or tuck, that was her prerogative. She didn’t look any older than thirty to me, though, but what did I know? Maybe being around young-looking supernaturals all the time was giving her a complex.
We didn’t bother lowering our voices in here. If any random humans came in, there were wards around the shop that prevented them from remembering anything about what happened inside. Or so Sanja had said.
“Yes,” Sanja replied, nodding. “My mom and I just opened a magic shop in downtown Denver.”
“We’ve heard,” Jason said. “We’ll be by for a visit. We need to meet your mom.”
The way he said ‘need’ instead of ‘want’ caught my attention. Maybe they had some rule that they had to meet all the supernatural business owners in their jurisdiction or something. I would ask that later.
Jessica pulled her large purse up to her lap, retrieved a small ten-inch laptop from it, and set it on the table. She opened it, turned it on, and pushed a few buttons while I sipped my very hot and very delicious latte.
She turned the screen around and boosted the volume. I watched in horror as the events of last night played. I obviously hadn’t been able to see everything that happened, but the person had recorded the events about the time that Beckett was yelling at Jacquez as they’d reached outside. I watched as Jaquez was brought to his knees, and looked at Gavin with his fists down his side. It was then I noticed his eyes flash red momentarily. The person recording whispered, “Holy shit, did you see his eyes?”
The most disturbing part of the video was that when the fighting started, all the creatures were blitzing around and it was one big blur. It looked as if someone had enhanced the video to make it look like people were moving at double speed, and I hoped that was what the public would think. When I saw myself begin to pull the dagger from the small of my back, I watched Kellan blitz up, grab the vampire, kiss me, and then throw him as if he were a doll. Unfortunately, the cameraman caught the vampire’s body flying fifty feet across the street, and even worse, the vampire shook off the blow like a dog, and got right back up. The video stopped when the police arrived, and of course by then, the only people still around were the humans.
The video ended and I pushed the laptop back toward Jessica. I cringed. “Yeah… that looked bad.”
“It’s everywhere, Ayla. Like, social media’s blown up with that video. The comments under it on YouTube are in the thousands, and they are bad. They say things like, ‘Maybe now my family will believe me these creatures exist.’ And ‘I told you, so-and-so’, as they tag their friends.”
“We can get the YouTube video taken down, and probably the Facebook ones too with a court order. It’s being worked on as we speak. But it’s kinda late, isn’t it?” Jason said, staring at me with a serious expression in his eyes.
“God, I feel like I’m about to be sent to detention or something,” I groaned. “You have to realize that wasn’t all me, right?”
“But you seem to be friends with most of the people there. You came to see Beckett, he brought his boyfriend, and then you called yours when the shit hit the fan.”
“Yes, that’s right. I wasn’t gonna let that piece of shit Jacquez talk to Beckett like that. I had no intention of any violence breaking out. That little Mexican jumping bean instigated that shit.”
Sanja snorted. “Not politically correct, Ayla.”
“Like a give a shit. I turn into Bigfoot once a month, nobody’s more of a freak than me.” I turned to the Swifts. “What can we do, besides let this blow over?”
“Not much, but you’re probably going to be called before the Vlasé to explain this.”
My kneejerk reaction was to pop off a retort about how I wasn’t a vampire, and wasn’t accountable to them. Then I realized that would bring me to Linden. “Okay, then what?”
“They’ll probably institute some kind of punishment.”
I stared at them in horror. “They can’t punish me. I’m not a vampire!”
“Well,
you’re part vampire now. And your boyfriend is gonna feel the sting.”
Fuck.
“Can I help him somehow?” Sanja asked.
Jessica stared at her, and then said, “I can’t stop you from doing magic or helping them in some way. I just want you to be careful and not get yourself hurt, or put yourself in any danger.”
“You don’t worry your pretty little head about me,” Sanja said, winking.
“It’s kinda my job, young lady,” Jessica replied, but she was dead-serious.
Sanja shot me a concerned look, and then looked back at Jessica. “Young lady? I mean, sorry, but you don’t look very much older than us.” Sanja chewed the side of her lip and stared at Jessica long and hard before saying, “But you are… aren’t you?”
“It’s not very polite to ask a lady’s age,” Jason answered for her.
But Jessica just nodded slightly. “Much.”
Sanja stared at her. “That’s because you’re not entirely human, are you, Ms. Swift?”
“I am now,” she answered quietly.
Chapter 23
I looked at my friend, then back to Jessica. I just sat there and waited for someone to explain.
Jessica looked at her husband, then to us. She seemed to be contemplating answering Sanja, and she paused so long that it became uncomfortable. Jessica looked like the thought of telling us whatever she needed to say pained her.
“Ya know, we should go,” I said, tugging on the shoulder of Sanja’s light-blue sweater. “Ms. Swift doesn’t owe us an explanation, and by the look on her face, it’s probably not something she wants to talk about.”
Nobody said anything, and I swallowed hard.
“Well, uh, thanks for the warning. I’ll let Kellan know if he doesn’t already.”
“You are part vampire, aren’t you?” Sanja said, shrugging off my hand and staring at Jessica. “In fact, you were at one time a full vampire, weren’t you?”
“Sanja!” I said in a scolding tone.
“No, it’s okay.” Jessica let out a sigh. “She’s a very gifted witch. Spot-on.”
I gasped. “That’s not possible.”
“Child, you have not been alive long enough to know what is possible and what’s not,” Jessica said, looking at me.
“She has a point,” Jason added, a smirk on his handsome face.
“You have magic surrounding you, and in your eyes. It’s glowing around your face and your hair. Even on your hands.” Sanja turned to me. “Can you see it?”
I nodded. “I don’t see glowing, but you do look different from the last time I saw you. You were a vampire then, and now you’re not?” I was so confused.
“No,” Sanja answered for her. “It’s this shop. My abilities are much stronger in here, and magic flows much more freely. So does the magic inside Jessica.”
Jessica folded the laptop and shoved it into its case. She looked at us. “Without launching into a long, drawn-out story, here’s the Cliff Notes version.
“I was born here in Colorado in nineteen-sixty-five. At age nineteen, a vampire turned me without my permission. He was evil and that’s all I have to say about him. About six years ago, a sylph used a spell, on magical grounds in the mountains in Oregon, to restore my humanity—”
“Wait, what the hell is a sylph?” I asked.
“It’s like a mix between a witch and a fairy. And no they don’t have wings or fly, before you ask,” Sanja answered.
Geez, I thought I knew all the creatures already. I’d just learned about the damn elves, for God’s sake.
Jessica grinned. “They’re very powerful, they can create portals and travel through them to different parts of the Earth. It’s insane to see.”
My eyes widened. “No way.”
“Anyway,” Jessica continued, “I don’t know how she did it, but whatever she did worked. I seem to be a regular human now. I don’t look nineteen, right?”
We both shook our heads and Sanja said, “I thought mid-to-late-twenties.”
“But technically, you’re in your mid-fifties, and you spent, what?” I did some quick math. “Like thirty-plus years as a vampire? Wow. Anyway, my mom was born in nineteen sixty-three, so you should look as old as her.”
Jessica smiled. “I will eventually. But maybe I will fight it a little and get some work done. I don’t know.”
I grinned back. “If I age, I will too. But, I don’t think I’m going to. Evan hasn’t.”
“His situation is different than yours, as you were born a wolf. He was just a human, turned twice by both vampire and wolf. We will be curious to see what happens to you—and him.”
“If she keeps living like she’s in a Vin Diesel movie, she isn’t going to get old enough for anyone to find out,” Jason pointed out.
“He’s right,” Sanja said, putting her hand on mine.
I nodded. “I know. I’m hoping I can get it all out of my system, then calm down a little and find a less dangerous career.”
“Let’s hope that happens sooner than later,” Sanja murmured.
“Speaking of,” I said, remembering Ryder. “Do you know anything about Ryder Robinson? He applied to your agency and is waiting to hear if he’ll get a job so he can quit the prison job.”
Jason was typing something on his phone, and he stopped and looked up at us. “Yes, he’s part of a pilot program the BSI is doing, hiring supernaturals to work for us. It used to be staunchly forbidden, and the screening process so far has been pretty strict, but it’s working. He’s going to be a huge asset to our undercover division.”
I felt happy for Ryder, but selfishly upset he hadn’t told me he had been hired. But did I really blame him? I had to put myself in his shoes. I would text him later and congratulate him.
But wait, he had texted me, hadn’t he? He told me he had good news, but I was too enraptured in the news my brother had told me about the new baby coming to remember to respond. I really was the biggest asshole ever. I sighed sadly.
“Well, that was a wild story, Ms. Swift. I can’t wait to tell my mom there is sacred ground in Oregon. Where, exactly, is this place?”
Jessica shook her head. “I can’t say, but if you do enough research I’m sure you’ll figure it out. I also wouldn’t go messing around up there if I were you. It’s very, very powerful, to the point where things don’t work like they normally should. Like gravitational pulls, strange tides, brain waves, et cetera.”
“Noted,” Sanja said, excitement in her voice.
“We better go,” I said, standing up. The rest of us stood. I left a five-dollar bill on the table and we walked toward the entrance.
“Thanks again for the warning,” I said to Jessica. “I’m sure Kellan will figure it out.”
“We’ll try to do as much damage control we can, and hope it does, indeed blow over, but we know it’ll be a while. Just please, for the love of God, lay low and do not blitz in public, get so angry that your eyes change color, drink blood, or shift into a wolf with humans around. And for the love of all that is holy, keep that damn dagger of yours hidden,” Jason said, pocketing his phone.
“Hey!” I said, stopping at the front door. “It’s illegal to hide it. If I display it, I’m not concealing a weapon.”
“She’s right,” Jessica said to her husband. Then she looked at me. “But so is he. Low profile, young lady. Got it?”
I saluted her. “Yes, ma’am.”
Jessica laughed and looked at Sanja. “Keep her in line, will you?”
Sanja grinned and rolled her eyes. “I’d need a lot more than magic to do that.”
Sanja gave me a ride back to my apartment. I needed some time to unwind and think about things. I needed to prepare for when I was brought to meet Linden, because I knew without a doubt that I was going to. Along with the dream/visions, I was about ninety-nine percent positive I was going to be brought before the monster to face some kind of judgement. But I had no plans on letting him belittle me or talk down to me like he owned me. Nor was
I going to let him or his cronies touch me or punish me. I was going to rip out his throat or drive my dagger into his heart, and smile while he crumbled to ash under me. Then I would take whatever shirt he was wearing and frame it into a shadow box to remind me that nobody fucks with my family.
Again, let’s hope I got this out of my system soon so I didn’t die too young because of my recklessness.
It took me over an hour to clear off the calls, texts, and DMs from my phone and ensure everyone I was ‘handling’ the situation with the video that appeared online. My brother and parents were the most concerned, and I had to get into a group text with Aden, my mom, and dad to ensure them that the BSI was going to scrub the Internet of the videos. This seemed to pacify my parents, but Aden was obviously more tech-savvy and knew nothing ever really disappeared. I still had plans to see my family Memorial Day weekend, so I figured it would probably be blown over by then, and if not, I would handle it.
Once my phone was clear, I shot off a text to Evan.
Me: I need to meet with you and Karina about something.
Evan: The video currently smeared all over the damn web. That thing?
I groaned.
Me: Yes, you ass.
Evan: Lol, well you have training tonight, so we’ll discuss. See you at 11.
Damn! I forgot.
I sent him back a thumbs-up emoji because it was passive-aggressive and annoying and matched my mood.
Smiling, I looked at the time on my phone and could see it was almost six p.m. I was glad I had a few hours to myself. I went online and paid my bills, then opened a document to start making notes about the dream I’d had, and the plans I had for taking Linden out. Then I made a list about all the ways my revenge plot could go bad—how it could go south. They all ended with me dying because of my impulsivity and stupidity. So I closed that depressing-ass document and decided I should do something more productive.
Nothing came to me, so I changed into my workout clothes, grabbed some water and a protein bar, and went to the gym down the street. I had been thinking over the past few weeks, and especially after the incident at the club, that I needed to get stronger.
