Witches Get Stitches

by Juliette Cross

  The street that bisected the one up ahead showed cars and people crisscrossing. Must be Royal Street, a busier thoroughfare than this side street.

  When I came out at the end, chest heaving, I looked both ways, then caught sight of Shane and the others climbing into a big, black SUV at the curb at the corner. Sprinting through the crowd, I dodged a couple, almost knocking them over.

  “Hey!” shouted the guy, but I kept going.

  The SUV sped away from the curb right as I reached them. When I stopped running, the SUV suddenly braked, red taillights glowing in the dark.

  Frowning and panting, I watched as the SUV reversed, the front passenger window lowering halfway till Shane’s grinning face peered from the dark.

  “What the fuck do you want?” I growled, knowing if I leaped forward to grab at him, they’d only take off before I had time.

  “So you left us for a girl?” His tone was belittling. “You were never one to follow your dick around, man. Thought more of you.”

  My leaving Austin was more complicated than that. I wasn’t just following my dick, but the organ that pumped the blood through my veins.

  “I left the pack long before I left Austin.”

  His face tensed. He never did like hearing the truth. Though I hung with him and some of the guys once in a while, like I had on New Year’s Eve, I’d officially left the pack long before that.

  The pack’s former leader, this dick named Mason, had led them into a fight with an MC gang that had almost killed a few of them, including Shane who’d gotten a crowbar to the head so hard it fractured his skull that night.

  I’d kicked the shit out of Mason and left the pack for good. I’d stayed in Austin, playing music and hanging with some of the guys here and there, until I had good reason to leave.

  “You’re right,” Shane bit out bitterly, “you abandoned us long before you chased after the witch.”

  “Where’s Mason?”

  “Gone.”

  “You’re in charge now?”

  He grinned. “Don’t look so surprised.”

  I wasn’t. “What the fuck are you doing in New Orleans?”

  “Not here for you.” His gaze slid sideways right as the guys ran up on us, standing at my side.

  “You really are a witch lover, aren’t you?” Again, that condescending tone, underlined with menace.

  Shane had been my best friend for a long time and obviously had hang-ups about me leaving, but I couldn’t help his ego. It seemed our friendship might be beyond repair by the look of disgust on his face.

  “You wanna talk this out?” I asked, throwing out an olive branch, knowing he sure as fuck wasn’t going to.

  All I got in return was a curl of his lip. “No, I don’t wanna talk this out. I’m not here about you.”

  “Why are you here then?”

  “None of your fucking business.”

  I stepped off the curb but didn’t lunge and reach for his throat through the window like I wanted to. “Tell me why you went to see Violet.” I clenched my fists.

  His grin spread wide then he raised the window just as the SUV launched forward, tearing dangerously down the narrow street.

  “Who is that asshole?” asked Cole.

  “An old friend.”

  “Don’t think he’s your friend anymore,” said Drew at my side, the four of us watching as the taillights disappeared around the corner of Canal Street farther in the distance.

  “No, he’s not,” I agreed.

  We made our way quickly back to the girls who’d headed in our direction but at a much slower pace, mainly because Livvy and Clara were wearing heels and couldn’t move very fast at all.

  I was relieved to see the three of them safe and sound when we met them halfway down that darker side street.

  “What happened?” asked Violet, looking much more sober all of a sudden.

  Without answering her, I pulled out my phone and punched in Devraj’s number. It only took him two rings to answer, even at this time of night. But I wouldn’t expect anything less from a vampire like him.

  “What is it?” he asked on the other end. There was rustling as if he was getting out of bed.

  “I have to leave for three days, but I just had a run-in with Shane and a few of his pack.”

  “They’ll need to leave, too, won’t they?”

  “Yeah. But I’d still feel better if someone was watching the shop. And the Savoie house.”

  I coasted a hand down Violet’s back, a friendly brush I told myself, while she frowned up at me, obviously wondering what was going on.

  The guys were telling Livvy and Clara about our incident. Violet half-listened to them, but her gaze kept coming back to me, concern etched on her face. Cole was scowling and Drew looked grave, but Travis said something lighthearted, probably to keep the ladies from worrying.

  “Not a problem. I’ll have my eyes on the Savoie sisters, and I’ll talk to Ruben about the shop.”

  I breathed out a heavy sigh, frustration making me furious.

  “Don’t worry, Cruz. I’ll take care of your girl.”

  Well, I guess Mateo wasn’t the only one who knew.

  “I owe you.”

  “No, you don’t. Go take care of yourself, and everything will be fine when you get back.”

  With a muttered “thanks,” I hung up and followed the others, who were already to Royal Street again.

  “Who was that? Ruben?” asked Violet.

  “Devraj.”

  “What happened with Shane?”

  “Nothing worth mentioning.”

  I grabbed her hand to guide her through the crowd across the street. I was glad she didn’t pull away, letting me keep her hand in mine, after we wound into a less-populated space.

  She was probably still a bit buzzed and would undoubtedly presume this was a friendly hand-holding.

  Her other sisters and the guys were walking in a straight line, arms hooked together like children, Travis saying something that had them all laughing. I was right as rain where I was, tucking Violet’s slim body close to me, her hand cradled in mine.

  Never before had I wished I wasn’t a werewolf as much as I did right now. Being away from her for even a day felt like pure torture. My desire was spiraling out of control, and I knew it.

  Maybe the absence would help me get grounded and take control of this obsession so that I could come back and play like friends. I could only hope.

  Chapter 13

  ~VIOLET~

  * * *

  From one of many of Livvy’s eclectic playlists, Kaleo crooned their Icelandic song “Vor í Vaglaskógi” in the kitchen.

  I was snuggled on the sofa, waiting for Jules to come home with leftovers from the restaurant. She’d texted our sister chat group earlier to let us know it was slow at the Cauldron today and she had a pot of crawfish etouffee she was bringing home for dinner.

  After the boys rolled off our sofas at the crack-of-noon, we’d devoured some burgers from Red Dog Diner, which Isadora had sympathetically picked up for us. Drew had told us to be careful with those werewolves around town, giving Jules another talking-to after running into Shane and those guys last night. Not that anything bad had happened. It was just kind of weird.

  Then the boys hugged us with smiles on their faces and headed back to Lafayette like they hadn’t consumed unknown gallons of liquor the night before.

  As for me, I did not recover so quickly. I hadn’t had a hangover like that in ages.

  But I did have that “night after” fear of what I might’ve said or confessed or did in front of Nico. You know those moments after waking from a rowdy night full of way too much alcohol and your memory is spotty so you spend at least an hour recounting every event just to be sure you didn’t do anything too embarrassing? That was me.

  After going through the night, I realized I might’ve been a little touchy-feely with Nico, but that was about it.

  Except for the karaoke at Cat’s Meow. I distinctly remember sliding
my hand over my breast and ass, while singing “Fever” directly to the man. I blushed now just thinking about it.

  What the hell was in those drinks at The Brat Pack?

  Truth serum, most likely. Because all it did was loosen my inhibitions enough to let down my guard and sing my feelings to Nico. I was so close to saying fuck you to the Death card and the Three of Swords and the Tower. My feelings and cravings for Nico were out of control. Maybe disaster and chaos and utter heartbreak were worth mind-blowing, skin-melting sex.

  Who was I kidding? My feelings for him weren’t just about sex anymore. Though I wanted to spend a solid week sweating in his bed sheets with him, I was very aware that my heart was wrapped up in this craving as well.

  Which is why I kept rotating back to my psychic reading and the fact that this could potentially break both our hearts. I might risk mine, but I couldn’t risk his. Not Nico.

  Thank every angel in heaven that Nico had taken off for his full moon trip this morning because I wasn’t sure I could face him properly. Even though he wasn’t there, I called in sick to the shop.

  Livvy was working on our Empress Ink website at the kitchen table on her MacBook while her friend Maya made suggestions from speaker phone. Though Maya was an experienced website designer, Livvy had a knack for aesthetic appeal and knew my clientele best. So she was overseeing the project, not to mention taking all of the photographs for the site.

  The only reason I knew all of this was taking place in the kitchen was because she was being so fucking loud, even from an entire room away.

  Also, I might be a little hangry. And still hungover. That’s why I was so irritated. Or that’s the story I was telling myself anyway.

  My thoughts kept jumping back to Nico getting that phone call from some chick named Layla. Someone he told that he loved when he hung up the phone. And I could totally tell he was talking to her little girl, too.

  Did he have a daughter I didn’t know about? He wasn’t married. Or at least, not anymore. He didn’t wear a ring. Did he leave Layla and the girl in Austin and come to live here to get away from them or something? Maybe it was one of those amicable break-ups where he still loved the woman who bore his child, but they just couldn’t make the relationship work.

  A sickening feeling erupted in my belly that had nothing to do with being overly hungry or hungover. I decided to flip open the shop’s social media pages that Livvy had been managing for us as well. For a fee, of course. My sister was crazy talented in this arena, and we didn’t take advantage. Though she did say she gave us the relative rate.

  When the Instagram page popped up, I sucked in a breath. The most recent post Livvy had put up was a picture of me and Nico in the logo T-shirts below our new sign.

  Swallowing hard, I tapped the pic and zoomed in. I was laughing, my head half-tilted back while Nico grinned and stared down at me. You could only see his face in profile but, even so, the intensity of his gaze zapped me right through cyberspace. It was electric. I wanted to reach through the phone and touch that hard-edged jaw.

  Below the pic, Livvy had captioned it: This business duo is NOT all work and no play. Don’t miss the Grand Opening Street Party for Empress Ink. Details to come!

  “Holy shitsticks!”

  “What?” Livvy called from the kitchen.

  “There are three hundred comments on this freaking post.” And twelve hundred likes.

  “Uh. Yeah. I know.” She went right back to her conversation with Maya.

  I stood and ambled into the kitchen. “Damn, Livvy. Didn’t you just open our account last month?”

  “Hey, Violet!” Maya yelled from the speaker of Livvy’s phone. “Congrats on your new shop.”

  “Thanks, Maya. Sorry to interrupt you guys, but Livvy, we already have five thousand followers! How did you do that?”

  Livvy turned away from her laptop to peer over her shoulder at me with her silly-sister look. “Who exactly do you think you’re talking to?”

  “You’re not using magic to get them, are you?”

  Livvy’s pretty eyes narrowed to slits. “If you mean, am I using magic in how it naturally affects my ability to make the best promotion and marketing decisions? Then yes, I am,” she snapped. “But if you’re accusing me of spelling people illegally to gather your clientele, then no, I am not.”

  “Whoa. Ease up on the angry eyes.”

  Maya laughed from the speaker. “It’s not you, Vi. She’s just pissed at some guy who was harassing her at the PR contest thingy she’s doing.”

  “Harassing is a kind word.” Livvy was calm again. Like an ice pond on the darkest night of winter calm. “That asslick better step off the next time I see him. Hopefully, he’ll be cut from the contest in this next round, though. If there is a goddess watching over us, he will be.”

  I remember Livvy saying something about a PR contest she was doing, sponsored by some local bigwigs. But I honestly couldn’t make myself care right now because my attention was snagged on another photo on our IG page with twice as many comments and likes.

  It was one of Nico and Mateo installing the wrought iron chandelier in the lobby. It shouldn’t be so sexy, but the way Nico balanced himself on the ladder, one foot higher on the step, his muscles straining against his threadbare T-shirt as he used a screwdriver at the top of the fixture. Oh, and Mateo who was assisting was hot, too. But I couldn’t drag my eyes off of Nico.

  Nico, Nico, Nico. My brain needed to give it a damn rest already!

  My stomach growled, and I blew out a frustrated breath. “Stepping outside a minute,” I told Livvy, though she was already back to tearing this nameless guy from that contest thing a new asshole.

  Once in the quiet courtyard, I ambled over to the bench while scrolling through my favorites, then tapped Evie’s number. It rang a few times, and right when I was about to hang up, she answered with a breathless “hello.”

  “Hey. Sorry to bother you.”

  “No bother. What’s up?”

  “Where are you guys anyway?” I knew they left town but wasn’t sure where they’d gone for the full moon.

  “We’re in Mississippi.” I heard something brush against the mouthpiece then her light laughter. “Mateo found this cabin out in the middle of nowhere near the Natchez Trace. So beautiful out here!”

  “That’s awesome.” I gazed upward, finding the moon full and bright through the silhouette of the bare tree branches. I couldn’t help the pang of jealousy I felt that Evie got to go with Mateo. They were a couple, so of course he’d take her. Why did that make me suddenly feel sick and empty?

  “Is something wrong?” Evie’s voice turned serious. “Is everything okay?”

  “Of course, it is. I just had a question for you, but I guess you’re busy.”

  Because I could totally hear Mateo wrestling her in bed or something.

  “I’m not busy.” Then another muffling of her phone before she told her obviously randy werewolf, “Mateo. Alpha! Go play.”

  “That’s what I was doing,” came a rumbly reply.

  She laughed, then more rustling and a door slam.

  “Okay, he’s going hunting now.” A heavy sigh. “How can I help you?”

  “Um.” And this was new for me. I didn’t quite know how I wanted to ask what I wanted to know.

  “If you are struggling to find the words or the balls to ask me something, then I’m kind of worried.”

  I laughed. Because she was right. I was known as the sister with zero filter about my thoughts and opinions. But this wasn’t about either of those. This was about my emotions, and that’s why I was struggling.

  “Has Mateo ever told you what it’s like? This monthly wolf thing?”

  “How do you mean? Has he explained what it feels like to shift?”

  “Not that. Has he mentioned what it’s like having to go off alone every month? I mean, obviously he’s not alone now, but before.”

  There was a pause before Evie replied. “Are you asking me if my boyfriend was lo
nely?”

  “Kinda.”

  She snorted. “No, you’re not. You’re asking me if Nico is lonely out there in the woods all by himself.”

  “Evie.”

  “Look, I may not be psychic like you, but it’s plain as day that you two want each other. Like bad.”

  “Since when?”

  “Since the day I brought you up to Mateo’s apartment with me that first time. Jeesh, Violet. It was so obvious.”

  “What are you even talking about?” I could barely remember that day. Except for the fact that I really loved the way Nico held a longneck beer, his pretty, masculine fingers all perfectly displayed.

  She gave a deep, throaty chuckle. “You were defensive as fuck. Curt, rude, and mean as hell.”

  “You’re exaggerating. If I was rude, it was because we were running late and I hate wasting time.”

  “Liar, liar, pants on fire.”

  “How does me being an asshole prove that I want Nico anyway?”

  “Because that’s what happens when you have a serious crush on a guy and you’re trying not to. You become a supreme bitch.” She paused, her tone turning secretive. “Anyway, Mateo told me something I probably shouldn’t tell you.”

  “Tell me right fucking now, Eveleen.”

  “Hmm. Not sure I should. Seeing as you might just throw it in his face or something. You’re a bit confrontational, Violet, if you hadn’t noticed.”

  “Tell! Me! Or I’ll put a potion in your gumbo or your beer at next Sunday’s dinner.”

  “I’m a Hex-breaker, so that wouldn’t help you much.”

  “Evie!”

  “Fine, fine,” she laughed. “I was going to tell you anyway, but now you’ve proven to me how bad you’ve got it for him. So, have you ever noticed how much he touches you?”

  Heat instantly flared at how he’d touched me on New Year’s Eve two years ago and how I’d love for him to touch me again. Anywhere.

  “No. We haven’t had sex or anything.”

  “Jesus, Violet. I don’t mean that. I mean just light touches. On the arm, the body, casual touches.”

  I thought back, remembering how often he actually did do that. Passing behind me in the shop, leaning across me to fetch something, he always did graze my arm, my hips, my shoulder. Even last night, he was exceptionally handsy. But so was I.