“So…no scarf?” She flashed a cute, ghost dimple.
I held up my bag of purchases and smiled widely. “I think I’ll quit before I max out my limit.”
I needed to get back to the house and check on Wren. I’d left him with the TV on, instructions on how to operate the remote, and plenty of snacks to keep him going. He looked like a moody teddy bear, and for now, he was my responsibility, but first a hot beverage and maybe a fresh brownie.
I made the jump to Lumiers, knowing the sugar I was about to put into myself would replace any energy I lost from making the shift. I materialized in the alley down the side of the building so as not to startle any humans passing by with my sudden appearance, although, knowing the way human minds worked, they’d probably rationalize it away.
Heat blasted my cool skin as I stepped into Lumiers, and the delicious aroma of coffee and cake hit my nostrils. The damn place was edible, and I could spend hours in here gorging on Leana’s delicacies and reading magazine after magazine.
Speaking of the talented owner. “Hey, sexy.” I raised a hand in greeting.
Leana looked up from the newspaper she was reading and hopped off the stool she’d been perched on behind the counter. I’d gotten used to how she looked, but every now and then I was struck by how pink she was—skin, hair, lips, and lashes all pink—and how beautiful.
Allowing the door to close behind me, I headed over to her.
Leana slid a plate with two brownies on it across the counter. “I’ll bring your hot chocolate over in a minute.”
She knew what I liked. In fact, she knew what everyone wanted when they stepped through the doors. It was her gift.
I veered toward my regular spot by the window on autopilot and froze in my tracks.
Keith looked up at me with a startled expression, and then his attention flicked to the brunette opposite him.
His date.
He was on a date.
Cool.
He was sitting at my regular table.
Not so cool.
“Cora, hi,” he said.
The woman twisted in her seat to look at me. I recognized her as Bethany from admin at the Magiguard offices.
She gave me a thin smile. “Oh, hello. We didn’t know you came here.” She said it as if insinuating they would have avoided the place otherwise.
I returned her smile with a thin one of my own. “It is the only outlier café in Necro City.”
She nodded. “Yeah, yeah, of course.”
She looked at me as if I was someone to be pitied, and it hit me that Keith had told her. He’d told her about our shitty date and Jasper. My stomach knotted, and annoyance flared in my chest. I was too fucking old for this shit.
Keith’s gaze kept flicking over my shoulder as if he was looking for someone… Wait. Was he looking for Jasper?
“He’s not here, Keith.”
Keith blinked and nodded. “Of course. It’s warded. It’s safe.”
How could I have ever thought Keith was a fuckbuddy candidate? I mean, I had standards. The man attached to the cock I chose to ride needed to have some balls.
He reached across the table and patted the brunette’s hand. “It’s warded,” he said again.
“Urgh. Fucksake, Keith. Grow a pair.” I turned on my heel and headed back to the counter.
Leana already had a paper bag ready for my brownies, and the hot chocolate was in a takeaway cup.
“Love you,” she said, then she leaned in. “Want me to pee in his mocha?”
“Nah, he’s not worth it, babe.”
I headed out the door. So far, no guy was.
“What about this one?” I set a large black shoulder bag on the bed. “Is that comfy?”
Wren eyed the bag. He moved closer and sniffed it, and then he opened it and pushed his head inside.
He jerked back out, eyes wide. “Dark inside.”
“I know, but you can ride with your head out.”
He looked wary.
Okay, maybe asking him to ride in a bag to the pack house wasn’t the best idea. He’d been caged for so long.
“It’s fine. It’ll be dark out. I can wrap you in a blanket and carry you.”
I tugged on my boots, four-inch heels but super comfy with a customized sheath for Trixie, my handy dagger, because you never knew.
Dean, my not-ex, had been good for one thing other than breaking my heart. He’d taught me to fight, hand to hand, blade to blade, and win. Right now, with the amulet muting my powers, Trixie was an insurance policy.
I adjusted my jacket and studied myself in the full-length mirror. I’d pulled my golden hair back into a low ponytail and added some dangly earrings, a little blush, and mascara. I didn’t do make-up, but we were having supper at the pack house, which meant Dean would be there, and Dean and I… We had a little history, and although he wasn’t my ex, he was as close to an ex as I was going to get, so, yeah, I wanted to look hot.
I held out my arms to Wren. “Shall we?”
He leaped onto me and scrambled up to sit on my shoulder. Despite his chunky appearance, he was light. Mainly all fur. I barreled down the steps, grabbed my bag, and yanked open the door, ready to head out when my phone rang shrilly in my pocket.
I eyed the caller ID. Elijah? “Hey.”
“Cora, where are you?” he asked.
“At home. Why?”
“Stay put. Do not go anywhere. I’ll be with you in less than an hour.”
“What? I can’t—”
“Just do as I say!” He hung up.
I stared at the phone, then at the door, then back at the phone. As a rule, I didn’t always do as I was told, but there was something in Elijah’s tone—urgency and desperation—that had me shutting and locking the door.
“Are we not going out?” Wren asked.
I shook my head and dialed Fee.
“Cor, where are you?” she asked.
“I’m still at home.”
“Well, jump your ass over here, babe. I’m making cocktails.”
Yeah, I needed to fill her in on the whole amulet muting my powers deal. God, I wanted to be with her so bad it was an ache in my chest.
“I got to wrap up something first. but I’ll be with you in about an hour?”
“Is everything okay?”
I could tell her about Elijah’s call, and she’d be here in a blink, but I didn’t want to ruin her night. Besides, he hadn’t said I was in any danger, just to keep my ass put.
“I’m solid, babe. I’ll fill you in when I get there.”
“You’d tell me if something was wrong, wouldn’t you?”
“Course I would. Fuck, Fee, you’re getting paranoid in your old age. Go chill. I’ll be there soon, and I have a surprise for you.”
“Ooo, I love surprises.”
“See you soon.” I hung up and caught Wren staring at me. “What?”
“Cora lied.”
“I did not.”
“Wren can taste it. It’s bitter.”
I hadn’t lied. I was fine.
I was.
Wren’s stomach grumbled. Bloody hell, I’d fed him less than a half-hour ago. He looked up at me with puppy eyes.
“Come on, I’ll make you a sandwich.”