He gestured toward the parking lot behind the aquarium, a building that gave me the heebie-jeebies whenever I deigned to get close enough. “Come on. My bike is over there. I’ll give you a ride back to the park.”
That sounded better than walking. “Okay.” I grinned as I studied his beard a bit closer. “You could use a shave.”
“And you could use a muzzle.”
“Yes, well ... .” Slowly, a chill ran up my spine. I looked to the water, searching for ... something. What, though? I couldn’t be certain. All I knew with any degree of certainty was that we were no longer alone.
Shadow didn’t notice. He continued babbling. “How long was that one here? You’ve kind of turned yourself into a one-woman welcoming committee with the ones who can’t survive. I think you’ve found your calling.”
I continued to stare at the river. The surface seemed to be circling about fifty feet off the shore. Whatever was watching us lurked beneath. I couldn’t break through the shields of its mind. I couldn’t see it.
Snapping fingers next to my ear drew my attention back to Shadow as I scowled. “What?”
“I was talking to you.” Amusement caused his lips to quirk. “Where was your head just now?”
“I was … thinking.”
“Well, think about me. I said I’d buy you lunch for your good deed. Don’t tell the others. I don’t have enough to cover them.”
“You don’t have to buy me lunch,” I said quickly.
“I want to buy you lunch.” There was sadness in his eyes. “You did a good thing today, and it wasn’t easy. You saved that girl’s life. I think that deserves a lunch.”
Who was I to argue? “I want fries and a coney.”
“Of course you do.” He slung a friendly arm over my shoulders. “Come on. Coneys it is.”
I risked one more glance at the water. The creature — or whatever it was — remained. I had no idea what it was, but the danger it presented was obvious. I could only hope it would leave. Whatever it was, I didn’t want to fight it. I wasn’t sure I could beat it.
“How about some chocolate cake, too?” Shadow suggested. “You can get buzzed on sugar before going back.”
This time my smile was legitimate. “You know the best way to my heart.”
One
Present Day
“I’m completely over men.”
Luke Bishop, my best friend, made the announcement from the backseat of my boyfriend Kade’s truck as we stared out at the pristine waters that surrounded Charleston.
“I’m completely with you on that,” Kade drawled from the driver’s seat. His gaze was on the busy traffic, but he appeared amused by the conversation.
“Me too,” I teased, grinning at my boyfriend. He was in a flirty mood and had been making eyes at me during our drive from West Virginia. I had no doubt that if Luke hadn’t been with us that we would’ve delved into innuendo and maybe a bit of heavy petting by now. Luke’s presence didn’t permit that.
“You love men,” Kade countered, shaking his head. “If I’m not mistaken, you love one man above all others.”
“Yeah,” Luke agreed, leaning forward to rest his elbows on our seats. “Me. I’m her favorite man.”
“No, you’re not.” Kade made a face at Luke’s cheeky grin. “I’m her favorite man. We both know it’s true.”
“Um ... we don’t know it.” Luke’s favorite activity was irking others. He was good at it. He made a special effort with Kade, because my boyfriend was such an easy mark. Kade knew he wasn’t in competition with Luke. We were friends and nothing more. That didn’t mean Luke couldn’t send him around the bend with a single statement ... or look. It was a game they both played, but only one of them continuously enjoyed it.
“Maybe Cole is my favorite guy,” I suggested, opting to send the conversation in a completely different direction. “He is ridiculously good looking, and he has great taste in movies and music.”
Luke and Kade adopted twin looks of disgust.
“Three weeks ago you didn’t even like Cole,” Kade pointed out. “He can’t suddenly be your favorite.”
That was true, but given the way Cole was so good at irritating the men in my life, he was growing in my estimation of late. “Yes, but we figured out why that is,” I reminded him. “He’s an elemental. His powers rub my powers the wrong way. Now that I know I need to continuously shutter around him, life is good.”
Luke’s pout became more pronounced. “That’s easy for you to say. He’s not driving your truck ... with someone else riding shotgun.”
We were finally getting to the heart of matters. Under normal circumstances, Luke would be in a different vehicle for the trip between locations. Mystic Caravan Circus — where we all worked — was a well-oiled machine. Everyone involved with the day-to-day operations was responsible for certain tasks. Cole was a recent addition to our core group. He hadn’t yet decided his niche — other than annoying Luke — but he was a tremendous fighter with a great deal of magic at his disposal. He was invaluable to our other endeavor, which happened to be hunting monsters. His talents would eventually allow him to pick another job, one that fit seamlessly into the day-to-day operations of the circus, but we weren’t quite there yet. So far, he only knew he wanted to drive Luke’s truck. Because the two men were dating, Luke had no choice but to acquiesce, but he wasn’t happy about it. When Cole invited Naida and Nixie — our resident pixie twins — to ride with them and relegated Luke to the backseat, there had been an incident. That’s why we were now stuck with Luke.
“Have you considered that he simply wants to get to know his new co-workers?” I asked. “He’s the new kid on the block. It only makes sense that he would want to forge some bonds.”
“He can forge bonds with people while I’m driving,” Luke argued. “In fact, it’s easier to forge bonds when you don’t have to focus on the road. I could’ve driven and he could’ve questioned the pixie twins to his heart’s content. He’s infatuated with them, quite frankly.”
I knew in my heart that Luke wasn’t jealous. Cole was clearly besotted with my best friend — to the point they were disgustingly cute — but there seemed to be a great deal of tension roiling beneath the surface. I figured it was my job to determine where it originated from.
“How was Cole’s trip home?” I asked, changing the subject. Cole had only recently rejoined our group after taking a side journey back to Cleveland to quit his job, say goodbye to his mother and pack up his old apartment.
“Fine,” Luke muttered, his gaze on the window as he folded his arms over his chest. His body language told me I was getting close to the root of his problems.
“Fine, huh?” I pursed my lips, debating. “Did he find a storage place for most of his stuff?”
“Yes.” Luke sulked even more than usual. “He rented a unit and paid for a full year.”
Was that what was bothering him? It seemed unlikely. “That’s practical,” I offered, keeping my voice even. “You guys haven’t been together all that long. Cole is pretty easygoing and seems to fit seamlessly into our lives, but not everybody is geared toward life on the road.” I hesitated before pushing forward. “It’s possible he might decide he needs a permanent address.” I knew it wasn’t what Luke wanted to hear, but it needed to be said. “You can’t hold it against him that he doesn’t want to give up all his stuff when he’s not certain things will work out.”