The Voodoo King’s earthy laugh reached me when I hummed against his chest, squeezing him. Uncle kissed my temple, pulling away too soon. “Don’t drain me now.”
I chuckled, looking into his unusual yellow eyes. They were almost feline, creating a startling contrast with his bronzed skin and the white vest and trousers he wore—no shirt, just a blatant display of firm muscles. He was handsome with a capital H. An aged hottie. Much like wine, he only got better with age.
Not that I knew much about wine, I was a beer kind of girl. Except for margaritas, tequila was freaking awesome.
“Can you stop charming the child, and console me instead?” Mother interrupted, though her voice held traces of amusement as she stopped by her bed, eliciting a naughty grin from Evhan. “That is why you are here, isn’t it?”
“Of course. But what can I say, ma cherie? The ladies love me.”
“I wonder why,” she pondered, placing a challenging hand on her waist.
“It will be my pleasure to show you.”
Winking at me, the Voodoo King turned in his snakeskin boots, resting the ivory-carved skull of his obsidian cane against the wall. Long fingers graciously removed his top hat—crocodile teeth and a black feather adorned it—and placed it over the bedside table. The light from the chandelier slightly reflected off his smoothly shaved head as he strutted towards her.
Alluring eyes bore into my mother’s, and the moment he reached her, his right hand tugged at her waist, bringing her into his arms passionately. His lips closed over hers.
“Aaand… that’s my cue. I’m leaving before you two smoke up the house with your hotness.” I turned towards the door while Evhan chuckled, but I still caught a glimpse of Mother’s arms wrapping around his neck.
“Whatever you are up to, remember to be wicked and have fun,” my uncle stated, and I smiled, looking at them over my shoulder. He was so awesomely weird.
“And don’t forget, Child. The best experiences are born from the dark,” Mother added.
“Wait, mon trésor,” Evhan called while I opened my portal. I fully faced them just as he lifted a hand and blew smoke towards me.
The black and yellow smoke snakes coiled around my head, and I heard a crackling sound. A small gasp left me when the flamingo shade began to evaporate from my hair, leaving dark brown waves with a few gold strands weaved in between.
“I hope you weren’t fond of the pink. It’s not your color,” he concluded, resolute.
A full grin captured my lips. “That’s what I keep telling people.”
With a last wink from him, I turned and crossed the portal, leaving them to enjoy each other’s company.
I was in the middle of enjoying an all-out women’s brawl at the bridal boutique, as they fought for a Vera Wang $99 sale wedding dress, when the side of my leather jacket tingled. Reaching for the note materializing in my pocket, I gave the feral fight my back.
“Bonfire night. Winter Island, Waikiki Beach.
Now.
S.C.”
About time. My lips stretched into a wicked grin after reading Sariah’s note.
It had been a week since Mother’s magick was blocked by the Sapphire Witch, and I desperately needed a change of scenery. She tried everything under the moon to break the damn necklace to no avail, and I couldn’t stand her temper anymore. Half the house was destroyed, and I had no idea how my uncle stuck around for so long. How could he still be with her when she was like this? Love? Perhaps. In truth, he was the only reason the other half of the house was still standing.
The note burnt into thin air just as a chair flew over my head and smashed into the boutique’s window, shattering it instantly. I turned to see the salesgirl trying to protect the one-of-a-kind, off the runway gown from the savages around her, but one woman had sunk her claws into that dress like it was the last man alive and she was in heat.
Triumphantly, she stood with the wedding gown and ran to the cash register, ready to claim her prize. Her blouse was ripped, her face scratched and hair disheveled, she was limping, and I was pretty sure the dress wasn’t even her size, but she clung to it for dear life.
Lifting my hand, I watched the fire portal open before me. Joke was on her. The dress wasn’t even on sale, it was actually $15,000, but my glamour was clouding their vision. A horrified scream left her when my magickal mist released them and she was asked to pay… I laughed, crossing the portal.
The cool breeze reached my skin the moment I stepped onto the beach. My boots were off the next instant, and my eyes fell closed when the electrifying energy of Mother Earth jumped from the fresh sand and into my body.
Perfect.
The beach was my happy place.
Animated chatter and laughter reached me, and I lifted my eyelids to find a group of people a few yards away, close to the lighthouse. They sat around a large bonfire, listening to music while another group played volleyball on the other side.
“Amorah, over here!” Alysah eagerly called.
Nodding in greeting, I unhurriedly made my way towards them. My curious eyes roamed the scene before me while Thyler, Alysah’s boyfriend, stood beside her. His arm wrapped around her waist as she bounced to the rhythm of the song.
Whitewashed beach logs had been arranged into a circle on the sand, posing as seats for those who took in the warmth the fire provided, shielding them from the chilly night. It was the beginning of April, and the weather hadn’t quite warmed up yet. Channels were carved into the sand and filled with seawater, forming a large pentagram that connected the logs to three different sets of fires in its midst. Their flames moved hypnotically in the night with the breeze that swept through them.
Earth. Water. Fire. Air. All elements had been cleverly invoked, and that brought a smile to my face. It was the perfect place for conjuring.
My attention shifted to the left, to find Sariah cozily dancing with a guy I had only seen a few times before tonight. He was another one of Connhor Whyte’s best friends. A light Wizard. In fact, now that I focused on the people present, there were a lot of Light Bearers here—scratch that—everyone around me was a Light Bearer. Not a single Shadow Bringer in sight.
UGH. I seriously needed new friends.
“Did you really have to invite me to an all-white party?” I asked, pulling Sariah’s arm and interrupting her dance with Mr. Happy Hands.
She scoffed. “Rude much? You know, racism is so 1948.”
I smirked.
“Don’t worry. If you catch some kind of disease from us that tempts you to be good, I’ll punch you out of it. Or worse, if you die of boredom, I know a ridiculously hot Necromancer who can bring you back. You’ll be undead, but hey, at least you’ll be back.”
I gave her my best fake enthusiastic smile. “Fingers crossed!”
“You can’t win them all, woman.”
“Right,” I snorted.
The blond guy at her side chuckled at our banter, stepping closer. “Nice to meet you. I’m Dhylan.”
My eyes connected with his eerily bright green ones, and I instantly recognized who he was. The Harlequin Wizard. I had seen him around a couple of times when I met the girls outside the town hall, the entrance to their magick school. The Ἀρετή Conservatory of Occult Arts.
He leaned in as though to kiss my cheek, and I stepped out of his reach immediately. “What in the astral snake pits are you doing?” A healthy dose of attitude poured into my question while I stared at him.