The bicycle tires bumped along our rocky stone driveway, a path I had walked down a million times. Riding into town was just easier, and it usually only took about ten minutes. I just might make it in time, which would be a good first impression. Whoever this guy was, we were going to be seeing each other a lot, and starting out on the right foot would set the stage going forward.
Thankfully, most of the ride was a straight shot, so I didn’t need to worry about going uphill. This body is not about that type of life. I was curvier than your average woman, but that was just my build. I was in shape since gardening outside and doing most of my own home improvement projects kept me fit enough. Squats were something I had a love-hate relationship with, but with squatting being a near-constant gardening maneuver, my ass and thighs were thicccc. Yes, with four c’s.
I assumed the renter was coming in from Portage Falls, one of the closest areas with more business opportunities than my small town of Emerald Lakes. It was about ten hours south, and I'd only ever heard of the place. I had never actually set foot more than twenty miles outside of Emerald Lakes. In fact, I’d never felt the need or the urge to. When I’d taken my mastery classes, I attended a university that was only ten miles from the cottage. I’d also commuted to save money and so I’d be able to help Gran with the upkeep around our sizable property.
The wind picked up then, blowing my hair off of my neck and breathing life into my body. I loved everything about being outside; I was a green witch, after all. Deriving my power from the earth and the sunlight, I was able to create vegetation and other natural growing items, like crystals and moonstones. The sun’s rays hit my skin, sinking down to my bones, and I groaned. The feeling of my muscles being energized by the glorious golden orb was intoxicating. Nothing like that first blast of vitamin D in the morning to set you up for a fantastic day. My mind thought back to Gran’s tarot reading. It seemed the stars felt I might be getting some of the more fun vitamin ‘D’ soon. I fucking wish.
Entering the downtown area, the road gave way to a designated bike path. Moving my bicycle onto the smoother asphalt, the ding of a bike bell drew my attention to the opposite side of the road.
“Hi, Saige! Hi, Maven!” a cute, tiny voice squealed, and Mr. Grumpy Fluff let out a low growl, not bothering to raise his head in acknowledgment. Ignoring him, I slowed to a stop and greeted the seven-year-old blonde across the street.
“Hi, Anna!” I called back, waving to her and her mother before adding, “Come by the shop later. We have a fresh batch of basil and the moonstones that you asked about last week, Miranda.”
“Sure thing, girl. There’s a reason you’re everyone’s favorite magic shop owner in Emerald Lakes!” Miranda gave me a wink and a smile as she began walking again with Anna pedaling in front of her.
Ha. I’m the only magic shop owner in Emerald Lakes. But yeah, I’m pretty awesome. All the asspats for me.
Miranda was my only friend who still lived in town; everyone else had left for one reason or another: schooling, careers, marriage, or just craving a change of scenery. She and I had grown up together, and it never mattered how many days went in between us texting or seeing one another. It always felt like we could pick right up where we had left off. I didn’t know what it was like to have a sibling, but I’d imagine it would be like my bond with Miranda.
A loud rumble came from behind me, and I swiveled on my seat to see who would be driving so loudly through downtown. Oh hell, a moving truck with the words ‘Get Your Move On’ sprawled across the side barreled past me. A colorful tattooed arm was hanging out of the window, and I glanced up, my gaze connecting with a pair of emerald eyes. It was like time slowed to a crawl, and I couldn’t bring myself to look away. Who the hell is that guy? The truck passed me, and I sped up, curiosity taking over. Is that my tenant?
My shop was sandwiched in between two other businesses. To the left was Mr. Vladescu’s crystal shop, and to the right was a bookstore that was owned by Madame Winston. I lifted my hand in greeting toward Mr. Vladescu who was just opening up for the day. Being such a small town, we were able to keep pretty cushy hours, most businesses opening between 9:30am and 10:00am.
Slowing to a stop, I hopped off my bike in a practiced move and walked it the rest of the way to the bike rack, no need for a chain since crime was basically nonexistent here. It was hard to get away with anything illegal when the town’s residents had likely watched you grow up and knew where you lived. Maven leapt fluidly out of the basket and into my waiting arms. Frank and Arlo were already at work, stocking the produce stands in front of the large picture window that looked into The Pig. Green ivy climbed to the roof and blended beautifully with the deep red bricks that housed my livelihood. A continuous beeping alerted me that the moving truck was backing into the alley beside our row of shops, and I quickly ran inside to grab the keys for the upstairs apartment.
The dark hardwood floors creaked as my favorite flats quickly flew across the boards, my left hand trailing along the smooth twenty-foot-long wooden bar that I used as my sales counter. Floor to ceiling shelves lined the entire wall behind the bar. Having such a perfect setting for it, I’d enlisted Frank and Arlo’s help to set up a mixing station so that I could whip up different elixirs, tonics, and potions for customers as needed. Once a month, I hosted ‘Witching Hour,’ an event that nearly the whole town attended. I ran specials on different items and mixed up magic shots, always a big hit.
With a quiet yip and eager squirm, Maven jumped from my arms, running straight to the back of the shop where I kept his food and water bowls. Figuring the keys were likely in the spelled safe we kept under the counter, I ducked down and unlocked it with a flick of magic, the safe recognizing me and popping open. The bell that was attached to the front door began to chime, announcing a customer, or in this case, a tenant. Sensing their magic immediately, the hair on my arms stood straight up. It felt like fingers reaching out to me, seeking, caressing, and I hadn’t even seen these people yet. They must be really fucking powerful.
“Just one minute! Grabbing the keys...” My hands wrapped around the keyring, and I’d just spelled the lock when a thump sounded from the bar top, jerking my head up. When a face appeared right above me, I startled, releasing a shriek and falling backward onto my ass. A smiling man stared down at me, his almond-shaped eyes sparkling like onyx. Jet black hair fell playfully over his eyes, and his mischievous grin only served to spotlight his defined high cheekbones. Beautiful.
“Kaito, don’t scare the poor girl,” a deep voice chastised.
The man above me, who I assumed was Kaito, gave me a sheepish look. He still had a playful glint in his eye as he said, “Sorry, didn’t mean to spook you. This is a really cool shop.” Disappearing momentarily and just as quickly reappearing beside me, he held out his hand to pull me up. I grasped it and was instantly propelled upward, the momentum had me putting my palms out and catching myself on his chest.
“Hi, I’m Kaito, but you can call me Kai.” He looked down at me and canted his head to the left, a move that instantly struck me as animalistic in nature, reminding me so much of Maven when he was studying something. His hands were wrapped around my wrists, barely an inch of space between our bodies. I knew I should back up, but my brain felt like sludge and my feet wouldn’t listen. My heart was pounding so hard I wondered if he could hear it. Kai exhaled.
“Actually, you can call me whatever you want...” My eyes rounded when his grip tightened on my arms as he leaned in slightly, effectively destroying the inch of space that had been between us, his nostrils flaring as he inhaled deeply.
“Kai.” That baritone voice from before broke the spell like a splash of cold water in my face. I pulled my hands from his grasp and took a step back, smoothing the front of my shirt down just to make sure I wasn’t showing any skin.
We both looked to the front of the store, but the morning sun was shining brightly through the window, and all I could make out was a large, dark silhouette that was illuminated
with golden rays. Turning back to Kai, I stuck my hand out to him. “Welcome to Emerald Lakes, I’m Saige. I’m not usually this clumsy, but I’ve only had one cup of coffee this morning, and my gran only let me know about your arrival approximately twenty minutes ago. She owns the apartment, but she’s old and really fucking nuts, and I’m rambling, so can you just shake my hand now?” My mouth was going a mile a minute, but he just grinned at me with a blindingly perfect smile.
Now that I was no longer pressed against him, his eyes rapidly dropped from mine to my feet and then back. I wore a black shirt that said I hope thistle cheer you up and a pair of skinny jeans. A laugh broke free from his throat as he took my hand and pulled me close to him once again. I swear to gods, I stopped breathing.
“I love your shirt,” he said as he leaned down to put his mouth next to my ear. “The answer is yes, by the way,” he added softly, which caused my brows to furrow in confusion. With another flash of that blinding grin, he explained, “It did cheer me up.”
It appeared that we had a Grade A flirt here.
Back away, Saige. Red alert. No, vagina, do not do that zingy thing. Looks like another night of digging around in my nightstand to see which electric weapon, I mean TOY, will be pleasuring me.
Problem was that everyone in this town knew everyone, and it was no secret how my old relationship had fared. Most had been extremely supportive, but you always had those people, the ones who made excuses for men who got off on preying on women. At this point, there honestly wasn’t anyone in town I was interested in, so my toys and I were quite well acquainted.
A deep throat clearing made me jump, breaking the intense eye contact between myself and Kaito. He held onto my hand, gently tugging me around the corner of the bar and up to the front of the shop.
“Saige, this is my best friend, Cam. Cam, this is Saige,” Kai sing-songed.
I pulled my hand out of Kaito’s and giggled. What the fuck was that? Taking Cam’s offered hand, I tilted my head up to look at him. By the moon, this one is a giant of a man. Light brown hair with glittering strands of gold was twisted up into a topknot on his head. The arm that was extended toward me was covered in colorful rune tattoos. This is moving van man. My stomach bottomed out when our hands connected; it felt like an electric current was moving through my bloodstream, tethering me to him. His piercing emerald green eyes were staring at me so intensely I could feel my blush darken at least seven shades. I probably looked like a fucking strawberry. Be cool, Saige. I pulled my hand back, flipped my hair over my right shoulder, and put my hand on my hip. No, do the other hip. This feels off, switch back. Yes. That’s the pose of power. Now hit him with the scrutinizing stare from hell.
“Hello, Saige,” he rumbled. A delicious shiver worked its way through my body. “Do you have the lease agreement and keys so we can start moving in as soon as possible? I’m feeling a storm coming in later this afternoon, and this hair cannot handle that type of abuse.” He winked at me when he said this, and I nodded at him like a bobblehead doll.
Laughter came from beside me, and my brain caught up with what I was doing. Gods dammit! There goes my authoritative stance.
“Oh! Yes, forgive me. So, my gran was um… not forthcoming at all regarding who was going to be renting, so which one of you is our new tenant?” I drew out the question while pointing between the two men.
My inner witch was jumping up and down, rolling around on the floor, laughing maniacally, and doing hip thrusts. Please just let it be one of them, please just let it be one of them.
“Actually, it's me, Cam, Sloane, and Fischer.” Kai smirked, the cocky twist of his lips saying he knew exactly what I’d been repeating in my head.
Well, poop sticks. I’m fucked.
“What the fuck are they doing in there?” Fischer groaned, clearly ready to get settled in the apartment upstairs.
“Did you not see that curvy redhead that ran into the shop right before we parked the van?” I raised an eyebrow as he looked at me, realization dawning on his face.
He shook his head and a grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Goddammit, Kai.”
Goddammit, Kai was right. Dude would flirt with a toad if it so much as glanced in his direction.
I stretched down to touch my toes and then reached up to the sky as far as I could to really stretch my muscles. “I’m just glad to be out of that metal box for more than a piss and a Slim Jim at some shitty gas station.”
We had driven for ten hours straight from Portage Falls. Thankfully, we were used to being constantly on the move, and this apartment came furnished, so we wouldn’t need to put down any real roots. The moving truck was mainly a cover; the only things we were hauling in it were our duffel bags and four motorcycles that we’d use to get around this country ass town.
Fish hummed in agreement as he reached into his back pocket and pulled out his phone. His thumbs flew across the screen, likely texting Larson to let him know we had arrived.
Studying the picturesque town I was going to have to live in for the foreseeable future, my mind wandered back to our team’s discussion with the CEO of Radical Incorporation, Khol Larson. We had been working for his company for about ten years now. They were a prestigious conglomerate in the magical world, offering first-class training to any witch or mage, no matter their affinity. You could enter their training program straight out of high school, and two years later, you were considered a badass in your specific area of magic. Most trainees opted to accept employment with Radical since it meant they’d get first dibs on new positions.
On the surface, Radical Inc. looked like any other mega company that raked in millions, except we catered to the magic community. If you needed specific marketing for your business? Radical had you covered. Your mage wand wasn’t making the magic happen in the bedroom anymore? Radical had a fully functioning and extensive magical hospital facility. You were being a fuck head and caught the attention of Khol Larson? Well, that was where we came into the picture.
My team moved in the darkness, silent and deadly. Confidentiality and secrets were our specialties. We were spies, assassins, operatives; we did it all. Whatever you wanted to call us, one simple fact remained: you did not want to see us showing up in your bedroom in the dead of night or cornering you in a dark alley on your walk home from the office. My face was the last thing so many scumbags had seen before they left this sad plane of existence.
We were the elite, and after ten years, our group was the alpha team. The biggest, baddest, most-qualified team that Radical had ever seen. We were the top-rated team in everything from dispatching rogue demons to rescuing kidnapped humans from the hands of sick fucks involved in the skin trade. Our success rate was higher than any two units combined; every day was an adventure and another opportunity for me to be the best. So yeah, looking around at this fucking Sleepy Hollow-looking place, my blood was not pumping. The fuck had Larson been thinking by sending us here?
Yesterday, when he’d tasked us with this mission, I’d crossed all of my fingers and toes, hoping that something exciting would happen here.
“Gentlemen.” Larson’s deep voice boomed across the conference room as he swept through the doorway. Our spines immediately straightened, all of us focusing intensely on the dominating man who was our boss. He was sharply dressed in an expensive as fuck, hand-tailored, three-piece navy suit. His dark hair was slicked back and combed to the left side, leaving his soul-penetrating gaze to make you feel like you were a ten-year-old shithead again.
“Thank you for agreeing to meet with me on such short notice. I trust you’re all rested up after the flight back from China?”
We each gave a short nod, not bothering to speak. Larson wasn’t interested in our answer; this was just for show.
“Have a seat,” he offered after taking his place at the head of the conference table, his hard expression making the sharp lines of his features even more intense.
Cam took the seat to Larson’s right, and Fischer sat beside Cam. Mov
ing to the other side of the table, I took a seat to Larson’s left with Kai plopping down beside me. We always sat like this, even at a restaurant or eating dinner at home. Routine and structure, that was what our lives were. Plus, this particular arrangement left our dominant hands available to pull a gun or knife with the highest probability of hitting a threat.
“I called you all here to brief you on your next assignment,” he began. I looked across the table to Cam and saw his brow crease before he smoothed out his expression. We had never once gotten an assignment from anyone other than Johnny. He had been our handler since day one, and his lack of involvement had me even more on edge. What the fuck was going on?
“This is a covert mission. The only people aware of the details are the five of us sitting in this room, and I expect it to remain that way. As far as Johnny is concerned, I’m sending you all on a well-deserved vacation.” He paused a moment, jaw ticking and fingers strumming on the smooth, shiny surface before him. Larson wasn’t a man prone to misgivings, so the fact that we were witnessing this hesitancy in a man who could effortlessly lock his emotions down told me that whatever he was going to say was of great importance. My heart began galloping in my chest, adrenaline already firing throughout my body at the mere thought of an exciting assignment. This was the kind of shit I lived for. The thrill of the hunt, the high of solving puzzles and mysteries, the glory of it all... balm to my black soul.
The tapping ceased, and his shoulders squared. “For twenty-seven years, I’ve been searching for a ghost. Or she might as well be. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve had her location pinned down through CCTV. An ATM camera here, a traffic camera there. She stole something from me all of those years ago, and it is imperative that I find this woman. Details of what was taken are not important at this time, just that you locate and detain her until you can bring her to me. She has things she needs to answer for, and I will not stop until she is tied down to a chair in our containment center, and I’ve bled the truth from her evil fucking body.” Larson took a moment to stare down each of us, vehemency rising with every word that spilled from his mouth. Whoever this bitch was, she was in for a world of fucking pain. Goddamn.
The Magic of Discovery: Emerald Lakes Book One Page 2