Betrayed (Keeper of the Flame Book 3)

by Lila Kane

  Granted, he hadn’t betted on a ghost witch from the past getting involved, but still. It was his job and he hadn’t done it all the way.

  “It’s not your fault,” Myra said, leaning across the counter like she was going to touch his arm.

  He straightened. No touching. He could only handle so much.

  Cheyenne cast him a strange look, but Myra didn’t seem to notice. She only turned back to the stove, snatched something off a tray and passed it to him. “Here, try this. It’ll make you feel better.”

  He stared at the garlic knot in his palm, exasperated and amused at the same time. “Are you one of those people who try to fix problems with food?”

  Myra laughed and nodded. “Yep.”

  He bit into the flaky roll and the spices hit his taste buds right away. It reminded him of being a kid. His mother used to try to fix problems with food, too. But his father had still messed it up.

  “This is really good,” he told Myra.

  She smiled. “Good. Now, don’t worry. Cheyenne’s right. We need to make a plan and you’ll see, it’ll work out.”

  He wished he could share some of her same optimism, but she was right about the food. It was helping. And for now, that was enough, because he didn’t have the energy to think about anything else.

  Myra was used to being alone, but when Cheyenne and Ryan left, she wasn’t sure she wanted to be. She’d gone to Paris on her own, moved to San Francisco all by herself and now, here, in Shadow Hill, with family close by for the first time in years, she felt alone.

  My walked to the windows in front and closed the blinds. It wasn’t going to keep anyone out if they wanted to come in, but Myra still dutifully locked up as well and made sure the grounds looked clear after the sun sank low behind the horizon.

  When her phone rang, she pulled it from her pocket and answered the call from Logan.

  “Everything okay there?” he asked.

  “It’s quiet.”

  “You can come here, stay with us tonight.”

  Myra wandered to the kitchen to refill her glass of wine. “No. I’ve had too much wine and you two need some space.”

  “We have plenty of space for you and I could come get you if that’s what it takes.”

  Myra laughed, setting the bottle aside and picking her glass up. “Three’s a crowd, haven’t you heard?”

  And she hated that trace of bitterness in her tone. It wasn’t aimed at Logan. It wasn’t meant for him at all. She was happy he’d found Willow. It was crazy and spontaneous, but she’d never met two people who were better suited to each other.

  Which was exactly what she wanted for herself. She’d spent too much time being sick and chasing cures and letting life slip from her grasp. Now that she was healed, she wanted everything. She wanted a job and love and friends and a home. Not necessarily in that order. In fact, not in any order. She wanted all of it right now.

  But that was asking a lot of fate–especially since she’d already changed it. Better to take one thing at a time and appreciate what she already had.

  “You’re still welcome here,” Logan said, his voice low.

  “No, I’m fine. Really. Take care of Willow. She’s had a rough day. And things are probably going to get harder before they get easier.”

  He sighed, sounding weary himself. “Yeah, that’s what I’m afraid of.”

  “I’ll be fine here. Call me tomorrow. I’m going to see if I can help Cheyenne, too, since we need to find a spell.”

  “Good. Okay, let me know if…you know…”

  If Kane came back. That asshole. He was supposed to be their family but he was just out for himself.

  “I will,” Myra assured him.

  She ended the call and paused next to the island to push in the chairs from dinner earlier. She shouldn’t feel too bad for herself. She had friends here already. Willow and Cheyenne. Even Ryan–though he didn’t seem too interested in being her friend.

  She got it. She was a vampire, he was a shapeshifter–they weren’t exactly the best match for friends. At least in this town. But to her, he was just a steady albeit haunted man who needed this group of friends as much as she did. And he wasn’t bad looking either.

  In fact, he was really hot. And Logan would probably kill her if she kept looking Ryan’s way, but that was his problem. He couldn’t be the only one happy, or at least getting some, around here. Sure, Ryan probably wouldn’t have the time of day for her. And he was kind of moody.

  But a girl could dream, right?

  Taking her wine with her upstairs, Myra grabbed a book off her nightstand and tried as best as she could to forget about the spell and Kane and especially hot shapeshifter, Ryan.