by Cherie Marks
I had my own weaponry though. “I’ll take an ice water and the appetizer sampler too.”
As the waitress walked away, I received a few low boo’s and jeers at my battle tactic, but I just raised an eyebrow at them. “What? I haven’t eaten dinner yet. Thought I’d get a little something in my stomach before you guys grill me about whatever it is you think you know. The CIA should totally hire Celia. She’s clearly an expert with the techniques to loosen the tongue.”
Everyone dissolved in laughter, and the tension seemed to melt away, or at least to move to the backburner where I hoped it stayed.
“Besides, I came to talk about the total rookie class of teachers. Is there any potential in the whole group of them?”
“Mmm, I’m kind of beginning to like Fritzy.”
“Who’s Fritzy?”
Selena settled her chin in her hand and smirked, “It’s what Celia’s calling Mr. Frederick lately. He has no idea what to make of her.”
The next hour felt like nothing had changed between us, and I loved the ease of hanging out on a Friday night with a group of friends. This was one of the things I’d miss most if I moved on, or if I failed miserably and got locked up for eternity by Baba Yaga.
I really didn’t want to think about that, and with the mellowness of Friday evening flowing, I took a third tequila shot. I wasn’t feeling the effects too much as I leaned in to take a sip from my water glass. I decided I should probably stick to water from this point on when, over the rim of my glass, I spied the familiar stride of Dane Calvin coming our way. Shit! Shit! Fricking shit!
“Here he is! Our fearless leader decided to join us. Look, Evie. Mr. Calvin’s here.”
It wasn’t my imagination that every person at the table was looking back and forth between Dane and me, most likely to witness any strange reactions either of us betrayed. Now, my head began to swim, and I couldn’t tell if it was because of the situation or the alcohol in my system. Didn’t really matter though. I was screwed either way. Might be about time to cut and run.
I groaned as Dane unwittingly made things worse by walking up behind me and putting a hand on each of my shoulders, holding me in place.
I felt the vibration of his voice down my back and barely suppressed a shiver as he said, “Figured I better take advantage of your invitation before we get too far into the school year, and you stop extending them.”
The table exploded in laughter, and I felt my irritation rise because I knew what they were really up to. They hadn’t invited Dane to be friendly to him. It was all tactical, and my heart broke a little as I realized a sad truth. Sure, they’d circled around me when I was one of the newbies at school last year, but in this moment, finding out what I’d been hiding from them was more important than I was. And yet, I couldn’t call them on it, or they’d never let it drop.
“Pull up a chair, Mr. Calvin.”
He seemed reluctant to pull his hands away from me, but finally walked to an empty table and grabbed a seat, placing it next to mine. Way to not be obvious!
“Dane. Please, just call me Dane.”
“Okay, Dane. So, now that you’ve been here a few weeks, what do you think of our little town, Dane?” Celia’s question seemed harmless enough. Yet, she reminded me of a predator, readying for an attack.
The waitress arrived in time to bring another round of shots, but I didn’t dare pick up another one, even when Celia put it right in front of me. Instead, I reached past it for my water and stared at her the entire time I drank from my glass.
Dane placed an order for a beer, and the air around the table seemed to deflate a little.
“Don’t you want to take a few shots with us?” Celia really was trying to work things to her advantage, and I was getting fed up with it.
“Nah. Not a fan. Just put a beer in my hand, and I’m a happy man. But to answer your earlier question, I don’t think I’ve been anywhere else in the world that’s quite like this town. The beauty of the landscape is only matched by the crazy of the people.”
Again, everybody reacted with laughter, and even I let a smile slip onto my lips. He wasn’t wrong. That was for sure.
“Was it difficult to leave your other school?”
He laughed and shook his head as the waitress set his beer in front of him and walked away. He took a drink and after he swallowed, explained, “It was a good time to leave. I’d done all I could do there and needed to move on.”
Liz piped up, “Well, we’re lucky to have you. I think Evie is especially glad you came to our beloved Asscrack, West Virginia. Aren’t you, Evie?”
As I stared at the faces around the table, I felt sick to my stomach. I didn’t know whether it was the potato skins, the tequila, or the anxiety swirling like a tornado in my mid-section, but I didn’t like it. They all looked at me expectantly. I even felt Dane’s heavy gaze peering at me from the side. I couldn’t take it anymore.
I practically jumped off the chair and edged behind it. “Um…I need a potty break.”
Without waiting for anyone to react, I squeezed my way through the growing crowd and made a straight line for the front door. Though I didn’t plan on actually leaving the place, I needed some fresh air, and I needed it now.
The minute the cool, evening air hit my face, I felt immediately better. It had been so stuffy inside, I was struggling to pull a deep breath into my lungs. Now, my head started to clear, and my stomach stopped churning. It had just been too intense, and for the first time, I got a taste of what it was like to be on the outside of the Mounters. It didn’t feel good at all.
“Hey, homegirl. What was that all about?” Celia came through the door, sincere concern etched on her face. Was it real or just a façade? Maybe she did care about me. Of course, could also be she’d lost her entertainment when I left. Was that all I was to her? What if she didn’t like me at all? What if she’d never liked me?
Then again, why did it matter what she thought of me? It occurred to me that I might be relying on Celia’s approval a little too much. Maybe it was time I told her exactly what I thought.
“That wasn’t cool in there, Celia. You set me up. And not in a good way. As the butt of your joke.”
“What? Is that what you thought? No. We were just having fun.”
“At my expense. That’s not how friends treat each other. That’s not how you used to treat me. You’ve changed.”
She crossed her arms and lifted her chin. “Friends also don’t lie to each other and keep secrets from each other, especially when it involves their gorgeous boss.”
“Are you jealous? Because if you are, there’s absolutely nothing to be jealous of. You can have him if you want him.”
“Haven’t you noticed the way he looks at you? No one else has a shot with him. Besides, I’m thinking Fritzy might be more my type.”
I laughed but then sobered up quickly. This was exactly the problem and what I needed her to understand. “Celia, you should probably learn his actual name, and stop using your snarky sense of humor to push people away. There’s no reason not to get to know the guy, but if you’re mean to him, it’s going to go nowhere, just like all your other relationships. I don’t want that for you.”
“Well, aren’t you just the hooker with a heart of gold.”
“See! When I get too close, you push me away.”
All the tension left Celia’s face, and a sadness filled her eyes as she lowered her arms slowly. She dropped her gaze to the ground and a muscle in her jaw tightened. A good thirty seconds passed before she looked at me again. All traces of the regret she’d shown were gone. In its place was a hardened steel and a humorless smirk.
“I’m sure I’ve been a little hard on you, but it’s the only way you’re going to grow. It’s the only way you’re going to be a good, decent girl. It’s just my way.”
Outwardly, I tried not to react, but inside I was losing my shit. Her words were almost verbatim what Karrena had repeated to me over and over from the time she took me from that clea
ring until I left with Clooney at sixteen. Was Celia somehow connected to Karrena? It seemed unlikely, but what were the odds she’d spout the same exact drivel as the original brainwasher?
I was saved from addressing the awkwardness when Dane stepped outside. He took one look at my face, and said, “Bill’s paid. Not sure you’re in any shape to drive yourselves home. Happy to give you a ride.”
Celia took a step backward, toward the front door once more. “I’m not ready to go home yet, but looks like Evie is. Why don’t you take her home? I’m sure you know the way.”
She was gone before I could protest, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to be near her right now anyway. Though my first instinct was to call Arnie, Asscrack’s resident Uber driver, who I had on speed dial, I needed to talk over this new concern with Dane. Goddess, I hoped he knew what to do because right now, I didn’t know what the hell was going on, but it didn’t look good.
Chapter 10
With the lack of traffic this late, we made it to my house in a little less than fifteen minutes, but when we pulled into the driveway, we were still talking about Celia’s strange behavior. I’d explained how similar her message had been to Karrena’s constant rhetoric, and after admonishing me for leaving the house without him in the first place, he’d asked me several times to repeat what she’d said, which I did.
Once he parked, I opened my car door, and he did the same. I was a little surprised, but he rushed to the porch and began a chant under his breath. He was strengthening the protections on the house.
When he was finally done and standing to the left of my door, I pulled out my key and paused before using it. “It’s just so weird. Do you think Celia could have some tie to Karrena?”
“I don’t see how that’s possible. Karrena would’ve had to know where you were going to end up. How long has Celia been teaching at Mount Shelley?”
“She moved here eight years ago because of the job.”
“I don’t see how Karrena could orchestrate that. She would’ve had to plant Celia years ahead of time and somehow known you would end up in Asscrack. It just doesn’t make sense.”
My thoughts were straying as I stared up at him, and I couldn’t seem to make myself focus on the very serious situation that I needed to figure out. The sharp planes of his cheekbones were emphasized by the shadows of the night. Like a spotlight, a slice of moonlight cut across his lips, drawing my attention to how strong his mouth was, how powerful he was.
“You should really turn on a porchlight. Think more about your safety, Evie.”
“Yeah. I always forget when I leave during the daytime.”
He lifted a hand and pushed back a chunk of my long hair that had fallen over my shoulder, continuing to run the length of my arm until he held my hand in his. “I don’t think you should worry too much yet. It was probably just a strange coincidence, but just to be on the safe side, it might be best if you avoid being alone with Celia for a little while.”
“But she’s my best friend. She’s one of my favorite people to hang with.”
“Just until we know for sure.”
I liked the warmth of his hand, and he drove me crazy with a light back and forth touch of his thumb over my palm. I thought he might be having a hard time focusing, too.
“I love the color of your hair. It’s like midnight in a starless sky. And your eyes are like a crystal blue, like Caribbean water. It’s mesmerizing to look into them.”
For just a moment, heat filled my body, and I got the same sensation I experienced when doing magic. Only this time, Dane had all the power. It was heady, but at the same time scary as the realization of where this could be heading hit me.
Maybe it was the tequila talking. Maybe it was just me gaining some confidence. Maybe it was just having him here in the moonlight, feeling all the chemistry between us sparking in the air. But before I could stop myself, I asked, “Do you want to come inside?”
He didn’t answer with words, but as his lips descended quickly to mine. I closed my eyes and breathed in his scent, unable to get enough of him. Perhaps it was the pent-up desire we’d denied too long, but the kiss was not gentle as our mouths wildly searched out more contact again and again. I opened my mouth on a gasp as his hands wrapped around me and pulled me tightly against every hard inch of his hard body. Our tongues met, and I moaned in ecstasy at the sweet taste of his kiss. His hands lifted to sink into my hair and hold me still as he stole my breath completely.
With purposeful movements, he began to walk me backwards to lean against the door. He dropped his hands slowly to my wrists and lifted them above my head as he leaned against me and put his knee between my thighs. The wonderful friction made me want to take off my frickin’ pants to get even closer.
Out of nowhere, he bumped into me—hard—and pulled free from the kiss. “What the hell?”
He stepped back and turned first left, then right, trying to see over his shoulder. He began to stumble around, attempting to pull something off his back. As he turned, I finally saw some hobo purse-sized creature had attached itself to him just below the shoulder blades, but I couldn’t make out what exactly it was. I made a small sound of protest, but I didn’t know what to do. I could feel the warmth of my magic traveling down my arms, but I was beginning to panic. I didn’t want to hurt Dane.
Dane cried out, “Ow! Dufuq! Get off me!”
He twisted and turned as the creature emitted loud, screeching, growly sounds that I began to recognize. I‘d heard them before. I knew what this creature was suddenly, and as Dane lurched into the moonlight, my suspicious were confirmed.
“Clooney! Get off him!” I jumped and tried to pry him free. “Let him go! Right now, you stupid cat!”
Just as quickly as it started, it stopped, and Clooney jumped to the floorboards of the porch and looked at me with wide eyes full of confusion…and hurt.
Dane turned, legs and arms braced for further attack. His breathing was hard and heavy. When he saw what had attacked him, he straightened. “Son of a bitch! What the hell, cat?”
Clooney leaped up onto the porch railing and began grooming his mussed fur. He looked up finally as if to say “what?” And then sighed before resting his head on his paws and saying, “I thought he was attacking you. I did what came naturally, which was to protect you from what I thought was someone trying to kill you. The noises you were making weren’t helping matters either. Sheesh! Get a room next time, people,”
I blushed at his observation. I hadn’t held back at all, but I really hadn’t had a thought for anyone else who might overhear us.
“Don’t be so quick to jump first and ask questions later, cat.” This was Dane’s advice as he continued to stare hard at Clooney. I could only imagine what shape Dane’s scratched up back was in.
I rushed to Dane’s side and threw a disapproving look over my shoulder at my familiar, who clearly enjoyed this a little too much as he continued to lick his fur with a smile.
“Are you okay, Dane?”
“I’ll be alright. I know a healing witch I can go see. Zelda usually sticks to healing Shifters, but she might make an exception in my case.”
“Another witch?” I worked to keep the jealousy out of my voice, but I didn’t think I was very convincing. “Why do you have to go to another witch?”
“Don’t worry. She’s got a mate. And I wouldn’t risk my head being separated from my body to even flirt with her.” The knowing tilt of his smile told me he’d picked up on my jealous wariness.
“Oh, yeah. Of course. I wasn’t asking because of that.” I totally was. “I just hadn’t realized there were more witches here.”
“Um…tons of paranormal creatures live in Assjacket. It’s like a magnet for the supernatural. Can’t you feel the magic pulsing everywhere you go? That’s because there are so many beings letting their freak flags fly, all day, every day.”
I hadn’t even noticed. Maybe that was why I felt so comfortable here. It made sense to me now why I never wanted to leave. Bu
t why had I never noticed the other magical creatures around me? “I had no idea.”
To Dane’s credit, even with a look of intense pain on his face, he still managed to smile and smooth a hand over my cheek. “Let’s take the weekend off, pick back up on Monday, and next Saturday, I’ll come by around lunchtime and take you to meet a few more people like you. I just need to arrange it.”
“Will you be okay by then?”
He stepped away from me and started for the porch steps. He turned back once he was at the bottom. “Zelda can heal in an instant, but I might have to make it worth her while with a new pair of shoes or something. Just be ready Saturday around noon.”
I watched him go, slightly disappointed he hadn’t tried to kiss me one last time before he went, but then I reminded myself that that was a bad, bad way to be thinking right now. I should be focused on more important things than the way his ass looked so squeezable in the light of the moon. I leaned on the porch post and watched him walk away.
As much as I didn’t like how he’d done it, it was probably for the best that Clooney interrupted our wild make-out session. I honestly didn’t think I would’ve stopped until we’d taken things to an awkward, morning-after. Dane was my teacher and my boss, but with all of our close proximity and tantalizingly exposed skin, we were blurring the professional lines that we needed to maintain. No matter how badly I wanted to see him completely naked, it would only muck things up. I needed to concentrate on keeping myself safe and free. Not to mention, I had no choice but to save the frickin’ world apparently. Forces of evil…blah, blah, blah…and all the other stuff Dane kept yapping on and on about. How was I going to do that when my lips still tingled from his kiss?
I wasn’t. So, there could be no more. At least, not until after all this magic stuff settled down, and I felt confident once more to stay in one place for longer than the length of a season.
“Well, that was totally unexpected.”