by J. L. Weil
I was having a hard time seeing through the lustful haze Gavin had induced, but I groaned because he was right. As much as I really wanted kick this up to the next mind-blowing level, tonight wasn’t the night. I wanted to be fully aware of every moment, every touch, and every sensation. I wanted to treasure the memory. “I know,” I conceded, but it was hard to get my body to agree.
His eyes darkened to a color deeper than indigo. Voice thick, he said the words that made my heart jump into my throat. “I love you, Bri.”
I nestled my head on his shoulder, laying my hand over his heart. “I love you more,” I mumbled sleepily.
When I was in his arms, it was easy to convince myself that I was hopelessly in love with Gavin. Everything about our being together made sense and felt right—a perfect match.
Chapter 7
Valentine’s Day—barf.
I despise mushy holidays like this one. It was overrated and another excuse to spend money on crap I didn’t need. But for Mystic Floral, it was a jackpot—the busiest freaking day of the year. And I got to work an eight-hour shift. Go me. Good thing I didn’t have any hot plans with my boyfriend.
My cheeks flushed as I leaned on the glass counter, daydreaming about the things he had done with his hands last night. I think I spaced out because the next thing I knew, Aunt Clara was eyeing me over a banquet of long-stemmed roses, clearing her throat.
“Sorry?” I posed as a question, just in case I was in trouble.
She set the red buds aside, pulling out a pencil from behind her ear. “Bored?”
I shrugged. “Not really, just enjoying the quiet before the storm of chaos strikes.”
“Hmm. That reminds me. Only seven days to go. We need to take a quick inventory and make sure that we are fully stocked for next week.” The end of her pencil tapped on the counter.
I groaned. “Valentine’s sucks.”
She smiled softly at me. “Well, babe, the rest of the world adores love. And so do their wallets.”
I tucked my hair back. “Do you ever get sick of flowers?”
Running a finger along the sheen petals delicately, she got a wistful look. I guess I got my answer. “Honestly, I don’t. The running the business part, sure; it can be overwhelming at times. But the moment I shut myself in the back room and it’s just me and the sweet smell of freesia, tulips, and daffodils, I forget about everything else. It calms me,” she said.
“I need something like that in my life,” I mumbled.
“We all do. Don’t worry. I have every confidence that you will find what makes you happy.”
Maybe I already had. Using magic—the ocean—they gave me a tranquility I’d never felt. I must have gotten a goofy look on my face.
Aunt Clara laughed. “And I am not talking about a boy. No matter how magnificent his butt looks in jeans.”
I made a face. “Are we talking about you or me now?”
“Umm. I’m ninety percent sure we were talking about you,” she said.
Narrowing my eyes, I looked at her, really looked at her. Something was different. “Did you get your hair cut?”
“Maybe,” she replied, a hand smoothing down her long hair.
It also looked extra caramel-y. “And highlights? Geez, what’s the special occasion?”
She gave me a dry look even as her eyes shined.
“Oh. Is Chad taking you out for V-day?” I drew air-hearts when I said his name.
Aunt Clara giggled. She giggled!
Apparently someone had been struck by Cupid’s arrow—in a bad way. “Possibly,” she said, busying her hands with the roses.
I screwed up my face.
She shook her head, her hair falling over her shoulder. “How did I end up with such an anti-romantic niece?”
Leaning back on the stool, I replied, “It just seems like such a gigantic waste for one day. I don’t need flowers, chocolates, or candles to feel loved. You should be able to feel it in the little things that cost nothing. Like a hug or a kiss…”
This earned me a grin. “I see. So I can assume then that you and Gavin don’t have any romantic plans?”
I rolled my eyes. “I hope he saves us both the embarrassment.”
She flicked the end of my nose. “By the way, just so I know… have you and Gavin been doing a lot of, you know… kissing?”
My cheeks flamed an ungodly shade of red. “Ugh. We are not having this talk at work, are we?”
Grabbing a pair of shears from one of the drawers, she began to trim the stems off the roses. “Hmm. I guess not. So that is a yes?”
I dropped my head into my hands.
She laughed, turning around and leaning against the counter. “So I’ve been meaning to ask you how things are going with Gavin and Lukas?”
My heart pitter-pattered. “Can I plead the fifth?”
“And here I was under the impression that you had that all squared away. You are dating Gavin, right?”
Technically, yes. But it is little more complex than that Aunt Clara. You see, I am sharing dreams with one and making out with the other, but my heart is conflicted. I am mixing up love for a friend with the real thing. Got any advice for that? I smiled. “Yeah, Gavin and I are dating.”
“And you and Lukas are…?” she left the sentence open for me to finish.
Somehow I knew before I even opened my mouth, my answer was going to bite me in the butt. “Friends?” That was the most pathetic response. I cringed.
Concern flickered over her pretty face. “You don’t need to convince me, Brianna. You need to convince yourself.”
I sighed heavily. She was right. Someday I was going to be able to make decisions without second-guessing myself. I was going to have the confidence to make the right choices—possibly when my life wasn’t so complicated.
Who was I kidding?
My life was always going to be a mess. Unless, of course, I laced up my pointy boots, put on my black hat, and got this witch crap down pat. Do I embrace it or hide from it? I had been struggling with that decision all year.
The deeper I got in magic business, the scarier I became. It frightened me to think of the kind of person I might become if I fully accepted my fate as a witch. There was still this pinch of darkness inside me from when I had taken the tiniest bit of Gavin’s magic.
On the other hand, if I turned away from my powers, would I risk losing Gavin? Would I lose a part of myself that I had only just found? Now that I have tapped into this part of me, I wasn’t sure I could just turn it off or walk away. I had unlocked a piece that was tied to my birthright. By refusing it, I felt like I would be rejecting my parents.
The door chimed, and my aunt’s face lit up. I figured it was Chad, so I didn’t bother to look and kept twiddling with the pen in my hand. When I felt the undeniable tingles of a witch, my head snapped up. Gavin. I hadn’t expected to see him so soon, especially since we spent the night together.
My heart somersaulted and fireflies started to prance in my belly.
“Your ears must be ringing. Brianna and I were just talking about you,” Aunt Clara said as Gavin walked further into the shop.
He had a cat-caught-the-mouse grin on his lips. “Should I be worried?” he teased.
I steadied my hand on the counter. It was all I could do to keep from falling out of my chair. His dark hair was windblown and utterly sexy, and he made jeans look sinful.
Aunt Clara gathered her newly-cut roses in her arms. “Good luck with this one, Gavin. She’s a cynic.” Then she disappeared to her workroom to do what she did best.
I faced Gavin, sapphire eyes twinkling at me. Propping a hip against the counter, his fingers danced over my open palm, drawing circles. “So I was thinking for Valentine’s D—”
I let out a long, loud groan before he even finished the word.
His brows rose. “I am guessing by the ghastly look on your face, you hate all things Valentine’s.”
I stood up from my seat. “See, you totally get me.”
&nbs
p; “Bri,” he sighed.
I rolled my eyes. “If it makes you feel any better. I have to work all day. I promised Aunt Clara that I would close that night. She and Chad are going to paint the town red. She deserves it.”
He twirled his lip ring with his teeth. It was dangerously hot… and distracting as hell.
Unable to resist, I walked around the counter and pressed my lips to his in a kiss that ended far too soon. “Did you just come to talk about the V-word or did you have something else on your mind?” I let my gaze roam to his lips.
His head dipped and—
The door chimed again. Slightly annoyed by the interruption, I looked over Gavin’s shoulder slowly letting my arms fall from around his neck. I sucked in a breath.
God hates me. That was my first thought as I watched Lukas saunter in through the door. Feeling the surge of another witch’s energy signature, Gavin stiffened. Spinning around, he gave a quick jerk of his chin. I bit my lip trying to decide how best to handle this situation. There was way too much male witch-osterone suddenly filling the small shop.
“What is he doing here?” Gavin asked under clenched teeth.
“How should I know?” I whispered.
“Bri,” he growled.
Lukas had a carefree attitude and an air of confidence about him as he walked toward us, but he had nothing on Gavin’s lethal, domineering presence.
This was going to be bad--epically bad.
Gavin’s hand rested on the small of my back. The marking-my-territory move wasn’t lost on any of us.
Lukas snickered. “Hey, Brianna.” His emerald eyes slid to mine. “Sorry. Am I interrupting?” He didn’t look all that remorseful or intimidated.
Just freaking Yankee-dandy-doo.
The last time the three of us were under the same roof, the two of them had decided to declare war on each other. I didn’t want a repeat of that. Placing a hand on Gavin’s arm, I felt his muscles bunch. Before I could mediate, a current of power coursed through Gavin’s fingers and shot across the room, striking Lukas.
Lukas jerked back, scowling. “Cheap shot. I knew you were a tool.”
And the name-calling has ensued.
I blinked, and that was all it took for Lukas to send an electric spark of his own. Gavin stepped out in front of me, making sure he was the only target. It hit him on the forearm.
Gavin hissed, shaking his arm. He cracked his neck. “I’m just glad you are finally showing your true colors so Bri can see what a douchebag you really are.” His voice was full of contempt.
The two of them could not be in the same building, let alone the same room. I stepped out from behind Gavin and put myself between them. Maybe not the smartest move, but they left me with very few choices. “Look, hotheads. My aunt is the next room, and I really don’t need her to come out and see the two of you throwing around spells, destroying her shop, so knock it off. I don’t want to have to play nasty.”
Lukas snorted.
I gave him a dry look. “Lukas, why are you here?”
His eyes were glaring over my head at Gavin. “I can see that my timing was bad.” Then his gaze dropped to me, again. “I’ll catch up with you later. It can wait. Maybe, tonight… while you’re sleeping?”
That was low. And sneaky. I didn’t like it, and neither did Gavin.
His lips thinned. “You go anywhere near her dreams and you’ll be having nightmares about what I’ll do to your face.”
Now that we got the threatening part out of the way, I figured I needed to defuse the situation, stat. “Lukas, I think you should go.”
A flash of anger jumped behind his green eyes before he smothered it with cockiness and a smirk. “I’ll talk to you later.”
Gavin shove a hand through his hair after Lukas left the same way he had come—without a care in the world. “I really dislike that guy. There is something about him, something in his eyes when he looks at you.”
He had made his contempt for Lukas abundantly clear. “You think he is dangerous,” I supplied. Truthfully, the same could be said about Gavin. There was a purely predatory vibe about him.
His eyes softened a tad. “Just promise me you’ll be careful?”
I nodded.
***
Last night I had sleep like crap, and for once it wasn’t because I was dreamscaping, so I couldn’t even blame Lukas. I had a nightmare.
The screwed up part is that I was the nightmare—my magic-stealing powers and me. I was still trying to convince myself it hadn’t been real. In the dream, I had been a monster with a black heart, fueled by greed, blackness, and a hunger for power I never felt before. I didn’t recognize myself. As I was right on the brink of consciousness, I heard a laugh—sinister, spine–chilling, and familiar.
When I woke up, I lay there, staring at the ceiling, beating myself up about letting my insecurities get to me. I hated that I let something so stupid upset me. My dreams weren’t prophetic—that I knew. I didn’t have to become that person. I wasn’t doomed to be a bad witch.
After a long huff, I finally dragged my butt into the bathroom. I washed my wash face, brushed my teeth, and changed out of my jammies. The simple morning routine felt comforting. Twisting my second-day hair into a messy bun, I was ready to start my day.
No sooner had I stepped into the halls of Holly Ridge High than I was waylaid by an all-too-real nightmare. Unfortunately for her, this bully didn’t know who she was really dealing with. If she had seen what I had in my dream, she would have run from me screaming.
“Hey, Freak,” a sweet and sour voice said from just over my shoulder.
Oh goodie. Just how I like to start my mornings--With a round with Rianne.
Chapter 8
I told myself to keep walking, but my legs didn’t obey. Treacherous body. Pivoting on the balls of my feet, I faced the queen bitch and shot her a look of extreme annoyance. “Is there a point in all this? Because I’m over you and your extra-large mouth.”
Her amber eyes flamed. “I’m on to you. I’ve seen your eyes. They’re not right,” she spat.
For a brief moment, I contemplated the idea of body-slamming her right in the middle of the hall. “Maybe you need to get yours checked,” I snapped, trying to act like I didn’t know what she was talking about, but inside I was having an “oh shit” moment.
She wasn’t deterred. “I know that there is something wrong with you, something abnormal. You’re not human.”
We were starting to attract a crowd. I caught a curious gaze from Sophie and a “do-you-have-a-death-wish” look from Austin. I knew I needed to keep my anger in check. “You don’t know shit, Rianne. And if you knew what was good for you…” I took a step forward, completely forgetting about reining in my anger and got in her face. “…you would forget about me.”
Her eyes gleamed in satisfaction like she knew she was onto something. I wanted to wipe her face with the floor. And I might have if I hadn’t noticed Rianne’s eyes shift to someone behind me. Her pink lips curled.
The tattoo at my back tingled.
“Problem?” Lukas’s voice came from beside me.
I snuck a glance from the corner of my eyes just to make sure my ears weren’t playing tricks on me.
What the heck was Lukas doing in high school? At my school?
Rianne looked Lukas up and down and up again. An expression of interest shone on her heart-shaped face. “Your threats don’t mean dick to me,” she seethed, and then flipped her long blonde hair in my face. My fingers twitched to reach out and yank her back.
Lukas’s hand closed over my wrist firmly, keeping me from moving. I could feel the pulse of my racing heart against his touch. “And who was that she-devil who was defaming your name?” he asked.
“No one worth mentioning,” Austin muttered. He and Sophie had maneuvered their way to my side as the crowd began to shuffle down the halls again.
Bless his heart.
Sophie took a different approach. “That was the school hoe bag, and a genera
l pain in the ass,” she supplied.
Lukas blessed us with his dimples. All three of us were dazzled. “Oh, one of those. It’s unfortunate, but every school has them. Wait until you get to college.”
I picked up the messenger bag I had dropped on the floor in preparation for a possible beat-down with Rianne. “What are you doing here?” I asked, remembering that he was at my school—a place he shouldn’t be.
“I came to see you,” he replied.
“Oh.” I knew that he was watching for my reaction. I kept my expression blank, for everyone’s sake. “Now?”
His shoulder nudged mine. “School is overrated. Want to ditch?”
This was the second time in a week I was proposition to skip school. What gives? It’s not like I make a habit of it. The last time I had skipped out on a class had been the day I met Gavin, and that triggered little jog down Memory Lane. I small smile tugged at my lips.
“Earth to Brianna,” Austin said, waving a hand in front of my face.
I blinked just as the bell buzzed.
“Are you coming?” Sophie asked, giving Lukas a disapproving glare. Her dislike was as clear as her brother’s.
I shook my head. “Go ahead. I don’t want to make you late.”
“Are you sure?” There was hesitancy in her voice, and her cobalt eyes were filled with worry. She didn’t want to leave me alone with Lukas. I couldn’t figure out whether that was because she didn’t trust Lukas or whether it was out of loyalty to Gavin.
It didn’t matter.
Obviously Lukas needed to talk. She was just going to have to trust me.
With once last glance over her shoulder, Sophie and Austin both disappeared into the crowd. I faced Lukas now that we were almost alone. A few stragglers lingered in the halls. “What is going on? Why are you stalking me at school?”
Smugness crept across his face. “Someone’s feeling feisty this morning.” He took my elbow in his hand, leading me down the hall, and I let him.
“It’s been a hell of a morning.”
A glimmer of mystery sprang in his eyes. “Excellent, because I am about to blow your mind.”