by C. J. Pinard
“Okay,” I said, laughing. “Next question. Do you have a boyfriend or a significant other?”
She shrugged. “Not really. I’ve been on a couple of dates with this guy named Dane but it’s not really going anywhere. What about you?”
I nodded. “I have a steady boyfriend named Ryder, but he lives in student housing. Parents said no way about us living together.” I smiled, chagrinned.
She nodded. “I hear you. My mom is strict like that, too.”
“No dad?” I asked, and then regretted it. So none of your business, Ayla! “I’m sorry,” I immediately said.
“No worries, girl. I do have a dad, somewhere, but he hasn’t been in the picture since I was like, two. Mom’s had a few boyfriends, but nobody permanent. I’m good.”
I breathed out in relief. God, that had been so rude. Changing the subject, I said, “So do you have a job or just living on student loans?”
She shook her head. “No student loans, I am very grateful to have gotten a full scholarship. I do work at Magik’s Books & Coffee for extra money.”
I furrowed my brows. “Where’s that? Here in town? Sorry, I’ve only been out a few times. I’m from a small suburb south of Denver, and haven’t gotten out into Boulder to explore yet.”
“That’s okay. Yeah, it’s a bookstore-slash-coffee shop. It’s totally rad, you should come check it out sometime.”
“I think I will,” meaning it. “I love coffee and books!”
“Who doesn’t, right?” she asked, putting her hand on my mine again.
I felt the sensation again, but this time it lasted a bit longer, then it subsided. She quickly pulled her hand away and swept some hair over her other shoulder this time.
Laughing awkwardly, and then trying to continue the conversation, I said, “The evil and soulless.”
Sanja’s smile dropped and, looking concerned, she said, “What?”
“You asked who doesn’t like books and coffee.”
She laughed, and seemed to relax again. “Oh. I did, didn’t I?”
“So how many hours a week do you have to work there?”
“About fifteen to twenty. I enjoy it, so at least it’s not like work,” she replied, smiling.
“I need to find a job too. My parents are paying for the house and tuition but that leaves me no shopping money.” I smiled.
“Yes, got to have spending money, especially around here. Everything is so expensive, I noticed.”
“Yes, it is, unfortunately.”
“So tell me, Ayla,” she said without missing a beat or even blinking, “what do werewolves go shopping for anyway?”
Chapter 9
I blinked incredulously at her. “Come again?”
Those annoyingly perfect lips curved upward. “It was a simple question I’ve always wanted to know. I bet you need a lot of camping equipment, huh?”
“How did you—?”
“I’m a witch, Ayla. I thought you had figured it out already.”
Oddly, after the shock of her question started to wear off, I felt something odd—relief.
Since discovering I was a werewolf, I had been leery and nervous around new people. What if they found out my secret? What if they could smell it on me? And the fact that Sanja was a witch surprised me for a second, but then even that shock wore off. Werewolves existed. Vampires existed. So why not witches?
“Well, I’m not quite sure what to say. I have to say that I definitely like you, and was getting ready to offer you the room for rent.”
A gorgeous, genuine smile lit up her face, even reaching her caramel-brown eyes. “Are you serious?”
She reached over and hugged me, and I felt the strange sensation again. At least it made sense now, even though I couldn’t understand what it was I was feeling exactly. Guess I could ask her.
We pulled apart, and I said, “You’re welcome. By the way, what is that weird feeling I get when our skin touches?”
Her eyes went big. “You can feel that?”
I nodded. “Yeah, what is it?”
She pulled the side of her bottom lip between her teeth and seemed to think for a minute. “It’s hard to explain in words. I don’t want to use the words ‘psychic sensation’, but it’s the only thing I can think of. We witches get it every time we touch another supernatural creature. But you’re not supposed to get it, too.”
“Huh,” was all I could think to say.
“Well, I’m gonna go back to student housing and call my mom and tell her I’m moving out, and then tell the floor dean, too. When I can I move in?”
“Whenever you want, today, tomorrow, next week. I don’t care,” I said, standing from the sofa.
“Great! It’ll probably be tomorrow. Is that okay?”
“Sure, let me show you around.”
I led her around the house, showing her the dining room, kitchen, bathroom, and finally her bedroom. I had taken the master bedroom because well… master bathroom, that’s why. I told her she could have the hallway bathroom all to herself.
“I’m so excited,” she said as we reached the front door, and she adjusted her purse strap around her shoulder. “I think this is going to work out great since we’re both… otherworldly, if you know what I mean.”
I nodded. “I agree. It’s a relief I’m not going to have to make excuses or tell you I’m going camping once a month.”
“I want to talk to you more about that once I move in and get settled, okay?”
“Most definitely,” I agreed. “I sure do have some questions for you, too!”
She hugged me again. “Oh, give me your phone so I can give you my number.”
I obeyed and pulled it from my back pocket and handed it to her. She punched some buttons and then handed it back to me, and I could see the strange way her name was spelled.
“I’ll text you so you can have mine,” I said.
“Great, see you tomorrow!” She left with a small wave.
I closed and locked the door behind her, and picked up my cell, shot a text off to Sanja, and then called Ryder.
“Hi, gorgeous,” he answered.
I laughed a little. “Hi, sweetie. Guess what? I have a roommate!”
“Wow, that was fast,” he said around a mouthful of food.
“I know, right? She was the first one to answer my ad. Speaking of, can you go pull my ad down off the bulletin board please, so I don’t have to drive to the campus?”
“Sure, I’m in the cafeteria right now so it’s just a couple of hallways down. Keep talking to me. What’s she like?”
“Well her name in Sonya but it’s spelled ‘s-a-n-j-a’ and she’s gorgeous with long brown hair and perfect lips. So stay away from her while you’re visiting,” I said, laughing.
“Does she have a job to pay for the room?” he asked.
“Yes, Dad,” I said, groaning. “She works at some bookstore-coffee shop in town.”
“Uh, Ayla,” Ryder said, sounding concerned.
I became worried. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m taking down your flyer, but, um, there’s only your first name and phone number. How did she know the address to the house?”
Holy shit, he was right. What the hell? “Um, maybe because she’s a witch. Are they psychic?”
“A witch!” he screamed, and I had to pull the phone back from my ear. “No, Ayla, no! You cannot live with a witch!”
“Why not? At least she knows what I am. And she was so nice and seemed so normal.”
“I’m coming over,” he said, this time a little calmer. Then he hung up.
With a sigh, I set my phone down and tried not to panic. I really liked Sanja. As I went to unpack a box, I saw something from the corner of my eye on the coffee table. Walking to it, I could see it was the piece of paper she had brought with her. The tiny strip was only about as big as my finger, and my name and phone number were printed on the front. When I flipped it over, I saw my address in very light writing… but as I looked closer, the writing completely
vanished before my eyes. I blinked again and held the paper as close to my face as I could, but there was nothing there.
Feeling creeped out, and wondering if I was losing my mind, I tossed the paper into my temporary makeshift trash—a trash bag set in the corner of the kitchen, and went about unpacking the kitchen boxes.
Feeling proud of myself for unpacking two, I grabbed a bottled water from the fridge when the doorbell rang. I could see through the peephole that it was Ryder, and I opened the door.
He wrapped me in a hug. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
Enjoying the warmth from his warm body, but confused at his concern, I said, “Why wouldn’t I be?”
Ryder closed and locked the door, and then looked out the front window, which had no window coverings on it at all, and then led me by the hand to the kitchen, which had a wall that blocked me from seeing the living room and the window.
“Listen, witches can be very dangerous. I don’t want you renting that room to one.”
Feeling defensive like he was bossing me around, I set my water on the counter and then folded my arms over my chest. “Why not? She seemed like such the opposite of dangerous.”
He raked a hand through his dark hair. “Look, my aunt is a witch, and—”
My brows dipped. “How is your aunt a witch if you’re a wolf?”
He sighed. “My uncle, my dad’s brother, married one.”
With my eyes wide, I asked, “Seriously? Do they have kids?”
He nodded. “Yes, and they’re both wolves with psychic powers. They’re so fucking weird, too, my cousins.”
“That’s not very nice, Ryder…”
He grinned and grabbed himself a piece of cold pizza from my fridge. “I’ll let you meet the weirdos one day.”
“Okay…” I said, and then commented, “Weren’t you just eating when I called you?”
He lifted a shoulder and let it fall as he took half the slice into a bite. “So?”
“Anyway, finish your speech on why witches are bad.”
He chewed a few times, and then swallowed. “Because they can cast spells. They can read minds, some of them. They can do really bad things, especially to other supernaturals, to defend themselves.”
I lifted my chin. “Well, I didn’t plan on doing anything to piss this girl off. She pays her rent and doesn’t trash the place, I don’t care what she does.”
“They’re very testy, and emotional. And they get offended easily. Seriously, Ayla, find someone else?”
I was growing impatient with this conversation. “How can you lump one species into a group like that? It’s like you’re stereotyping them or something. I want to get to know Sanja. We hit it off nicely, had a great chat, and not just about the house. She’s someone I could see becoming a friend.”
“Did I mention they’re charming and deceitful, too? Let me guess, this girl is gorgeous?”
“I already told you she was,” I said dryly.
“Well, I didn’t hear that part, I was too busy freaking out over her being a witch.”
“Yes, you were,” I murmured, going to the fridge and pulling out the leftover Chinese I’d stashed in there earlier. I threw some noodles and rice onto a paper plate and tossed it into the microwave for a couple minutes.
Turning around, I put both hands on the counter behind me and regarded Ryder. This was kind of our first fight. The thought excited me a little, as sick as that was.
“I’m renting the room to her, Ry. Sorry if you don’t like it. But I want you to meet her. She’s moving in tomorrow. Why don’t you come help? Then you can see for yourself what a nice person she truly is.”
“She is just going to charm me.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “Like, magic charm, or just put on the nice, pretty-girl charm?”
He grabbed a paper towel from the roll sitting on the counter and tore off a piece, wiping his hands and face with it. “Both.”
I watched as he tossed it into the makeshift trash, and then said, “Then call your aunt and ask her how you can resist her ‘charms’.”
His crooked half-smile lifted up on his lips and he said, pulling out his phone, “That’s a great idea.”
The microwave beeped and I lifted the plate out, and then dug through the bag for the extra plastic fork I’d stashed in it. I noticed he was hesitating dialing. “Oh, so your aunt is a crazy witch, but she’s so crazy that you can just call her for help?”
He glared at me before putting his eyes back on his phone. “It’s not like that.”
I chuckled before shoveling some fried rice into my mouth. “Okay.”
He lifted the phone to his ear. “Hey, Uncle Gary. Is Aunt Libby around?” He nodded. “Cool, can you have her call me?” He frowned. “I have a couple witch questions, that’s all.”
Well, at least he was being honest, I thought.
“Okay, thanks, Uncle Gary. Bye.”
“Too busy to talk to you?” I gloated.
“She’s at a coven meeting,” he replied.
I nodded, swallowing the rice. “Coven. How cliché.”
“Speaking of, what coven does this Sanja belong to?”
I shrugged, scooping up another forkful of rice. “How the hell should I know?”
“There’s one that meets at that Magik’s Bookstore. We should go ask in there if they have a Sanja in their coven.”
With my fork paused at my mouth, I said, “She works there.”
Ryder threw his head back and laughed. “Of fucking course she does. That’s her coven then.”
“So?” I said, and then piled in the rice.
“So?” he said, grabbing a water bottle from the fridge. “That’s the most powerful coven in Colorado. My aunt told me before coming here that if I ever had any problems, to go into that store and ask for an Amethyst, and she’d help me.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “Amethyst?”
He grinned knowingly. “I told you they were fucking weirdos.”
I walked up to him and put my arms around his middle. “You’re a freakin’ weirdo.”
He looked down at me, and brushed some hair from my forehead. “Oh, am I? How so?”
I nodded. “You have an aunt who’s a witch. That’s so weird.”
“Yeah, well you want to have a witch for a roommate. That’s weirder.” He ran his hand down my back and it landed on my ass, where he squeezed it.
“Yeah, so? I don’t think she’s a weirdo. You will like her.”
He said nothing, but instead leaned down and kissed me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back, loving the way his body felt against me. I reached up and raked my fingers through his hair, which felt a bit too long, but silky under my fingertips.
In one fell swoop, he put both hands under my butt and lifted me so I had to put my legs around his waist. Then, he carried me to the bedroom and put me down on the bed, where he continued to kiss me in that way he had that made my toes curl. Without breaking his kisses, he unbuttoned my jean shorts, which I wiggled out of, and then slipped my panties down. I broke the kiss to pull my shirt off, and then I unhooked my bra as he unbuttoned his jeans.
After he slid them off, his used one hand at his upper back to remove his Broncos T-shirt, and once we were naked, he made love to me, and it was just what we needed after our little spat.
A spat that was still, as of now, unresolved. I would be winning this one, though.
Chapter 10
The doorbell roused me out of my sleep. Blinking a few times at my phone on the nightstand, I could see that Ryder and I had slept in until almost ten a.m. I yawned as I untangled myself from his arms and sat up. Looking around, I could see a CU tee on the floor of my room, and I picked it up and shoved it over my head. Next, I spotted my jean shorts and threw those on. My ponytail holder was on the floor, and I bent down and picked it up, tying my hair up into a messy bun before walking to the living room, where my doorbell was ringing for the second time.
With another yawn, I opened the door t
o see Sanja standing there holding a blue laundry basket full of neatly folded clothes in one hand, a coffee in the other, and two large boxes flanking her on ground.
I lifted an eyebrow. “Good morning.” But it kind of came out as a question.
“Good morning, wolf-girl. How are you this morning?” She produced another paper coffee cup from the laundry basket, which was wedged between clothes, and handed it to me.
I took the cup and relished its warmth, lifting it in thanks. “I’m just fine. Come on in,” I replied, opening the door wider to allow her access.
“Did I wake you?” she asked as she walked by with her basket, leaving the boxes on the porch.
“Well…”
“Did you have breakfast yet? I’ve got some toasted garlic bagels with cream cheese here,” she said, plucking a bag from the top of the clothes pile in her basket. She placed the bag on the kitchen counter. How had I not seen the bag before? Oh yeah, ‘cause I’m still asleep.
“Thank you for the coffee,” was all I could think to say. I lifted it in greeting.
She waved a dismissive hand as she set the basket into her room, to where I’d followed her. “No problem. I hope you like Breve lattes.”
“Sure,” I said, taking a sip and trying not to choke on the fact that it was unsweetened. “Yes, it’s coffee. Anything will do.” I lifted the cup again. Like an ass. I needed to stop doing that.
“I’ve got a bed, dresser, and a nightstand in the truck. Can you help me with them?” she asked, batting her eyelashes.
Was this the blasted ‘charm’ Ryder had mentioned? Dammit, it was too freaking early for me to have to think this hard.
“I’ll tell you what, let me go wake up my boyfriend. His muscles are bigger than mine.” I threw her a wink.
She grinned. “Good call. And I can’t wait to meet him. In the meantime, I’m going to grab a few more things out of the back of the truck.”
“Sounds good,” I said as I watched her set her coffee down on the windowsill of the room and walk out toward the front door.