He opened his mouth and glowered at me. “Not cool, Caley Girl. Not freaking cool.”
I gave him a pointed look back, but he pulled away and I felt a weight off my shoulder.
Mission complete. My best friend was safe.
I was silently hoping the unfreeze would wear off? I hadn’t thought that through.
I went back inside, took my position by Kieran, and dipped my head.
“Ready to unleash the creature, Draco.”
He growled in my head. Do not call me that name.
I grinned, and the witches let chaos reconvene.14My BusinessKieran’s driver dropped me off outside Nikki’s place, and it’d been egged.
Nice. Lovely.
The words, ‘No candy! U Sux,’ were spray painted across the front. As I was getting out of the vehicle, the door opened and Nikki came out, a coffee in hand. She pointed to the graffiti over her shoulder as she came down the stairs toward me. “Your cousin sucks too. I was still frozen, and he put me on the front steps facing my place. I enjoyed a full hour of watching the graffiti glow in the dark before daylight hit and I unfroze.” She handed over the coffee. “I was actually sleeping most of the night so I’m rested. My phone’s been blaring since I got unstuck. You, on the other hand, look like you need this.”
Pumpkin spice.
I loved my girl.
She grinned. “Three shots of espresso.”
I groaned. “I love you, I love you, I love you.”
I was too exhausted to go anywhere else, so I sat. She sat beside me.
We stared at the street as a couple candy wrappers drifted past us.
“Thank you for coming and trying to save me.”
I needed some pumpkin first. “I did save you. I got you in Ralph’s Uber.”
She grinned. “I know, but I heard the story. Heard what you did.”
What I did.
I had to let that process for a bit because I’d been there and I wasn’t sure I believed it myself.
“I guess there’s a creature inside of me that needs to eat energy.”
“I hear ya. My demon really likes raw steak, but I’m vegan. Talk about a filibuster.”
I frowned. “That’s not what that word means.”
She shrugged. “It should. It sounds accurate.”
“Pretty sure it has to do with politics.”
She snorted. “That’s funny.”
“Did you get to see your master?”
She shook her head. “No. The vamps got there before I was up in line, then the coven came in and it was a long couple hours of just waiting. They don’t tell you that when you’re frozen, your bladder doesn’t freeze.”
“Oh.”
“Let’s not talk about that.”
“Okay.”
She looked over again, her face softening. “I’m sorry about you and Jay.”
Right. The catalyst of the entire night.
I shrugged this time. “The relationship had been done for a while, so I’m not too surprised. But it did turn out that he’d been seduced by a vamp and she used some persuasion magic on sending me to you.”
Another snort. “I don’t buy it. You would’ve left him anyways. It was due time. And I doubt Jay needed much seducing. He’s been getting with other vamps for a while.”
I looked at her, eyebrows raised. “This is something a best friend should’ve relayed to me. What the hell?”
“You really liked him in high school, and the relationship has been done. Everyone knew, but you were still denying it. I’m not going to be the messenger.”
“Nikki!”
“What? I’m a demon. I’m not perfect. Also, it’s not like I didn’t have your back. Every girl that hooked up with him got barred from Bass. Why do you think some of the guys from work don’t like you? When I say everyone’s been waiting for this breakup, literally everyone has been waiting.” She flashed a wide smile. “But chin up, word is that the new boss got his hooks in you. Tell me about him.” She was wiggling her eyebrows up and down.
“You haven’t met him?”
She shook her head, her smile lessening a notch. “He’s just as much of a mystery to us too. We heard he was there last night. I guess the masters wanted to speak to him, but everything happened and you know what happened. There’s a staff meeting later today so maybe he’ll be there.”
He wouldn’t.
I knew this because I felt his absence, and I could feel it because there was a hollow ache smack in the middle of my chest.
After I helped with the vampires, Kieran had been watching me the whole time. I’d been so tuned into him, so aware of him, that it had made my concentration difficult. He knew it too, and then his creature’s spirit joined mine and everything went erotic and violent at the same time. When his creature’s spirit merged with mine, I could feel everything about Kieran. I could taste him. I could touch him. I was him.
I mean, I knew I wasn’t.
It was his dragon’s spirit, but the rush of power was next level. Literally.