“Hi, Rose,” she said in her usual bubbly tone. “I, um, I’m sorry to be calling this late. I just—I’m in a bar in the town, and they’re closing soon, and I’m starting to think I probably shouldn’t drive myself back.”
The more she talked, the more I noticed the slight slur to her words. She giggled as she finished that statement. One of the guests I’d been trying to protect had flown the coop and gotten drunk? When had she even left?
“Okay,” I said, sitting up and rubbing the last bits of sleep from my eyes. “What’s the bar’s name? I’ll come get you.”
“Ummm… Oh, here, it’s on the coaster.” Imogen giggled again. “The Caravan. You know that place?”
I couldn’t say I’d ever gone drinking in town, but it was small enough that I’d at least passed by most of the businesses. The Caravan was just off the main square, about a block from the cafe that Seth and Kyler’s mom baked for.
“I do,” I said. “Stay put. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
I shoved myself out of bed and cast about for something to wear. Seth straightened up as I pulled on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt that were the first things I’d been able to lay my hands on. “What’s going on?” he asked, his drowsiness fading quickly behind his concern.
“Apparently Imogen went out bar-hopping,” I said. “I’m picking her up from The Caravan. It shouldn’t take very long.”
Seth made a dismissive sound and reached for his own clothes. “I’ll come with you.”
“You don’t have to.”
He shot me a look. “You really think I’m going to get a lot of sleep lying here alone wondering how the drunks in town are treating you?”
I wrinkled my nose at him. “They’re not going to bethatbad, are they?”
“It doesn’t matter how friendly people are when they come in; there are always at least a couple who’ve turned into assholes by closing time. We’ll take my truck. You can focus on Imogen if she needs it.”
“Fine, fine.”
We slipped downstairs and out to the driveway where Seth had parked the truck. At least taking it out would make less noise than opening up the garage. No need to wake Gabriel too. Seth hopped into the driver’s seat, and I climbed in beside him, clutching my purse. Imogen hadn’t phoned again. I wanted to think that was a good sign.
I kept the window down as we drove into town, letting the cool night air wash over me. Most of the buildings were dark, no illumination on the roads except the glow of the streetlamps. When we turned the corner by the bar, its door was open, strains of music and yellow light spilling out.
Seth parked outside, and we headed in together. Imogen was sitting at a table right by the door, her freckled face flushed almost as red as her hair and her shoulders hunched. The few guys still perched at the bar glanced over at us but stayed put.
“Hey,” I said. “Ready to go?”
She nodded and got up. Her first step was wobbly, but then she found her feet. I took her forearm just in case. Seth nodded to the guys at the bar. A couple of them nodded back, but one, a young-ish man with coarse black hair, grimaced.
“Your friend is a real tease,” he said. “Maybe she should stick to drinking at home if she doesn’t like company.”
“We’re taking her home now,” Seth said evenly, but his shoulders tensed.
“I’m sorry,” Imogen said when we got outside. “I just… I couldn’t sleep. I was feeling so restless. I figured it couldn’t hurt to just drive into town and see what was going on down here. Enjoy myself a little.”
“It’s okay,” I said. “I don’t know what that jerk was talking about, but you don’t owe anyone anything.”
I got into the back seat with her, watching for any sign that she was going to need a stop at the side of the road to empty some of that alcohol out of her. But she didn’t seem incredibly drunk, just pretty tipsy. She leaned her head against the glass of the window as Seth started the engine.
“How long have you been down here?” I asked her.
“A few hours. I didn’t want to bother you. It’s such a short drive. I guess I’ll have to come back and get my car tomorrow.”
“I can come get it,” I said. “It’s a short walk too. You know it’s not that there’s anything wrong with the town, right? It’s just that you’re not as protected outside the estate. If you do want to get out and see the sights, it’s better if you wait until I can go with you. Or even Lesley.” At least the older witch had some magic of her own.
“I just wanted to see what it’d be like,” Imogen murmured. Her eyes closed. For a few moments, I thought she was dozing off. But then she added, “I thought maybe I’d know what I want to do if I could just light my spark, even a little bit.”
I glanced over at her. “Didyou light it?” I asked. That guy had called her a tease. Maybe she’d made out with him a little, and he was peeved that she’d stopped things there.
She shook her head with a jostling of her curls. Her voice turned almost dreamy. “I meant to. We were talking, and he seemed like a nice enough guy. Kind of cute. I could have kissed him. I could have done lots with him. I was thinking about it. But then he leaned in and put his hand on my knee, and I just…” She stopped, her brow furrowing. “What if it ruins me? Being with someone like that. Someone unsparked.”