* * *
Ruby and Ethansettled at one of the tables, which was barely bigger than a big dinner plate. It sure seemed like they were too small to be functional … unless they were supposed to make people physically close.
Ethan placed his arm on the table to lean closer to her, and the thing nearly toppled over. “I feel like I’m sitting in a fun house,” he grumbled. “These are a little flimsy,”
Ruby nodded. “Oh, I bet they are.”
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“Well, this is my aunt’s specialty, you see. The tables? It’s all because it’s a trick of the mind. What happens when one person is into another? Their bodies dip toward the other.”
“You mean like this?” Ethan leaned completely into her space. His eyes hooked on hers, and she leaned into him.
Oh, wow!Her heart flipped over, and when she managed to speak, her voice was softer than she intended it to be. “Sometimes it’s subtle, sometimes it’s not so subtle. But be careful, though. The degree of the incline isn’t a sign of interest. It’s the person’s temperament that dictates how much of themselves they put on the line.”
“So if they’re more reserved, they might just dip a tiny bit,” he said markedly, pointing toward her.
“Yeah, and if they’re more on the extroverted end, then they tend to lean a whole lot more,” Ruby noted in return.
“Of course, with the tables so small, it would make it easier for the shy or reserved to give Portia the information she needed.”
“What information?” he frowned with confusion. “What are you talking about?”
“I can’t explain it, but Aunt Portia is an amazing matchmaker. Now, to be completely fair, she is also a bit of a trickster. She likes to mess with people.”
“Really? Hadn’t noticed.” He chuckled.
Ruby didn’t want to divulge too much, but she also found that she wanted to share quite a bit of herself with Ethan. “If Portia nudges a couple together, chances are, the couple are soul mates. Perfectly matched. If she nudges them in opposite directions, it’s usually a bad thing sign. She always says that life and love have a sense of humor. How else do you explain the world? You gotta laugh, or you won’t make it, but she also says that love is the funniest thing in all of the realms.”
“Why? I don’t think love is very funny.”
“Maybe not funny in the sense that it makes youlaugh, but funny in the sense that love brings all kinds of people and creatures together. Sometimes, those pairings can seem a little …interestingto outsiders.”
“So she knows a whole lot of people.”
“She does, yeah. My aunt has been alive since basically the dawn of time, or at least as close enough as can be for a Hell creature.”
Ethan was quiet for a little while. “Do you think that we should ask her if she knows any witches or warlocks who would be willing to help us? I mean, help the pack?” he quickly corrected. “Mypack.”
Ruby considered this for a few moments. “You know? That’s not a bad idea. Maybe we should ask her.”
“Do you think that will ruin the whole us being together thing?” he wondered.
She shook her head. “Oh, hell no. If she thinks that we’re a couple, she will be even more likely to help you out.”
“Right. So maybe we ask her for a hand.”
Ruby nodded. “Yeah, let’s.”
But even as she agreed with Ethan, her heart clenched. Suddenly, it felt very much like she was jumping off a precipice. But that was crazy! She wasn’t jumping into anything. She was helping Ethan. That was it.
ELEVEN
ETHAN
Ocho, the grumpy imp that seemed to haunt the elevator bay, impatiently tapping his taloned foot on the marble floor, holding out one clawed hand, the fingers moving back and forth in an expectant flurry.
“Gimme, gimme.”