Ava cleared her throat behind us and offered two plastic cups of iced tea to Savannah. “Your client just came out of the bathroom. Give her one of these on the house and stop groping your boyfriend in the store.” She grinned wickedly. “I’ve always wanted to say that to someone, but all my employees have been strangely well-behaved.”
Savannah huffed and took the tea. “Rhys and I weren’t even touching anymore.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Ava argued. “I saw you kiss him. That’s groping in my book.”
Rolling her eyes with a laugh, Savannah took both glasses of tea and walked over to the woman who had exited the bathroom a few seconds ago. They talked for a few moments and Savannah handed her one of the cups and walked her toward the door. They went outside and I noticed that they both seemed lighter.
“What just happened?” Ava murmured behind me.
I faced her. “I’m not sure.”
“I felt the magic, Rhys. What did you do?”
“I don’t know, Ava,” I shot back. “I was holding Savannah and I felt the grief and sorrow she’d absorbed from her client and I wanted to take it away. Then suddenly I felt those emotions transfer to me. It felt,” I swallowed hard. “It felt like feeding.”
My stomach twisted sickeningly. I never wanted to feed from someone I loved. It was dangerous and wrong.
Ava watched me carefully. “Did you see her face when she walked out a few seconds ago?”
“What do you mean?”
“She looked better after you touched her, as though some of the weight had been taken off her shoulders.” The witch tilted her head to the side and narrowed her eyes. “It was as if you helped her by taking the emotions from her.”
I shook my head. “It doesn’t matter. I did it without her permission and I shouldn’t have.”
Ava made a humming sound in the back of her throat. “This could be good,” she said, ignoring my statement. “I know how much her contact with other people weighs on her. She would never admit it but it exhausts her to go into public places. She’s had to isolate herself so much over the last few years that I’m the only person she saw regularly. Now, there’s you. And you might be able to help her deal with all of that.”
“Ava, didn’t you hear me? I took from her without her permission. It’s wrong,” I repeated.
Ava smacked her hand down on the counter. “Stop!” she exclaimed. “Yes, you should talk to her about it and definitely get her permission before you do it again, but you have to understand thatyou can help her, Rhys. You can make it possible for her to leave her house without passing out or go to a restaurant without having a meltdown.”
Her words brought back the memory of the night I took Savannah to the Driskill Grill. She scared the hell out of me that evening.
“You can make her life better, Rhys. You already are just by being in it, but now you can help her reconnect with the rest of the world again.”
The door to the shop opened and the bell rang, but this time the sound was different. Immediately, Ava stiffened, as though an alarm had gone off. I looked over my shoulder to see Rhiannon and Macgrath enter the store.
The witch looked pale and perfect, as though the hot summer sun didn’t touch her when she was outside. Her vampire henchman seemed just as unaffected.
“Good afternoon,” Ava said pleasantly. Her friendliness surprised me and I couldn’t resist glancing at her. Her expression was neutral but her eyes glittered bright lavender. That was my only indication that she was disturbed by the dark witch’s presence. Even her emotions seemed solid and calm.
“Hello, again, Ava,” Rhiannon said, removing her dark sunglasses. Her dark eyes roamed over me. “Rhys.”
“What can I get for you today?” Ava asked politely.
“I’ll take an ice green tea. Unsweetened.” Rhiannon answered.
While Ava made her drink, the vampire with her prowled around the shop, picking up items off shelves and replacing them exactly as he found them. I watched him with narrowed eyes. The implacable facade he presented last week had worn thin. Beneath the veneer I could see his frustration and agitation with Rhiannon. He didn’t want to be here, but for some reason he felt obligated.
The door opened once again and Savannah entered. To her credit, she only hesitated a split second before she walked straight toward me with a cool smile pasted on her face.
Rhiannon looked at her. “Hello, Savannah.”
“Rhiannon,” she replied.
As soon as Savannah was within reach, I put my arm around her and drew her front against my side. I wanted her close in case things went badly.
Ava placed a large cup filled with ice and green tea in front of Rhiannon. “That will be three dollars,” she stated.
