She averted her eyes and sighed. “Okay, fine. It’s not just your aura. It’s your emotions. Usually, you keep yourself locked down. I can’t feel more than a few echoes from you. But when Macgrath is near, you broadcast your feelings much more clearly. Almost like a normal human.” When her gaze skated back to me, she winced. “I’m sorry. I try to block you out, I really do, but sometimes I can’t.”
I wiped my expression clean. I wasn’t upset that she could sense my emotions, just surprised in addiction to being irritated that I had so little control where Macgrath was concerned. “It’s okay, Savannah,” I replied.
She glanced at me again. “I really am sorry.”
“I’m not upset with you, sweetie,” I stated again. “If you stop feeling so guilty for a second, you’ll be able to sense it yourself. I’m just…a little upset that my control isn’t what it should be.”
Her dark eyes locked on me, suddenly intent and strong. “You’re allowed to be vulnerable sometimes, Ava Amaris. I know that everyone, including me, sees you as superhuman, but it’s okay that you’re not. No one is strong all of the time.”
Though she was right, I didn’t have to like it. When I grumbled something to that effect beneath my breath, her face lightened and she laughed.
“What was that?”
“Stay out of my brain!” I barked, only half serious.
After ten years, Savannah knew that I wasn’t sincerely angry and her laughter grew louder.
The bell over the door chimed and we both turned to greet the customer. Only it wasn’t a customer, it was Harrison, the new manager I’d hired a couple of months ago.
The warmth drained from Savannah’s face, though she still smiled at him. “Hi, Harrison.”
He nodded toward her. “Good afternoon, Savannah.”
“Hey, Harrison. How are you today?”
“I’m well.”
Without another word, he went around the counter and set about washing his hands. Savannah looked at me and widened her eyes. I stifled a sigh. For some reason she didn’t like Harrison. I hadn’t yet talked to her about it, but since Harrison was early for his shift, I decided that now was the perfect time. I might as well take advantage of his punctuality and have a chat with Savannah to see what was bothering her about the new manager.
“Harrison, I know it’s ten minutes before your shift, but do you mind clocking in early? I need to speak to Savannah privately.”
“No problem,” he replied, his tone utterly neutral. He immediately moved to the computer to clock in.
Savannah’s eyes grew even wider as I gestured for her to follow me back through the storage area to my office. She loosened the strings on her apron and hung the garment up before scurrying around the counter.
Once we were in the privacy of my office, I closed the door, pressed my palm to it, and muttered a single word. All the windows and exterior doors were spelled to make it impossible for anyone outside to eavesdrop. I’d also drawn wards on all of the interior doors, though I rarely activated them. However, since Harrison was a wolf shifter, I knew he would be able to hear our conversation, even with all the walls between us. Once I felt the incantation click into place, I turned toward my friend.
Savannah sat rigidly in the seat, her fingers laced together.
“You look like I’m about to whip you,” I stated, leaning back against the door and crossing my arms over my chest.
She huffed and relaxed a bit, unwinding her fingers.
I studied her for a moment before asking, “What’s going on, Savannah? Why do you dislike Harrison so much?” When she tensed again, I waved a hand. “Please don’t get defensive. I’m just trying to understand what’s going on. Has he said or done something to make you uncomfortable? Because if he has, you know I’ll fire him and hex his ass.”
Savannah relaxed again, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. “No, it’s not that. He hasn’t said anything or done anything to me. He’s perfectly polite. It’s just…” She trailed off, staring down at her hands.
“Just what?” I prompted softly.
“I don’t want you to be angry with me,” she whispered.
I moved over to her and sat on the small stool next to her chair. “I can’t promise I won’t be upset, but I can promise I won’t yell or throw a fit.”
“I might have,” she paused and swallowed hard. “I might have probed his emotions a little. Without asking him if it was okay.”
I understood why she was worried I would be upset because I always told her never to use her abilities on others without their permission. However, after what happened with Rhiannon and Macgrath, I couldn’t blame her for being wary. I also couldn’t be angry because Imighthave done something similar myself. Okay, so I did do something similar, and without the same sense of guilt she seemed to carry.
“It’s okay, Savannah. I don’t blame you for wanting to be sure he was being honest, but you also can’t hold his private emotions against him. Especially when you were basically eavesdropping.”
