Bastien watches me for a minute and then silently turns to face the front of the car. I stare at the back of his head and his milk-chocolate wavy brown hair, for way longer than is healthy. The silence in the car feels wrong. I want to take everything I just said and shove it back in my mouth, but it wouldn’t change our reality. Everything about this sucks, but that’s the story of my life these days.
24
Iclose the door of the Jeep and lock it with the fob. It looks more baby tank than I pictured, but I’m in love all the same. Neil showing up at the door was the best possible surprise, and it looks like my carjacking days are over. I dropped Neil back at his office, and now I’m taking full advantage of my freedom, and getting to know this town on my terms.
I steer clear of the bars and instead, step into the quiet bookstore. I grab a tote that’s hanging at the end of a shelf and start adding books to it. A girl walks quickly around the corner and lets out a surprised yelp when she sees me, the books she was carrying going flying.
“Sorry, I didn’t know anyone was in here," she tells me as she starts to pick up the books from the floor.
I bend down to help. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I’ve been quietly stocking up.”
I point to my bulging tote and smile. She smiles back and stands up. She’s taller than me and slimmer--lean where I’m more muscular. She has shoulder length magenta hair that’s cut bluntly and curled and tousled to perfection.
The color seriously compliments the pink undertones of her fair complexion and her heart-shaped face. She smiles back, her eyes the color of milk chocolate, the smoky eye makeup she’s rocking accentuating them in all the best ways. Her nose is delicate, and the septum ring she has makes everything about her look even edgier.
“Are you finding everything okay?” she asks me politely.
“Actually, I was wondering if you had any books about caster basics, like aCasters for Dummies,maybe," I ask sheepishly hoping my question doesn’t offend her.
I let out a relieved breath when she giggles and tells me to follow her. She starts pulling books from shelves and leads me to a small table next to some comfy looking chairs.
There’s noCasters for Dummies,but there are books explaining Caster history, magic basics, and what to expect before your awakening.
“You have a little brother or sister going through the quickening?” She asks me.
“No, these are for me. I just recently moved here, and I’m trying to catch up on what I need to know," I admit, chagrined.
“Holy shit, you’re Lachlan Aylin’s niece, aren’t you?” She takes a step back and studies me more intently. “I thought it was just a rumor," she tells me and points to the runes on my arms and hands. She inspects them more thoroughly, and I shift on my feet awkwardly.
“Yes, to the niece question, and nope, not a rumor," I answer and run a hand over the runes on my arm.
“They’re beautiful," she tells me, and I relax a little.
“I’m Vinna," I introduce myself, extending my hand.
She looks at my extended palm and then back up to my face shock evident in her eyes.
“I should probably tell you I’m a shifter," she offers hesitantly.
“Cool.”
I can’t help but wonder if this has to do with my fight a couple nights ago. Do shifters hate me now or something? She looks at me quizzically and then shakes my still outstretched hand.
“I’m Mave," she finally offers.
We sink into the two comfy chairs and start asking each other questions. I tell her about how I ended up here, and she tells me about her pack and what life is like growing up in this town. I learn that casters aren’t always on good terms with shifters which explains her hesitation when I first introduced myself.
“So, what’s it like living with the Fierro twins?” Mave leans back in the chair and fans herself with her hand. She raises her eyebrows suggestively, and I laugh and then fan myself too.
“Good to know I’m not the only one drooling over that whole coven," I admit.
“Ah, you have coven lust already? I was just talking about the twins, but I like where this is headed.”
I laugh and then groan as I cover my face with my hands.Coven lust, yeah that about sums it up.
“Vin, you’re the hottest ticket that’s walked through the wards of this town. All that…” she motions to my face and body. “Wrapped up in a cloak of mystery. Well, let’s just say things are about to get really interesting around here," Mave declares, and smiles a glint of mischievousness in her eyes.
“Is that a good or a bad thing?” I ask unsure.
