“You’re the girl that beat the shit out of their alpha," Keegan, the tall tan man with light brown hair and blue eyes, comments.
“Um, sure," I agree, not sure if it’s true. Was Colossal Douche the leader of the pack? Suddenly that song by The Shangri-Las gets stuck in my head.
“Does anyone else think it’s weird that she looks super familiar?” Aydin asks randomly.
They all look me over more critically and I fidget, uncomfortable with the intense appraisal.
“Who’s in your coven?” Silva asks me, a strange look in his eyes.
I look around the group in confusion...my what? “Am I supposed to know what that means?”
Lachlan scoffs. “She probably doesn’t want to tell us so she can’t get into trouble with mommy and daddy.”
“Annnnd, now I’m done talking to you," I snap.
Aydin laughs and then coughs, trying to cover it up.
“We’re paladin. We’ll find out anyway. You might as well make it easier on yourself and just tells us," Keegan coaxes, his soft-spoken words matching up with his easygoing surfer vibe.
“Yeah, I didn’t understand a fucking word of what you just said."
I glare at him my irritation growing by the second.
Lachlan snorts. “All casters know what paladin are. Nice try, little girl.”
“For fuck’s sake! Are you always this much of an arrogant prick? I don’t know who the fuck you are, or what a damn caster is, and honestly, I don’t care. So, fuck you very much, I’m out of here!”
I find my bag laying abandoned in the dirt, and I sling it over my shoulder. I look around for the black SUV and the driver, but they’re both long gone. I laugh, but it’s hollow. Yeah, I can’t blame him for taking off. I wonder if it was before or after the Grizzlies showed up.
I fish my phone out of my bag, and I call Talon. It goes straight to his voicemail.
“Talon, your man left me out here in the middle of bloody nowhere, call me when you get this.”
I open my Uber app, even though I know what it’s going to say before I do. I’m stuck out in the middle of nowhere. Fuck my life.
“Where are you going?”
“Away from you weirdos.”
“You can make weapons out of magic, and we’re the weird ones?”
Magic?
A hand comes down on my shoulder. Acting on instinct, I turn and punch whoever’s touching me. I use my markings to add extra power to the hit, and Aydin flies back a couple of feet, landing flat on his back with anoomph.
“By the moons, you’re fast," Silva exclaims, eyeing me warily.
I meet his caramel eyes, raising my eyebrows in unspoken challenge.
“And strong," Keegan adds.
“I don’t know you. We’re not friends. Don’t touch me."
A couple of them put their hands up in an effort to show they’re not a threat. Aydin coughs and rubs his chest where I hit him. He gives me a big smile, and his blue eyes light up with excitement.
“Fucking creepers," I mumble under my breath.
6
