“You know he is really attached to you,” Mike spoke up as he walked into the back.
I nodded. “I know he is. But so are a lot of the dogs we’ve had before.”
“Not like this.” Mike bent down, running his hand over Charlie’s back. He scratched behind Charlie’s ear, and Charlie leaned into Mike’s hand, enjoying it. “He looks to you for everything. He hardly eats when I’m around and yet has no problem when you come.”
“Maybe he just likes women.”
“Or maybe you should put the poor guy out of his misery and adopt him.”
I sighed, looking at Mike. We’d had this conversation several times. “You know I can’t have a dog.”
Mike shook his head and waved a finger. “You couldn’t in your apartment, but aren’t you living in a house now?” Mike raised an eyebrow at me. “With a yard? Sounds like you could have a dog.”
I chewed on my lower lip as I stared at Charlie. I would have to talk to Kaleb about it first, since it was technically his house. And when we did decide to split ways, I would have to look for a place that was dog-friendly, which could be a pain in the ass. Unless I purchased my own house after all of this. I could. I’d been setting money aside.
“I’ll have to think about it.”
“You know,” Mike continued, a smirk pulling at his lips. “Dogs are known to be great companions and amazing distractions.”
The smug little shit.
I sighed. “Fine, take him off the website.”
Mike looked at Charlie. “Did you hear that? She finally gave in.”
An hour later, I was calling the dogs inside. I scanned the yard looking for Spot, who was not coming back. I stepped outside, looking in each of the corners. “Spot? Come on. Do you want breakfast?”
I watched as a little head popped up from behind the dog playground we had set up. I smirk. “Come on.”
He came running across the yard, and then I heard the door behind me. I turned, and my body stiffened as Ryan walked into the back dog area. The dogs all seemed to go silent when he came around, like they could sense the ugliness I saw.
“Well, if it isn’t witch Nora. My dad still kept you employed after the news?”
I swallowed as Spot came running through the door. He stopped once he spotted Ryan and started to growl. I smirked, always finding the dogs had a way of protecting me.
Ryan kept his distance, but that didn’t shut him up.
“That I’m a witch? That wasn’t news, Ryan.”
Ryan laughed. “No, but you having magic is. As if being a witch wasn’t dirty enough.”
I knew my face gave it away that I was insulted. Normally, I would just let it go on, but this time was different. I wasn’t inthe mood to listen to him banter on about whatever he wanted. I was sick and tired of him constantly thinking he had the upper hand on me.
“Being a witch isn’t dirty,” I snapped back, crossing my arms.
He snorted.
I stepped closer, Spot following me. I decided now was the time to shut him up. “You know, now that I know I have magic, I have been training with it. Learning what I can do and what I still need to learn. It’s crazy the things that I’ve found.”
Ryan’s face dropped slightly, and he looked almost uncomfortable for a moment. But he quickly fixed it, giving me a smug expression. “I’m sure. You learning how to hold a wand and recite spells?”
He laughed at his own joke, finding himself funny. But I decided to go along with it. I smiled. “I don’t need a wand, Ryan. I just need a spell book, and you should know I know I’ve read deep into the one I have. I learned how to make someone silent, how to turn things into different shapes.” I took another step toward him. “I even learned how to transfer pain. I can take the pain and suffering of other animals and put it into another body.”
Ryan paused, seeming confused by my words. I grabbed the scissors I had sitting on the side, opening them. I then pulled my sleeve up. “Want to find out how good I am? I can transfer the pain right to you.”
Ryan turned white, and I smiled as I brought the scissors down to my forearm. I just pressed it onto my skin, hardly touching it before Ryan started to back up. He slammed into a kennel, and the dogs all erupted. They barked and startedgrowling loudly at Ryan. I watched as fear filled his face now, and it gave me pure joy.
He grabbed the door, yanking it open. “You fucking crazy!” he yelled as he ran out of the room. I started to laugh as I closed the scissors and tossed them back to the side.
