Instead, I chuckled and shook my head at the college guys. “That’s ridiculous.” It wasn’t, but they were human. They didn’treallybelieve in supernatural things, and most of the things in their silly movies were misleading. Witches didn’t have the presence she possessed.
As the day dragged on, I couldn’t get her off my mind. What was she if not a demon? She was far too powerful for a witch, and her aura wasn’t right unless she was a first-or second-generation descendant of Hecate. No one had seen or heard from the witch goddess in a couple millennia, though.
The question lingered like a bad taste in my mouth. She obviously wasn’t human, but she’d seemed genuine. Plus, she’d been here long before I showed up, if those fools were to be believed. I teetered back and forth on the pros and cons of having her around.
Pro, she was nice to look at. Con, if college boys spoke the truth—andtheyat least believed they were—she could bring the business down. Pro, with that muchpower[11][12]buzzing around her, she could probably hold her own if we were ever attacked there. Con, if she was untrained with that magic, she would be a liability. I wasn’t about to risk my freedom to jump in and save her ass, regardless of how innocent she looked.
Then another pro slithered into my head. With the demons searching for my specific power signature, her overwhelming and raw presence would mask mineentirely[13], should I need to use my abilities.
I couldn’t argue against that idea. If she’d been a constant source of such immense power in the area, they might’ve already checked into her before I even arrived in Boston. If her power remained consistent, and mine hidden, there would be no need to check again. Obviously, I still wanted to hunt the ones who came close. The traitorous bastards deserved no less. But it could work.
At five, much to the disappointment of a few late customers I had to shoo out, I flipped the lights and my open sign off. Outside, my truck was pulling into the main lot. Someone new, apparently, or he would’ve known where the hell to go in the first place.
“Back in over here,” I told him, pointing to the small alley along the side that led to my loading dock off the kitchen.
He grunted and waved sharply but threw the truck into reverse. I stepped inside, locking the front door behind me. Lexi would be arriving any moment, but I needed to handle the truck now. Through the kitchen and to the left, I had a small dock area. I threw open the metal rolling door, watching the guy back into the cozy fit between the building and the tree line separating me from Harbor Point Boulevard.
As soon as he put it in park, he stuck his head out the window. “I ain’t unloading these for ya.”
Energy built up around my fists so suddenly, I nearly struck his head from his shoulders before I reeled myself back in. Too much hassle, new city, not worth it. Then fate intervened in the form of a small knock on the door.
“Hey, I ain’t got all night, buddy,” the driver called.
I bit back a nasty retort and calmed my voice. “This is your company’s fuck-up. You’ll wait as long as I need you to.”
“Yeah, whatever.”
I curled my lip as he sat back in the cab and sipped an energy drink. Before I’d made the conscious thought to do it, his story leapt out to me. Apparently, I’d interrupted a rare night out with the wife he enjoyed abusing. I shook it off before any more came to me, making a mental note about him for later.
Marcus, I hope you enjoy your time on Earth.
Leaving the dock open for the moment, I jogged back to the front, where a temptress awaited me on the other side of the glass door. Her fiery hair had been somewhat tamed into a twisted bun, bringing her delicate features to the forefront. She’d changed into a clingy black tank top with a white coat on top.
Her own chef’s coat, and not a cheap one.
I unlocked the door and ushered her inside. “You’re just in time. My truck just pulled in.” She followed me around the counter and her eyes widened when she took in the kitchen. Pride swelled in my chest. “The ovens are still on, you can see their temperatures here so use whichever one you need. If you need help finding anything, just let me know. I’ll be back here, unloading my own truck.”
“Do you have anything specific you’d like me to make?” she asked timidly, tugging her sleeves.
“Just make something that’ll knock me off my feet.” I winked and her face flushed adorably. “Have fun.”
Chapter 4
Lexi
I was the luckiest woman in the whole world. My eyes couldn’t settle on one thing, moving from the tall rack ovens to the huge dough mixer to the enormous walk-in cooler doors. There was an entire commercial kitchen to play in. This was baking cranked to eleven! I restrained the urge to squeal.
And yeah, Sophie had been right. The owner guy was hot enough to melt a cast-iron skillet. He’d shed the chef coat he’d had on earlier and was wearing simple black slacks and a tight black tee that did wonders for his muscles. The sleeves stretched across biceps that looked like they belonged on the bodybuilders in Sophie’s gym, and I could almost make out the mouthwatering ridges of his abs.
I’d been so excited about the prospect of getting a job baking and distracted by said hotness, I’d forgotten to get his name.
He would be thusly dubbed Mr. Hottie.
I had to remind myself to simmer down more than once. The last thing I needed was to accidentally blow something up because I couldn’t contain the thrill racing through my veins. I had a bad enough rep on campus, and from what I’d seen that afternoon and heard from Sophie, this place was popular with students. Hopefully, my bad reputation wouldn’t mess up my chances at this job, but I had to keep myself contained.
Think peaceful thoughts, Lexi!
Recipes circulated in my head as I looked over the ingredients on the shelves, my skin tingling in the opposite of calm. The place still smelled of sweets, and sweets were where my head usually went after a break-up, so chocolate chip brownies and cheesecake cookies it was. I slid open the built-in appliance garages, marveling at the utter perfection of the kitchen’s design, and grabbed a hand mixer for a small cookie batch.
