The grin on my face faded in an instant. “What about her?”
“She came home late last night,” Deva said. “I was about to go to sleep and heard the car. I peeked outside and saw Bryan.”
“Oh, no,” I whispered. “We have to talk to her. She needs to know what’s going on.”
I didn't want to make her feel bad about her and Bryan doing whatever it was they were doing, but at the same time she was my friend and I wanted her to be safe. The body on the beach flashed in my mind, only this time it was Carol, not Quillan. I didn't think Bryan would hurt her, I was pretty positive he genuinely cared for her, even now as a vampire, but that was also part of it.
Hewasa vampire.
They weren't exactly fluffy bunny shifters or something. Not that I knew whether those existed or not. But vampires could be, no,weredangerous. What if he got a sudden craving and took it too far? What if Carol upset him? He’d been a vampire a while now, but what did I know about their ability to retain control?
I wasn't sure how stable Bryan was right now. After all, I wasn't sure whether or not he'd just committed murder. That wasn't exactly a good feeling. But how did I tell my friend that? How could I break it to her that the man she's been longing for since high school, the man that she's held all others to in terms of standards and feelings, the man she sees herself with in the future, might have blood on his hands? And not just because he was a vampire, but because he took another vampire's life. An important one at that, apparently, even if this Quillan might be some kind of monster.
“What’s going on?” Deva asked.
I sighed and thought about the past few days. “It’s too much for over the phone. I’ll see you soon, okay?”
Deva wasn’t happy about it, but she agreed.
I hung up knowing I had a lot to tell my friends, and no desire to have to do it. I knew I should rush getting ready, that I should get over to Deva and talk to her and Carol and Beth as soon as I could, but the fact that I didn't actually want to slowed me down. I actually debated on what I was going to wear to see them.
"Everything okay up here?" Daniel asked from just inside the doorway.
"Yeah," I replied, but I could hear it myself that something was wrong. "I just don't want to go and talk to Carol about Bryan, but apparently I have to."
He came up and hugged me from behind nuzzling down into my hair and neck as he said, "She'll understand. She's your friend. You care about each other, so this is what friends do. Admittedly, this situation isn't exactly normal, but that doesn't change the fact that you've been friends most of your lives."
"True," I said as I spun in his arms so I could face him. I pushed up on my tiptoes and gave him a kiss. "Thank you."
He was right, as usual. We were friends. Best Friends. But the last thing in this world I wanted to do was rain on Carol’s parade.
EIGHT
Emma
I peeredup at the windows of Carol’s shop with a sinking heart. Something was going on in there. Even I could sense it. And it was good, whatever it was. Positive emotions like hope and happiness flooded over me as magic that humans probably—hopefully—couldn’t see lit up the windows.
It was like a mini fireworks display was going on inside. Or maybe just someone who had an obsession with sparklers. Either way, the emotions that were filling the place and pouring out of it seemed to create little bursts of fire and energy.
Throwing my keys in my purse, I got out and shut the door, then pressed the little button on the handle to lock the car. I really hated walking in here to give one of my best friends the news I had to give her. It took all my willpower to do it.
I even hesitated right outside the door, willing myself to go in, but finding that I was having a hard time taking the next step. The last thing I wanted was to destroy the good vibes that were coming from inside.
Carol’s magic stopped suddenly when I walked through the first door. The glow in the air seemed to fade like an old light being turned off. As soon as she saw it was me, she spun in a circle with little sparks coming out of her fingers.
Oh, man. She really was in a good mood. I was honestly a little surprised that the sparks were coming directly from her. She had never displayed that kind of magic before that I could remember. I knew she could work spells and do other general witchy stuff, but her talent lay in textiles. Fabric, yarn, ribbon, and all that. Seeing her create fire? It seemed incongruous.
“Hey,” I called as I walked in and watched her twirl. Her skirt flared out, as did her light brown hair, which was actually starting to get long, at least for her. “What’s going on?” As if I didn’t know. I gave her a smile, though it felt like it was too tight, to try and offset any tension that may have bled through in my voice.
She just grinned at me, her smile so wide I was actually worried that her face might split in two. I doubted that she even sensed my tension since I was pretty sure the reason she hadn't replied was that she was too happy to put it into words. It made me think of how I felt after Daniel and I finally sealed the deal, in more ways than one.
The idea of taking that happiness away made me nauseous. I had to do what was best for her though, even if I hated it.
The sound of her sewing machine, the antique one she loved, filled the air, creating a melody with two sets of knitting needles. “No crochet?” I asked.
She chuckled. “I got in an order for a knitted blanket so I’ve got two knit orders going.”
I settled down into one of her overstuffed comfy chairs, dropping my purse onto the floor next to my feet. “You seem like you’re in a good mood.” Maybe she’d tell me about Bryan’s visit so I wouldn't have to admit that Deva and I had been talking about her. “Something happen?”
