They sat in the corner of the large barn, a different area than where Jonny and hisdatewere. Rayah’s chest ached and she knew it wasn’t down to the dancing she’d been doing.
“Where are you living?” The music had changed, a slower rhythm and she could see Jake slow dancing with Alex, both clearly taking the piss out of each other.
Will was watching them too, smirking at the sight. “Newcliffe Road in one of the terraces.”
“The one with the blue door?”
He looked surprised that she knew.
“It’s a small town, we know every house that’s available for rent. Think you’ll stay?”
He didn’t answer at first, watching Jake and Alex who were still pretending to slow dance together and making a remarkably good job.
“Probably. I like the job here. Jonny’s a good chief. It’s nice to be in a small community again, although you do have some weird bits round here.”
Rayah nodded, no intention of arguing with the truth. “That’s part of its charm: the weirdness. We’re not like anywhere else and we like it that way.”
He gave a slight nod. “I’ve noticed that. You even have your very own cult.”
“It’s a harmless one.”
“Is there such a thing as a harmless cult?”
His expression had grown dark. Clearly, he didn’t think there was such a thing.
“It’s basically its own community. They try to be as self-sufficient as possible and shun modern technology. They keep pretty much to themselves. Have you met Lena who works for Sorrell at the hotel?” The words were out before Rayah realised that Lena’s story was not the best example to show how the cult were benign.
“Briefly. I stayed there for a few nights while my rental became available. Wasn’t it Lena whose sister was kidnapped by some cult member?”
Rayah shook her head. “It was someone the cult had excommunicated. He’d wanted to use Lena so he could get back involved with them and ended up fixating on her sister.” There was more to it than that, such as the small matter of him also burning down Keren’s house, but she wasn’t going to bring that up, not when there was the Coven to inform him.
“So the cult’s okay, but it attracts a few unhinged people?”
She rolled her eyes, aiming for the dramatic. “Very few. The problems they cause are a lot less than the other mad traditions we have. And the ream of visitors that come to visit the shrine.”
“Shrine?”
“To the saint. One of his bones is apparently lodged in the well at the Abbey. Every February we get around two or three hundred people who come to drink out of the well to achieve eternal life or something like that. It’s all a bit quirky.” She gave him the smile she used to charm four-year-olds into behaving.
Will was not a four-year-old.
The dancing duo headed over to them, both carrying a bottle of beer and a shot. Tomorrow was one of the few days that her brother took off work. He had a holiday abroad twice a year, once in January to go skiing or snowboarding or some other form of sport where he could severely injure himself, and another in October to somewhere hot and sunny. Usually Zack or Scott or Alex would go with him, but this year it would just be Alex, given that the other two were surgically attached to their girlfriends. Tomorrow Jake would have a hangover. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t consider Mabon a success.
“Hope you’re being nice to my sister, William.” Jake sat down next to Will, tapped his shot glass to Alex’s and then downed it neatly.
“If I wasn’t, I’m pretty sure she could handle it.” Will eyed Jake and gave Rayah a quick smile.
She flashed a grin back. He was attractive, no disputing that, but he didn’t necessarily know it which added to the attraction. Even six months ago, she’d have been all over him, priming him for a couple of nights of fun, but whether it was because she’d seen Keren finally settle down and Zack get cosy with Sorrell, she no longer had the burn for a weekend of easy, no-strings sex.
And it was because of the man heading their way now, all six-feet-four of him, dark stubble coating his jaw, the dim lighting in the barn catching the flecks of red in his hair. It was also maybe something to do with the boy who was becoming gangly next to him, his once fair hair now darkening, his elbows jabbing into his father’s side as they joked. Charlie Graham was going to be a heartbreaker one day, if he ever figured out how to talk to a girl.
His dad was already a heartbreaker – he just didn’t realise it.
Jonny put Charlie in a headlock and grazed his knuckles on the top of his head, Charlie’s grin broadening widely. Then the boy was released and he shot off elsewhere, legs like a baby giraffe carrying him to whatever mischief he was hopefully getting into.
“Good to see you made it.” Jonny’s first words were for Will. “I wasn’t sure how long that would take.”
“Clearly there are going to be further complications.” Will’s tone didn’t give anything away, something that made Rayah automatically interested.
