Great. Here I was, worrying about the end of the world, and the two of them were cosplayingGone with the Wind.
In the bottom of my bag, I felt my phone vibrate and opened it to take a quick peek. A text from Lydia:
I am trusting you with my brother’s honour
jk he has none
if you even pity make-out with him, I will kill you
Nothing for her to worry about there. When I cleared the notifications, smiling up at me from the lock screen was the selfie I’d snapped of me and Wyn at Tybee Island. The skies were blue, the sun was bright, and Wyn’s indescribable eyes crinkled with the same happiness written all over my face. I ran a fingernail over the glass screen, keeping my touch light so as not to disrupt the image, then closed my eyes and cast out a net, searching for him. He was there, somewhere in the mountains, but the connection was quieter than before, out of focus almost. In the murky, unclear depths of my newly acquired magical knowledge, I knew it was because of the full moon. The phase was coming, his bond to the pack growing in strength and pulling him further away from me.
‘Holy shit.’
I looked up to see a slack-jawed Jackson Powell in the doorway, hovering as though halted by some invisible forcefield. A smirking Ashley Bell followed closely behind, the look on her face completely contradicting his expression of disbelief. Was it possible to die of embarrassment? We were about to find out.
‘I take back the gentleman comment.’ Ashley clipped him around the back of the head as I tucked a loose curl behind my ear, blushing such a deep shade of scarlet, my dress looked like camouflage. ‘I believe what you meant to say was, “Goodness, Miss Emily, you sure do look as pretty as a picture.”’
‘Nope,’ Jackson said, tugging at the knot of his tie. ‘I said holy shit and I meant it. Em, you look incredible. Totally …’ He flicked his eyes over at Ashley before finishing his sentence. ‘Pretty as a picture.’
‘You’re a fast learner,’ she said with approval. ‘But her eyes are up top, mister.’
‘It’s not my usual style,’ I muttered, trying to figure out what to do with my arms. They swung around in front of me likea magician trying to distract someone from their trick. Jackson only continued to stare, unabashed, like he’d won some sort of prize.
‘You look great yourself,’ I added, nodding awkwardly at his sharp lines and crisp fabrics.
My date pulled at the starched collar of his white shirt with one crooked finger, a pretence of discomfort for my benefit. He truly looked born to wear it.
‘Not my usual either, but my grandmother would have me in a suit seven days a week if she could,’ he said. ‘Oh, hey, I have something for you.’
He held out a white cardboard box, small and square, a little larger than his hands.
‘Cake?’ Ashley enquired hopefully.
‘No, but Lyds was cooking up a batch of red velvet cupcakes when I left. Last I heard she didn’t have plans, if you wanted to stop by.’
‘Or I could open up the garbage and eat whatever I find inside instead,’ she grumbled in response, and Jackson winked in my direction.
‘I didn’t know what colour you were wearing so I went with white,’ he said as he peeled back a sticker seal and opened the box. ‘The lady in the store said this was a classic beauty, so I figured it would be perfect for you.’
Inside, on a bed of pink tissue paper, was a corsage. The swirling petals of a gardenia blossom, its sweet scent filling the air, grounded by the earthy scent of the fern fronds wrapped around it. Gardenia, known to enhance magical abilities, ward off evil spirits and negative energy, and bring serenity to the wearer. And ferns, often used to enhance the abilities of other plants and flowers. Without realizing it, Jackson had gifted me one of the most beautiful protective talismans I’d ever seen.
‘I love it,’ I said as he slipped it on my wrist before pinning a matching boutonnière to his jacket. ‘Thank you.’
‘Y’all look like you were made for each other,’ Ashley said, hands clasped to her chest and a mischievous smile on her face. ‘I just know your folks would be so happy to see this scene. Let me take a picture.’
Before I could protest, Jackson slid his arm around my waist, grinning at her ancient digital camera like it was his best friend in the whole world. The flash popped brightly and I blinked away circles of light, steadying myself against his sturdy warmth. Ashley took one look at the screen and slipped the camera back into her pocket without sharing the result before exchanging her smirk for a not entirely successful attempt at an authoritative glare.
‘You have her back by curfew, you hear me?’ she said, and I felt my date stiffen at the side of me.
‘What time is curfew?’ I asked.
She shrugged and looked to Jackson for an answer.
‘No idea,’ he said. ‘Never had one. Does one a.m. sound about right?’
‘It sounds extremely lenient,’ I said, a sudden flash of panic at the thought of staying from Bell House for so long.
Ashley gave a shallow bow.
