She leans back in the chair and puts her boots on the desk, the desk that I bought secondhand and spent hours scrubbing, staining, and painting. A piece of grass dangles precariously from her worn leather boot. I glare at her, and she hastily plops her feet back on the hardwood floors.
“That’s the thing. Nobody knows. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was some bastard prince out there ready to pounce on the throne,” she says with a mischievous smile on her face.
I ignore her. Cally’s always been on the dramatic side. But entertaining that side of her doesn’t exactly feel appropriate right now. I take another sip of my coffee. “That explains why there’s nobody out right now.”
She nods slowly. “I think most places are closed out of respect and to allow people to mourn. But it’s making me wonder if they’re scared about who or what killed them.”
That’s not something I had considered. “Why do you say that?”
“Well, you know how powerful King Silas was. Whoever or whatever killed him would have had to be even more powerful. Not to mention, they also would have had to overpower Etta and Adelaide. I heard a rumor on the streets that only someone using black magic would have been able to overpower all three of them.”
“Do people even use black magic anymore?” I ask.
She raises an eyebrow at me and says, “No. It was outlawed decades ago.” Although she doesn’t say it, I know she’s holding back a reprimand about how I should know that.
I blush. “You know Willa did her best homeschooling me.”
She stands up and places a hand on my forearm over the desk. “I know,” she says warmly. She grabs her bag of books from the floor and hefts it over her shoulder. “Anyways, I gotta go. I have a meeting with that book dealer about a special edition I’ve been trying to track down.” She takes one last sip of coffee before setting it down and heading to the door. Before she opens it, she turns back to face me. “Wait, I never asked you why you were late this morning. What happened? Did you end up spending the night with Killan?”
I laugh. “Yeah, I spent all night with him. But a lady doesn’t kiss and tell unless you’re providing wine…and if that’s the case, I’ll make an exception and tell you all the sordid details.”
She throws her head back in laughter. “Wine at your place tonight?”
“It’s a date.”
Cally knocks on my door just as the sun is beginning to set.
“Come in!” I yell, setting a bottle of wine and two glasses on the wooden dining table. Cally steps onto the back porch, holding up a bottle of red.
“I brought wine,” she says triumphantly.
I shrug. “You can never have too much.”
She pulls out a chair and uncorks her bottle with an ease that I’ve never been able to master. She pours it into two glasses and floats one of the glasses to my side of the table before plopping into her seat.
“Show off,” I mutter.
She shoots me a wink. “Anyways, spill the details. How did last night go?”
Cally has always been invested in my dating life. Her only boyfriend, an Ursine male that she’s known since she was a cub, recently ended things with her in an unexpected breakup. Because Cally’s only ever been with him, she’s always lived vicariously through me.
“Last night was fine, but I think I might have given him the wrong idea by staying over,” I admit.
“What do you mean?”
“He told me he’d clear out a drawer for me before I left,” I say with a grimace. It was never meant to go on this long with Killan.
“So? Why not just see how it goes?”
“I don’t know, Cal. He’s kind of manipulative,” I admit.
She sits forward in her chair and hits the table with her hand. “See, this is exactly why I’ve been telling you to date someone from Ursidae! Every Ursine male is kind and loyal,” she says passionately. “Serpent males are…well, kind of gross. Gorgeous but gross.”
I sigh. “I know, I know. You’re right.”
“You don’t say that enough,” she says with a wink. “Even someone from Canis would be better for you. You’re a great female, and you need someone loyal—someone who will commit to you and match your greatness.”
“I do like Killan, though,” I say with a groan.
