“I have plenty, really. Will you be at the police department later? I can bring it by.”
“Don’t go out of your way. Bring it Monday. And thanks.”
“No problem. That’s what friends are for, right?”
“Right.”
“So Lyra canceled her tarot reading this weekend. Do you want to maybe go see a movie or something?”
The last time I saw a movie, I had a boyfriend. A human boyfriend. So…it’s been a while. And I love movie theater popcorn.
“I’m gonna say maybe, depending on the boyfriend situation.”
“Of course! It’d be fun to double date sometime. Which would require me getting a date in the first place.”
“I don’t think you’ll have trouble with that. You’re freaking gorgeous.”
She waves her hand in the air, dismissing the compliment. “Me? Have you seen yourself? You’re in incredible shape.”
“I work out a lot.”
“And I’m way too lazy to.”
I laugh. “It’s part of my job, in a way.”
“True. That makes me feel better.”
I smile, realizing that sitting here talking is making me feel better too.
17
Itoss the paper bag from Lyra’s into the passenger seat and close the door behind me. Pulling the seatbelt over me, I feel calmer and clearheaded after having coffee with Gemma. This having friends thing just might be all it’s cracked up to be after all.
I drum my fingers on my steering wheel, deciding what to do. Going home and taking a nap—and making sure Jac hasn’t cracked more—sounds nice. But going into work and taking a stab at this case sounds more like me. Sitting around waiting for the sun to set will make the time go by slower than it’s already going, and honestly, being alone with my own thoughts makes me a little anxious.
Even though I called in and said I had food poisoning, no one seems too surprised to see me. Work has been my whole life pretty much since I started here. After meeting with the other officers working on the investigation and going over the evidence found on the victims’ social media accounts, we start to put together a profile for our suspect.
I leave at exactly five o’clock, feeling more like my old self. The confidence in solving this case is back, but I don’t have tunnel vision blocking out life around me. I’m worried about Jacques. If something did happen to him, how would the others take the news?
The guys feel like protecting and serving me is their job, but keeping them safe is mine. I woke them up. I’m the reason monsters will attack. They’re bigger and stronger than me, but I’m the one with the magical powers.
I make a detour to an electronics store on the way home, picking up just one camera for the time being. A good security camera costs more than I expected. My knowledge of hooking stuff like this up is limited to what I can learn from a YouTube tutorial, and I give up almost as soon as I start, realizing this old house isn’t wired in a way that I can easily hook up the camera to Wi-Fi from the outside of the house. I’ll have to go back out and get what I need to attach it later.
Going back inside, I lay out everything I need for the concealment charm. I have everything I need except the actual medium to carry the charm. The spell calls for a necklace to be worn, and while basically anything will do, a quartz amulet would hold in the power the longest. The quartz necklaces Lyra had are pretty and on a delicate chain, which isn’t practical and could easily break. I got them anyway, knowing a quick fix is all I need to make them work.
I take the quartz off the chain, removing the decorative pink beads, and string it through a leather cord, tying it with enough length to easily slip over my head. Then I get supplies ready just in case Jacques wakes up bleeding. My fingers tremble as I lay gauze and bandages on the coffee table in the sitting room. I add a couple towels, wet rags, and a blanket too, preparing for the worst.
Feeling restless, I change and go for a run, then clean the bathrooms when I get back. With time left before sunset, I shower, change into shorts and a T-shirt, and get started on dinner.
My sunset alarm goes off on my phone two minutes before the actual sunset, and I drop everything and run outside, grabbing the first aid supplies on the way. I look from the horizon to the clock on my phone over and over, counting down the seconds until the official sunset.
Thomas and Gilbert wake up first, stone crumbling away as they emerge. Gilbert jumps down, shaking out his hair, and lets out a breath of relief when he sees me.
“You’re alive.” He strides over, putting both hands on my waist, and looks me over.
“I am.”
Thomas walks behind me, playfully smacking my ass. “She looks good from this side too.”
