Page 5 of Amber: Deja Brew

Chapter 3

Amber

I race up the stairs with Chase and Wes on my heels. It helps that my guys are behind me, since there’s always a chance I might shift into someone else in my panic. A tumbling troll, gawky goblin, or fumbling fairy come to mind, but I somehow manage to make it to the top without my guys having to catch me.

As I run, a part of me keeps hoping that the guys are wrong, and Julian’s still fast asleep. But when we enter the apartment, the faint sound of his voice carries from my room.

Don’t panic, Amber! Maybe he’s just talking in his sleep!Not that I’ve ever heard Julian talk in his sleep... but it’s not like we’ve shared a bed—or even a bedroom—before last night. For all I know, my bestie-turned-mate gives sleep-induced monologues all the time.

Except how likely is that?Pretty unlikely, that’s how.

Worst-case scenarios start to race through my mind like bunnies on speed. What if Julian’s Mom or sisters fell ill? Or an errant spell burned down their house? Or Minerva Evil Montgomery cursed Julian in a fit of rage? She better not have, or I swear!

“Juli?” I shout as I race into the bedroom.

"Bean?" Julian scrambles to sit up. The too-soft mattress shifts beneath him, and he falls over sideways. Which would be hilarious if Minerva didn’t just do something awful!

"Are you okay?" I cry, looking him over for purple skin or giant warts. There are none, which just makes panic escalate. "Why are you up? What happened? Who were you talking to?"

Instead of replying, Julian’s eyes widen and snap over my shoulder to Chase and Wes. He starts waving his arms wildly in front of his chest for absolutely no reason, nearly toppling over. He manages to right himself, places his index finger in front of his lips, and silently tells the guys to be quiet.

What he’s doing makes sense, which makes my panic escalate. Whatever Minerva’s done must be really, really bad. I bet she... she...

“It’s just me, Amber, dear,” Julian’s Mom’s voice echoes from a speaker, and it takes me a second to spot Julian’s phone slowly sinking into the mattress.

The fact that Mrs. Wade is calling this early can’t be good, and I try to read how bad the news is on Julian’s face. He looks more panicked than upset... yet still so unbelievably cute with his blond hair all mussed from sleep. I get this sudden urge to hug him and tell him everything is going to be alright, except that thinking about hugging Julian somehow leads to thinking about taking off Julian’s t-shirt and pajama shorts—followed by frustration, because Wes managed to convince him to sleep fully-clothed. Which is, of course, followed by images of all three of my mates distinctly unclothed.

No, Amber! Don’t think about naked men while Julian’s Mom is on the phone. Especially not when he probably just got horrible news!

“Mrs. Wade? Are you okay?"

"I’m fine, dear. So are Lawrence and the girls. And I told you before, call me Jeanne-Marie. Or Mom," she reprimands. "Especially now that you're part of the family."

"Mom!" Julian tries to sound annoyed, but he’s grinning.

"Yes, exactly. Mom." Mrs. Wade chuckles.

It’s not the first time she’s teased me about calling her Mom and Mr. Wade Dad or about being a member of the family. Mrs. Wade’s always made sure I knew she loved having me, but me spending so much time over at Julian’s has become a sort of running joke between us. Except now that I’m with Julian, does that actually make me one of the Wades?

The mere thought of it makes a warm glow slowly spread in my chest, but Mrs. Wade’s next question turns it into a full-on blush.

"Amber, you and my son are mated, aren’t you?”

“Oh, um, yeah.” My eyes dart from Julian to Chase and Wes. “We’re—”

"She's my girlfriend!" Julian practically shouts. He’s got this weird look on his face, but before I can question it, he changes the subject. “Why did you think someone was hurt, Bean? Did something happen?”

“No, nothing happened.” I settle on the bed across from him. Or try to, anyway. The mattress resists, and I end up sinking into a hole while Julian’s phone slowly slides toward me. “It's just that no one ever calls you this early, Juli. I was worried.”

“He’s not usually up before noon, is he?” Mrs. Wade—who I can never seem to think of as Mom, or Jeanne-Marie—chuckles. “I was pretty surprised when he called so early.”

“You called your mom?” I gape.

Julian nods.

“Did something happen?” I ask, my mind returning to Minerva Evil Montgomery.

Julian shakes his head, his eyes drifting to Chase and Wes. My other two mates. Did he get up early just so he could tell his mom about the four of us?