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Gabriel was taken aback by her words, though he shouldn’t have been; of course Iris would confide in her best friend. At the very least, she would have told Audrey more than Gabriel felt comfortable relaying to Clement. He was fairly certain she would have kept the more sensitive bits of information private, and that was a comfort. It was dangerous to let everyday humans in on too many secrets, no matter how trustworthy they were. Not that Audrey fit comfortably inside the box of ‘everyday human,’ considering the faint flickers of magic Gabriel occasionally saw emanating from her.

“We’re getting through it,” Gabriel said. His gaze landed on Iris, her smile radiant as she and Blair swayed in sunset rays of gold and carnation-pink that beamed through the skylight windows.

Audrey patted his hand, and Gabriel tried not to feel too patronized. He knew she meant well. “That’s good to hear. I like you, Gabriel. I think you’re good for her. But…” She hesitated, biting her lip. “May I be blunt with you?”

Gabriel peered at her dubiously, but he nodded.

“Iris is such a romantic, I kind of always knew this platonic life partners thing wasn’t going to be enough for her. I feel like I should have warned you.”

Perhaps a corner of his mind had suspected that, too. But his hope had won out, as it so often did, deceitful emotion that it was.

“That doesn’t change how much she loves you, though,” Audrey said, resting a hand over his.

“That’s what she tells me.” Gabriel pulled away lightly and folded his hands under the table, resisting her comfort. If there was one thing he abhorred, it was appearing weak. Though he knew that was a weakness in itself.

“I’m upset Mary couldn’t be here,” Audrey pouted, deftly changing the subject. “How’s Iris’ aunt?”

Two days earlier, Iris’ mother had received an emergency call from her sister Linda and had to book a last-minute flight to Georgia. “It wasn’t a heart attack,” Gabriel assured her. “The doctor said she was experiencing ‘acute stress.’ Mary blames Linda’s husband.”

“Thank goodness it was only that,” Audrey breathed, though Gabriel privately thought that was bad enough. It only added to his long-held belief that romantic relationships seemed to inevitably result in grief and strain.

Before Gabriel could summon up a new topic, Evette danced over to them, her ice-blue satin gown cascading around her. “May I have this dance, m’lady?” she asked, wiggling her fingers at her bride.

Audrey’s smile was almost infectious enough to brighten Gabriel’s sour mood. “Why, don’t mind if I do.” She tossed Gabriel a grin before following her wife onto the dance floor.

Gabriel sighed, swirling his umbrella broodingly around his glass. He had just decided to head to the bar for another drink when someone else approached him, a stranger with the most disarming aura he had encountered since meeting Blair.

Untapped magic flared at the edges of her magenta aura, as bright with promise as an undiscovered gold mine. Gabriel tried to hide his astonishment as the woman came to stand by the chair Audrey had just abandoned. On the surface, she looked fairly ordinary. She was tall and of average weight, with long curly brown hair and round blue eyes. When she smiled, Gabriel noticed her bright white teeth were rather large; still, she was pretty in a self-assured kind of way.

“Hi. Can I sit here?” She motioned to the chair. There was a determined glint in her eyes that made Gabriel a tad wary.

“Of course, be my guest.”

“Thank you.” She dipped into an exaggerated curtsy before sitting. Her light green dress tickled her calves, while satin shoelaces twisted like vines up her legs. She leaned back, crossing her ankles. “I’m Minerva. Evette’s sister.”

“Nice to meet you, Minerva.”

“You can call me Minnie. So, Gabriel, let’s cut to the chase. Next time you see your friend Clement, would you kindly relay this message?”

Gabriel sat up straighter in his chair. He’d rarely seen such a disarming display of confidence; her acidic stare could have disintegrated him on the spot. Deciding not to hide his amusement, he nodded, a flicker of a smile on his lips.

“Thank you. Kindly ask him to turn his attention elsewhere. I am not interested, nor available, nor do I want to hear from him ever again. As long as I live.” She hesitated. “Do you want to write this down?”

Gabriel laughed, taking even himself by surprise. “I think I can remember.”

He found himself nearly blinded by the light flickering around her like winking stars, her suppressed magic begging to be set free. Unlike with Blair, Gabriel was nearly certain of what kind of Similar she was. Perhaps she wasn’t aware of the power that lay dormant within her. Certainly, her immense potential must have been what had captivated Clement. He had been looking for a protégé for years.

Well, Gabriel would relay her message. Whether his friend would listen was a different matter entirely

“Where did you and Clement meet, if you don’t mind my asking?” said Gabriel after a moment. “And how did you know who I was?”

“Audrey pointed you out earlier, mentioned you were Clement’s friend. He singled me out at the Fourth of July picnic my sister hosted last year. Were you there?”

“Ah, yes. I was behind the grill for most of that occasion, I’m afraid. Perhaps that’s why we didn’t encounter one another.”

“That is a shame. You could have kept your friend in line.”

“Ah. Well then, I’m sorry I couldn’t have been of help. And I fear it was my fault that Clement was in attendance.”