2. Rina
TWO
rina
Fuck men. I was swearing myself off them after another failed date. I meant what I’d told Wendy; they weren’t even worth my time.
Downing my third drink of the night, I swayed to the music playing in the Enchanted Cauldron, fiddling with the choker around my neck. It had been a disappointing night. Even more disappointing because it further cemented what I already knew: I was stuck. Stagnant in the town I’d grown up in.
I loved it here—loved being surrounded by my coven, the thirteen witches who were my sisters—but over the last year, things had changed.
It all started when Willow found her soulmate—a demon shapeshifter named Damien.
Then Willow’s sister, Luna, ended up following her mate, Zain, back to the demon realm.
Now both of them were married. Willow was expecting her first baby this winter, and Luna had given birth to twins this summer.
Meanwhile, I was twenty-six, and I didn’t even have a job that I loved. After college, I’d thought about working for the town paper, but ended up at Spellbound Diner instead. I wasn’t any closer to finding something, or someone who made me happy—in fact; I was ready to swear it off entirely.
Especially after tonight’s so-called date. I’d finally agreed to give a man a chance, and what had I gotten? Nothing. The fucking audacity of him to stand me up. Especially after I’d spent the time to do my hair and makeup.
Why had I even said yes to the date? His aura had been off, anyway.
Probably because you’re tired of being alone, and everyone in your life is coupling up, I reminded myself. Well, everyone except Wendy. We’d been best friends since we were in diapers, growing up next to each other. She was the yin to my yang. My twin flame. Everything good and right in the world.
The witch at my side, who’d pulled on her favorite black heels and a red dress, even though tomorrow was a school day and it definitely wasn’t the best night to go out.
That was the thing about being friends with someone who was a literal beam of sunshine.
“I love you,” I said, my words slurring just a little as I leaned my head on her shoulder. She was a few inches shorter than me, but I didn’t care. “You’re the best.”
“Love you too, Rina.”
I looked over at Eryne—our closest friend—who was wrapped up in her boyfriend’s arms. “Do you want that?” I asked Wendy. She looked away, and I sighed. “It’s okay to let someone in again, you know?”
“The way I felt when it ended… I’d never wish that on anyone.
” Hurt shone in her face, her naturally pink aura rippling with deep blue.
Wendy had never liked to talk about her time in college or the human she’d fallen in love with, but I knew something had affected her deeply. It had changed her, down to her soul.
Scanning the bar, I saw the man whose eyes I’d caught as I walked in. He was tall, with pale skin and golden blond hair, wearing a three-piece suit, and I couldn’t stop glancing over at him, curiosity filling me.
A stranger in Pleasant Grove. That was happening more these days, and it never failed to pique my interest. Who was he? What had brought him here?
That was the journalism brain at work. Always ready to investigate and plunge into another story. Really, I loved the research. Loved the thrill of the chase, of learning everything I could about a situation or a person.
“Who do you think he is?” I asked, jutting my chin out towards them.
“Who?” Wendy frowned, looking around.
I rolled my eyes. “The mystery man leaning against the bar.”
She shrugged. “No idea.”
I frowned. “Aren’t you curious?”
“Sabrina.” Her voice was stern. Like she was scolding my primal instincts. Which was fair, because I’d just vowed to swear off dating. This didn’t have to be a date, though. Just… scratching an itch.
Sometimes curiosity killed the cat… but sometimes the cat got a nice, tasty surprise out of it, too.
“Fiiiine,” I drew out the word, waving her off. “I’m just gonna go check on our girl.” She gave me a small nod as I walked over to Eryne and Barrett, trying not to stumble on my heels.
Damn, why had I even bothered to wear them?
“Eryne, are you coming back? Wendy and I were just—Oh.” I looked up, my eyes meeting ones the color of blood. They flashed gold—for only a second—before settling back to that deep red. My eyes widened. I couldn’t have imagined irises this color from across the bar. “Hello.”
The stranger just stared at me. His aura was dark. Red, swirling and angry, and a chill crept over my body.
I waited for him to say something—anything. Not even an acknowledgement that I’d spoken to him.
Why the fuck was he still just looking at me?
“Okaayyy, well…” I tried to shake off the strange, foreboding feeling I felt. “You coming?”
After Eryne shared words with her wolf shifter, she looped her arm through mine, and we headed back to Wendy. Eryne turned to me as soon as the three of us were all reunited. “What was that?”
I frowned. “What?”
“When you saw Barrett’s friend, you totally froze. What happened?”
Barrett’s friend? Who exactly was this man? Damn, I should have eavesdropped sooner. I looked down at my nails—I’d painted them a deep purple before I’d gone out for my date. “Nothing.”
Wendy gave me a pointed look. “Sabrina.” Goddess, I hated when anyone used my full name.
I groaned, crumbling under the weight of her stare. “Ugh. I don’t even know where to begin.” I’d kept this to myself for years. Partially, because I felt like my gift was lame. Everyone else had cool abilities, and I could see colors.
I looked outside, where Barrett and his friend were talking, serious looks on their faces.
Barrett’s aura was warm and natural, a shade of orange that was full of warmth and life.
Nothing like the man at his side, so red it was almost black.
“Look, I know I don’t talk a lot about my gift.
But I can see auras. On everyone. His aura is…
” I shivered. “I’ve never seen a color like that before. So… deep and angry.”
Eryne’s eyes widened. “You can? What does mine look like?”
“Green.” I turned to Wendy. “And yours is pink, before you ask. I’ll tell you more about it later. I just…” Needed to forget. Looping my arms through both of theirs, I dragged them towards the bar.
“Come on. Let’s get another drink. I need something to wash that feeling away.” I shivered, the strange feeling slithering down my back.
“Fine,” Eryne started, brushing her ginger bangs off her forehead, “but I’m not finished with this conversation. We’re coming back to this, eventually.”
Waving her off, I ordered a round of shots for the three of us. We threw them back, and I let it numb everything else.
Colors blurred, and when I stopped focusing on the shimmering colors surrounding me, everything felt more manageable. Like I could breathe again.
Barrett slid behind Eryne, one hand resting on her shoulder, and she looked up at him like he hung the moon in the sky. Like she loved him.
It was a sobering realization that my friend was in love, and I couldn’t even get a man to show up for a date.
Was I broken? Maybe there was a reason I was the way I was.
Okay, gross. Feelings were bleh. I was not supposed to be deep-diving into my life choices right now. I was at a bar with my girls, having a good time, and—
“Where did Eryne and her man go?” I frowned at Wendy. I hadn’t even noticed them leaving.
She shrugged. “Home. Probably to bang, let’s be honest.”
“At least someone’s getting laid, because it certainly isn’t either of us.” I let out a groan. “I miss sex. Good sex. Why is this so hard?” It should be easier to get laid. “I just want to find someone who looks at me like that.”
Wendy nodded in agreement. “This town is too small.” It really was. My best friend patted me on the shoulder, but it wasn’t comforting like it should have been. “Listen, I hate to dip out early, but you know I have school tomorrow.”
I did, and I understood, even if being alone right now was the last thing I wanted. “Don’t forget, we’re meeting at Willow’s tomorrow night.”
She nodded. “Of course. I’ll be there.” Then Wendy wrapped her arms around me, holding me tight. “You’re gonna be okay. I know it doesn’t feel like it tonight, or maybe even tomorrow, but it will.”
“So wise.” It was a teasing statement, and she knew it. Even though we were the same age, Wendy always felt like she had wisdom beyond her years.
She giggled, pulling back enough for me to look into her eyes, bright blue like the sky on a clear summer day. They were bright and hopeful, the same way her aura rippled around her. “That’s the tequila talking.”
I laughed. “Go home so you can get enough sleep to teach the future witches and warlocks.” At least one of us was using their degree.
Goddess knew I wasn’t. I’d spent four years in the human world, hiding my magic and pretending to be someone I wasn’t as I sat in class after class.
I loved learning, but I still didn’t understand how my mother could give up her life here.
Giving up my magic for good would be like giving up a part of me.
“Are you working tomorrow?” Wendy asked.
“No. Melanie’s on breakfast, and with the full moon and all…” Our coven always got together on the full moon. It was when we were at our strongest, especially together.
Wendy dipped her head. “Alright. See you tomorrow evening.”
We hugged again, and then I was alone.
Alone with my own thoughts, which I absolutely loathed.
Instead, I danced. I let the pulsing music playing in the bar lull me into a state of tranquility, where for just a few moments, I could forget.
Stepping backwards, I collided into something—a muscular chest.
I looked up into red eyes.
The same ones that had found me earlier, across the crowded bar.
“Why?” he asked, his eyes scanning my face like I was a puzzle he couldn’t figure out. Eyes that seemed to swirl, mesmerizing me. He was so different. So otherworldly, with that pale skin and hair like spun gold.
Maybe that was the alcohol talking.
I frowned, remembering he’d asked me something. “Why, what? Who are you, anyway?”
“You are… quite an interesting creature,” he murmured as if to himself, picking up a strand of my hair and rubbing it between his fingers.
Tugging my hair away from him, I crossed my arms over my chest. “Ignoring a woman is rude, you know. You ought to learn some proper etiquette. My name’s Rina. Well, technically it’s Sabrina, but I go by Rina.”
He chuckled, and the sound was deep. It made me feel things—things I hadn’t felt in years. Desire. Something I didn’t want to be feeling for this man I didn’t even know. “I’m Ezra.” He smiled, and that was when I glimpsed his teeth.
No, specifically—his fangs. I took a step back, all the pieces flowing together in my mind.
His dark, foreboding aura. “Vampire.” I breathed the word, eyes widening.
“I didn’t… You’re real?” The alcohol I’d consumed made my filter practically non-existent, and I couldn’t help but blurt it out.
Demons and wolf shifters were one thing, but vampires?
Ezra quirked an eyebrow. “Obviously.” His tongue darted out, moistening his lower lip, and I couldn’t look away. “Scared, witch?”
I jutted out my chin. “Hardly. I just thought vampires were nothing more than stories,” I admitted, messing with the crystal pendant on my choker.
Pleasant Grove had been sealed off from the rest of the world for a long time, and clearly, there was so much I didn’t know.
After all, two members of my coven were now mated to demons, and another was clearly in love with a wolf shifter.
It was becoming increasingly apparent that we weren’t the only beings in this world hiding from humans.
But why did this still feel so implausible?
Ezra frowned, reaching out like he was going to touch me, but dropping his hand when I stiffened. “Why are you different?”
“I don’t know what you mean.” Shaking my head, I couldn’t help but frown at him. “I’m not anything special.”
Not like Willow, who was a potions master, or Luna, a seer with moon magic in her veins. Eryne had an animal affinity and healing abilities, and Wendy could see and even communicate with spirits, those who had left the land of the living.
Everyone in my coven was special, but I was just… me.
The vampire cocked his head to the side, like he was evaluating me.
“What?” I snapped, annoyed at his lack of response once again. “You’re a real asshole, you know that?”
His eyes trailed over my face. “I’ve been told that once or twice.”
I grumbled. “If all you’re going to do is stare at me, can you please leave me alone?”
His nose twitched, and he stepped forward, inhaling deeply.
“What the fuck? Are you… Did you just sniff me?”
Ezra frowned. “Something’s wrong with you.”
“I think something’s wrong with you, buddy.” I couldn’t believe I’d had any attraction to him earlier. Vampire or not, he was a dick, and that was all there was to it. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m leaving.” I glared at him.
“Goodbye… Sabrina.” My name on his tongue made goosebumps erupt on my flesh, and I hated it. Hated the way it sounded like velvet in that deep voice of his.
I didn’t bother saying my own goodbye as I pushed past him, endlessly annoyed that I’d let him ruin my buzz. “Ugh,” I grunted as I walked out of the bar, looking up at the moon in the sky. It was almost completely full, lighting my path home. What the hell was wrong with him?
Turning back, I looked through the large glass windows into the bar, but the vampire inside was gone.
All that was left was a bat illuminated by the full moon, flying away.