Chapter 12
Lily
I was parked at my usual corner table in Griselda’s coffee shop, laptop open, caffeine pumping through my veins, the names of missing witches staring back at me from my screen.
They’d found one of the women, who’d only been avoiding her smotheringly overprotective family.
I didn’t blame her, considering they’d gone to the police when she wouldn’t tell them which friend she was staying with.
That left three women still unaccounted for. All of them were witches who’d worked on that hostile portal.
I looked up at the brass moon-phase clock on the wall. Anytime now, Officer Hayes and Cooley should walk in for their daily cuppa joe.
Griselda’s coffee shop was a shrine to kitsch and caffeine.
Everything screamed warm and cozy, a perfectly eclectic safe haven for a modern witch.
The shelves were overflowing with mismatched teacups, crystal balls, and unique salt and pepper shakers.
A framed photo near the counter showed the shop’s exterior from a decade ago, complete with a faded tarot-reading sign.
Beneath the photo, a plaque announced to the world that Griselda failed at witchcraft but brewed a damn fine coffee.
I knew that to be a bald-faced lie, because as a witch, Gigi was stronger than me by far. Her magical oddities had long since spilled down from her apartment above the shop and taken over the cafe. It was the kind of place where I could dig into magical conspiracies without raising eyebrows.
I’d spent the morning digging into the lives of these three women. And just like Flint had suggested, every single one of them had been there that afternoon the witches of Darlington had gotten together and almost closed that creepy, swirling portal of doom. Coincidence?
Please, witch. I didn’t believe in those.
It wasn’t proof, but it was suspicious enough to make my inner sleuth senses tingle.
My laptop dinged and I looked back down at the screen.
I was chatting with a user from the Let’s Talk About Hex forum, Moonshadow13, who was part of Marissa’s coven.
She’d been cagey at first, barely responding beyond a few clipped lines.
But once I mentioned that a rogue spell had knocked me out cold at Delerium, the tone shifted.
The moment Delerium came up, she started messaging me in earnest.
Apparently, she’d been at Delerium with her that night, but had left early, and felt guilty she hadn’t been there. She was hesitant when I asked about Nathan, saying that she wasn’t sure it was him, but Marissa’s family, specifically her father, wouldn’t hear any of it.
I mentioned the portal, and judging by her typing… status, she had a lot to say about it. I was still waiting for her to send her message when the chime to the café door rang, signaling a new customer.
I looked up at the sound of the bell, expecting Officers Hayes and Cooley. Instead, I got Steven.
Ugh. What the hell was he doing here? I’d never seen him in here before.
I looked over at Gigi, and she raised her brows in question.
Steven stood in the doorway. His hair was gelled into a helmet, and he wore a blazer that screamed This is the extent of my style. His cologne attacked my nose, overpowering the scent of coffee and cream.
He spotted me instantly, eyes lighting up in a way that told me all I needed to know: he was here looking for me. Which begged the question: how did he know where to find me?
“I thought I might find you here,” he said, strutting toward me.
I stiffened, fingers curling around my coffee cup. He didn’t ask before sliding into the seat across from me, manspreading like he owned the place.
“I talked to my uncle,” he said with a smile that made my skin crawl. “Good news. I can get your job back.”
I didn’t even blink. “You mean the job I lost because you lied about me stealing your work? Not interested.”
His smile didn’t falter. He leaned in, and his cologne practically climbed through my nostrils to strangle me. “Come on, Lily. You’re not going to find anything else without a good recommendation. And you get to keep your team.”
“I said I’m not interested.”
“Don’t you even want to know how easy it would be?”
I sighed. “Fine. What do you want?”
“One date. That’s all it takes.”
Ha! Like I believed that! I bet that if I hadn’t given him what he wanted during that date, I’d lose my job again.
“Yup. Definitely not interested.”
“You’re going to regret that when no one is willing to hire you. I’m going to be generous and give you one more chance.”
Ah, so generous that he was already starting on the threats.
I opened my mouth to tell him exactly where he could shove his offer just as the door slammed open, the bell on it jangling loudly.
Julian.
He stepped inside, his gaze immediately locking onto Steven. His posture was rigid, his jaw tight, and the energy around him heavy and unmistakably dangerous.
“She’s said she wasn’t interested.”
Steven straightened, clearly caught off guard. “And who the hell are you?”
Julian didn’t answer right away. He walked forward, slow and deliberate, until he stood at our table. “I’m the one you’re going to have to deal with if you don’t leave her alone now. Lily’s taken.”
I swallowed hard, pulse racing. Julian was jealous. Protective too. And I liked it more than I wanted to admit.
Steven scowled, first at Julian, then at me. “A fucking incubus? You've got to be kidding me.” He stood, crossing his arms.
Worried about my laptop in case things went sideways during the pissing contest, I quickly closed the screen and tucked my precious baby under my arm, and backed away from the table.
Julian’s voice dropped, low and lethal. “Say one more word, and I’ll show you exactly what I am.”
I stood, heart thudding, unsure if I needed to intervene or let Julian handle it. The tension between them was thick, and neither looked ready to back down. Which, considering Julian could probably pummel Steven to a bloody mess, didn’t give him points for intelligence.
But then, a sudden swirl of magic lashed out from Steven.
Oh shit. I’d known his family had magic, but for some reason, that hadn’t mentally translated to him having magic.
I looked over at Gigi, who had her hand held in front of her like she was about to throw a blanket over a fire.
It must be a spell to protect her shop from the result of a fight.
Magic licked out from Steven’s body and shoved at Julian's shoulder.
I took that moment to jump between the two of them. “Enough! Both of you. Steven, I’m not interested. And Julian, stand down.” I reached out and put a calming hand on his forearm, hoping it was enough.
The door opened again—thank the goddess—and in walked Officers Hayes and Cooley.
“Everything alright?” Hayes asked.
Steven perked up immediately, like he thought backup had arrived for him. “Officers! Glad you’re here,” he said, flashing a smile that probably worked better on mirrors than people. “I was just having a little chat with Lily. And this demon came barging in.”
Officer Hayes raised an eyebrow. “You mean Julian?” He turned to me. “What’s going on here?”
As I explained the situation, Steven looked like he’d swallowed a sword sideways. Idiot probably thought the cops would take his side immediately. He turned bright red, then stomped out of the coffee shop. Gigi and I let out a shared sigh.
I turned to Hayes. “I’m actually in here waiting for you and Officer Cooley. We need to talk. After you order your drinks, of course.”
Gigi waved her hands, and the open sign on the door flipped over, followed by a loud slide of the lock. “Your regulars?” she asked.
“You betcha.” Hayes pulled up a seat and plopped himself down at one of the larger tables.
I followed his lead and sat down, and so did Cooley and Julian.
Officer Cooley, or Hazel as I knew her, eyed Julian. “Let me guess. It’s about Delerium.”
“Kinda,” I said.
Hazel sighed. “One of the missing girl’s families threw a fit when their private investigator found out I was in a triad with Liam and Seth. Since Seth and Liam have been seen multiple times at Delerium, they claimed it was a conflict of interest.”
“Marissa’s family?” I guessed.
“Yup.”
Julian huffed. “They’re trying to pin it on Nathan.”
I set my laptop on the table and opened the screen, pulling up everything I’d found. Hazel leaned in as I scrolled through the data.
“The Breach, huh.” Hazel looked pensive. “Man, I hate that thing.” Her mates, Seth and Liam, had been instrumental in shrinking and containing the portal. “Seth is going to want to look into this.”
“That’s what I was hoping,” I said.
Not only did Seth work part-time for the EA, the (not so secret anymore) Enforcement Agency, the group responsible for keeping monster and magic users in line, but he was also personal wizard to Desmon, the dragon of Darlington.
If there were anyone who’d be able to find information about this, it would be him.
And plus, like Hazel said, he liked Delerium.
“Seth really pushed to get that portal closed,” Hazel said. “I swear, the EA’s decision to keep it open is going to bite us on the ass.”
Despite our combined efforts, we hadn’t been able to close the portal that day.
But we’d managed a containment spell, barely; we were all exhausted.
Instead of revisiting it and closing it for good after a good night’s rest, EA headquarters in Rome had insisted on keeping it open for study, which was a very foolish idea if you asked me and everyone else involved.
Right now, the portal sat inside a heavily sealed and warded box the size of a sarcophagus, smack dab in the middle of a midtown intersection. They’d turned the intersection into a roundabout and built a shack around it so the EA rep could take his measurements and run his tests.
Because nothing says “safe urban planning” like a magical hazard wrapped in plywood and bureaucracy.
“We can drive by it during our patrols and see if we notice anything strange,” Hayes suggested.
Gigi came around the counter with their drinks, and the two reached for their caffeine fixes eagerly.
Once the officers were gone, I rounded on Julian. “What the hell was that you pulled with Steven?”
Gigi wisely retreated behind the counter, pretending to rearrange napkins while Julian met my glare with one of his own.
“He was being a jerk,” he said, shrugging like it was no big deal.
“So you start a fight?”
He shrugged. “Technically he got physical first.”
I narrowed my eyes at him.
“Come on, let’s get you home.”
That defused my anger. By home, he meant my real home.
Nothing had happened over the weekend that led us to believe the culprits were watching my home.
And I had several micro cameras I planned to set up and link to my wards.
Plus, Mr. Kim and his wife had set up a few extra wards around the whole building.
Witches were going missing, and since all their tenants were witches, it was in their best interest.
I couldn’t stay with Julian forever, even if he offered to let me.
And to be honest, I was glad to be getting home. There was a lot for me to clean up, and I had a busy day ahead.