Chapter 20
TWENTY
The visit had left me with more questions than answers. My phone dinged a few minutes later, signaling an email, just as I’d freshened up my lipstick in the bathroom and gone out to find Blaze.
True to her word, Tiegan had sent instructions on how to perform the ritual over.
I didn’t open the attachment yet, but I planned to look at it first thing after work tomorrow.
My hope was finding out what I was would lead me to figuring out how to stop the effects of the attack, maybe even reverse them.
Blaze was still sitting at the bar, though her smile was long gone and her posture had turned stiff. Jason was oblivious, talking away about something, his hands moving animatedly.
She looked up as I headed toward her, relief flashing in her eyes.
“Ready to go?” I mouthed.
She blinked and nodded enthusiastically. Blaze grabbed her purse and stood up. I walked over as she was making her excuses. At first, Jason looked confused, his gaze moving from her to me and back again.
“We were just getting started!” There was an ugly look in his eyes I didn’t like.
I gently tugged on Blaze’s arm. “Come on,” I murmured.
Blaze slung her purse over her shoulder. “Sorry. I have an early morning tomorrow and Alex offered to drive me home.”
“I can drive you home.” Jason rose and dug his keys from his pocket.
Blaze took a step back. “I’m heading to Alex’s house.” She turned to go, but Jason grabbed her arm.
“I insist.” His lips twisted.
I stepped in front of Blaze. “Let go. She’s already said she’s leaving with me.”
Jason’s eyes blazed with fury. I hated men like him, men who thought they had the right to dictate what a woman could or could not do.
“You got a crush on her or something?” He laughed like he’d told the funniest joke in the world.
“Out of the two of us, I’m the safer option.” With that, I turned and took Blaze by the elbow. “Let’s go,” I said urgently.
I caught the eye of the bartender, who nodded and jerked his head at someone standing off to the side. A massive, barrel-chested man stepped up and crossed his arms.
“I suggest you let the ladies go,” he rumbled.
Jason’s eyes narrowed, but he let go of Blaze’s arm.
We both shot the bouncer a grateful look and hurried away.
Neither of us spoke until we were out the door.
“Shit,” Blaze breathed. “What a creep.”
“I don’t have a car,” I admitted as I fished my phone out and hit the ride-sharing app. I requested a ride. We could work out the logistics later.
Blaze let out a bark of laughter. “I wouldn’t have cared if you rode in on a unicorn.” She shivered and rubbed her hands over her arms as if to get the feeling of Jason off her skin.
“Two minutes away,” I said, frowning down at the app. “That’s quick.”
“Drivers hang around this place. There’s always someone needing a ride after a few too many.”
“Let’s walk around to the side of the building until they come. Just in case Jason comes out.”
“Good idea.”
We concealed ourselves and waited.
“I’m deleting that dating app,” Blaze said, grabbing her phone to do just that.
I peeked around the corner, just in time to see Jason come outside.
“Shh,” I whispered.
“He came out?”
I nodded and pressed myself flat against the brick wall. A familiar vehicle pulled up, the same one that had dropped me off. Frowning, I checked my app only to see that the vehicle was indeed the right one.
“Come on,” I whispered and grabbed her hand. “Black SUV.”
We took off at a run. I yanked the door open and pushed Blaze inside.
“Hey!” Jason shouted, heading straight for us.
I jumped inside and slammed the door. “Go!”
To his credit, the driver didn’t hesitate, pulling out of the parking lot with a hard punch of the gas pedal. Jason’s furious face loomed in the rearview.
“Trouble, ladies?” the driver drawled.
My eyes narrowed. Why did that voice sound so familiar? I leaned forward and peered into the rearview. “You! Leo! What the hell? Are you following me?”
A flash of a grin in the mirror. “Sorry. Boss’s orders.”
“To keep tabs on me?”
Leo shrugged. “Looks like I was just in time.”
Blaze was giving me an odd look. “You two know each other?”
“Yes,” I grumbled. “This is Leo. He’s one of the Prime’s drivers, or enforcers, or hell, I don’t know.”
Leo just smiled and tipped his hat.
Blaze grinned. “You’re cute.”
“Yes, and he’s got big teeth, so there’s that.”
Blaze leaned forward and put her hand over the back of Leo’s seat. “I like big teeth.”
I groaned and leaned back against the seat. “Can you at least wait until I’m out of the car?”
Leo laughed. “Where to?”
I held up my app. “Can I cancel this ride?”
Leo’s eyes widened. “And ruin my five-star rating? Blasphemy.”
“I expect a refund on the side. Otherwise, I’m giving you one star for both rides.”
“I didn’t take you for a blackmailer,” Leo chided.
“And I didn’t take you for a stalker.”
Leo’s brows flicked up. “Are you sure?”
I waved a hand at him and shut my mouth.
Blaze told him her address and offered him a nightcap.
“Drop me off first, please,” I said. I’d had a long night and did not want to watch Blaze and Leo making kissy faces at each other.
Leo made a sharp turn and headed toward my house. When he pulled up to the driveway, I slunk out without saying goodbye, ready to fall face-first into bed.
He waited until I’d closed the door behind me and pulled away from the curb, Blaze now in the front passenger seat.
At least one thing worked out tonight.
The next morning came far too early. I dragged myself into Three Little Beans, grunted at G, and waved at the espresso machine.
G watched me for a moment. “Triple, eh?”
I mustered the energy for a thumbs up. The goblin chuckled and got to work.
Addy rarely scheduled me for opening shifts, preferring to have me come in a little later in the morning when the college students came in. Today was an exception, and the timing of my foray into the supernatural clubbing scene last night couldn’t have been worse.
I wasn’t out terribly late, but it was still after eleven when I finally got to bed. The alarm blaring at four a.m. jerked me out of a restless sleep, and forty-five minutes later, here I was, barely functional and even less communicative.
G rang the bell and set an enormous, steaming cup at the window. “I added a little something extra for you!”
I grabbed it with both hands and took a fortifying sip, closing my eyes as the caffeine hit my soul.
“Nutmeg?” I croaked a moment later.
“And more,” G said. “A little pick me up.”
“Thank you.” And I meant it. We didn’t use magic for most of our coffee offerings, but there were a few available, if you knew what to ask for.
Most asked for G’s Triple G special, which was what this was with a little more oomph, but sometimes people wanted Addy to make their coffee and asked for her directly.
We charged a lot more for Addy’s offerings, and she didn’t make those coffees in front of us. G and I were terribly curious, but our boss refused to divulge any info about her “special” coffee, so we finally stopped asking.
Both of us were still hoping to catch her in the act of making one, but Addy, if she were a fae, was acting typical of one of their kind—secretive and shifty. Whatever magic she performed, she had a dedicated fan base who kept coming back over and over.
Once I’d downed my coffee, I put my apron on, tied my hair back with one of the pins I’d made for use on the Prime, and washed my hands.
G’s magic hit me right as I was walking toward the front, a feeling of calm restfulness washing over me, wiping away the mental and physical exhaustion from the last few days.
The effects wouldn’t last all day, but I’d get through most of my shift feeling pretty good.
Six hours later, my feet and back ached, but we’d made it through the morning rush with zero complaints and a hefty number of tips left in the jar.
I shrugged my vest off, the enamel buttons clinking together like windchimes, and also removed the band securing my hair into an updo, ruffling my hair into some semblance of neatness.
Addy spotted me and held up a hand, hurrying over before I left. I slung my purse over my shoulder and waited.
She pulled me into the storeroom and shut the door. “There’s been a dark SUV waiting outside all day. Are you being followed?”
I sighed and rubbed my face. “It must be Leo. As vampires go, he’s not bad.”
Addy’s brow furrowed. “Sounds like you are being followed, but you’ve resigned yourself to your fate?”
“Something like that. He hasn’t said why he’s following me, but he doesn’t do anything away from the eyes of the Prime.”
Addy’s lips thinned. “I don’t like him having so much interest in you.”
“Me neither,” I admitted. “He’s not actively pursuing me, so there’s not much I can do right now.”
Addy squeezed my forearm. “Be careful, Alex. Something doesn’t feel right.”
I smiled and nodded. “I’m always careful.”
My boss held open the door. “Text me when you get home.”
“I will.” My heart warmed at her care. “See you the day after next.”
Addy waved and walked me out, waiting by the door. I turned to wave goodbye and spotted Quinn hovering in the window, watching me with wide eyes. Addy didn’t shut the door until she saw me get into my car and pull away. Surprisingly, Leo didn’t follow this time.
G’s magical brew had worn off, and I drove home bleary-eyed and foggy-minded, which is why I wasn’t paying attention when a shadow burst from the side of my neighbor’s house just as I was getting out of my car.
A large body crashed into me, and we both fell to the ground. The contents of my purse went flying, and I hit the concrete with a loud thump. My hands went up to protect myself just as a flash of white teeth snapped toward my face.
Pain ripped through my forearm, blood spraying in an arc.