CHAPTER ONE #2
I can’t even with this shit. This isn’t a game—it’s my life, my home. I spin and march away from him, but the second my foot touches the first step, the front door slams shut.
“Victoria,” I mutter. But the house is right. I can’t afford to be choosy.
“Interesting.” Shadow glides up beside me, his clever eyes studying the house. “I sense magic.”
“What kinda magic? Fae magic?” I mean, I’m pretty sure it’s my magical powers that animated the house, but that could be wishful thinking.
I’ve always loved fantasy, and the thought of being a real witch feels like a dream come true.
But if I’m being realistic, it’s much more likely this is some kinda Faerie magic.
Fae fill my small town. Pixies run the pizzeria, gnomes cartwheel down the sidewalk, and annoyingly sexy werepanthers turn up everywhere I go—or at least one of them does.
“I don’t think so.” Shadow’s sinfully long fingers caress the banister post.
Victoria’s front door swings partially open with a soft sigh.
“Are you kidding me with this?” My hands fly up into the air. He’s flipping seducing my house!
A deep chuckle rolls from him, all velvet and chocolate and wicked promise.
The door opens wider, the curtains fluttering in the windows like a coquette batting her lashes. Victoria, you slut.
The werepanther gives the banister one final pat, his green eyes finding mine. “This is your magic, and it’s fascinating.” Before I can reply, he bounds up the stairs and into the house, calling out a hello.
By the time I make it inside, Victoria’s already talking to him, the photos sliding back and forth.
Welp. There’s no denying it now. I blurt, “The house isn’t haunted.”
“Of course it isn’t.” He pats the wallpaper. “Though who could blame anyone for wanting to linger in such a fine home.”
The feeling of a giggle ripples through the air, and I swear if a house could blush, Victoria’s purple paint would turn bright pink with pleasure.
“Okay, no.” I can’t. I just can’t. I will not be able to handle Shadow being charming and sexy and irritating all the damned time.
My poor girl parts can’t take it. I march toward the door, which slams shut before I reach it.
I grab the knob, ready to fling the door wide while making a dramatic statement about him leaving.
It doesn’t open.
I twist the knob so hard the skin on my fingers starts to burn from friction, but it’s no use. “Victoria! Open the door.”
When it doesn’t budge, I glance over my shoulder.
The pictures form: “No.”
I sputter.
“Let me.” Shadow steps close enough that I feel him as a pressure all down my back.
One large hand wraps over mine. He gives an experimental twist, his skin sliding over the backs of my fingers when the knob refuses to turn.
He tugs my hand from the door in order to grip it more firmly, and the muscles in his forearm cord and bunch as he strains.
His breath puffs hot against my ear, and it’s seriously distracting until the low groan of stressed wood jerks me out of a daze.
“Stop! Don’t break the door!” No way in hell I can afford to fix it. As soon as he lets go and steps away, I spin around and jab a finger at the photo wall. “Victoria, what are you doing? You can’t lock me in with him.”
“I can.” Smugness fills the air.
“If you want me gone that badly, I’ll oblige, if only to make you happy.
” Shadow loses his grin, a new emotion flickering through his eyes too quickly for me to make out.
He takes a step to the side like he’s doing his disappearing trick, but he doesn’t go anywhere.
With a growl, he sidesteps again, then a third time, remaining visible.
Spinning slowly in place, his hands pat at the air.
“I can’t access the shadow roads. That should be impossible. ”
“Clearly not,” Victoria spells out.
A bark of laughter escapes him as he meets my eyes, his thumb hooking toward the photo wall. “I like your house. She reminds me of you.”
“Sarcastic?”
He shakes his head. “Strong and intelligent and knowing her own mind.”
I fight to keep my mouth from dropping open as my heart gives a little skip.
It’s one of the nicest things a guy’s ever said about me.
Okay, scratch that—it’s hands down the nicest. I’m socially awkward and use a lot of sarcasm.
Sassy is the mildest thing I’m usually called.
The thought that Shadow likes that about me…
Do not get distracted by the sexy werepanther, Kayla, I remind myself.
There’s a puzzle to solve. I love puzzles—it’s part of what drew me to video games to begin with—I can totally solve this one.
I just need to figure out the parameters.
“We need to check every window and door in the house. One will let us out.”
A series of clicks echoes from all around me, and without looking, I know Victoria locked every single way out of the house.
Shadow sidles close again, the heat of his presence distracting as he leans over to whisper in my ear. “What do you think she wants?”
The pictures slide. “I can hear you.”
“Then what he said.” I gesture toward the grinning werepanther. “What’s it going to take for you to set us free?”
“Simple. A wedding.”
Then the photos on the wall swirl into a new configuration.
“Your wedding.”