He bit his lower lip as he regarded me. My stomach clenched tight at the sight.
“Do you know how to control your arcana?”
My stomach hit the floor. I almost backpedaled but somehow managed to dig in my heels and hold my ground. Swallowing, I tried to buy time to think of a lie. If Ryder left me, then this would be so much harder. Alvin had already proved that he could kill Connor if he stood up for me again.
“Maybe it looks like I don’t know what I’m doing,”—Because I really don’t know anything—"but I can assure you that I am more than capable of doing whatever needs to be done once you finally tell me what you need.”
When Ryder shook his head, I lost my train of thought. My words trailed off and my mind cleared. I opened my mouth to try again, but I couldn’t think of anything that might convince Ryder to stay.
For a moment, I considered seducing him. I wondered if he might want to stay if I climbed onto his lap and kissed him hard. Shaking myself free of the thought, I shrugged instead.
I had already lied to Ryder. I couldn’t try to manipulate him any more than I already had. Though I could promise to figure out my arcana for him, he might not believe me. The best I could do was practice in private. Maybe then, when the time came, I would know what to do.
“Never mind,” Ryder said quietly.
Jaw clenched so hard my temples throbbed, I nodded and retreated back into the bedroom. There, I waited for Cerri’s text signal. When she finally notified me that she was done mixing potions, I opened the bedroom window. I spared a moment to look back to make sure Ryder wasn’t right behind me.
When the coast was clear, I shifted and shook out my fur. My tight joints loosened as my hound settled into the new form. The world seemed so much larger in this shape. The window that would have barely fit my human form seemed to yawn wide in anticipation. I jumped out and hit the ground. The clear scent of the evening comforted me. I couldn’t smell Harvey or anyone else in the vicinity.
I sprinted back to Lakesedge without a problem. Cerri lived in one of the renovated warehouses by the water. The smell of wet earth and metal filled me with comfort in a strange way. It reminded me of my friend, who I was excited to see tonight.
Behind the warehouse, Cerri opened her window and tossed a bag out. It landed on the ground with a soft plop. With clothes at hand, I shifted back to my human form and dressed quickly. Cerri buzzed the door to let me inside. When the door closed behind me, the feeling of being watched dissipated.
I hadn’t even been aware of the feeling until it vanished. At this point, with Alvin breathing down my neck all the time, it never really left. All eyes were on me, so I’d become blind to the sensation. Yet, the walls around me offered a small bit of protection. Knowing Cerri awaited me ahead allowed me to breathe deep for once.
At her apartment door, she tugged me inside and crushed me in a tight hug. Addie napped on the nearby couch. Vi leaned against the single kitchen counter in this little studio apartment. Vi pushed off the counter and slapped Addie on the shoulder. The brunette startled awake.
“I didn’t raise that!” Addie said, panicked.
Her chest heaved as she took in her surroundings. A soft blush crept to her cheeks as she offered an apologetic smile. We all did our duty and ignored the outburst.
Addie’s secrets were her own. Vi leapt over the back of the couch and settled beside our friend to comfort her. The two leaned into one another. Before my eyes, they each visibly relaxed.
Though my life had been shit since I’d discovered what I was, I couldn’t help but be grateful for these girls. I’d found them by accident. While prowling Lakesedge for job applications, I’d wandered a little too far and found myself standing under the full moon sign of Bad Moon Café.
The smell of coffee and chocolate had pulled me inside. The only one working at the time had been Addie. Desperate for help behind the counter, she’d shoved an application into my hands, and begged me to fill it out right then and there. I’d known from the smell of dirt and death around her that she wasn’t a human.
I’d barely finished the application before a door in the back opened and an ethereal woman appeared. Her hooded eyes had pinned me to the spot. The way she’d looked me up and down before nodding and beckoning me to follow had left me feeling seen in a way I’d never known before.
Audra Miura gave me a short interview while peering at me the entire time. I’d tried to scent the air around her to get an idea of who I was dealing with, but she somehow kept her identity a secret. We could all tell that Audra was a supernatural, likely a powerful one, too. She collected the misfits of Lakesedge like we were puppies at a pound.
The analogy seemed harsh, but we had found a better home in one another. Addie, Vi, Cerri, and I were better together. That’s why, whenever they begged me to leave, I held firm. I couldn’t abandon them. They wouldn’t abandon me, either.
“All right,” Cerri said. She turned to lead me to the tables set up near her small kitchen.
A cauldron with wisps of steam rising from inside it sat on her stovetop. The air smelled faintly herbal, but Cerri’s arcana nearly drowned it out. Her arcana had a very particular scent that marked it as hers. It always reminded me of pomegranates and flowers.
“Can I see the mark?” she asked, holding her hand out.
I lifted my hand so she could see the mark, but it had disappeared. I scowled at my bare skin. It’d been hours since the witch had revealed the mark. Where could it have gone?
But Cerri didn’t bat an eye. She wiggled her fingers in anticipation as she scanned her table for something.
“Aha!” she said as she picked up a small bell.
I scowled at the bell, unsure of what it might do. When she held it close to my skin and gave it a shake, I felt the power rush through my skin and sink into my flesh. Electricity snapped along my forearm as the light of the mark rose to the surface again.
Cerri grinned, her triumphant gaze sliding to mine. “Too many witches rely on stolen magics when their own ancestors gave them all the tools. Sound is just as powerful as smoke, and I don’t have to burn anything that might make it hard for my shifter friends to breathe.”