Page 24 of Wynter

I narrow my eyes on her and check on the containment spell I left in place last night. I would know if it was breached, but it’s still safely in place. Which means that there’s no way she could have followed me last night and robbed the brewery. Not unless she’s working with someone.

“Listen, Zoe.” Dominick sounds frazzled. “The police should be here any minute now. Can you please get here as fast as you can?”

“Of course.” I hang up and jump to my feet. “Who are you working with?”

“What are you talking about?” Mini lets out an over-exaggerated yawn. “Did you say someone was hurt?”

“No. But the brewery got robbed. I know you’re involved. Just tell me who you’re working with and I’ll get the police to go easy on you.”

“So now you think I was working with someone?” Mini rolls her eyes and picks up Snowball. As in my pet Snowball, who could chew her arm clean off. Except instead of growling at her or baring his teeth, the round fur ball gives me a large, toothy grin. And then, he starts to purr.

“What did you do to Snowball?” I glare at her.

“Nothing. Isn’t that right, my sweet little girl?” Mini runs her fingers through his soft white fur.

“Snowball isn’t a girl. And he isn’t sweet.”

Snowball snarls in response. At me.

“Whatever. I give up.” I glare at both of them, grab a change of clothes from the dresser and head into the bathroom to get dressed. I don’t have time for a shower, so I quickly brush my teeth, change, and head out.

I consider grabbing takeout from Bob’s but head straight to the brewery instead. I want to know what got robbed and how it could have possibly happened on my watch.

I call Wes—my boss, Amber’s mate, and the guy who just happened to hire his brother to clean for us last week—on the drive over. Not because I now think Mini’s innocent. But just to be sure. A few carefully placed questions, and I learn that all three of Wes’s brothers are away on a fishing trip with their dad. Which means that I need to ask Dominick some questions so I can figure out who Mini’s accomplice is.

I drive up to the brewery and pull into the lot. There’s one car there already, a dark blue sedan that belongs to Dominick. I leave my cleaning supplies in the van and head toward the old warehouse.

It looks unexceptional from the outside. Even a little run down. But going inside is like stepping into another world. One with rich, intoxicating scents and multicolored bubbles filling the air.

The machinery along one wall ferments the magical beverages, each bubble perfectly unique—or so Dominick explained one of the times I was by to clean the brewery.

“Are the police here?” I ask when I spot him next to a stack of beer barrels.

“Yes. Shit!” Dominick snaps, which really isn’t like him. He’s normally so self-controlled. And I’ve never heard him swear before, although that might be because he’s usually accompanied by his four-year-old daughter, Avery. “N-n-Yes. Damn it!”

“Wait, so the cops aren’t here yet?” I frown.

“Yes.” Dominick replies.

“Can you say anything other than yes?”

“Yes.”

My frown intensifies.

Dominick looks furious as he rubs his hand across his beard, a wild look in his eyes. Before I can question his odd behavior, the brewery’s front doors open and footsteps echo across the wooden floor.

I turn around, fully expecting to see Liam and his partner Bert—or another uniformed cop—only to lock eyes with Ghost instead.

It’s like an exact repeat of our meeting at Jewels Cafe, except for one minor detail. Not the fact that he looks tired—like maybe he didn’t sleep—or the fact that Julian isn’t here with him.

The minor detail is the fiery blue magic that connects us, and it isn’t minor at all. Because it’s the same fiery magic that connected Leith and me last night. The same magic that connects all the mates throughout Silver Springs.

Ghost’s eyes widen and follow the glowing line from my chest to his. And the way his lips part in shock, I know he understands exactly what this means. That somehow, despite all odds, he and I are mates.

“Fuck,” he shouts. That’s his response. To realizing that we’re mates. To the possibility of spending his life with me. To the very thought that we might be meant to be.

Then he spins around and storms out of the brewery like he can’t even stand the sight of me. Just like Leith couldn’t get away from me fast enough last night.