Page 44 of Sight of Fate

Forty-five minutes later, I’m in the kitchen, eating half of a protein bar. I jump at the knock on the door and open it to find Macklin standing there in jeans and a navy henley that brings out his eyes.

I swallow the bite in my mouth. “Let me brush my teeth and grab my coat.”

He leans against the doorframe. “Take your time. I have a bad habit of being early.”

Not wanting to shut the door in his face, I stop by the kitchen and wrap up the remaining bar, then toss it in the fridge. A couple minutes later, I’m standing in front of him.

He straightens, takes my coat from me, and holds it open. “Teague made me promise to have you back early so you can get ready for your date.”

My smile fades. I didn’t ask him where we’re going. Does he expect me to dress up for our date? I only own two dresses. One is a summer maxi, and the other is the black dress I wore to Cara’s funeral.

Macklin’s eyes narrow. “Do you not want to go on a date with him?”

“Do you know where he’s taking me?”

“Dinner at The Fork,” Macklin informs me. “It’s a bit dressy, which is why Teague asked me to take you to Victoria’s this afternoon.”

Relieved, I nod. Her thrift store is perfect. There’s nothing dressy in my closet, but there’s also not much in my bank account yet. “I’m sure she’ll have something.”

“I’m parked in the garage,” he informs me, pulling my door shut and testing the handle to make sure it’s locked. He places his large palm lightly on the center of my back and guides me to the elevator.

My breath freezes in my lungs as I wait for his hand to trigger me, but surprisingly, it doesn’t happen. I slowly exhale. Maybe because something deep inside me knows he’d never hurt me.

In the garage, he points to the black Ford F-150 XLT in the back. “We’ll take the truck. Would you like help up?”

I shake my head and place my foot on the running board, then hop up and grab the handle. He closes the door and a minute later, we’re pulling out of the garage.

“Maureen’s going to meet us at the apothecary.”

“Victoria’s friend Joy said she owned the apothecary. Told me her friend, Clarissa, is a witch.” It’s weird to hear witch come out of my mouth so easily.

“Joy’s a wolf shifter,” he informs me, turning onto Main Street. “Clarissa leads the coven, which is why Maureen wants to meet there.”

I rub my clammy palms on my pants. “What’s an apothecary?”

“Conventional medicine doesn’t work on most supernaturals,” he explains. “Apothecaries stock potions, spells, tinctures, and various other types of medicines and cures.”

“There’s so much to learn,” I say, a little overwhelmed by it all.

“Plenty of time,” he remarks with a nonchalant shrug. He turns into a small parking lot next to a large brick building and shuts off the engine, then looks at me. “If they do anything that makes you uncomfortable, we’ll leave, okay?” I nod. “All you have to do is tug on your ear. Leave the rest up to me.”

“Okay.” I reach for the door handle, but he taps me on my knee.

“I’ll get it,” he reminds me, stepping out and coming around to the other side. His hand cups my elbow as I step down onto the running board, then the asphalt.

With his hand on my back, he leads us around the truck to the first shop where “Apothecary” is stenciled on the glass door.

A bell rings when we enter.

“Hello,” Joy calls, as she strides up from the back. When she sees me, her eyes drift to Macklin, a worried expression on her face. “Maureen and Clarissa are waiting for you in the back.”

“Thanks,” Macklin tells her. “Also, MacKenzie wants us to pick up a treatment.”

Joy grabs a piece of paper. “She already called it in. I’ll have it ready.”

I raise a hand. “Also, um, Raine said you could get me a lodestone like hers?”

Her eyebrow rises, and she jots down a note. “I think we have one that’s similar. Let me check.” She motions for us to follow her through a black curtain to a large room in the back. “Maureen and Clarissa are in here.”