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Nolan wandered over to a cluster of picnic tables covered in a variety of purses, bags, and backpacks belonging to the witches. He sat on the worn wooden bench, clutching Sky’s cold drink between both of his hands as he watched the witches gather in the center of the field. Their voices were a low, indistinct rumble.
Part of him wished he could be right there with Sky to hear their plans, but after his injury earlier in the evening, it was smarter to keep his distance.
As much as he’d argued that he wanted to be in the middle of the fight, right there at Sky’s side to support him, the necromancer had a good point. He was vulnerable. There were going to be times his support had to come from deep on the sidelines if he didn’t want to get himself killed.
“Sucks to be stuck on the sidelines, doesn’t it?”
Nolan’s head snapped up at the voice right next to him. A short woman stood a few feet away, a smirk lifting one corner of her thin lips. Her long dark hair was braided with a few ribbons and beads woven in among the strands. He couldn’t remember seeing her with the other witches. Maybe she’d arrived late.
There was something about her that screamed witch. A heavy aura about her that sort of thickened the air and weighed on his skin like an old quilt.
“I’m sorry?” he said, blinking a couple of times to clear his head.
Her grin widened, and she plopped onto the bench next to him with a jingle that reminded him of Sky’s Grammy. She slid the large patchwork bag from her shoulder and set it on the ground. A soft glass clink rose from it as the items inside shifted.
“To be left out. To be stuck on the outside.” She waved her hand at the crowd of witches in the center of the soccer field. “It sucks.”
“It does, but everyone can’t be born a witch, right?” Nolan squinted at the dark figures. He couldn’t see Sky in the crowd, but he could pick out where Mad, Moon, and Red were because they were taller. They had to be right next to their friend. Nolan shrugged. “Besides, Sky knows I’m here waiting for him. If there’s something a human can do to help, I’ll be there.”
The witch at his side clicked her tongue, and he looked over to see her shaking her head. “It’s dangerous dating a witch.” She pointed a bony finger at the crowd. “Particularly that witch. He is a magnet for trouble. Especially now that he’s made friends with that demon king.” She dropped her hands and huffed at him. “If you’re so fond of witches, why don’t you find yourself a nice, quiet witch? What about Esme? She’s a nice, quiet witch with an affinity for animals. She has a cottage in the woods, always got rabbits and chipmunks running around.”
This time, Nolan grinned at her. “I like boy witches.”
She narrowed her eyes at him for a second before turning her attention to the crowd. “There aren’t many boy witches in the world. I’d set you up with Fox. He’s pretty good at staying out of trouble, but he’s got himself a vampire and there’s no separating them.” She slumped and sucked on her bottom lip. “Moon’s not too bad. He knows how to keep his nose clean and avoid trouble. Those other three…” She shook her head and sighed. “Troublemakers.”
Nolan didn’t know whether to laugh or groan. She was trying very hard to set him up with someone other than Sky, but it wasn’t happening. Meddling old witch.
“I like Sky. We haven’t known each other long, but I think…I think I could be falling in love with him. I don’t want another witch.”
“He’s dangerous. His life is dangerous.”
Nolan twisted around and placed Sky’s beverage on the table. When he turned back, he wiped his cold, damp hands on his dirty jeans. He was still in the same blood-splattered clothes as earlier. Thankfully, there had been a jacket in his car trunk, which was now covering the disaster that was his shirt. He knew firsthand how dangerous Sky’s life was. But he was undeterred.
“Several years ago, I dated this guy named Alan. Smart, funny, attractive, and successful. He had his life pulled together,” Nolan began. He paused and stared at his hands for a second, a ghost of a smile crossing his lips. “We dated for a few years. He tore me down constantly. I was messy, unorganized, and steadily getting fat, according to him. He claimed I was a hack, and I would never make a living at my writing. When I was with him, I felt worthless, but I stayed because I was afraid no one else would ever put up with me. That he said those things out of love.”
Nolan turned his head to meet a pair of dark, fathomless eyes that he was sure could see into his soul. “Sky has seen me at my absolute worst. I’ve been rude to him. My life was an absolute mess. I was on the run from vampires. Regardless, he didn’t walk away or make me feel worthless and unattractive. He’s flirted constantly and tried to take care of me.” He shook his head. “The world is full of danger, but if I have to choose between the necromancer and the human, I’ll choose the necromancer every time.”
A gentle smile spread across the witch’s thin lips, creating a web of wrinkles across her face. “Well, if you’re together, at least I know that one of you has a good head on his shoulders. Maybe you can use that brain of yours to keep him out of trouble.”
She reached down, snagged the bag she’d placed on the ground, and began digging through it. “Here, hold this,” she commanded, thrusting a skull into his empty hands. Nolan barely kept it from tumbling to the dirt when he initially bobbled it. The witch didn’t look up as she continued to search. She gave him a book, a wand, three glass vials, and a necklace of wooden beads that also resembled eyeballs. The entire time, she muttered to herself about losing things and how her bag could hold all the treasures of Egypt, but she couldn’t find one trinket when she needed it.
“Ah! There it is!” She jerked her right arm out of the bag and held up a strange blue stone on a leather thong. She shoved it at Nolan but stopped when she seemed to notice that his hands were quite full of what had been in her bag.
“Nonsense, nonsense,” she mumbled as she swept the things into her bag and set it aside. “Here. I want you to wear this from now on. Don’t ever take it off.”
Nolan tried to accept it so he could look at it, but she was already placing it over his head.
“Is it for protection?” he asked, holding still while she got it settled around his neck.
“Sort of. Think of it as something that could help give your luck a push in the right direction when you need it.”
Nolan flashed her a crooked grin. “Like when I’m about to be run over by a dandy dog?”
The witch sighed at him and shook her head. “Yes, like that. But keep using that brain of yours and remember to get the hell out of the way, too.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Her smile softened, and she rubbed one hand on the top of his head, ruffling his messy black hair. “Be a good boy.”
