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“Mila should be here soon,” Gideon says, looking me over as I sit on the couch buried under the fluffiest throw blanket he owns, the place I landed after our heady make out in the kitchen. “I just have to do some interviews for new waitstaff, so I shouldn’t be too long.”
I push away my nerves of him leaving early to come back here and swallow down my remark that I don’t need a gods damn babysitter. “It’s fine. Go, work, do your interviews. I’m just… tired after last night.” I give him a small smile.
He glances at the clock, then tosses me a cell phone. “Here. Numbers are already programmed. Answer if I text or call you.” He licks his lips when I press my lips in a firm line. “Please.” He walks over and kisses my temple, making my mouth go dry.
“Okay,” I say, nodding. I wait on the couch as I listen to his truck drive down the gravel toward the road. Picking up the cell phone, I send a quick text to Mila that she doesn’t need to come since I’m just going to bed.
She sends back a thumbs up, and I set the phone down, smiling to myself. I didn’t expect him to give me a phone, but it’s worked out even better than I thought now. I don’t know if I would’ve been able to sneak out without Mila noticing if she’d been here.
I grab a small bag packed with a few essentials—water and a change of clothes—putting my phone in the pocket in case Gideon texts me, knowing he’d leave the bar immediately if he did and I didn’t answer. I turn off the lights, leaving a small lamp on upstairs as if I were actually going to bed, then make my way into the back yard to find Kaylus.
“That was… easy.”He swirls in the air above me as we move through the woods.
I’m grateful I know these woods so well after studying the territory lines of the Silver Wolf Pack. Gideon’s house is a smaller trek to Lockwood Forest than my house had been, but not by much. It’ll still take roughly an hour to walk there. “Hopefully, it’ll stay easy tonight.” Glancing up at the star filled sky, I grimace. “At least getting there. Once we get there, keep your distance.”
“I don’t like this.”
I roll my eyes. “Yeah, you said that a few times now, but you know why I have to do this.”
“Yeah, I know why youthinkyou have to.”He caws, flying a little ahead of me as I strip my clothes off and shift.
I shake out my fur and take off after him, feeling the urge of my wolf to turn around and crawl back into Gideon’s bed. Gritting my teeth, I shove her down and push myself faster, feeling the wind ripple through my fur. She still hasn’t talked to me again, but I know she’s the reason my walls are crumbling when I’m around him. The bond grows between us with every minute spent together, and it makes me crave his touch, his voice, his everything. But with that, my powers are also growing. Training has helped me gain more control of my wolf, but my fire… It still feels unstable, like a true flame—wicked and vengeful with a mind of its own.
I know what I have to do to fix this and keep everyone safe—lose the exact things that make me a target. It’s the only way to give myself a normal life with Jules. Even if I’m not a witch, I can still live near her and work in the city. I’m just hoping I won’t lose myself when I lose my wolfandmy fire.
Chapter twelve
Gideon
A phone doesn’t seem like the best move. You know she’s going to tell Mila not to show up,my wolf says.
“That’s exactly why I gave it to her. At least I can get ahold of her if she does that. She would’ve just talked Mila into leaving anyway.” Sighing, I turn my truck engine off after parking in the bar’s lot. I would’ve told Frank to handle the interviews himself, but with the new task of watching Adara’s house, I didn’t want to pile everything on him. Plus, I enjoy handpicking my staff. I need someone I can trust to be at the bar and help Frank, not some self-absorbed redhead like last time.
Cursing myself for my past moment of weakness, I throw open my truck door and stalk inside. A scowl immediately shadows my face as I look through the bar, noting Lucas’s band playing on the stage again. At least that’s still working out, and the band doesn’t hit on my waitresses.
I see Frank at the bar, packed with people, and he laughs as he fills another round of beers for a table. Walking to the back of the bar, I sidle up to Kurtis at the gambling tables.
“Hey, boss.” He shuffles the deck before dealing cards to the four people sitting before him.
“No Wendell tonight?”
Kurtis smirks. “Not since that first night. I heard Anera wasn’t very happy about the show he put on.”
A dark chuckle bursts from me. “Good to know she continues to keep his leash nice and short.” I pat his shoulder as I walk to my office. “Frank, interviews held in here. One at a time.”
He glances up at me, pouring a cluster of shots. “Got it, boss. First one’s right there,” he throws his thumb toward the end of the bar. One of Mila’s friends sits there, chewing on her lower lip. He nods his head in my direction, and she jumps up.
“Cali, right?” I ask, leading her into my office.
“Uh, yeah, that’s right.” She smiles nervously, her dark brown hair pulled back into a ponytail.
“And you want to waitress here?” I step behind my desk, gesturing for her to sit in the chair before me.
She licks her lips, sitting down. “I spend enough time here. Might as well be useful.”
I smirk. “That’s… honest. There’s no drinking on the job, though.”
Her face blanches. “Oh… no, that’s… that’s not what I meant. I-I mean, I do drink when I come here. I just—”
