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Never smart for a Seer to divine for herself anyway.”
She hit me with a sharp look. “Your true love is broken inside. Like all of his kin.” She glanced back down at the bowl.
“Because of our ancient ties to enchanted tattoos.” A zap of electricity surged through my veins. I sat up straighter. “How do you mean?” “Something about the ancient druids and shamans… In the early days, some of the witches and warlocks used their magic to permanently spell supernaturals.”
Zaire heaved out a sigh, continuing to work on the tattoo as he mumbled, “Leave it to you to draw the most dangerous super in the room.” “I’m gifted like that.”
Because that’s basically what the blue orchid meant—the deep thinker. Though I was aware that I was an over-thinker, I really chose it because it was just so damn pretty, and blue was my favorite color.
“You’re wrong. I’m not trying to impress you. I want you to see me.” “Why?” I reached out with my magical senses. “We just met.” “And when we did, the earth opened up beneath my feet.”
“That was rude.” She winced. “I know.” “Pretty immature, too.” “Look, I know. You’re right. I’m sorry.” “Are you? Or sorry that I showed up to remind you of it?”
sometimes interference from a Seer could muck things up. So I typically only interfered when necessary.
Her frown softened, then she smiled. “Good. I’m glad you got payback.” “Bloodthirsty,” I teased. “I like it.”
“Am I really that much of a heinous troll?” “Yes.” She beamed, squishing my cheeks between her palms and saying in baby-talk, “But you’re my heinous troll.”
Having magic was a responsibility. If I ignored my magic and did whatever the hell I wanted, I wouldn’t just hurt myself. I could hurt Nico, too. I might be selfish sometimes, but I wasn’t that selfish.
“There’s the Violet I know and love,” he teased in a low, sultry voice. He didn’t mean the words for real, but suddenly I was infatuated with that sentence.
He was telling me something without saying a word. Stubborn as I was, I didn’t want to listen, but my body sure as hell got the message loud and clear. I took my phone and ran like the coward I was, though I was pretty sure he wouldn’t let me run forever.
I was accustomed to moving through life with confidence and conviction. Today, I just felt...icky.
“You know,” said Isadora, cutting in warmly, “this type of magic has the ability to heal, Vi. You could do so much good with this.”
Better to ask forgiveness than permission, I always said. Actually, that advice came from our grandmother, Maybelle. She was always a rule-bender. I was fairly positive I carried more of her genes than my mother’s.
I’d learned visions were only possible futures. Different decisions had different outcomes. So I wasn’t going to ogle that couch and dream of snuggling with the werewolf. Especially when my original reading of us together haunted me daily.
“You’re not afraid of me.” He actually sniffed the air. Probably was using his wolfie senses to detect my heartrate and so forth. “Not at all.” I glared right back. “You should probably be afraid of me.”
I didn’t want him to doubt himself. To fear himself. How horrific to even contemplate that what lived inside you could do irreparable harm to a loved one against your own will.
“You can’t help who you are, and I—” She shrugged, slowly pulling her hand out of mine as she dropped her gaze. “I like who you are.”
“Guess I’m just broken inside.” His steady, unwavering gaze eased over me with torturous slowness.
“You’re just running.” “I’m afraid it will all go sideways.” My voice cracked. “And it’ll end in heartbreak. For both of us.”
“Magical supply closet, eh?” “Fuck off, Sean,” I called before storming off to my workspace. But then I heard Nico answer him as he headed across the lobby to leave. “Yeah, it is.” My heart fluttered, and I grinned like an idiot the rest of the day, mentally making my list.
This was not Livvy. She didn’t get ruffled easily, if at all. “What does he do that bothers you so much?” “Breathes.” She narrowed her blue eyes, getting that far-off look as if imagining what she wanted to do to her enemy.
I tossed my hands in the air in exasperation before gripping his forearms. “What, you’ve never seen a girl cry over a chicken coop before?” He smiled, tilting my head up and bridging the gap to press a tender kiss to my lips. “I have to be honest. I’ve never built a chicken coop for a girl before.”
He didn’t ask me what was wrong. He knew. He’d slipped into my jaded heart so fast. Or perhaps, it wasn’t fast at all. He’d been doing it since the day I met him on the rooftop that New Year’s Eve.
“I bought it, thinking I’d have some occasion. But that occasion hasn’t come up. Maybe I bought it for you actually.” She stared at the dress thoughtfully.
Still, this was Clara, and she rarely walked inside the confines of normal. That’s why I loved her so much. She was her own person, no matter what others thought of her.
My anger over being abducted and wounded by these asshats melted behind a need to help them. They were like Nico. Like Mateo. In need of something, peace and healing, that I could possibly give them.
“Worried about us?” asked Shane. Knowing the depth of Nico’s feelings for me because I was positive his matched my own, my response was one simple word but heavy with an ominous promise. “Very.”
“I just can’t believe how calm you are,” I admitted. Her smile widened. “This is Violet. Those werewolves have no idea who they’ve kidnapped. It’ll be fine.”
“They wanna play rough? Fucking fine.” I might be tired, but the fury in my blood snapped my magic to attention with blinding speed. When those two idiots tumbled apart, I reached out with my telekinesis and lifted the old car on blocks and tossed it through the air to slide into Nico, shoving and pinning him to the wall. He snuffed and looked down at the car in wolfie confusion.
“Where’s Rick, Kyle, and Drake?” “Sleeping,” said Henry. “As in, you knocked them unconscious?” “No permanent damage,” he said without remorse.
“Of course, I approve,” she said into my ear, squeezing me tight. “I’ve always known you were soulmates.”
Heaving a sigh, I gave Clara a disgruntled look after walking over to the entryway “You were my favorite sister. Now she’s going to be impossible.”
“We need your help.” Without a second thought, Ruben dipped his chin. “Given.” Jules actually smiled at him, and I thought the earth might open up with the onslaught of the apocalypse. Then she turned her smile to me, pride in her eyes.
Without a single sliver of fear about our future, I let him lead me on.
