Chapter Fourteen
Savannah
“So, how’re things with Rhys?” Ava asked me casually as we stocked and organized the bookshelves in the Bean.
The afternoon was a slow one, so we were taking the time to tidy the shop and restock books. I was surprised by how neat the witches were when they came into the shop. Everything that they picked up was put back into its proper place if they decided not to buy it. It was rare that a customer left things in disarray.
When I’d mentioned it to Ava, she laughed. “That’s because the witches can feel the spell I put on the shelves. If they don’t return things to their proper place, there is a price to pay. Typically, it’s only the humans who aren’t tidy.”
“A price to pay?” I asked, my eyes growing larger. “What do you do to them?”
Ava shook her head. “Nothing horrible. But they aren’t surprised when their spells go awry for a few days or they need to replace their supply of dried herbs not long after a visit.”
“You hex them?” I asked, my voice growing higher.
She laughed again, louder and longer this time. “Not really. It’s more of a little spell to throw them off-kilter for a few days. It’s harmless.” She paused. “Though one witch did come in after she burned her eyebrows off when one of her candle spells didn’t go as planned. I had to adjust the charm then.”
I shook my head at my friend. “You’re a menace. Remind me never to get on your bad side.”
“I don’t think you could,” Ava replied. “Though we might find out if you change the subject again when I ask you about Rhys.”
I sighed as I dusted the shelves in front of me. I should have known she would notice that I did that every time she asked me about Rhys and how our dates were going. The truth was I didn’t want to tell her because I wasn’t sure I even knew what was going on.
For the past several weeks, Rhys came over to my house every day. Most of the time it was in the evening after I finished working for the day. Sometimes he came just after lunch and helped me in the garden when I was only at the Bean for the morning shift. I enjoyed his company and looked forward to seeing him every day, but his behavior confused me.
Rhys wasn’t overly affectionate. He only held my hand from time to time and often when we sat on the couch watching television, he’d put his arm around my shoulders, but that was it. His hands and eyes never wandered. Surprisingly, I wanted them to. I wanted him to touch me and I definitely wanted to touch him. I found nearly everything about him attractive, from his endearing lack of understanding of pop culture to his not-quite-dimples. For the first time in years, my libido was awake and raring to go. Too bad he didn’t seem to get the memo, even though I knew he had to feel my desire for more.
If it hadn’t been for the kisses he gave me each night before he left, I would have thought that maybe we were just friends. But even the kisses were somewhat chaste. Rhys always kept the contact brief and his hands never strayed from my waist.
For the first time in my life, I was dating a man who took old-fashioned values seriously. My grandmother would have been ecstatic.
However, I was ready for more. Maybe not sex, but definitely some making out or a groping session on my couch. I felt like I was back in high school and my boyfriend wouldn’t touch me because he was afraid my parents would come down the hall and catch us.
“Savannah, are you going to answer my question or am I going to have to get out my hex book?”
I blinked at Ava. “Sorry. I was thinking.”
“I could tell. I think I smell smoke, so whatever it is must be serious.”
I made a face at her insinuation. “My brain isn’t overheating, I’m just a little…confused about what I should do about Rhys.”
“Well, why don’t you talk to me about it and I’ll tell you what I think you should do.”
I laughed. “You may be my boss here at the Bean, but my private life is my own,” I retorted.
“Wrong. I may be your boss here, but I’m also your best friend, which means you have to at least consider my suggestions,” she corrected.
Still laughing, I shook my head. “No, I don’t.”
“Okay, no you don’t,” she sighed. “But I’m dying of curiosity, so please put me out of my misery. I know you think it’s rude to kiss and tell or whatever, but I feel like I had a bit of a hand in getting you two together. I need details.”
“Something would have to happen for me to kiss and tell,” I muttered to myself as I dusted the candles on their shelves.
“What did you just say?” Ava asked.
I glanced at her. “You heard me.”
“Okay, back up. Instead of saying something would have to happen, why don’t you tell me what has happened so far?”
I tossed my dust rag into the plastic basket of cleaning supplies. “We spend time together. We eat dinner or watch TV. Then he leaves.”
“That’s it?” Ava asked. “No fooling around or anything?” She sounded shocked.
“Well, he does kiss me good night before he leaves, but that’s it.”
“One kiss?” Now she seemed horrified. “No groping or dry humping or anything?”
I made another face at her reference to dry humping and she rolled her eyes. “Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it.”
Considering I’d never dry humped before and didn’t have any plans to start now, I let the subject drop. “No, nothing other than one kiss.”
“Does he at least slip you the tongue?” she asked.
“Ava!” I cried out, twisting toward her. “I can’t believe you asked me that.”
“What? The way you put it, he’s acting more like your BFF than your BF.”
I made a face at her. “BF as in best friend or boyfriend?” I asked.
“Boyfriend, Savannah,” she replied, clearly exasperated with my joking.
“I think he’s trying to take things slowly,” I stated.
“Probably, but there’s a difference between smart slow and glacier slow. A kiss with tongue isn’t exactly scandalous in this day and age.”
She did have a point, but we didn’t have a chance to debate it because the bell over the door to the shop rang and we both turned to face the customers.
Rhiannon Temple stood just inside the door. As she had before, she looked sophisticated and sleek, her long black hair hung in a straight sheet to her waist. She wore a royal blue sheath that hugged her slender figure. Over her forearm, she looped a handbag that carried a discreet triangular label that I recognized. A tall man loomed over her, his broad body dwarfing her though her heels put her nearly at the same height. He was large and muscular and he looked as though he belonged on a calendar for sexy bad boys on motorcycles.
“Hello,” she said, coming deeper into the shop. Her eyes flicked to me. “It’s nice to see you again, Savannah,” she greeted as she held a hand out to me.
Though I didn’t want to shake her hand, I took her fingers and released them as quickly as possible. Touching her skin made me feel chilled all over.
“Hello,” I replied.
Rhiannon turned to Ava. “Hello, you must be Ava Amaris.” She reached into her bag and removed a small cream-colored card. “I’m Rhiannon Temple and I’m a property developer and real estate agent in Austin. I stopped by several of your rental properties in Travis Heights and I would be very interested talking to you about them.”
Ava took the card but didn’t spare it a glance. “May I offer you and your…friend a coffee?” she asked, neither confirming nor denying Rhiannon’s assumption that she was Ava Amaris.
“That sounds lovely, thank you. I’ll take a nonfat cappuccino,” Rhiannon said with a small toss of her head. Her black hair rippled before settling back against her spine, moving as though it had a life of its own. I wasn’t sure why but the sight of her hair falling perfectly into place made me wonder if perhaps she was a witch. It was almost as if the strands rearranged themselves until they were completely smooth.
Ava’s eyes shifted to the man behind Rhiannon. “Can I get you something…” she trailed off.
“My name is Macgrath,” the man replied. “And I don’t want anything.”
His voice was rough and low, as though he didn’t use it often. Ava nodded and turned to me.
“Savannah, would you mind?”
Sensing the undercurrents of tension in the room, I hurried behind the counter, unsure of what I should do. Unlike Ava, I had no magical abilities and for some reason, I felt as though I might need them. My intuition wasn’t as strong as a witch’s, but it was twanging sharply at the moment, warning me that there was danger here. Mostly because the few emotions that radiated from the others were defensive or hostile. There was also an underlying sense of smugness but I couldn’t quite tell where it emanated from.
Quickly I made a medium nonfat cappuccino, putting it into a paper to-go cup. When I carried it to Rhiannon, she took it without a word of thanks, which only solidified my vague aversion for her into concrete dislike. My gaze flicked to Macgrath behind her and I found his gaze on me.
Disturbed by the way he was looking at me I lowered my own eyes and walked over to the shelves next to Ava. I began putting away the cleaning products, loading everything in the basket just to keep my hands busy.
“Why are you interested in my rental properties?” Ava asked Rhiannon.
The woman took a sip of the cappuccino before she answered. “I’d like to buy them from you,” she stated. “You own several homes on the same block and I’m interested in refurbishing them for resale. I would, of course, offer you fair market value for them.”
Ava crossed her arms over her chest, studying Rhiannon closely. “Thank you for your offer, but I’m not interested in selling at this time.”
The real estate agent’s mouth thinned at Ava’s words and I noticed that Macgrath smirked behind her, as though he were pleased that she had been thwarted.
“Are you sure? Perhaps an extra twenty percent on the purchase price would change your mind?”
Ava shook her head. “No, it wouldn’t.”
Once again I saw her eyes move to Macgrath. He met her gaze with an implacable stare and the strange tension in the room intensified tenfold.
“You seem like an intelligent woman,” he said to Ava suddenly.
She tilted her head to the side and narrowed her eyes at him. “I believe I am.”
“Then perhaps you should think about her offer.”
I nearly choked at the thinly veiled threat and twisted my head to look at Ava.
My insane boss threw her head back and laughed. “What is this, a mob movie?” she asked. “Will there be a horse head in my bed tomorrow morning?”
Strangely enough, the corners of Macgrath’s mouth twitched as though he found Ava’s complete lack of fear amusing. He grinned and I watched in horror as his canine teeth extended and his eyes began to glow. He was a vampire.
Ava merely shook her head. “Your parlor tricks don’t frighten me, vampire, so save the theatrics.”
His grin widened but his teeth receded back. “Of course not.”
The door behind him opened, but he didn’t react, which made me wonder if he’d heard the person approaching before they arrived. I glanced around him and saw Rhys. Macgrath turned then and looked Rhys up and down.
“Excuse me,” Rhys murmured, stepping inside and letting the door shut behind him.
Without a word, Macgrath moved to his left. Rhiannon had turned when Rhys spoke and now she was smiling at him in a way that I didn’t like. At all. Her gaze was very nearly predatory.
“Nice to see you again, Rhys,” she greeted him.
He nodded to her. “Ms. Temple.”
“Oh, please, call me Rhiannon,” she invited him, placing a hand on his arm.
Rhys’ eyes came to mine and I watched as their color changed, the blue of his irises quickly swallowed by the black of his pupil. Within seconds the whites were encompassed as well, leaving his eyes black as night.
Next to me, Ava went stiff and I knew she saw it. Rhys stepped away from Rhiannon so that her hand fell away. He blinked several times and when he looked up once again, his eyes had returned to blue.
It was clear to me that he was suspicious of her because he didn’t turn his back on her as he moved across the shop toward me. Though he didn’t usually hug or kiss me when we saw each other, he took the time to press his lips lightly to mine then wrapped his arm around my waist, settling me into his side. His actions alone told me everything I needed to know. He didn’t trust Rhiannon Temple and he intended to protect me should it become necessary. There was a fine tension in his muscles that told me he was on his guard.
“Well, thank you for stopping by, Rhiannon,” Ava said politely. “But I don’t think I’ll be selling my properties anytime soon.”
The real estate agent smiled thinly, her dark eyes sparkling with challenge. “Well, you have my card if you change your mind.”
With that, she turned and walked out the door, not even waiting to see if Macgrath followed her. I watched as he paused, his eyes on Ava, and he looked as though he were about to say something. Instead, his mouth tightened and he walked out of the shop.
As soon as the door shut behind them, Ava turned to us. “You know that witch?” she asked, her voice strained.
“Not really. She came by the house about a month ago, asking if I would want to sell it. I told her that you were my landlord and where to find you. When you didn’t mention it, I assumed she called or came by and you told her you weren’t interested,” I answered.
“Why didn’t you mention it?”
I glanced over at Rhys. “Well, I was a bit distracted after her visit.” The day Rhys had taken me to the botanical gardens was also the day Rhiannon had stopped by the house. My heart had ached so badly that I hadn’t given Rhiannon another thought until today.
Ava nodded. “It’s okay. You couldn’t have known.”
“Known what?” Rhys asked.
“That she’s a witch. A very powerful, dark witch.”
“How do you know that?” I asked.
“It’s all over her. Her aura is pitch black and filled with evil.”
Rhys stiffened beside me. “I couldn’t see it.”
Ava shook her head. “You wouldn’t have been able to, neither of you, even with your abilities. As I said, she’s powerful and she’s taken the time and energy to cloak as much of her evil as she can. The only reason I can see it is because of a spell I placed on the shop. As soon as she walked in, everything she tried to hide was fully revealed.” Ava paced across the center of the room. “She’s dangerous, but I’m not sure if she intends to harm us or if we’re just a means to an end. Either way, she’s bad news.”
“Then we need to be ready,” Rhys stated.
Ava stopped her manic movements. “Oh, we will be.”
“There’s something I need to discuss with both of you,” he continued. “But not here. Meet me at the house in half an hour and we’ll talk.”
Ava nodded. “Take Savannah with you. I’ll be there as soon as I close up.”
“You may need me,” I argued. “What if they come back?”
This time when Ava looked at me, I saw something in her I’d never seen before—anger, determination, and ice-cold control. She was no longer my warm, loving friend. She was a warrior. A goddess prepared for battle.
“Then they’ll have to deal with me.”