Chapter 10
The doorbell roused me out of my sleep. Blinking a few times at my phone on the nightstand, I could see that Ryder and I had slept in until almost ten a.m. I yawned as I untangled myself from his arms and sat up. Looking around, I could see a CU tee on the floor of my room, and I picked it up and shoved it over my head. Next, I spotted my jean shorts and threw those on. My ponytail holder was on the floor, and I bent down and picked it up, tying my hair up into a messy bun before walking to the living room, where my doorbell was ringing for the second time.
With another yawn, I opened the door to see Sanja standing there holding a blue laundry basket full of neatly folded clothes in one hand, a coffee in the other, and two large boxes flanking her on ground.
I lifted an eyebrow. “Good morning.” But it kind of came out as a question.
“Good morning, wolf-girl. How are you this morning?” She produced another paper coffee cup from the laundry basket, which was wedged between clothes, and handed it to me.
I took the cup and relished its warmth, lifting it in thanks. “I’m just fine. Come on in,” I replied, opening the door wider to allow her access.
“Did I wake you?” she asked as she walked by with her basket, leaving the boxes on the porch.
“Well…”
“Did you have breakfast yet? I’ve got some toasted garlic bagels with cream cheese here,” she said, plucking a bag from the top of the clothes pile in her basket. She placed the bag on the kitchen counter. How had I not seen the bag before? Oh yeah, ‘cause I’m still asleep.
“Thank you for the coffee,” was all I could think to say. I lifted it in greeting.
She waved a dismissive hand as she set the basket into her room, to where I’d followed her. “No problem. I hope you like Breve lattes.”
“Sure,” I said, taking a sip and trying not to choke on the fact that it was unsweetened. “Yes, it’s coffee. Anything will do.” I lifted the cup again. Like an ass. I needed to stop doing that.
“I’ve got a bed, dresser, and a nightstand in the truck. Can you help me with them?” she asked, batting her eyelashes.
Was this the blasted ‘charm’ Ryder had mentioned? Dammit, it was too freaking early for me to have to think this hard.
“I’ll tell you what, let me go wake up my boyfriend. His muscles are bigger than mine.” I threw her a wink.
She grinned. “Good call. And I can’t wait to meet him. In the meantime, I’m going to grab a few more things out of the back of the truck.”
“Sounds good,” I said as I watched her set her coffee down on the windowsill of the room and walk out toward the front door.
I quickly walked to my room and jumped on the bed. “Get up.”
“What?” Ryder said, groaning as he lifted his head from the pillow.
“Sanja’s here. Get up!”
He looked at his fitness-watch thing and said, “Damn, we slept in.”
I hopped off the bed and ran into the bathroom, grabbing my toothbrush from the holder. I squeezed some toothpaste onto it and gave myself a quick scrub.
Ryder followed me in and did the same, and then he told me to leave because he had to “take a piss.”
By the time I emerged from the bedroom, Sanja had four more boxes in her room, and the nightstand.
“Did you bring in that in yourself?” I asked, pointing at it.
“Yes, it’s empty so it wasn’t a big deal.”
I nodded, and just then I heard Ryder’s voice at the doorway. “You need some help?”
I looked at Sanja, and grinned as her eyes went wide. “Yes, please, there is more in the truck out front.”
“Sanja, this is Ryder,” I said, almost forgetting my manners.
He walked into the room, and I was grateful he had thrown on his T-shirt and sweatpants. “Nice to meet you, witch,” he said.
With my eyes wide, mortification didn’t even begin to cover it.
I reluctantly looked at Sanja, and a slight amusement danced in her eyes. “Nice to meet you, too, wolf.”
Ryder grinned and released her hand before walking out of the room.
“I’m sorry—”
“Don’t be,” Sanja said. “I’m soooo used to it.”
That made me kind of sad. “Really?” I asked.
She nodded, making her way toward the bedroom door. I looked her up and down and wished I had her legs. Warm caramel color under her dark-blue short-shorts. “Wolves and witches don’t usually get along so well.”
I worried my lip at her comment, and tilted my head. “Really? Because I like you just fine.”
She smiled. “I’m glad. Because I like you, too. I just know we’ll be great friends.”
I relaxed a little.
Sanja crossed the room and put both hands on my shoulders. “Don’t worry about him.” She jutted her chin toward the doorway of the room. “I can tell he comes from a long line of strong, old-school wolves. He’ll come around, I promise.”
I nodded, looking into her powerful brown eyes. “I hope so, because I really like you, Sanja. Help me help you to earn his trust. He told me not to rent to you. I told him you were a great person, someone I could see becoming a good friend. Don’t make a liar out of me.”
She grinned knowingly. “I won’t, my friend. I won’t.” With a last quick hug, she sprinted out the door and to the truck to retrieve the rest of her belongings.
College was hard. I thought it was going to be kind of easy—but it wasn’t. Not by a longshot. I kept telling myself to be grateful. You know, grateful for my family and the opportunity afforded me. Grateful for the boyfriend who supported me despite our differences. Grateful for friends like Sanja. She had been living in my house for two months and never once said a word about me leaving for three days every month. But, she knew why I stayed away once a month, and it wasn’t because of PMS. And we never discussed it.
On a regular Tuesday night, I was sitting at the dining room table studying. I didn’t want to go into my room, so I found an alternative. After her shift at Magik Books & Coffee, Sanja came home.
“Hi,” I said, greeting her as she sat in the chair opposite me, seeming tired from her shift at the store.
She stared me for a few long, awkward seconds, and then said, “How are you today?”
I waved a hand at her without looking up. “Great. Thanks for asking.”
I secretly had an annoyance with people who continuously asked “How are you?” I wanted to scream at them, “I’m not okay, you asshole!” or “Stop asking me that stupid question!”
But of course, I would never say that to anyone.
“I met someone,” she blurted out.
These nightly talks in our dining room had become our ‘thing’. When one of us needed to talk, we’d sit on the futon sofa or the armchair, me with my legs over the arm. Her, cross-legged on the sofa.
“Oh yeah? Wanna tell me about him? Or… her?”
She grinned. “It’s a him. No worries.”
I frowned. “I wasn’t worried.”
“I know.” She winked. “Well, he came into the shop a few days ago. Just like me, he isn’t from Colorado. He is here to go school. This school.”
I nodded. “Okay, go on.”
“Sorry, details, right? So not important. Anyway, he’s a warlock from Maine. His parents run a very powerful coven up there. The minute he said the name, I knew I’d heard of it. Anyway, it was weird, when he came into the shop and our eyes met, we both kind of froze. He was probably the most beautiful guy I had ever seen. Despite his stylish red hair, his skin was smooth and had no freckles or zits or anything. He has these full lips and eyes the color of grass.” She let out a dreamy sigh.
“He sounds pretty awesome. So did you give him your number, or what?”
She nodded, her eyes wide. “Yes, I did, and he texted me as soon as he got home after buying a few things at the shop. We talked on the phone and have been texting nonstop. He gives me butterflies.”
“That’s great,” I said, “I’m really happy for you. What’s his name?”
“Brennan James.”
I nodded in approval. “Very cool name.”
“I know, right?” she squealed.
“At least he’s a witch. You have to, uh, mate with others of your kind, right?”
Sanja wrinkled her nose. “Mate, ew, that’s such a werewolf and vampire term. But yes.”
“Sorry,” I said, laughing. “I really don’t like the term myself. And for the record, I totally liked Ryder before I knew he was a wolf. Heck, even before I knew I was a wolf!”
She turned her head slightly, looking confused. “What do you mean… before you knew you were a wolf? Aren’t your family wolves?”
With a heavy, dramatic sigh, I launched into the tale about how my brothers and I were adopted, and what a nightmare my first shift had been. The look on Sanja’s face was a mix between sympathy and horror.
“You’re telling me nobody told you that you’d transform into a beast once a month during the full moon? You just… shifted one night?”
I nodded and, with a shudder, told her about my first shift.
“Wow, that’s a tough break, girl.”
“You are probably gonna hate me for asking this, but what exactly can witches do? Like spells and such? Or parlor tricks like making shit disappear?”
She laughed. “A little of both. We don’t use magic unless we need to. I grew up knowing my parents were witches, and that I was one, too. I have my own spell book, but I don’t really use it that much. We are taught that magic is for necessity, not for want or personal gain.”
“So you couldn’t show me anything cool right now?” I asked, goading her.
She chewed her perfect lip, and then threw me a mischievous grin. “Okay, just one thing.”
I smiled, excited.
She closed her eyes and lifted both hands, palms up, toward the ceiling. “Ignium!”
All the candles in the room immediately lit up with flames burning at their wicks. I am a candle-collecting whore, so I had them everywhere. The room was immediately bright with a warm orange glow.
Gasping at how she’d done that, I stared at her as she slowly opened her eyes. She smiled. “You like?”
“How did you do that? And what did you say to do that?”
“It’s Latin. Lots of Latin involved in being a witch.”
“Wow, I tried to take Latin once, totally failed. I’ve got a new mad respect for you now, girl.”
“Thanks. It wasn’t easy to learn, but I’m learning slowly. That ‘trick’ I just did was easy.”
“What else can you do?”
She smirked, like she was hiding a secret. “A lot of things, but like I said, we use magic out of necessity. Otherwise, we are just regular people.”
“So, you can’t, say, cast a spell over a bank teller and make them give you ten thousand dollars?” I asked, feeling devious at asking, but curiosity getting the better of me.
“Yes, I probably could do that, but I wouldn’t. That is stealing. We do have some morals and ethics,” she replied, amused.
I nodded. “Gotcha.”
Just then, the front door opened. Ryder came in carrying a duffel bag. He lifted his chin at Sanja—something he always did, as he didn’t like to interact with her too much—and said to me, “You ready to go?”
“Yeah, let me pack real fast.” I got up and headed toward my room. I turned before going down the hall and said to Sanja, “Thanks for the chat. I’m happy for you. Keep me posted. I’ll be gone all weekend.”
She smiled and glanced out the window at the full moon. “I know.”
After packing a small bag, I emerged from my room and looked at my gorgeous boyfriend. “Let’s roll out.”
“Bye, wolves. Be good,” Sanja said, flicking the TV to life with the remote, even though her attention was on her phone.
“Thanks,” I chuckled. “Lock this door behind me.”
She waved a hand, and the second the door closed, I heard the locks immediately click into place. I chuckled.
Witches. Gotta love them.