Shattered Circle

dangerous.

Both were distracted.

I made for the front doors and the last thing I heard as I pushed through them was Beau shouting, “You’ll pay for this, Persephone Alcmedi!”

My escape revealed, I sprinted away.

Living in a haven is like living in a movie theater; sometimes when you emerge, the brightness of the world is stunning. Sure, it was presently an average afternoon in late November, but the waning light on the buildings opposite pierced my retinas like high beams. I nearly ran over an elderly black woman. Shouting back my apologies, I ran east on Euclid Avenue, squinting and sometimes pushing my way along the sporadically crowded sidewalk.

If the complaints rising from behind me were any indication, Ivanka was pursuing me with more intent than was socially acceptable. So, I jumped in the nearest cab and gave the driver the address of the coffee shop.

Out the back window I saw Ivanka stop on the sidewalk, her cheeks flushed in anger, and she shouted something in Russian I didn’t understand.

Settling into my seat, I tried to take in Beau’s news.

William is catatonic.

The spell could not have taken his mind, but then it was after that spell that Johnny had tried to kill me. I thought back, recalling my wording, considering the placement of the candles, the stones. I analyzed every detail but could not identify a misspoken phrase or anything that was obviously out of place. I could look at the charts, compare planetary positions of the first spell to the second, but I doubted that would make this kind of difference.

That was the only plan I had when I arrived at the coffee shop. Since I’d taken a cab instead of walking, I was early and there was time to talk to the girls before Johnny arrived.

Inside, Mandy looked up from the netbook she had behind the counter and grinned. “Hey, Seph! What are you doing downtown?”

“Meeting a friend here. How’ve you been?”

She flashed her name badge at me.

“Manager? You got promoted!”

“Yeah. Just last week. Like a show, the business must go on.”

The witch who formerly owned this shop had abruptly disappeared. I knew more about that situation than I ever wanted anyone to know, so I meekly nodded and said, “Congratulations.” Besides working here, Mandy was an apprentice witch who gave some of her free time to Venefica Covenstead as a volunteer secretary. She was a good kid, a college freshman, and she deserved the advancement.

“So what can we get you?”

“Spiced cider.” While she rang me up on the register another girl stepped away to make my drink.

Mandy handed me my change.

I leaned in closer. “Can you get astrological charts online on your computer?”

“Of course!”

“Could I possibly compare a couple dates?”

“Sure.” She started typing. “I’ll log into the astrology subscription the Covenstead maintains. What date did you want to look at?”

Goddess, she talked so fast it was easy to think she must have been drinking double shots of espresso. I told her the two dates in question.

She typed and handed over the little netbook before the cider was finished. “You can take this to your seat and check it out. I have to fill out an inventory list anyway. The first tab is the first date, the second tab is the second date. Who are you meeting?” The last question was accompanied by a sly little smile.

“Thanks. Oh, Johnny. He should be here in a bit.”

Her eyes widened. “I thought it might be him. Wow! The Domn Lup in my shop? He’s sooo handsome, you’re so lucky, you know that? Oh hey, will he have an entourage? You know, like the president?”

My head spun at the speed of her questions. “I hope not.” That hadn’t even crossed my mind. Were his closest people now his secret service, listening in on his conversations with me?

“Don’t make a fuss over him, okay?”

The other girl handed me the cider.

Mandy said, “Oh. Sure. W?rewolf King of the World, local rock star, and boyfriend of the Lustrata. Of course I’ll treat him like he’s a regular guy.”

CHAPTER SIX

At three forty-six in the afternoon, Johnny pulled up to the parking garage of the Cleveland Cold Storage (CCS) building. Before losing cell phone reception he’d texted Red to let her know he’d be ten minutes late. Sunday traffic had been light and he’d made good time returning from upstate New York, but he still had a few things to do before he saw her. Getting a shower was on the top of that list.

The huge old building, formerly an ice house, now served as the den of the Cleveland-area w?rewolves. He had a parking spot near the elevator, but with the sense of urgency he currently felt, he steered the Maserati right in front of the lift and threw it into park.

He retrieved his gym bag from the trunk and got on the elevator to the ninth floor, where an apartment for esteemed guests was located. He could clean up there before heading to the coffee shop.

With a quiet ding, the lift halted and the doors rolled back. He stepped into the hallway, but the sound of footfalls in the stairwell made him hesitate. Someone was hurrying up the steps. Someone wearing heels.

In seconds, Aurelia’s gorgeous and leggy self burst into view. Having managed the climb in inappropriate shoes, she was surprisingly not out of breath. However, her short skirt had ridden up and Johnny couldn’t help noting the muscular flex of her thighs. As he forced his gaze upward, over her low V-neck blouse and onto the perfection of her face, she flicked her long blond hair behind her shoulder and smiled, altering her walk to a more seductive gait. “That must have been some drive,” she said sweetly. “You couldn’t even answer your phone.” She’d been calling him every fifteen minutes for the last several hours.

“You could have left a message.”

She drew close. “You and I were supposed to celebrate.” The way she articulated the last word left no doubt that she meant a celebration of the naked and sweaty kind.

He said nothing, but repeated silently, Remember, you’re on your way to talk to Red.

“Were you even going to stop in your office, sire?”

“No. I have to—”

“Are you avoiding me?”

“I have to get a shower and—”

“Oh.” Her smile broadened. “Would you like someone to scrub your back?”

You’re in a hurry to see Red. “I’ll manage.”

She pouted. It was entirely, adorably sexual. “Are you sure?”

Johnny turned on his heel. Cold shower. Cold, cold, cold shower.

Behind him he heard a frustrated sigh. “So . . . where have you been?” Her tone was on the verge of demanding.

Let her be pissed. What she wants she can’t have. He kept walking and gave her a flat-toned answer. “Away.”

“Yes, we all noticed the newly announced Domn Lup drove an old woman home and didn’t come back.” Her scornful sarcasm was not hidden. When he didn’t respond she instructed, “Bathe fast. The