*Sasha*
“So, what you’re telling is that that thing might have the power to transport multiple people to so kind of different continent or universe that they’re calling the Realm of the Goddess?” Lucas said, giving an incredulous look.
“Well... yeah,” I replied.
Lucas shook his head vigorously. “Nope, nope, nope. You’re not touching it ever again. It’s far too powerful, whatever its true purpose.”
I raised my chin. “You said we’d consult your mother first. I never said I’d never touch it ever again!”
“I’m saying it.” Lucas wriggled off of his lap and snatched up the orb in its protective covering of silk. “I’m putting this back in my bag. I don’t want you ssing with it, agreed?”
“But–”
“Let’s just agree until my mother looks at it. Then we can fight all we want,” Lucas sighed.
I ground my teeth but nodded. “Fine. As long as we don’t need it before we et with your mother, I won’t touch it.”
“What’s that supposed to an?” Lucas’s eyes narrowed.
“Well, what if the Goddess is trying to get a hold of ? What if it starts glowing and it wants to–”
“You’re not going anywhere, princess, not again... not if I have anything to do with it,” Lucas groused. He stood and headed for the door.
“Hey!” I protested. “We’re not done talking!”
“We’re done talking,” Lucas disagreed.
“But–”
“Take a nap, Sasha... or pack, or do whatever. But do not go near this orb, do you understand ?!” Lucas barked, turning to give a stern look.
I pouted. I knew I was pouting, and I pouted anyway.
“Don’t you give that face. I know that face. You swear to you’re going to leave the orb alone,” Lucas demanded.
I folded my arms over my chest. “As long as it doesn’t need .”
Lucas growled under his breath. “Should just throw it in the ocean....”
He turned to go.
“Wait, where are we going in the Light Realm, and when?” I asked.
“Oliver is going to et us in New Dianny. And we’re leaving first thing in the morning. So pack,” Lucas said gruffly.
“Lucas Black, you can be such an overbearing asshole sotis, you know that?” I griped.
That got him to crack a smile. “The worst,” he agreed.
“Well, am I under house arrest? I was hoping to see Amanda before we left,” I huffed.
Lucas frowned at . “You’re not my prisoner, Sasha. But I would caution you....”
“Great.” I walked past Lucas, preceding him through the door. “Don’t wait up.”
“Sasha!” Lucas protested.
But I was already grabbing my purse. “Ian, I want to go into town. Let’s go to the Coffee Bean.”
“Yes... ma’am....” Ian replied uncertainly, looking past .
Unsurprisingly, Lucas was standing behind .
“You make sure she’s safe,” Lucas ordered Ian.
“Yes, sir,” Ian said crisply.
Lucas nodded and swiftly kissed my temple before I could protest. “See you soon.”
“Maybe.”
“Definitely,” Lucas responded with a thunderous expression.
I rolled my eyes and followed Ian out to the sedan.
“I an it!” Lucas called after .
“He can be such a turd,” I muttered as I slid into the back seat.
Ian choked on a laugh, which he covered with a cough. “To the Coffee Bean, ma’am?”
“Yes, thank you, Ian,” I said.
Thirty minutes later, Amanda and our friend Chelsea were seated around a table near the fireplace with , sipping lattes and giving an account of what I’d missed.
“... and then the bartender grabbed my drink and dumped it,” Chelsea said with a shiver. “Thank the Goddess that guy was arrested.”
“Trying to roofie a girl. That’s sick,” Amanda replied.
“Sick,” I agreed.
Chelsea and Amanda turned to . “So,” Chelsea asked. “Still making goo-goo eyes at Donovan?”
I must have turned so shade of green, and Amanda’s lip curled.
Chelsea looked from one of us to the other. “What?”
“Turns out Donovan is a bit of a psycho and serial mating marker,” Amanda put in before I could speak.
“He... what?” Chelsea squawked.
I sighed and explained the situation.
“Sweet rcies of the White Queen, what a creep!” Chelsea exclaid. “Goddess, they’re just crawling out of the woodwork! Don’t tell Lucas Black is trying to get in your pants, too!”
I coughed self-consciously, and both girls leaned in, ready to hear sothing juicy.
“Well, he didn’t roofie or try to mark , if that’s what you’re asking,” I replied with a swallow.
“You lost your V-card!” Amanda all but shouted.
I looked around and winced, motioning for her to keep her voice down. “Okay, fine, yeah, but let’s not announce it to the world.”
“And what a way to go!” Amanda said dreamily, but at least at a more tolerable volu.
“I’m never going to lose my V-card,” Chelsea mumbled.
Amanda patted her hand. “Don’t worry. We all do. And besides, eventually, you’re going to get a mate. You’ll sure as hell be losing your V-card to him at least.”
Then Amanda’s eyes lit up, and she turned back to . “Speaking of mates, do you think Lucas Black is yours?”
I blushed and managed a shrug. “I won’t know until my twenty-first birthday, will I?”
“I’ll bet you are,” Chelsea gushed. “You just couldn’t keep your hands off each other. It was love at first sight....”
Amanda burst out laughing. “Nah, it wasn’t. They grew up together in the Winter Forest in the Light Realm. He was a bully and an ass.”
“Oh.” Chelsea sounded disappointed. “Well, then, love at second sight....”
I pushed my hair behind my ear. “I’m not sure if I love him yet.”
“What? How could you not? You had sex with him!” Chelsea gaped.
“Oh, Chelsea, there are sooo many things I need to explain to you,” Amanda clucked.
“I like him, absolutely. I respect him, and I care for him. But... how would you even know you’re in love until you know for sure he’s your mate?” I asked.
Since neither of the other two had mates, either, the question couldn’t be answered at our table.
“I’m just hoping Donovan doesn’t turn out to be your mate,” Amanda said anxiously.
Chelsea and I both stared at her in horror.
“I an, worst case scenario....” Amanda held up her hands in surrender.
“If he is, I’m rejecting him the minute I turn twenty-one,” I replied flatly.
“Fair enough,” Amanda said.
“Absolutely!” Chelsea agreed.
I rubbed the back of my neck. “I’m a little nervous about going back to the dorm, just in case he’s there....”
“Don’t even worry about it. Lucas has two guards posted on , and besides, they took ALL your shit. There’s really nothing to go back for,” Amanda inford .
“Plus, I saw him boarding a train heading west this morning, so I doubt he’ll be around,” Chelsea said.
“Oh.” My nerves evened out, but my temper flared–more heavy-handedness from Lucas. “Even the drawings are gone?”
“Especially the drawings. I think he had an actual library curator show up and put them between sheets of rice paper,” Amanda said.
My emotions began conflicting one another. On the one hand, it was very sweet what Lucas had done, especially taking such care with my drawings. On the other hand, he’d hired strangers to go through and pack my things without asking . I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.
“We should go shopping for your trip,” Amanda suggested after I was silent for a while.
That perked up. “Yeah, we should. I’d like to get a few lighter outfits if we’re going to New Dianny.”
“New Dianny?” Chelsea made a face and fanned herself. “Ugh. Jungle weather.”
“Yep, humidity up to my eyeballs,” I said. “But hopefully a good trip just the sa.”
Chelsea and Amanda got up and tugged out of my chair, Amanda throwing down a few coins for the coffee and a tip.
“Hey, I could have paid for that,” I began.
“Call it a going away present. Okay, so, let’s get started!” Amanda said.
Ian was completely unfazed by three giggling girls entering his sedan. He simply put down his paper and turned to . “Where to, ma’am?”
“Capitol Drive. I need so clothes,” I explained.
Ian nodded and moved us out into traffic.
Chelsea and Amanda talked excitedly about the newest fashion trends, the purse Chelsea had seen that she was determined to buy if it was still at Moonlight Boutique, and Amanda’s shoe fetish.
I pushed my hair behind my ear and asked, “Do you think at this ti of year they’re going to have any kind of sumr selection?”
We all took a look down at our sweaters.
“Oh dear,” Chelsea said.
“We’ll find sothing.” Amanda’s confidence was infectious. “They’ll at least have sothing at Howler’s. That place has everything.”
I winced. “Not very high quality, though.”
“Does it matter? Lucas Black is just going to be ripping it right off you, anyway,” Amanda teased.
I turned bright red down to my toes. “That’s not true.”
“Pfft. Yeah, right. I’ve seen the way he looks at you. Hell, even from that first night at the bar he was eyeing you like a pri rib set before a starving man,” Amanda said.
“I wish I’d been there,” Chelsea sighed wistfully.
“You could have been,” Amanda replied. “But you were busy with that idiot Jayden Cooper.”
Chelsea frowned. “Hey! Jay’s a good guy!”
“I asked him if he wanted lasagna bolognese. He said he didn’t like foreign films,” Amanda snorted.
I coughed to cover my own laugh, and, as it turned out, so did Ian.
Chelsea blushed. “Well, not everyone is into haute cuisine.”
“Uh-huh,” Amanda chuckled.
We stopped in front of the Moonlight Boutique and Chelsea sprang from the sedan, bowling over to get to the display window. “Ooo!” she cried. “It’s still here!”
“Better snap it up then,” Amanda advised.
“Oh, I am,” Chelsea replied and ran into the boutique.
Amanda and I trailed behind her. Amanda bumped her shoulder against mine. “You sure you’re okay?”
I sighed. “As okay as I can be. I know Lucas is going to take care of , and I have this overwhelming sense that everything is going to be fine, I just... I just wish there wasn’t all this hassle in between.”
“Life is a hassle, Sasha,” Amanda smiled. Then she pointed at the discount section at the back of the boutique. “I think our best bet for sumr clothes is there.”
“Good thinking,” I said, and made my way to the back of the store.
As I began searching through clothing, I didn’t notice the five shifters andering outside the boutique... or the old woman who was with them.
That was, until Amanda touched my arm as I was debating between bikinis. “I think your old friends are here.”
I glanced out the store windows and groaned. “Great. Just great.”
“I don’t think we can leave,” Amanda murmured. “I’ll go tell Chelsea.”
“Well, at least make sure she gets her bag,” I sighed. I rifled through the discount clothes with much less enthusiasm, looking up now and again to see my “friends” were still there.
Lucas was going to kill them, and then .
But first them.
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