A gust of wind swept over me and I shivered so hard my teeth rattled together. The temperature had definitely dropped significantly since I went in to my appointment.
“Saffie? You okay? What was that noise?”
I groaned. “My bones rattling, I think. I am cold. Landreia told me this was not a nighttime coat—”
“Oh shit,” Savannah shouted and I heard a bunch of movement on her end of the call. “Okay, we’re walking out the door right now. We’ll be there in less than five minutes, okay? I have a proper winter coat for you.”
“We’re coming, Saffie!”
“O-o-okay. Th-th-thanks-s-s-s,” I said through my shivering. “I’ll b-be o-o-okay. Se-e-e you s-s-oon.”
“Just follow the directions! See you in a minute!”
Turn left and walk to that first corner. “Okay, Saffie, you can do that,” I whispered to myself.
Though…it was a bit darker out than I was comfortable with. My pulse was beating hard in my chest as I walked alone. In the dark. It has to be safe enough if they told me to walk. So I hurried down the busy street. The night air was bitter and sharp as it hit my face, but Savannah had a coat for me and she’d said I was only five minutes away from them. I could handle that.
Nothing like two nights ago on the wharf — I froze. My heart skipped. Why would I think about that right now? I glanced around and over both shoulders, but it was just me out there. There were hints of life going on around me yet nothing in my sight. Definitely no tall boys with broad shoulders, long golden hair, and pretty faces.
I groaned. Riah
Why didn’t I tell Dr. Troy?
I’ll just talk to Savannah and Gigi about it.
Maybe.
I don’t want them to think I’m crazy. I like having friends.
A loud horn ripped through the silence and something screeched. Bright light flashed from my side. I gasped and turned – and froze. A car was sliding toward me out of control. Smoke billowed from under the tires and that horn sound blared. I needed to move but my body was locked in place.
Something seized the back of my jacket and dragged me backward, lifting my feet off the ground completely. I didn’t even have time to scream, it all happened so fast. The car screeched by me, missing my legs by an inch. I felt the rush of wind from the motion and smelled burning rubber. My heart was beating out of control.
And then my feet hit the ground and the pressure on my jacket vanished.
I spun around – and my jaw dropped.
RIAH?!
He stood right in front of me, his golden eyes blazing liquid metal at me. His face was tight and a muscle in his chiseled jaw flexed. Pale golden hair flew around his shoulders. This close, I found I only came up to his chest. He towered over me. Heat radiated off of him like a fire and I wanted to snuggle in closer. He smelled like a fire. Like burning embers. It was intoxicating in all the right yet wrong ways.
I licked my lips and blinked to try and get my brain back. “I- I – thank you—”
“What is wrong with you?” He snapped and threw his hands up. “Pay attention to the damn road!”
I flinched and his eyes softened just a touch. His top lip snarled. He ran his hand through his long hair, pushing the strands back away from his face. His chest was rising and falling rapidly. He growled and shook his head.
“S-s-sorry—”
“Pay attention.”
“O-okay. Thank y-you.”
He growled again then stormed off across the street. I watched him practically run away from me with my heart still lodged in my throat. All the warmth I’d been holding in was gone now and I felt the cold down into my bones. My breath left my mouth in puffs of white and golden smoke. My whole body was shaking wildly.
I turned back to the car and my eyes widened. There in the exact spot I’d been standing, where I was almost run over, was a pile of shiny black crystals about three inches tall. Where did those come from? And then I saw the golden glitter on the bricks behind them and my body went ice-cold. Just like at the wharf. What is wrong with me?
“Hey, Miss? Miss, you okay?”
My cheeks burned. “Sorry! My fault. Sorry.” I waved and scurried across the street.
Riah saved me.
He SAVED me.
I glanced over my shoulder, but wherever Riah had gone it wasn’t where I could see. He’d just materialized out of thin air and saved me, then vanished all over again. I couldn’t believe it.
I was so caught up in my thoughts and the fear still clinging to my bones that I didn’t realize I’d crossed the street until I heard Savannah’s southern drawl say, “Hades and Lucifer are my wet dream dude.”
I slid to a stop and scanned the corner for her voice.
“Savannah.”
“I’m just saying,” Savannah shouted – and then I spotted her. She threw her hands up. “I mean, if you’re the Creator and you need someone to do the most important job…who would you trust? Your right hand, that’s who.”
“Oh, Savannah…” Gigi laughed and shook her head but then her brown eyes widened. “Saffie!”
I gasped for air but it was too sharp and cold, it burned down my throat.
Savannah’s face paled. She jumped forward and wrapped a large black coat with a fur-lined hood around me. “Girl, what happened?”
“Are you okay?” Gigi slid into my view and tugged the coat closed around my arms.
I nodded, then shook my head. “I-I almost got hit by a car just now.”
Gigi gasped then wrapped her arm around my shoulders. “Oh no. That was our fault, we should have met you there. We won’t make that mistake again.”
Savannah shivered. “This calls for one thing.”
I frowned and looked up. “One thing? What is it?”
“Pizza.”
Chapter Fifteen
Saffie
“So this is the famous section of Salem,” Savannah announced as we stopped at a busy street corner. “This is Essex Street.”
In the minutes it took for us to walk this far, my anxiety had faded away. Savannah and Gigi were excellent distractions, but also there was just so much to look at that I forgot I’d almost just died. We stood at the beginning of a road that was pedestrian only, which I was thankful for since I knew I was doing a bad job of paying attention in front of me.
The sky above us was a rich, velvety black with stars twinkling like diamonds within. The snow had stopped falling, but it still lined the tree branches and covered the ground. The moonlight reflected big and bold off its glittery whiteness. The air was still bitter cold but Savannah’s coat made me not feel any of it except for on my face.
Gigi sighed. She had a dreamy sort of look to her brown eyes. “This is why people come to Salem, even if they don’t want to admit it. You’re lucky it’s not October, though, it’s madness then.”
I nodded then frowned. “Why is this famous? And what’s in October?”
“This is where all the witchy shops are, so during Samhain it’s super crowded with people.” Savannah’s eyes widened and she snapped her fingers. “Actually, the other end of this street is where Landreia’s shop is.”
“Oh!” I turned and looked at the path ahead of us with new light. “I saw a bunch of lights and stuff from out front but I have not been this way yet.”