Brooke grabs her keys off the desk. “Let’s go.”
The parking lot is still packed when we get in her car and drive away. “Are Hannah and Will working the store?” I ask.
Brooke giggles. “Of course. They have a gift for pairing people with wines. Everyone who comes in loves them. I don’t think we’ve had anyone come into the winery and leave empty-handed.”
“That’s good to hear.”
I hate I didn’t say hello to them, but my mind isn’t with the winery right now. When I get my clusterfuck of a life in order, I will give everyone on my payroll a raise.
My house isn’t too far away from the winery, just a few curvy roads and around a mountain, hidden under a canopy of trees. My driveway is hard to see, and I like it that way. When people drive by, most don’t notice the narrow driveway. It winds up the hill until you reach my house. Seclusion is what I wanted more than anything.
Brooke pulls up to my place and shifts into park. “You know, I think I tell you this every time I come here, but I really love your house. It’s unique.”
Glancing out the window, I look up at the octagon-shaped dwelling. “Thanks. I kind of like it.” Like it is an understatement; I adore it. Besides the winery, it’s the only other place I feel comfortable in.
The siding is a dark blue with a grayish tint, and up on the second level is a spiral staircase that leads to the top. Up there, you can see above the tree line to the mountain range. Autumn is my favorite time of the year when all you see are shades of red, orange, and yellow, mixed with the remnants of fading green.
Most places around me were built cabin-style, but that’s not what I wanted. So when I stumbled upon this place during a moonlight run, I knew I had to get it. That’s why I sought out the owners and offered them twice its worth. The paperwork was drawn, and it became mine.
Opening the car door, I grit my teeth as the cold brushes across my cheeks. Brooke presses the button on her dash to open the back of her Highlander. I fetch my suitcase, and she rolls her window down as I approach.
“Thanks for dropping me off.”
I start to take off her coat, and she holds out a hand, stopping me. “You can give it to me later. I’d hate for you to freeze on your way inside,” she says, snickering.
“Thanks again. I’ll be back at the winery in a couple of hours. I have some things to take care of first.”
She waves me off. “No worries. I’ll see ya in a little bit.”
There’s no way anyone could ever back down my winding driveway, so Brooke manages a three-point turn and slowly heads off. Since I don’t have house keys, I roll my luggage to the garage and enter in the code. The door opens to reveal the only babies I have: a black Lexus LC for the mountainy roads, and a silver Toyota 4Runner to get me around on snowy days. There’s nothing better than soaring through the mountains with the windows down on a crisp fall day. If I were to do that now, I’d get frostbite and probably lose an ear. If I ever get my power back, I know never to take it for granted. Living like a human is torture. What I don’t understand is how any of them are happy. They’re fragile, and the sicknesses they’re susceptible to are terrifying. Who knows, maybe I’m open to them as well. I don’t know what the spell has done to my body. Can I get cancer? Can I get the flu? It’s something I don’t want to find out.
Walking past my cars, I head toward the door that leads into my kitchen. My luggage bounces up the brick steps as I drag it with me. The second I open the door, the smell of cinnamon engulfs me. I breathe it in deep as I stroll through the house, making sure to stop by the thermostat to turn on the heat.
My bedroom hasn’t been untouched, along with everything else. It’s all the same from when I left it, except a plant I had by the living room bay window. It’s haggard, its leaves wilted and brown. I add a little bit of water to it to hopefully bring it back to life.
After slipping off Brooke’s jacket, I pull my phone out of the pocket and sit on the couch. My gut clenches as I scroll through my contacts to the X’s. I know I shouldn’t call him, but I have to try every avenue possible.
Licking my dry lips, I press Xavier’s name and squeeze my eyes shut as it rings. If he doesn’t answer, I’ll take that as a sign I shouldn’t have called. It rings a few more times, and I start to press the end button when his voice comes over the line.
“Long time no talk, Kara,” he murmurs, his voice smooth and dark. “Where have you been? I haven’t seen you at the winery.”
“Oh, here and there,” I reply. “I just saw Evangeline yesterday in California.”
Silence fills the air, and it’s as if I can feel his tension through the phone. “How is she?” he asks.
“Good, actually. Evangeline just got back from visiting her family in Tahiti. There was something I thought she could help me with, but she can’t.”
Xavier chuckles lightly, the sound making the hair on my arms stand on end. “Ah, I see. Her light magic not working for you?”
“Not exactly,” I admit cautiously. “I was hoping you might be able to help.”
“So, the indestructible royal wolf needs a witch, huh? This is a first.”
Rolling my eyes, I look down at my knuckles, my fists clenched so tight they’re pale white. Everything inside of me tells me to hang up and find another way.
“Trust me, it’s not by choice. You’ve always been up for a challenge, right?”
“That I am, my wolfy friend. Stop by my place. I’m home if you want to come now. I’ll be done doing what I’m doing in just a second.”
I hear a moan in the background, and I have a pretty good guess on what’s going down. The sound of slurping gets louder, and my stomach curls. “I’ll be there in a few,” I say, ending the call. Hopefully, by the time I get there, he’ll be done.
In the kitchen, there are pegs on one side of my cabinets. On them are several sets of keys, including the ones for my 4Runner. I snatch them up along with Brooke’s jacket before heading into the garage. Once it’s cranked and warmed up, I back out and start slowly down my long driveway.
Xavier lives about thirty minutes from me, still in the mountains but not hidden in the woods like me. Ever since he turned dark, he started loving the city life more. I met him eight years ago, not long after my winery opened. It was also the first night I met Evangeline—they came together on a wine tasting date. His magic was light, and so was Evangeline’s. I remember thinking to myself how in sync they looked together that night; they smiled and talked the entire time. I honestly could see how much they loved each other. I became friends with them instantly. Out of all the people I’ve met over the years besides shifters, they were the only ones who knew I was a wolf. I didn’t have to hide from them.
It doesn’t take long to arrive in Banner Springs. Xavier lives just outside of downtown in a trendy neighborhood where each house is worth millions. When he went dark, he used his magic to conjure up an insane amount of money. It was the beginning of his relationship demise with Evangeline.
When I pull up to Xavier’s house, there’s a small, cherry-colored convertible in the driveway with the word Juicy on the license plate. Xavier walks out onto the porch, followed by a short brunette with long, dark hair, wearing a skintight, red dress that matches her car. She sashays her way to her car, not even paying any bit of attention to me as she leaves.