Page 2 of Warrior Witch

“I’m fine,” I snap, leaving no room for arguments. “Now, is he in his office? I’ve gotta tell him about the MC.”

He waved me off with one hand. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll go talk to him. He likes me better than you, anyway.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“Relax, Harlow. Think of it less as me cleaning up your mess and more of me seeking out angry office sex.”

He bounced his eyebrows at me, throwing in a little shimmy until I cracked a reluctant grin.

“Slut,” I murmured, unable to resist the olive branch.

“You know it. Now go cool off for ten out the back while I selflessly throw myself on Kedron’s dick… I mean mercy.”

Rolling my eyes at my thirsty bestie, I stalked across the floor, ignoring the panicked looks I received from patrons as they scurried out of my path. Beneath my skin, my veins buzzed with power that was unhappy with the brevity of the fight. It wanted out. Like a wayward puppy, a small current leaked from my fingertips and zapped a burly mountain of a man standing in front of the back door. With an undignified squeal, he turned, a wicked scowl morphing into something much more contrite as he shuffled aside so I could make my escape.

“Think grounding thoughts,” I muttered, slamming the door behind me and resting against the brick exterior of the club.

I breathed in deeply, let it out, and growled as the urge to explode sent tremors through my limbs. Crossing the narrow alley to the building next door, I reared back and threw my whole body into a punch that lit up the darkness. Bright blue bolts of energy spider-webbed across the brick facade, leaving char marks in their wake. As the force of the blow crackled out, I folded forward, breathing hard.

“Shit.” Blood leaked from my scratched-up knuckles, adding to the stains left by Kevy-Bear’s nose as my heart hammered from the exertion of releasing that much power at once. Yet still, I twitched with more energy.

I’d rather fund Lindsay’s makeup habit for a year than admit it, but I may have had a slight, barely there concern about the way the power thrumming in my veins seemed to have amplified over the last few months.

I flinched as a cold drop of water pinged off the tip of my nose and craned my neck to see clouds gathering in the previously clear night sky. My hair lifted in a sudden breeze, and I rubbed absently at the back of my neck. Goosebumps prickled across my skin as my instincts screamed at me that I was no longer alone in the alley. Whipping around, I tried to take on the entire dark space in one glance as several more raindrops bounced off my head.

“Who’s there?” I called, raising my fists and almost smiling at the blue sparks that crackled over my bloody knuckles.

Nothing moved in the darkness, and after a few long minutes of quiet, I slowly relaxed out of my fighting stance, chuckling at myself. Maybe paranoia was the latest symptom of my growing power.

Cursing softly, I headed back toward the fire door. There were only three hours left of my shift, and I’d already been gone long enough that patrons could have caused trouble.

With one hand on the door, I took a bracing breath and paused as a shadow flitted across the painted wooden surface in front of me. Turning, I caught a flash of white fur disappearing at the end of the alley and immediately felt ridiculous.

It was just a stray dog.

Christ. Maybe I needed a holiday. Somewhere hot and sunny, far away from this rainy craphole of a city.

I looked up to gauge the progress of the storm and froze at the sight of a sky full of stars.

Not a cloud in sight.

Harlow

The incessant chirping of birds outside my window woke me far too early the next morning. My fingers tingled with the need to lash out with just a little power to make them shut the hell up. At least for another five minutes.

Kedron held me back after closing to strongly suggest I refrain from shedding further blood under his roof. Apparently, pointing out that blood wasn’t technically shed until we were outside—therefore not under his roof—wasn’t the response he wanted, and my penance had been an even longer lecture with frequent threats to my job security. Just another Thursday night, really. His reaction probably would have been worse if Lindsay hadn’t spent half his bar shift on his knees.

Gods bless my horny hero.

By the time I had sufficiently pandered to Kedron’s need for order and done a last sweep of the bathrooms and dark corners for those too busy hooking up to take the hint and move the hell on, dawn was on the horizon and my head felt it weighed a thousand pounds. Between the late night and the hangover from the amount of power I discharged, I had flopped into bed and blacked out until Tweety Mc-soon-to-be KFC started his racket. Flexing my knuckles, I tried to remind myself that electrocuting the local fauna in a sleep-deprived rage was probably not the best way to start the day.

I could do this. I’d just ignore the piercing call that seemed to have been picked up by a new group of flying rats and…

A clash of metal on stone sent my heart into my throat as I bolted out of bed, ready to defend my apartment from intruders.

“My bad.”

Shit. Addie was trying to cook again.

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