Page 61 of Death and Donuts

She snorted. “Shepard is going to love the rubies when he sees them.”

I looked down at the necklace again and realized that I hadn’t even thought about Cross having the ruby ring while Shepard had the sapphire ring. Cross had basically branded me.

But the necklace was pretty, and I could hardly be upset that he picked out something that reflected a bit of himself.

As we walked to the car, I texted Cross.

Me: Just saw Asherah. She gave me a necklace and charging box and said it was a gift from you. Are these really diamonds and rubies? If so, is this necklace going to protect me from human thieves?

Cross: They are real. I would never spend money on paste jewelry for you. And don’t worry about thieves. The necklace will repel theft too.

Me: It’s that powerful?

Cross: Asherah is that powerful.

I cringed a little, thinking of the spell Anchor had intercepted and how Vena had confronted her. Good thing they’d settled amiably.

Me: More powerful than Master?

Cross: He is very powerful as well. But the necklace will still keep him at bay for a time.

My stomach churned at the thought of ever having to face Master again, and I hoped the necklace’s strength would never have to be tested.

Me: Thank you for the gift.

Cross: My pleasure. If you’re free later, come to the bakery and see the updates.

“As soon as we deal with Master, we’ll deal with you, okay?” Vena said.

I looked up and saw we'd reached the car, and she was holding Anchor’s hand.

“Waiting won’t change how I feel, Vena.”

But waiting wasn’t something Vena did well.

“Your poor zipper ripper, though,” Vena complained. “One thousand attempts is going to take time. I bet I can get rid of the curse in ten days once we start.”

He groaned.

At home,Vena’s emotions fluctuated between outrage and determination as she attempted to use the scrying charm on her phone’s map.

“It’s not working.”

“The vendor said you needed a calm state of mind to use it,” Anchor said.

She tossed the charm to the couch cushion beside her.

“Well, it’s not calm. It’s annoyed. Why do my parents want to have dinner with us tonight?”

“Maybe because they just found out you’re dating a werewolf and are insanely excited during an otherwise emotionally turbulent time?” I said dryly.

She wrinkled her nose at me then turned to Anchor.

“Do you know what would help calm me?”

The purr in her voice had me bolting to my feet.

“I’m headed to Cross' place,” I said.

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