Page 7 of Pitch a Witch
“I’ve been chasing her half way around the city until five minutes ago,” the wolf grumbled under his breath. “You had no time for frolicking.” When I glanced over my shoulder, I found River smirking at the beta.
“You’d be surprised what I can do in five, wolf.” Blondie’s deep voice vibrated inside my belly, and I really wanted to slap him. Ace’s low growl only made the infuriating jerk chuckle.
“Move,” I snapped, so frustrated I hastened my steps while still managing to glare daggers at both.
River threw his head back and laughed.
Lesson number eight: Stay away from pretty faces. They’re not worth the toll on your sanity.
5
“Do you understand how idiotic this is?” Danika planted both her hands on the polished desk in her office and stared at me through furious eyes.
With a tired sigh, I stomped to the chair right in front of her and plopped on it with a groan. The torture device bit into my spine, and I pressed my mouth hard so I didn’t yelp. With the adrenaline gone, I felt my muscles screaming at me for some reason, too. After all the training I’d done, I thought I had more stamina.
“Which part?” All four of them gaped at me like I was something they’d never seen before. In order not to meet Danika’s penetrating gaze, I twisted my foot so I could look at the heel of my silver pump. “The shopping or the frolicking?”
My heart skipped a beat when I found a dark smudge on the silver shoe, but I breathed easier when it wiped off after I rubbed my thumb on it. I was seriously considering sending the demons an invoice to compensate me for everything of mine that they’d destroyed, intentional or not. I wondered if they’d ask for original receipts for the items.
“Are you listening?” My grandmother tilted her head in a very bird-like manner that unnerved me.
“I’ll tell you what’s idiotic, Grandmother. How about that?” Planting both my feet on the floor, I leaned forward and pressed my forearms on her desk, which brought us closer than I would’ve liked. “When you drop the bomb of …” Her startled gaze darting sideways had my voice trailing off.
Without looking away from her, I noticed Shadowblood practically salivating behind her shoulder, so I swallowed everything I wanted to throw at her face. “… not wanting me around anymore because of a nasty accident, I’d say that’s idiotic. Why can’t I help fix things up?”
Good save on my part, but the fact that Danika didn’t trust the High Priest was a new development. Not that they had been best buds and shared all their secrets or anything before, but if she didn’t feel free to talk in front of him, why was he in the office to begin with? I hoped that my raised eyebrows conveyed my puzzlement.
It didn’t.
Shocking, I knew.
“You were hurt, Hazel. It’s okay to take time to heal. I appreciate your dedication to make amends, but your health is more important.” Her hand reached for mine, but before she could touch me, I yanked my arm back.
Danika’s emerald peepers widened when she realized what she would’ve done.
My grandmother was not the hugging, touchy-feely type. Any type of affection would raise red flags in anyone’s eyes, especially Shadowblood. What she lacked in capacity for warmth and cuddles, she made up for with lots of cash. Nobody would ever see me complaining.
Far be it for me to deny her the urge to buy my love.
“Hazel was hurt?” Ace piped in, and me and Danika looked at each other.
“Did you see the building?” I rushed out before he said anything else. “Half of it dropped on me and Shadowblood.” With a strained laugh, I waved off the horror on the beta’s face. “I was lucky, and Shadowblood recovered very nicely too. Look at him. He’s like a spring chicken now.”
“I feel like I’m missing something.” The beady-eyed weasel darted his gaze over us.
Danika raised to her full height so she could stare down her nose at him. Momentarily, Shadowblood’s shoulders hunched, and he visibly gulped when she slammed the weight of her glare on him. My lips rolled inward to stop the laughter threatening to spill from me.
River had no such issues since he was smirking at the High Priest openly.
“And what might you be missing, Mr. Shadowblood?” My grandmother was one scary-ass witch when someone rubbed her wrong. I almost felt sorry for the dumbass, but then I remembered the shadow tendrils and pushed the pity away, internally cheering for her to fry the pinched expression on his face.
“She’s hiding something.” One accusing finger wiggled at me. I glared at the priest. “Always causing trouble, and not just for the coven but you as well. I have no doubt all those videos circulating were her doing, just so she could get attention. We stopped them, but people remember things like that.”
“Isn’t it past your bedtime, Pops?” Pointedly, I looked at the distorted clock on Danika’s wall. “We don’t want you to have an aneurism or anything else, Goddess forbid.”
I bought the time piece for her one year for Summer Solstice, and until a week ago, I’d always wondered why she displayed it when I knew without doubt that she thought it was hideous. Instead of a round face, it looked like the circle had started melting but froze half way through the process, leaving it distorted. The arrows pointing at the roman numerals were skeleton hands with the forefinger outstretched.
At thirteen, I thought it was extremely cool, but later I agreed with her assessment. Yet, it still adorned her wall where everyone could see it.
