“Then you get hurt.” She said simply. “You get hurt. We begin the ceremonial break up binge and we move on.”
“Well, of course it all sounds so easy when you say it like that.” I grumbled into my wine.
Cin rolled her eyes and took a swig of her drink. “Only because I know how impossible you’re trying to make it sound in your head.”
“Maybe I should have made the trek to Kitty’s house after all.”
Cin paused. “Brie, Kitty is one of the girls that went missing today.”
My heart jumped in my throat at her words. “What?”
She sat up straighter in her chair. “I assumed Felix told you.”
“He mentioned a few girls went missing but didn’t say who.” I said. Chills ran down my spine and my mind started to race. I’d been so wrapped up in my own shit that I didn’t even think to ask who went missing.
“Now don’t panic just yet.” Cin said, holding a hand up. “They’ve been gone less than a day. It’s possible they all just went on a getaway and didn’t tell anyone. Kitty, Serena, and Willow always run in a group. It wouldn’t be the first time they’d gone off together.”
“But why wouldn’t they tell anyone?”
“I don’t know.” She said solemnly. “But tomorrow Fallon and I are going to resume the search party, just in case. If you can convince Felix to join the hunt too, that would be great. Werewolves are known trackers.”
I nodded and tried to find comfort in her plan. But my hands shook around the bottle of wine. “He said he couldn’t find any trace.”
“Any trace in the village.” She began. “First thing in the morning, we’ll start sweeping the surrounding area in groups. Fallon, Dante and I will be in the air, so we can cover a wider range. Between that and the groups searching the ground, we’re bound to find something. Knowing my cousin, she probably convinced the other two to go bar hopping in Panshaw at the last minute. You know how Kitty gets.”
I stared at her. “Did you mean how youbothget?” Cin sniffed and took another long drink. “The irony of you two being the same person and yet hating each other will never be lost on me.”
“Yeah, well, that’s how I know she’s fine.” She raised her glass and made a hair flip motion which didn’t quite work as well with her long curls tied up in the bonnet. “We Hotpeppers’ are tough like that.”
Tension eased its way out of my shoulders as I focused on taking deep calming breaths. “Yeah. I’m sure they’re alright.” I looked back at my friend, but her eyes had gone to some faraway place. The bottle in her hands was gripped so tightly her knuckles grew pale, and I mentally kicked myself for not seeing it sooner. The last time we did a village wide sweep, it was for her sister. Days of searching turned into weeks, and we still found nothing. Tomorrow’s search was going to eat her alive.
I reached over and squeezed her hand. “No one will blame you if you sit this one out.”
She smiled and blinked away the tears forming in her eyes. “I’ll blame myself if I don’t. Besides, the more eyes we have in the sky, the better. Crash and Smash won’t let anyone else ride them aside from myself and Chili, and you know that coward won’t trust a flying horse.”
I wouldn’t trust a flying horse.Chili was always the practical one of the Pepper siblings. If death by a thousand-foot drop made him a coward, then call me chicken, as I was right there firmly on the ground with him. My bones creaked and popped as I got up, the events of the day finally taking their toll on my exhausted mind. “I’ll let you go back to sleep. We’ll need it for tomorrow.”
Nodding, Cin rose and placed her bottle on the end table. “Are you going to be alright walking back by yourself? I can wake up Fallon, so we can come with you.”
I shook my head. “It’s just down the street. I’m sure I’ll manage.” Cin walked me to the door as we bid our farewells. The night’s chill was slightly less cutting with the help of wine in my belly, and I welcomed it with open arms.
“Brie,” Cin called. I turned back to see her leaning against her door frame. The worry in her brow was gone, but I could still see the stress of tension lining her eyes. “I know the situation isn’t ideal. But Felix is good people.” She glanced off in thought. “Well, when he’s not acting crazy. Just…don’t be afraid to give him a chance, OK?”
The fact that he was good was the part I was struggling with. I wasn’t one to get attached quickly in a relationship. Most times, I had to work my way up to even being able to accept physical forms of affection. But with him, it was just…different. And that was terrifying. It was easy to picture him as too good to be true with the threat of a love potion hanging over us. The heartbreak ending seemed inevitable. I’d never been lucky in relationships before, so I didn’t see how this would be any different. “I’ll try.”
“Thanks.” she sighed, before heading back inside.
I made my way back down the road, letting my mind wander. Maybe Cin was right. It’s not like I had any intention of letting him die, so ignoring him wasn’t an option. And Felix was sweet…a little crazy. But sweet. Besides, the search for the missing women was enough stress on everyone’s mind. There was no need to tack on the extra stress of my own insecurities. The search party would need to take priority, and I’ll just have to roll with my man problems until we find them. I wouldn’t be the first woman to let go of my inhibitions for a week or two.
“That’s right.” I said, clenching my fist. “Flings happen all the time. If I get hurt in the end, then I’ll just pick up the pieces and start over. I’m a grown woman. I can handle this.” After taking a deep breath of the night air, I coughed up a rotten smell.
Putrid waves of death made my eyes water. Something must have curled up and died in the woods. Though it was odd, I didn’t smell it on the way over. Whatever it was, it must have been dead for a while. I rubbed my nose on my sleeve and continued down the path. A chilly breeze nipped at my heels, swirling up leaves from the cobblestones before drifting off ahead of me as if the wind itself was trying to escape. I walked faster. The lean and sway of the old oak trees suddenly felt a little too ominous for my liking.
“Help.” a feminine voice called out. Icy dread seeped deep into my bones at its call. I didn’t look back to see what it was. There was something in its tone. An otherness that had me damn near ready to piss myself. Aside from me, there shouldn’t have been anyone else out so late in the night. My only neighbors close by were Cinnamon and Jack. And that sure as shit wasn’t Jack’s voice.
I mentally tried to place how far away the voice was, and how long I could maintain a sprint. My cheesy baked potato loving ass wasn’t much for running, but I could do it in a pinch. Or at least try.
“Help me.” The thing called again, sounding an awful lot like none of my business. I swallowed thickly, raising my lantern higher as I sped up. Branches creaked in the distance. The creature’s voice rolled in a somber timber. “Come back.”
