Page 54 of Rebel Spell
“Is she scheduled to be there tonight?”
“Who’s calling?”
“Her friend, Nova. Is this Kylie? We met the other night.”
“Oh, yeah. Hey Nova. She was supposed to be here an hour ago. She should be in soon.”
“Okay. Please have her call me.”
I bit my lip and tried not to fret. She was likely caught up with a guy and having a grand ol’ time.
Right, tomorrow she’d tell me she got tied up and then with a laugh, would add “literally.”
I spent the rest of the day consumed by the book and practicing spells. Shadow the cat came to watch, curling up on a windowsill. By the time I went to bed, I’d managed to cleanse my aura (if it worked), remove any traces of the block on my magic (if any remained), and worked with the element of air to make a leaf levitate. What a day. Magic was far more exciting than packing up dusty boxes.
When tomorrow came and I still hadn’t heard from Gianna, dread twisted inside me like coiled snakes. Something was wrong. Was my friend in trouble?
Chapter 12
Diego
Nova entered the kitchen, her face pale. “Hey, Diego,” she said with what sounded like forced normalcy.
Although things were still awkward between us, my concern for her pushed that away. “Is something wrong?”
She exhaled. “It’s my friend, Gianna. She was supposed to come by here yesterday.” Her lips formed a grim line and shook her head. “She didn’t. She also didn’t show up to work last night. I just went over to her place to see if she’s there and no luck.” Raising her gaze to meet mine, she said, “I’m worried about her.”
“Come sit,” I insisted and patted the spot beside me on the couch. Once she did, her scent washed over me. Tension ebbed from my taut muscles. How could she have such a soothing effect on me?
Nova summarized the events of the past day or so of searching for Gianna. “I called Colleen, the witch who warned us the night of the ball. She noted that they’d look out for her. She mentioned that another witch had gone missing. Since Gianna isn’t a witch, she told me to try not to worry. But how can I not?”
“I understand.” Now I was the one concerned. With another witch missing, what did that mean for Nova? “You need to be careful as well,” I noted. “Considering what’s going on.”
She rubbed between her brows. “I know. But I also can’t just sit around here and not do anything without knowing if Gianna is okay.”
I placed my hand on hers, aching to be able to take away her distress. “What can I do to help?”
“I don’t know.” She dropped her head back. “I don’t even know whatIcan do to help.” She glanced to the front door. “I was thinking about going to her club to see if I can find out anything there, but Colleen told me not to go out alone.”
“You won’t.” I stood. “I’ll go with you.
Nova stood and gazed at me with wonder. “You will? Aren’t you working tonight?”
“I can go in later.” As long as I was done before sunlight, I’d be fine. I glanced at the door. “Come on, let’s go.”
The Danger Zonehad a dark vibe and decent music, much better than those college bars with shitty pop that I wouldn’t be caught dead in. My nostrils flared. Technically, I was dead in this one and any location I stepped in. The curse of the vampire.
The Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil” surrounded us as we walked over to the bar. The bartender had blue hair divided into two braids.
“Hi Kylie, it’s me, Nova. Gianna’s friend. I called earlier. This is my friend, Diego.”
I nodded and said hello. Kylie responded with a half smile.
“Did she ever come in?” Nova asked.
“Not yet.” Kylie picked up a white cloth and wiped down the bar.
“Shit.” Nova exhaled. “Did you see her talk to anyone the last time she was in?”
