Page 1 of Hot in Witch City
Chapter 1
Gianna
Showtime.
The red and purple lights shined overhead, the retro rock music encouraged the crowd out to dance, and the bartenders were busy. My club was already packed, a good sign for the night. I wandered through the crowd, greeting regulars. A flash of auburn hair on a petite woman caught my attention. I headed over to my closest friend and the three guys walking with her.
“Nova!” I greeted her and bent down to hug her.
She grinned. “Hey, Gianna.”
I was so happy to have her back in Salem. She’d been living in New York and had only moved back recently after inheriting her estranged aunt's house. Salem hadn’t been the same without her.
I didn’t blame her for leaving, as I'd also left town as soon as we graduated. After a few years, I missed this strange little town that tolerated supernaturals as long as we laid low and didn’t cause any havoc.
After we pulled apart, I said. “Perfect timing. Listen.”
The opening beats of one of our favorite songs, “When Doves Cry,” pounded from the speakers. We were both huge Prince fans and had played thePurple Rainalbum countless times. Music was one thing we bonded over. Being outcasts was another.
We sang the chorus together and then laughed. I glanced at the guys accompanying her, her tenants, and recognized her vampire boyfriend with his dark hair and serious blue eyes.
“Diego,” I greeted him.
He and I had formed a quick friendship after a life-threatening situation last month when he’d helped Nova rescue me from a demon, an encounter I didn’t want to remember. Ever. Being controlled in any way was my greatest fear. Being held captive by a demon on a power trip amped that terror to a phobia.
“Looks like business is good, Gianna,” Diego acknowledged with a nod.
“Indeed.” I smiled with pride. I was proud ofDanger Zone, the club I’d opened north of Boston. It had taken a ton of hard work and hard-earned cash, but it flourished enough for me to make a down payment on a townhouse in Salem. With my business and my place, I’d finally achieved the independence I’d craved. Nothing and no one was going to change that.
“This is Lucas.” Nova gestured to the guy with chin-length blond hair and a toothpaste model smile.
Three supernatural guys rented out the main part of the house, while Nova lived in a separate section where her aunt had lived.
“Ah, the dragon shifter,” I said in a lower tone. I’d heard plenty about her tenants, including this fun-loving guy who worked as an exotic dancer.
“Technically, only half shifter.” Lucas winked. “But full of fire.” He took my hand and kissed it. “Enchante.”
I laughed. “Have we transported to eighteenth-century France?”
He arched a brow. “We can go wherever you’d like to travel, milady.”
Ah, he was living up to his reputation as a flirt.
Nova motioned behind her. “And this is Sebastian.”
This guy was as dark as Lucas was light and had a full beard. His expression was dead serious, the opposite of Lucas’s friendly smile.
“Hey, Sebastian.” I greeted him with a pleasant smile.
His mouth opened, but nothing came out. He stared at me, and I sighed. This wasn’t unusual. I attributed this effect to my siren blood. What exactly that meant, I didn’t know for sure. My mother had abandoned me soon after I was born and took with her all the answers to the questions about that side of me. I’d never forgive her for it.
His nostrils flared, and he gazed at me with curiosity, like I was an undiscovered flower species.
Sebastian stepped closer—too close. Into my personal space.
When he sniffed me, I backed away. “What are you doing?”
“It’s you,” he declared with a fascinated but wary glance. “You're the one who’s been driving my wolf crazy.”
