Page 30 of Bony Bony
Whathappened to my wife?
GIANNA
OnceIclosed the door of the townhouse behind me,Islumped against it and closed my eyes.Ididn’t know exactly what it was aboutSebastianthat bothered me so much lately.Perhapsit was all the questions that grated on my nerves.Whydid he ask so many?Icould barely stand to be in the same space as him.
Thesun shone bright overhead, mocking my foul mood.Idrove downtown and found a parking spot alongSalemCommon.AsIcut through it,Itook deep, cleansing breaths to clear the irritation.Theworst of it slithered away by the timeImet up withNovaon the cobblestone pavement in front of theHawthorneHotel.
Shelooked adorable in a pair of leggings with prints of black cats with green eyes and an emerald-green sweater.Herauburn hair was pulled into two loose braids with some loose hair framing her face.
“Hey, hot stuff,”Igreeted her. “Lovethe outfit.”
Sheglanced down at her outfit and back at me with a perplexed expression. “Really?Thanks.”
Novacould be fashion-challenged at times, wearing some questionable choices, butIsigned off with a nod of approval on today’s selection.No, it wasn’t suitable for a night at my club, but for running aroundSalemto do errands, sure.
“Whatdo you want to shop for?” she asked.
“Oh, you know.We’llsee.Let’swalk.”Oncewe headed toward the shops,Iexhaled from my nostrils. “Ihad to get away fromSebastian.He’sbeen annoying the hell out of me lately.”
Novaturned her head abruptly in my direction. “Comeagain?Seriously?”
Iplaced my hands on my hips. “Yes.He’sjust—always—there.It’stoo much.Tooconfining.”
Novablinked and shook her head, raising her hands to her temples. “Wasn’tit only a few days ago when you were tormenting me by trying to give me details about your amazing love life?”
Ilaughed. “Yes, well, too bad he can’t disappear untilIwant him around.”
Novaslanted me a gaze as if still astonished, but when we walked by a tea shop we both loved, she stopped. “Ooh,Icould pick up some tea.”
Weentered the quaint shop, where the fragrant aroma of tea and spices greeted us.Ilifted the cover off a sample container with anEarlGreyblend with lavender and sniffed. “Mmm, this smells good.”
Imoved it towardNova’sface, and she inhaled, agreeing.
Afterscenting various mixes, we each picked our selection.Theclerk scooped myEarlGreywith lavender andNova’srose tea into separate containers and rang us both up.Afterwe had our cute little bags carrying our purchases, we headed to the exit as two women entered, chatting.Onewas taller like me with dark and the other had blonde ringlets.
“Fancythat—witches inSalem,”Iannounced in a playful tone.
Pandorasmiled, her eyes crinkling beneath her black bangs. “Threewitches and a siren.Soundslike it could be a good name for a rock band.”
“Hellyes,”Iagreed.
Aftersome more greetings,Iglanced down atCassandra’sbaby bump, which was more noticeable from the last timeI’dseen her. “Howare you feeling?”Iasked her.
“Tired.”Shesighed and leaned toward me. “Watchout for those wolf shifters,” she said in a lower tone and placed her hand on her rounded belly. “Theysuck all your energy.”Shechuckled.
Iscowled and agreed, “Eventhe fully grown ones.”
Shechuckled and let out a sigh. “Atleast the morning sickness has passed.”
“That’sgood,”Ireplied.
Aftersome more chit-chat,Novasaid, “Areyou here for tea?”
“Yes,”Cassandrareplied. “We’redoing a few errands before exhaustion drags me under andIneed to head home for a nap.”
“Wewon’t keep you then,”Novaadded with a nod. “Enjoy.”
Afterwe left the tea shop,NovaandIchecked out the witch shops where sheoohedat a crystal she had to buy.Ipictured the amethyst pendant beneath my jacket.Itnow felt cool.Itwas odd how sometimes it warmed my skin with a simmering heat, yet other times felt colder.I’dnever had a piece of jewelry like it.AndsinceIhad it,Inever wanted to take it off.Usually,Ilike to change up my jewelry to fit with whateverIwas wearing, but there was something special about this one.Ididn’t know what it was, butIeven slept with it on.
