Page 62 of Twice Bitten

I glanced back at Blaze and Jason to see their heads ducked together. Blaze was no longer smiling, but she looked safe enough for now.

I made my way toward the back room, but I still had no idea what I was searching for. People passed by with little sign of recognition, some offering faint smiles, others bumping into me, their drinks sloshing over the edges of their cups. I recognized a few people, regulars from the coffee shop, others I saw around the neighborhood I lived in. A few of them nodded to me with surprised acknowledgment but soon returned to their drinks and conversations.

This room was quieter and filled with lounge chairs and couches. I took my drink and settled onto one of the chairs in the darker area where there were fewer people. If nothing happened in a few minutes, I’d find Blaze and see if I could talk her into leaving her date behind. The odd feeling about him hadn’t yet left me, though my elbow had stopped burning.

Maybe it’d been an odd flare-up due to the repair Marinka had made, but that didn’t feel quite right.

I was staring down into my drink when the conversation in the room fell silent. Even the music pounding the walls softened, the sound muffled like the speakers wereunderwater. A wispy white fog curled through the doorway, obscuring everyone and everything. I slowly rose from my seat, wariness now etched in every muscle.

There was only one way out, right where the fog was coming in. If it posed a danger, I had nowhere else to go. This room had no windows and no other exits. Cursing my choices, I took a step out from the table and pushed my hands out behind me searching for something I could touch. If I could disappear into the fog, maybe I’d have a chance.

But as I stepped back, the fog curled behind me, keeping me in plain view. Whatever this was, I sensed it was here for me.

NINETEEN

Three women appeared in the fog. I recognized two of them. The third was a short redhead with wild curly hair and somber green eyes.

“Hello, Alex,” said the one with blonde hair. “Nice to see you again under better circumstances.”

I squinted at the woman. She looked familiar, but I was having trouble placing her. Her voice…

The woman in the alley the night of my attack. Then later, the house I woke up in. Tiegan, I think her name was.

The first woman was taller, brunette with lighter brown eyes. “Come with us.”

I took a step back. “No, thanks.”

The redhead’s upper lip curled. “This is the one who slipped away? She doesn’t look like much.”

“I was enough to get away from you,” I snapped.

The blonde sent the other woman a dark look. “We mean you no harm. All we want is to speak with you. That’s the reason you’re here tonight, isn’t it?”

I frowned. These were the women Marinka had sent me to? Did she know what had happened to me in that alley and wasthe one who sent them in the first place? My stomach tightened. When this was all over, I decided I should probably pay Marinka another visit. “Maybe I’m just here for a drink.”

The redhead rolled her eyes. “Come on. If she’s not taking this seriously, neither should we.”

Tiegan sent her a quelling glance. “You know who sent us. We’re on the same side.”

While Tiegan and the other witch had ensured I survived my encounter in the alley, that did not mean they were trustworthy.

My burning need for answers might get me killed one day, but Tiegan had saved my life once, and Marinka had been friends with my mother. Going with these women might get me what I needed. I put my hands on my hips and watched them for a moment. The redhead was brash and seemed annoyed by my existence, but the other two women had a more gentle, solid presence. A memory brushed against my skin. When they’d held me in that alley, they’d been gentle and their words had been kind.

Marinka’s advice to trust someone might have been a nudge for this exact moment. Shit.Here goes nothing.

“There’s a woman here I’m worried about. I’d prefer not to leave her.” Blaze was a witch and could probably take care of herself, but there was always safety in numbers. I wouldn’t leave her if I could help it.

The women exchanged glances. “We’ll keep everyone in the bar for a little while. That will rouse less suspicion than if we try to intervene directly. Casting a spell over the building will keep people inside for a little while longer than they’d normally stay.”

“We won’t be gone longer than half an hour,” Tiegan said. “Is that acceptable?”

“You’ll return me here when we’re finished?”

Tiegan smiled. “Yes, Alex. You have my word.”

She seemed friendly enough, but I still hesitated. My need for answers finally won against my caution. “Fine. Let’s go.”

The redhead waved her hand, sending the room into a warping spin. I lurched forward and threw my hands out to break my fall only to land in a familiar house a second later.