Impossible Mate (The Impossible Mate Series Book 1) Page 2

  “He’s the silent partner and barely, if ever, comes here. Hell, this is the first time I’ve seen him here in a year.” She reached out toward me, intending to grab my arm but I stepped back.

  I pointed toward the storeroom. “I’m pretty sure the fae needs more help than I do.” She was still slumped against the wall, her eyes closed but her soul, while faint, was stable.

  Jesse glanced into the storeroom and sighed. “Poor thing,” she said as she strode over to the fae and kneeled beside her. She opened her black bag and rifled through it, causing bottles to clank together. After a moment, she pulled out a small vial filled with a light pink liquid.

  I leaned closer as Jesse closed her eyes and clutched the vial. She sucked in a deep breath and began to whisper under her breath. Soft green and brown energy built in the small room, causing the hair on my arms to stand on end as Jesse pulled her magic from the ground. The scent of earth and forest bloomed in the room as the energy curled around Jesse’s body before being sucked into the vial.

  This was the difference between me and every other witch; they pulled their magic from the earth whereas mine was from my own soul. Not that I could do magic anyway. The only thing my mom had taught me was how to control my innate soul sense ability and honestly, I was content with my lack of knowledge on spells. Magic was notorious for being difficult to work with and sometimes dangerous. Besides, I was probably too old to learn anyway.

  The energy in the room melted back into the earth as Jesse sucked in another deep breath and sighed. She opened her eyes, stopped her whispered chanting and popped open the vial. She then grabbed the fae’s chin, gently parted her lips and poured the contents of the vial into her mouth.

  “That should mend whatever the demon did to her.” She sat back and placed the emptied vial back into her bag. “Now, let me have a look at you,” she said, turning to me.

  I allowed her to examine my arms and shoulders, both of which had small cuts and puncture wounds, but I pushed her away as soon as she tried to reach for her bag. “I don’t need healing, I’m fine.” I didn’t need her wasting her time and energy on a few little cuts and bruises, especially since they’d be mostly healed by the morning. It was probably the only good thing about being a Necro witch; we healed faster than normal witches, although not as fast as a vampire or shifter.

  Jesse scowled at me but didn’t object as I leaned against the door. “You were lucky.”

  I sighed. “Yeah, I know.” Angering a shifter like that, especially one as powerful as James, was probably the stupidest thing I’d done in a while.

  “You should have told Charlie instead of running off to play hero, then maybe you wouldn’t have pissed off James.”

  “If I hadn’t got here when I did, that woman wouldn’t have survived.” I glanced over at the woman and cracked open my sense, noting that whatever Jesse had given her was working as her soul brightened. “You didn’t see just how faint her soul was, Jesse. She was close to the edge.”

  Jesse followed my gaze and sighed. “Just, maybe next time, let Charlie or I help.” She picked her black bag off the ground and zipped it closed. “Oh, and maybe next time, don’t piss off the Alpha of the Lakeview Pack.” She smirked at me.

  I returned her smile. “I’ll try to remember.”

  The fae on the ground groaned as her ocean blue eyes flickered open. She blinked and glanced around the storeroom. “Where am I?” Lucky for us, it seemed the woman hadn’t remembered a thing.

  Jesse turned to her and plastered a soft smile on her face. “Oh hey, you were found passed out here with a head wound so I gave you a healing potion and fixed you right up. How are you feeling?”

  The fae’s brow furrowed as she pushed herself upright. “I-I guess I must have drunk more than I thought.”

  “Did you come with friends?”

  The fae nodded.

  Jesse held her hand out to her. “Let’s go find them.”

  The woman pushed herself to her feet and took Jesse’s hand.

  “I’ll get back to the bar while you handle that,” I murmured to Jesse as the two strode past me.

  Jesse mouthed thank you before disappearing down the corridor and into the main club area.

  I glanced over at where I’d killed the demon and where James and I had our disagreement. Something was swirling inside me, something distinctly green and shifter-like. Maybe I’d absorbed some of his soul? The thought made my stomach clench. But even though his energy had been overwhelming, I didn’t think I’d drunk any. No, this was something different.

  Not wanting to dwell on it any longer, I nibbled on my lower lip and made my own way into the main club area, ready to get back to work.

  Chapter Two

  The morning sun struggled to peek through the thick layer of dark cloud as I stepped up to the iron wrought gates of the old Lakeview Cemetery.

  It was still early morning and there was a slight chill in the air that denoted the end of summer. Although the sun still hadn’t released its grip and in a few hours, the chill would be long gone.

  Even though I’d been exhausted after the fight with the demon, I hadn’t slept at all, so it clung to my limbs and shoulders like weights. At least the marks the demon had left on my body had healed, although my back and shoulders were stiff from being thrown against the wall. However, that wasn’t the reason I hadn’t slept. The close encounter with the shifter, James, and the weird energy swirling in my chest had given my brain more than enough fuel to keep whirling.

  Nothing that an old cemetery wouldn’t fix. Although it wouldn’t get rid of the memories.

  As long as I kept my distance from the shifter, everything would be fine. Even if he was an asshole, with a muscular body and deep blue eyes that I could get lost in and—Nope, not going there. He was a shifter; he’d want to kill me as soon as he found out what I was.

  I sighed. While my love life, or lack of, may have been in shambles, I was nowhere near desperate enough to think of a shifter like that. Yes, he was handsome, but that was it.

  Shaking my head, I squeezed my way through the gates and into the cemetery. As soon as I passed over the threshold, bright clean energy bloomed from the earth, filling me with warmth. I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply, allowing it to permeate my body as my exhaustion melted away. Whispers of those who’d been buried here filled my ears but they were faint and drifted away in the breeze.

  Opening my eyes, I stepped further into the cemetery, running my fingertips over the various headstones as my body was revitalized. Without even thinking, a smile had broken out on my lips and a sense of joy and peace built inside me. This was the issue with feeding, much like with a vampire, it got addictive and having too much could burn me up.

  I turned, intending to leave when the hair on the back of my neck stood on end and the place between my shoulder blades itched. I was being watched.

  Whirling around, I scanned the cemetery, noting the rotted and half-fallen tool shed that leaned against the far outer wall and the various trees and bushes that called this place home. But there was no one there and my sense was no use since the bright energy of the cemetery would blind me.

  I jogged out of the cemetery, cringing at the creak of the iron gates as I squeezed through them before exhaling and opening my sense. A couple of dim white energies from small animals scattered across my mind, as well as the bright residual glow from the cemetery but there was nothing else.

  So why was my stomach churning and the hair still standing on the back of my neck?

  I hovered by the gates, wondering if I should go back in and scout out the place more thoroughly but shook my head. It was probably my imagination coupled with a lack of sleep and the shifter encounter last night that had put me on edge.

  My phone buzzed in my pocket and I jumped before cursing and rolling my eyes. I pulled out my phone and frowned. This morning wasn’t off to a great start.

  “Hey, mom,” I said, answering the call as I walked away from the cemetery.
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  “Oh, thank god,” she breathed, her voice thick with sleep. “I was worried something had happened to you.”

  “Why would you think something had happened?” I hadn’t told her about the fight with the demon last night.

  “I had a nightmare and it made me worry, especially since you moved to Lakeview.”

  I rolled my eyes, knowing exactly where she was going to take this conversation. Even though I’d lived here for over six months, she still hadn’t gotten over it. “Mom, I’m perfectly safe here.”

  “How? You’re surrounded by shifters!” She paused and sighed heavily. “Are you at least staying away from them?”

  James’ handsome and very unwelcome face flashed in my mind and I wrinkled my nose. “Yeah, I’ve stayed away. I work at a vampire-owned club for a reason.” It wasn’t my fault that the shifter had come to me, right?

  “Well, at least you’re staying safe, although I do wish you’d move back home. There’s no pack here at all, so you wouldn’t have to work at that…place.” I could hear the disgust in her voice as she mentioned the club.

  I smirked. She’d never understood my move to Lakeview and hated the fact I worked for a vampire, but I couldn’t exactly explain it to her either. It was like I’d been pulled here. Maybe it was because I wanted to be in the same place as I’d been born or some other mystical reason. Either way, I was here and I wasn’t going anywhere. Even with an asshole alpha breathing down my neck.

  “With your education, you could have a much better job here, Lucy.”

  “I don’t want a better paying job, mom. I’m happy where I am.” And I was. Charlie was a great boss and Jesse was my best friend and fun to work with.

  Mom hummed, clearly not happy with my answer and she’d probably never be, not until I’d returned back home and under her watchful eye. But that wasn’t going to happen, not when I finally had my freedom. She wasn’t nasty or abusive, she just worried too much. I understood why, as Necro witches we constantly had to be on the alert for shifters but I couldn’t live in fear any longer. I was twenty-five and ready to live my life.

  “Mom, I have to go. We can talk later. Love you, bye.” I hung up before she could protest and turned my phone on silent. Immediately, her name popped up on my screen as she tried to call me back. I shook my head and shoved my phone in my pocket. I loved my mom, but there was only so much of her I could take.

  I glanced around the street as the sun’s rays finally peaked through the clouds and crossed the street. Since I was in the area and in desperate need of a good rant, I took a left onto Witches’ Wand Lane and toward Jesse and her girlfriend, Anna’s, townhouse.

  ◆◆◆

  Jesse and Anna’s house was in the middle of a street surrounded by other identical houses.

  As soon as I stepped onto their street and through the glamor that hid the street from humans, the low hum of magic pulsed against my skin as dots of various shades of blue souls danced at the periphery of my mind. Witches’ Wand Lane was one of many streets in Lakeview that housed only a certain type of magical species. Here, it was witches, but there were other streets filled with fae, shifters and even vampires. There were even communal streets, much like mine, that didn’t discriminate as long as you could pass through the glamor that hid it from the prying eyes of humans.

  I shut my soul sense as tightly as I could, not wanting to risk being outed as a Necro and strode down the street. A couple of witches stood outside their houses; their bare feet buried in the ground as they chanted with their eyes closed. None of them stopped as I rushed by them, the hair on my arms standing on end from the spark of magic from their various spells and rituals. Another witch flew down the road on a broomstick, her curly black hair billowing behind her as she frowned at her phone.

  No one batted an eye at me as I hurried to Jesse’s house and knocked on the door. A moment later, a tired-looking Jesse pulled open the door, her eyes half-open and her bright yellow pajamas clinging to her lithe body.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you,” I said as a sleepy smile spread across her lips. Maybe I should have called first.

  “I was already awake, although I haven’t done my morning ritual yet.” Her eyes narrowed as she took in my appearance. “Did you even sleep last night or were your thoughts filled with the hunky shifter?” She winked at me.

  I rolled my eyes. “Ah yes, nothing sexier than imagining said hunky shifter ripping my throat out.”

  Jesse wrinkled her nose. “Yeah, murder puts a downer on sexy thoughts, doesn’t it?” She paused and tapped her chin. “Unless you’re into that kind of thing,” she said, her dark eyes sparkling.

  I snorted. “No, I like my throat intact, thanks.”

  “Well, come in. Anna’s making tea and it looks like you need a cup.” She stepped to the side.

  I pushed past her and into the small, brightly colored entryway of her house.

  “She’s in the kitchen,” Jesse said, pointing toward the kitchen door to the right. “I’ll join you guys after my ritual.” She slunk to the door on the left which led to the living room and their small ritual room.

  I took the right door and entered the black and white kitchen, the scent of mint smacking me in the face. Anna, Jesse’s girlfriend, stood facing the counters, humming under her breath. Like Jesse, she was wearing pajamas, only they were a pale lavender that clung to her slight frame. Pickles, a black and white cat and Anna’s familiar, wound his way around her legs before trotting off with a chirp. The cat had never been fond of me and kept his distance whenever I visited.

  Anna turned as I entered, a yellow ceramic teapot in her hand and a smile on her narrow lips. “You’re just in time,” she said as she placed the teapot onto the white round table in the middle of the room, along with three matching cups.

  “Thanks,” I said gratefully as I took a seat at the table and poured myself a cup of steaming mint tea.

  Anna joined me and poured herself her own cup. “So, I heard you had a run in with a demon last night,” she said, flicking a strand of straight black hair from her face. “And a shifter.” Her wide eyes sparkled with amusement.

  I sighed. I shouldn’t have been surprised that Jesse had told her. They’d been together for over five years now and although Anna didn’t know what I was—just like everyone else, she thought I was a weak witch—she knew I hated shifters. “It was nothing, just a misunderstanding.”

  “Well, Jesse told me it was the local Alpha,” she said with a chuckle. “And that you threatened him with a silver knife.”

  I scowled at the doorway. I’d never hear the end of this, would I? “He deserved it,” I mumbled and took another sip of tea.

  Anna laughed. “Of course, he did. He’s a shifter. All of them are assholes.”

  I snorted into my cup. I’d only met a few shifters but I firmly agreed with that statement, especially with how James had acted last night.

  “What are you two giggling about in here?” Jesse asked as she walked in, looking wide awake. She bent down and pressed a kiss to the top of Anna’s head before taking the seat next to her.

  “Just talking about Lucy’s run in with the shifter last night,” Anna said as she poured Jesse a cup of tea.

  Jesse smirked. “I’ve never seen him so pissed off before. If I hadn’t been so worried about you fighting a demon, I would have given you a high-five.” Some of the amusement died in her eyes as she scanned me over. “How are you today? Does it hurt anywhere?”

  I rolled my eyes. “I’m fine, mom,” I said before wrinkling my nose. “I’ve already had enough of that for today.”

  “She called you?”

  I nodded. “She’s still not happy about me being here.”

  “You would think she’d have gotten used to it by now since you’ve been here for over six months,” Anna said as she topped up my cup.

  I smiled at her gratefully and took another sip. “She’s the queen of worry, so I don’t think she’ll ever be used to it.”

&n
bsp; “Well maybe she has a point if you run head first into demon fights,” Jesse said with a frown. “And don’t let yourself get healed.”

  Anna patted Jesse’s hand. “I’m sure you’d be able to feel if she was hurt.”

  “Not the point,” she grumbled into her cup before putting it down and eyeing me. “So, why are you here, then?”

  I placed my hand on my chest, feigning hurt. “Can’t I come and see my bestest friend in the world and her girlfriend for a morning chat?”

  Both witches just stared at me.

  I sighed. “I think I was being watched while I was out this morning.”

  Jesse’s eyes widened. “Did you see anything?”

  “No, there was nothing there, but I could feel it. Someone was definitely watching.”

  “I’m guessing you don’t know what they are?”

  I shook my head.

  Anna studied me, a frown on her lips. “I don’t really have anything that could help since you haven’t learned magic.” She turned to Jesse. “Do you?”

  I leaned forward and placed a hand on Anna’s wrist. “I wasn’t really here looking for help, just to rant more than anything.”

  “Well, lucky for you, I have something.” Jesse pushed her chair back as she stood. “Stay here.” She disappeared toward the living room and came back a minute later with a pendant necklace dangling between her fingers. “Here.” She placed it on the table in front of me. “It’ll vibrate when you’re being watched by someone with ill intent.”

  Anna’s eyes widened. “When did you make that?”

  “I bought it from Matilda a couple of months ago,” Jesse said with a shrug as she sat back down. “I kept meaning to wear it but forgot and now I figure Lucy needs it more than I do.”

  I stared down at the pendant necklace. It was silver in the shape of a halfmoon with a small blue stone gleaming in the middle of it. I gently picked it up and instantly felt the magic pulse against my skin.