100% That Witch - Celia Kyle Page 0,5

would make everything seem worse than it was—even if it was all pretty damned bad.

“Hey, Tiff!”

Oh, great. Someone I know.

Steeling herself, she turned to find Ryan trotting up to her. His wings shimmered in the sun, poking out of one of his signature velvet jackets. This one was a stunning shade of eggplant. As pissy as he had been the night before, his face now sported an easygoing smile.

“Hey, Ryan.”

“Sooooo... what happened after I left last night?” he asked as if he’d been called away on an errand rather than storming off in a snit.

“Um, not much, I guess. We finished dinner and then hung around in the solarium for drinks until it was Couples O’Clock and everyone went to bed.”

He winced slightly, and Tiffany almost wanted to tell him that the new guy had taken off with the Rhonelle boys. So far as she knew, Nathan’s bed had been as empty as hers. But she didn’t want Ryan to get his hopes up. Nero was a stone-cold hottie, so it was only a matter of time before he became a regular at the breakfast table.

“Yeah,” Ryan said with obviously feigned nonchalance, “I figured. How about that Nero asshole, huh? I mean, come on. Flowers in his beard?” He snorted and rolled his eyes.

“I dunno, I didn’t think they were so bad.” Only as she said it did it occur to her she’d actually found the little adornment oddly charming. That kind of hipster shit wasn’t normally her thing, but Nero’s earnestness helped pull it off.

“God, they were ridiculous.” Ryan wasn’t to be put off. “So, was the flower child vampire still all dolled-up at breakfast this morning?”

Tiffany turned to keep walking and so Ryan wouldn’t spot her hesitation. “I didn’t see him.”

“Ugh,” he grunted as he kept pace with her. “Still downstairs with Mr. Topless, huh?”

“No, Nathan was in his usual spot. Look, Ry, I don’t know whether Nero stayed or not.”

“Nero,” Ryan mouthed with disdain, looking away with petty bitterness. “Fiddling while everything burns down.” Clearly, all he wanted to do was bitch about Nathan and Nero, but Tiffany was in no mood.

“We both know Nathan isn’t giving anything away.”

“You’ve got that right.”

Tiffany sighed heavily, wanting to support her friend but tiring under the barrage of self-pity. She had her own pity party to throw, and no one else was invited.

“Anyway, I ought to be getting home. Apparently I’ve got a lot of studying to do.” It was a tiny hint, but she felt a bit like confronting Ryan’s huff with some actual problems. Unfortunately, he wasn’t in a listening mood.

“Hey, while you’re home, I was wondering if you might do a little something for me?”

“Sure.” Anything to get out of this awkward conversation so she could lick her wounds privately. “What is it?”

“If the flower child comes back, maybe you could cozy up to him a bit. You know, dig around, ask some questions, find out exactly what is up between him and…the slug.”

“Wait, you want me to pretend to be his friend to get information for you?” He must not have missed her look of distaste.

“Oh no,” he backpedaled. “It’s just... if you happened to be nearby when he was hanging around and he happened to say anything, maybe you could tell me?”

“Unbelievable.”

Ryan stopped and turned her to face him. “Okay, I’m a total ass to ask this, but please? It’s eating me up. You know that.”

Tiffany looked at her friend standing in front of her, his fingers interlaced imploringly under his chin, batting his big, puppy dog eyes at her. In spite of her low mood, she laughed at the ridiculousness of it.

Ryan was her friend, and the breakup had hit him hard. They weren’t as close as he and Kelly, but she definitely counted him among those she enjoyed spending time with. Besides, who the hell was this new guy anyway? She didn’t know Nero from Adam, so what did she owe him?

“Fine,” she said on a heavy sigh, eliciting a whoop from Ryan. “Calm down, weirdo! I’m not going to get all super-spy about this. But maybe I can hang around Nero a bit. Provided he’s around, that is. It might have been a one-off.”

“Maybe, but Nathan isn’t the one-off type.” Something dark lay in his tone that he immediately banished with a wave of his hand. “Forget it. You’re the best.” He scooped her into a squeeze and then flitted off across the bright day.

As she watched him go, she wished her