“Ghede, he took Wyatt’s soul as payment for the restitution. The Creator doesn’t believe he’s going to stop there. Wyatt was just to warn Pagan or warn me. It won’t be enough to make up for taking Pagan from his grasp.”
Gee sank down on the headstone behind her, “Oh, shit.”
“I don’t want to tell Pagan this yet. Not if we can fix this without her knowing. The implications of Wyatt’s death would be too much for her to deal with. She’d sacrifice herself without question. I won’t allow it. I will stop this.”
Gee nodded in complete agreement. I knew I’d be able to count on her. Jaslyn on the other hand was ready to offer Pagan up on a silver platter. She didn’t understand but still it made it hard to have her near me. I wanted to take my anger out on someone and her indifference was placing her in the way of my wrath.
“Where is Pagan now?” I asked, jerking my scowl from the cowering Jaslyn back to Gee.
“She’s with Miranda,” she assured me.
That was good. I needed Gee right now. We had to find a way to penetrate Vilokan. Hell would have been so much easier.
Pagan
A day of shopping wasn’t easy to convince Miranda to agree to but she needed to get out. After forcing clothes on her body and shoving her into my car, we’d headed to the mall. Four hours later she was showing signs of life again. I was extremely grateful.
“I need a coffee,” I announced as we stepped out of our third shoe store in an hour. I’d managed to find two pairs of shoes I couldn’t live without. One was a pair of yellow backless sandals that had a little heel. The other were beige colored boots that would match perfectly with my beige leather jacket. Best part was they were on sale. Miranda, however, hadn’t bought a thing. We were slowly getting there. She’d actually tried on some shoes in the last store. I’d forced her to but at least she’d put them on.
“Me too,” Miranda responded, turning toward the Starbucks instead of going to the next wing of the mall where Wide Mouth, Wyatt’s favorite coffee shop, was located. I understood, and honestly, I wasn’t sure I could deal with going into Wide Mouth right now either.
“What ya want?” I asked reaching for my wallet.
“I don’t know, just get me whatever you’re ordering,” she said with a wave of her hand and walked over to find a table.
I couldn’t order her what I was getting. I always ordered a caramel latte with whipped cream and so did Wyatt. I moved out of the way so the people behind me could order and I studied the menu up on the board behind the counter. It had been years since I’d had anything other than a caramel latte. I wasn’t even sure if I knew something else to order.
“I hear the hot chocolate is incredible,” Leif whispered in my ear. I knew he was actually here instead of just talking in my ear from the warmth of his chest behind me. He was also in human form because my arms weren’t covered in goose bumps.
“I’m a big girl. I prefer coffee,” I snapped without looking back at him.
He laughed softly, “Yes I know. Caramel latte with whipped cream.”
Tensing I glanced over to where Miranda was sitting. She was watching us with an amused yet sad look in her face. I knew seeing me with Leif reminded her of Wyatt. Yet another reason to stay the heck away from him. If he’d only take the hint and leave me alone. I would never agree to give him my soul. Screw the stupid restitution or whatever it was.
“Nope,” I replied and stepped up to the counter to order and put space between the two of us.
The girl at the counter was ogling Leif and not paying me one iota of attention. She actually began twirling a strand of her brown hair around her finger and batting her eyelashes. If the foolish girl only knew. He wasn’t Mr. All-American.
I cleared my throat to get her attention and when that didn’t work I literally had to slap my palm down on the counter in front of her, “Hello, excuse me, but it’s my turn.”
She finally tore her intense ‘come and get me’ stare off Leif and glared at me. Great, now she was going to spit in my coffee.
“I know that. I was waiting on you to order,” the girl’s tone was snarly.
“Well, I didn’t realize that. You seemed preoccupied.”
Her cheeks reddened and I was ready for her to unleash some snappy retort when Leif coughed loudly. He sounded suspiciously like he was covering up a laugh.
“I believe we’ve gotten off on the wrong foot,” Leif’s voice had gone smooth and deep. Just as he’d intended the girl’s expression went all dreamy. Females really were weak when it came to attractive males. “We just need to order, I need a tall hot chocolate and you need a...” he was staring down at me as if we were here together. I started to open my mouth to correct this assumption when I decided I’d better go with it if I didn’t want the girl’s saliva in my latte.
“Oh, um, two tall... uh.... two tall.... um...” I could feel the impatient annoyed glare from the girl but I didn’t let that deter me. I was trying to find something on the menu I knew would be safe for us to order.
“She’d like two tall mocha lattes with whipped cream and chocolate sprinkled on the top, please,” Leif informed the girl.
What the heck? I hadn’t given him permission to order for me. Even if what he ordered sounded really good. He stepped around me and began paying the girl while flirting with her; I crossed my arms and waited until he was done.
When he turned around to smile at me I snarled.