Fire Within - By Ally Shields Page 0,11
female, primping for hours was another thing. Claris enjoyed it, so occasionally they turned Claris’s residence at the rear of Basil & Sage, her herbal shop, into a private salon. Makeup, hair, nails and selecting the right outfit. It wasn’t so very different than playing guinea pig for Claris’s childhood herbal mixtures when they were ten. Except, Claris was really good with the girlie stuff.
Ari sighed as they disconnected. Maybe she should have told Claris about Eddie, begged off due to her job. She wasn’t sure how good a companion she’d be with the murder on her mind. But she didn’t want to disappoint her friends, even if this had every sign of being a long, long evening.
Chapter Three
Steffan whistled softly when Ari answered the pounding on Claris’s back door. Thanks mostly to Claris’s efforts, the women were ready. The men looked slightly awkward, and Ari grinned to see them so formally dressed in suits, Brando in dark blue, Steffan in ivory. Hernando, Claris’s adopted white Siamese cat, didn’t seem to recognize them. He twitched his tail and hid under a table of rosemary plants.
Realizing Steffan was still staring at her, Ari blushed under his open approval of her green cocktail dress, bare on one shoulder and cut low in back. Claris had chosen the outfit because she said it added curves to Ari’s boyish figure and the color matched Ari’s eyes. Her honey-blonde hair was fastened high in a mass of trailing curls, a style she would never have chosen on her own but Claris seemed to think suited her. From Steffan’s reaction, Claris had done a good job.
In Ari’s opinion, Claris was the stunner, and it showed in Brando’s wide grin when he caught sight of her. Five feet eight, three inches taller than Ari, with long legs and a willowy body, Claris was elegant in silvery-blue silk. Even Hernando came out of hiding long enough to stare at her with approving cornflower eyes.
“If I had known we might have to fight off the competition, I’d have worn something dark. Hides the blood better,” Steffan quipped. That might have been an odd comment from anyone else, but Ari’s date for the night was the leader of the local werewolves. Not that he looked like a rough and tough guy. Steffan was a cool, self-confident redhead with an infectious personality. Ari had known him for almost seven years, as he was a member of the Magic Council. They hadn’t dated until six months ago, and the relationship hadn’t made much progress beyond a good friendship.
“You won’t have to exert yourselves or dirty your pretty clothes,” Ari teased, grinning at Steffan and trying to get in the spirit of things. “Anyone causes trouble, I’ll give them the evil eye.” She winked at him and waggled a playful finger.
“That’s enough, you two. There will be no fighting or evil-eyeing of any kind,” Claris said with mock severity. “And no joking about blood. This is a social evening.”
Although she'd made light of it, Ari wondered, not for the first time, if Claris was ever uncomfortable hanging out with three Otherworlders. Her friend was gentle and naive in many ways. The herb and healing shop she ran reflected her basic personality—restful, spiritual. Claris wasn’t a risk taker, but her loyalty was boundless, and she’d stand fast if ever needed. Good traits, Ari thought. They’d make her a great mom someday.
On that entertaining thought, she gave a quick glance toward Brando, wondering if he’d given the mom-potential any consideration. He’d been Claris’s honey about a year, but the relationship still seemed tenuous. A wizard by heritage and a scientist by choice, Brando was often absorbed in his work, leaving little time for romance. As if he sensed her scrutiny, Brando turned to look at her, his shock of brown hair fashionably tousled, his gaze twinkling as if they shared some secret amusement. Ari grinned at him. If she had to go to this thing, she couldn’t be in better company.
* * *
The auditorium of the Arts Center was packed. The annual Charity Auction always drew a large crowd, not only of bidders but those who came to see and be seen. It was one of the biggest community events of the year. For an exorbitant entrance price, each person earned the right to free appetizers and wine and the opportunity to bid on a lot of things he didn’t need. Ari ran a cynical eye over the merchandise. And, in her case, many items