Heart of Vengeance (Alice Worth #6) - Lisa Edmonds Page 0,39
the coffee shop smelled like I imagined heaven might. When I walked in, Katy Clark was behind the counter. She’d helped someone hex me, so we’d gotten off on the wrong foot. To make up for it, she’d protected me during a black magic ritual, and Carly believed she was sincerely trying to put her past behind her. Plus we both had evil families we wanted nothing to do with, so I’d decided to let bygones be bygones, at least in regard to the hex.
She gave me a shy smile and tucked her pink hair behind her ears. “Good morning, Ms. Worth. Your usual?”
“Alice,” I corrected her. “Yes, please. Carly around?”
Katy rang me up and I handed over my card. “She’s in the back. She said she had to get something done before you got here.” At my expression, she laughed. “She’s spooky like that. It’s always weird when she knows I’ll have to call in sick before I do.” She handed back my card and went to pour my coffee. “Anyway, she’ll be out to talk to you in a few.”
I took my coffee to the little counter to add some half-and-half and sugar, then headed to the corner booth with the RESERVED sign. Carly’s familiar parchment-scented magic welcomed me as I slid into the booth, which was spelled to keep conversations private and gently encourage other patrons to ignore those in the booth.
The blue crystal on my bracelet buzzed just as I settled in. I touched the crystal. “Release.”
Malcolm appeared. “Hey, Alice. You weren’t home, so I figured you were here.” He frowned. “You look tired.”
“That’s why I have this.” I raised my coffee cup and took a drink. “How’s Liam?”
He floated back and forth. I sensed a little spike of sadness from my ghost sidekick. “Not happy, to be honest.”
“Because you’re going away with me?”
He nodded. “He’s worried about me. I didn’t tell him where we were going or why, obviously, but I can’t tell him it won’t be dangerous, and I can’t tell him when we’ll be back. He doesn’t understand why I want to go with you, or why I don’t just want to stay in one place. I made the mistake of pointing out that he feels secure in the bordello because he’s used to being tethered to a place, but I’m more of a free spirit—so to speak.” His mouth turned down. “I tried to explain I’m safer when I’m with you, just like he’s safer there, but that didn’t go over super well either. We had a big argument about it. I’ll give him some time to cool off and try to talk to him later. I don’t want the last words we say to each other to be angry ones.”
“I’m sorry.” I rubbed my face. “Sean’s not happy either, obviously. He’s trying to make the best of it, but you can imagine how much he hates the idea of me going somewhere he can’t go, even if you’re with me. And I hate that I’m abandoning Sean and the rest of our pack right when they need me.”
Malcolm smiled a little. “Things suck, but it makes me happy to hear you talk about the pack like that.” He looked up. “Hey, Carly.”
“Hello, you two.” Carly set my scone on the table and slid into the booth with a mug of tea. The petite brunette witch wore a purple long-sleeved blouse, black jeans, and her coffee shop apron with her name embroidered with silver thread that glimmered with magic. “You’re off on a journey, Alice?”
I smiled ruefully and broke a chunk off the scone. “What tipped you off? Your cards, or your witchy sense?”
“Both.” She sipped her tea, which smelled minty. “Plus my eyes. You have the look of a reluctant traveler. On the plus side, your wolf seems more content than I’ve seen her in quite a while, so you must have worked something out.”
I took a drink from my coffee. “Sean took her running in wolf form.”
Malcolm’s mouth fell open. “He did? How?”
I shrugged. “She jumped out of me. They drove out to the pack land last night at around four, ran until almost dawn, and then came home. It was just what the doctor ordered for both of them. As Sean said, she may be made of magic, but she’s still a wolf, and she needs to run from time to time, especially in the company of our alpha.” I was getting used to the idea of being a