Starlight Web (Moonshadow Bay #1) - Yasmine Galenorn Page 0,44

just wants a friend?” I asked. “Even if that’s all he’s looking for, I’m glad we’re neighbors.”

“No, he likes you. Mark my words, the man has staked a claim on you.” Ari carried the last of the plates into the kitchen.

As I rinsed them and stacked them in the dishwasher, she put away the leftovers.

“You make it sound like he peed on me,” I said, laughing.

“He might as well have. He’s a wolf shifter. Have you ever dated a shifter?” she asked.

I shook my head. “No, a few witches, and a couple humans. Ellison is as human as you can get, in the worst possible way.” I paused as my phone rang. Without checking to see who it was, I answered it. “Hello?”

“What the hell do you mean by destroying my convertible? I’m going to sue your ass off.”

Speak of the devil.

I grumbled. “Go fuck yourself, Ellison. We’re done. I took everything that was mine and we’re done. You got what you wanted, so quit being an asshole and leave me alone.”

Ellison growled. “You really think I’m going to let this go?”

“Remember this, dude. One of the things you didn’t like was that I’m a witch. Well, now I have no reason to make you comfortable, so you might want to think twice before threatening me. If all the damage you take in this divorce is a soggy car, count your blessings. I could have done so much more. And I still have plenty of reasons to send a few whammies your way. The magazine? The house? Don’t throw stones because right now, your windows are pretty fucking big.” I could feel my voice ice over—not a good sign for anybody I was talking to.

He paused. Then, in a tone that was far more polite, asked, “So, did you get everything from the house that you need?”

“Everything except my half of the magazine and the house. You really put the screws to me and I won’t forget it. Go ahead and pat yourself on the back…for now.” I was ready to end the conversation, but Ari tapped me on the arm. I glanced at her, and she pointed to the mute button.

“Wait a minute,” I said, then pressed mute.

“You want me to hex him? I will, happily.”

I worried my lip, then shook my head. “If anybody hexes him, it should be me. I’m the one he dumped on. Tell you what, we’ll talk it over and see if we can think of a truly fitting response, one that embodies irony.”

She nodded, and I ended the conversation without another word.

“So, how do you really feel about your job?” she asked after I tossed my phone on the table. “I could tell during dinner that you weren’t saying everything.”

“To tell you the truth, today out at the asylum, I was scared spitless. Partly because a ghost who can body-slam me against the wall—well, that’s one ghost I don’t want to meet. But also…I’m so freaking out of practice. I let myself go, magically speaking. I feel like I need a gym for my spellwork.”

“You really want to get back into shape?” she asked.

I nodded. “I need to. I want to open a side business reading the cards and…well…as a paranormal exterminator, so if you have any suggestions, I’m open to them.”

“Then you need to book some time with Terrance Stiles. He coaches witches looking to up their game. I’ll give you his number. I booked a few appointments with him and it helped me refine my practice.” She grabbed my phone and entered his contact information. “There you go.”

“Thanks,” I said, wondering if I should just call him now. But the doorbell rang before I could make up my mind and I opened the door to find an envelope taped to the front, but no one in sight. Frowning, I started to dash down the steps to see if there was anybody walking past on the sidewalk, but I was barefoot and tired, and as my foot hit the crunchy snow, I quickly retreated. Shrugging, I carried the envelope back inside.

“What’s that?” Ari asked.

“I have no idea. It was on the door.” I sat down and turned the envelope over. My name was written on the front, but there was no stamp or address. The handwriting didn’t look familiar. “Should I open it?”

“If you want to know what’s inside.”

I opened the envelope and removed a single folded sheet of paper. The paper reminded me of a linen weave, heavy parchment. “Okay, let’s