Rose smiled at the woman and ordered her a drink. I shuffled uncomfortably, the energy rising up with her every movement.
She pushed her dark brown hair behind her shoulder before setting her keys on the counter.
"So, Anna, how's the new job treating you?" Rose asked politely, fiddling with her straw.
The woman, supposedly Anna, glanced at me for moment before answering.
"It's a dream, honestly. What about the cafe? How's that been going?"
Her voice was silky. She could have said anything and it would have sounded like calm, gentle cooing. This aura was unmistakeable. I was sure that I had been right.
But I wished I wasn't.
Rose wasn't a shy, sweet, giggly type. This was out of character for her, and that was bad. She must have really liked her.
And moreso, their conversation made it clear that this wasn't their first meeting. Did Rose happen to know more as well? Or was she inadvertently getting involved with something she needed to run far away from?
"Ian's brother brought me all of the money for the repairs. More than enough, actually. It was just the door that needed to be fixed, but he insisted."
I spun my body the opposite way, trying not to be so obvious about my listening in. But that drew Carmen's attention to me, who approached me with a sway in her hips.
Not now. There's so much more on my mind to deal with than you.
She took a seat next to me, drinking cheerfully from her glass. Her lipstick stained the rim, a bold red covering her full, nearly perfect, lips.
I met her gaze briefly, her eyelashes fluttering as she opened her mouth to speak. Immediately, I grabbed my glass and downed the rest of my whiskey.
What am I thinking about at a time like this? There are more important things to be worried about. Rose is literally dating a vampire and I'm a witch.
But the buzzing is gone?
I realized that in my distraction, the magic pooling in my palms had dissipated once more.
"How have you been, Bear Bear? It's been so long." She leaned in closer as she spoke, putting a hand on my shoulder.
The buzzing began again, rippling up to where she'd touched. She gasped, pulling her hand away for a moment. She chuckled and put it back, whispering about static electricity to herself.
"I'm doing great, Carmen. How are you?"
The disinterest in my voice was undeniable.
Carmen was absolutely beautiful. Long, flowing black hair, perfect features, tall and hourglass-like...
But that was about it.
Her personality was as bitchy as they come, which I soon realized after we got together.
She was good in bed, a little selfish, but who isn't? But she fought with me everyday about where I'd been, who I'd seen, why my location wasn't on, etcetera.
She was clingier than me, a feat that was impressive, and controlling. She was always angry, argumentative, but I handled it. I had handled it very well.
And looking at her now, I thought about taking her home, distracting myself from the inevitable car crash of my magic, the vampires, whatever else. But how, after dating for over a year, can you recover from,
"I thought I loved you, but I don't think I'm gay." ?
I beckoned the bartender over at just the thought, and he graciously poured me some more whisky.
Carmen ran a manicured hand through her hair, finally removing it from my shoulder.
"Actually, I've discovered a lot about myself since...you know. I think-"
"That's good." My response was curt, and I did not want to hear the rest of that sentence. She'd toyed with me enough.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, or both, Jesse finally waltzed into the bar. He came to me, but did not apologize. Instead, he looked to Carmen, motioning with his hand for her to move. She pouted a moment.
I saw Carson come in through the door as well, and suddenly remembered my sister. I looked, but both she and Anna were gone. My panic set in.
"Oh God, where is-"
"She's buying us time." Carson spoke.
The reassuring look on his face simply confused me. I waited for an explanation, but one did not come.
"What are you talking about? Shes-"
"Anna won't hurt her, if that's what you're worried about. She's kinda into her, I think." Jesse butted in.
He then returned his gaze to Carmen, who had no idea what was going on, and said,
"Move."
She stumbled up and away, dejected and a little afraid.
My eyes caught a familiar blue pair, and I almost fell out of my seat.
"What's he doing here?" I asked hushed, my heart sinking. The electric current began once more, like fear or excitement was its catalyst.
Apparently, the detrimental, crushing weight of it all was like a magic on/off switch. Except I couldn't control it. So now, seeing this man's face, I felt it brimming over the edges.
"Ian is here to apologize. Don't worry, I'll keep him on a tight leash." Carson said. I could see a faint, smug smile coming across his lips as he grabbed the back of the younger's neck.
Seeing Carson next to him made him look far less intimidating. Ian was huge, probably over six feet tall. But with his brother beside him, he was dwarfed in his shadow. It put me at ease a little.
"I'm not a dog." He pouted.
He was like a little kid who had gotten in trouble. To see this man was the same as that terrible, traumatizing couple of days relieved me at first.
But then, the images of that woman...her nearly lifeless body, this chiseled face smeared with her blood.. the images began seeping back through the cracks, causing me to shudder.
He looks the same, but he seems different.
If someone with his attitude could be a killer... No one is safe.
"If you don't wanna be treated like one, maybe don't act like one." Carson responded, his shiny canines coming through in his smile.
I winced at the sight, looking back to Ian, and again at Carson. My thoughts drifted back to Anna and my sister. Everything all at once was too much. I was terrified, I was worried, I was confused, and I was frustrated.
Jesse touched my arm, withdrawing the power overflowing from me. He appeared like he was trying to calm my shaking body, but was failing miserably.
"It'll be fine. I'm right here."
Yeah, I don't trust you, either.