Something to Curse About (24 page)

I bent and hugged him. “Let’s go home.”

THIRTY-THREE

Late Friday afternoon, Nick held up a box I hadn’t marked yet. “What’s in this one?”

“Um, DVDs. I think.” I taped closed the box in front of me and looked around for my marker.

“Catch.” Tonya tossed the one she was using to me. I caught it and grinned.

“Thanks.” After writing “BOOKS” on the top, I tossed the marker to Nick and stood up to stretch. The almost empty apartment stood testament to the work we’d put in the past two days. “I’m going to miss this place.”

“Me too.” Nick closed in for a kiss, the three boxes he balanced making it a quick peck. The growlies had worn off. We’d spent last night here, making up for the time we’d been separated and all the arguing once I’d been changed back to human. The supernatural grapevine hadn’t spread the news about my being on the White Queen’s side yet. I wasn’t looking forward to Nick finding out about that. Or even sure how to handle it, now that things had settled down enough to offer time to think. “Truck’s almost full, but I think we can fit the other two in the back seat.”

“Okay.” I watched him walk out the door, and sighed. Tonya looked up from taping closed the box she’d packe
d
,
so I asked, “When do you start at the shop?”

“Monday. Four hours of work, and four of studying.”

I’d been right, she was a witch. David and Jo had offered to teach her, and Tonya had jumped at the chance. She’d left home due to an intense dislike of her new stepmother, who returned it with interest. Mom had gotten the story out of her, and taken her to see her father, who’d agreed she’d probably be better off living elsewhere upon being told she was a witch. I couldn’t imagine my dad not wanting me around, and felt bad for the teen.

She seemed to be dealing with it okay though. I bent down and picked up the box. “I guess we’re done here. Let’s go.”

Tonya grabbed her box and followed me out the door. She held my box while I shut and locked it for the last time. I’d already dropped the keys into the night deposit slot at the office. Taking it back, I let her lead the way to Nick’s truck while I looked around. A circle of burnt grass in the courtyard marked where I’d first displayed my new ability, electrokinesis.

Reminding myself to call Terra and Logan later, I handed the box to Nick. He put it in the back seat of his truck and opened the driver’s door for me, since Tonya had already climbed into the front passenger seat. “You look sad.”

“Yeah, I am, a little. It was my first place.”

He pulled me into a hug. “I’m sorry you got kicked out.”

“Me too, but I’ll live.” I kissed his neck. The growlies may have faded completely away, but I could still understand dogs and counted that as a reward for another case closed. Only one left to finish off: The case of the suspicious grandmother. It had been put on the back burner, but I hoped to close it the following week. “Let’s go.”

“Wait.” He moved with me when I began to step back. “I wanted to ask you something.”

“Does it involve a ring?” I hoped not, but smiled anyway.

Nick shook his head. “Not yet, but it’s related.”

“Okay, shoot.” I braced myself for the suggestion that we move in together or something. I wasn’t ready for that either, but he’d been pointing out how different things would be with me living at Mom’s.

“I want you to meet my parents, and our pack. Maybe next weekend?” He gazed into my eyes, tiny lines appearing at the corners of his. I could feel his anxiety before I nodded. The invitation was a step in the right direction as far as I was concerned. We needed to know a lot more about each other before the marriage question came up again.

“Sure. I’d like that. Um, is your brother going to be there?”

Nick’s growing smile dimmed slightly. “Well yeah, he’s family and pack.”

“Right. Okay, I’ll play nice if he does. And he’d better.” Or I’d shock him into the middle of the following week. I needed to practice my new ability, in order to gain better control of it. Patrick seemed like a wonderful choice for target practice.

“I’ll talk to him,” Nick promised, lowering his head. I closed my eyes and met his lips, enjoying the simple act of kissing him until a thought popped to mind.

Pulling my head back, I asked, “Are there going to be naked people?”

“Depends on whether you stay the night or not.” He grinned, kissed me again, and let go. “Come on. Your mom’s cooking dinner.”

“I know. Curry.” He winced and I laughed while climbing in the truck, receiving a light swat on the rear from him. “Kidding. She’s making stir-fry.”

Nick rolled his eyes as he climbed in after me. It felt silly to feel sad, but it also felt like the end of a personal era.

One I’d really miss.

Then again, far too many people had learned where I lived and that put my neighbors in jeopardy. One of the many reasons I’d be having dinner Monday night over at Dad’s place to get the ball rolling on finding a house. I couldn’t stay at Mom’s too long and risk the same happening there.

I shivered at a finger of cold sliding down my spine as we pulled out of the parking lot for the last time. Almost a block away, I realized it hadn’t been my thoughts causing it, but my abilities sensing a vampire’s presence.

Which was ridiculous, with another hour or so of sunlight left to the day.

Nick slid his arm around my shoulders. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” I put the event down to leftover nerves and shoved it to the back of my mind. “Fine and dandy.”

Well, as fine and dandy as life ever was for me.

About the Author

A sword-toting alien with a fetish for fur and four-legged creatures, she writes fiction and spends entirely too much time distracted by shiny things online, like Twitter.

She prefers Netflix because there aren’t any commercials and she can ignore all the reality series. As a voracious reader, she enjoys both ebooks and physical books, though her ebook collection doesn’t require regular dusting.

She writes scifi as G. L. Drummond, urban fantasy and other things as Gayla Drummond.

Reviews, good or bad, are greatly appreciated.

Dear Readers,

I’m always happy to receive emails, with or without questions. My most frequently checked email address is [email protected].

I’d like to invite you to visit Discord’s site at http://discordjones.com, and if you’d like, to subscribe to the Santo Trueno Tribune for updates and news. Be warned: many of the current posts onsite are “Thank you” notes to you, for your support of this series. =)

If you’re on Facebook, you can send me a friend request for https://www.facebook.com/gayladrummond.author  or pop a like on my author page there, at https://www.facebook.com/G.L.Drummond. If you use Twitter, both Discord and I are on there, at https://twitter.com/DiscordJones and https://twitter.com/Scath.

Thank you for choosing to read Discord and Company’s adventures.

Sincerely,

Gayla

Ebooks by Gayla Drummond:

Deadlands Hunt

Rift (A Wolven Tale)

Moon Children: Dark Cravings

Moon Children: Dark Souls

Rift (A Wolven Tale)

Arcane Solutions (Discord Jones 1)

Writing as G. L. Drummond:

After the Fall series:

Tria’s Tale

A Little Nip (w/JC Montgomery)

Good Intentions

Glimpses

The Silent One

By Chance

Hunter’s Edge

Unexpected

Others:

The Contract Bride

Daughters of the Lore: Resurgence

Fated Ends: The Grates

Anthologies:

Other Sides (Ergofiction)

Other Katarr Kanticle Press Titles
:

After the Fall Series:

Far From Home by Damian Herde

A Warrior’s Worth by JC Montgomery

When Fur Flies by Kate Smith

Witching Hour by Kate Smith

Books by Tonya Cannariato
:

Dust to Blood (Red Slaves #1)

Blood to Fire (Red Slaves #2)

Angel Mine

Dementional

Wytchfire

Desecrated Bonds by Rebecca Clare Smith

Traitors (Crooked Fang Novella) by Carrie Clevenger

Wolf at the Door (PB edition) by J. Damask

Please visit
http://katarrkanticlespress.com
for more information.