"Night stalker," Drackus growls, motioning for Kane to follow him just as my snickering mother walks up to my side.
"Shit," Kane mumbles under his breath before walking toward my fuming father. I suppose his anger had been put on a temporary hold until the wolves were settled.
"That's beautiful," Mom says, looking at the red and green stone—obviously I'm irritated. "But you've got it on the wrong finger, dear."
The smile that spreads is unavoidable, and the stone fills up with night stalker blue.
"It's not on the wrong finger," I say, still grinning, and delighting in the horror that spreads across her face.
"Alyssa, it's too soon. You barely know him."
I shrug, still unable to wipe away my smile. "I've known him longer than you knew most of your husbands when you married them—including Drackus."
She tries to sound offended, but then she rolls her eyes when she thinks of how right I am. My ring refuses to budge from its brilliant blue. But something tells me it'll be widow's purple before long.
My moment of trepidation is cast aside when I see Drackus’s arms flailing high in the air as he dramatically emphasizes his threats to Kane. My poor fiancé looks to me for help, but he’s on his own. Drackus and I can’t both get pissed at the same time. That has already proven to be bad—very bad.
Kane's body rests firmly against mine, keeping one arm wrapped around me protectively, as he sleeps peacefully. I'm dying of thirst. And I'm worried about Gage being out there by himself. There's only one way to make sure he's okay.
With Kane here, Gage's spell won't have an effect on me. We need him and his knowledge, and though I want to slap him for being stupid enough to cast a love spell on me, I also want to know he's safe. I won't believe it until he's here.
Slipping out from under my beautiful night stalker, I head toward the kitchen, ready to piece a phone together—not mine, of course. I choose Drackus's. Gage will answer quickly when he sees his name.
Absently, I make myself a glass of iced tea while using my magic to assemble the scattered pieces, and then I summon it to me, watching as it floats.
I shut the door to the fridge and sip on my glass of tea while waiting for the dark user to answer. Nothing. It just rings and rings. I frown, sighing as I put the phone down.
"What are you doing?" a smooth voice asks, drawing my attention.
I look up to see Chaz, and I grin at his bed-head. "Calling Gage," I murmur softly, letting my smile fall. "I'm worried about him being on his own."
He gives me a you-can't-be-serious look, and then shakes his head. "He's Somage. He's not alone. You can't ask him to come here if you're worried about him. If your new fiancé doesn't kill him, your father will."
"They won't kill him—I don't think. Look, Gage is alone. He was leaving the Somage because he thought we were going to be together. This spell is eating him alive. I have to help him."
"Why would you help him out of something he brought on himself?"
I glance down at my side, knowing the tattoo he got me—when he worried about a spirit coming after me—is lying underneath my shirt. Then I look up to meet Chaz's eyes.
"Because he loved me. He's an idiot, but people do stupid things when they're in love. And he's my friend. Friends fuck up and you forgive them."
I look pointedly at him, reminding him that he abandoned me to make things easier between him and his mom. He nods knowingly while taking a deep breath.
"Since you're up, do you want to watch a movie with a friend you've forgiven for fucking up?"
I snicker lightly and then nod, letting him lead the way to the living room. It's after one in the morning, but I can't sleep. I'll keep calling Gage and hope he answers.
"Boringest movie ever," Chaz groans as the credits roll.
"Is that a word?" I chuckle.
"Yep. Someone created it after suffering through two hours of that shit."
I laugh louder than I mean to, but movement outside draws my attention. Chaz's eyes move to the window, and they grow wide.
"I'll check it out," he whispers before vanishing, leaving me alone.
Fortunately, this house has a special spell cast to keep out anyone intending me harm. Unfortunately, spells aren't always all they’re cracked up to be.