“What was that bullshit about Above & Beyond?” Chris asked.
I laughed because I knew Chris was going to hate going to the club. “It’s not bullshit. Axel told me about it earlier. The part about having tickets was bullshit, but—”
“We don’t
need tickets.” Cosette looked insulted. “I can get us in anywhere.”
“No, babe. We’ll get tickets.” Chris nudged her. “That’s what normal humans do. We’re doing things normally for the girl who thinks she’s human.”
I wasn’t getting in between Chris and Cosette if they were going to argue about it, but I agreed with Chris. “What if your sister—or your mother—comes back before we leave?”
Cosette shrugged one shoulder as if it wasn’t a big deal at all. “Then, we’ll leave.”
“What if Tessa wants to go get her stuff?”
“Flash the dimples,” Chris said. “Tell her to take a shower here and that I’ll go get her stuff.”
“Why does everyone think my dimples will solve everything with her?”
Cosette grinned at me, and suddenly I felt like a piece of meat. “Well, they certainly don’t hurt.”
Chris nudged Cosette again. “Babe. You’re making him uncomfortable.”
She wasn’t. Not really.
Tessa’s pulse seemed to stutter for a second, and I stopped breathing.
“What?” Chris asked.
Her pulse came back, and I could breathe again. “I must be losing it. Her pulse seemed to stutter, but it’s fine. It evened out. She must’ve been dreaming or something.”
Chris and Cosette shared a long look, and then they turned back to me. Chris stood up suddenly.
Now it was my turn to worry. “What?”
“Look at her,” Cosette said. “Move your hand so you’re not skin-to-skin, and then really.”
I moved my hand, and it was like the fake, blonde Cassie was semitransparent. “How did that happen?”
Cosette shook her head slowly. “I’ve seen a lot of magic, but nothing like what my mother used to pull this off. It’s the mix of magics. If Tessa’s trying to fight them, I don’t…”
I put my finger back on Tessa’s neck, feeling for her pulse. It was there and steady again, but my gut was churning, telling me that something bad was about to happen. “Something’s wrong. I don’t know anything about magic, but something’s not right with her.” I didn’t usually hold her pulse point. Not even when her soul was trapped in a Hell dimension with Astaroth over two years ago, and I only had her body to hold on to.
I closed my eyes and heard my wolf growling at me to do something before it was too late.
I opened my eyes, and I didn’t need a mirror to know what color they were. “Something’s very wrong.”
Cosette shook her head. “If there is, I don’t know what it is, let alone how to fix it.”
“Do you think Samantha would come over?” Chris asked. “She seemed to understand —”
“I’ll text her,” I said.
Not even thirty seconds later, the answer came. “She said yes, but she wants to get repaid for the Uber over. She’s short on funds. I’m sending her money now.”
“She can’t pay for an Uber?” Chris asked.
“No.” I didn’t realize how bad off she was, but that was something I could help with.