Page 36 of Who Owns You?

“What can I get you?” the young bartender asks, sliding over to where I am.

He looks familiar, like someone’s kid, but I can’t place him.

“Just a pint of Guinness.”

“Sure, nothing to eat? We got some fresh meat from the butcher and the?—”

“No, kid, fuck off after you give me the pint,” I bite out, and his whole body slightly jerks back.

“Got it, a pint and no conversation,” he huffs and walks over to the tap, where he begins to fill my glass. “What an arsehole,” he whispers under his breath, and I roll my eyes.

After waiting for it to settle, he tops it off and brings me my drink without attempting more conversation, and I pass him my money. I take the first sip when someone decides to take the seat next to mine.

“How are things going?” Eloise asks, leaning away from me, her eyes taking me in from head to toe.

I squirm a little in my seat. This witch is powerful. It explains how she got to be as old as she is, but she makes me uneasy. Almost as uneasy as the pest does.

“We aren’t friends. Stop trying to speak to me like one.”

She scoffs. “Fine, child, cut your bullshit.”

“My bullshit is my best quality,” I drawl, taking another sip.

“Charmer, you are. You feel like shit,” she says, waving her hand in my direction.

Her magic presses against mine, poking and prodding it, and it sets my teeth on edge.

“Mind your magic,” I hiss, not bothering to respond to the blatant callout.

“What happened to you? When you were first brought to town, you were strong. Now you seem much more like a shadow than a valiant protector,” she says as she assesses me.

“Nothing happened. My magic is fine, if only limited because of my alpha,” I grunt.

“No, there is something else going on.” Eloise presses, pushing her magic harder against mine, trying to find a weak point.

“Stop it now before I make you.” I bare my teeth.

There’s another sharp poke before the prodding stops.

“Is it Charlotte?”

“Why the hell would it be that pest?” I question, lips curling into a sneer.

“She’s of unknown magical origin when it comes to bloodline. This might be affecting you more greatly than the others. For as long as I have known you all, you’ll never tell them about something that is bothering you unless someone kicks your ass to do so.”

“And is this my ass kicking?” I ask with a scoff.

“No, this is the precursor to your ass kicking. Don’t make me go to your alpha myself. This situation could be dangerous for all of you if you can’t keep your magic under control around her.”

“I’m never around her, and I’m going to keep it that way,” I say.

Something in the back of my mind tells me I’m going to make a liar of myself.

Eloise gives me a long, hard look, her eyes seeming to glow slightly in the dim bar lighting.

“Sometimes fate has other plans,” the old witch says before she pats the bar top and steps away.

She joins a group of older townsfolk with a smile on her face. Their chatter gets lost in the general noise of the bar.

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