Page 29 of House of Pain
Matias was a handsome guy, and she knew damn well that he had abs for days, being a swimmeranda rockey player.
Maybe this detention didn’t have to be a punishment after all.
From the mischievous flicker in his brown eyes, it seemed he shared the sentiment.
12
“Do you think Jack’s gonna fall for Rogue?” Blaze asked. “I feel like I haven’t seen him enjoying the company of a man in a long time.”
Val pouted as she considered his words.
“Have you seen Rogue?” she finally asked. “Everyone’s gonna be panting over him the moment they see him.”
“Yeah. We truly summoned the most handsome demon in Hel,” Andro chimed in.
They reached a busy crossroad in the middle of Upper North Side in Avalon Hills, large pumpkin-shaped carriages gliding through air like fucking crazy. One whizzed so close to them that the wind ruffled Blaze’s hair.
Bristled, Blaze raked a hand through his hair.
“Sure. Some might find him attractive.” Blaze wasn’t a fan of Rogue. Something was way off about the guy, something besides the fact that he was a demon. He just couldn’t figure out what.
Val clicked her tongue. “Listen, next weekend I’m gonna walk into the Tigers’ party with Rogue on my arm and every bitch will do anything in their power to have him. Purely so they could take something away from me.”
Val had a point.
Witches were twisted like that.
Everyone was worth more when they belonged to someone else.
“Look at that,” Andro chirped once they reached a skinny redbrick building with brown window shutters, perched between two luxurious white stone homes. “We came in at the perfect time to Gill’s!”
Blaze took hold of the long brass handle, pulling the heavy wooden door open. He waited for Val and Andro to walk inside before following them.
Gill’swas the most prominent custom spell shop in Avalon Hills, hence the location on the Upper North Side, where all the prominent witches of the city resided.
Though, from thehumblelook from the outside of the building and the way the inside didn’t look even one bit better, you’d never guess that.
The interior was…lacking. Old, barely held together pine shelves were perched in every single corner of the shop. From the way they were leaned against the walls, it wasn’t quite clear whether the walls held the shelves in place or the other way around.
Skulls of birds, cats, snakes, and Gods knew what hung from the concrete ceiling on thin ropes, and Blaze and Andro had to duck their heads unless they wanted the bones to keep hitting them in their faces.
Maybe that was the whole point…
At this time of the day, the shop was empty, with not a single soul inside. Two large ravens the size of Blaze’s head sat on the counter, their black eyes wary.
“Oh, Gill,” Val called, tapping her hand on the counter. One of the ravens croaked at her.
“What the fuck do you want?” Gill’s smoky voice came through the archway into the back room. They didn’t appear though.
No, Gill was going to make them wait.
So, Blaze wandered off, the shelf with the glass door on his left piquing his curiosity.
It was the only shelving unit that didn’t look pathetic, and behind the glass lay an array of black silk cushions, beautiful, handcrafted jewelry pieces resting on top.
The shiny gold, the polished silver, and the whiteness of the mother-of-pearls were blinding all at once, so Blaze blinked, rubbing his eyes.
One piece in particular, a dainty pearl choker with a clasp shaped like a heart, drew Blaze’s attention.
