Page 23 of Cursed Love
After pulling up her contacts, she scrolled to Ryan’s number. Her thumb hovered over it, itching to hear his voice. Past their little secret, she did not know anything about him. And yet, what she felt was stronger than during the three years she shared with Greg.
Before she could make the mistake of calling him, her phone vibrated in her hand.
Andrea: You alive?
Brandy: Sorry! Work’s been crazy and then I got sick.
Andrea: Lunch?
Brandy sighed. Andrea was her best friend. She did not want to lie to her, but her mother’s and Ryan’s warnings were on the front of her mind. Until she could control her powers, she was a risk to everyone she loved.
Brandy: I can’t. We’ll have to get together another time… I miss you!
She wanted someone to talk to about Ryan, not in a witchy sense but hot damn… the connection between them. She could not stop thinking about the feel of his hand on her arm or the look of his lips last week. She went to bed many nights wondering what his kiss would be like, taste like….
When a few minutes passed, her mind drifting off to more thoughts of Ryan, she realized her phone never vibrated with another text. She swiped to unlock the screen again and saw Andrea had never replied. Forcing herself to her feet, she glanced around the office. There was nothing else left for her to do. Sitting at the café thinking about Ryan or her family was something she could do from the comfort—and safety—of her own home.
After grabbing her things, she checked to see no one needed anything else from her. With a quick wave, she left them to work the last few hours and close shop with another manager.
The beautiful prism of colors in the sky announced the sun’s departure. A breeze blew her hair as she walked home for the millionth time since moving into the apartment building. If not for everything that changed since her birthday, she would have described it as just another day.
Scanning her surroundings, she kept her hands free from even her phone. She wanted to be ready for any sort of attack. She didn’t quite feel she could handle one at this point, but she did not want to be blindsided again.
It seemed ages ago since the confrontation with the tubar… since meeting Ryan.
Ryan.
Where had he disappeared to? Did he have a woman in his life? Were there kids waiting for him to tuck them in at night? All the questions she wished she would have asked hit her one by one.
“Stop it,” she scolded herself.
A leaf fell from a tree, swaying downward this way and that as it caught air on its descent to the ground. She focused her energy, and on her second try, it hovered midair. With a smile, Brandy relaxed her hold and walked by as it finished its downward spiral.
A bubble of excitement filled her at seeing her improvement. She worked on her control every chance she got, determined to be prepared for another attack. Tonight, she planned on opening the grimoire and learning more about her enemies, spells like the ones Ryan used, and about her ancestry.
Laughter, a sexy tinkle belonging to a woman, drew her attention from her plans to the present. It belonged to an attractive woman in a little black dress. Brandy slowed to admire the closeness between the woman and the man who held her. Her imagination wandered, considering if they met up after work because they could not wait any longer.
“I love you so much, honey!” the woman cooed as the man pressed his face between her neck and shoulder.
Brandy’s steps faltered when she heard him speak. She missed what he said because she was focusing on a voice she’d listened to for years.
The woman’s eyes caught Brandy’s. They were pretty, and her face was soft with the love she had just proclaimed. She shot the woman a small smile and forced her legs to move, to leave before Greg spotted her.
She turned on the next block as her heart squeezed in her chest. If she was honest with herself, she fell out of love with Greg months ago. Seeing him with another woman, one whom he had obviously been in a relationship with before the end of theirs, hurt. His betrayal tasted bitter.
The encounter left her confused. She did not want Greg. So why on earth—
Earth.
The smell of dirt hit Brandy hard. It took her from her jumbled mess of thoughts and brought her back when she reached the end of the block.
When she did not spot anyone ahead of her, she glanced behind her. A man was on a bicycle, peddling only fast enough to keep himself from falling off. Her gut clenched when their eyes met. Their shape and color shifted for a split second, long enough to reinforce her need to flee. Brandy hurried down the sidewalk and worked at keeping her breaths steady.
Control.
She looked behind her at the man and watched him lick his lips, exposing sharp canines in the process. She took in a deep breath, hoping she was just losing her marbles, and noticed the smell of dirt once again.
“Werewolves smell like dirt.”
