Page 14 of To Teleport, or Not to Teleport?
I stood and brushed the dirt from my hands and noticed a smear of paint on one of the stones. Picking it up, I noted it was larger than my hand. An image from a previous vision came to mind, and I realized the stone had been a part of it. It was one of the many images from the vision collage I’d experienced because of Grayson.
Looking around the property once more, I didn’t recognize anything else. Quickly, I set the stone back and jogged away from the home before whoever lived there found me. I debated another attempt at teleporting but decided against it. With my recent luck, I’d find myself inside the house on my next attempt.
By the time I made my way back into town, I was covered in a sheen of sweat, smelled like nature, and had mentally analyzed the image with the rock from every possible angle. Starved, I went directly to Cami’s bakery.
Inside, I rounded the counter as Cami said, “Oh my God, where have you been? Why haven’t you texted me back? Or called? Wait, what the hell happened to you?”
At the sink tucked to the side, I scrubbed my hands clean of dirt and grime. I slid open the door to the pastry case and grabbed a delicious guava-filled donut for one hand and a maple-bacon donut for the other. I bit into one, savored the taste, swallowed, and repeated the same with the other before moaning loudly.
“Aileen,” Cami snapped as she grabbed me by both shoulders.
I glared at her, and when the bell over the door announced a new customer, I gave her a saucy grin. By the time Jeeves, a kangaroo Shifter, left with two dozen donuts, I’d eaten five entire donuts and was removing a chocolate croissant from the other case.
Cami stole the sweet treat from my hand. “Nuh-uh, start talking or I’ll spell the case so anytime you steal a treat it tastes like pickled worms.”
Cringing at the thought, I covered my mouth and gagged. “You wouldn’t dare.”
Cami put a hand on her hip and cocked an eyebrow. “Try me.”
I sighed. “When did you become such a brat?”
“I’ve always been a brat, and you love me for it. Now spill!”
I eyed the croissant, and my stomach growled loudly. “One bite?”
Cami rolled her eyes and offered the treat. Like the animal I was turning into, I took a large bite, causing her to release the croissant or lose a finger in the process. “What the hell? Were you raised in a barn?”
“Sor-ry,” I said around the mouthful. I returned to the sink and drank from the faucet. Loud slurps filled the air before I shut off the water and leaned back against the counter. “Short or long version?”
“At this point I’ll take any kind of version, if it means you quit avoiding the question.”
“Your texts, whatever they were about, freaked me out. So I teleported to the outskirts of town and had to walk home, after another attempt at teleporting landed me in front of a secluded house.”
Cami shook her head, her braid swinging back and forth like a whip. “Nope, I’m going to need the long version.”
I glanced at the case, and she sighed.
“Go ahead. You know, this bakery would probably run in the black if you paid or at least covered the cost of goods.”
Kissing her cheek, I relished the loud smack I made and gave her the long version of my afternoon. I considered another treat but decided a proper meal was better. If not for our crazy fast metabolism as witches, I’d be the size of a mall.
“You know, some of that makes sense. Sometime before the town woke up, someone spray-painted ‘traitor’ over Grayson’s storefront. It’s what I was texting you about. When I couldn’t get a hold of you, I closed shop for a lunch break and went by. The word was gone, but it was all anyone was talking about at the grocery store when I went to grab a sub.”
My blood boiled with anger. “Sufferin’ succotash! Do people not get he’s not his dad? He’s literally an entirely different being. Ooooh…”
Cami chuckled. “You know, if all of this doesn’t make you actually curse, nothing will.”
“Cami! I’m being serious. Maybe whoever lives in that house will throw the stone at his shop? Vandalize it a little more permanently?”
My cousin shrugged, worry etching her face. “Maybe? Do you know if he’s talked to Mac? If a Shifter is behind Grayson’s trouble, there is no way Mac will stand for it. Hell, if it’s a witch, Zelda will zap their ass to kingdom come.”
I shook my head. “I have no idea.”
“Well, why don’t you go over there now and talk to him? I’ll even fill up a box of pastries for you to—What? Why are you telling me no?” she asked as I went cold with fear and shook my head frantically. “Goddess save me, Aileen. What else haven’t you told me?”
Biting my lip, I studied my feet. Grayson’s words echoed in my head.
“Honey, I can’t help you help him if you don’t tell me everything.”
