ELEVEN

Molly slipped her key into the lock before quietly sneaking into the darkened apartment. She closed the door behind her being careful not to make any noise. It was still early, and she didn’t want to wake Damon; at least not until she had slipped into bed with him. She couldn’t help but smile as she considered the upcoming encounter. Sex with Damon was always fun, but somehow it was even better when she was the one initiating it. There was something titillating in having him sleepy and unaware as she aroused him to wakefulness.

She had an ulterior motive too, for the early morning rendezvous. Molly had prearranged a spa getaway for her and the girls, but she had burned through her allowance a bit early this month. Damon would be unlikely to deny her an advance, especially if she sweetened the deal beforehand. Like most men, she found that Damon could be easily manipulated by her feminine wiles.

She slipped her heels off at the door and dropped her purse on the kitchen counter before making her way to his bedroom. The door was slightly ajar, which made it easy for her to slip soundlessly inside.

A moment later she came busting out of the room; door banging noisily, face scarlet, as her ears burned hotly. She was halfway across the kitchen when an angry voice shouted after her.

“Hey! What the hell was that?”

She wheeled to see Nick standing in the bedroom doorway wearing nothing but boxer shorts and an angry expression. Molly quickly considered her options before bolting for the front door. She might have made it too, if she hadn’t grabbed for her purse and shoes along the way: Gucci, there was no way she was leaving that behind. Instead, she had just managed to get the door partway open when Nick—who had dashed down and through the living room—slammed his weight against it, forcing it closed again.

She dropped her belongings as she immediately backed away from him, hands held up before her as if she were trying to halt traffic. “I am so sorry.” Nervous laughter escaped her lips, making her apology useless. “I thought you were Damon. Honestly.”

Nick was glaring at her. It was clear that he found nothing amusing in her brief faux pas. “I thought you and Damon broke-up.”

Molly felt her cheeks grow hot, as they joined her burning ears. With her pale skin flushing, she doubted she could get any redder. As it was, she imagined she was already giving lobsters a run for the money. “Well, we did…sorta.” It was far too embarrassing to admit that she had come over for a clandestine hook-up, and that such encounters were not as rare as Nick might think, so she countered instead. “Anyway, why are you even here? I heard that you, had moved out.”

This seemed to catch him off guard and he faltered for a moment. He frowned and dropped his eyes as the top of his cheeks flushed pink. “I did…sorta.” The anger had drained from his voice.

Molly stared at him. For some reason, the mutt was as embarrassed as she and it had nothing to do with their recent encounter. No. Something else was up with Nick. With this discovery, she thought perhaps that a ceasefire might be in order. She extended her hand to him.

“What’s this?” He eyed her suspiciously.

“Pinky-swear; promise that we’ll never speak of this again.” It was a time-honored tradition that few would ignore.

Nick reached out and entwined his little finger with her own. “Agreed.”

She sighed with relief, glad that the event was behind them, but Nick was still staring at her darkly, his brow furrowed.

“What is it? What’s wrong?”

He passed her as he made his way to the kitchen counter, stopping to open the drawer closest to the door. He dug through it, coming out with a cell phone. He turned to face her as he turned it on.

“So, you weren’t with Damon last night?”

Molly smiled. She couldn’t help herself. Thoughts of last night were part of the reason she was so aroused this morning. “No. I was with Nathan.”

“Oh? And how was that?” Nick played with the phone for a bit before putting it to his ear.

Molly was surprised at his tone. There was none of their usual banter there—just genuine interest. Was it possible the mutt and her were having an actual honest to goodness conversation?

“It was good. At least I think so…” She thought back to the evening’s events. Nathan had escorted her back to her apartment; in fact, he had insisted on it, even riding the elevator up with her. When they got to her door, he had lingered awkwardly as she fumbled for her keys. Fumbled… because she had wanted to stretch out every second of her time with him. He’d surprised her when she’d taken a chance on inviting him inside, and he had accepted.

Nick was frowning as he set the phone down. “No answer.”

“Do you think…” She faltered; eyes downcast. She sighed. Maybe it was better not to ask after all.

“What?” Nick’s voice was gentle.

When she glanced up, he was staring at her, dark eyes framed by lashes most girls would kill for. There was concern there, in those gorgeous eyes. It gave her the courage to continue.

“Do you think… I mean, will there ever come a time when he doesn’t hate me?”

Nick’s face broke out into a gentle smile. “Nate doesn’t hate you, Molly. Far from it.” He moved to a laptop that was closed on the island behind them, climbing up on a stool as he did.

“Yeah, right.”

“Seriously. You didn’t see his face last night when you left with that guy.”

“Colin?”

“Yeah, Colin. Good looking guy like that, he watched the two of you all the way to the door. He almost fell off his stool trying to creep a look.”

“Really?”

Nick was concentrating on the laptop now. The glow of the screen lighting up his face. “I kid you not. In fact, the best thing you can do when it comes to Nathan is to ignore him.”

“Oh.” Her stomach dropped at his words and a bitter taste filled her mouth. Of course, that was how it would be! Tell the crazy stalker chick to IGNORE his bestie. That would certainly show her— “I see.”

Nick’s back straightened and he turned to face her, closing the laptop as he did. Apparently, the bitterness in her mouth had slipped into her words as well, and he had heard it.

Nick stared at her for a long moment, before pulling out the second stool at the counter beside his and indicating that she should sit. He waited for her to settle, and then took a deep breath.

“Okay. So, this is the situation as I see it, and remember, I have no skin in this game. Whether the two of you continue with your juvenile bickering, or make peace is entirely up to you… But if you say a word of this to Nate—”

She held up her hands dismissively. “Yeah. Okay, I get it.” She said quickly. Truthfully, she would have agreed to anything in that moment just to hear what Nick had to say.

Nick paused, and for a moment she worried that he had changed his mind, until his shoulders dropped, and his hands fell to his lap in an almost defeated gesture.

“Nate isn’t angry, Molly. He’s just confused.”

Molly opened her mouth to argue, but he stayed her off by raising a finger.

“Sure. In the beginning Nate was angry, red hot and rightfully so. But now… I honestly don’t think he knows what to feel. I think he still wants to be angry with you, especially when you mess with him. But after four years, that fires spent. He’s finally accepted things. All that’s left now is regret. Remember, he lost everything that day. His former life, his family; he had a mom and little sister who he adored.”

“Half-sister.” Molly corrected him. It felt like they were about to play the blame game and it made her rather uncomfortable.

“She wasn’t half anything to him, Molly. Look, you need to accept that while he may have broken your heart—he’s been hurting too. The two of you—you’re both so wrapped up in your own pain that neither one of you can see anything beyond it. You gotta find a way to forgive him and you need to give him the chance to forgive you too.”

Molly sat in stunned silence. It wasn’t what she had been expecting, and she didn’t know what to say. “And how exactly do I do that?” Her hand had balled-up into a fist, and she felt tears biting behind her eyes. She didn’t want to cry—not in front of the mutt.

He shrugged absently, as if the answer was apparent. “Remind him of who you really are; be the girl that he fell in love with.”

“I don’t think I know how to do that.” The damn tears fell then, against her wishes.

After Damon she thought she’d never love again, but then she had found Nate and he’d made her feel whole. Knowing that he was the one, deciding to spend her eternity with him and then having him reject her—she had spiraled, hard. She’d fallen into a dark emotional pit, and it had been a long, slow climb out.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up.

Nick was leaning forward, trying to meet her eyes. “I didn’t say it would be easy.” He reached out a hand to wipe a tear from her cheek.

“I’m sorry.” Molly immediately straightened, wiping her face.

“Nah, don’t be. You need to show off that heart of yours more often.” He smiled at her again before turning his attention back to the laptop.

She was thankful for the space he allowed her and took the moment to settle herself and quash any additional tears. The pity party over, she became curious as to what he was so diligently up to and got up to peer over his shoulder, tucking a long strand of ebony hair behind her ear as she did. “So, what are you doing?”

Nick had opened the laptop and was now busy typing. “I’m tracing Damon’s phone.”

“What? Whatever for?”

“Well, when I came home last night and he wasn’t here, I just assumed he was taking care of you. But if you were with Nathan, then where is he? Do you remember seeing him at the Pitt? After the park, I mean?”

“No. Not really.”

Truth be told she wasn’t the most reliable witness in this regard. Sure, she had been badly shaken after her encounter in the park, but those feelings had diminished almost as soon as Nathan had swept her up into his arms. In fact, everything except thoughts of him had fled her mind. She had allowed Nate to carry her, leaning her head against him as he did. She could smell his aftershave, the clean scent of his shirt, the slight odour of beer that was still on his breath. If Damon had returned to the Pitt, he hadn’t approached them before they had left.

The idea that something had befallen him however, seemed slim, and she told him as much. “You know, he probably just hooked up with someone and spent the night at their place.”

“Without checking that you were okay, first? That doesn’t sound like any version of Damon that I know.”

Oh-kay… the mutt might have a point. Damon was overprotective to a fault. When they were dating, she found that protectiveness kinda hot. She liked how he fussed over her, how she was always the center of his attention. When they separated, that attention hadn’t dispersed, it just… shifted. She was still forever on his radar, just now, it was from a more respectable distance.

“And if it was a hook-up, like you suggest, he’d be home by now. Damon is very careful about where he lets down his guard. Staying the night at a stranger’s place would be completely out of character for him.”

Deciding he might be right, she pushed her stool closer to his before climbing up until she was shoulder to shoulder with him, before leaning in for a better view. There was a globe on the webpage displayed. Molly watched as he selected a number from a drop-down on the side of the screen. One of the numbers was familiar to her.

“Hey. That’s my number.”

“Uh-huh.” Nick was staring intently at the screen, where a little hourglass tipped itself over in a repetitive fashion.

“Why is my phone listed? Hey, have you been spying on me?”

He slowly turned his head and give her a dirty look. “You think I care what you’ve been up to?” He pointed, his finger circling the screen. “This… is all Damon… and it’s not just you, he has all our cells there. Technically speaking, our phones belong to him, so there’s not much we can do about it.”

“Geez. Such a control freak!”

“I know, right?” He had a playful grin on his face as he enthusiastically agreed. “But in this case, its working to our advantage.”

She watched as the globe began to spin, before it started to zoom in, going from continent to country to city as a small blinking dot finally appeared.

As it did, the smile left Nick’s face and he slammed the laptop closed. The next second he was on his feet and headed to the bedroom.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

She followed but stopped short at the bedroom door. She thought that invading his privacy a second time this morning, would be pushing her luck. She turned her back to the opening instead. “What’s going on, Nick?”

From the room behind, came heavy dragging sounds, like Nick was moving furniture. Seriously. What the hell was he up to?

He soon emerged, wearing blue jeans and was in the process of throwing on a long-sleeved shirt as well. He headed back through the kitchen and snatched up the cellphone before stopping at a ceramic cookie jar on the end counter. Lifting the lid, he retrieved a handful of bills before shoving them deep into the pocket of his jeans.

Molly peeked into the jar. It was full of money. She flipped it, dumping it out upon the counter. There were several stacks of bills in fifty and twenty-dollar denominations, most of which still had the bands from the bank on them. “There must be… eighty-grand here.”

“Yeah. It’s Damon’s flee-fund, in case we ever need to get out of dodge.”

Molly began slowly returning the money to the jar. She glanced at Nick who was busy pulling on sneakers. “You know,” she said casually. “I’m a little short this month.”

“Help yourself. That’s what the cash cow’s for.”

Molly turned to look at Nick wide-eyed with shock. Sure, while Damon did take care of them financially, and it seemed like she was always fixing for a handout—even she would have drawn the line at calling him a cash cow. It was just plain rude, and she told Nick so.

Nick looked at her, a confused frown upon his face. “No.” he said pointing at the counter, while shaking his head. “The cookie jar—it’s a cow.”

Molly glanced back at the ceramic jar, returning the head to its body. Indeed, it was a cow; standing up on its hind legs, its front legs reaching down to pull up at its udders.

“Ah, cash-cow.” That immediately made more sense. That cleared up, she went back to focusing on the money. She bit her lip as she hesitated. She was debating between a stack of twenties and one of fifties, when she finally decided on taking both, before returning the rest to the jar and setting the cow’s head back on its body. A sudden epiphany occurred to her. Damon had not once denied her an advance on her allowance— “Just out of curiosity, how long has Damon had this little reserve fund of his?”

“About as long as I’ve known him. Why?”

All this time, Molly thought that she had been the one playing him. She reached for her purse, and quickly dropped the cash inside. “No reason.” She quickly changed the subject as she slipped on her heels. “So, were you able to track his phone?”

“Yep.” Nick yanked the door open, holding it for her. He was now wearing a black leather jacket, a set of keys prominent in his hand. “I’m heading out to find him now.”

*

Molly had been sweet enough to drop him off at the parking garage a few blocks away. The man in the little security booth smiled as he approached. “Should I bring her up for you?” He looked hopeful.

Nick retuned the smile. He knew they offered a full valet service, which most customers relied upon. “Nah. I’ll get her myself.”

The attendant nodded, and buzzed him in.

Beyond the gate was a wide paved drive, behind which the parking garage sat. It was four levels above ground, and three beneath. Above the glass doors in front of the building was a car port of sorts to keep the clients who were entering the lobby out of the weather. Further along the building, were a series of garage doors large enough to accommodate all the different types of vehicles stored in the facility. On the street side of the building there were smaller exits which allowed clients to leave directly from the garage without having to pass through the front gate again.

Nick entered the lobby, nodding to the pair of security officers at the front desk. They sat behind a series of monitors that coordinated with the many cameras throughout the building. To the right of the security desk was a bank of elevators.

Nick pulled out his key card, and accessed the elevator, riding it down two levels, before entering the well-lit parking garage. His bike, a Ninja ZX-10R in classic black and green was happily waiting for him. He straddled her, threw on his helmet and rode up through the garage till he hit the ramp that led to the exit. As he approached, the metal door ahead raised in anticipation of him. Seconds later he was on the street and heading towards the freeway.

*

Nick sorta knew a girl, who knew a guy, who was very good with computers, in a hacking sort of way. The problem was, he didn’t have her number, since she was more Damon’s acquaintance than his. He did, however, have a rough idea of where he might find her.

He stood outside of Downie Hall, staring up at the grey stone building. It was Saturday morning, and he was wondering how he would gain entrance to the dormitory, when a group of high-spirited girls came noisily out of the door. Nick smiled when they paused to glance at him, and they returned the gesture with giggles and friendly waves, as the girl in rear held the door open for him. Apparently, he could still pass as a college student. It was a bitter-sweet revelation. On one hand he supposed it was flattering to still be considered young and virile. But it had its disadvantages too, when those around him continued to regard him as inexperienced, impulsive, and even foolish.

He thanked the student as he entered the dorm. Beyond the entrance was a modern receiving room complete with a gas fireplace, large flat screen television and boxy, if not ample, seating. He crossed the room, headed towards a free-floating stair that led to the upper floors. He stopped after the first flight and turned down a long hall.

Up ahead, three guys were assembled outside one of the rooms. They appeared to be leaning over one another as they spied on the occupants inside through the partially cracked door. As Nick approached, two of them glanced up at him guiltily before fleeing up the hall and leaving their friend behind.

The remaining student was squatting, his forehead pressed against the doorjamb, ear to the crack and still seemingly unaware that his friends had departed. Nick was considering his options, when the eavesdropper spoke.

“Shit. I still can’t hear anything,”

Nick smiled as he raised his foot. “I think I can help you with that.”

The next moment, the student was tumbling across the threshold and into the dorm room as the occupants inside jumped with a series of startled gasps and expletives.

Van was immediately on her feet, her gaze moving between the student on the floor and Nick, who was now leaning arms crossed in the open doorway. “What the hell, Ethan. You creep!”

Van was dressed in her usual goth fashion, wearing a black baby doll dress and matching stockings which came just above her knees. Around her neck was a leather choker which looked a lot like a dog collar. On the opposite side of the room, two similarly dressed girls were sitting on the bed, looking wide-eyed and startled as they took in the scene.

Ethan got clumsily to his feet, glaring at Nick as he did. “Everyone’s been talking, I just—

“Get out!”

“But I just—”

“I said out! Get the hell out of my room.” She pointed fiercely towards the door as Ethan finally took the hint.

He paused at the doorway, stepping up face to face with Nick.

The hair on the back of Nick’s neck immediately prickled, as his wolf sense went on high alert. For a moment, Nick thought they were going to have words; and readied his fist as they sized one another up, before Ethan finally relented and slipping past him, continued down the hall.

“Imbecile.” Van turned toward Nick and the scowl left her face.

“Hey, Vanessa.” He flashed her a quick smile as his wolf relaxed once more.

“Hey, stranger. Come on in.” She reached out and took hold of his hand, pulling him inside as she closed the door behind him.

Nick glanced around the room as Van took a seat on her bed. On the opposite bed, the two girls were staring at him in awkward silence.

“So, that was… strange. Friend of yours?”

Van nodded in agreement. “Strange is one word for it. It’s been a circus here all week.” She patted a spot on the bed beside her. “And no, that loser was my roomie’s ex-boyfriend, who apparently can’t get a clue.” She smiled brightly at him. “But at least now that they’ve broken up, I don’t have to pretend to like him anymore. Brightside to everything, I guess.”

Nick glanced in the direction of the other girls as he took a seat. “Roomie?”

“Oh no, sorry. These are my friends.” Van said as she made quick introductions.

Nick smiled and nodded at them, but they continued to stare at him silently, looking rather shell-shocked as they did. He wondered what he had interrupted.

“So, what can I do you for you?”

“I need you to set up a meeting with your tech friend, Leland. Today, if possible.”

Van’s eyebrows raised in interest. “Oh yeah? I think I can manage that. But you should’ve sent a text. You didn’t have to come all this way.”

“I didn’t have your number.”

“But Damon—”

“He’s uh… out of town at the moment.” Nick ran a nervous hand through his hair as he spoke. It wasn’t entirely the truth, but there was no sense in worrying Vanessa.

Nodding in understanding, she reached for her own cellphone which was on the desk. “He works odd hours, but I’m sure I can arrange something. Give me your number.”

Nick did and stood, ready to leave. He felt bad for interrupting their visit. Vanessa’s friends were still staring at him rather oddly. It made him wonder how much they knew about things, whether they were perhaps fearful of him. Vanessa and Damon had a special relationship and as such, she was aware of their true personas. As they were similarly dressed as Vanessa, it made Nick wonder if they too were into the same scene. If so, and they knew about Damon, then it was possible his name had been dropped as well.

“I’ll text as soon as I know anything.” She walked him to the door.

Nick leaned down and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “Thanks, beautiful. I owe you one.” He smiled at her as her cheeks flushed, despite her pale makeup.

*

The next order of business was a back-up plan. He knew it wasn’t wise to place all his cards in the hands of Leland, no matter how good a hacker he was. And in any case, he couldn’t just sit around waiting for Vanessa to contact him.

He pulled his bike into an empty space outside the magic shop. A little bell happily announced his arrival. The small shop was warm and inviting. Polished furniture held a variety of wares, and the air hung heavily with the scent of spice and incense. At least a half dozen people were quietly browsing. There was a counter to the left, behind which a middle-aged man waited on a pair of similarly aged women. While he waited for him to finish, Nick browsed among the display tables that were scattered among the front of the store. As the little bell announced the ladies’ departure, Nick approached the counter and waited politely for the shopkeeper to acknowledge him. He was dressed in tailored slacks and a dress shirt, the kind with a button-down collar. He reminded Nick of a librarian as he completed his paperwork, peering over a pair of thin wire spectacles as he did. Finally, the shop-keep looked up.

“How can I be of assistance, gentlemen?”

“I need a tracking potion,” Nick said and realized that as he spoke, a second voice had mirrored his own. He turned to see a man standing at his shoulder. He was at least six-foot-tall, physically fit, and of indigenous descent. He had short, black, neatly styled hair, dark eyes and tanned skin. He was dressed casually in khakis and a plaid shirt. He too was staring at Nick as he looked him over, perhaps just as curious as he’d been by their similar request.

“I was here first,” the man said matter-of-factly as he sized Nick up dismissively, before stepping up to the counter.

This caused his wolf’s—who’s ego was still rather bruised—hackles to rise. “By all means,” Nick heard himself say. “Ladies first.” Damn. His wolf was aggressive today. It was going to get him in trouble.

The clerk stood behind the counter staring at his customers with an amused expression on his face. “Gentlemen, gentlemen. Tis no more difficult to create two potions than it is one.” He turned to the shelves behind him, scanning the rows of jars as he did. “As long as I have ample ingredients, of course. Is this tracking potion for a living creature, a human or animal? You haven’t lost your car keys, have you? Because that’s something entirely different.”

Nick glanced at the man beside him before answering. “It’s for a person.”

“Yeah, person.” The man nodded his agreement.

The shopkeeper turned to face them. “It’ll take some time to brew. I’ll have them ready later this afternoon. You’ll both need to bring the final ingredient however, something personal belonging to the individual you want tracked. Something with DNA works best. You’ll need a pointer as well… something that will work as a compass.”

“Understood.” Nick nodded as he waited his turn to pay, deciding to let the other guy proceed first, whether his wolf liked it or not.

“How much?” He dug into the pocket of his jeans.

“Three-hundred and we are square.”

Nick counted out some bills, handing them to the shopkeeper. “So, the pointer, would something like a necklace work?”

The shopkeeper nodded his approval. “Absolutely, and if the necklace were to belong to the person you are tracking, even better.”

Nick had thought as much, as he thanked the store clerk and headed to the door, the little bell ringing his departure.

Outside, the man from before was lingering, inspecting his ride. He glanced up as Nick stepped outside.

“This your bike? She’s a beaut. What year is she?”

“2016”

The man whistled. “Damn. She’s in pristine condition. You ever take her on the track?”

“Yeah. A few times.” Nick was watching the guy with interest. At first sight he wouldn’t have taken him for a gearhead. He looked more of the academic type with his preppy hair, chinos and button-down shirt.

“Sweet!” He was looking at Nick now with a big grin on his face, all previous signs of animosity having miraculously vanished. He held out his hand towards him. “Sorry about earlier, it’s been a rough couple of weeks. Names Jasper. Jasper Lightfoot.”

Nick took the hand offered. “Nick Dubrovski. Yeah. I understand what that’s like. I’ve had an interesting week myself.”

“So, I guess we have a few hours… I don’t suppose you can recommend a good place to grab an early lunch.”

Nick nodded. “Uh, yeah. I know a place. Do you like pub fare? I can give you the address if you wanna look it up on your phone.” Nick pulled out his own phone and opened the search engine.

“Unless you want to come with me? I hate eating alone.”

Nick looked up to see Jasper staring at him eyebrows raised hopefully as he waited for his response. It wasn’t often that Nick had company when dining out. Most of the people he knew were on a liquid diet. He hadn’t eaten this morning and the invite was immediately appealing.

“Uh, sure. Do you wanna follow me?”

“Or we could take my jeep.” Jasper was already walking down the block where Nick could now see the gunmetal grey vehicle parked. “I can drop you off after.”

Nick glanced at the time on his phone. He supposed he had nothing better to do, and time to waste. He grabbed his helmet and followed Jasper down to his vehicle, an older model wrangler that had ‘Willys’ stencilled on the side of the hood.

“Nice ride.” For an older vehicle it was in a very good condition. It was something that he could see himself owning.

“Thanks. It belonged to my brother.” He climbed in, starting the ignition.

Nick glanced in the back before climbing into the front passenger seat. The back seat was full of luggage, a large canvas duffle bag and a few hard-shell equipment cases. He set his helmet gingerly in the back among the rest of the gear, before buckling up. The next moment they were on their way.

*

“So, what do you recommend?”

They were sitting in a booth at the tavern. McGuire’s had only recently opened for the day, but already a collection of regulars was seated along the bar and amongst the tables.

Their waitress had already delivered menus, a double-sided laminated page featuring their specials. She had smiled welcomingly to them as she brought them their waters.

“The fish n’ chips are excellent.” Nick replied as he browsed his own menu. “The burgers are good, and you can’t go wrong with the pot roast and mash.” He set the menu aside and watched Jasper as he scanned his own menu.

When the waitress returned, they placed their food orders and Nick ordered a draft, Jasper an iced tea. When their drinks arrived, Nick sipped at his beer tentatively, and let his gaze drift to the window.

Across the table Jasper played with taking the paper off his straw before dropping it into his glass and taking a sip. He nodded his head approvingly. “Good iced tea. How’s your beer?”

Nick shrugged. “Tastes like beer.”

Jasper looked at him oddly.

“It’s uh… well, the last time I was here, I tried something new… and it was, uh—”

“Not something you’d try again?” Jasper supplied hopefully.

“No, it was not.” Nick smiled then.

Jasper was staring at him curiously. “So, tracking spell huh? Not too many people who even know they exist.” He was smiling at him perhaps a bit too brightly. “I mean, for most people magic is only found on a stage.”

Nick pursed his lips and took a swig of his beer, wary of how he was being scrutinized. Inside his wolf was bristling, itching to jump from his skin, he just didn’t know why. Nick shrugged in what he hoped was a nonchalant manner and dropped a smile of his own. “I dated a girl in high school who was really into witchcraft.”

Jasper seemed to consider his answer, as the waitress arrived with their meals.

Nick was more than happy for the interruption and when the waitress departed, he quickly changed the subject. “So, I take it, you’re not from around here?” He asked before popping a french-fry into his mouth. The fries were hand-cut, with the skin left on and the edges were extra crispy.

Jasper who had just taken a bite from his rather large burger, nodded his head in agreement. He swallowed momentarily. “Right you are.”

“Then what brings you to Kingsford?”

Jasper fixed him with a dead eye stare. “Revenge.”

The corner of Nicks mouth turned up in a smile as he examined Jasper’s face. He’d immediately thought he’d been fooling with him, but the lingering look in his eyes said otherwise. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

Jasper nodded and began shoveling French fries into his own mouth.

Nick cut into his fish, taking a bite as he thought. This kid: he was more than likely going to end up getting himself killed. Kingsford wasn’t exactly the place to be seeking revenge. There were a lot of unsavoury individuals who called Kingsford home and the vampires and wolven were only the tip of the iceberg.

He fixed Jasper with a serious look. “Is that what the potion’s all about?” His talk about magic earlier…he’d been fishing for information. Perhaps he too knew more about the underbelly of Kingsford than he wanted to admit and was trying to see where Nick stood.

Jasper nodded again.

Nick returned his attention to his dinner plate. “For what it’s worth, revenge; it’s never what it seems. It rarely fixes anything and it’s hardly ever as satisfying as one might think.”

Jasper smirked at him then.

Nick sighed internally. It was just as he suspected it would be. It was hard to be taken seriously, when he appeared to be no older than the person to whom he was giving the advice to.

“And what about you?” Jasper seemed blatantly cocky now. “Your potion, who are you trying to find?”

Nick had already thought out his story. Jasper had been entirely too curious earlier for him not to have come up with something. He shrugged. “Nothing as spectacular as revenge, I’m afraid. Bloke just owes me money, and I intend to collect.”