Chapter 9

MISTY

My room was stifling, but it looked like a storm was coming. I opened the sliding door, hoping for some cooler air.

“Are you okay?” my mom asked from the door.

“I’m fine.”

“What did Josh say? I saw your face and knew it was nothing good.”

I shook my head. “He was unbelievably crude, and I can’t repeat it. I think he wanted to get a rise out of me, and like an idiot, I fell for it. I don’t know how the window shattered. I didn’t even touch it.”

“I think the buffet table knocked into it. Don’t worry about it.” She waved her hand dismissively. Wow, she’d never done that before.

“Chelsea told me about the palace invite. Did you know her dad was made beta?” I asked.

“Oh, I didn’t, but good for Karl. So, you’ll be able to see Chelsea on Friday?”

“Yes, but what will we do about a dress?”

“Come with me,” she smiled, stretching her hand out.

“Okay…,” I said, intrigued.

She pulled me into their bedroom and opened the closet. “Can you get that case off the shelf?”

I stood on tiptoes, grabbed the handle of an old case that looked like it was made of cardboard, and put it on the bed. My mom popped the latches and removed a garment bag, a secretive smile on her face.

“What have you been hiding?” I asked, her excitement feeding mine.

“Well, this dress has been in the Ross family for decades,” she explained, unzipping the bag.

My face fell. Decades? What the hell type of dress did she want me to wear?

“Now, don’t freak out; it’s discolored, but we could dye it black and make it look like Wednesday’s dress in the series. What do you think?”

I loved that idea. She pulled the dress out of the garment bag and held it up. It looked more like a wedding dress and was probably white or ivory at some point.

I examined it, and my mom was right. It needed shortening and would look pretty similar when dyed black.

“Okay, but will it fit me?”

“It will, and I will make some alterations. All we need is a broad leather belt, and I promise you, Misty, you will be the belle of the ball.”

“Okay,” I smiled. “Let me try it on.”

Stripping off my clothes, I slipped into the dress. It fit perfectly, and I swirled in front of the mirror. “You’re the best, and I love it. You should have been a seamstress—you know that? You’re so good at alterations.”

My mom often did alterations at Monolith but never charged for them. I knew the dress would be fabulous once she finished it, and I couldn’t wait to see the results.

“Thanks, honey. I know you will look stunning with that figure of yours.”

I must have taken after my dad’s family, because my mom wasn’t nearly as tall or curvy—though she was still beautiful with her chestnut hair and gray eyes.

“Thanks, Mom,” I said and carefully removed the dress.

Kissing her cheek, I bounced to my room to call Chelsea. The call went to voicemail, so I sent her a message. I lay on the bed and must have dozed off, only waking when lightning flashed and thunder crashed.

~“We can’t go for a run now,”~ Cammy wailed disappointedly.

~“The storm will pass, and then we can. The forest will smell divine after the rain.”~

The storm lasted less than half an hour, and I found my dad napping on the couch.

“Dad?”

He opened one eye and nodded. “Okay, Misty, meet you on the back porch.”

I hurried to my room, undressed, shifted, and waited on the back porch for him. My dad’s wolf, Silas, was pure black from paws to tail, like Cammy.

~“We’ll stick to the path and just do a short run,”~ he linked me as he trotted toward the forest.

The forest smelled terrific, and I marveled at how everything always fell into perspective while in wolf form. As humans, we worried about so much shit and forgot to smell the roses—forest, in this case.

It was a short run because I had to be at Lloyd’s at seven. With a sudden pang, I realized I hadn’t missed the Monolith or dreamed of the decapitated head. Maybe my parents were right, and I needed distance.

On the way back, I got the feeling we were being watched. Turning, I saw the outline of what looked like a wolf, but when I looked again, it was gone, and it must have been my imagination.

Once back, I dressed in a skin-tight minidress so Lloyd could see what he was missing. Adding sandals, I finger-combed my hair and set off.

Again, he was waiting for me at the door, those green eyes missing nothing. He moved slightly as though he was uncomfortable, and I made a point of looking at his crotch.

“So, what’s on the menu tonight?” I asked airily.

He looked me up and down. “I was going to make you run, but you’re not wearing the uniform.”

“It’s Sunday, and I’m supposed to be off.” He gestured me inside, and I walked straight to the table and picked up the first book. “What’s this?” I asked.

“What does it look like?”

I read the title “Registration of Covens.” Oh fuck, so Chelsea ~was~ right. Witches had existed…

“Your people…”

I gave him a dirty look. “Thanks for rewarding Josh,” I said off-handedly, purposely not thanking him for helping me at Sleazy’s.

He stared at me, a muscle ticking in his jaw. Then it struck me: all I had to do was touch him to make him uncomfortable.

I sashayed closer and trailed my fingers along his cheek and neck to his collarbone. Unable to resist, I flattened my hand against the hard planes of his chest.

He jerked back as though he’d been stung.

“Don’t touch me,” he gritted.

“Your body wants me…” I looked down to see his cock swell. “Why don’t you tell me exactly why you hate me?”

He growled loudly before yanking me close. One hand fastened around my nape, keeping me in place as his lips came down on mine brutally.

I gasped as tingles spread, and he slipped his tongue in and explored every part of my mouth. Goddess, this was amazing—addictive. Every cell in my body sat up in euphoria.

I was just about to wind my arms around his neck when he pushed me so hard I tripped over my own feet, my arms windmilling for balance.

Before I could fall, Lloyd reacted, his lightning-fast reflexes just a blur as he grabbed the fabric of my mini-dress, tearing it from cleavage to stomach. His eyes widened before an arm wrapped around me and pulled me close.

I didn’t have time to breathe before his mouth was on mine again. One hand dropped to my butt, scrunching the dress up and squeezing my bare ass. Without realizing it, I ground my hips against him and moaned.

His hand encircled my neck completely and pushed me away slowly so I wouldn’t fall until I was an arm’s length away from him.

“What the hell?” I exclaimed.

“Never touch me again, understood?” he snarled.

“You were the one to kiss me,” I shouted, my ego bruised as much as my lips.

“Your evil charms at work…”

Evil? “So, it’s my fault? Fuck you,” I spat over my shoulder furiously and ran out the door.