Witch Way to Turn (5 page)

“Geez Louise, I thought I was the pregnant one.” Tammy laughed.

When Breena didn’t respond, her coworker asked, “Everything all right? That’s a lot of chips. Those aren’t exactly fun-sized bags.”

“I’m fine. How much do I owe?”

“Six fifty.”

Breena dug in her pocket for a ten dollar bill, handed it to Tammy and went back to stuffing her face.

“Breena, did you hear me? Here’s your change.” Tammy waved the money at her.

“Oh, right sorry. Thanks. Hey, are you cold?” Breena asked, tightening her sweater around her.

“Hello, summertime. It’s hotter than the inside of a hog,” Tammy said, giving Breena her best whatever-look. Tammy swept her thick auburn hair into a low ponytail then leaned against the counter, pretending to fan herself. “Oh, hey, speaking of stinky things, what’d you make on your character traits paper?”

“Shit.”

“What?” Tammy dropped her hands to rub her belly, something she did recently when she seemed confused.

“Ugh. I totally forgot about class tonight.”

“Whoa, howdy. Watch out. Breena’s got big plans.”

Guess she wouldn’t be spending quality time with Myles and Jenny tonight. “Not anymore. I gotta make a phone call.” Breena tossed the now-empty Doritos bags in the trashcan behind the counter, grabbed a tissue from the box by the register and wiped the orange powder off her hands. She scooted the candy bars out of sight and opened the M and Ms.

“Okey dokey.” Tammy kept on rubbing her belly.

Breena walked past the greeting cards through the Radio Shack portion of the pharmacy–in a town without a Wal-Mart, other stores had to compensate–and into the stockroom to retrieve her cell.

In the employee bathroom, she called Myles. “How’s Jenny?” she asked between handfuls of M and Ms.

“She’s great. We went for ice cream after the park and picked up Japanese take-out on the way home. Jenny wanted to wait for you before we ate though.”

Her stomach rumbled at the thought of hibachi and she shoveled in more M and Ms. “Actually that’s why I’m calling. I completely forgot about class. You mind keeping an eye on her until I get back?”

“Of course not. But, Bree, be careful.” He sounded concerned.

“I will.”

“Call if you need me.”

“Thanks, Myles, you’re really great.”

“For you, Bree, anything.”

She flipped the cell shut and slid it into her back pocket, smiling to herself as she popped another handful of chocolate candies and thought about his last statement. Then, she got annoyed. Hell’s bells, was he giving off mixed signals or what? If he liked her, why didn’t he say it?

Or kiss me?
her libido offered.

Whatever, you need a relationship like you need a hole in your head,
Breena told herself sternly.

Too bad she didn’t believe a word of it.

It
would
be nice to have sex again–to lose herself in the brief moment when nothing mattered except the desire. The feel of skin to skin. Closeness. Her first and only time had been with a computer geek in her junior year of high school, so the desire hadn’t exactly been satisfied.

It had just kind of happened one awkward night. He’d been tutoring her in algebra and in exchange she’d helped him with his English homework. It was their fourth or fifth study session and they’d been sitting on his bed in the basement of his parents’ house. He’d suddenly grown quiet, turned to her with a nervous expression on his face and cupped his hand over her shirt. It had taken a second to realize what he was doing. He wasn’t exactly the guy she’d pictured losing her virginity to, but she’d longed to feel a connection to somebody and he seemed to care about her.

He didn’t last long enough to get her jeans pulled down but after an hour of him apologizing he’d been ready to go again. It hadn’t been all that great, and she couldn’t honestly say it was worth the guilt and rejection when he stopped calling and avoided her at school, but it had awakened a need.

Dammit, Breena. This is so not the time to be thinking about your sex life.

On her way back to the front counter, Breena stopped to break down a palate of boxes. The cart of aspirin she and Myles had been loading was still there. She pushed it out of the way and thanked her lucky stars again for listening to Myles yesterday and leaving when she did. If she hadn’t gotten to the house…she couldn’t even think about what might’ve happened.

Knowing someone else was concerned about Jenny lightened Breena’s load, even if it didn’t
actually
make things any easier for her. Besides, him being good with Jenny made him even more drool-worthy. Normally, her sister hesitated to make new friends, but not with him. She’d taken to Myles fast, following him around like a little lost pup, hanging on his every word.

Larry, the Radio Shack salesman, cracked open the door. “Hey, Breena, kill the lights when you’re done. Wanna get out of here ASAP tonight.”

Guess she’d been given her cue. She tossed the last of the boxes into the cardboard compactor and flipped off the switch. The only light came from the neon exit sign on the wall and the open door leading back into the store.

“Gotta hot date, Larry?”

He held the door open for her. “You know it. Goin’ out with an ASU freshman.”

“Score.”

“Oh, I plan on it.” He grinned.

Hell, everybody was getting some. Even dumb-as-dirt Larry had a sure thing. He wasn’t the brightest crayon in the box–Jenny had taught her that one–but he was mighty fine...for the steroid-takin’, muscle-flexin’, self-lovin’ type.

“Dang, some phone call.” Tammy clicked the receipt pen on the countertop. “I’ve gotta pee like a Russian race horse.”

“Sorry. Started breaking down boxes. And Larry was talking about–”

“Yeah, yeah. Later.” Tammy hustled past Breena. The glossy redhead took her sweet time when it came to a line of customers but let her bladder get full or open a bag of McDonald’s fries and she’d move faster than Jeff Gordon on race day.

Breena checked the clock on the wall: 6:30 PM.

Plenty of time.

But by the time her coworker finally returned from her pee break, it was almost seven. Breena snatched up her candy bars and rushed to the parking lot where her battle-worn Beetle waited to take her to the next war zone. She’d polished off the Snickers by the time she took the exit for the school.

She got to campus late, which meant all the good, safe up-close spaces had already been taken. Breena was forced to park in the lot next to the sea of oak trees with kudzu dripping over the branches. An invisible weight pushed down on her shoulders and, when she reached into the backseat for her backpack, she noticed goosebumps on her arm. When she opened the car door, the silence pressed against her and tension crept down her neck.

Someone was watching her.

She glanced around before making a wild dash for the Teagle building but didn’t see anyone. Even after she’d made it inside and found an end seat she didn’t stop thinking about the parking lot.

The three-hour
Addiction and the Family
class droned on and on. She broke the Butterfinger into little chunks and sneaked bites when the professor wasn’t looking.

Even in a classroom full of students that empty feeling gnawed at her. Breena chewed the inside of her cheek for so long a little bump formed. After jotting down the homework assignment, she followed the crowd into the hallway. The group split and dwindled, until she found herself walking to her car alone. She buttoned her sweater and folded her arms over her chest.

Breena was more than halfway across the lot before she saw the two guys standing next to her car. She tried not to make eye contact.

“You Breena Cross?” The white guy closed the distance between them.

“Who’s askin’?” she shot back.

“The witch has attitude.” The black guy moved closer.

“Hey, who you calling a witch, ass?” She gripped her car key tight against her palm, ready to go for the eyes first.

It happened so fast, she didn’t even have a chance to use her makeshift weapon. The white guy pinned her against the car door and her keys fell to the ground.

“We got her,” the white guy said. His breath smelled like rotten hamburger.

She tried to push him off her, but he forced her even harder into the door handle.

“He’s gonna be real happy with us, Jay,” the white guy practically sang.

Breena wondered who “he” was, but only for a second, because the guy’s lips pulled back and she saw his teeth. They were flat but, somehow, they looked sharp.

Sharp? What the hell?

His gaze was a roaring fire of hunger. Predatory. It looked like he wanted to rip her throat out.

He made a low growl and pressed his lips to her neck. A sound like crazed bees buzzed in her ears, nearly deafening her. She didn’t know what to do. Her palms began to sweat and, for a moment, she thought the blue light would be her saving grace, but her hands only shook.

“Back away from her.” The man sounded calm enough, but his voice had an edge to it that meant business.

“You lookin’ to lose a fight?” Jay swiveled around.

“I never lose.”

He appeared out of nowhere, grabbed Breena’s attacker by the back of his shirt and threw him a good two or three parking spaces down the lot. The black guy froze in place.

Her savior’s ears sprang up through his hair into two sharp points.

The two guys got one good look at the pointed ears and hauled tail.

Breena didn’t blame them for running. She would’ve joined them if curiosity hadn’t got the better of her. Besides, it was hard to be too scared of someone who’d just saved your life and looked sexy as all get out. So what if he had weird-looking ears?

“What are you?” She fidgeted with the strap on her backpack, swallowing her nerves.

He smiled, revealing beautiful not-at-all-sharp teeth. “You can’t tell?” He sounded surprised.

“No.” She twisted her hair. “Should I be able to?”

“I’m not sure. I’ve had very little experience with halflings.”

“You didn’t answer my question.”
Halflings?

“No. I didn’t.”

Annoyance chasing away the last remnants of fear, Breena let out a little huff. Was he trying to push her buttons?

He moved closer, his steps as graceful as flowing water. His eyes caught her attention immediately–a ghostly pale-green with a golden circle around each pupil. Standing by her side, he propped himself against the VW.

“Amazing,” he whispered, staring at her. His gaze was intense, and slightly bewildered, as if he were trying to solve a riddle.

“What is?”

“Your soul. It’s strong.”

Weird much? She shifted on her feet, eyeing the keys on the ground.

“Sorry. You must think I’m a crazy superhero-wannabe.” He shook his head and traced his finger along his open palm. “Your kind is so rare.” His eyes lit up as he smiled. He stooped to pick up the keys and handed them to her.

Breena snatched them and started backing away from the car as nonchalantly as possible.

About to run like hell? Me?

“You asked what I am,” he said.

She hesitated. Nodded.

“I’m a preternatural.”

“A what?”

Should I be scared?

It didn’t sound too horrifying–it wasn’t like he’d said vampire or anything.

“The original preternaturals were vampires who tried to become human again.”

Oh sweet baby J.

“Do you drink blood?” she gulped, taking another couple steps away from him.

“Not anymore. The thought’s revolting. We have a more sophisticated palate now.”

His bright eyes darkened and something told her it would be a good idea to get off the topic of food. “What’d you mean by halfling?”

“Just that. Half and half.”

She crossed her arms.
What am I? Coffee creamer?
“Half preternatural?”

“Yes.”

Geez, somebody was tight-lipped.
“What’s the other half?”

“The most delicious part. The human half. A witch.” He gave her a strange, emotionless smile and his ears tipped through his hair, briefly, before retracting again.

Witch?

What the hell was going on? When her attacker had called her a witch earlier, she’d assumed he’d been insulting her, in a PG sort of way…

“What do–”

Her questions were put on hold when she caught a glimpse of campus police. Too little; too late. If it hadn’t been for–she realized she didn’t even know his name–she would’ve been a goner.

The rent-a-cop’s car idled and he leaned out the window. “Everything okay here, kids?”

The officer’s comment didn’t sit well with Breena, not one little bit. She didn’t like being referred to as a “kid.” She hadn’t been a kid since the first time she’d seen Norma hit Jenny and realized she’d protect her no matter what.