Veiled Spirits

My lips tip up into a small smile at his offer. The aloof wolf seems to have a soft center underneath all the gruffness.

“Thanks,” I respond, knowing I won’t take him up on it. Most of the messed-up shit I’ve seen that I should probably talk to someone about is magic related. Talking about it puts the other person in danger, so I just keep it all inside. Letting it fester isn’t the healthiest option, but I don’t really have any other choice.

We walk in companionable silence down the main street for probably ten minutes. When we turn the corner, I spot a seventies Dodge Charger. It has shiny blank paint and white leather seats. With it looking pristine, it’s clear someone takes very good care of the muscle car.

“St. James!” I call. When he looks back at me, I point out the Charger excitedly. Bishop smiles at my enthusiasm and looks where I point. When he spots the black car, he knows exactly what I’m fangirling over.

Bishop nudges Luca and nods back to me. When Luca sees me staring at the car, a full-blown grin crosses his face. “You like my car, little one?” My heart skips a beat at his genuine joy. Putting that smile on his normally scowling face makes my insides warm and mushy.

“That’s yours?” I squeak without taking my eyes off the coolest car I’ve ever seen.

“Yeah. I restored it myself.” Luca walks over to the Charger, and I follow him. I try not to swoon at seeing my dream car in person.

“That’s so cool!” I gush.

“Do you like cars, Izzy?” Luca leans against the hood of the muscle car. He crosses his arms as he watches me with one side of his mouth still kicked up in a smile. Luca’s charcoal tee rides above his jeans in this position. I mostly succeed at not drooling over his washboard abs.

“Yeah, I think old cars are cool. But I like Chargers like yours because of my favorite show of all time.”

“What show?” Archer asks. He looks like he’s trying to smother a laugh at my excitement over Luca’s car.

“Burn Notice.” It’s by far the best show ever made. I’ve watched it so many times, I practically have it memorized. I can recite the opening monologue by heart, at this point.

“Never heard of it. I’ll have to watch it sometime.” Archer grins down at me as I beam up at him. His golden blond hair falls in front of his aquamarine eyes when he tilts his face down to mine. My eyes flick down to his full lips as I wonder what it’d be like to kiss him.

Fuck. That’s not a thought I need to be having. I whip my gaze away from the kissable wolf and back to the car.

“Do you know how to drive stick shift, little one?” Luca asks, dragging my attention to him.

It takes me a moment to realize what he’s asking. “You’d let me drive it?” My voice is high pitched with shock. I thought guys were supposed to be super weird about letting other people drive their cars. Luca just nods at me. “That would be so cool! I don’t know how to drive at all, though.” I’ve never regretted my inability to drive until now. There’s really no need to drive when I can just portal wherever.

“I’ll have to teach you, then.” Luca grins as I run to him. I wrap him in a quick hug before stepping back. I know I have a stupid smile on my face, but oh well. “Speaking of that, we wanted to talk to you about the dates you promised us. What days work the best for you?”

I’m momentarily stunned speechless. I didn’t think the big wolf gave a shit about my schedule. He keeps surprising me by being thoughtful, and I don’t like it. It’s easier to stay away when he’s a major ass.

“Mondays are usually my only free day, so I guess any Monday will work.”

“What do you do the rest of the week?” Cain asks me.

“Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, I work. Wednesdays and Sundays, I volunteer. Most Fridays are family dinner nights.” Keeping busy takes my mind off everything I have to worry about. I try to pack my days full, so I don’t have much time to think about all the things that can, and likely will, go wrong in my life.

“We’ll take your next three Mondays, little one. I’ll meet you after school this coming Monday,” Luca informs me. I nod while grimacing at the awful nickname he came up with for me.

Archer surprises me by wrapping me up in a hug. He squeezes me tight and plants a kiss on top of my head. When he lets me go, Archer jogs around to the other side of the Charger.

Cain eyes me like he wants to give me a hug but doesn’t want to get stabbed. Smart wolf. Sighing, I open my arms in invitation. He walks into my arms and gently wraps his muscled arms around me. Cain acts like I’ll break if he squeezes me too hard, but I’m made of tougher stuff than that.

“See you around, angel,” Cain tells me with a small smile as he follows Archer around to the other side of the muscle car.

Bishop, Levi, and I retreat to the sidewalk as we watch the three wolves drive away. It feels like a chunk of my heart is driving off with them. Part of me cries out for them, hurting with the distance between us. I ruthlessly squash it down.

Even though Luca can be a shithead, I’m already starting to care for the wolves. That’s why I won’t ever let anything happen between us. Caring about someone means I have to let them go. No matter how much it kills me inside.

CHAPTER 16

IZZY

“Are you following me home?” I ask Bishop once the wolves are out of sight.