Ariella's biggest desire in life has always been such a simple one. She wants to be 'normal.' Unfortunately, that one simple wish has never been within her grasp. Coming from a long line of witches is bad enough, but she's even more different than t...
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I walked into work the following day dragging. It looked like the months of interrupted sleep had finally caught up to me, and I felt drained. My morning run and training hadn't helped at all.
Julian had joined us for the first time. Lucien had been surprised to see him at first, but he hadn't asked any questions once I shot him a look, conveying that I'd explain later. We had both spent our morning teaching Julian some basic self-defense moves. He wasn't as fast a learner as I had been, but I thought he'd do fine. If nothing else, it should at least help him get some anger out.
"Good morning, Ari," Abi chirped happily from behind the counter, entirely too cheerful for my current mood. When all she got was a grunt of response, she glanced over at me with her lips twitching in amusement. "Rough night?"
"More like rough few months," I said cryptically.
"We got a shipment of new books last night. Think you can stock the shelves? I don't think you're ready for customers yet."
I grabbed one of the boxes from the counter and made my way towards the shelves Abi indicated with a silent nod. I pushed my AirPods into my ears, hoping to lose myself in the monotonous task and the sound of the music.
Only a few minutes into my task, Abi tapped me on the shoulder and handed me a cup of coffee. I smiled gratefully and downed the cup while placing more books on the appropriate shelves. Thankfully, it didn't take long before I felt the coffee taking effect. Feeling a little more alive, I smiled over at Abi, who returned the gesture with a wink.
Hearing the beginning chords to one of my favorite songs, I subconsciously began to dance along to the beat of the music while continuing to work. By the time the next song started, I had lost myself to the music.
After a few more songs, the tiny hairs on the back of my neck stood up, and I froze, already knowing there were eyes on me. Only just realizing that I'd been dancing around in the middle of the store, I glanced around, praying that I was wrong. Abi was still standing behind the counter with a giant grin on her face as she stared back at me.
Continuing to scan the store, my eyes caught on something that had me wanting to sink into the floor. Everett sat in a chair a few yards away with one ankle crossed over the opposite knee. He was leaned back in the seat, looking comfortable as if he had been there for a while. His eyes were locked intently on me, amusement shining bright in their depths, and a small smile graced his lips.
I yanked the AirPods from my ears, wishing to escape the store, but wanting to keep this job.
"Oh, don't let me stop you," he comments. Just the sound of his voice affected me just as it had the first time I'd heard it. My stomach tightened, and a strange sensation I was unfamiliar with raced up my spine.
"H-how long have you been there?" I asked, wincing at my nervous stutter.
His grin grew wider as he continued to watch me squirm in embarrassment. "A while."
