Magicless witch Vesper's life is completely turned on its side when she asks out the hottie who's been frequenting her work for two weeks.
He's a bodyguard, she's in danger, and her newly incarcerated father is not the simple man Vesper thought him...
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"Sunshine. Rainbows. Run, I should run. No, he said stay. This isn't happening. Books restocked on the right shelves. The perfect blend of quinacridone rose and lemon yellow. Mother trucking unicorns. Why did the shade chase us?"
Cute. The poor thing's world was falling apart and she recited her favorite things. I felt bad I was about to make it worse. At least I could say the shade was gone.
"Because, Minou, he's after you."
Rule one, never use a target's name, it creates an unwanted connection. I always opted for meaningless pet names that didn't fit the person in question. She was a Sunshine, for sure.
"Why?"
"Because, Little Witch, he and everyone else thinks you have the water sorcerers' soul stone."
"But I don't have whatever that is." Her nose wrinkled, she followed me to the tree lined street. "So I can just tell him and it'll all be ok."
"Don't work that way. And what the hell is wrong with you? You just stayed? What if the damned shade got past me?"
Second guessing crossed her face, her voice small, "You said stay."
"I said?!" Really this girl was something else. Anyone else would have run for their ever-loving life. She'd stayed put to satisfy me. If she kept this up, I'd break rule two; don't get involved in their personal business. Though, I shouldn't still be reverting to using my father's rules when he didn't deserve to be in my mind. "No self-preservation at all. You don't even know me! What if I was a lunatic? What if I was on his side? What then, Vesper?"
I'd dropped her name; so much for the rules. I shouldn't have taken this job. Deep breath, pinching the top of my nose, I stopped lecturing. I'd watched her for weeks; if someone told her to stuff it, I was sure she'd try just to make them happy. So damn frustrating. She reminded me of someone I knew in the worst way, and I suppressed everything I'd have yelled at him in the same situation.
"What's your job?" Accusation and suspicion laced her voice.
"To keep an eye on you."
Panic, worry and then nothing, an eerie nothing of an emotion as she nodded slowly. It was a shit-ton to process, but she'd have to do it on the move.
"Let's go." I pulled open my car door for her. Frozen, staring at my hand on her arm. That's right. The word Walter Shimizu made me memorize. "I'm Fox. Your father said to tell you moo-ra-sa-key sa-roo?"
Eyes widened, she laughed. "Decent attempt! Murasaki saru," flowed off her tongue quickly, smooth. "So he hired you?"
"To keep you safe," I nodded, tucked her into my car. "So we need to leave before anyone else shows up."
Head turned to one side, eyes narrowed at me, "What are you?"
