Spells on Shelves

Chapter 7 || Witch Hunter

Even on a Monday evening, the restaurant was buzzing with people. This time, instead of chatter, I was met with a muffled static noise. At the center of each table sat a thick amethyst, probably equipped with a relatively high-grade silencing charm. No wonder it was so popular.

I spotted the back of Livvy's blonde head seated across an equally blond man with military-style short hair. He stood up as I made my way through the crowd, only to do a double take when I approached, his nostrils flaring.

I didn't need to check to know he was a shifter.

"There you are," Livvy greeted me excitedly. "Let me introduce you. This is Sebastian Holt. He's head of the law enforcement. Sebastian, meet Jade, our new witch."

Speak of the devil.

Silver-gray eyes zeroed in on me. "Nice to meet you," Sebastian Holt said, his voice pleasant and deep. His whole demeanor projected competence.

He reached out and shook my hand. His palm was rough and warm. Clean-shaved, and well-dressed in a white shirt and dark pants, Holt's whole attire put a stark contrast to Paxton in his faded sweatpants.

And for some reason, he still held my hand.

"C-can I have my hand back, Mr. Holt?"

"Oh, of course," he said, releasing me. "Please, call me Sebastian."

"We were discussing the upcoming summit," Livvy said with a bright smile.

"I have just emphasized the importance of presenting a united front. We need to serve as a role model demonstrating that mixed-supernatural relations can indeed thrive. I hope you could be part of this."

I took a seat. "Um, sure."

"Excellent. Its lovely to have you join us in December," Sebastian added, catching me off guard yet again. "I have a meeting scheduled with Cameron. I'll see you around, Jade."

His smile was a little too dazzling—another perfect detail in his overall neat appearance. If his good looks ran in the family, I could understand why Rina had a crush on his brother.

Once he was gone, Livvy leaned forward, a grin playing on her lips. "So, what do you think of Sebastian?"

"He seems... nice," I replied distractedly. "But what exactly did I just agree to?"

"The summit. I was hesitant to ask you but now that that's settled."

I went still, careful to keep my smile in place. "Where was it again?"

"It's in Kansas City this year."

Kansas City. A perfect place to disappear if I didn't do it beforehand.

"Sure," I said.

"I'm happy you called by the way. We should do this more often."

We ordered, salmon and noodles for Livvy and steak and potatoes for me. The food was delicious. Livvy and I talked about anything really until I deemed it safe to ask what I really came for.

"Are there only shifters living in this town?" I asked her.

"No, of course not. Mrs Rose who runs the bakery down the street is a druid. Never take any drinks from her she likes to put stuff into everything. Then there are a few vampires—you met Edward already—and humans."

I glanced at the silencing gem glowing in the center of the table. They were expensive, but with shifters and their heightened senses, setting these up was almost a requirement to ensure their guests could talk in privacy. "And like what type of shifters are there?"