Spells on Shelves

Chapter 13 || She's With Me

By the time, Paxton stopped the jeep in front of the city hall it was almost lunch time. The building was situated right in the center of Brookside, next to the city center and a few restaurants.

However, instead of his office, he headed for a small diner. He gestured to the outside chairs and tables. "You can grab a seat while I pick up a few things we need."

My stomach growled as the warm smell of bacon and eggs drifted over from the kitchen. He planned to solve it with food? Not that I was complaining.

Paxton smirked. "I'll get us something to go."

So he'd heard that.

I took a seat at one of the rustic metallic tables and tilted my face toward the sun, soaking up its warmth. The streets were getting busier by the minute with people heading out for lunch breaks, eager to catch the last rays of sun before winter raised its ugly claws.

A tall blond boy left the administrative building followed by a woman in a black leather jacket and a short girl with long copper-red hair. Livvy and Rina.

His head held high, the boy strode, or rather strutted, ahead of them as if he owned the place. I suppressed a smile. Somebody was showing off for Rina's sake.

I quickly studied the card. Don't see me, don't—

"Jade," Livvy called loudly. She really made it hard to pretend to be invisible.

Rina braked at the sight of me, her eyes wide. She muttered a few hushed words to Livvy, pivoted on her foot, and disappeared back inside.

I swallowed the sudden lump in my throat. Then again, had I really expected a bunch of kids to want to hang out with me?

Livvy stopped at my table, dragging the male teen along. "Jade, you remember Sebastian, right? His brother Nathanial just joined his department in law enforcement"

I steered my eyes away from the administrative entrance. Nathaniel had the same facial structure, tapered, honey-blond hair, and silver-gray eyes as his brother. The kid was good-looking. A few more years and he'd be as handsome as his brother.

My grip on the menu tightened. "Ah, hi."

He greeted me with a curt nod, his gaze wandering the street with a certain aloofness. Then he did a double-take behind him and deflated a bit. "Where's Rina?"

Livvy pushed him into the seat opposite me. "She'll be back in a moment. Why don't you wait out here with Jade while I go and order? Sebastian should be here soon. We can all eat together!"

"Ah," I started. "I'm here with—"

But she had already gone inside before I could finish my sentence. I peered through the window. Paxton was nowhere to be seen.

A breeze ruffled my hair. His nostrils widened in typical shapeshifter manner and he suddenly sat up straight. His face twisted in confusion and something akin to fascination.

He gave me a slow, assessing once-over. His tone carried an unmistakable air of arrogance. "What was your name again?"

"Jade."

"Ah, our new resident witch." He pronounced "witch" with the same disdain most people reserved for trash. "No wonder those idiots got away with breaking into your place."

I edged away from him. "Excuse me?"

He threw me a triumphant grin. "I'd been wondering how they did it but then I heard you're just tier five."

He had to be referring to Kai and the others.

"It must be tough for a little witch who's spent her entire life huddled behind walls to brace the big bad world," he continued. "But don't worry, shifters don't bite."