As promised, Uncle Al let me go to the party by keeping my father preoccupied. I slipped on a short black skirt and big grey hoodie over my black crop top. Wearing my ankle boots, I listened to Zoe chatter over the phone. "I'm pulling up at yours in a minute. Don't make me wait out long," she warned. "Calm down, woman. I'll be down in a second." I ran out of the house before my father could stop me and jumped into Zoe's car which pulled up in time. She sped off as my dad stepped out the front door, yelling my name. I threw my head back, laughing hard. "He's going to kill you when you get back.""Uncle Al said I'm allowed to stay as late as two.""I love your uncle. Do you think he will ever marry?" "He's too busy being my mother, Zoe. Eyes off my uncle.""You have to admit that he is hot. Where does he work out?" "Stop sexualizing my uncle. Gross!" Noticing my clothes for the first time, she asked, "Phoebe, why are you wearing that hoodie? What happened to the clothes we picked
I grabbed his shirt and pulled him in for a kiss, melting in his familiar taste and scent. His hands tenderly crupped my face, teased my neck, threaded through my hair and grabbed the back of my head like so. I shivered with anticipation, moaning into his mouth. He pulled back, panting, looking conflicted. "Phoebe?""What?" I kissed the corner of his lips, pressing myself against him. While he struggled to put his thoughts to words, I took off my hoodie. My nipples strained through my crop top, vying for his attention. I kicked off my shoes, taking slow steps backwards to his bed. My last time here was when I lost my virginity to him. It was an embarrassingly stupid memory but I wouldn't change Reed for anything else in the world. "Are we going to stand around all night?" I asked, tugging the top over my head.Reed made a small grunting noise as his eyes followed my hands and settled on my chest. I toyed with the band of my skirt, tugging it down. Naked, I trembled at his gaze, kno
95Riding my bicycle downtown, I came to Mama Owens. She looked the same, old and eccentric, tending to her precious flowers. Mama Owens glanced my way, noticing my gaze on her. I gave her a small smile, placing my leg on the pedal. As the bicycle slowly moved away, I noticed another figure with dyed red hair in the flower shop. Could that be Morgan? I pedaled away before I could confirm.Connor and I agreed to meet up in the public library to study for our exam coming up in two weeks. I parked my bicycle and locked it in place. Pulling on the strap of my bag, I entered the Library. Unlike usual, it was occupied. It seemed everyone was putting an effort to studying really hard. I spotted Connor hunched over a text book, airpods in his ears. Dropping my bag on the table, I settled in a chair next to him. He took off his airpods, giving me a smile. "You're late," he admonished. '"Sorry, I woke up late.""Were you up watching film series again?" "I needed to unwind." I rubbed my neck
The cruise vacation was not as fun as Uncle Al tried making it out to be. I've tried everything on his vacation list and eaten all the delicacies the ship had to offer. "Can we go home now?" I asked one more time. "Nothing excites you anymore, princess. Why did you grow up so fast?" Uncle Al sighed, sipping his cocktail. The two of us sat near the pool, watching kids jump into the pool. Lathered with sunscreen, we sunbathed and ate the tiny fruits and sipped wine. I eyed the plate of sushi on the table beside me with interest. "Did you fight with dad again or something?" I asked him, taking a bite of the sushi. "No. We aren't fighting. He is just busy with work.""Do you think Dad loves me? Do you think he blamed me for mom's death?""Where is all this coming from?" He sat up and turned on his stomach. His backside was a shade paler than his frontal. Pulling his glasses down the bridge of his nose, he said, "He loves you. Juniper has a unusual way of showing his affection.""Can
I woke on the soft grass, cheeks stained with tears. My gaze flicked to the moon goddess sipping tea in the centre of the garden. I pushed myself up to my feet and marched up to her. "What was that about?" I asked. "I showed you a snippet of what you wanted," came her response. "It does not involve Reed and Connor dying."She pursed her lips, watching me with a wary look. "That is strange. Perhaps you blame your mates for your current predicament.""No." That's impossible. A ridiculous idea. "I do not and I never have."Her tone turned grave as she said, "The world you saw came from the abundance of your heart." "No. Don't lie to me. This is a ruse to make my demand and leave your home.""Then make your wish and be done with it."Past the glamour, the Moving Goddess had a pallor complexion and appeared tired, almost sickly. Her hazel-colored hair fell in waves over slim, pale shoulders. I sat at her feet, taking in deep breaths. I needed to make a decision with a clear head. "Cou
"There is an agitation from the neighbouring Packs," Connor suddwenly said over breakfast. His gaze slid over to me. "They claim they experienced witchcraft."Troubled, I dropped my spoonful of cereal. "Are they sure it's witchcraft?""They definitely do. A number of men are raising their voices and insinuate that you have something to do with it.""Just because I have a witch ancestry does not mean I did it. Besides, I don't have my powers." I showed my palms as if they held proof of my ineptitude. "We have to prove that to them. They won't take our word for it unless they see it for themselves," Reed sighed, shaking his head. He browsed through magazine, waving an half eaten toast. "How? Throw myself off a building?""No need to go extreme. We could do a public test, showing everyone that you are as human as human can be," Connor said. "How?""It's just this test we do to captured witches we find wandering in our territories," Reed offered. "It's archaic but it functions."My sto
"How was your work out?" Reed called out, slouched on the sofa in the living room. He played Princess dress up and tea party with Ginny and Rue Rue letting them braid his hair, put make up on him and paint his nails. "I don't even know how I'm still alive." I groaned, feeling like a noodle. My legs quivered as I forced each to take a step until I collapsed on a chair. My muscles groaned and I whimpered. "No more." "You are so unfit," Claire tutted. "How do you witches go about fighting demons with such weak muscles?" "We have endless supply of magic. Well, I used to." "This is why you all are so easy to kill." "That's offensive," I defended. "Try having everything at your fingertips and see how you'll be lazy with a flabby stomach like me." "Do not bring your stomach into this," Reed cried. "I love it just the way it is." "Aww." "Pay attention, Princess Uncle Reed," Rue Rue said, nudging him with the flowery small faux kettle. "The King is going to choose you to be his bride
"How do I look?" Reed turned from the mirror, tugging on his suit. "Beige does suit you." I helped adjust his tie right and ran my hands along the lapels. The clean scent fresh pine clung to him. "You look very handsome."He gave me a lazy and loving smile, brushing his neatly combed curls back. He pulled me close to him, his hands eagerly roaming down the curve of my ass. Before I could discourage him, his mouth swooped in to steal a kiss. His kisses began softly, then built with intensity that forced to match. I broke the kiss before it lead to retiring in bed. "We've got work to do." I kissed his cheek, ignoring the small jut of his lower lip. "You can have all this when you get back.""I'm going to have up against that wall, and on your knees in bed.""No problem. I could even twerk for you if you'd like.""Let's go ruin some bitches." A glint shone in his eyes as he engaged in his fists. "No. Remember the plan, Reed. Fight only as your last resort.""Sure, love. I'll come back