Love Nip (4 page)

“Well, Em
, I couldn’t help but overhear the conversation with yourself,” she replied.

“Yeah, I have a bad habit of doing that
,” I stated, smiling. She started walking with me. She was also dressed in workout clothes, so I figured we were both going to go run.

“It really is the moon’s alignment. That’s why everyone’s being so funny
,” she said.

“Most of the people
I know are always like that, moon alignment or not. Are you going for a run?” I asked her.

“Oh
, Heavens no! I do not workout. That’s about as bad as cleaning. I like to walk the trail sometimes to clear my head,” she explained. I couldn’t figure out if I was surprised or suspicious. Given the same question, I would have answered the exact way she did. 

“Hmm. Well
, Dee-Dee, maybe I’ll see you around sometime,” I said as I started running the trail.

“Yeah
, you too, Em,” she replied, waving. I noticed she had a professional camera around her neck. I hadn’t seen it before that moment. She started taking pictures as I took off. I knew I was being paranoid, but I had trusted before and was betrayed so it was difficult to gain my trust.

I ran around the trail twice
, which equaled three miles. I felt great and hadn’t even broken a sweat. This witch thing was really paying off. Once inside my apartment, I placed my iPod on the counter and opened the fridge. Pulling out a bottle of water, I chugged the whole thing. After I had completely quenched my thirst, I searched for food. My fridge was bare, so I shut the door and opened the freezer, still with no luck. My last resort, the pantry, was also bare. I felt quite disappointed. I hadn’t eaten much all day and now I was going to have to leave the house to get something to eat. I walked next door to Gavin’s door. Desperate times called for desperate measures. I knocked and waited but he never answered. I laid my head on his door, praying he would open it.

“Emily, what are you doing?” I jumped and turned around to see Axle standing on the stairwell.

“Oh! Geez, Axle, you scared me. I was hoping Gavin was home but he’s not,” I explained.

“Why do you need Gavin?”
he asked, looking puzzled.

“Food
,” I groaned putting my face in my hands.

He laughed.
“I may not be a vampire, but I guess I can read your mind.” He lifted his hands, showing me a white paper bag in one hand and a six-pack of beer in the other.

“I love you
,” I stated, walking back to my door.

“Pumpkin,
if I would have known that this was all it took, I would’ve had you the first day we met,” he joked. I let him in and grabbed two plates and forks. He sat on the couch and started filling our plates while I put the beer in the fridge. Taking two out before closing the door, I walked over to the couch cracking the lids open. I handed him one and took my plate, scarfing down the Chinese food as fast as I could. I didn’t have time to be embarrassed between bites.

“Damn girl, you were starving
,” he said, laughing before taking a swig of his beer.

“Yeah
, sorry. I went running today and this is the first meal I’ve had all day. My mom made cookies for a date and I ate one, that was my lunch,” I explained, grabbing my beer.

“Wow a date. I didn’t know your mother was dating. Good for her
.” We finished dinner, discussing my mom’s possible date.

“So, I meet a girl today
,” I stated, picking up the plates and walking them over to the sink.

“
I didn’t realize you were into girls. That’s more competition for me,” he joked.

I washed the plates and sat b
ack down next to him. “You know what I mean. She lives in this building, and her name is Dee-Dee. She seems really nice, but something about her made me feel apprehensive. She was talking about the moon or something,” I explained. His face snapped up, giving me a questionable glance. He was a werewolf, so I guess talking about the moon was not fun for him.

“Ok
ay, I’ll look into it,” he stated.

“What? No, you don’t have to do anything I’m probably
just being paranoid,” I argued.

“Em, if you have a bad feeling that is all the proof I need to check it out
,” he explained. It was very romantic that he worried about me. He was a sexy beast, and when he showed his soft side it made me melt.

“Thanks
, Axle. I’ve had a rough day today I appreciate everything you have done.” I started thinking about what I had done to Ezra.

“Doesn’t look like you had too bad of a day
. How much did you spend at the mall?” he asked, nodding at the bags I had on the floor. I’d forgotten to put them away. Jumping up, I grabbed as many of the bags as I could hold.

“Oops, sorry. Yeah
, I did a little therapy shopping,” I told him as I threw the bags on my bed. At least that would keep me from doing anything on my bed that I shouldn’t.

“Something goin
g on with you and Ezra? You guys fighting?” he pried. I turned my head to the side and gave him a glare.

“Nothing
. I don’t want to talk about it,” I mumbled. He thought about it for a second.

“Well, I came over to make you happy. Looks like I’m doing
a crappy job of it,” he mumbled, staring me down with his big brown eyes. The man was a hunk. He may occasionally be a jerk, but I knew deep down he was a total puppy dog.

“Why
, Axle, are you apologizing for being annoying?” I joked.

He laughed
, chugged the rest of his beer, and got up to throw it away. “I think I should go,” he said, putting his jacket on. I stood up and walked to the door. Grabbing him, I gave him a hug. I squeezed him tight, it felt comforting in his arms. I must have held on too long, because he lifted my chin until our eyes met and placed his lips on mine ever so gently. I pulled away quickly.

“I’m sorry, I just don’t exactly know where I stand with Ezra any more. I
don’t want to do anything I may regret later,” I tried to explain. As soon as I said it I wanted to take it all back. Ezra and I weren’t exclusive, but it still felt wrong.

“It’s ok
ay, Em, I can wait. One day you will see that I am the better man for you and you’ll know where to find me,” he said. He kissed my forehead and walked out. I couldn’t take the stress of the day anymore, so I took a long shower and crawled into bed.

The next morning,
I woke up feeling on top of the world. I couldn’t wait to get to work and find out about Ezra’s neck. I was hoping that he just needed sleep or to eat and it would heal. I tried on three different outfits before deciding on some skinny jeans, high heels, and a tight shirt that showed way too much cleavage for work. I felt in a flirty mood. I got to work early, before anyone else. I started the coffee pot and made myself a cup. Gavin walked in soon after.

“Hey
, buddy. Where did you go last night? I had a food emergency and you weren’t home,” I questioned him. He finally looked up at me and stopped to admire.

“Emily, you look great. Who are trying to impress?”
he asked as he took my cup of coffee for himself. Axle walked in and saved me from having to answer the question. He made it halfway to his desk before he stopped and looked me up and down. Smiling, I started making myself another cup of coffee. I knew it would be a fantastic day. Axle set his things down and walked over. He leaned into my neck.

“Baby
, you look amazing. It’s not good to dress like this around me,” he whispered. I giggled. He took my coffee and walked back to his desk. I threw my hands in the air, glaring at him. I fixed myself another cup and quickly walked over to my desk. Robert walked in and set a container on Axle’s desk.

“You guys share this
,” he said, and walked into his office.

“What is it
, Axle?” I asked.

He opened it and started laughin
g. “Cookies.”

My mouth fell to the floor. My mother’s date was with Robert? No
, it had to be a coincidence. Ezra walked in soon after wearing a polo shirt with the collar propped up. He looked terrible, the dark circles under his eyes made his pale skin look grey. He came in and went straight to his desk, not looking at anyone.

“Bro, you look bad
. Rough night?” Axle teased him. Ezra became consumed in his computer.

“Axle, leave him alone
,” I warned, taking a sip of my coffee. We had meetings every Monday morning. Robert would let us know if anything new had come up or what we were to do for the week. He walked in with files in his arms. He handed us each a file.

“
Two witches came up missing this weekend, each from the same coven here in Baton Rouge. We need to look into it,” he stated. Everyone was busy reading their file; I didn’t bother because there was no way he was going to let me in on this case. I wanted it extremely bad because we were dealing with witches. I had never met another witch and it would be fun, maybe even a learning experience.

“No one thinks that t
hey might have run away together?” Gavin asked.

“Apparently the two had
some differences. The coven suspects foul play within the group,” he responded. 

“Why would they jump to that conclusion so quickly?” Axle asked.

“They said there was a big fight the night they both went missing. Everyone had a disagreement over a spell and they had to end the meeting early. I need Axle and Ezra to go talk to the group about that night, see what you can dig up. Then go to each of the girls’ homes and check it out. Gavin and Emily you keep working on your skills,” he stated. He meant my skills, Gavin’s skills were fine.

“I can’t
,” Ezra croaked out, scratching at his neck.

“What the hell is wrong with you
, Ezra? You look like a crack addict over there,” Axle joked. He was bullying Ezra and I was wishing I could send him vibes to tell him to shut up.

“
Fine, Gavin and Axle you go together. I’ll work with Emily this week,” Robert stated.

“Yay me
,” I said sarcastically under my breath. I must have said it louder than expected because everyone stopped and looked my way. “Did I say that out loud? My bad.”

“Ok
ay, everyone knows what to do, let’s get to it.” Robert headed back to his office and I started after him. “Emily, I am really busy right now I don’t have time to argue,” he said before I could even say anything.

“Robert, this job is perfect for me. It would give me a chance to meet other witches. Maybe they could even help me sort through whatever I’m going through right now
,” I laid out my case for him. He thought about it for a minute.

“This is too dangerous of a case
. You need to gain your skills before you start working,” he replied, shaking his head.

“Robert, I have skills now. I
n fact, I used magic this weekend,” I explained.

“When?”
he asked, not seeming too excited about my discovery.

“This weekend
! I blew out my trick candles. I magically blew them out,” I argued.

“Emily, you blew out a candle. I don’t think that constitutes as using magic
,” he replied.

“Look
, Robert. I am feeling much stronger now. I just need to get out of this office so I can find my powers. You can’t lock me away and expect me to grow. You have to let me free. Please, I need this case,” I begged.

He thought about it again f
or a minute and finally sighed. “Maybe you’re right. This would be a good opportunity for you.”

“
Excuse me, can you repeat that first part again?” I asked, smiling. I was about to jump out of my heels I was so excited.

“You got the job
. Don’t push your luck before I change my mind,” he threatened. I did a happy dance in his office.

“One other thing
, Emily. Before you leave, what is going on with Ezra?” he asked. I had to play dumb, I couldn’t betray Ezra and spill the beans.

“I have no idea, maybe you should talk to him
,” I answered, still smiling. I couldn’t wait to get started. He shook his head, walking out of his office with me.

“Change of plans
, guys. Axle, you and Emily are doing this case together,” he said before walking back to his office. I stood very proud of myself, smiling brightly. All three of the guys were looking at me in shock. I walked back to my desk, grabbed my things, and started towards the door.

“Are you coming
, Axle? We have a case to solve,” I bragged, tapping my foot at the door. He grabbed his jacket and keys, and headed out with me. Ezra stopped us in the hall.

“Axle, I need a moment with Emily
,” he stated. Thankfully Axle didn’t argue; he nodded.

“I’ll go get the car and meet you out there
,” he told me and walked away.

“How are you feeling?” I asked him
, worried.