She flopped back beside me and folded her arms behind her head. “The full moon’s coming—but before that, we have our coven’s biggest event of the year: the Halloween Masquerade.”
I sat up. “Wait, really?”
Her eyes sparkled. “Yes. Which means one thing: shopping.”
I gave her a look. “Rune’s never going to let us leave the compound after the mist wolf thing.”
Adelle wiggled her brows. “Our mother is taking us.”
I blinked. “That sounds like even more reason for Rune to say no.”
She grinned. “Our mother’s a force of nature. You don’t give her rules.”
“Okay,” I said, somewhat excitedly. “When?”
“Tomorrow!” The room was practically thrumming with energy now. You didn’t need magic to feel it in the air. “You’re going to need something show-stopping.”
I giggled. “Why me? Why not you?”
Her eyes cut to me. “I’m pretty sure that’s when Rune is going to hard launch his relationship with you.”
I pressed my hands to my cheeks, which were definitely bright pink now. “Already? We’ve hardly seen each other since the whole mist wolf thing…”
Adelle frowned. “He hasn’t asked you out again.”
After the comment about wanting to taste me… No.
I shivered at the thought. “Not really.”
One of her brows lifted. “He has been busy trying to prepare for the first full moon since our father passed, and we arefinallydoing a funeral. Plus, the masquerade, but that is all my mother’s doing, thankfully.”
I looked down at my lap. “Do you think he needs help?”
A slow, mischievous smile bloomed across her face. “Oh, honey. Ithinkyou should definitely offer. Especially since you still haven’t figured out how to prep for the full moon. Two cauldrons, one fire.”
I ranmy hands down the front of my skirt, nerves bouncing around in my chest. I’d gone for casual—well, casualcute—with a white crop top that dipped just enough to make me second-guess everything. The fitted skirt hugged my hips before flaring out at my knees, and my black stud earrings matched the wrap-around sandals laced up my ankles. But it was my hair that had nearly defeated me. Thankfully, Adelle had stepped in with her magic hands—literally or not, I wasn’t sure—and coaxed my curls into the cutest half-up, half-down style I’d ever worn. I loved her for it. I even dusted on some makeup. A swipe of gloss. A bit of mascara. And just like that… I almost felt like a new woman. Then I remembered I was doing all of this for Rune, and my stomach bottomed out all over again. Maybe this was silly. I took two steps back toward my room, but Adelle pushed me forward.
“You’ve got this!” She smacked my bum and walked off. I shimmied out my limbs and decided she was right. I did have this, and if I wanted more, I was going to have to take it for myself.
I marched across the compound with a newfound confidence and knocked lightly on Rune’s office door. He hadn’t left that room often in the last week since we’d seen each other.
“Yes?” He called on the other side.
I pushed the door open and stopped short.
Babette was perched on the edge of Rune’s desk like she owned the place. She was leaning in close, her cleavage everywhere, her eyes locked on Rune like she was seconds from climbing into his lap.
The confidence I’d gathered just minutes ago? Poof. Gone.
Rune’s brow furrowed as he glanced up at her—then at me.
No one said a thing.
I stood there, heart jackhammering, sweat pricking my palms, trying to summon something—anything—to say.
Finally— “Hi.”
Rune straightened behind his desk and adjusted the collar on his shirt. “That’s all, Babette, you can leave now.”
