“I’d better get back to the station.I’ll add the letter to the stash of others.But Camille, you might want to consider some form of protection for the store here.Bars on the windows, maybe?”
I shook my head.“I don’t want to do that—at least, not unless I have to.But I’ll fashion some wards and other magical protection.I promise.Meanwhile, call us if you need anything.I don’t know what this is,” I held up the disc, “but I have a bad feeling about it.I’ll figure out what we’re dealing with.Just be careful,” I added.
He smiled, thanked me, and took off.I stared out into the gray day as Henry Jeffries entered the shop.Iris vanished into the back—he had a tremendous crush on her, one that she didn’t return—so I headed over to help him.But the metal disc weighed heavy in my pocket, and I had an odd sense that Chase had set something in motion.And whatever that ‘something’ was, it wasn’t good.
CHAPTERTWO
At one-thirty precisely,Erin Mathews showed up for our meeting.She was carrying a cute floral tote, and looked eager, but not anxious.I motioned for her to follow me over to the sofa in front of the window.
“Have a seat,” I said, taking a long swallow of my drink.“Would you like something to drink?We have an espresso machine.”
Erin let out a long breath.“Thanks.I’ll have whatever you’re having.”
“Are you sure?This is a quad shot mocha,” I said.I loved being wired up on caffeine, but I knew some humans couldn’t handle the drug.
Erin blushed.“Well, maybe adouble-shotmocha?”
“I’m on it,” Iris said, heading toward the office.
We settled on the sofa, watching the hustle outside the window.I turned to Erin.She was star-struck—the look in her eyes told me that my glamour had hit a bullseye.It was innate and I tried not to abuse it, but possessing what amounted to a natural charm spelldidhave its uses.I tried to avoid turning it on full force around friends.
“So, what can I do for you today?”
She stammered over her words, blushed again, and said, “I’m sorry.I’m nervous.”
“Don’t be,” I said, reaching out to place my hand on her arm.“It’s okay.Just us girls here.”
“I know, but damn, I have to tell you, it’s hard… You’re… You’re fromOtherworld!”Erin blurted out, then pressed her lips together, looking miserable.
I squeezed her arm.“Take a deep breath and let it out slowly.Everything’s okay.”
One thing wehadn’texpected when we came over Earthside was that we became instant celebrities.While we kept our OIA connections secret, the fact that we were from Otherworld was impossible to cover up, and that gave us a free pass for a lot of things.
Over here, the Fae—half-human or not—had developed a fangirl cult status.We were the newflavor of the month.But instead of a passing fancy, we seemed to be settling in as city celebs.And Erin was star-struck.
“Yeah, I am,” I said, giving her a soft smile.“And you had something to ask me, so ask away.I wouldn’t sit here talking to you if I didn’t want to.”
That seemed to shake her out of it.She returned my smile.
“Thank you.I’m president of the local Faerie Watchers Club.I know it sounds corny, but…we’re a huge fan club.We love the fact that Otherworld and Earthside have connected.We all knew other worlds like yours existed, but now it’s all true.”
I nodded.A lot of people hated that fact, but it was nice to talk to someone who embraced it.
“Here in the Seattle branch, we have a book club because so many of us are readers,” she continued.“We’ve been wondering, since you’ve opened a bookstore, maybe you’d let us meet here once a month.We read both nonfiction and fiction focused on the world of Faerie.And we thought you might be able to dispel some of the myths when we’re reading some of the nonfiction?—”
As her words sped up, her embarrassment faded.Erin was truly passionate about the subject.Being a reader myself and loving books, I understood.
“I think that would be dandy,” I said, gently breaking into her speech.“If it’s only once a month, I’d love to host your meetings here at the Indigo Crescent.I might not be able to make all of them, but we can work out arrangements.”
She sat back, speechless.After a moment, she sputtered, “Really?You’ll let us meet here?”
“Yes.All I ask is that you keep all refreshments in this area instead of near the books.”I glanced over at the counter.Iris was trying to answer some questions an obviously irate customer lobbed her way.“Listen, I need to attend to something, but I’m going to send Iris over to talk to you about scheduling your club’s first meeting, okay?”
Erin nodded.“Oh, go do what you need to!I’m just so grateful that you said yes.”She seemed to have calmed down and looked much more comfortable than she had at first.
I headed over to sort out whatever was wrong.As soon as she saw me coming, Iris quickly stepped off the box.
“Here’s the owner.She can help you more than I can,” Iris said.Before the woman could answer, Iris turned to me.“Do you want me to talk to Erin?”