Page 39 of A Lesson in Deceit (Mystic Riegan Duet #1)

Riley

I ’d woken up Friday morning, realizing River hadn’t texted me back after I sent him a casual checking in message.

He was quieter than usual about his plans, but I never really pushed when it came to him.

He didn’t try to ever force me to tell him things when I didn’t want to, so I took the hint and decided not to push my luck.

He could handle himself and whatever it was that he was doing. I decided to pull out the book I had been reading—a retelling of one of my favorite stories from when I was a kid—when Corrin came through our door, letting it slam on the other side of the wall.

“Well hello to you too,” I said, slightly used to her antics, letting out a small laugh and focusing back on my book.

She hustled over to me, taking my book from my hands. I lifted my hands, confused. “Uncalled for, but I’m listening.” The fact that I’d lost my place had my blood boiling.

“Do you have plans tonight?” Corrin asked, tapping her nails on my novel.

“Yes, getting lost in a world that isn’t this one.”

“It will have to wait, if you want to get closer to figuring shit out,” she huffed, dragging me off my bed.

I slapped her hands away. “What are you talking about?”

Corrin turned around and strolled over to our closet. “I found a witch who can see into the past.”

I nearly flew over to her, tugging her shoulders so she would look at me. “And we didn’t think of this before, because…?”

“It’s very fucking weird to go around and ask strangers at your university if they have seer magic.

I might have asked Mateo to keep an eye and ear out if one just happened to come into the bar.

” Corrin tugged a few options off the rack and threw them at me.

“Don’t worry, I didn’t tell them any details.

Mateo is a great listener though, their temper could use some work, but maybe that’s just a possessive thing they need to work on. ”

“I thought only wolf shifters went to a wolf shifter bar?”

My roommate pulled a jacket out, putting it on. “It’s owned by shifters, but it’s open to everyone. It’s all about respect. If you don’t show it to them, then well they might just go full wolf and eat you.” Her tone was casual, while I thought that entire sentence over in my head.

I took a top and skinny jeans from the pile of clothes I was holding and went to the bathroom. “What makes you think she is going to want to help us?”

“She graduated from a university that houses the coven mine can’t stand, apparently. If she has any chance of making an ass of mine then she will.”

I poked my head out of the bathroom giving her a skeptical look. She was on her bed now, kicking her legs back and forth. “What? Mateo is a great bartender. Solid listener, like I said.”

“You mean eavesdropper.”

She mumbled whatever , while I pulled a claw clip out of my bag of hair accessories. I took a few of my braids from each side and pulled them to the back. I held the clip and secured them, then made sure there were no fly away hairs out of place that I would have to use gel to secure.

When I looked at myself in the mirror, a light bulb went off and I flinched. “I can’t go.”

“And why not?”

“My best friend since forever is coming down tonight and I promised I would see her.” I would also see her this weekend at River’s party, but this was our chance to be alone and spend time just us.

I started to make my way back over to my bed, prepared to sit this one out and hope that Corrin came back with good news.

“Okay, then bring her.”

I stopped, slowly looking over at her. “To the bar? She doesn’t know what we’re trying to do about any of this. It’s going to be really hard to try to have a conversation with a memory witch and not mention some key details.”

Corrin tapped her chin. “Hmm, you know how you fix that?”

I tapped my foot on the ground, waiting.

“You tell her. Shocking, I know.”

At this moment, my hair clip felt tight and a raging headache was barreling its way through. “She’ll think I’m insane for doing this in the first place.”

Corrin chuckled. “I mean, it is just a little bit wild to transfer schools just to find the truth. It’s also really fucking cool. And the fact that you still maintain good grades is like superhero level impressive.”

“Not everyone is as overwhelmingly accepting as you.”

She sighed dramatically. “True. I am one of a kind, but if she’s one of your best friends, I think she’ll understand more than you think. I understand keeping it from all your boyfriends, but not from your girls.”

She plucked my phone off my dresser and handed it to me. “Hustle, babe.”

I sighed, scrolling till I found my text thread with Marianne.

Can you get a ride to Marth Moon?

MARIANNE

I could, but why would I do that?

Meet me there, please.

MARIANNE

Isn’t that the wolf shifter bar in Mill Valley?

Yup. I promise I’ll explain everything when you get there.

MARIANNE

Here I thought we were just getting sushi tonight. You’ve gone and went all mysterious on me. Sure, I’ll head that way when I get home and grab the car from my mom.

I swung my phone between my fingers. “It’s done.”

River had finally texted me back, professing how sorry he was that he hadn’t responded and he would make it up to me tomorrow night.

I sat in the passenger seat of Corrin’s car and watched the trees go by as we turned down another street.

The woods were getting a little thicker the deeper we went, but surprisingly there were still signs of civilization.

Neon lights and signs that matched came into view.

Corrin parked on the gravel lot, turning off her car.

I looked around noticing that Marianne’s car wasn’t here yet, so I got out, taking in my surroundings.

The Marth Moon sign glowed brightly in a yellowish hue with a half-moon over the N.

The parking lot wasn’t packed, but it wasn’t exactly empty.

Laughter could be heard from inside and a few patrons were hanging out along the perimeter.

The smell of cigarette smoke and something else filled my nostrils.

I sniffed the air, trying to figure out what it was.

“That’s the marth.”

“The what?”

Corrin motioned for me to follow her towards the building. “While also being a decently well-known shifter bar, they are also pretty sought after for brewing their own beer. Instead of yeast, they use marth. It has more of a scent, but it makes the most delicious drinks.”

“And they just magically get this marth…how?”

Corrin gave me a devious smile. “Witches. There are a few ingredients you need to make it, but you also need magic to finalize the product. They had someone for years and then after I’d been with Mateo for a while, I offered up my services. Potions chemistry saves the day.”

We walked up the steps and Corrin opened up the door for me. It was warm inside, which was a drastic change from the slightly chilly night air. There were a few pool tables, a life size game of checkers and an area that catered to the game of darts.

Tables and chairs were littered throughout the middle and the bar sat to the left, a few overhead lights along the top.

A couple of TVs were placed in specific spots and that marth smell grew more and more potent.

There was a well-worn couch in the front corner, now being preoccupied by a couple who were very into each other at the moment.

Corrin smiled at the girl at the bar, waving and walking over. “Where are they?”

The girl wiped her hands on a wet cloth and bit her full bottom lip. She had long silky, brown ringlets and light brown skin. “No idea. Stepped out I think. They get a little frustrated when the brew doesn’t turn out perfect the first time.”

Corrin looked as if she understood the meaning behind this girl’s words. She turned to me, taking off her jacket and placing it on the stool next to her. “So, sometimes Mateo likes to go outside and…”

She was cut off when a loud cry was heard from outside.

The girl jumped over the bar, while we stayed close behind her, running out the door. The people from outside were now in clusters, looking fairly confused but also very interested to know what the fuck was going on.

“What happened?” The bartender asked one of the guys trying to look out in the distance.

He shook his head. “No idea. Just heard the scream. Like something out of a horror movie.”

The sound of footsteps running along the gravel caught my attention. I pushed past Corrin and saw a wave of blonde hair. I squinted making sure I was seeing things right. “Marianne?”

My best friend came running towards me, her eyes wide and alert. She was breathing heavily, practically plowing me over when she reached me. “Oh my gosh! Riley! We have to go!”

“Wait! Marianne, go where? What happened?!”

She looked behind her, her body shaking.

She took in a breath, placing her hands on my arms. “I got a little turned around and then my car stalled a little bit down the street. I got out to check it out and then I heard something. It sounded like growling…I got a better look at it and its eyes flashed this yellow color that freaked me the fuck out, so…” Her shoulders tensed when a crackle came from the wooded area near the parking lot.

She shuffled behind me as if I was going to protect her from whatever it was.

“Growling and yellow eyes?” the bartender asked her.

Marianne nodded swiftly, pulling pieces of her hair from her face.

I noticed Corrin and the bartender give each other a look before rolling both their eyes.

I really wanted to be in on whatever they had silently communicated.

A large shadow extended against the ground, projected by the light from the bar and the moon.

It wasn’t monstrous, but it wasn’t just a simple woodland creature.

My breath caught when I saw paws, connected to a large, furry body, and the face of a wolf.

Its canines were pronounced and just like Marianne had said its eyes were yellow.

Its coat was deep brown, thick with a few broken leaves stuck to it.

Its eyes narrowed on Marianne, but it didn’t make a move to attack. It looked like no one in the vicinity was necessarily backing away but just waiting.

Corrin let out a heavy sigh, turning around to look at me and Marianne. She smiled, stepping away from us and towards the wolf. “Mateo, you really need to learn that no one understands you when you’re a wolf.” She looked up at the animal and extended her hand.

Mateo ?

The wolf dropped its head, pressing its snout into her palm. It shook its body, the leaves falling away, along with some dirt and dust.

“Like I said, Mateo gets a little tense when their beer doesn’t go well. They’re working on it.” She smiled, apologetically.

A small wind gust formed, circling around the wolf and after a few sparks and what sounded like bones cracking, Corrin’s partner was in front of us. And they were…naked.

A resounding oh and fuck echoed around us.

“For the love of fuck, Mateo!” the bartender screamed.

She placed her hands in front of her eyes, turning her back to them.

“As you can see, this is my younger sibling and they are nothing to be afraid of.” She placed her hand over her chest. “I’m Jade and I actually don’t love random people seeing me nude. ”

She gave us a tight smile and raced back into the bar.

Corrin tried her best to stand in front of her partner, but to no avail. “Just because you enjoy being naked doesn’t mean everyone else enjoys seeing it, honey.”

Mateo let out a loud laugh, giving their attention to Marianne over Corrin’s shoulder. “My apologies.”

Marianne stood with her mouth open. “The first time I encounter a fully shifted shifter and I also end up seeing them naked. This was not on my bingo card, but I’ll take it.” She wrapped her hair over one of her shoulders, catching her breath.

Jade came stomping back outside, throwing a robe in Mateo’s direction.

“Put some clothes on. Deja de traumatizar a la gente, pinche idiota !” She charged up to them, smacking the side of their head.

She turned around addressing all the people around us.

“Nothing to see here, please go back inside for free drinks on me.”

Mateo started laughing again but stopped the minute Jade threw a look over her shoulder. Corrin helped them put the robe on, kissing their cheek.

“I assume this is just the beginning of the night and I’m about to be told more things that will shock me.” Marianne followed behind Jade, who was muttering a multitude of Spanish obscenities, stepping inside the bar.

I gave her the most reassuring smile I could muster.