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“Are you sure they’ll be okay?” I asked her. Sure, they were some sort of leaders, and based on the information available to me, it wasn’t difficult to assume that Titus was a shifter, too. After all, Jamie had emphasized how important it was for Titus to be informed during their weakest moments.

But that didn’t tell me what kind of shifter Titus might be—and he was outnumbered, sans Damen. How effective could two of them be against such a group?

“Damen and Titus?” she asked, shooting me a sardonic look. “They are two-thirds of the Power Trio; they can handle things easily. Plus, no idiot hyena can beat a dragon.”

My skin flushed as my heart began to race. A dragon. Titus was a dragon.

I’d always wanted to meet a dragon!

And what was this about a trio? A quintet was a group of five.

“Eat,” Maria said, pushing a mini plate of pretzels toward me. “ It’ll make you feel better. Don’t waste your time worrying about those two.”

I began nibbling on one of the proffered snacks and shot her a grateful look. She understood me so well already, but it was difficult to ignore the stone that had settled in my stomach.

“So,” Maria began. Her eyes took on a calculating gleam as she braced her elbow on the white marble countertop. The way she watched me made me feel as though I was yet again being evaluated.

I couldn’t imagine what she was looking for, but there was something sisterly about her gaze. It was rare for me to be able to talk comfortably with another woman. My heart began to pound as I realized what this might mean.

Could we possibly become… friends?

I had never had a female friend before. Most of the others in my foster homes had been males, and the majority weren’t nice. And considering the circumstances, it’d hardly been the environment to forge bonds anyway.

When I was adopted, I’d hoped things would change. My new parents also had a daughter besides me. But Hanah was already eighteen and lived at college. She rarely visited.

Then there were the girls at school who only wanted to hang out to get close to Finn.

However, Maria didn’t share that motive. Something about her was different—I knew it. She didn’t need to use me to get close to a boy. She was able to do well enough on her own.

Plus, since she was Titus’s assistant, I’d probably see her around a lot.

This was a natural progression of our acquaintance. If I did this right, she and I could become bosom buddies, just like in Anne of Green Gables .

We’d go shopping together, gossip, and watch movies. Already, she had offered to show me the art of drinking on my twenty-first birthday.

What else could she teach me?

“You’re acting a bit strange,” Maria interrupted my musings, but despite her words, she was watching me with a soft expression.

“Are you traumatized? I thought the food might help. Or…” She paused, sitting up as concern flickered in her eyes.

“You’d let me know if Damen did something weird?

He’s clueless in a way, but he does know better. ”

“No!” I pressed my hands to my cheeks. I was totally failing at girl bonding in this environment. We should have gone to a spa instead.

I had to make this better.

“There’s no t-trauma here. I’ve been through worse.” I brushed aside her concern, needing to think of a topic that normal girls would talk about. She was close to Titus. We could talk about him. That was safe. “Don’t you think Titus is big? Is that normal?”

Maria, who had been sipping her drink, suddenly choked. Her face turned red, and she dropped her glass as she began to cough uncontrollably.

“Maria!” I jumped to my feet and began to pound on her back. “I’m so sorry!”

I couldn’t believe such a stupid question left my mouth. Perhaps it was a sensitive topic. I was completely clueless about these things.

After a moment, the small crowd that had gathered around us dispersed as it became apparent Maria would be all right. Even so, I continued to pet her back until she breathed normally once again.

I wasn’t sure what to say—her near-death experience was distressing. She blamed me. That much was obvious in the wide-eyed stare she leveled in my direction as I returned to my seat.

I had ruined everything. I wanted to cry, but I could wallow later. “I’m sorry,” I repeated, toying with my sleeve. I sucked at talking. “I didn’t realize the thing with Titus was a secret. He’s so tall, I thought that gigantism might run in his family or something.”

The shocked look fled from her expression in a blink. Instead, her face filled with something unreadable. “You were referring to his height?”

“Yes…” I answered, confused. “I thought it might be rude to ask him personally, so I figured you might know.”

Maria hummed, about to respond, but the bartender arrived to replace her drink.

After a short lull in our conversation, she began to speak as she traced her fingers around the rim of her glass.

“He isn’t all that tall. Six-five is on the shorter end of his family line, but there’s a lot to be said about that.

However, he does work out obsessively. So that could make him appear larger. ”

In what world was six-five not that tall? Especially compared to my very own five-foot-one. I couldn’t even imagine. But feeling empowered by her response, I continued, “What about the others? Why is everyone so big?”

“They’re really not.” Maria smiled at me. “Those who have supernatural abilities tend to be a bit taller than the average person. You’re just short. I like you. We’re going to be good friends.”

I clasped my hands in front of me, unable to contain my glee. I had successfully landed my very first female friend.

“So, on a more serious note,” Maria said, leaning forward. I found myself holding my breath in anticipation. “What are your thoughts on WWE? ”

Yes. I smiled. This would be a most well-paired friendship indeed.

It was after midnight when Maria dropped me off at Damen’s house, and I’d barely made it through the front door before Miles greeted me.

“ Bonsoir, ma petite douceur . Welcome back,” he said, grinning.

“Hello,” I told him, allowing him to take my coat. What was he still doing awake? “You waited for me?”

“Of course,” he replied. Was it just me, or was there a hint of worry clouding his eyes? He gestured down the hallway and added, “I thought you might want a snack before going to sleep.”

I glanced into Damen’s living room as we walked past, my heart longing for the welcoming couch and fluffy pillows. But who could pass up free food?

Miles led me into the kitchen, his gaze lingering on me as I climbed onto a stool. He placed a napkin with two small cookies and a pink mug filled with light liquid in front of me on the stone countertop.

My arms were still sore from the earlier hustle and bustle, and my hand shook as I lifted the drink to my lips. It was sweet and smooth, and it did wonders to settle the edges of my frayed nerves.

“What is this?” I asked as the warmth spread through me.

“It’s lavender milk tea,” Miles replied. His eyes dropped to the cookies. “And those are lemon rosemary shortbread cookies. They’ll help settle your nerves and get some sleep. It seems like they did a number on you.”

“Huh?” I blinked at him. Who?

Miles dipped his head to the left. “The hyenas,” he answered. He allowed his gaze to move from my face to my arms. “You’ve been running low on luck lately.”

I glanced down at my forearms, noting that I’d acquired a new bruise.

“Oh,” I said and picked up a cookie. I nibbled on a corner. “That was from when Damen squished me into the wall. It wasn’t on purpose”—I noted the lift of his brow—“and I’m a fast healer. It’ll clear up soon.”

Miles pursed his lips. A dark look passed over his features, but it was gone as quickly as it’d come.

“What?” I asked. Had I done something wrong?

He shook his head, then changed the subject. “So, you got back later than I expected. Did Maria take you to a bar after all?”

I nodded and drank some more. My eyes were beginning to droop already. “It’s fine, though,” I told him. “I didn’t drink any alcohol.”

At his questioning look, I added, “Because I’m not of legal drinking age yet.”

“Ah.” He lifted a shoulder. “I told you it doesn’t really matter in my culture. Besides, it shouldn’t matter so much to you either, if you want to be technical.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“The legal drinking age is a rule for humans ,” he pointed out, taking on a scholarly tone. “You’re fae.”

My eyelids fluttered as I processed this surprising loophole. But… but by God. He was right.

It wasn’t that I wanted to drink alcohol. Maria’s description of my twenty-first birthday plans, which included being sick into a toilet, sounded less than appealing. But I would endure the ritual.

What other freedoms did this news bestow?

Still, this wasn’t exactly the kind of behavior a lawyer should condone. He must have been playing devil’s advocate. “Why are you telling me this? Are you trying to get me in trouble? It's not right to destroy someone’s innocence.”

Miles pressed his hand against his chest.

“What?” I asked, biting into the cookie.

“That’s cute.” He smirked, dropping his hand back onto the counter and leaning toward me. “But if I wanted to corrupt your innocence, there’s a better way to do it. More fun, too.”

Fun? Only infidels would think breaking the law was fun. Then again, Miles was a witch. Considering that, despite his pure nature, he probably had a certain level of godlessness to him.

And on that topic, “How does that work anyway?” I asked.

He hummed in response. His eager expression made me believe he’d do anything I asked. Miles wasn’t as flirtatious as Damen, but his goodness had a way of breaking through my defenses. I never thought it was possible to feel safe, but Miles—especially—was comfortable to be around.

“You know what I mean,” I continued, ignoring my racing heart. Of everyone, Miles was probably the easiest to talk to about this. He’d been the one who told me about their chastity requirements—and I had questions.

“What you told me,” I explained. “How does it work? I mean, you're a witch, which means you delve into dark magic, but also a monk, sworn to purity. It seems counterproductive.”

Miles had jumped back so quickly that it seemed as though he’d been thrown across the room. He crashed into the refrigerator, breaking the door and tearing off the handle.

I frowned at it. Would Damen consider this damage to be my fault?

Miles didn’t seem to notice. He stared at me, wide-eyed and horrified. “What?”

My frown turned into a scowl. First Maria, and now this? Could it be that every question I asked was offensive? This might be a sensitive topic, but I did have a right to know the plan.

“I’m talking about your abstinence, Miles,” I told him. “I get that we're supposed to be some kind of celibate, supernatural, crime-fighting group, but I have questions about the logistics. Also, how does Damen being demon-possessed impact his purity?”

I was beginning to grow worried about Miles. He hadn’t even twitched, and his mouth was open in shock. But then he jumped to his feet and yanked out his phone with shaking hands. He began to pace as he waited for his intended recipient to answer.

It didn’t take long.

Without so much as a hello, Miles launched into a tirade. “Julian, please help. I can’t do this alone. I’m with Bianca, and it’s….” He paused, shooting a strange look in my direction. “Well, it’s just terrible. Get back here as soon as you can.”

I couldn’t help but wonder what I had done wrong this time, and why call Julian?

Would I always feel so lost when it came to understanding my new friends?