Page 53 of Rhett

“She seems nice,” I said.

Between bites of chicken, Imani said, “See, not all townsfolk are certified nutjobs.”

“Yeah, I’m calling bullshit on your statement,” I retorted.

“Why?”

“Because I’ve been in the Ridge a total of five days.” I held up five fingers. “And I’ve had a run-in with a nude horse-shifter who insisted on showing me his dick. An asshole sheriff who wants to kick me out of town. I got my pendant stolen by a sketchy shifter named Sam, and I was attacked by a deranged owl-shifter.”

“She has a point,” Nyx agreed.

“We’re trying to convince her to stay, Nyx,” Imani growled.

Nyx shrugged. “I’m just giving her credit for a factual assessment.”

“Well, I can up your crazy,” Imani said, peering at me. “My Welcome to the Ridge experience was me being chased and almost mauled to death by said sketchy shifter Sam. And then I was mindfucked by her”—she jabbed a finger in Nyx’s direction—“mother.”

“Oh, stop whining. It was a harmless pulse.”

“What’s a pulse?” I asked.

“Witches like Mom and me can see a person’s aura,” Nyx answered. “Everyone’s aura has a color. Shifters are blue. Vampires are orange. Humans are yellow. Well, you get the point. But what we can’t do is tell what type of shifter an Other is unless we pulse the aura. Pretty much, it’s like tapping on the glass of a fish tank, annoying the fuck out of a fish. For example, we tap on the aura to provoke the shifter’s animal to reveal itself.”

“Yes, all of what Nyx explained,” Imani said. “But when Freya tried to pulse me, she said something blocked her magic from digging and finding out what type of Other I was.”

I arched a brow. “So the question is”—I glared at Nyx—“have you tried to pulse me too?”

Nyx shook her head. “Nope.” She waved at the server and yelled, “Another round! Thank you!” Then she said to me, “Unlike my mother, I don’t pulse without permission.” She leaned closer to me. “You want me to try?”

Curious, I said, “Yes.”

Nyx’s eyes focused on me. My brain got fuzzy for a second. My limbs stiffened as if being held involuntarily immobile, then my brain kicked into top gear, breaking the trance.

“That’s weird,” I blurted out.

“Damn.” Nyx slammed her palm against the table. “I just lost a bet.”

“What bet?” Imani asked.

“My mom thinks we probably can’t pulse all hybrids. I thought Imani was a fluke.” She eyed me. “I couldn’t pulse you. It’s like a wall is erected around your body, protecting you from my magic.”

“Can we move back to my tirade?” Imani asked.

Nyx rolled her eyes. “If you must.”

I laughed. “She must.”

Imani pointed at us. “I don’t need attitude from the likes of you two.”

Nyx and I eyed each other and laughed.

Imani continued. “I was challenged to a duel by Quinn’s skanky stalker one-night stand.”

“You mean an Old West gun duel?” I asked.

Nyx shook her head. “No. A duel is a bloody fight between shifters.”

My eyes widened. “Just for the record, don’t sign me up for that shit.”