Page 35 of The Bookseller and the Alpha (Witch Twins #1)
Calypso
Leylani whistled as she took in the destruction in my store; the books that had been tossed around my space, pictures askew on the walls.
Even my little kitchen at the back hadn’t escaped the destruction.
Powdered coffee and spilt milk decorated the floor.
I wrinkled my nose at the pungent smell of sour milk.
“Someone was very angry,” she said. “The resonance is still in the air.”
“I figured that’s why they went for me in my apartment,” I said. “They think I can tell them where to find the book they want.”
“Can you?” That strange gaze turned my way.
I shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant, but I had no doubt she could tell my heart was pounding with fresh anxiety. “I have no idea what they want.”
Leylani’s eyes slipped from mine as she turned to survey the shop again, and I almost shuddered with relief. The woman was freaky. “Daylight’s wasting. Let’s get this done.”
Then the woman just started to pick up books from the floor, as though she did it everyday. Huh. Freaky but not unhelpful. Could definitely be worse. Pompy supervised from the comfort of her bed.
My guards took turns: one helping me clean up while the other one stayed on watch.
During the afternoon my friends from the other shops came by to visit and gossip.
Drew, the florist, brought me a bunch of tulips.
Marcie brought me some crystals for ‘clearing the air’.
Their thoughtfulness touched me deeply. Especially given that my mother hadn’t returned my text telling her what had been happening.
Why did I still bother? By dusk, the shop was looking good enough that I could open tomorrow, even though I might still have guards in tow.
Perhaps the novelty would bring extra customers.
By 7 pm we were back in my apartment. There was a new fancy lock on my front door and Akira gave me the code to get in. Which pretty much screamed that the Palace was behind my new security.
“Don’t you two have homes to go to?” I asked. “Surely you should be off duty by now.”
“Boss is taking over from us. We’ll stay till he gets here.” From time to time, Akira had been talking to someone through her earpiece. They seemed to know more than I did. Luc had sent another peremptory text. “I’ll be at your place before eight. Pack a bag.”
“Do I need to feed you?” I ran through the inventory of my cupboards. I was going to eat cereal. There were no leftovers from last night’s meal and I hadn’t planned any other meals.
Akira smiled. “No ma’am.”
Of course, I had not packed my bags. He didn’t get to hijack my life.
I showered and put on a clean pair of fluffy pyjamas.
Then I ate a bowl of cereal on my new couch while my guards politely pretended I wasn’t failing as an independent adult.
I rubbed my face. I didn’t care anymore.
I was exhausted and ready for bed. My own bed.
I could feel the events of the last two days catching up to me.
The shock of my beloved shop being broken into, then the attack in my home.
The violence. Sudden and shocking. And the intense sexual attraction between me and Luc this morning, followed by the gift.
Sighing, I dragged myself up from the couch. It was every bit as comfortable as I had dreamed. The apartment was warm. I needed to feed Pompy and then I was going to bed. Bossy Alpha Shifter be damned.
I could feel Leylani’s eyes on me as I pottered in the kitchen, getting Pompy’s meal ready. She danced around my feet, making happy grunting noises. She gobbled her food and I smiled down at her. She was loved and happy and fed. Nothing else mattered in her world.
“I’m going to bed,” I told my watchful shadows.
“Ma’am,” Akira said, her tone cautious. “We have orders that you’ll be leaving with the boss.”
“Well, he’s not here to tell me that, and I want to sleep in my own bed.” Leylani didn’t even bother hiding her smile at my petty defiance. Sometime during the day she had warmed up to me and she no longer seemed so strange.
“Please keep the door open so we can see you,” was all she said.
Despite the light coming in from the open doorway, I fell asleep almost instantly, Pompy at my feet.