Page 38

EVE

The truck rumbled down the road, but it wasn’t the engine that made me tense—it was the silence. Ragnar hadn’t said a word since last night’s witch encounter, and the air was thick with his barely concealed rage. Even Orion wasn’t joking. That was when I knew something had really shifted.

I didn’t need to be a mind reader to know why. Ragnar’s failure to speak to the witch last night wasn’t just bruising his ego—it was a direct hit to whatever sense of control he thought he had, and now it was down to Orion and Xander to clean up the mess.

The truck rolled to a stop in front of the diner, the bright neon sign flickering against the pale morning sky.

The air inside the truck was so thick I could practically taste it as Ragnar shoved the door open and climbed out without a word.

His boots hit the ground heavily, his long strides carrying him toward the entrance with all the warmth of a thunderstorm.

I hesitated but hopped out of the car, while Xander climbed into the passenger seat.

“You’re going to be fine, Sunshine,” Orion said, his grin back in place. “We’ll be back by the end of your shift to swap Ragnar out.”

“Why can’t I just go with you?”

Orion sighed, leaning out of the window to nudge my arm. “Witches are tricky. They don’t trust new faces, and honestly, it’s safer for you here, even with Ragnar’s bad mood.”

I looked at my feet, kicking the loose pebbles beside the truck. I didn’t want to go inside and pretend that everything was normal.

Orion’s fingers lifted my chin to meet his eyes. “It’s going to be fine. We’ll be back before you know it.”

He leaned out of the window, pressing his lips to mine with such fervor that it left my toes curling. He hadn’t so much as touched me since that first night, but this time it felt different—like he wanted to remind me that I was still very much on his mind.

He pulled back with a wink. “Behave.”

I stepped away from the truck, my cheeks flushed, purposely ignoring Ragnar’s burning gaze from the doorway.

The hum greeted me as I stepped into the kitchen, the familiar clang of pots and hiss of the grill filling the air.

“Morning, Sam!” I called, tying my apron around my waist as I made my way to the prep station.

He didn’t turn around. His back was hunched slightly as he stood over the stove, flipping bacon with sharp, precise movements. “Sure,” he said, his tone flat and clipped.

My hands froze as I was knotting my apron. Usually, he was the one to greet me first, his smile wide and easy.

“Everything okay?”

“Fine,” he muttered, still not looking at me.

The irritation prickled at the back of my neck, but I swallowed it down.

“Alright,” I said slowly, dragging the word out as I reached for the loaves of bread waiting to be sliced.

My mind wandered as I worked, replaying the past week like a tape on fast forward.

Ever since Darcy and Lila had shown up asking about my date, Sam had been different.

He’d kept his distance, his usual easy-going demeanor replaced with something sullen.

At first, I’d thought it was just a bad mood, but it hadn’t let up.

I didn’t know if it was jealousy or something else, but I was just happy he’d stopped asking me to hang out. It had been exhausting dodging those attempts, and I was glad they seemed to be behind us.

But I had to admit, his new attitude was gnawing at the edges of my patience as the minutes ticked by, so much stronger today than it had been this past week.

“Can you hurry up with that? We’ve got three tables waiting.”

“I’m moving as fast as I can,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm. “It’s not like we’re busy.”

“Maybe not, but you’re taking your sweet time,” he snapped, his hands gripping the edge of the counter. “Not all of us have the luxury of slacking off.”

My patience snapped. “Okay, what the hell is your problem, Sam? Is this because I’ve been taking more time off? Look, I said I was sorry—”

“You really want to know what my problem is?” He spun around, his jaw tight and his eyes blazing.

“Yes!” I shot back, my voice rising. “I’m tired of tiptoeing around whatever this is.”

“My problem,” he said, his voice sharp enough to cut, “is that I’ve seen the way you’ve been parading around with those guys. Especially him.”

My stomach twisted, and I took a step back. “What are you talking about?”

“Don’t play dumb, Eve,” he snapped. “I saw the way he touched you this morning. Do you think I’m blind?”

Heat flared in my cheeks, a mix of embarrassment and anger.

“First of all, it’s none of your business. And second, what are you even trying to say? That I can’t have friends now?”

“Friends?” Sam let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. “He’s not your friend, Eve. Guys like him don’t do anything without an angle.”

“You don’t even know him,” I shot back. “And you sure as hell don’t know me.”

Sam took a step closer, his expression hardening. “I don’t need to know him to know he’s trouble. He’s dangerous, you’ll get hurt because of him.”

“Hurt?” I repeated, incredulous. “Do you think you’re some kind of knight in shining armor now? Newsflash, Sam—you’re not. You don’t get to decide what’s best for me.”

“You’re blind, Eve. You don’t see it. They’re killers . All of them. And you’re too dickmatized to notice.”

I stared at him, stunned. His words were laced with something darker, something that made my skin crawl. Did he know something I didn’t? No, there was no way. That simply wasn’t possible, he was just being facetious.

My hands trembled, my frustration and anger bubbling to the surface. “You don’t know anything, Sam. So do me a favor and keep your opinions—and your warnings—to yourself.”

Sam took a step closer, his voice dropping to a low growl. “You’re so desperate, Eve. You think these guys are your saviors? That they actually care about you? Open your eyes—they’re using you.”

I froze, his words lodging themselves like barbs in my chest as he turned back to his station.

My hand tightened around the bread I was holding, the soft crust crumbling slightly under the pressure.

The heat building in my chest felt unbearable, like it was rising to the surface, looking for a way out.

I clenched my jaw, refusing to let him see how much his words stung.

“You might think you’re in control, but you just look pathetic,” he spat over his shoulder, refusing to look at me.

Then the burnt smell hit me. My gaze snapped to my hand. The bread was blackened, smoke curling up from its charred surface. My breath caught as I instinctively shoved it behind my back, the edges of the roll crumbling into ash against my palm.

Sam’s eyes turned. His eyes flicked down to my hidden hand, lingering just a beat too long—and then back to my face. His expression shifted, a strange mix of suspicion and disbelief crossing his features.

My heart pounded so loudly I was sure he could hear it. My hand still burned with phantom heat. Sweat trickled down my neck as I struggled to keep my composure.

Finally, he let out a bitter scoff, shaking his head.

“Whatever,” he muttered. “I’m done waiting for you to wake up.”

With that, he tore off his apron and stormed out of the kitchen, the door swinging shut behind him.

The moment he was gone, I exhaled shakily.

What if he was right? Not about the guys. But about me—about the part I couldn’t control. If I could burn a roll without meaning to, what else might slip out before I could stop it?

I stared down at the charred remains of the roll in my hand, my stomach twisting in knots. The smell of smoke still lingered, clinging to the air and me.

I quickly tossed the burnt roll into the trash, burying it beneath a pile of scraps like that would somehow erase what just happened. But the tension in my chest refused to ease. My hands shook as I leaned against the counter, struggling to calm the frantic rhythm of my heartbeat.

The kitchen door swung open again, and I jumped as Louise stepped inside.

“What’s going on? Why did Sam leave? Is everything OK?”

I forced a smile. “I have no idea. I’m sorry, Lou.”

Louise’s gaze lingered on me for a second longer, her brow creasing like she wanted to press further. But she just nodded.

“Alright… I’ll have to dock his pay. Just let me know if he comes back, will you?” She sniffed the air, frowning faintly. “Is something burning?”

I shook my head quickly, not trusting myself to speak. Louise didn’t look convinced, but after a quick look around, finding nothing out of the ordinary, she left. I slumped forward, my whole body trembling as I stared down at the counter, the reflection in the stainless steel warped and unfamiliar.

This wasn’t normal. None of this was normal. And no matter how much I wanted to pretend otherwise, I couldn’t ignore the truth clawing at the edges of my mind.

Something was wrong with me. And I didn’t know how much longer I could hide it.