Blame the goddess ✔️

Chapter 5A - New home, new life - Part 1

Jason Dolley as Cal

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We make it to Esme's home about 30 minutes later. As always, any supernatural that comes to Esme abode feels a high energy and a mental buzz, and we are no exceptions. Her door has these huge cowbells hanging on them. Yes, cowbells. Why she would hang anything on her door when she can sense you coming a mile away is beyond me. They are bigger than the previous ones though.

Opening her door, we stagger in and there are some humans, weres, and a vampire in her shop. My hackles rise at the vamp. The vamp looks like a teenager, she gives me a haughty look that almost makes me give her a curtsy in return. Shaking away that feeling, I nod to some chairs in the corner of the store and the four of us drag ourselves over there to wait for Esme and Alpha Salim.

About half an hour later, everyone's gone except for the teenage vampire who stands by one of the outer display cases, browsing through the merchandise. Esme waves her hand, the door clicks shut, and her sign flips to close. She walks over to us, faces us, and sits down elegantly – on NOTHING, NADA, POOF! I tell you; I have ceased to be alarmed by Esme at this point.

"Cal, glad to see you made it. Alpha Salim should be here soon and then you'll be on your way and I can fumigate my home," Esme scoffs.

"See you have bigger cowbells hanging on your door."

Okay, with everything going on, why would bigger cowbells be the issue on my brain right now is beyond me. Sometimes I think Esme and I are too much alike.

"With all the unwanted visitors lately, I need bigger cowbells, so when all you undesirables enter my shop, your powers are minimized."

"Cowbells? That's what you want to know about? The woman is sitting on air, SITTING ON AIR!" whispers Raven.

I understand Raven's anxiety; they are not used to Esme after all. They've only had minimal contact with her and always when she's being a bitchy witch.

"So how powerful are you, really?" Raven asks Esme. An eerie silence descends in her store and we all go on full alert to hear her reply.

I swear to the Goddess above that everything after that question happened in really, really, slow motion: Esme slowly lifts her eyelids, looks Raven dead in her eyes as if she can see straight into her very soul, sporting a blank face with a fixed stare, for what seems like ages, she suddenly smiles creepily, returns to her blank face all without blinking. Scary as fuck. "No. I'm not that powerful" she replies.

"Yeah right and I'm the Queen of England," I sass at her.

"I doubt Harry or William will ever call you grandma," she sasses back at me.

"We need to get the fuck out of here," Raven says. "This place always gives me the heeby-jeebies."

The other two nod their heads in agreement.

"Believe me, this place is the safest place we can be until we move to Crimson River Pack. Esme will protect us with her life," I assure them.

"You maybe. The three of them? I'm not so sure."

The Omegas look at me in shock.

"She's just joking, just joking, right my bitchy witch," I try to calm my friends.

"Rigghhhtt, my favorite fur coat," Esme replies.

"You two are so funny, a witch and a wolf friendship, that's a new one," laughs the forgotten teenage vamp in the room.

"Meet Fredricka 'Freddy' Klyne-Winter everyone," says Esme, twirling her hand with a flourish.

"That's a mouthful," I joke. Next thing I know she's in my face with her fangs out, how did she get to my side so fast? Must be a vampire thing. Her smiling face now looks fierce and she bends to smell my neck, taking a deep breath.