“Hey, welcome to Dark Dreams!”
I looked up just in time to see Skye come around the corner from the staff room, bright smile in place. She froze in place when our eyes met, trading in her smile for an open-mouthed gasp.
“Hey, Skye,” I said.
“Liv!” she screeched, and before I knew it, she’d crossed the store and thrown herself around my neck. “Oh my goodness, we thought you were dead!”
“Not dead,” I said, returning her hug. “I just… had to skip town for a little while.”
She pulled back and looked at me, mouth pinched in worry. “Was it because of that vampire? We tried to report you missing, but… no one ever came to take statements, or even look at your apartment. Are you okay?”
“I’m okay,” I said. “I’m sorry I worried you. And no, it wasn’t really because of Warin. It’s… complicated.”
She sighed, mouth still locked in an unhappy frown. “Complicated… everything’s complicated around here these days.” Then her face lit up in a half-smile. “But maybe it’ll be better now that you’re back. Dennis has been such a prick since you left—I think he was worried about you. You know how he’s always had a bit of a thing for you.”
I blinked. “Uh… no.”
Skye rolled her eyes and grabbed me by the hand, leading me toward the back of the shop. “You’re so oblivious, girl. Raven! Look who’s back!” The last bit she called out as she dragged me through the beaded curtain to the back.
“What?” Raven’s head popped out form the break room. When she saw me, her eyes went wide, and a wide grin stretched across her normally stern face. “Liv! Fucking hell, I thought the vamper had eaten you!”
“I just had to go away for a while. Hey, have you seen Joana? I need to speak with her, ideally today… before the sun sets.”
“She should be at, uh… home.” Raven glanced at Skye, and for a moment, I pitied our blonde colleague, who had no idea her boss and two co-workers were actual witches. Even if one of them was a pretty shitty witch.
But then I thought back to how uncomplicated life had been before I fell down the supernatural rabbit-hole, and my pity turned to envy.
“I just came from there—Kevin answered the door, said she might be here.”
Raven rolled her eyes. “Ugh, Kevin. He’s been such an asshole lately. I’ll shoot her a text and ask, tell her you’re looking for her. She’ll be happy you’re back!”
“And speaking of being back,” Skye interjected, “you’re going to sit down with us and have a cup of tea, and tell us what you’ve been up to for the past three freaking months!”
“But I have to—“
“Yes, yes, you have to see this Joana girl, but it can wait until she texts back, right?” Skye looked at me with such a sad frown that my guilt flared hotly again.
“Yeah, I guess it can. I… I missed you two,” I said, rubbing my neck awkwardly. It’d been easy enough to tell Warin how much I’d missed him. It was something else with the two girls I’d befriended without really realizing it.
“Aw, we missed you too, didn’t we, Raven?” Skye beamed. “Now come, sit! We’ve gotten the best herbal blend in stock since you left.”
* * *
We sat in the staff break room and gossiped for a few hours while waiting for Joana to text back.
It was a slow day, customer-wise, so we weren’t disturbed by the jingling bell much. It was always nice when work didn’t get in the way of socializing.
It was only when I happened to glance at the time on my phone that I realized how late it’d gotten.
“Yikes, it’s gonna get dark soon! I need to get my ass back,” I said, finishing off my final mug of tea. Skye had been right—it was the best blend in the store, and I’d had about five cups.
“Someone have a sunset curfew, huh?” Raven said, eyebrows arched. “I take it you’re staying with Warin?”
“Oh, how very kind of your ‘completely platonic, definitely not banging him, nuh-uh’ vampire friend,” Skye said, a shit-eating grin on her lips.
“You guys are jerks.” I couldn’t hold back a laugh, even as my cheeks heated. “Okay, so maybe we’re not completely platonic friends anymore.”
“Ha, I knew it!” Skye lit up. “I have so many questions! Is it cold? Does he—“
I held up a hand, interrupting what was undoubtedly about to turn into a way too intimate Q&A on sex with the undead. “I really have to get back. And also, I really don’t want to answer any of that.”
“Prude.” Skye sulked. “Fine, be that way. It’s not like you just left us for three whole months, and we missed you and you should feel guilty enough to divulge every dirty detail of your sex life. I mean, jeez, Liv, what are girlfriends for?”
“You never did answer me about the friction thing,” Raven joined in with a teasing smirk.
“Really, you too? I thought there mere thought of a nightwalker had your skin crawling,” I huffed.
“It’s just for science, of course,” Raven said as she pulled out her phone. Her smirk became a frown. “I don’t understand why Joana hasn’t texted back—it’s not like her.”
“You think something’s wrong?” I asked.
“Nah, probably not,” she said, but the frown didn’t leave her face. “But I think I’ll head over to her house once we’ve closed up. Do you still have your old phone number? I’ll text you once I’ve got a hold of her.”
“Yeah, I do. Thanks, Raven.” I turned to my blonde friend. “And thank you, Skye. I’ve really missed you both. It was great catching up.”
“Will you be looking for a job? Dennis would probably hire you back,” Skye said.
I grimaced. “Maybe. I, uh… need to work some things out with Warin, first. But I’ll definitely stay in touch. I promise.”
I left Dark Dreams out the back entrance this time, thinking to cut across the alleyway and run-down staff parking to hail a taxi off the large road a few blocks away from the shop. It’d be much quicker than calling for a cab and having to wait for it to arrive, and the sky was darkening swiftly now.
A flutter of heavy wings made me look up just as the backdoor to Dark Dreams clicked shut. A large raven landed on one of the trash containers on the other side of the alley, its dark eyes gleaming as it cawed at me.
There were probably a bazillion ravens in the Chicago area, but there was just something… oddly familiar about this one. “Hello, you. Have we met before?”
The raven cawed again and flew to the floor, landing right in front of my feet.