Page 2 of Thankful for You
He grinned, handing me a crisp bill. “You just saved my Thanksgiving. My wife will be thrilled.”
I waved him off with a laugh, but as soon as he left, my smile faded. I had no idea what that pie was going to do to his wife.
Delilah sidled up to me, brow furrowed. “Everything okay back there? You seem… off.”
“I’m fine,” I said quickly. Too quickly.
Delilah knew me too well. She narrowed her eyes. “Iyonna, don’t lie to me. You’ve been jumpy for days. What’s going on?”
I hesitated, glancing around the crowded bakery. “Can we talk about it later? I don’t want to worry anyone.”
Her frown deepened. “You’re worrying me now. Is it your magic?”
I swallowed. Delilah might not have the same kitchen magic I did, but she knew when something was wrong. “It’s just acting a little weird,” I admitted. “But it’s nothing I can’t handle.”
“Are you sure? Thanksgiving’s the worst time for your spells to go haywire. We’re getting busier by the hour.”
“Tell me something I don’t know,” I muttered. “But I’m working on it, okay? I’ve got it under control.”
Delilah didn’t look convinced, but before she could press me further, the bell over the door jingled again, and more customers poured in. She shot me a worried glance, but I waved her off.
“I’ve got this,” I assured her. “We’re fine.”
But as the afternoon wore on and more orders came in, my magic continued to misbehave. By the time the sun set, I’d managed to bake half a dozen pies, several batches of cookies, and more muffins than I could count, but none of them felt right. Each spell came out twisted, the emotions I infused skewed in strange directions.
And it wasn’t just affecting the food. Every time I tried to cast a simple charm, something would go wrong. Earlier, I’d tried to summon a spoon from across the counter, and instead, all the silverware had flown off the shelves in a cacophony of clattering. My nerves were fraying at the edges, and it felt like the magic inside me was building up, ready to burst.
As I wiped down the counter at the end of the day, I caught my reflection in the window. My hair, normally in neat braids, was frizzy and sticking up at odd angles. There were dark circles under my eyes, and a smudge of flour streaked across my cheek. I looked like I’d been through a war zone.
I let out a deep sigh, resting my forehead against the cool glass. “What is wrong with me?”
Behind me, the door jingled again, but this time, it wasn’t a customer. The air in the bakery shifted, and I felt it before I saw him—the low, humming pulse of magic that was both familiar and unsettling. I waited until Delilah took his order. I turned slowly, my heart pounding, I walked back to the lobby.
Standing in the doorway was Griff.
Griff, the shifter who disappeared from Charcoal City years ago without a word. The one who’d always gotten under my skin, even when we were younger. Now, here he was, looking rougher around the edges, like he’d been through more than a few battles of his own.
He didn’t smile. Didn’t say a word. Just stood there, watching me with those dark, piercing eyes.
And in that moment, I knew—my magic wasn’t the only thing about to spiral out of control.
Chapter Two
Griff
I didn’t think I’d ever set foot in Charcoal City again. Hell, I wasn’t sure I’d live long enough to make it back. But here I was, walking down the same cracked sidewalks that used to lead me home. Only now, home wasn’t an option.
The familiar smell of pine and wet asphalt after a rainstorm hit me like a punch to the gut. The streets had barely changed. Same old brick buildings, same iron lampposts flickering as dusk settled in. There were even a few shops I remembered from when I was a kid, before things went south. Back when I had a family, a pack.
I clenched my fists inside my jacket pockets, trying to shove down the memories. No use thinking about the past. What was done was done. I was back for one reason and one reason only—to lay low until the hunters lost my trail.
These weren’t just any hunters. These were supernatural hunters. The kind that didn’t stop until their target was either dead or locked in a cage. I’d had a run in with their kind before, but I’d never been their target. Not until now. Not until my old pack went rogue, using dark magic to mess with the ley lines beneath Charcoal City. And not until I tried to stop them.
Stopping them didn’t go as planned.
I shook off the thought, focusing on the now. The city was a safe place to disappear, at least for a while. Charcoal’s got a long history with magic—witches, shifters, and everything in between live here, tucked in the shadows. Hunters wouldn’t be able to track me easily, not with the ley lines running through the city, distorting everything.
I just needed a place to crash, something to eat, and to stay out of sight. Simple enough.