Chase disappears for a few minutes, and then comes back into the kitchen, holding his car keys. “Ready?”
I’ve already finished my bottle of water and tossed it in the recycle basket he has beside the trash can. “I am.”
Chase leads the way, and I follow him out the front door to his car. Like every other time, he opens the door for me, and then goes straight over to the driver’s side to get in. He sure does make it hard to hate him, even if he is my jailor.
We ride in silence the short distance it takes to get from his house down the long driveway to the winery and bistro. The parking lot is full of cars, but Chase pulls around to the back of the building and stops abruptly, making me jolt forward.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, looking out the window and all around us.
Brows furrowed, Chase cocks his head to the side when he looks at me. “Does Evangeline happen to be a witch?”
What sucks is that I can’t sense her without my wolf magic, but at least I know she’s close.
“Yes,” I answer, giving him a tight nod. “I want to see if she can help me.”
Chase’s eyes never waver from mine. “From what I was told, no one can take it off except for Laila or yourself. You have to figure it out.”
He makes it sound so easy. “I have no fucking clue what to do,” I say, knowing I sound defeated.
Chase opens his door to get out, and I do the same. He stops at the back entrance to the restaurant and waits on me. When I join him, he grabs the handle and opens the door wide.
“I think you can do it on your own. You just have to try.”
He waits for me to reply, but I have nothing to say. So instead, he leads me down the back hallway that soon opens to the main dining area. There are people everywhere, waiting to be seated for lunch. It doesn’t take long to find Evangeline in the crowd. Her hair is a dark chocolate brown, and her skin is the color of caramel, exquisitely beautiful and exotic. She’s French Polynesian, born and raised in Tahiti, with golden amber eyes. Everywhere she goes, she turns heads, and that’s still the case today. Several men are sitting at tables around her, and they all sneak glances at her, mesmerized.
Evangeline turns our way and stands, giving Chase a nod and a smile. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I watch Chase nod back at her. “Enjoy your lunch, Kara.”
He glances around the room, and several of his wolves, including Sierra, stare at him with knowing looks on their faces. Evangeline is a witch, an outsider to the pack, and therefore, makes her a danger. I don’t want to cause trouble to Chase or his people; I just want to find a way out. Chase meets my gaze for the briefest of seconds before turning away and disappearing back down the hallway we just came from.
Evangeline beams when I face her, and she holds out her arms as I get close. I pass by Sierra, not even acknowledging her at the hostess stand.
Wrapping my arms around Evangeline’s waist, I squeeze her tight. “I can’t tell you how amazing it feels to see your face.”
Evangeline bounces me back and forth, her excitement something I’ve always enjoyed about her. She’s like a giant ball of energy, packed into a five-foot-four wrapper.
“Likewise, mon amie.” She flourishes a hand to the table, and I take the seat across from her. She glances around the room quickly and waggles her brows. “I saw you walking in with the Timberwolf alpha. He’s hot.”
Sierra glares over at us, and I sigh.
Evangeline peers over her shoulder at her and snickers under her breath. “And you have some competition.”
I have a nasty remark dying to leave my lips, but I keep it to myself. “I’m not worried about that,” I say, resting my hand on the table.
Evangeline keeps her eyes on mine, not even dropping them to the bracelet. “Yeah, you have bigger problems. I sensed the fae magic looming over you long before you walked in the door.”
My focus cuts to the bracelet. “As I said on the phone, it’s a long story.”
Evangeline searches around the room and locks in on three of Chase’s wolves. I know they’re listening to us.
“Pouvons-nous parler de cette façon?” she whispers. (Can we speak this way?)
I shake my head. “Je ne veux pas prendre le risqué. Chase connaît probablement le français.” (I don’t want to take the chance. Chase probably knows French.) I don’t know if he’s listening to us, so I don’t want to risk it.
Evangeline leans in close, concern in her golden eyes. “Your power is gone. All I sense is a weak wolf.”
“Thanks,” I reply. “That’s not what I wanted to hear, even though I know it’s the truth.”
One of Chase’s wolves, a girl named Meg, saunters up to the table with her pen and pad in hand. She’s young, probably around eighteen, with long, light brown hair and a kind smile. When Chase made me work at the restaurant, Meg stayed clear of me as if she was afraid. She and Ayla were the only females who didn’t torment me.
Meg clears her throat, her voice a little shaky at first. “Good afternoon. Can I get you something to drink? Or if you know what you want to eat, I can put it in as well.”
Evangeline beams up at her. “That would be great.” Then she focuses on me. “Do you know what you want to eat? That way, we can go ahead and order.”
There’s an urgency on her face, so I nod. I look up at Meg and smile. I know everything on the menu, and there’s one thing I’ve wanted to try. “I’ll take the salmon with an iced tea,” I say, handing her my menu.
Meg writes it down on her pad. “Do you want the mashed potatoes and Brussel sprouts that come with it, or do you want to substitute something else?”
“No, I’m good with the way it comes.”
Evangeline purses her lips in concentration. “That sounds pretty good. I’ll take the same thing.” She gives Meg her menu along with a friendly smile. As soon as Meg leaves and comes back with our drinks, Evangeline closes her eyes and chants something under her breath. When her eyes open, she reaches over and grabs my hands. “We don’t have much time before someone notices they can’t hear us. Are you in danger?”
“No,” I answer quickly.
She blows out a relieved sigh. “What did you do?”
I squeeze her hands. “Do you remember me telling you about Zayne? The wolf I was in love with many years ago.” Evangeline nods, so I continue. “I attacked his mate. In return, his half-fae, half-shifter daughter slapped this bracelet on me as punishment.”
Evangeline stares down at it. “My magic isn’t strong enough to take it off of you if that’s what you want.”
It feels like a stone dropped through my core. “I was hoping for a different answer. Surely you know someone who can help.”
Evangeline looks off to the side but then focuses back on me. “Maybe. Do you think you can get away for a while tonight so we can talk?” I give her a quick jerk of my head, and her lips spread wide. “I thought so. Is the sexy alpha keeping you company?” My cheeks burn, and Evangeline stifles a giggle. “No worries. I can put a sleeping spell on him and any other wolf in the vicinity. It won’t last long, though. I’ll pick you up at the main road around ten o’clock, and we’ll go from there.”
It’s a step in the right direction. “Sounds good.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Meg moving closer with our food. Evangeline lets my hands go and sits back in her chair, giving me a warning stare. The others will be able to hear us now.
Meg sets our plates down in front of us, and Evangeline rubs her hands together. “This looks excellent. Thank you,” she announces, giving Meg an appreciative smile. She makes it look so simple to be friendly to people.
Evangeline picks up her fork and pierces it into a Brussel sprout. “Tell me about your winery. How’s it going?”
A heavy weight lands on my chest. “Good, for now. I don’t know how much longer I can say that. I can’t exactly run it being stuck in California.”
Placing a hand on my wrist, she winks. “You’re the smartest woman I know, Kara. You never fail at anything.”
Her words make me smile. However, I did fail at something. I failed in killing Amelie, but that was a blessing in disguise. My only mission now is getting the bracelet off my wrist and disappearing for good. I can’t fail this time.