"Holy crap, where is Hope Zigler?" Karsen choked, checking me out. I locked the door behind me laughing at her over dramatics. She touched the blue silk top I was wearing. "You look stunning. If you're trying to piss the rest of the female population off you will definitely succeed."
I rolled my eyes. Karsen was being a little over the top. I didn't go all out. I just wanted to look nice—really nice. This overflowing amount of confidence seared through me, and it was tugging at my sense of fashion.
I smoothed my high wasted grey skirt, tickling the fringe around my hips with my fingertips. I smoothed my hair and headed down the steps all set for Henry Park. Keeping my hair over my shoulders, I even spent an extra ten minutes flat ironing it in front of my mirror until it was silky smooth. After that I dug out my old concealer covering the love bite Hutch gave me. I smiled at the thought of it, my insides a bit tingly the moment his face flashed in my mind.
"So, do you feel like filling me in on what happened last night now?" Karsen asked trying to keep up with my confident stride past a group of guys playing beach football. I grinned, the blank awe on each of their faces told me all I needed to know—I looked hot.
"There isn't a lot to tell," I shrugged it off. "I spent the night with Hutch because I was too drunk to show my face back at my house."
Karsen squeezed my arm excited. "So?"
"So what?"
She shook her head frustrated. I wasn't giving up all the gooey details. "You know I would never run back and tell anyone anything you told me right?"
I raised an eyebrow. "Of course I know it. You're my best friend."
Karsen shot me a look. The one that told me I needed to spill.
I sighed. "Hutch is hot."
Karsen nodded in agreement. "Hutch is smoking hot, in that tall-dramatic-enticing-I-want-to-throw-you-down-and-have-my-way-with-you kind of way."
I laughed at Karsen. "He's also sweet and not afraid to say how he feels, and he's caring."
We stopped walking coming to stop behind two large men dressed in black. Henry Park was alive and packed.
"And there's Slade." I crossed my arms, the same familiar pangs of lust coursing my veins at the thought of him. "There's no denying he's hot."
"He's hot in a I–have-a-fucked–up-life-die-trying-to-save-me kind of way," Karsen said with a nod, ignoring the man in front of us who shot her an offended look.
"Who can blame him, he does have a messed up life." We made it through the gates of Henry Park and headed for the stage. The music was already flowing; the crowd was already thick and rambunctious. Elbows and backs bumped and swirled in mosh pits all around us. I held tight to Karsen afraid to be knocked into one.
And there he was, black baseball cap on backwards, aviators shielding his intense blue eyes from the crowd, his voice tearing through my conscience. Every scream and growl threatened to knock me off course.
I pushed my hair behind my ear, a small smile playing on my lips. Slade cupped the mic with both hands shouting at the audience. His black cutoff shirt showcased all his tattoos and all the muscles his arms housed. My stomach ached with lust. I shook the bad thoughts out of my head.
He produced his perfect pearly whites as he let out a guttural scream. It was hard not to like someone with such raw talent and emotion on stage. If only he could have that much in his love life, I thought bitterly.
I dodged the man about to smash into me, yanking Karsen out of the way. Her eyes glued to Kidd playing backup.
"They are so hot," she gushed, clutching her chest. She watched her man move to the beat of the music. He pulled the black Fedora hat from his head sending it loose into the audience. A screaming girl caught it.
"That was my favorite hat," Karsen whined, watching the girl dance around with Kidd's hat on her head.
"I'm sure he has more."
Slade stood on the speaker, extending the microphone to the crowd. He raised his hands in the air, igniting the crowd into a roar of celebration. I smiled. He leaned forward; chaos ensued. A throng of girls battled to touch him. They tugged on his hand, but he stayed planted, singing along to the lyrics giving the crowd what they wanted—him.
The band finished, taking their break. Karsen and I headed back to the Rv. I was a little nervous. We slipped through the crowd.
I was disturbed to see Audrey hanging on Slade's arm praising him on his great performance.
Karsen stopped walking and tugged me close, nose to nose with me. "We can leave. I will leave right now...Kidd will understand."
I shook my head refusing to give in to Audrey anymore. "No, I'm going to say hi. Tell him what a great job he did."
Everyone's attention immediately fell on me.
"Great job, love the new song," I told him, giving a little wave. He pushed Audrey away from him, his eyes a bit alarmed to see me standing before him. He bit down on his bottom lip checking me out. It was obvious.
Audrey crossed her arms glaring at me.
Kidd wrapped his arm around Karsen kissing her head. "Glad you came, sex kitten, and you too, Hope."
I smiled at Kidd. "Thanks, Kidd. You guys still are great."
Slade was now standing before me. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"
I looked at him and gave a shrug. "It was sort of a spur-of-the-moment thing. You did great, by the way."
He slipped his hat from his head smoothing back his dark hair and planted it on my head. I smiled, he tugged me close and kissed me, his hand cradling the back of my head.
"That wasn't what I was expecting, but thank you." I smirked, enchanted by him.
Slade stared me down. I couldn't tell what he was thinking without a view of his eyes. I pulled off his aviators and slipped them on, giving him a teasing smile.
He stroked my mouth with his fingers, "still mad at me?"
I bit my lip trying to decide if I was. "It's hard to stay mad at you when you're so hot."
He smiled, playing with his lip ring knowing what it did to just about every girl on the planet.
"Nothing happened. I promise you there is nothing going on between her and I. She isn't making things easy that's for sure." He pressed his forehead against mine. "Things have been crazy dealing with the coven and Audrey. I wanted to explain things to you earlier, but I also knew how pissed you were."
I touched his face alarmed. "What do you mean?"
Slade shook his head trying to act like the hero and keep the truth—whatever it was from me. "She's not so easy to get rid of. And it's hard to try when she is the daughter of the man I owe my life too."
I looked away; there she stood eyes glued to Slade as he tried explaining the issues at hand. I brought my attention back to him. "It's Ezra all over again. Only difference, Ezra was dead and Audrey is alive and kicking."
Slade agreed. "I forgot to mention how hot you look right now." He changed the subject, stealing another kiss.
I pulled away. "What does this mean for us? With Audrey always around it's quite difficult to be around, Slade." I hated when reality hit me.
Our meeting was interrupted by Audrey before Slade could give me an answer.
"Look who decided to show up. Hope." Audrey glared at me. "I thought you were too busy being mad at Slade to hang around."
I glared right back. "It was you who I was trying to avoid, not Slade."
She stepped in front of Slade. I backed up before things got to personal. It was clear she didn't want me anywhere near him. He was like her possession—her prisoner even.
"Look here, Hope." She pursed her lips, the anger seething from her. "Things have been quite fine without you running around trying to ruin things."
Slade grabbed hold of Audrey's arm keeping her at bay and unable to pounce. Kidd and Oz both came to stand next to us; they too were concerned with the showdown.
"Audrey lay off, Hope." Kidd told her.
Audrey laughed at everyone, her pretty white teeth sparkling against the sunlight. She pushed her blonde hair behind her ear and concentrated on me again, tugging her arm free from Slade's grip.
"Back off," she hissed.
I stepped closer. "You back off, he doesn't want you. Why don't you find someone who does? It would make things a lot easier." Now I was the one being grabbed. Karsen pushed me back.
"You leave Hope alone or I will stomp a hole in your ass," Karsen threatened, ready to take on Audrey, so I didn't have to.
Audrey focused her attention on Karsen now. She shook her head. "I think someone needs to be taught a lesson." She raised an arm preparing to strike. Kidd pulled Karsen away trying to protect her from whatever it was Audrey was about to do.
"Everyone knock it off. Karsen has nothing to do with your infatuation with Slade. You leave her alone or so help me." He growled.
Audrey's expression fell. Did she realize she was unable to work her magic? Did my spell work? I wasn't sure.
Audrey's eyes flashed with anger. I fell backward doubling over in pain, shocked. She wasn't any less strong than the last time I was around her. She dropped her head. I clutched mine, dropping to my knees in horrible pain.
Pain searing my brain like a razor-sharp knife.
"Stop," Slade jumped between us. He pulled me from the ground, his touch ending whatever she was doing to me. He slipped a hand around my waist and led me to the Rv. "I'm done for the day, let the next band go." He slammed the Rv shut.
I sat down at the table, rubbing my temples. The memory of the intense pain still lingering even now after it was over. "What happened?"
"Audrey. She's going to kill you. If you don't stop pushing her, she's going to kill you and there will be nothing I can do about it." He filled a glass with water and sat it down in front of me on the table.
"Because you're part of her coven," I asked, ignoring the water.
"Because she's a crazy bitch, and I can only do so much."
I sighed. The spell didn't work. Or so it seemed. Or maybe it did and was why I was still alive.
"I think I know a way to help," I said. I knew now was the best time to say something. And like Hutch said, if I cared, go ahead, it didn't mean they would accept my help or his though. However, it was worth a shot.
Slade waited for an explanation. He took a seat across from me.
"If you can break the connection between yourself and the coven you might have a chance to get away from them for good." I looked off, afraid to see his expression.
"What are you saying?" he asked, confused.
"I'm saying I know someone willing to help us, all of us, even Kidd, Oz, Lucy and Erica."
Slade slipped out of his seat. "You need to go."
"What," I asked, shocked. "You want me to go?"
Slade nodded.
I slipped out of my seat and grabbed his arm, desperate for him to understand. "I am trying to help you guys. I don't want to see anything bad happen to any of you."
He blew me off. "Is it the guy you were eating lunch with?"
I nodded; I wasn't going to hide anything else from him anymore. If he was asking I would answer. "Yes. He's a witch, from a long line of them. And he says he will help all of us if we want him too."
"All the bad already happened to me, when are you going to get it?" He pulled away from me. "This is my life. It's this or nothing. I could be dead. I could be buried in the ground, and you wouldn't have to deal with this at all."
I turned away hurt by his words, sad even.
"You could be dead. You don't seem to appreciate what I did for you or this coven. All you see is evil." He forced me to look at him. "I don't want to be saved; I just want a life that is fucking tolerable. Whatever I have to do to get it is fine by me. I thought you understood that."
I blinked back tears. "The only thing I get is how these feeling I have for you are disappearing. Because I can't be what you want me to be. What you made me become. I will never be dark and evil. I have too much to live for."
Slade caught the tear that escaped me.
"I want you. But I don't want this," I whispered, burying my head into his chest. He wrapped his arm around me.
"I want you and I want my life, Hope." He kissed the top of my head. "I think you should go home."
I pulled away. I didn't want to look at him; I took off out the door.
I didn't bother looking for Karsen. I didn't look at anything; I just pushed my way through the crowd trying to escape Henry Park in a hurry.