“So why are you really here?” Lexi asked, dipping her pretzel into a can of processed cheese dip. “Hiding from another boyfriend who’s sitting on your doorstep with a bouquet of roses?”

Izzy spread the cards out before her, turning them in circles and mixing them up.

I rubbed my finger over a small indentation on the table. “I felt a Mage following me tonight. It happened on the human side of town, and I was alone. It could have been one of the customers from the club, but I didn’t want to chance leading anyone to my home.”

She laughed. “Oh, so you brought a lunatic here?”

“Girly, I’m sure your big strong men can take care of themselves if someone’s brave enough to drive up that creepy dark road full of potholes. I needed to get out on an open stretch of highway to make sure I wasn’t just imagining things. I didn’t see anyone follow me here, so I decided it wouldn’t hurt to swing by and see what goes on in the Cole house at this ungodly hour. It’s nothing to worry your head about, but a girl can’t be too careful.”

“Do you have any alarms in your apartment?” Izzy asked in a serious voice. “When I was a rogue, I had a few crazies follow me home. It helps to have alarms—especially if you live alone. Maybe you should ask Reno to install something. He’s good with security systems.”

“Not a bad idea,” Lexi said. “Something is better than nothing.”

I decided I’d give it a little thought. But in the back of my mind, I knew if someone really wanted to get at me, a noisy alarm wasn’t going to deter them.

Chapter 3

Driving in a car full of balloons wasn’t something I’d ever done before, and I added it to my short list of things I’d never do again. Once I managed to get them out of the car, I made my way inside Pizza Zone, wrinkling my nose at the heavy smell of pepperoni. Since this was a casual event, I’d dressed in a pair of black shorts and a turquoise button-up blouse.

Two little boys hurtled by and almost knocked me down. “Oh!” I clutched the box in my arms and kept moving forward, desperately looking for a familiar face in the sea of humans.

“Aunt Naya’s here!” Maizy rushed over from a long table on the left side of the room. The lights were low, drawing all the attention to the colorful machines.

“Oh, my. You look astoundingly beautiful today, Maizy.”

She twirled in a sleeveless white dress that made her appear older than eleven. Her hair was in loose waves, and the shimmering lip balm she wore was a pale pink.

“Is that for me?” Her blue eyes widened at the size of the box wrapped in shiny red paper and garnished with a white ribbon.

I glanced around. “Well, I can’t imagine who else it would be for. Think you can carry it for me?”