Born Upon a Curse: The Darkness Within (The Cost of Magic Book 1) by M Dane

Author:M Dane [Dane, M]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2024-05-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Three

We hadn’t reached far beyond the cafeteria’s manicured lawns when the thundering sound of partygoers reached us. The Shack was packed, transforming the beach into something more of a nightclub. Outdoor tables were crammed full, volleyball games midmatch, and a flotilla of people bobbed on the lake, drinks in hand. On the rooftop terrace, the dance floor buzzed to nineties rock. CJ, who had been on the verge of dozing off moments earlier, sprang to life.

“Now, this is what Saturdays are for!” She hastily tried to tame her curly hair.

“I’ll get the table,” Isabella said. Despite looking too young to be allowed, her sharp tongue—which she’d lashed Stanley and Elias with relentlessly—made me feel she deserved a beer if anyone did.

“We’ll help,” said Ava, and the rest of the team, including CJ, squeezed through the crowd. Trix shot me a wink as she retreated.

“I see what you’re doing,” Aran called out to them as they left. “And it’s not going to work.”

I deflated at his words. After last night, how caring he had been . . . I guess, for a moment, I’d imagined what it would be like between us, and part of me was still lost in that fantasy. I shook my head to clear it. Aran May was not for me, not when he had a girlfriend. Not when I was figuring out this whole Machina mess.

He led the push to the bar. “Why’s everyone dressed weird?” I asked, noticing a color pattern—either red and yellow or red and black. Some even wore face paint.

“The league starts today,” Aran said. “Ravenmoor Heights versus Thorn Cove. They were finalist last year, so it should be a good match—”

“Aran!” a bartender cried as we neared. She had edgy hair—one side shaved, the other braided—and heavily mascaraed eyes. She was pretty. Leaning across the bar, she swept people aside to clear a path for us. “Make some room, folks, make some room. Now”—she motioned for Aran to go to the front of the line—“how was your vacation?”

“A doozy,” he said with a grin. “Shit hit the fan when I found a poacher on the property stealing sheep. I rocked up, ready to turn him inside out, but then remembered I wasn’t allowed to ‘demon’ on Earth. The brute’s dogs had me up a tree for hours.” He laughed as though nearly being mauled was the funniest thing ever.

The girl snorted. “Got me beat. I had to put up with Mom’s nagging about me finding a ‘nice man.’” With the way she batted her eyelashes, it was obvious which man she wanted. “And Sophia?”

“She loved it in Aus,” he said. “Met the folks, even tried her hand at mustering.” His face fell slightly. “But, well . . . she had to come home earlier than expected for a friend’s birthday. How about you? How’s Mowgli?”

“He’s the cutest little thing! Look—” She disappeared behind the bar and lifted a strange animal that I’d only seen on TV. It was a cross between a mouse and a rabbit, with a long snout and shiny black eyes.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.