Chapter 37 Shea

I bounced in my seat as I waited for Arya to meet me. Technically, I wasn't quite off my punishment, but Gram had made an exception when she saw who the request had come from.

I'd told Gram the truth when I got home three nights ago—well, part of it anyway. That I'd lost track of time, got attacked by a vampire, and then used my magic to get away before any further damage was caused. I couldn't tell her about Caesar without explaining about Julian, and there was no way I was going there. None of that was relevant anymore anyway.

So basically, she'd put me on house arrest unless I was going to school or somewhere with her as a chaperone. And like Arya with her mother, I was not allowed outside the house after dark. Oh, the irony. Gram was currently next door at the boutique, getting her hair done. I appreciated her giving me this small modicum of space to enjoy some girl time.

This time, I was definitely going to tell Arya about Julian. It wasn't like that relationship was going anywhere, so there wasn't much to tell, but at least I could stop keeping things from her. I wasn't so sure about telling her about Caesar. Confessing to sleeping with her teacher would make Arya feel way too uncomfortable, and it wasn't even necessary now that it was likely over.

A waitress came up, brandishing a pad and pen. "What can I get you?"

"Um, I don't know. My friend should be here soon."

"We'll start with a plate of your chili cheese fries," came a male voice.

I spun around to see who it was. Dragon Douche was standing there, looking pained as he attempted to smile. I sat back, rolling my eyes.

"Sure thing, sweetheart!" the waitress said, then turned to wink at me. "I'll give you two a few more minutes."

I seethed with irritation. Arya had sounded so excited to catch up, and here she'd brought along her boyfriend—one who had clearly expressed his distaste for witches on multiple occasions. If she wanted to bring a friend, why not Ashlyn? At least that girl didn't care if I was a shifter reject.

Tobias slid into the seat across from me, his long legs crowding my foot space, his hands forming a little tent on the table. And he was studying those hands of his like he'd never seen them before.

Well, this was awkward.

I casually looked around again. "Where's Arya?"

Tobias let out a long breath. "She's not coming."

"Is she okay?"

He shook his head. "She's fine. "

I narrowed my eyes at him, as if I could discern what was going on here by scrutinizing his expression and posture. "Am I missing something?"

Tobias looked to the side. He had yet to meet my gaze. Maybe he thought he'd turn to stone if he did. I snorted at the thought, and Tobias looked at me like I was crazy—still not in the eyes, but at least he'd looked at me.

"I asked you to come here be—"

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute. You asked me to come here? Because the email was specifically from Arya." The wheels of my mind began to spin out of control. "Wait, is this some kind of trap? Did you lure me here to eliminate me or something? Because let me warn you, I—"

"No, no! Let me explain." Tobias at least had the decency to redden.

I shook my head and stood. "Look, I don't know what stick you have up your ass, but I'm not going to just sit here because you're my best friend's boyfriend. I get it. You hate—" I looked around the diner, but no one was paying us any mind. "You hate my kind. But whatever twisted little plot you have in mind, I'm not in the mood."

But the chili cheese fries arrived, and I backed into the booth again to make room for the waitress. The woman set the steaming fries on the table. My mouth watered, and my tummy rumbled, reminding me I was ready for lunch. I glared at the plate and then the guy who'd ordered it.

"And what else can I get you two?" the waitress asked.

Tobias threw a quick glance at me. "Two cheeseburgers and chocolate shakes."

The waitress smiled and left again .

I grabbed a fry and sank back in my seat, glaring at Tobias. The cheesy, gooey, meaty, chewy bliss of a chili cheese fry filled my mouth, and I let out a soft sigh. "What if I was allergic to cheese?"

"You're not. You're eating cheese right now."

I grabbed a few more fries and pointed them at Tobias, though the rebellious things refused to remain straight. "Fine. I'll hear you out. You have until the burgers get here to convince me not to take all this to go. Oh, and you're paying."

I popped the fries in my mouth, not taking my eyes off Tobias, daring him to challenge me.

"Not a problem." He grabbed his own handful of fries and threw them in his mouth, grabbing a napkin to clean up his fingers and face.

I smirked. "You should've left the cheese on your face. You almost looked human."

He didn't even crack a smile.

I grabbed another fry. "Tick, tock."

Tobias rolled his eyes. "Look, I've got this problem."

"Don't we all," I sighed. I knew I should slow down on the fries—I probably looked like a freaking pig scarfing them down like I was—but I'd been ravenous ever since my vampire attack, and they were sooo good.

"I can't—" Tobias stopped and pursed his lips, his face reddening as he glanced around the room. When he started again, his voice was softer, his gaze firmly planted on the table. "I can't...fall in love."

I paused with a fry halfway to my mouth, then lowered it as I looked at Tobias. "Can't? Or won't? "

He shook his head. "My family was cursed." He looked around again, then leaned forward—which for all his lank was at least halfway across the table—and hissed, "By witches."

"And they turned you into a robot?"

He growled. "Will you take this seriously?"

I shrugged, bringing the fry to my mouth at last.

Tobias scowled. "If I fall in love with Arya, she'll hate me."

I swallowed. "That makes sense. I'm sure any woman you're romantically involved with would grow to hate you eventually."

He put his hand to his forehead and closed his eyes as he let out a long-suffering sigh. "No. The curse on my family makes it so that if a Dracul falls in love, or anyone falls in with a Dracul, that love will be forever unrequited."

"Geez, how'd you manage to piss off a witch that badly?" I said, chewing.

" I didn't. My ancestor did," he ground out.

"Wait, so you're saying the curse has been passed down—?"

"Generation after generation. Yes," he confirmed.

I took a sip of water, then let out a low whistle. "That's harsh."

Tobias ran his hands through his hair. "Tell me about it."

The waitress came by again, doling out the two burgers. She only set one shake on the table, dropping two straws next to it.

I eyed the shake, then turned a questioning brow to Tobias.

"You two enjoy," the woman said, giving us another wink .

"I ordered..." Tobias began, holding up two fingers, but the waitress was gone again.

I shrugged and dragged the shake towards me. At a look from Tobias, I said, "What?"

He scowled, but didn't complain about my claim on the shake.

"Okay, so you have this curse, and yet you're dating my best friend?" I asked.

"I know." He dipped his head and raked his hands through his hair, looking much more human and forlorn than I'd ever seen him. "Trust me, I tried to stay away. But I…imprinted on her."

I choked on the mouthful of milkshake I tried to swallow, coughing as I stared at him with wide eyes. "You what?" I gasped after I recovered.

"I imprinted," he said. "It basically means I'm chemically bound to—"

"I know what it means," I interrupted, unable to control the pitch of my voice in my astonishment. "Omigod, that's why I sensed that aura around you. I should have connected the dots!"

He frowned at me, but I couldn't decipher the look in his eyes.

I pushed the shake to the side and laced my finger on the table. "So you set up this little meeting with me—"

"To see if you could break the curse," he finished, his face surprisingly vulnerable and chipping away the walls of my defenses. "I don't want to hurt her, but I also literally can't stay away from her. Breaking the curse is the only way to save us both."

I tapped my index finger on my knuckle, appraising Tobias. He returned my stare as he grabbed the last of the fries but broke it as he dug into his burger .

I liked him. I didn't know what it was about him, but I wanted to see him turn into a real boy. And he'd imprinted on my best friend. I didn't know much about imprinting, but I did know it was a bond that lasted a lifetime. There was no escaping from Tobias for Arya, not unless she wanted Tobias to die, and Arya's heart was far too kind for that, even if she had no romantic interest in him at all.

"Does she know?" I asked before he could take another bite of his burger.

He paused, lowering the burger. "No. She doesn't know about the curse or the imprint."

Of course, she didn't. And I could understand why Tobias didn't tell her. Their relationship thus far had been complicated enough. And as someone who'd been keeping her own secrets from Arya, I had no room to judge.

But he was asking me to lift a curse, one I knew nothing about. What if there was no way to break the curse? What if I did something stupid, and the curse rebounded on me? Not that I wasn't fully capable of screwing up my love life all on my own. Still, messing with unknown—and ancient—magic could be dangerous.

But this was for Arya. I didn't necessarily care if she rejected Tobias after he fell for her—okay, maybe I cared a little—but I definitely didn't want her to spend her life pining for him if he couldn't love her back. I also knew plenty about that feeling.

I sighed. "I can't promise anything—"

"I figured. This was a dumb idea." He set down his burger and looked out the window.

I held up a finger, giving Tobias a pointed look. "You're the one who came to me, so let me just say this before you go climbing on that high and mighty shifter horse of yours. Witches don't just go casting curses for the fun of it. That's some serious shit, and if you want me to try to remove it, you'd better treat me with a little respect."

Tobias opened his mouth, but I held up my finger again. "Not done. I'm doing this for her more than I am for you, but that doesn't give you the right to treat me like dog shit. And don't go thinking I can just wave a magic wand and lift this curse. It's going to take some time and research, and even then, I don't know if I'll be able to lift it. But for Arya's sake, I'm going to do my best."

I grabbed the milkshake and sucked on the straw until I got past the melted part and back to the thick and creamy bit.

Tobias's jaw twitched as he regarded me. He sighed and grabbed a bite of his burger, throwing it back on his plate as if it suddenly repulsed him.

"I don't know how much time I have left."

I lifted a brow. "Are you, like, dying or something?"

"No. The curse. I'm... She makes me..." He shook his head. "It could activate any day now."

"Oh," I said with a nod. He really did have feelings for her.

"I've spent my whole life trying to compartmentalize my emotions because I didn't want this . I've watched what the curse has done to my parents. I thought I'd have more time, but Arya... She's special. I tried to stay away, but I couldn't. And now?" He held out his empty hands.

I couldn't help myself. My heart broke at the anguish on his face. He was clearly smitten, and it was making him miserable. I couldn't imagine anyone was deserving of such a curse. To never even be able to hope for love. What would that do to a person?

Maybe the Tin Man in front of me really did have a heart. And from the looks of it, it was in serious danger of breaking .

I slid the shake to Tobias. "I think you need that more than I do."

He chuckled darkly and shook his head.

"How is everything?" the waitress asked, seeming to materialize out of nowhere.

Tobias nodded. "Fine, but I'd like another shake." He pushed the one I had been drinking back my way.

"Something wrong with that one?" she asked, eyeing the second straw, which was still unopened.

"We just wanted two," Tobias said, his tone curt.

The waitress pasted on a saccharine smile. "Of course. I'll be right back." She started to leave, muttering something about a lover's quarrel.

"We're not lovers!" Tobias and I called at the same time.

If she heard us, she didn't acknowledge it.

I leaned forward. "What is her problem ?"

Tobias shrugged.

"Okay, so tell me more about this curse." I bit off some of my burger, marveling at the amount of grease dripping out the other side.

"I will, once you promise me you won't go telling anyone about it."

I raised a brow. "Who am I gonna tell?"

"Arya."

I barked out a laugh. "Yeah, Arya's got a lot on her plate at the moment. "

He continued to stare at me, so I lifted my hands. "Okay. I promise. I won't tell your girlfriend you can't fall in love with her."

He glowered at me, and I gave him my sweetest smile in return. "It was placed on an ancestor of mine—Claudette Dracul. I don't know what she did to piss off the witches who cursed her, or who exactly those witches were, but I have some ideas."

"Like?"

"Like, there was a boarder at the school she was staying at that mysteriously died. Then a bunch of witch sisters traveled to the area, with the same last na—"

"Shea?"

The familiar shadow of Gram fell over me, and I shut my eyes in dread before turning around to face her with an innocent smile. "Hey, Gram."

"That doesn't look like Arya," she said with an accusatory tone, jutting her chin at Tobias.

My stomach plummeted with a guilt I actually hadn't earned this time. "I know, I—"

"I'm sorry," Tobias interrupted. "I kind of tricked her into coming here, letting her believe she'd be meeting Arya instead of me."

Gram folded her arms under her ample bosom. "And who are you?"

"Arya's boyfriend," he confessed. "The truth is that I'm planning a surprise birthday party for Arya, and I wanted Shea's help. I haven't treated Shea the best since I've known her, so I didn't think she'd come if I asked her outright. "

Gram eyed him skeptically for a moment, then turned her scrutiny on me. I could do nothing but lift my shoulders in a helpless, submissive gesture.

"Well, that's very thoughtful of you, but Shea won't be attending any parties for quite some time," she said finally. "Come along, Shea. It's time to go home."

I frowned but obediently slid out of the booth.

"Thanks for the food, Tobias," I said. "And don't worry. I'll still help with that gift you wanted. I'll let you know when it's done."

A grateful smile tipped at the edges of his lips, and he nodded in appreciation.

I followed Gram out of the diner, feeling a little chagrined even though I hadn't intentionally done anything wrong. But at least I had a new purpose, and perhaps my most important one yet.

I was going to use my magic to save my best friend's heart. Even if my own got destroyed in the process.

~The End~

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