"Perfect." He chuckled and gave me a wide grin. "Be careful out there, Crim. It's not as safe as it used to be," he warned.
"I know. I'll be perfectly fine. I know martial arts and sword dancing helped with my agility. I can do some good damage even if I'm a mere human," I reassured him.
"Okay. See you next time and remember, if you need me I'm here," he reminded.
I nodded, waving goodbye and made my way out of the small bar. I waited till I heard him lock the door, wanting to make sure he would be safe inside and no one would try to jump him.
With the recent spike in criminal activity, he slept in a hidden room in the bar and left in the early morning when the streets were starting to become busy.
Right now, the streets were empty and I was the only one on this block. I unzipped my jacket and began to jog my way to the lamppost where I was supposed to meet James. It would take me about five minutes to get there at a leisurely jog and thanks to my last minute chit-chat with Jeff I would only be waiting two or three minutes for James to arrive.
He always tried to meet me on time, but this was the latest at night I’d been outside without his company.
I reached the lamp post right on time, but James hadn't arrived. After a few minutes, I began to wonder where he was. I pulled my phone out, quickly scanning the area as my fingers tapped away at the screen.
ME:
"Hey, I'm here at the lamp. Are you almost here? Yes, we’ll talk later."
I put my phone away and shoved my hands into the pockets of my leather jacket. I began walking around aimlessly, entering the one-way alleyway which was wide enough to fit at least three people horizontally.
I walked back and forth as the minutes continued to tick by, but still no sign of James.
ME:
"James? Where are you?"
Another five minutes passed. I bit my lip in frustration as I continued to pace back and forth. If I knew I would be stuck waiting for him, I could have called for a cab.
ME:
"James, if you're not here in five minutes, I'm heading home. It's cold and this area isn't safe. If you don't see me near the lamp post or alley, head home."
I slid my phone back into my pocket for the last time, trying to control the anger that was already wanting to lash out at someone. No wonder I don't have magic. I'd probably end up hurting everyone or everything with my short temper.
I heard footsteps behind me and I turned around to give James my piece of mind when someone knocked into me; both of us crashed to the wet ground. What the fuck!
I groaned, pushing the person off me and hurrying to my feet.
"Fucking bitch in my damn way!" a scruffy voice insulted.
I narrowed my eyes at him, but he was already off, dashing down the alley before I could even get a glimpse of his appearance.
His black cloak fluttered behind him, and I caught a glimpse of a weird symbol on the back of his right ankle, but then he reached the end of the alleyway, turning right and was out of sight.
Before I even had the chance to blink, I heard several more sets of footsteps coming closer. I stepped out of the way, pressing myself up against the wall to avoid the five men that appeared to be in hot pursuit.
I was ready to step back, but then another guy passed by me; his green eyes locked onto mine for what seemed like a millisecond as he ran past, cursing when he reached the end of the alley, looking left and right.
"RIGHT!" I called out to him.
He looked over his shoulder and gave me a cheeky smile.
"Thanks, Hottie!" he replied, turning right.
I blinked; my cheeks grew red at his comment. Well, that was different.
I was ready to turn away when a glint of silver caught my attention. I squinted my eyes, noticing something on the ground a few steps away from me.
I looked around, wondering if the guys would return. After a minute or so had passed, I took a step forward, followed by another. Within a few strides, I was in front of the item that laid on the cold, wet cement.
I frowned as I crouched down, reaching out to touch the face of what appeared to be a pocket watch. The intricately engraved design was beautiful and looked handcrafted to fit the owner's style.
I noticed the single pink jewel at the top; there were four other sockets that I assumed should have had some type of gem in them, but were empty. It was as if someone had removed them.
My finger brushed over the pink jewel, feeling a spark of magic and the jewel glowed softly at my touch. My eyes trailed along the circular design, trying to imagine what it would look like with the four stones that would surround the magic circle in the middle which featured a star, each point aligned with the gem sockets and the initials 'C.S.' in the center.
I didn't know what the initials stood for, but it must have meant something. Maybe if I found the owner, I could confirm their identity with the engraved lettering.
I flipped the watch over; the other side was a plain silver and I inspected the silver chain attached. It looked to be a necklace with mini charms on it, three on each side. Each charm was outlined in silver to help each item stand out.
A pink rose, a red car, a girl wearing a purple kimono, a turquoise cupcake, a rose gold key, and a gold crown.
The rose, car and tiny girl were on one side and the cupcake, key, and crown were on the other. I was taking a closer look when my finger accidentally pressed the button on the side.
The watch flipped open, displaying the clock face inside.
I stared at the clock face that had a black background— the numbers and clock hands glowed to life, showing the time as 2:30 A.M. Then a magic circle appeared.
Slowly in pink, the same five-point star that decorated the outside began to appear and five orbs of light formed at each point. I was ready to freak out but then I heard a set of footsteps.
"DON'T OPEN IT!"
I looked up at the desperate cry, seeing the same guy that had passed by earlier. His green eyes glittered under the lamp post at the other end of the alley. Those eyes widened, fear taking over and his body jolted forward into a sprint.
I watched as if in slow motion as he made his way toward me; the dark gloomy alleyway looked twice as long now.
I could see the desperation in his eyes. His orange-gold strands of hair were bound together by a black gold ribbon decorated with ancient text which began to glow— the sensation of magic in the air evident.
But it didn't matter. Something told me my fate had been set in stone and there was nothing I could do to change it.
My hand grew hot and my attention returned to the watch I cradled in my hand. My eyes widened as five magical creatures burst out of the opened pocket watch. My hand shook and the weight of the watch seemed to triple, making me whimper in fear.
I glanced back up to see the other five men come into view— all of them sprinting in slow motion to reach me.
My eyes looked up to stare at the five magical beings above me as they danced in celebration. Or were they somehow mocking me for setting them free? All I knew was that the power that pulsed off of them in waves was what made the goosebumps creep along my skin and made me tremble where I stood.
The magic that surrounded me was suffocating, and I struggled to breathe, frozen in crippling fear at the overflow of magical essence that could potentially kill me. The force of energy was stronger than that of my mother or father who were the most powerful shifters I'd ever known.
My eyes grew even wider and I watched as the creatures crashed into one another mid-air, creating a spinning wheel of color: red, white, blue, gold, and pink.
I watched in fascination as the spinning bundle of color shot forward, heading straight into my body.
It was as if the air had been punched out of me and the impact threw me off my feet, the force of magic surging through my body, and my legs and hands flailed uselessly as I fell.