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“Oh, Aria.” She laughs harder.
“They made me slick,” I whine.
More laughter. “You like them,” she accuses.
“I like cucumber, but that doesn’t mean I want to impale myself on it,” I snarl at her.
Cayenne’s laughter intensifies. When she finally catches her breath, she says, “Okay, okay. So they didn’t scent you. That’s good, right?”
I sigh, staring out the window at the city rolling by. “I had to walk home with my thighs pressed together and then take a shower, scrubbing myself clean.” I sound so put out. “I almost needed a bleach bath, hence the onions.”
“Oh, Aria,” Cayenne says, her tone softening. “All right, I’ll track you, but tell me something. What do you hope to gain by getting black-market scent blockers?”
I sigh and stare out the window at the city rolling by. It’s a question I asked myself all damn day, and I still don’t know how to answer it. “I don’t know.”
“Do you think you could open up to them?” she says very carefully.
She barely has the words out, and my body violently reacts with a shiver. “I don’t.” I swallow thickly. “Noah… Have you found him?”
“No.” She doesn’t hesitate to tell me the truth, and by her tone, I know she is pissed off about that fact. “If he pops up anywhere, you are the first person I’ll call.”
“My stop is coming up.” I can’t hide the defeat in my voice. Noah took off when Cayenne showed up at the house that night, and no one has seen him since.
“Aria.” Cayenne uses her no-nonsense voice on me.
“I know,” I whisper and hang onto the bar as I stand up. “It’s just, It’s been six months since I escaped Noah, after enduring years of hell with him. I don’t know...” I can’t even get the words out, so I focus on putting one foot in front of the other.
“I know, but, Aria, you are finally healthy again, and you need to think about your next heat.” Again, she says this as carefully as possible.
I ignore her words because they incite emotions, and I’m not in the mood to feel those. “You have my location?”
“Got it.” She sighs, knowing I’m ending this conversation.
“Perf,” I chirp, pretending that I’m not afraid. “Love you. Gotta see a stranger about some drugs.”
“Damn you, Aria. I swear to all the gods in the universe, if you get murdered, I’m going to?—”
Click.
She’ll forgive me.
The biting night air follows me as I push through the blacked out door of Nightshade Remedies. The overwhelming scent of sandalwood and patchouli incense assaults my senses, momentarily distracting me from the icy fear lodged in my chest. Dim, flickering candles cast eerie shadows on shelves crammed with dusty jars and ancient-looking tomes. The air feels thick and heavy, as if the very atmosphere is saturated with secrets. Every single corner of the store is full of something, whether it be knickknacks, tea, or herbs. It’s full.
As the door closes behind me, a woman about my age steps out of the back with a smile on her face. Her dark hair is braided with little charms, and her eyes sparkle with curiosity and warmth.
“Welcome to Nightshade Remedies! Can I help you find something?” she asks, her voice melodic and soothing.
I swallow hard, trying to muster up my usual bravado. “Uh, yeah. I’m looking for something…specific.”
Her smile widens. “Well, you’ve come to the right place. We specialize in the specific.” She gestures to the crowded shelves. “What do you need?”
I glance around, feeling suddenly out of place and exposed. “Do you have any, uh, scent blockers?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.
“Scent blockers?” She arches an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. “That’s a rather unusual request.”
I shift on my feet, my cheeks heating. “Yeah, well, I’m a rather unusual person.”
She chuckles softly, leaning against the counter. “I can see that. What kind of scent blockers are we talking about?”
