The Lying, the Witch, and the Werewolf (Down & Dirty Supernatural Cleaning Services Book 4) by Kate Quinn (uplifting books for women .txt) 📗

“I’m sorry!” I say. “I know it’s tough for you.”

She sniffles and Shit licks the tears off her face. “It’s just so hard to be clean and not have Tina around and not even eat any sugar or anything. Life is so boring. I can’t even take a nap because I can’t sleep without a hit of beauty.” She sobs some more and I fetch her a sugar-free jawbreaker. She rolls it around her mouth until she calms down. Darron and I used to sneak her sugar to calm her down, but she’s way past that now. The jawbreaker is well and truly sugar-free, and Shauna knows it. Sometimes it’s just the hint of doing something from her old life that helps ease her past the bumps in her new one.

“Thanks,” she tells me with a last sniffle. She wipes her arm across her nose. “Paige, I’ve been keeping something from you. I think you need to see it now, though.”

“What is it? Are you hitting the beauty again?” I ask. Darron and I have done our best to help Shauna out of her addictions—human beauty and sugar. It was a struggle, but as with all addictions, I didn't expect it to be a one and done. Most of her motivation for coming clean was to be able to help raise her nephew, and even though she sees him several times a week, I know Shauna has a hard time focusing on the reward when it’s not directly right in front of her. At those times, I could totally see her remembering why the reward is even worth all the deprivation. Much like shit, relapses happen.

“Whatever it is, we’ll work it out,” I assure her.

“No...it’s not about me.” Shauna stands and Shit leaps into my arms. She retrieves her laptop and opens it. “I’m here for you,” she tells me as she presses play.

“Thanks but…” What I was going to say was, I don’t think my life could get any worse. Then I realize I’m watching a wedding video. The bride is beautiful in a slim fit hip hugging number that only someone with the body of a supermodel could pull off. Her red hair is cropped short in a pixie, but it works for her, highlighting her delicate features. “Is that…?”

“Yeah, Brent and Giselle got married last month.”

I grind my teeth as the video plays on. Giselle looks so happy. And Brent...he’s perfect in his tux.

That could’ve been me. And even though Brent tried to kill me—and is a total ass slinger— there’s a part of me that wishes it was me. Not because I want Brent, or even another wedding day (one was enough thank you very much). But I want the way that I felt back when he and I were together. Like my life was under control. Like the worst was already behind me.

I slam the computer closed. “You should have told me,” I say.

“I know...but I wanted to wait until you seemed better...about Liam.”

“And now is the time?” I ask, incredulous.

“Well, no, but there’s a second part to this and I think it will make you feel better.”

“Like, you just gave me the bad news first and now I get the good news?” I ask.

Shauna beams. “Now I give you a present!”

She pops into her pixie form and flits away down the hallway, Shit running after her, trying to catch her in the air. Luckily for her, she’s faster than him—but just barely. If he ever went after her before she had her morning coffee, I don’t know if Shauna would still be in our lives. Seconds later, she’s back with a wrapped box that Shit tries to steal and destroy.

“No!” I tell him and he lets go, and gives me the chastised puppy eyes that make me want to melt. I shake the box. It’s light and there’s a rasping noise.

“Did you notice anything about Giselle?” Shauna asks.

“You mean her perfect figure, her couture dress, her beautiful hair?”

At the mention of Giselle’s hair, Shauna smirks. “Why did she cut her hair?” I ask. “I mean, she still looks great but she was always so proud of her long red locks. And they would have been beautiful cascading down the back of that dress…” My voice fades out as the wedding reel replays in my mind, dammit.

Shauna is practically bursting now, so I open the present. Inside the box is a braid of red hair. I pick it up, and understanding dawns.

“You did not cut her hair?”

“I did!” she screeches. “I shaved that bitch’s head!” She shifts to her pixie form and flies around the room excitedly.

“How?” I ask. Brent had a spell put on him so Shauna couldn’t touch him or even get near him. After she found out Brent murdered her brother, Kit, it was the only thing that kept her from killing him.

“Well, I found out that protective spell doesn’t apply to Giselle. Normally I wouldn’t want to mess with a woman just because she’s dating a bad dude, but she’s definitely not an innocent bystander.”

“How…?” I ask.

“Well, three months ago Giselle booked her hair appointment for her wedding day.”

“And you knew this how?”

“Look, let me tell the story!”

I throw up my hands in defeat and she continues. “When Hepa put that BM tracker on Brent it got me thinking about revenge. So I had her work up some more spying devices. I can’t go near Brent, but Giselle...he left her ass hanging out in the wind. I followed her for a while, noted where she often goes, put a few magical devices here and there and then waited for my chance.”

She rubs her hands together in evil glee.

“When Giselle was having her rehearsal hair appointment to play with styles, I shrunk down to pixie form and crawled through the vents of the salon. Then I dive bombed out of the vent, grabbed a pair of scissors, and