Random Acts of Sorcery by Karen Mead Read Free Book Online

brother is fine,” she said.
    “He’s not fine! You need to tell him not to—”
    “Your brother is fine,” Annette repeated the phrase like it was a mantra, then seemed to become absorbed back into her book.
    Frustrated, Cassie stood up and stomped back to her room. Suddenly, Hunter’s behavior made a little more sense. Clearly, the spell that was supposed to keep her parents from worrying about her applied to Hunter too, and for the time being, it was like he had no parents at all; she couldn’t even remember the last time she heard Annette yell at him, come to think of it. No wonder the kid was acting out.
    She wasn’t sure what to do. She’d come to accept the upheaval in her own life, but did she have to be responsible for ruining her brother’s childhood too?
     

Chapter Six
    It was a busy Saturday afternoon at The Daily Grind. Francesca, a middle-aged Brazilian woman Dwight had recently hired, was working the register while Sam manned the espresso bar. He was a little concerned about bringing another person into the somewhat bizarre situation at DG, where who knew what supernatural horror might walk in the door at any moment, but he supposed that Dwight did have a right to staff his store properly.
    Typically his mind wandered when he made drinks for hours on end, which normally wasn’t a problem, but today he kept thinking about Cassie. He was already nervous enough about his plans with her without dwelling on every single thing that could possibly go wrong, but he found he couldn’t stop. No matter how he tried to edit it in his mind, every view of the night ahead seemed to end with her looking at him with horror-filled eyes….
    She’s not a helpless little child. She can tell you what she wants, what she likes and doesn’t like. Stop making up problems before anything’s even happened .
    He was so lost in thought that he nearly jumped when Khalil tapped him on the shoulder.
    “What do you want?”
    “We need you in the back for five minutes.”
    “Do you?” said Sam, wiping his hands on a wet towel and drying them on his apron. He had a feeling this meeting was not going to be coffee-related.
    In the break room, Dwight and Jay were waiting. Dwight was wearing his shades; he was one of the few people Sam had ever met who could truly pull off wearing sunglasses indoors without looking silly, but it hid his eyes from view. Jay was standing with his arms crossed, looking at Sam over his glasses with a glare that was probably supposed to be menacing. Khalil moved next to Jay and crossed his arms as well, mimicking the boy’s pose.
    “What’s this about?”
    The three men (or two men and a teen) exchanged a quick glance. Jay spoke for them.
    “Is it true you’re going out with Cassie tonight?”
    Sam sighed; he had thought this was probably about her. “Yeah, what about it?”
    The three exchanged another glance, their faces solemn. Khalil stepped forward. “Now Sam, my friend, you are a demon superpimp; we all know this.”
    “I am not a pimp! I am not anything remotely like a pimp.”
    Khalil waved his hand dismissively. “A super-duper wizard king, whatever. We puny humans know better than to pick a fight with you super-powered dudes. BUT—”, and with this his eyes narrowed, “—if you hurt Cassie, I swear, I will find whatever your kryptonite is and I will shove it up your ass. So far up your ass.”
    Dwight and Jay nodded solemnly, in unison.
    “She’s my best friend, and if you don’t treat her right, I will hurt you,” said Jay, still giving Sam his best death glare. “I will make you sorry you ever touched her, and even your magic won’t save you.”
    “I’m not going to be all melodramatic about it, I’m just saying: Watch yourself, man,” Dwight contributed.
    Sam just stood there for a moment, not quite sure how to respond. For a moment, the silence grew awkward. Jay sniffed loudly and shifted his weight.
    “Is Cassie aware that you three have appointed yourselves