Free Darkness & Discovery (The Bespelled Trilogy #2) by A.L. Larsen

clang on the bars.”
    He was trying to make
me smile, and it worked. “Even if I did decide to go, you couldn’t come with
me. Visiting hours are probably during the day, when the sun would roast you
like the super gross crispy duck hanging in that window. Oh geez, this is
actually the place Augustine suggested to get takeout for Bryn,” I said,
noticing the sign on the restaurant beside us.
    “There are late visiting
hours at the prison on Thursday nights for the after work crowd. Six to eight.
And I wonder if you can buy a whole one of those ducks. Bryn might like that,”
Joey said, and I punched him in the arm. “Ow! Was that for looking up visiting
hours, or for suggesting we buy a duck?”
    “Visiting hours. The
duck only merits a look of total disgust, not bodily harm.”
    “I know I’m meddling.
But come on. Just once, ok? We can go tomorrow night. I’ll go with you, and you
can punch me in the arm the whole way there.”
    “No.”
    I’ll be your best
friend,” he cajoled.
    “You already are my best friend. But if you keep being such a total pain, I’m going to have to
reassign that honor.”
    “Alastair can’t be your
best friend. He’s already your boyfriend.”
    “There’s no rule he
can’t be both. Ted was. And who said anything about Allie anyway? I was
actually thinking Augustine had BFF written all over him,” I teased.
    “No, that’s not BFF,
it’s WTF. You misread it.”
    I grinned at that. “Language,
Joey.”
    “What? I didn’t say
anything. That could stand for ‘what the flapjacks’ for all you know.”
    “You’re so bizarre,” I
said with a smile. “I love that about you.”
    “Oh yeah. I’ve said it
before and I’ll say it again: I’m the total package.”
    I watched Joey for a
minute, chewing on my lower lip. And finally I said, “Ok, maybe.”
    “Are you agreeing that
I’m the total package?” he grinned.
    “No, I’m agreeing…I
guess…to going and seeing my mom. I mean, as long as I’m here….”
    Joey grabbed me in a
hug and lifted me off the ground. “Lu, that’s great! I’m so happy you’re doing
this.”
    “I see that,” I said as
he put me down.
    “Can I come along?”
    “I don’t know. Maybe.
We’ll see.”
    Alastair came up to us
then, grinning enigmatically. “Hey,” I said. “What’re you up to?”
    “Who says I’m up to
anything?”
    “That grin, that’s
who.”
    “So, should we head to
Pacific Heights?” he asked.
    “Totally smooth subject
change,” I told him. “And let’s swing by Bryn’s first with some Chinese food.
But no ducks ,” I said, shooting Joey a look before going into the
restaurant.
     
    About an hour later, after delivering some takeout
to Bryn, we finally rang the doorbell at Jin’s family’s palatial new residence.
“That must have been some fake lottery ticket,” I murmured.
    The door swung open,
and a muscular Asian kid of about sixteen took one look at us and said, “Oh hell no.” He started to slam the door, but Alastair stopped it effortlessly.
    “So you know who we are
then,” Allie said.
    “Yeah I know who you
are. You’re a couple damn vampires. And what’s she supposed to be? A snack for
later? You need to get the hell off my property. And I mean now.”
    “Or what?” Joey asked,
taking a step forward.
    “My brother isn’t the
only one with skills. I may not have as much power as he does, but I got enough
to take care of punks like you.” Both the Asian kid and Joey were doing that
stupid thing guys do, puffing up their chests and getting right in each other’s
faces.
    “Jeez,” I muttered, and
yanked Joey back a few feet, then got between him and Jin’s brother. “Could we
dial the testosterone down to nonlethal levels here?”
    “Move, Lu,” Joey
growled.
    I glanced at Alastair
and said, “How about if you take Joey for a walk around the block? This isn’t
helpful.”
    Alastair looked
concerned but did as I asked, taking a muttering Joey by the arm and leading
him