Free Rush Against Time by Willow Brooke

and husbands for a few hours, well, all but Maisy.  She is escaping her fun, young, single life to come hang out with us.”  The girls all giggled, knowing that Maisy was the wild one of the bunch. 
    “ Yes, I have to say, clubs, bars, and all of the handsome men I have coming and going will leave a girl tired out.  I needed some real fun!”  Maisy raised her arm in the air and let out a ‘whoop’.  The girls all erupted in laughter and squeals.  “Now eat up, Jessa, we need to get this girl-shifter support group meeting started!”
    Jessa ’s heart swelled.  She had the best network of family in the world.  They may not all be blood related, but she loved them just as much, if not more than some of her blood kin.  Chomping on a piece of pepperoni, she munched her dinner down while the others went back to making their concoction.  Before she could drop the second piece of crust onto her plate, Annie was taking it out of her hands.  She had to toss it a few feet and was thankful it hit its mark and not the floor.  “Jess, grab a glass.  I have four hours before I have to get home, and I refuse to go back sober!  I haven’t been out since before Leland was born.  I am going to make sure it is memorable!”  She swayed and shimmied away, moving and acting silly.  Jessa giggled.  Annie was the funniest girl to hang around.  She always had a light, silly, sweet air about her that prevented any bad or gloomy moods when you were in the same room as she was. 
    Before she could make her way over to the counter that held prefilled glasses of a white, frozen liquid with small pineapple triangles neatly perched on the rims —one was thrust in her hand.  She thanked Autumn, receiving a smile and a wink, which made her wonder if the woman had added any ‘special’ ingredients to hers.  She shrugged her shoulders, and took a swig.  It was delicious !  A sweet, tangy, light and creamy dream hit her taste buds.  It was a flavor overload.  She smacked her lips and gulped more.  “This is amazing!  Whose recipe is this?” 
    “ It is mine.  I am glad you like it!”  Christina topped off her glass with the full pitcher.  Once all of the girls had a beverage in hand, Christina stepped up and dinged on her glass with a fork.  “Okay, ladies.  It is time we get our girl party on.  Jessa here is going through a tough time, so it is only right we step in and help her drink her sorrows away!  Now, in honor of my favorite movie, Practical Magic , I dedicate this little segment to our girl, Jess.  Drink up, and get in line!”  She hit the button on a stereo that sat on a table in the corner, and the song, “Lime in the Coconut” by Harry Nilsson, pumped through the speakers and caused the girls to all jump and screech in delight. 
    They all formed a conga line around the kitchen and danced through the house.  She hopped into formation and followed them around, singing at the top of her lungs with the rest.  Halfway through the song, candles began floating in the air, filling the house with a magical and incredible glow.  Jessa threw her head back in a fit of giggles, loving that however strange and unusual life was, she was glad she wasn’t stuck living like a regular human after all.  All the times she had secretly wished she was oblivious to vampires, shifters, magic, and all of the strange other things that existed, she now took back.  This was who she was, and she was proud to be a shifter.  She let loose and released a howl, urging the rest of the pack of women to join in. 
    When the song ended, the room erupted in yells and laughter.  The rest of the evening was just wild-crazy-fun, and the drinks kept pouring. After a few rounds of Tequila shots, an x-rated game of truth or dare, and conversation that revealed deep dark secrets she hoped she would remember the next day—and hoped the others wouldn’t, concerning her naughty text picture she had sent earlier—Jessa sighed of