Inez looked at her sharply. “Whose car would you fill with toads, Rebecca? I always considered you so sweet.”
Doris burst out laughing. “We all change spending time with you, Inez. I’m not always certain it’s for the better, but we have way more fun.”
Seychelle joined in the laughter, but she thought controlling toads might be a good idea. She’d have a bunch of them jump right on Savage’s thick skull and do a little froggy dance. “I’m all for Hannah teaching us. I already asked Sabelia to teach a class. I haven’t quite convinced her, but at the time she wasn’t talking as much as she is now.”
Lana smirked. “I’m reading your mind.”
“The question is, are you willing to take the class?” Seychelle asked.
“Absolutely. I’m all for petitioning Hannah right now. Alena would be in as well,” Lana said solemnly. “Blythe is too nice, Soleil would never do anything like that to Ice, but Anya might need to know how to have a trick or two on her side around Reaper. Breezy is just as sweet as they come, and Zyah is capable, but Player’s too nice, so she doesn’t have the need. I think Anya and Alena are the only others for the class.” Lana went through the list of potentials from the women of Torpedo Ink.
“You left out Lissa and Lexi,” Inez pointed out. “Technically, they’re women of Torpedo Ink as well.”
Lissa was married to Casimir Prakenskii and Lexi to Gavriil Prakenskii, both men fully patched members of Torpedo Ink.
“Lissa comes to a few events, and she’d be all in. I’ll invite her too, if we can get Hannah and Sabelia to agree,” Lana conceded. “But Gavriil has brought Lexi only once. He’s extremely protective of her. I honestly don’t know her at all.”
“I don’t think you young girls should have all the fun,” Rebecca said daringly.
The door to the shop swung open, the bells tinkling merrily, announcing more customers. Seychelle turned her head, expecting to see Eden Ravard. Brandon Campbell walked in with a very young woman under his arm. Head down, she looked extremely pale as she stared at the floor with no expression on her face. She wore dark jeans and a wrinkled T-shirt with a very thin, light sweater over it.
Brandon whispered to her, and her body jerked as if he’d struck her. She tilted her head up like a puppet, looking toward their table but staring past them, not at them, with vacant eyes. Brandon came right up to the table. He looked anxious as he gave them a little half smile in greeting.
“Hello, Doris, Inez. Everyone. This is Tessa Deering, my friend. Tessa, honey, can you say hello? Please?”
Tessa swallowed and looked up at him, nodding several times. “Hello.” She murmured the greeting to the window behind them. Her voice sounded hollow and far off.
Brandon sighed and shook his head, looking very discouraged. “We’re on a little outing. I thought it might bring her out of her shell. Tessa’s very . . .” He broke off as if searching for the right word. “Come here, honey. Sit right at this table.” His fingers bit into her arm as he all but forcibly put her into the chair at the little intimate table straight across from the one where the women were sitting. “She won’t even move on her own anymore. I’m running out of ideas.”
“Oh, Brandon, that’s such a shame,” Rebecca said. “Have you tried a counselor?”
“She refuses to go. She won’t leave me long enough to go. It’s a good thing I work from home. I’m getting worried about her dependency.” He talked as if Tessa weren’t even there.
Seychelle caught Lana’s gaze. Brandon was using his “voice.” Just a note here and there, but it was enough to ensnare everyone. Doris wouldn’t fall under his spell because Seychelle had built a shield for her. Lana clearly was aware that something was off about Brandon, and she knew Tessa was in trouble. She was fighting the effects of that tone.
“We were just discussing the silliest thing, Brandon,” Seychelle said cheerfully. “We were going to ask Hannah and Sabelia to teach us classes in some of the craziest arts.” Deliberately, she used counterpoints to his voice, almost like stabbing through his tones with little pinpoints, but so sweetly he wouldn’t notice.
She rested her chin in her palm and looked at him with wide blue eyes. “Let me try with her. I hate that you’re so upset. Women can sometimes do things men can’t.” Before he could object, she turned her attention to Tessa.
Around her, the women were all nodding their heads in agreement and murmuring, “Yes.” “Try, Seychelle.”