The Guardian Mist by Susan Stoker

woman who just happens to be in the middle of her own birthday party, I don’t care about any of that. I’d like to spend some time with you, Varinia.”
    “You can call me Rin. Everyone does.”
    “I like Varinia. And I’m not everyone.”
    Wow.
    The way he’d looked her in the eye when he said that made goosebumps crawl down her arms. She’d never reacted to anyone in her entire life the way she reacted to this man.
    “Okay. But don’t blame me when my mom makes her move and decides you’re Tina’s fate.”
    “You’ll be there to rescue me.”
    “I will?” Rin smiled at him. Roman was actually pretty funny. And he smelled so good. So comforting. So familiar.
    “Yup.”
    “What is it that you do?”
    “For a living?” Roman asked, tilting his head.
    “Yeah.”
    “I’ll tell you later. Over a piece of birthday cake,” he said coyly.
    Rin chuckled. “Fine.”
    “And you can tell me the really long story about why you think your twin sister is prettier than you.”
    Rin wrinkled her nose at that. “Uh, I’m not sure—”
    “I’m still gonna go up to my room and clean the day off, but I’ll be down in about twenty minutes. You’ll wait for me?”
    “Here?”
    “No, not here,” Roman chuckled and Rin blushed.
    Duh. Of course not here. Jeez, she was a dork.
    “I’ll meet you in the ballroom,” Roman told her.
    “It’s kinda hard to find, so I’ll leave breadcrumbs,” Rin told him with a straight face.
    “I’d appreciate it,” he responded immediately.
    A man who seemed to get her weird sense of humor. Rin liked that. She began backing away from him and didn’t see an ornate chair—and backed right into it, stumbling as she righted herself. She waved off the hand he held out, as if he was going to haul her against him to keep her upright.
    She blushed. “Ha, sorry. I’m good. I’m just clumsy. I’ll see you later, Roman.”
    “Later, Varinia.”
    She smiled at him and turned to head through the lobby. She looked back at the end of the large room and saw he was standing by a bank of elevators, still watching her. She waved awkwardly and disappeared around the corner.
    Wow. The party might be for her sister, but Rin knew, without a doubt, that she liked Roman. He might be older than her. He might not be her true love—heck, she was probably never going to get that, according to the curse—but she could sure enjoy spending the evening with him at her party.
    Rin hugged herself. She couldn’t wait to see him again.

5
    R in got back to the ballroom to see that Tina and their mom were still making the rounds. Her sister was smiling and laughing and generally being her usual over-the-top happy self.
    Rin fielded a few “happy birthdays” from some of the guests and found another table in a back corner and settled contentedly into a chair. There were two people sitting on the other side of the large circular table, but they were engrossed in a conversation and didn’t try to include her. Rin got out her phone and pretended to be busy as she thought about Roman.
    Now that she had a moment, she contemplated the amazing coincidence that she’d somehow dreamed about a smell her entire life—and it was the same scent that clung to Roman like a second skin. It was impossible, but somehow she knew it was true.
    Then Rin remembered the ring for the first time that evening and lifted her right hand to look at it.
    She gasped in surprise and blinked, trying to clear her eyes.
    It was no longer the dark gray color it’d been since she’d put it on—it was now a deep crimson. Still almost black, but not quite.
    She looked up suddenly, looking for Tina. Had her sister found her true love? Was that why it’d lightened? Good Lord, might the curse actually be lifting?
    Tina was now sitting at a table with four men. They all seemed to be laughing and having a wonderful time. Her sister put her hand on the knee of the guy next to her and leaned into him. Rin tried to memorize what the four men