Total pages in book: 37
Estimated words: 35195 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 176(@200wpm)___ 141(@250wpm)___ 117(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 35195 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 176(@200wpm)___ 141(@250wpm)___ 117(@300wpm)
A flicker of annoyance blazed from him briefly. “I want to kill most humans. I only half want to murder you. Satisfied?”
I was. Immensely.
I beamed back at him. “I have that effect on people. I grow on them like weird seaweed.” A different thought came to me. “Do you see spirit animals?”
A bored expression was starting to settle over him before my last question. He frowned again. “What?”
“Spirit animals. Do you see them? I’ve always thought I have a bee as mine. Do I? Can you confirm that?”
He looked around me before shaking his head. “Why do you think you have a bee?”
I was so right. “I do, don’t I? You can just confirm it and we’ll move in. Promise.”
He sighed. “You have an entire hive around you.”
My chest puffed up. Even better. A hive sounded better than just one bee. And I was remembering the earlier conversation. “Wait. If Shay is going to grad school, what are you doing to do? Did you go to college with her?”
His eyes burned at me. “I can have your mouth disappear. You’d stop asking me questions.”
On the fear scale, he was all the way at the top, but my gut was telling me that I was safe. I leaned forward again, folding my arms and resting them on the table. “Did you? Go to college? What’s your degree? Do you have to do normal jobs for money or do you magically woosh money up for you? Are you rich?”
“Woosh?”
I made a motion with my hand. “You know. Magic. Poof, there’s a pile of money for you.”
His gaze turned cold, but he said, stiffly, “My father runs the underworld. I have money.”
Oh. Ooh. New fear trickled through me. “Like Lucifer?”
“Do you really want me to confirm that?”
Oh boy. Maybe I needed to learn to think before I launched an interrogation, but no… His woman was all good, and he said he only wanted to half murder me. I had a feeling that spoke volumes for him. My shoulders loosened back up. “But what about college? Were you like this? Reluctantly participating so your girlfriend–”
“She’s not my girlfriend. She’s my soulmate.”
The speed he corrected me almost gave me whiplash. It was so fast. And I was impressed. “You really do love her.”
He glowered at me. “I didn’t care about college, but Shay did. So I participated, and my professors did what I wanted them to do.”
I knew it! “You used your magic powers to get good grades. I’d so do that if I could, and I wouldn’t feel guilty about it.”
He shook his head slightly. “You’re the type of seaweed that grows on creatures until it slowly suffocates them and kills its host. Then you eat it for nourishment.”
I grinned. I was pretty sure that was a compliment from him. “Thanks.”
11
The night was great. Also, I was a little buzzed.
Also, I was hungry.
Also, I loved Caden so much. I mean, holy freaking snake-tattoo-on-the-arm Batman. I wanted to take him home, strip off his clothes, do a sexy dance for him, climb up and show him my version of what a ride in the Bat mobile must be like. Who wouldn’t?
Okay. I might’ve been drunk, but the night was great. So much dancing. Laughs. Shay and Kellan were cute to watch together. He’d scowl. She’d smile at him, and bam, the glower would lift to blankness. For him, that was love.
I was starting to understand him. Maybe…
But now it was closing, and we were the last couples in the bar. I had enough energy to go to an after party, and that was such a college thing to do. I decided to announce it to the group. “Hey guys–”
The door burst open with a slam, which was impressive because Gum had just ushered the last of his staff out. He locked the door, and turned to head back to do whatever else he needed. I wasn’t sure why he hadn’t kicked us out yet, maybe sentimentality? He had a soft spot for us, but I was doubting it. It was more likely that he was scared of me. Not Kellan. Me. Who’d blame him? I could be ferocious.
“Excuse me?” Gum turned right around, and seemed to double in size.
I rubbed at my eyes, because that couldn’t be true. Right?
I caught a glimpse of the demon and angel next to me, and remembered what world I now knew about.
“Excuse you,” the last word was spat as the door shut again, and Lancaster walked around Gum. His eyes were bulging, and he also seemed to have doubled in size from the night before. Red rings surrounded his irises as he took us in. “Humans cannot be allowed to know who we are. Their minds must be wiped clean.” He jerked his head to Kellan. “You have failed, Son of–”