Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 84072 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84072 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
“Town.” I uncomfortably cleared my throat. “The Matchmaker was pissed at her too, you know—so she’s under the same curse, though it seems every reincarnation she’s still the same bitter person—and for this one—she just so happens to be the mayor.”
Aengus burst out laughing. “That’s too perfect.”
“It’s not.”
“Admit it, it kind of is. So, are you going to seduce her with your Spring power? Oh wait, you barely have any power, and what power you do have, you need to siphon from the love of your life. Whatever are you going to do?”
“I mean it when I say I hate you most of the time.”
“Understood.” His grin stayed. “Is this the part where you ask for help from…” He looked around the kitchen. “Your big brother?”
I stared him down.
The words were almost impossible to form on my lips.
With a sigh, I muttered, “Since you’re living here, that’s how you’ll earn your keep. Seduce the mayor and find out if there’s any way to break the curse. She still has all her past memories too; they’re just locked in her unconscious. It’s as simple as earning her trust and creeping into her dreams.”
“Oh, as simple as that, huh?” Aengus rolled his eyes. “Brother, I can do that blindfolded—what specifically do you need?”
“The curse.” Hope filled my chest. “I need to know the exact steps she took to counteract the Matchmaker’s magic, whether it was Luna’s blood or something more, something else. If we can solve that, then maybe it will help everything else.”
“And what do I get for helping?”
“I won’t kill you.” I smiled.
“Old age has turned you quite violent.”
“Compliments already? You’ve gone soft.”
His eyes flashed. “I just know how to appear like I have. Now I gotta go see the mayor. Fingers crossed she lets me get her naked.”
I shuddered. “She’d probably poison you in the process or eat you after sex, fair warning.”
“Kinky.” He winked. “I could be into it.”
“You disgust me.” I ran a hand through my hair as he left the kitchen whistling and was about to go upstairs to get ready for the day when I heard someone or something crying.
With a frown, I followed the sound.
Around the corner, the basement door had been left somewhat open.
I was about to shut it when I heard the sound again.
It was more of a whimper and then a quiet sob.
One of the rules of the house was that I let Jasper have whatever privacy he needed. Gods, the guy was basically cursed along with me since he worked for our family.
It was the least I could do.
The whimper got louder.
I looked down the hall, pulled open the door, and snuck down the stairs, careful to stay on the outside of them just in case they still squeaked like I remembered from so many years ago.
The basement was blanketed in darkness except for a small light at the end of the room where someone was lying on the table.
I didn’t recognize him; he was maybe twelve years old, and the closer I got, the sicker I felt.
He was pale.
It looked like he was being bled dry.
And I knew without even touching him, there would be no saving him, not after all the blood loss.
He whimpered one last time.
And the heart monitor went straight-line.
Voices sounded; I ran back to the stairs and hid beneath them while a woman dressed in nurse’s scrubs and Jasper walked into the room discussing something. I caught the word “serum” before they came close enough for me to hear everything.
“We had to try.” Jasper sighed as he gathered up a tray with two syringes on it and shoved them into a drawer next to the table. “Please write down that werewolf blood does the same as vampire blood—it sustains to a point but doesn’t create a frozen state of immortality in humans.”
“Yes, sir.” She scribbled something on her sheet of paper. “What’s next?”
He drew a deep breath. “Fae blood.” He sounded scared.
I was ready to rip his fucking head from his body.
Instead, I waited in the shadows and collected as much information as I could.
What I wouldn’t do to have all my power unleashed on him.
Testing anything on humans or supernatural beings was forbidden.
Punishable by death or the curse of living forever and constantly watching those you loved die.
Jasper seemed to hesitate a minute, then straightened his shoulders. “The Sea Witch is desperate for a way to stay on land longer than a few hours—if we can unlock this next serum for the humans, it should work for her as well as—” His voice caught. “It might be a miracle drug.”
“You’ll be world renowned.” The nurse beamed.
Yeah, because that was why he wanted to test on people and steal Fae blood? Everyone knew it was the strongest; it held our entire genetic code.
To even think to share that with anyone not part of our world…