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)
He sniffed the air. “You smell like sex, though.”
“Thank you.” I gritted my teeth. “Let me guess. It’s three a.m.?”
“On the dot.”
I sighed and threw over the covers. “May as well get up and try to solve all of this… how’s the girl?”
“Better.” Aengus frowned. “Any idea where we can hide her while this blows over?”
“Yeah, actually.” I grabbed my phone from its spot on the nightstand. “I’m sending you a werewolf’s number. He’s on the Wells payroll and used to be on Jasper’s. Long story short, we discovered Jasper’s been visiting a girl at the care center.”
“Wait, you did all of that in the last few hours?”
I cringed. “Oh, you’d be surprised what we were able to accomplish.”
“Stop that.” He made a face. “I can smell your arousal, and it’s creeping me out since Luna isn’t here. Look, I know I’m sexy; I get told—”
“We had sex,” I blurted like a pre-teen girl at a slumber party.
Picking up on the vibe, Aengus hopped onto the bed. “OMG, tell me everything!”
“I loathe you.”
“Wait! I need to get the nail polish—”
“Why do I even put up with you?”
“I have thoughts on this…” He tapped his chin. “I’ve come up with boredom. It’s sheer boredom, and I bring a little pep and light into your dark cursed world…” He winked. “So… was it good for you?”
I fell back against the mattress again. “It was incredible, and it’s all I could think about. Then we got in a fight that I’m pretty sure made her feel like feminism was dead in my soul and that I thought she should stay home, knit socks, and bake bread.”
“That’s bad.”
“No shit, that’s bad,” I agreed in a waspish tone. Then I released a sigh. “But maybe it’s for the best. The longer we stay apart, the easier it is for us to fight this… need.”
“Right, but she’s trying to help us solve this whole thing with Jasper,” Aengus pointed out reasonably. “It’s literally what she does for a living while she’s awake in this world, dealing in secrets and information and then revealing them for all the world to see, so maybe stop pissing her off and attempt to keep it in your pants in public?”
“Solid advice.”
“I thought so.” He shot me a cheeky grin. “I practiced the speech in my head.”
I threw a pillow at his face, unfortunately missing and hitting a nearby chair.
“Old age has changed you,” he said solemnly. “Not only are you boring now, but your aim is shit.”
“Call Shane, our new werewolf friend, and see if you can place the little girl with one of the packs. Their scent will ward off anyone coming near, Jasper included.” I paused, my stomach in knots at the thought of the man. “And go make sure he’s still asleep.”
“And what are you going to do?”
“What I always do,” I snapped. “I’m going to go to my library, and I’m going to research, and then I’m going to go to the South Cove and make a visit to Hell.”
He shuddered. “You sure that’s safe?”
“I can’t be killed. The curse, remember?”
“No, but she could easily torture you for a millennium, especially now that we know she’s somehow found a way to live longer.” Aengus paled. “She eats her young—literally.”
“She’s a monster, but the thing about monsters is their loyalty is frail at best and nonexistent at worse. We just have to offer her something Jasper can’t.”
“And what’s that?”
“I haven’t gotten that far yet.” I frowned. “She wants to be on land for longer periods of time, but that’s like allowing Satan free reign. Nobody would be safe.”
Aengus sighed. “Well then, have fun being eaten alive!”
“That’s not encouraging,” I grumbled. “And check in on Luna if I’m not back in a few hours?”
“No problem.” He waved me off and stomped down the hall toward Jasper’s room, leaving me in mine, wondering how the hell I was going to get the Sea Witch to talk and shuddering when thinking of all the ways she’d tried to seduce me in the past.
I could do this.
For Luna, I would do this. Besides, we were evenly matched, and I had the orcas on my side. She wouldn’t dare hurt me in their ocean.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Luna
The bookstore was slow, just like every morning. The Old Crone was back in her rocking chair, reading from that same book, and I’d decided to bring my spell book to see if she could read it like I could or if the pages were blank like with Benjamin.
The book did feel familiar, but even in my past life with him, I didn’t recognize it. Then again, it could be pure exhaustion.
I hadn’t slept.
I’d dreamed of a festival.
Of our first kiss.
Of my favorite horse.
And then it had all gone to hell. People were screaming and running around as the ocean water crashed against all the flowers.