Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 68024 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68024 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
“I hope you haven’t been waiting long,” I say as I stand on the sidewalk and gaze up at the old, puritan-style home I bought several years ago with the express intention of using it as my home and business.
And now, I’m half-afraid to go inside.
But, with Jonas at my side, along with my aunts and cousins, I lift my chin and walk up the steps to meet Delia.
“You okay?” she murmurs as she hugs me.
“I’m fantastic.” I smile and then approach the door, keying in the code for the locks before opening it wide. “We’re going to leave this door open, along with the windows, while we clean. I’m warning anything inside that shouldn’t be, you’ll want to take your leave. Now. I’m done being fucked with.”
“We didn’t raise our girls to be timid.” Astrid smiles proudly. “Come on, witches, we have work to do.”
Jonas doesn’t leave my side for a moment all afternoon, and it helps to soothe my frayed nerves to have him close by. We sweep, clean, and laugh the afternoon away, and then, once all the trash has been taken out, we restock the shop’s shelves, and I go out into the garden to pick some fresh herbs for the ovens.
All the while, the property feels calm.
It feels clean.
The cold nights have begun to kill off some of the plants for the season, so I trim things back and prepare it for winter before walking into the greenhouse, smiling at the sight of all of the green.
“Hello, pretties.”
As usual, the leaves all seem to sit up as if to say hello.
For the next fifteen minutes, I tend the plants in the greenhouse, pick some flowers, and nudge the calendula along with the wiggle of my fingers.
“There you are,” Breena says from the doorway. “You always did like wandering off to play with your plants.”
“It soothes me.”
“I know. Everything’s pretty much done inside. I think we’re all going to head out now.”
“Oh, I’ll come in and thank everyone.”
I grab my already full basket and walk with Breena inside, where everyone is gathered in the kitchen.
“I just can’t thank you enough for helping me today.”
“There was nowhere else we’d be.” Delia checks the time. “But I do have a hot date, so I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“See you!”
I’m hugged and kissed, and Hilda makes me promise to call if I need anything before they all leave Jonas and me with Nera. I sit, listening to the stillness of the house.
“There’s nothing here.” I sigh and look up into Jonas’s blue eyes. “Whatever was here before is gone now. I don’t know how I know, I just do.”
“I agree.” He drags his knuckles down my cheek. “And I’m glad for it.”
“Do you know what we need?” I raise my eyebrow and feel a sassy smile spread over my mouth.
“I couldn’t begin to guess.”
“A bath. A nice, long soak in the tub. And I just mixed up a new bath tea for us, too.”
“We certainly can’t let something that special go to waste.” He kisses my hand. I love how this man can’t keep his hands or lips off me. “Let’s go.”
I don’t ask Nera to stay behind when we go upstairs. I can still sense the fear and uncertainty in him, and I want him nearby, so he follows us up to the owner’s suite and lies on his bed.
“He’s as exhausted as we are.”
Jonas looks down at my familiar with affection. “He should be. It’s been a busy week.”
I run the water in the tub and drop the mesh bag that holds all the herbs and flowers for the bath under the stream, turning as Jonas grips the hem of my shirt and tugs it over my head, letting it fall to the floor.
With greedy eyes, he waves a hand, bringing all the candles in the room to life, and then he finishes undressing me.
When I’m naked and standing in the candlelight, his eyes slowly make the journey from my feet to my face, and then he takes in a long, deep breath.
“My goddess, you’re beautiful.”
I wrinkle my nose, ready to come back with something witty, but he shakes his head sharply.
“You are beautiful, Luciana. In every way.”
“And you’re still clothed.”
He narrows his eyes and quickly tugs out of his clothes, then helps me into the hot bath.
I lean back on one side, and Jonas does the same on the other so we can face each other.
He lifts one of my feet and begins digging his thumb into the arch, sending me straight to ecstasy.
“One thing hasn’t changed through the ages,” he says mildly.
“What’s that?”
“Women love a foot rub.”
“Oh?” I tilt my head to the side, watching him. “I was under the impression that you haven’t been intimate with a woman in more than three hundred years.”
“That’s true,” he replies and moves his hand down to knead the heel of my foot. “That’s absolutely true. But I do read and pay attention, and women enjoy a good foot rub.”