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)
“There’s no secret to these,” she says. “I just add a little extra vanilla and a bit of cinnamon.”
“And a lot of love,” I continue. “Maybe some eye of newt.”
That makes her laugh. “I can’t help that I like to take care of the people I love. I’ve always been this way. I like to cook for you, sew, make you things.”
“Acts of service is your love language,” I inform her. “In spades.”
“What’s your love language?” Lorelei asks me.
“Hmm.” I take a bite of bacon. “Maybe physical touch. I’ve always been a hugger. What about you?”
“I think it’s quality time,” she says after pondering it for a minute. Suddenly, someone knocks on the door.
“I’ll get it.” I stand. “You keep making pancakes.”
I walk to the door, surprised when I see Giles standing on the other side of it.
“Hey,” I say as I pull open the door but then pause. “Wait. Say something that only the real Giles would know.”
It doesn’t make him laugh. “Where is she?”
He brushes past me, a man on a mission.
“Come on in,” I mutter and close the door behind him.
Giles scans the room, his eyes narrow, and when he spots Breena in the kitchen, he rushes to her, turns her to him, and yanks her into his arms.
“Fucking hell.” His voice shakes, similarly to the way hers did last night.
Breena’s hands come up to awkwardly pat his back.
“Um, hi. Are you okay?”
His face is buried in her neck now, and he’s holding on for dear life. I can see that he’s trembling.
Lorelei and I share a look.
“No,” Giles says at last, answering her. “I’m not okay at all. Gods, I watched you die.”
“What?” Lorelei stands, and the three of us stare at him as he reluctantly pulls away from Breena and starts pacing the floor.
“In my dream last night, I watched you fucking die, and I couldn’t stop it. I couldn’t do anything about it. Every time I ran toward you, something slammed me back. Blocked me. And you were screaming, reaching out for me.”
He wipes a shaking hand over his mouth.
“You were reaching for me,” he says again and clears his throat. He looks terrified, pale and hollow-eyed. “And you kept screaming for me to help you, and I just couldn’t. Stars, I’ve never felt so damn worthless.”
“I’m okay,” Breena assures him and reaches for his hand, giving it a squeeze.
Lorelei and I share another look.
“But I had the same dream.”
Giles’s face whips up to hers. “You did?”
“Yes, and it terrified me.”
“She crawled into bed with Nera and me,” I confirm. Nera raises his head at the mention of his name.
Giles wraps his arms around Breena again, holding her close. “I wish you’d come to me.”
Breena’s wide, green eyes find ours, and she mouths, Why would I?
Lorelei rolls her eyes.
“Okay, loverboy,” Lorelei says. “Sit, eat some of the best pancakes you’ve ever had, and let’s all calm down.”
“I haven’t been calm since about two this morning.” He lets Breena go and paces to the window to look out at the backyard. “It was real. There was nothing dreamlike about it.”
Breena doesn’t say anything, she just flips the pancakes and begins brewing up a mocha for Giles.
“It was a dream,” Breena says at last in her sweet way. “Giles, I’m right here, and although I had the same dream, it wasn’t real.”
He shakes his head but sits at the table and takes a bite of a pancake, then his stunned eyes lift to Breena’s.
“Holy shit, Breena.”
“What’s wrong?” Lorelei asks.
“This is the best pancake I’ve ever eaten.”
“Told you,” Lorelei says smugly. “Breena’s an ace in the kitchen. And just wait until you get that mocha.”
“You don’t have to sell him on her,” I mutter, ready to start giggling as Breena sets the mug in front of Giles and then returns to her seat to continue eating her own breakfast.
“I didn’t mean to mooch breakfast off you,” Giles says but keeps shoveling in the food. “I just had to come over and make sure you were okay.”
“I’m great.” Breena smiles brightly. “Thank you for checking, though. It’s sweet of you.”
“Sweet of me,” Giles mutters and shakes his head.
“Was it not sweet?” I ask and tip my head to the side, fascinated by the two of them. The push and pull between them is just…sexy as hell.
“I think it’s sweet.” Lorelei gives Giles a smile that has the man narrowing his eyes behind his black-rimmed glasses.
“We’re meeting with the others tonight,” Breena says, doing her best to ignore all of us. “Samhain is only two days away. It makes sense that things are starting to ramp up and get creepier. Something is trying to scare us.”
“Doing a good job of it, too,” Giles mutters.
“I didn’t like that walk home last night,” I agree. “The air was just…charged with something that didn’t feel right.”