Total pages in book: 38
Estimated words: 34989 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 175(@200wpm)___ 140(@250wpm)___ 117(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34989 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 175(@200wpm)___ 140(@250wpm)___ 117(@300wpm)
“I…don’t…know…”
Sky’s smile sharpened. “Nolan, baby. I’m playing nice right now. Please, come to my home, where I can keep you safe until we deal with Christoph.”
The first hint of amusement tugged at the corner of Nolan’s lips. “And if I don’t?”
“I will summon Frank and several of his friends to drag you over to my place. And I’m sure you don’t want to be carried out of your house by a horde of underworld minions.”
That was a big nope. But what were his options?
Stay and risk Christoph dragging him off to his lair?
Or go to Sky’s place, where he might get more muffins and couch cuddles?
It wasn’t even a competition. Sky won without the threat of Frank and his scary friends.
Nolan pressed his forehead against Sky’s and brushed the tips of their noses together. “Any chance you might make more muffins?”
“Baby, I’ll bake you whatever you want if it means I get to keep you safe.”
The sexy Christoph might not believe it, but when it came to temptation, Sky was definitely the more dangerous of the two of them.
“Let me pack.”
Chapter 4
Skylar Wallace
Sky tried not to skip across the street as he carried Nolan’s duffel, stuffed with clothes, to his place. He also tried not to grin like an old-school jester and spin in the middle of the street. It was important to remember that Nolan was in danger. An evil vampire had bitten him. Three. Fucking. Times.
Oh, Sky was paying his pasty ass back for that.
No one was allowed to bite his baby. Except for maybe him. Those were love nibbles, and only if Nolan permitted them.
“Are you humming?”
Sky stopped in the middle of the street, his eyes wide and lips pressed firmly together at Nolan’s question. He smiled. “Maybe.”
Nolan snorted. “At least I don’t have to worry too much about being an unwanted guest.” Sky sucked in a breath to argue, but Nolan held up a finger, stopping his words. “Regardless, I’m out the door the second we figure out how to protect me from all vampires. I won’t be a burden or a nuisance in your life.”
“Good grief, Nolan.” Sky walked to where the man had stopped and wrapped his free arm through Nolan’s, tugging him along to his own yard. “I’m not worried about that. This will be a few days at most, I’m sure. Think of it as a little vacation. I have a nice spare bedroom, and I don’t mind cooking. This way, I’ll know you’re getting some vegetables in your diet.”
“You mentioned something about Grammy? Does your grandmother live with you too?”
Sky had just gotten Nolan walking and his own feet stopped. He bit his top lip. How was he supposed to tell Nolan about the ghost who “lived” with him? Nolan had crashed at his place briefly when they’d been in the middle of searching for Owen. The subject of his “roommate” hadn’t exactly come up.
“So…promise you won’t freak,” Sky started. He tightened his hold on Nolan’s arm and ushered him up the driveway to his front stairs.
“Sky, you’re a necromancer. I’ve got a vampire who thinks I’m his pet. I’ve seen underworld minions. Do you really think I’m going to freak?”
That’s just the tip of the iceberg.
But Sky didn’t say it out loud. Nolan needed to celebrate his victories. He was taking this new world in stride. Mostly.
“My grandmother. Dolores. Her name is Dolores. Did I tell you that?” He paused and smiled at Nolan to see the man had leveled a look at him that screamed, “Get to the point.” Yeah, he needed to do that. He swallowed hard, trying to work some saliva into his Sahara-like mouth. “So, she’s the one I inherited my powers from. My mom didn’t get anything.”
Nolan halted with one foot on the bottom step and narrowed his eyes on Sky. “She’s dead, isn’t she?”
“Yep.”
“Are we talking ghost or corpse living with you?”
“What?” Sky’s voice went high enough to crack glass. “Ghost! Ghost! I don’t bring corpses home with me. Usually.”
“And she’s not going to pop out and scare me or try to possess me, right?”
A groan escaped Sky, and he leaned into Nolan, giving him a push to get him moving. “No, definitely not. My parents discovered when I was young that I could talk to the dead. They hated it. Didn’t want any of my grammy’s crazy magic nonsense in their lives, so they gave me to my grandmother to raise.”
“Are you shitting me?”
Okay, so maybe Nolan getting defensive and cranky on his behalf was better than double-fudge brownies hot from the oven. So fucking addictive. Fingers crossed, Nolan was also much healthier for him than the brownies.
“Nope. I haven’t seen my parents since I was six. I heard before Grammy passed away that I had a couple of younger siblings, but I doubt they even know I exist.” While he dropped that bomb, he got Nolan moving up his stairs while he stared at Sky with his mouth hanging open. “But don’t feel bad for me. I don’t remember my parents, and Grammy is amazing. Plus, my coven brothers love and accept me. I don’t need more siblings than them.”