Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 33643 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 135(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33643 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 135(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
“Oh, look, Audrey! Everyone came!” the other witch said, clapping her hands together.
“What did you expect, Carol? The necromancer’s made a mess,” Audrey snapped as she whipped the minivan into the only available parking spot.
“This isn’t my mess,” Sky grumbled, speaking for the first time since they’d climbed into the vehicle.
Audrey slammed the car into Park and twisted in her seat to glare at Sky. “Yeah? And who else could have made this mess?”
She didn’t wait for an answer but hit a button to make both of the side cargo doors automatically slide open. Carol didn’t seem perturbed by Audrey’s bitchy mood in the least. She climbed out of the passenger seat with a happy titter. She hurried over to the gathering of at least twenty other women by a scattering of picnic tables under some trees.
Nolan relaxed his fingers to release Sky’s hand and climb out the opening on his side, but Sky tightened his grip, holding Nolan in place.
The necromancer stared at him with wide eyes, his face pale and sweaty despite the chill hanging in the air. “Nolan, this is dangerous. Please…please, don’t say anything if you can avoid it. They’re already pissed, and I don’t want them to use anything you might say as a reason to attack you. Just…just let me handle this.”
He got it. Don’t lose his temper and snap at the witches. He had no desire to spend his remaining time on the earth as a frog. And he didn’t want to get Sky in even more trouble.
“Understood. I’m here to support you in any way I can.”
Some of the tension eased from Sky’s shoulders, allowing them to slump, while a smile returned to his lips. “Thank you. I am glad you’re here. It would suck to face this alone.”
“Enough stalling! Get your asses out here,” Audrey snapped, breaking up their moment.
Nolan rolled his eyes, and Sky’s expression brightened as he’d hoped. They were going to survive this.
They separated long enough to climb out of the minivan, and Nolan was at Sky’s side again when they both reached the front of the vehicle. Audrey remained close to Sky’s other side, that stick clenched in her fist.
“Is that a wand?” Nolan whispered.
“Yes,” Sky answered tightly.
Interesting. He’d never seen Sky use a wand. He’d begun to think they were Hollywood nonsense. “Do you have a wand?”
Sky opened his mouth to answer, but Audrey was already talking over him.
“Males lack the ability to focus enough to use wands.”
Sky sighed. “Yes,” he hissed, throwing a glare at Audrey before he continued. “Earth witches use wood. Both Mad and Red have that type of wand. I have one—bone. Made from a femur, to be exact. But it’s not for everyday use.”
“Moon…?”
“A knife,” Sky answered.
“Fascinating,” Nolan murmured.
Sky smiled up at him. “You’re so adorable.”
“You’re both making me sick,” Audrey grumbled from the other side of Sky. Nolan ignored her. Sky’s world took some getting used to, but once he learned that not everything was trying to kill him or possess him, it became an astounding, unexplored territory. It didn’t hurt that he also had the best guide.
As they drew closer to the gathering of witches, several of them clumped together in clusters. Were they not all from the same coven? Were the different groupings the various covens? That was interesting. If other witches didn’t get along, it meant that whatever was happening had brought together the covens with a common goal—to question Sky.
He hoped it was an inquiry. If they were planning to threaten his baby, Nolan was going to have some very serious words for them. It didn’t matter if they planned to turn him into a frog or a worm or whatever.
“What the fuck were you thinking?” one witch snapped the second they reached the edge of the picnic area.
“What did you set loose?” another barked.
“Arrogant bastard! You’re going to expose us all with your carelessness.”
Now that the dam was broken, a flood of angry words pummeled them. To his credit, Sky folded his arms over his chest and spread his legs apart as if bracing himself. He was a solid rock against which their words crashed and flowed around him.
When someone called for Sky’s head and others echoed it, Nolan had heard enough. He couldn’t hold his tongue any longer.
“This is bullshit!” Nolan snarled. He marched forward a couple of steps into the center of the group. Sky gasped and grabbed his arm, trying to hold him back. “You haven’t even let him talk. You’re all making a bunch of asinine assumptions. And what if you kill him? You got another necromancer on speed dial you can bully into cleaning up this mess? If I was that necromancer, I’d tell you to fuck off! Who the hell do you think you are?”
Silence fell in the woods. Even the breeze stopped rattling the leaves and the birds stopped chirping. There was only Nolan’s heart thudding in his ears. His mouth had grown dry. It wasn’t often that he lost his temper, but there was no way in hell he was going to keep silent as they stood there badmouthing Sky.