Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 80563 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80563 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
“You never asked to be the center of a cosmic mess,” Tabatha assures me with a smile. “And we love you, darling girl. You know we’re always here to help.”
“I know you are, and I’m forever grateful.” I force a smile, heart swelling in my chest and causing me to brim with emotion. I know I’m a fucking catch. A ten out of ten in most areas of life. But am I really worth continually risking their lives over?
“I can call Ruby,” Tabatha tells me. “She’s aware something is happening and is ready and waiting in her car behind the bait shop.”
The bait shop is a cover spot. There aren’t any big lakes in Thorne Hill to make the bait shop make sense. Yet no one questions it, and the large parking lot gives witches and warlocks who don’t live close enough to the door a place to park. The door is hidden in the woods behind my house and while I allow my friends to park in my driveway and walk, the rest of the coven doesn’t come this way.
“That would probably be best,” I say. “Kristy can stay inside and help watch Juliet.”
Tabatha gets up to step out of the room and call Ruby. I let out a breath and flop back against the back of the couch, hands going to my face.
“You are going to tell me,” Lucas says, voice nothing more than a low whisper. “I can’t fix things if you don’t tell me what’s wrong.”
Tears sting the corners of my eyes and I want nothing more than to put this night behind us, go upstairs, slip Juliet into her swing and then fall into bed with Lucas, letting him fuck me into oblivion before I drift off to sleep.
And then I’ll wake up and realize the last twenty-four hours have been a weird dream.
“I will,” I whisper back, voice shallow. “And it’ll be okay.”
“If you say so,” he says in a level tone. The lack of anger is almost unsettling. He should be mad at me. He should yell at me and tell me I’m stupid and reckless.
Because I am.
“Guys!” Kristy yells from the library. “He’s awake!”
Chapter
Five
“Mr. King?” Jacob slowly sits up, blinking rapidly as he tries to clear his vision. He inhales and tips his head, clearly confused. “Mrs. King? What is…what…” He looks around. “Am I in your house?”
“Yes,” I say without missing a beat reaching out to shake his hand. “Thank you so much for stopping by.”
“Oh, o-of course,” he replies and takes my hand. I find his pulse point, close my eyes, and mentally count. Jacob tries to pull away at first but stops, body relaxing, as I take a magical hold of his mind. He’s sitting on the couch in the library, with Kristy behind him and Tabatha at her side. Lucas is standing behind me, still holding out infant daughter, and Eliza and Eamon are standing in the doorway. Eliza is doing her best to look bored, though part of me thinks she really is more annoyed at ruining her manicure than dealing with a demon.
And Eamon—fuck—I still don’t have a clue about him, but he’s damn interested in everything. Too damn interested.
“And we really appreciate you coming over to tell us there was an issue with one of the accounts. We’re so grateful you noticed and fixed it in time,” I go on.
“Yes,” he says slowly. “I did notice just in time.”
“Can you tell me where you were right before you came over?” I press my index finger a little harder against his wrist feeling his heart beat beneath it.
“I was working late,” he starts, brows furrowing. His memories are fuzzy no doubt, and getting possessed by a demon is a hard thing to relive no matter how clear the memories are. “Trying to finish a loan document for a client.” He closes his eyes and winces. “I…I think I fell asleep at my desk.” Letting out a shaky breath, he opens his eyes and looks from me to Lucas and back. He’s aware Lucas is a vampire and while he respects him as the wealthiest customer at the Thorne Hill bank, he’s still terrified of him. “I had the strangest dream,” he reluctantly admits.
I count his heartbeats pulsing against my fingertip and urge him to go on.
“Jessica Rabbit.”
“Jessica Rabbit?” My brow go up.
“I have a picture of her in my office.”
“I’ve seen that photo,” Lucas encourages and I shoot him a look.
“Anyway,” I go on. “What about Jessica Rabbit?”
“She told me there was an important message to relay. But then something bad started happening and she needed to…to…”
“It’s okay,” I say gently and work my spell a little harder. “Tell me what she needed.”
“She said she needed to borrow my body so she could do something.” He shudders. “And then I woke up here.”