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)
“Honestly,” I start and glance up at my best friend. “Yes.”
“I would,” Kristy replies. “And now I’m wondering if my mom ever did on me.” She tips her head. “Is that a bad thing? It seems like a bad thing. Like, how are you supposed to learn how to sleep on your own if you’re just being spelled to sleep.” She gasps. “Maybe that’s why I’m such a light sleeper. I should text my mom.” She turns around, patting the bed or her phone.
“It’s the middle of the night,” I remind her, trying not to laugh. It’s been a while since I’ve been the sober one in our friendship duo. “Shhhh,” I try to soothe Juliet when she starts to fuss. Lucas isn’t back yet, but I know he’s in the woods talking to Tabatha. Binx has kept me informed, yet he can’t hear what is being said thanks to a silencing spell.
Of fucking course.
“Oh right. It feels like it should be tomorrow already.”
“You’re telling me.” I rock back on my heels and sigh. Freya shadows into the room right as I’m about to give up and take Juliet out of the swing. She shifts back into cat-form, gently stretching out next to my baby. She rubs her head against Juliet’s cheek.
“Awww,” Kristy coos, watching JulietClick here to enter text. open her eyes and try to focus her fuzzy vision on Freya. “They’ve bonded already.”
“Yeah. I was never a ‘higher power’ kind of person, but I’m seeing now that there was a reason Freya bonded with me.”
Kristy looks at me with a blank stare for a few seconds and then starts laughing, clamping her hand over her mouth to try and silence the giggles. “Sorry. It’s just that you’re literally half angel and you still struggle with the thought of there being a higher power? What about all those spells we did where we called upon Hecate? You didn’t really believe?”
I stand up, turning the swing onto the slowest setting. “Oh, I totally know Hecate is there.” I cast my eyes up, and give her a silent nod. “But not in a I’m looking out for you just because kind of way. I guess…I guess I believed in her and the others the same way I believed in Lucifer. I knew they were there and very real—and very dangerous—but I didn’t think they’d care about any of us on an individual level.”
“I can get behind that. It is weird to think of benevolent beings in that sense. You should have taken that theology class our last year. It was really interesting.”
“What did I take instead?” I wonder out loud.
“Probably like demon-hunting 101.”
I chuckle. “If only that was offered! No, it was that advanced potion class. You know, the one that teaches you dangerous combinations to avoid.”
“Oh, right!” Kristy laughs again. “And you wrote them all down with your own spin on things. That was the most you ever contributed to your own Book of Shadows.”
My lips curve into a half smile. A Book of Shadows is a big deal for most witches, having had them pass from generation to generation. I used to think I didn’t have one since I was the first witch in my family, but now that I know my mother was a Lancaster, I can only imagine the wealth of information in her family’s book.
If it wasn’t for the constant danger I’ve been in since finding out the truth, I would be going a little crazy to hunt down my long lost family. I have an aunt, someone my mother loved enough to risk everything to save. She’s the reason she turned to dark magic in the first place, and if she hadn’t sought out Lucifer, I wouldn’t be here.
“What?” Kristy asks, able to read my face and know my thoughts just took off.
“Nothing.”
“Really?”
“No,” I say as I go to my dresser, taking out a silk nightgown to change into. “Thinking about the book reminded me that I should have access to a Lancaster book, which reminded me of my mom and how she was promised to marry some asswipe and if she didn’t, her sister would get hurt. Like how fucked up is that?”
“It’s really fucked up. You don’t know who she was supposed to marry?”
I shake my head. “I’m sure Lucifer would know. Though does it matter?”
“I mean, in the grand scheme of things, no. But even I’m curious.”
“Me too.” I go into the bathroom to pee and change into the nightgown. Looking out the window, I feel for Binx. He’s still prowling the woods, staying nearClick here to enter text. Lucas and Tabatha. It’s killing me not to know what they’re talking about, though I have a pretty good idea.
“What do you think they’d do if they knew about me?” I ask, holding out my hand for Kristy. If she lays down, she’ll be out. And while I love my best friend, I want to sleep next to my husband tonight. I spent too many nights without him recently.