Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 88025 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88025 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
“That’s it?” Hale demanded. His shoulders slumped and his plump bottom lip jutted out in a pout. A very bitable bottom lip.
“Yes. That’s it for tonight. It’s late. You’re wounded. I’m exhausted.” Each word was shot from his mouth quickly and harshly. He needed to escape. To dunk his head in some cold water and clear his damn thoughts. Nothing was making any sense right now. He needed to not be in the same room as Hale for a little while.
“Oh, yeah!” Hale instantly brightened, dropping his fists loose to his sides. “Go shower. I’m fine.”
Harrison didn’t argue. He rushed to the bed Hale had chosen for him and snatched up his travel bag, bringing the entire thing into the bathroom with him.
It was only when the door was securely closed behind him that he dragged in a deep breath. He dropped the bag onto the small white marble sink and leaned against the door for support because his fucking legs weren’t going to support him for much longer. Closing his eyes, he sucked in one uneven lungful of air and then another, slowing regaining chunks of his sanity again.
What the hell was that?
Hale was…Hale was annoying.
Hale was flighty and silly.
Hale was a man.
That should be enough in itself. He wasn’t attracted to men.
And yet he couldn’t deny that his stomach was twisted into knots, his heart was racing, and his hands were positively itching to run over all that warm, bare skin. He wanted to explore all that softness. To smell him, touch him, taste him.
Oh, he was definitely losing his mind.
No. This wasn’t about Hale. He was simply affected by all the Weavers and their soul mates. For the past few days, he’d been surrounded by men who’d found their mates. That kind of perfect happiness was infecting his brain.
Combined with the fact that it was Harrison’s duty to keep Hale safe, Harrison was confusing his need to protect Hale for other feelings. This wasn’t real.
He was tired.
He needed sleep.
After a good night of sleep, everything would make sense again. All these confusing feelings would disappear like a bad dream, and everything would be back to normal tomorrow. He was still in control. Hale was nothing to him but a duty.
Harrison exhaled and opened his eyes, staring at the boring white shower curtain hanging in front of the shower-and-tub combo. If all of that was true, why didn’t he believe it?
Chapter
Eleven
“I now understand the saying about a one-horse town.”
Hale stared out the window, trying to soak everything in. If he blinked, he’d miss the panhandle town.
There was literally one stoplight. One. Maybe twenty buildings dotted the flat, barren landscape. He spotted a small grocery store, a general store, one gas station, and other various businesses, but they were all clustered together in a small area. The grass looked dirt brown and brittle. Thin, scraggly trees were barely starting to bloom, their branches swaying in the wind.
This was the place they hid the last spell book?
“The whole town is made up of Guardians, so you should be safe here. Last count, there were one hundred and twenty-two townspeople.” Harrison pointed at a small brick building that held no discernable markers. “That’s the library there. We’ll go ahead and get the book now.”
They pulled in and parked with the other SUVs doing the same. Hale stretched after he got out of the vehicle and winced, still feeling the slight pull from his wounds. Dane had mostly healed them, but the cuts had run deep.
Everyone else got out of their trucks. The gun on Hale’s hip felt so damn heavy. After the last midnight attack, they were all walking around armed at all times. Even Clay and Lucien, who were already walking weapons. Wiley and Harrison’s cloaking spell seemed to be working, but no one was willing to drop their guard for even a second.
Hale eyed the building that rose up before him. It was nothing but a square, brick place, and it didn’t even have a sign out front saying it was a library. There were only a few windows, and those were smeared with dirt. Hale frowned because a feeling of gritty awareness flitted over him and he wasn’t sure why. Maybe because the town felt so…barren. There were only a few people walking about.
A man came out to meet them. He stood over six feet and had a thick head of gray hair blowing in the wind. His lean frame wore a suit well. “So, it’s time,” he said as he held out his hand to Harrison. “I had a feeling we were getting close.”
“Hello, Samuel. Yes, it’s time.” He quickly introduced the Weavers, and Samuel seemed as dazzled as Harrison had felt upon meeting them.
“I’m so happy to meet you all, even if it’s under these circumstances. Come. I’ll take you to the book.”