Total pages in book: 218
Estimated words: 212458 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1062(@200wpm)___ 850(@250wpm)___ 708(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 212458 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1062(@200wpm)___ 850(@250wpm)___ 708(@300wpm)
“You’ve got three seconds to tell me what the fuck is going on here or I go find her.”
“That’s what you’ll have to do. What you’re feeling, your anger? That’s not something me or Aunt Mimi can weigh in on. You need to talk to Erica.”
“Erica?” Grey asks.
Dani grinds her teeth. “Erica. Rikki was a nickname.”
Riley licks his teeth without opening his mouth. His eyes are still coal black and he’s getting angrier by the minute.
Mimi gestures to me. “Do you want to discuss your situation? I have to warn that if he lays a finger on anything else in here in anger, you’ll have to book something more formal with us in front of the supernatural collective, because we won’t entertain any of you here again. And please dress yourself, Wolf.”
“Riley?” Grey calls.
Riley pulls on his boxers and jeans, then carries the rest of his clothes and shoes toward the exit.
“Where are you goin’?” I call out.
“I need to track her. Even though her scent doesn’t lead out of this room, I have to try.”
He slips through the beaded curtain.
“Grey?” I urge.
Dani pipes up immediately, “He won’t find her trail. She masked her scent before leaving.”
“So, she did something to make him think she’s his, then faked her death?” Grey demands.
Nobody says anything.
“Thank her for us. Thank her for fuckin’ up a good man who did not fucking deserve it,” Grey mutters as he exits.
I cross my arms over my chest and stare at the witches.
Dani speaks up. “You want to know if my great aunt, Mimi’s sister Lyrica cast the spell on you and your pack mate? She died, but we have her ledgers and brought forth ledgers for the rest of the group in as well. Our coven didn’t have to do much. When Ms. Jenkins came here, most of what she asked for was already part of fate’s plan.”
I frown.
“Just like people ask us to do the impossible, people also come to us to plead for things that are already inevitable. Sometimes we step in to help the inevitable along.”
“She didn’t pay a large sum of money for this?” I ask.
“Oh, she did. A very large sum. But it’s among the reasons why she won the money in the first place.”
“Explain.”
“She won the money for a number of reasons, but partly so that it could lead her where it led. Just like Aunt Lyrica cast a spell she was always intended to cast.”
“I don’t get it,” I grind out.
“You don’t need to get it,” Mimi interjects. “It’s how things were intended. Lyrica needed the money for something important, Ms. Jenkins received money in order to provide it. It was disclosed that we would endeavor to help further the timeline along so that things would happen sooner than later. They came to an agreement and Lyrica honored our end.”
Dani speaks up. “You’re not unhappy about the outcome, are you?”
“No. But my mate doesn’t believe in it.”
“Well, looks like it’s your job to convince her then,” Dani states.
I stare.
She stares back.
A long moment passes, and I finally look away, blowing out a breath. Okay then.
“We need you to go,” Dani announces, gesturing toward the beaded curtain.
“So you can warn your sister, you mean?” I ask.
“We don’t live here. We have a long drive home.”
“Did Riley incorrectly identify your sister as his mate?”
“I suppose it looks that way,” Dani replies.
“Because your sister cast a spell?”
“So it appears.”
I stare. She’s being awfully fucking vague.
“I can’t discuss this with you,” she states.
I raise my hands, frustrated.
Mimi speaks, “I knew why you were coming today, Mason Quinn. My great-niece did not disclose that Riley Savage was coming, too. I believed this meeting to be with Graydon, which was why I chose to come. My attendance was unexpected.” She shoots a glare at her niece and it’s obvious deception is at play not only with these witches, but also between them.
I wait for her to elaborate.
Dani says nothing.
“I also happen to know Erica has been called to answer for her interventions, and punishments were doled out.”
“Well, Riley has been suffering for six, nearly seven years. Suffering like you couldn’t possibly fathom. Why’d she do this? And did you-”
“We can’t reveal more than you need to know,” Mimi responds and starts packing her knitting into a tote bag.
“She faked her death?”
They say nothing.
“I need to go check on Riley; I’ll be back.”
“We need to leave,” Dani says. “In other words, if you have questions, ask them now. About your situation.”
I’m pissed. Not only are these witches fucking around with people I care about, they fucked with me, too, and they don’t have the decency to wait a few minutes so I can make sure Riley is all right. My lip curls as I stare at Dani.
She’s made of ice. Doesn’t flinch.
Finally, I scoff before saying, “Might have questions about the way it came about. About the time I lost. About the fact that interference by you guys might have led to Ivy Savage getting hurt in a way that might sting for a long fuckin’ time, that… left me fubar’d for a week and put our pack’s bond in jeopardy, had me thinking I was losing myself, but you’re stating you don’t have the time, so I guess it’s pointless of me to bring all this up.”