Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 83353 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83353 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
“Thank you. I have wondered many years what happened to Mara and how she fared,” he rumbled softly. “I am glad to know she had a happy life with another, since I left her too soon.”
“He’s glad for the information and thanks you for looking up the facts about his ex,” Hanna translated. She squeezed Wraith’s hand. It was obvious that he’d loved Mara very much but she had been dead a long time and hadn’t shown up here in the Mother Ship. Which meant that she was probably in the Kindred afterlife with the Goddess and beyond reach.
She wondered if it was wrong that she felt just a little bit relieved about that. It would have been really hard competing for Wraith’s affection with another woman—especially one he had known and loved and who was also a ghost.
The conversation moved on to other topics as they ate the delicious brexom stew Uncle Bruin had made. He apparently loved to cook and he was good at it too.
The Kindred didn’t have any kind of gendered duties or ideas about “women’s work” when it came to cooking and keeping the house neat. In fact, because of the intense competition to find brides, most of them were excellent in the kitchen and more than willing to clean. It was important to offer a prospective mate an equitable and agreeable domestic situation, as Uncle Bruin explained, when Hanna remarked on it.
“We believed the same thing in my time,” Wraith confirmed, when she asked him. “A warrior’s mate is his equal—why should he not share equally in the home duties? It’s only fair.” He frowned. “I fear I won’t be able to help you as I should though, unless you’re willing to touch me the whole time so I’m solid enough.”
Hanna couldn’t quite smother a smile when she thought of the huge ghost warrior doing housework while she trailed behind him, keeping a hand on his arm or back so he was solid enough to handle the vacuum cleaner or wash the dishes.
“Thank you, Wraith, but you don’t make any messes and I don’t mind cleaning up after myself,” she told him.
Dinner was lovely and it helped take her mind off the lust curse, which was still working on her. But after the last bite of sweet strawberry pretzel salad—Aunt Luna’s specialty—was eaten, she began to feel fidgety again.
“I should be getting back to my suite,” she told her aunt after they cleared the table together. “Thank you again for today—I had a wonderful time and got everything I needed. I kept a total and I’ll pay you back as soon as I can.”
“Don’t worry about that.” Aunt Luna smiled and patted her on the cheek. “I just want you to be happy.” She gave Hanna a slightly worried look. “And you’re sure you’ll be all right tonight? I can renew the wards, or you can sleep in our guest room here if you like.”
“Thank you, Aunt Luna, but I’ll be fine,” Hanna said firmly. “Wraith will be with me all night. Right, Wraith?” she asked looking up at him.
“I will not leave your side,” he rumbled. “And if the demon comes back, I’ll finish him off this time!” The look in his eyes was so fierce that Hanna shivered.
“He’s going to stay right beside me,” she told Aunt Luna. “But I promise I’ll call you if there’s trouble.”
“Well…all right.” Aunt Luna looked up to the spot where Wraith was standing, though she couldn’t see him. “I’m trusting you, Wraith.”
“And I will not betray your faith in me,” he promised gravely. “Though I have not known her long, Hanna is precious to me. I will do everything in my power to protect her.”
Hanna repeated this, feeling her cheeks get hot as she did. Did Wraith really already have feelings for her? Because she was certainly having feelings for him.
In fact, the feelings she was having were getting pretty intense, but they weren’t all just because of her huge ghost warrior. It was the lust runes working on her again, she thought, pressing her thighs together. Earlier she’d asked Aunt Luna if she had found any other spells or counter spells that might help remove them, but her aunt had shaken her head.
“No, but even if I did, I don’t think they would work, my dear,” she had told Luna. “I think that your ghost warrior is right—the only thing that will remove the curse is for the Dark Entity to be wounded or driven back to the Pit, where it belongs.”
So Hanna was stuck living with the lust curse for now. And at the moment, she really needed to get back to her own suite and see if she could do something to scratch her itch. Earlier she hadn’t been able to help herself, but she had to try again or she was going to go crazy.