Total pages in book: 12
Estimated words: 11248 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 56(@200wpm)___ 45(@250wpm)___ 37(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 11248 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 56(@200wpm)___ 45(@250wpm)___ 37(@300wpm)
“Doesn’t this sound familiar?” I ask her after Lucas recants what he saw.
“Vaguely. Maybe we learned about it at the Academy?” she suggests.
“The Demonic Encyclopedia is there.” I bite my bottom lip as I think. We need to find out what the police know, but Lucas is right; we can’t get mixed up in any sort of legal dealings. Besides, we know how the demon killed, and with this many eyes on the scene, it’s most likely hiding out in another dark alley.
“I’ll text Ruby,” Kristy offers and pulls her phone from my sweater pocket.
“The demon could still be out there.” My eyes go to the backdoor in the storage room, making sure it’s locked.
“You are staying put, my love.” Lucas tips my chin up so he can kiss me. “I’ll look for the demon.”
“What if you find it?” My eyes widen.
“I’ll kill it,” he says calmly.
“But you might not know how,” I remind him.
“I’ll start with the basics: rip the heart out, snap the neck. If that doesn’t work, I’ll remove the head.”
“And if that doesn’t work?” I go on.
“I’ll bring the dismembered body to you.”
I smile. “Thanks. Be careful, Lucas.”
He kisses me again and then goes out the back door. I hover my hand over it, relocking it with magic. Mentally, I call for Binx, telling him to get the others and search the woods.
“Should I close the store early?” Kristy whispers. “It’s been a while since someone was brutally murdered during business hours.”
“The carolers are still in front of the courthouse, so I think we’re good to stay open,” I offer with a shrug. “For now, this is the safest place anyone can be. Well, besides our houses.”
“If there’s a demon on the loose, I might stay the night at the Covenstead. Could Lucas walk me to the door if I go?”
“I can walk you.”
She purses her lips and I put a hand on my hip.
“Are you going to say I can’t because I’m pregnant? I’m perfectly capable of doing pretty much anything—”
“Anything?” She raises an eyebrow. “And no, not because you’re pregnant but because you’re kind of a walking target. And it’s cold.”
“True on both accounts. We can both walk you to the door.” I look back outside at the police cars parked in front of Suzie’s Cafe. More people have slowly crept toward them, including two people in old-fashioned clothing.
“The carolers abandoned their post,” I chide. “Who’s going to keep the Christmas cheer going?”
“They’re not the orchestra on the Titanic trying to keep the moral up, Callie.”
“Stop being logical.”
Everyone else in the store must be thinking the same thing we were, and a long line forms at the register. Kristy and I both go over, helping Vanessa ring people up while Betty starts organizing the shelves. About ten minutes later, I can sense my familiars closing in on the heart of downtown Thorne Hill. They haven’t found anything, but Lucas isn’t back yet. Another ten minutes pass, and I’m just about to tell them to find Lucas when he comes back into the store.
“Anything?” I ask, placing my hands on his chest. He hooks his arms around me and pulls me close to him. He’s not wearing a coat since vampires aren’t bothered by the cold, and the feel of his cold body against my skin makes me shiver.
“Whatever killed that man is long gone. I did find out who the victim was and was able to speak to a possible eyewitness, along with the group who found the body.”
We’re standing near the registers and I catch Vanessa stealing glances at us. She knows Lucas is a vampire but has no idea Kristy and I are witches, and I’d like to keep it that way. I run my hands down Lucas’s chest and motion toward the little office. We step inside and I close the door most of the way.
“Who is it?” I ask, mentally preparing for it to be someone I know. Thorne Hill is a small town, and owning a store on the main road through our downtown has let me get to know a lot of residents here. Thorne Hill started out as a town full of witches and warlocks, guarding the Ley line from darkness as well as using it to enhance our spells. Over the years, nons moved in, attracted to the energy the Ley line gives off. They, of course, had no idea why they were so drawn to our little town with magically created thorn bushes filling the woods.
“Hector Martinez.”
I shake my head. “That name doesn’t ring a bell.”
“Supposedly, he and his wife moved here from Newport earlier in the year after downsizing their house due to a failed business endeavor. The business failed because Hector was busy fucking his secretary instead of managing his company. He left his wife with a lot of credit card debt but she didn’t summon anything or hire anyone to kill him.”