Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 87185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
“If only we were that lucky,” I grumble. “There’s some sort of magical interference. I, uh, I could ask Marie.” I turn my face up at Xavier. “She would know what to do next and if there’s a way around this.”
“If there’s magical interference, does that mean she’s working with another witch?” Mabel asks.
“No,” Leo and Antonio say together.
“Oh, the demon,” Mabel whispers.
“That could be it,” I explain. “Or she’s blocking any sort of witchcraft.”
“That witch trap at the warehouse,” Theo says. “I really should memorize that and draw it all around the house.”
I give him a pointed look that pales in comparison to the one Xavier gives him, but I am secretly glad for his sass right now. Devon and Zeke come back, telling us that they were able to track two sets of prints to the driveway of the castle, where Vivian and Marco must have gotten into a car and drove away.
“I thought of something,” Mabel says as we head back to the car since there’s nothing else to do here. “What if the demon wasn’t trying to help Vivian break the sigil to get the key or whatever. What if it’s trying to stop her? I mean, it killed those two hunters in a pretty foul way.”
“You might actually be onto something,” I say, but then keep my mouth shut. Because even I don’t want to hear what I’m thinking out loud.
Maybe there is actually a way to get the demon earth-side but still bound to the key, making it possible for Vivian to control it.
Chapter
Thirty-Four
“I’ll make coffee.” Antonio drops his dagger on the small, round kitchen table. We’re back at the compound, and much to my chagrin, Leo puts out a call and a few Order members who have been questioning things are coming over.
Ryder is one of them.
I can put my differences aside and focus on what’s important: saving my own life. While I’m not in love with Ryder anymore, I will always care for him in some way, and the anger I used to feel when I even heard his name is gone, replaced by empathy. The last time we spoke—really spoke—he confessed that he wanted to still be with me.
Still, it’s going to be awkward as fuck. Especially knowing that the female hunter Ryder had with him at the bar the night he called me about Leo is coming, too. Her name is Christine, and I have nothing against her. I suppose it’s something I should work on—not assuming everybody hates me. Though it’s easier to just believe that from the start than get disappointed later.
“Can I order another pizza?” Mabel asks hopefully.
“I don’t think any place is open right now,” I say with a yawn. I don’t know what time it is, but we can’t be far from sunrise. Which reminds me…we need to lightproof this house. It shouldn’t be too difficult. Keeping our lives secret and private is important to hunters. There are a lot of Order members in Asheville, but there are even more civilians. The compound is in a more populated area, and the last thing we want is for someone to walk by and see…well, whatever.
You never know what kind of crazy shit you can get into when you deal with monster hunting.
I take off my muddy shoes and wander around the house while we wait for the rest of the hunters to arrive. I go upstairs, pausing in the doorway of Gia’s room. Having a decorated room isn’t the be-all and end-all of a good childhood, but I hate how temporary everything feels, even though we’ve lived in this house our whole lives.
This isn’t the way I wanted Gia to grow up. And maybe—just maybe—she has a chance at a normal life.
She’s already seen too much. I don’t want to take away her knowledge of monsters, because it could literally be the difference between life and death. But the thought of having Xavier alter her memories into something softer, something safer, crosses my mind.
It’s wrong. I know it is.
To falsify someone’s memories, even with good intentions…no. I can’t. And I won’t.
There are plenty of things I wish I could forget, and if Xavier could hold me spellbound, I would tell him to do it without hesitation.
“This reminds me of my room,” Mabel says, appearing silently behind me.
I glance back at her. She steps into the doorway, looking around.
“No toys. No personality,” she adds. “Like I said before, some things never change.”
“They will,” I tell her, more confidently than I feel.
“Want to give me a house tour?” she asks. “Since we have nothing else to do.”
“Sure.”
We take our time walking through the house. When we get to Larissa’s room, I hesitate for a second before going in. Mabel pokes through a few things, more out of curiosity than anything else. There’s nothing of real interest. If she wasn’t in jail, I might be tempted to mess with her stuff just a little—but that feels like taking it one step too far.