Total pages in book: 27
Estimated words: 25630 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 128(@200wpm)___ 103(@250wpm)___ 85(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25630 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 128(@200wpm)___ 103(@250wpm)___ 85(@300wpm)
It was only when Sky turned the corner and disappeared from view that he exhaled a deep breath of relief. Time to put plan: Surprise Romance! into action.
For being a romance author—along with being an author of many other genres—he was sadly lacking in romantic gestures for Sky. His adorable necromancer boyfriend was the one who planned the dates and dazzled him with flowers and other little gifts. So far, Nolan had relied on his skills in bed and his ability to make Sky’s toes curl.
Tonight, he was going to make a romantic meal for his lover.
Honestly, cooking anything for Sky was going to be a big feat. In the months they’d been together, the most complicated thing he’d made was a frozen pizza. Of course, part of the reason he didn’t have a long history of cooking for Sky was that Sky loved to cook. He was lucky to be allowed in the kitchen most of the time.
But tonight was different. A client had hired Sky to talk to a recently dead relative in order to get some answers regarding a missing will. Since the person had died only a couple of weeks ago, Sky was confident that this would be a fast job.
However, the drive to and from the cemetery and dealing with the client would all take at least an hour. That was plenty of time to cook a meal!
Nolan jogged across the street to his house, which had become an overgrown office for his writing. All his sleeping, eating, relaxing, and general living was done at Sky’s house. He knew he should sell his place and officially move in, but the act of getting up each day to walk across the street put his brain into the mindset of work. By walking back across the street at the end of the day, he could turn off the part of his brain that handled all the book stuff. It created the work-life barrier he’d been needing for years.
After unlocking the door, he zoomed to the kitchen, where he pulled a package of chicken out of the fridge. He’d kept it there so his boyfriend wouldn’t know what he was making. He paused on the porch, only to relock the door. As he spun toward the house, a slight chill ran through him. Night had settled over the city, and the sky was black as clouds blocked out the moon and stars. Dead leaves skittered and tumbled down the street in the icy wind. Fall was finished, and winter was muscling its way into the area. The forecasters were even talking about snow.
But it wasn’t just the cold that brought a chill to Nolan. The setting of the sun always conjured up thoughts of vampires.
“Nope. I’m safe,” Nolan reminded himself. “The Variks have sworn to protect me, and no one wants to cross my scary-ass boyfriend.”
With that thought in mind, Nolan marched across the street with the package of chicken breasts under his arm. As he neared Sky’s house, the rose bushes stirred in greeting. A soft chomping and smacking sound rose from them.
“We’ll feed you after Sky gets home. I promise.”
The flowers rustled and fell silent as he reached the door.
“Did you get it? Are we going to do it?” Grammy Wallace demanded as soon as he stepped inside. The apparition floated before him, her various bracelets and necklaces giving a ghostly jangle.
“I have the chicken!” Nolan announced, holding the chicken up with one hand while he kicked the door closed behind him. “You’re sure fried chicken isn’t difficult, right?”
“No! No! Not at all!” Grammy said with a wave of her hands. “It’s just a shame you weren’t able to do an all-day buttermilk soak with it. That really enhances the flavor.”
Nolan shot her a look as he cut through the house to the kitchen. “The recipe I found mentioned nothing about buttermilk. I picked out one that called for only the ingredients that Sky had on hand.”
“Well, you don’t have to soak it all day, but you can do a nice wash with it and use it to make some of the crunchy bits.”
Leaving the chicken on the counter, Nolan spun and checked in the fridge. “We don’t have buttermilk. Can you make it by combining milk and butter? Is that the same thing?”
“I don’t think so. But you can get Frank to fetch some.”
Nolan closed the fridge and frowned at Sky’s ghostly grandmother. “I’m not a necromancer. I can’t summon the minions.”
“Of course you can!” she exclaimed with a chuckle.
“What?”
“Sure. Sky instructed the underworld minions to give you a hand if you ever needed help. You just have to call for Frank and tell him you need a favor. I’m sure Sky will settle up the debt when you’re done. It’s just a sandwich, right?”
Sky wouldn’t even have to do that. He could make sandwiches for Frank, and Sky would never have to know he’d used one of the underworld minions for help.