Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 105144 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 526(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 350(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105144 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 526(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 350(@300wpm)
“You make me want to protect you!” His blue eyes burn into mine in a mix of passion and emotion, making my heart skip a beat.
“And that’s my fault?”
“Yes—no—I don’t know. You just do, and it’s maddening.”
“You want me to be sorry about that? I’m not,” I scoff.
“Good.”
“Good!”
“Ever since you showed up…”
My mouth falls open. “Showed up? Don’t you dare forget that you sent for me!”
“I didn’t send for you. I was specific in that. I never wanted a witch in this house.”
I throw out my arms, anger flooding my veins. “Well, I’m here! And I’ve been here. You could have kicked me out the moment you saw me.”
“That was my plan but then that moment came and I…”
“And you what?”
“The moment I saw you…” He trails off again, looking into my eyes for a beat before looking away. “The moment I saw you I knew I couldn’t kick you out because for the first time, I felt—”
“—Annoyed?” I interrupt, tone mocking.
His eyes meet mine again. “Alive.” In a flash, he’s in front of me, body just inches from mine, and his presence is consuming. “You make me feel alive, Wren, and I haven’t felt that way in seven hundred years.”
I can’t help but reach for him, hands landing on his firm chest.
“If it takes going to Hamden for you to get the truth, then we are go to fucking Hamden.”
My fingers start to ball the soft fabric of his t-shirt in my palms. He said we. He’s coming with—he wants to come with? “You’ll take me?”
“Yes, Wren,” he says and something goes through me when I hear my name come from his lips. Tipping my head up, I want nothing more than to succumb to him and his touch. He lets his lips brush against mine, but instead of kissing me, he says, “Let’s go.”
“Wait, now?”
“Yes. I’ll call our pilot. We’ll have to land in New Haven and drive to Hamden.”
The sun is just now starting to set, but there are ways for vampires to travel during the day. I blink a few times, glad my hand is on Xavier’s chest because the thought of flying to Connecticut and seeing my parents in just a few hours is making me dizzy.
“I…I should change,” I rush out. “I want to make a good impression when I see them.”
“Wren,” he whispers and tips his head down, resting his forehead against mine. I can feel what he wants to say, but this time, he doesn’t. “You are perfect just the way you are.”
“I’m in pajamas,” I blurt. After doing several locator spells this morning, I spent a lot of time training in the home gym. I showered and fell asleep, drained from doing magic, and never changed into anything else since.
“Okay, put something else on.”
“But what?”
His lips curve into a smile. “I’d say ask Mabel but you’ll get stuck filming something for at least an hour.”
Flustered, I pull away from Xavier, missing him as soon as his body isn’t towering over mine. I go from my closet to my bed three times, brain refusing to brain because I’m so overstimulated. I need to get dressed. Brush my hair. Should I put on makeup? Mascara only? No, I’ll cry—happy tears, of course—when I see my mom, my biological mother.
And I need the book so I can cast a spell once I get there. I’m going to tweak a find-a-lost-object spell but with my blood. Once I’m within a few miles, it should direct me right to my parent’s front door. While I’m moving around my room in a mad panic, Xavier calls the pilot and tells him we need to go to New Haven within the hour. I can’t hear what is being said, but it seems we’ll be leaving.
Now.
Suddenly, I’m scared. I’ve longed for this my whole life, to meet my parents, to know where I came from. But there’s a part of me not sure if I want to know why I wasn’t found. If I could find my parents, why couldn’t they find me?
Which makes a small voice in the back of my head start to say maybe Xavier is right. Maybe they are dead. But the spell. The spell worked. Maybe they assumed I was dead and grieved me instead of searching? Maybe they were recovering from whatever attacked them, or maybe the Order had me cloaked. The Order doesn’t see witches as human, but it doesn’t stop them from hiring the rogue witch from time to time. I’ve seen it, questioned it, and was promptly told to ignore it.
Knowing Xavier is going to be with me—even though he’s there to prove me wrong—makes me feel better already.
“Are you ready?” Xavier asks.
“Um…maybe.” I blink a few times and disappear into my closet, changing into a black dress. I grab a maroon sweater to throw on over top and then shove the magical supplies I need into a bag. My mind blanks for another second before I remember that I need shoes. I put on socks and boots and then look at Xavier, not knowing what to say.