Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 109329 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 547(@200wpm)___ 437(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109329 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 547(@200wpm)___ 437(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
Sebastian hoped Tristan didn’t give up before she finally relented. She was such a good person. She deserved someone to whisk her off her feet and take care of her in a way no one else ever had. She deserved to finally trust someone with her heart, her past, and especially her future. She needed a mate who would love her as completely as she was capable of loving in return.
“I love you,” he blurted. “You deserve the best.”
He’d meant that for Nessa…but forgot to pull his dazed eyes away from the vampire.
“Me?” A slow smile spread across Edgar’s thin face. His canines gleamed. “Well, that is very nice to hear. I did always think we were the best of friends. It’s nice to know that is true.”
Nessa paused with her mouth open.
“Oh, no,” Sebastian whispered.
“Yay!” Indigo clapped.
Nessa’s eyes glittered, her smile wicked. “Best friends, all around.”
“No, no.” Sebastian clutched his neck for unknown reasons. Or maybe very clear reasons, being that he’d just professed brotherly love to a vampire.
“I’m sure Edgar will want to chat about that later,” Nessa said, “but we have business to discuss.”
“Oh, no, that’s not—”
“Yes. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” Edgar nodded. “Even though this is the best of times.”
“As I was saying, thanks to studying,” Nessa thankfully went on, “I’ve learned that I can sense and map ley lines. I can feel and trace—and use—their energy. It’s part of my magic. And while Edgar doesn’t have the same type of magic, he does have an innate ability to tap into the energy currents around him. He’s always thought his premonitions of danger were intuition, and while part of that is true, realistically, he’s learned to clue in when he feels the danger in the energy currents. It’s a survival mechanism, I think. Something that helped him avoid the vampire-hunting parties.”
“They were tenacious,” Edgar said.
“He can sample the winds of time,” Indigo said.
“Kindaaa,” Nessa drawled with a crooked smile.
“He can read intent,” Sebastian surmised.
“Kinda.” Nessa shrugged. “That’s a fine way to think about it.”
“Yes, I have always been very…” Edgar blinked at him, one of his eyes closing before the other. He didn’t finish.
“And why do I need to think about this?” Sebastian asked.
“Because we are going to need you to follow his plan to the letter and put in the type of magic he asks for, in exactly the places he asks for it.” She pointed at her feet. “It’ll lead to this clearing, which will have an assortment of killer flowers.”
“Except Jessie said not to use those flowers in case they kill lost hikers,” Sebastian said.
“Hikers are trespassers, too,” Edgar replied. Indigo nodded.
“No—” Nessa held up her hand to Edgar. “We don’t want to kill hikers. And we won’t. These woods are full of basajaunak. They can sense the hikers through the trees. They’ll get rid of those. Hell, Ivy House can feel those. It’s the people the basajaunak can’t feel that we’re concerned about. The ones that Ivy House can’t sense. You’ve now come up with three potions to get onto these grounds undetected, right? You’re working on counteracting those, which is great, but what if they come up with a different potion you haven’t figured out how to counteract? We need a plan B in case they get through.”
“If you build it, he will come,” Edgar said gravely.
Sebastian furrowed his brow. “Who will?”
“Kevin Costner.”
Nessa waved that away. “He’s quoting Field of Dreams, the movie. We’re not expecting this to happen right away, but it’s better to get things set up now just in case.”
Sebastian took a deep breath. “Yeah, fine. I don’t have the energy to do this right now, though.”
“I know.” Nessa looked around the clearing. “Edgar has to map out the route.”
“Okay, then…why did you drag me out here? You could’ve just explained all this.”
“Because you need to hear the information from the source to make connections I never would think of. I wanted you to start thinking about it so you’re ready when we are.”
Sebastian rubbed his eyes. He didn’t bother arguing. It was rare she was wrong.
“Okay. Let’s walk back and I’ll explain the ley lines.” She grabbed his hand again. “Thanks, Edgar. Indigo.” She waved at them and tugged him back toward the house. “I’ll chat with you later.”
“Bye, bestie,” Edgar called.
“You should get him a locket,” Indigo said. “You show up in a picture, right? I never thought to try one.”
“I do. I am very handsome in all my pictures.”
“Oh, no,” Sebastian murmured, and Nessa started laughing.
Nessa wouldn’t let him go straight up to bed, something about it being the afternoon and his needing to keep normal hours. Neither would she let him head back down to the crystal room to pass the time. Instead, she suggested he go to the library and “think about things.” She didn’t say what things, not that she ever needed to. He had a million quandaries he wanted to research at any given time. Most of that required clarity of thought, however, something he didn’t much have at present.