Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 111986 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 560(@200wpm)___ 448(@250wpm)___ 373(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 111986 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 560(@200wpm)___ 448(@250wpm)___ 373(@300wpm)
She didn’t say anything. Just stared at him. He had a nice smile, she thought.
“You’re Harper’s cousin.”
He knew Harper?
“She told me about you,” he said. “You really do look like a little angel, don’t you? It’s all that long white-blonde hair, the rosy cheeks, and those pretty blue eyes.”
Her eyes were aquamarine actually, but she didn’t say that. She bit her lip and said in a wobbly voice, “You’re really tall.”
Smiling softly, he squatted in front of her. “That better?”
She nodded and gave him a shy smile.
“My name’s Dean. I’m one of Knox’s sentinels.”
Heidi frowned. “I thought he only had four sentinels.” She’d met them all. Keenan was the funniest.
“He used to, but now he needs more to make sure Harper’s protected. I was just at your grandmother’s house. She asked me to tell you that you need to come back inside. Harper was attacked again.”
Again?
“Hunters tried to steal her wings. She’s okay, but your grandmother is upset and she’s worried.” He reached out to grab her arm. “Come on, I’ll walk you —”
“Stranger!” she bellowed in his face. “Stranger danger! Gun! Fire!”
“Little bitch,” he spat, yanking her off the swing.
Heidi screamed and screamed and screamed until a horrible ringing sound filled the air. Blood started to come out of his ears, and that was why she wasn’t supposed to use that scream – it could burst people’s eardrums and even make windows smash, but Heidi didn’t want the bad man to take her. With a loud shout, he let her go. She hit the ground hard, and stopped screaming.
“Heidi!” It was Robbie’s voice, and he was close. The man ran into the trees, and some people chased after him.
Robbie helped her stand. “Are you okay? He tried to take you?”
She nodded. “My butt hurts.”
Robbie’s face went hard. “I’ll kill him.”
The people who’d ran after the bad man came back, panting. One of them shrugged and said, “He’s gone.”
Robbie growled. “He’s what?”
The human shoved a hand through his hair, looking baffled. “It was like he just… disappeared. He’s gone.”
Leaning forward in the overstuffed armchair, Harper lifted her mug of tea from the mahogany coffee table and blew over the rim. “Thanks, Grams.”
Jolene smiled from her spot on the couch, one leg crossed over the other. “You’re welcome, sweetheart.”
Harper took a sip of the tea. She’d asked for coffee, but Jolene had insisted that she needed something to help her “relax”. Really, she didn’t need the tea to relax – not when she was at Jolene’s house, even though her head was pounding. It was a place she loved; a place where she’d always felt safe; a place that always seemed to smell of coffee, cookies, and lavender.
If the scent of Jolene’s infamous cookies wasn’t enough to make a person feel welcome, they’d certainly feel put at ease by the homey feel to the place. The earthy colors, throw cushions, fleecy blankets, cherished keepsakes, and framed photos – it was a home, not just a house, and that was no doubt what often drew so many of their family and lair there.
Ironically, part of what made it feel so safe for Harper was that it was a constant hub of activity. Her relatives were always coming and going, and it had always made Harper feel protected and secure. It wasn’t something she could explain – it just was.
Jolene studied her closely. “You seem better today.”
“I feel it.” She was still tired, but not weary. If the headache would just fuck off, she’d feel even better.
“Stress has a powerful impact on the body.”
“I’m not stressed.”
“I would be in your shoes,” said Martina, who was beside Jolene with her legs curled under her. “You’ve been surrounded by danger since Knox walked into your life.”
“You blame him?”
“Not at all,” said Martina. “He’s not at fault for the actions of others. You know better than to think I’d judge him like that.”
Smiling, Harper teased, “You mean because you, the wondrous firestarter, isn’t in a position to judge anyone for anything?”
Martina grinned. “Maybe.”
“Did you find out anything that may help us work out who hired the hunters?” asked Tanner, who was sprawled on the recliner.
“No, none of the people we know who work on the black market seem to have any idea of who it could be,” said Jolene. “But you can be sure that no others will come for you, Harper. The word has been spread among the black market that you survived the attack and that Knox killed both hunters.”
Many imps obtained and sold things on the black market, so her family had some contacts there. The imps didn’t sell people or wings or anything like that, but they sold rare objects and antiques. Mostly, they sold information. Imps were great at acquiring information.
“Where is Knox anyway?” asked Jolene.
“On his way back from paying Dion Boughton a visit,” said Harper. She’d already told Jolene about his meeting with Francisco and that Knox had written to Dion. “He received a letter from Dion yesterday with an invite to his island.”