Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 67614 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 338(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67614 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 338(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
“Your-your wife.” Her face loses all of its color. “Your wife?”
“We’re jumping ahead just a little. We’ll get to that part later. But, yeah, I want you here with me always. If you hate the house, we can look for something else. I’m pretty easygoing as long as I’m with you.”
“I love this house,” she whispers, and then my bedroom door slams. “I don’t even mind Molly.”
“Well, good. I’m glad to hear it.”
“I guess I hadn’t considered moving in. For good.”
“Now you can consider it.” I kiss her forehead. “Don’t start overthinking it right now. We can discuss it more later. For tonight, we’re going to have some fun. Blow off some steam. I think we all need it.”
“All?” She tips her head to the side. “You’re just full of surprises today, aren’t you?”
“I try to keep you on your toes. Come on, we’ll be late.”
Breena makes sure there’s plenty of food in Merlin’s dish before following me out the back door to my car parked in the driveway.
“We’re picking up Lorelei,” I inform Breena as I pull onto the street. Lorelei’s cottage is on the other side of town, but she’s waiting when I pull up. She hurries down to the car and drops into the back seat, plopping her handbag beside her.
“You know, when a man calls me and tells me to get ready to go out but won’t tell me where we’re going, I usually ignore him.”
“Well, I’m so glad you listened this time,” I reply with a laugh and get back on the road.
“We’re going into Boston, but that’s all I know,” Breena replies, turning around to look at her cousin. “How are you today?”
“Pretty good, actually. I got two chapters written in my book, which is a lot with all the research I’ve been doing. And I got a walk-in, too. Then Giles called and told me to get ready to go out, but that was all he said.”
“He’s in the car with you,” I remind her.
“Yeah, I know. So, spill it. Where are we going? Is it just the three of us?”
“No.” My lips twitch when I see Lorelei scowling at me in the rearview mirror. “Just trust me. It’s fun. Something we haven’t had much of over the past six months or so.”
“Well, that’s true enough.” Lorelei leans back in the seat and crosses her arms over her chest, looking out the window. “Guys?”
“Yeah?” Breena asks.
I glance in the mirror again, and my skin goes cold.
A man is sitting next to Lorelei. He’s old and very clearly dead.
“What? I don’t see anything,” Breena says as I pull to the side of the road and throw the car into park.
When I turn around, he’s gone. But when I look in the mirror, he’s there.
“I don’t feel anyone next to me,” Lorelei says carefully. “But I see him in the mirror.”
“I do, too,” I reply grimly.
“What? What mirror?” Breena leans over to look in the rearview, and her eyes widen. “Oh, for fuck’s sake.”
“Breena just said fuck,” Lorelei whispers. “I’m in an alternate dimension.”
Breena starts speaking a banishing spell, getting louder and louder until the man hisses in the mirror and disappears.
“This is getting so irritating,” Breena mumbles as she settles back into her seat and fastens her seat belt.
“Is this just a normal evening occurrence for you?” Lorelei wants to know as I get back on the road. “Because if so, we need to talk about it. That’s just not normal.”
“It’s been taunting me through mirrors all day,” Breena explains. “I’m not scared, but I am pissed off. It’s so annoying.”
“I’m sorry, but are you sure you’re my cousin, Breena Hazen, the hearth witch who is unnerved by a whole host of things and never, ever uses curse words?”
“That’s me.” Breena turns in her seat to smile sweetly at Lorelei, and I can’t help but chuckle. Goddess, she’s fucking adorable. “But my patience is wearing thin, and I’ve learned that you sometimes have to swear. In dire circumstances, of course. I think this qualifies.”
“I think you’re right.” I reach for her hand and bring it to my lips so I can kiss her knuckles. “And, for the rest of the evening, we’re not going to think about this asshole who wants to scare us—”
“I think he wants to kill us,” Lorelei adds, but I keep talking.
“Instead, we’re going to have fun and blow off some steam.”
Finding the place I’m looking for, I pull into the parking lot next to Lucy’s car and cut the engine.
“Lucy and Jonas are here?” Breena asks while clapping her hands in excitement.
“Does that mean Xander is with them?” Lorelei asks.
“Yes. And you’re going to be nice because we all need this.” As we all get out of the car, I pin her with a stern stare. Lorelei sighs with resignation.