Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 71312 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 357(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71312 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 357(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
A smile breaks out across my face. “Hurry home so we can eat and then I fuck you.”
“Cast a spell so I don’t get pulled over for speeding?”
“Hah. I wish I knew one.” I put the pot back on the stove. “You, uh, haven’t talked to Julia yet, have you?”
“No. I saw she called and I think I have a few missed texts from her. I left my phone in the car and called you as soon as I got in.”
“I’ve trained you well.” I smile, but I’m having a hard time finding the humor now that I’m thinking of everything again. “I’ll save you the suspense and will tell you everything.” I recap everything Julia said along with what I learned from Bernice.
“Stuart is such a nerdy name for a serial killer.”
“What were you expecting? Wayne? Jeffery?”
“Statistically, Wayne is fitting.”
“I’m kind of freaked out,” I admit.
“We’ll get to the bottom of it. If this guy worked and resided at that address, we’ll be able to find his last name and then figure out where his grave is, dig up his bones and bring them back here to burn.”
“Whoa, why are we bringing his bones home? Why can’t we just torch the whole grave?”
“It takes a hell of a lot of heat to burn bone. A fire of that magnitude will attract a lot of unwanted attention if we just light things up in the middle of the graveyard.”
“Oh. Good thing we have a burn pile.” I open the fridge, getting out the butter and milk.
“And a super hot witch who can summon magic fire.”
“The better to burn you with my dear,” I say and then roll my eyes at myself. “That sounded better in my head.”
Ethan chuckles. “I’ll take your word for it.”
“See you soon?”
“Yeah. I’ll be home in about ten minutes now.”
“Good. Love you.”
“Love you, too.” I end the call and finish prepping lunch, cutting up a bunch of veggies to dip into hummus. The house is quiet again, and I can feel myself teeter on the edge of panic again. But then the steps on the rear staircase creak, and I look up with a mouthful of cheese and see Nik and a much older man come down the stairs.
“Hi,” I say, holding my hand over my mouth. The man looks a little startled to see me and I wonder if his first thought was he just got caught by Nik’s girlfriend.
“This is my roommate who’s a sister to me,” Nik says and now I know I was picking up an oh shit vibe from his lover.
“It’s nice to meet you,” the man says.
“You too. Do you want anything to eat?” I motion to the food on the table.
“No, but thank you.”
Nik gives me a wink. “I need to get Alejandro back to work. Want me to pick up something more substantial on my way home?”
“What’s wrong with this?” I ask and Nik laughs.
“I’ll be back in thirty.”
“Okay,” I say and sit back at the table. Ethan comes home only minutes after Nik leaves. His handsome face is such a welcome sight. The entire world could be on fire but when I’m with Ethan, I know we’ll find a way to put out the flames—together.
He takes off his shoes and comes right over to me, wrapping his arms around my waist. I’m sitting at a barstool at the island counter and spin around, hooking my hands on his shoulders.
“I’m not gonna lie,” I start, turning my head so my cheek rests on his chest. “I was a little worried when you didn’t answer the phone. I thought Stuart got you.”
“It’s really hard for me to take a dangerous killer seriously with the name Stuart.”
I let out a snort of laughter, so thankful for this man.
“And don’t worry.” He pushes my hair back and kisses my forehead. “I’m not his typical victim. Though I am sleeping with a witch.”
“I’ve contaminated you.”
“Yeah, you have.” His lips go to my neck and my eyes flutter shut.
“Just to be safe,” I start as he kisses me. “I should contaminate you again.”
“Here’s what we know.” I flip a second poster board around, pointing to my list. Rene and Keith are seated at the dining room table with Ethan and Nik. They came over for pizza and to formalize a plan.
“The groundskeeper was a whackadoo witch hunter. He went after witches, but not ones with real powers. I’m guessing because we know to keep our houses warded and attacking a coven was too dangerous. But he believed anyone who practiced Wicca or had an interest in the supernatural was the real deal and needed to be killed.”
“So these girls, they weren’t real witches?” Rene asks.
“Not in the sense that I am, but they believed in spellcasting and knew the power that lies in swaying the elements in your favor. All those Instagram witches…they wouldn’t be able to step through a door to a Covenstead. But they’re onto something with pairing crystals to the zodiac and casting basic spells, like putting a lemon cut in half under their beds to absorb negative energy.”