Total pages in book: 38
Estimated words: 34989 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 175(@200wpm)___ 140(@250wpm)___ 117(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34989 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 175(@200wpm)___ 140(@250wpm)___ 117(@300wpm)
Even if Christoph deserved to be ripped apart by his hungry plants. Or maybe he’d give Christoph to some of the more vicious underworld minions to play with. That would be fun. Very messy. Not suitable for kids at all. But so much fucking fun.
With his head clearer and the urge to grind his teeth receding, Sky pushed off the door and crossed to the living room, where Nolan was still sitting in the chair, his hands clenched together, turning his knuckles white.
“Say the first thing that comes to mind,” Sky ordered from where he stood in the doorway.
“Sky,” Nolan whispered, not bothering to lift his eyes from where he was staring at the floor.
“Say it. Even if you think it’s going to hurt my feelings. Let it out.”
Nolan’s gaze snapped up to Sky’s face. Muscles tightened in his jaw, and a deep furrow cut across his forehead. When he spoke, it was a burst of words like cannon fire. “I don’t know how to live in this world anymore. I don’t recognize it.”
Everything inside of Sky demanded he walk over to Nolan and wrap his arms around the man, but the problem was that he was included in all those strange things that were disrupting Nolan’s perception of reality. He needed to give Nolan space.
Sky walked into the room, dropped to the center cushion of the sofa across from Nolan, and folded his hands together. “The world is bigger and more dangerous than it used to be for you, but in a lot of ways, it’s stayed the same.”
“The sky is still blue. Grass is still green,” Nolan replied with a lopsided smile that slipped away almost as quickly as it formed.
“Still gotta pay bills. Pay taxes.”
Nolan frowned. “You’re not helping me find a reason to keep going.”
“My muffins are still some of the best you’ve ever eaten.”
His lips twitched as if he were fighting a grin, and Sky’s heart dramatically flopped in his chest. This man was too perfect.
“How do I know those muffins weren’t magical?” Nolan murmured.
Sky sat up a straighter and lifted his chin an inch. “Well, I didn’t put any magic in them. Unless you count chocolate. I’ve asked other witches and they say that chocolate isn’t technically magical, but if not magical, it’s definitely medicinal. It always leaves me feeling better.”
Nolan unclenched his hands and stared at them for a moment. He took a deep breath and released it. Sky simply watched him, letting him work through this at his own pace.
“Weren’t you scared by all this when you were little? Weren’t you frightened when you figured out you could talk to ghosts and summon those…minions?”
The heart that had beat so hard for Nolan fractured at his words.
Sky closed his eyes. “I was lucky because I had my Grammy. She made sure I wasn’t afraid of the things that would be a huge part of my life. When you were young, you learned that there were people in other countries who had different habits and holidays and traditions. I learned about shifters and vampires and witches. Yes, they are all different, but we’re all still people. She made sure I knew death wasn’t something to be afraid of, either. She always said it was like changing jobs.”
“What?” Nolan gasped. His mouth hung open and his eyes were wide, looking as if he were somewhere between shock and laughter.
A soft chuckle shook Sky’s shoulders. He got that reaction from his friends as well. “Sure. Most people don’t have the same job their entire life. Eventually, they move on to do something else. Or if not that, they retire. The point is that they move on. Death is the same thing. You’ve got the job of being Nolan Banks right now, but eventually you’ll leave here and go on to whatever is next.”
“So, you wouldn’t be sad if I died—”
“Fuck that!” Sky snapped. “Of course I would. Where would you get a crazy idea that I wouldn’t hurt?” Sky huffed and rolled his eyes at Nolan. “Crazy man. Yes, I’d hurt, but it’s a selfish pain. I’d miss you. I want you here with me, having fun. But I wouldn’t be upset that you got to move on to your next adventure.”
“Mn.”
Sky swallowed a sigh. “Nolan, no one is expecting you to just roll with all of this. You got dropped into the deep end and found it infested with sharks and piranhas. No one could stay afloat and protect their junk at the same time.”
Nolan made a choking noise, his face turning red as he regarded Sky. “Are you offering to keep me afloat or to protect my junk?”
Sky winked at his too-sexy neighbor. “I’ll protect anything you want me to, baby.”
That smirk fell away when Nolan rose to his feet and crossed to the sofa. He sat heavily on the cushion next to Sky. Leaning his head against Sky’s, Nolan wrapped an arm around his waist, pulling him in close. “The Sandor Clan makes me want to chuck all magic and creatures into the trash bin. Walk away from it all. But all I have to do is look up and see you standing right next to me, smiling. You’ve had no reason to help me, but you’ve been there every step of the way.”