Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 83353 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83353 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
“Thank you for saving my life,” she responded and yawned again. “I’m sorry—I’m so sleepy now! I didn’t…didn’t even ask you how you…how you died. Unless that’s a rude question?”
“Not rude at all,” Wraith assured her. “But it’s a question for another day. “For now, rest and I’ll guard your sleep.”
She blinked at him sleepily.
“I hope you’re not a dream.”
“I’m not,” Wraith assured her. Taking her hand, he pressed a gentle kiss into her palm. “Does that feel like a dream?”
“No.” She gave him a soft, dreamy smile. “Not at all.”
Then her eyes closed and she slept the sleep of the utterly exhausted.
Wraith watched over her, guarding her as he had promised. He almost hoped the demon would come back so he could kill it once and for all and free her of the curse. But it had clearly gone somewhere to lick its wounds and recover. Until it was dead, Hanna was at risk, he thought grimly.
He would have to stay by her side night and day from now on until he could get another chance to kill it.
Not that he minded. Tenderly, he stroked her cheek and she responded with a little moan as she pressed against his hand like a kitten asking to be petted. There was something about the little Elite that tugged at his heart—maybe they were meant by the Goddess to be together—at least until the demon was dead.
Until that time, Wraith promised himself he would keep her safe and never leave her side.
13
HANNA
“So you have a Kindred Protector now but he’s a ghost?” Aunt Luna asked, looking at Hanna uncertainly.
“Yes—he’s sitting right beside me at the table, actually.” Hanna nodded at Wraith, who was seated beside her at the round breakfast table in her aunt’s suite. Uncle Bruin had already gone off to a meeting of some kind, so it was just the three of them. Though to a casual observer, it would look like only two.
Hanna had been hoping that holding the big Kindred’s hand would help him appear to other people the same way it made him solid enough to touch and interact with physical objects. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to be working that way. Aunt Luna still couldn’t see him, even though he and Hanna were sitting side by side with their hands clasped and fingers entwined.
She liked holding hands with him, Hanna admitted to herself. Liked it a lot. In fact, she felt increasingly drawn to her new Kindred Protector and it seemed like he was drawn to her as well.
All her life she’d heard of “love at first sight” but she’d never expected to experience it herself—mainly because most guys thought she was weird because she could see ghosts. But Wraith was a ghost and he could see everything she could—it was wonderful to be with a man who didn’t think she had a screw loose just because she could see things he couldn’t!
“Sitting right beside you, hmm?” Aunt Luna looked at Hanna’s hand, which to her must appear to be cocked at a strange angle with her fingers splayed—but that was because they were entwined with Wraith’s.
“Yes—he’s right here. He saved me last night.” She explained about the Dark Entity and how it had attacked her and Aunt Luna’s face went rigid.
“That’s terrible, Hanna! You should have called me!”
“How could I? I was paralyzed,” Hanna told her. She shivered. “It was horrible. But that was when Wraith appeared and chased it off.” She squeezed his hand gratefully. “And he says he’s going to stay with me and protect me.”
“Absolutely,” Wraith rumbled. He had a low, melodious voice that she really liked.
“Then we owe you a debt of gratitude, Wraith.” Aunt Luna nodded to him, though she couldn’t see him. “Thank you for saving my niece and for protecting her. Hanna is like a daughter to me.” Reaching out, she squeezed Hanna’s arm. “I’m so glad you found a Kindred Protector, my dear!”
“I’m glad too.” Hanna gave Wraith a shy smile and he squeezed her hand.
“It’s my very great pleasure to be at your side, little one,” he murmured, which made Hanna feel like she was melting.
In fact, she’d been feeling frisky, so to speak, from the moment she’d woken up that morning. But she had put it down to the fact that Wraith was pacing around her room, looking ridiculously hot in his armor as he guarded her. It was kind of nice to have a bodyguard—especially such a big, muscular one.
“So how did your new Protector come to find you?” Aunt Luna asked, breaking into Hanna’s thoughts.
“Oh, er, he saw me in the Docking Bay yesterday,” she explained. “And then he noticed that I can see him—which hasn’t happened in over a hundred years, apparently.” She looked at Wraith for confirmation and he nodded. “So that made him curious and he came to find me.”