Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 87608 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 438(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87608 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 438(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
I was winded, so it took me a moment to sit up, look around, and figure out where I was and what was happening. Once I looked over at Lorne, who was no more than a foot away from me, I saw him down on one knee, staring wild-eyed at the enormous misshapen, hairless wolves pacing on the opposite side of the invisible barrier.
Scrambling over to him, I tugged on his arm. “We have to go,” I nearly shouted, but my voice fractured at the end.
His eyes stayed riveted on the wolves.
“Lor,” I husked, trying it out, and it felt more natural than anything else I’d called him. “Come with me. We have to get out of here.”
When his head moved slightly, I saw what he did: a figure in the distance, behind the wolves, in what looked like woods, but strange and dark. As the figure, who was easily seven or eight feet tall, began to run toward us, Lor got quickly to his feet, grabbed my hand, and the two of us bolted toward the tree line I could now thankfully see.
The second we hit the short grass of the park, the wind whipped around us, bringing the aromas of popcorn, hot dogs, and chili. The relief was overwhelming.
Tugging my hand free of his, I dropped down, crossed my legs, and closed my eyes. I concentrated on breathing, moving the air in and out of my lungs.
“What the hell is going on?” Lor rasped from beside me, bumping my shoulder with his, then a second time. I couldn’t see him, but I was guessing he was having a bit of an issue calming down from the adrenaline high of running from supernatural creatures.
As for me, between the grass and the wind, I was feeling much more like myself.
“What the hell, Xander?”
I opened my eyes and looked at him. “You might need to expand your mind where witches are concerned.”
FIVE
He probably would have yelled himself hoarse—and maybe I deserved it with how high and mighty my last words to him were—if at that exact moment JJ had not come running over and crashed into me. I hugged them tight, squeezing them longer than usual because I needed the comfort. When I let them go, I noticed the worry on their cute little face.
“What’s wrong?”
“You hafta tell her,” they growled, jaw clenching, glaring at me.
“Yes,” I agreed as JJ took hold of a piece of my hair that had come loose from the tie, wrapped it in their little fist, and plopped down into my lap. I noticed they had a stone clutched in their right hand. “What’s happening here?”
“I want it, but the lady wants it too.”
“What lady?” They pointed, and I saw one of the women who’d come with Declan. “Well, your mom is there, so tell her I said it’s yours.”
They opened their hand, and I saw a lovely piece of purple labradorite. It was rare, or rarish, certainly nothing to fight over. “Will you make it clean?”
“You’ve been carrying it around, honey, so it’s pretty good now. It’s got all your excellent mojo on it.”
They laughed as I bent and blew on the stone, feeling how happy it was to be with the child in my lap. Many people thought stones, crystals, and rocks were simply that and nothing more. But science, not witchcraft, told us they vibrated. They had energy, stored it, and therefore could say, so to speak, where they wanted to be. I couldn’t count the times I’d seen people pick up crystals, only to have them somehow slip through their fingers, be retrieved, and then drop again. That was always a sign. And if, conversely, the stone stayed in your hand and there was immediate warmth, then it was supposed to belong to you. This one, in particular, liked JJ.
“Hey,” Cass greeted her uncle, taking a seat beside him, and from the look on his face, he was surprised. “I was thinking we should make dinner tonight.”
It took him a second to respond. I understood. Having made the transition from insane to normal several times in the past myself, I knew it could take a bit to readjust.
“Uncle Lorne?”
“Sorry, I—okay.”
She was looking at him like she was worried. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah. Fine.”
“Okay,” she said after a moment. “So then, we’ll cook?”
“You mean you,” he replied, squinting at her. “We both know I suck at cooking.”
“Yes, I mean me.” She was chuckling, and it was a good sound. I saw the beginnings of a smile curl his lips.
“Well,” he said, “we can stop on the way home and get stuff, but first I have to talk to Xander about a few—”
“Why doesn’t Xander have dinner with us?”
“No, no, no,” I rushed out. “I wouldn’t want to impose on family time or—”
“I think that’s a great idea,” Lorne said, grinning. “That would be perfect. Shall we say seven?”