Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 87185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
It’s happened a few times, almost fitting in. I was held at arm’s length. Welcomed into a relationship, but not the family. I was part of an elite circle of hunters, but not one of them. My differences made me stronger, made me who I am, but it kept the little voice in the back of my head questioning if I am enough.
“I’m really sorry, Wren.”
“Don’t be,” I say and look back at Antonio.
“I am,” he presses. “I’m your big brother. I should have done something.”
“In hindsight, I’m really glad you didn’t.” I smile. “I wouldn’t be Mrs. Malus.”
“God, that’s so weird. You’re an old married woman now.”
“I’m still younger than you. And a lot younger than my husband.”
Antonio snickers and lets out a breath. “What do you do all day?”
“Now…kinda whatever I want. Just a couple days ago, I was hanging out with my werewolf friend buying drugs.”
Antonio raises an eyebrow. “I won’t judge.”
“It was to track down the demon, which reminds me, I should probably go to Tent City and see the damage.”
“And do what, Wren?” he questions, being the voice of reason. “We already know who the demon is, what the demon wants, and we know that a bunch of lower-level demons escaped while the portal was open. If anything, you need to lay low and figure out where the sigil is so we can save your ass—again.” He winks when he says that last part. We all know I’ve saved his ass more times than he can count.
The door opens and Theo appears at the threshold. “I like him. Maybe having him around won’t be the thorn in my side I thought it would be.”
“Who says I’m sticking around?” he quickly fires back.
Theo gives him an are you fucking stupid look. “Where are you going to go? The hunters thinking you’re dead is going to work in our favor.” He lets out an annoyed huff. “Besides, it seems you’re qualified to babysit my sister in law.”
“Fuck you, Theo,” I retort.
“You wish you could,” he snaps back. “But I don’t think my brother would be too pleased.”
“I wish I could stake you.”
“That makes two of us,” he mutters.
Xavier appears behind him. “You can stab him in the heart with a dagger. It won’t kill him yet, but it's rather satisfying.”
“You would know,” Theo huffs and zooms away.
“Wren,” Xavier says, eyes meeting mine and the second our gazes meet, the storm within me calms. “How are you feeling?”
“Mentally or physically?”
Xavier comes into the room and puts his hands on my waist. “Both.”
“I’m still tired. I feel hungover. And, um, I think I need a giant poster board to write out a list of all the things we need to deal with because I can’t keep track.”
“I’ll keep track of you. Dr. Patel wants you to take antibiotics so your hand doesn’t get infected.”
“He was here?” I wrinkle my nose. “I must have really passed out since I didn’t even wake up when someone re-bandaged my hand.”
“You did,” Xavier tells me and slowly runs his fingers up my waist before he gently takes my left hand in his. “There has to be some sort of spell you can do to speed up healing.”
“Maybe,” I say with a shrug. “But I am human.”
“So fragile,” he teases, but there is truth to his words. Humans are fragile. We break and our skin tears and we get sick and it can take a while to heal. I can’t snap my brother’s neck when he annoys me just to get a few moments of peace. “Go back to bed. When Alan gets here, I’ll have him make you breakfast.”
“Who’s Alan?” Antonio asks.
“The house chef,” Xavier answers him.
“You have a chef?” Antonio looks at Xavier dubiously. “You don’t eat.”
“Wren does,” Xavier answers. “So do you. He will make whatever you want.”
“Okay then.”
Xavier lets go of my left hand and takes my right. The little scab from where the demonic quill poked me doesn’t bother me at all.
“Am I free to walk around?” Antonio asks. “Or will I set off alarms or something?”
“You can do what you wish,” Xavier tells him. “I trust you’ll make wise choices.”
That wasn’t the response Antonio wanted to hear, and I recognize the struggle by the confusion on his face. In his mind, the Malus vampires are bad. It’s simple and black and white. I’ll be the first to tell you that Xavier and Theo have killed more people—and vampires—than I’d be able to count, but they’re not evil.
The Malus vampires are complex. They care about each other. They’re smart and utterly human in many ways, which challenges what the Order has drilled into every hunter’s head. It’s something Leo and I challenged, but not something Antonio ever allowed himself to even second-guess. He’s always been an exemplary hunter: following orders, pledging his loyalty and really believing he was doing the right thing.