Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 102166 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 511(@200wpm)___ 409(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102166 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 511(@200wpm)___ 409(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
Despite the sinking sensation in her chest, Iris’s lips curved up.
“I’m afraid to take the stickers off,” she confessed.
“I think I’d rather drink a truth potion at a family dinner than pull those things off.” A full-body shiver racked Selene’s system. “But I will soak in a tub until I’m pruny to make a bandage peel off, rather than pull it off myself. Oh, speaking of. That’s the bathroom, obviously.” She waved toward the only door in the space. “You can touch all four walls from the center. And you have to leave the door open if you want to do something like blow-dry your hair. But it has a pretty nice soaking tub. For elaborate bath rituals, a good cry, or replaying that stupid thing you said twelve years ago until your stomach is in knots.”
“I really appreciate this, Selene.”
“Don’t mention it. I never got to have sleepovers as a kid. This is kind of nice.”
“Why couldn’t you?”
“You try having a friend circle when your mom summoned a demon to help her bake sourdough, and the thing stuck around and possessed the toaster. Then it whispers things like ‘Crumb by crumb, I shall return,’ when you’re just trying to make a toaster grilled cheese at two in the morning.”
“Are you close with your mother?”
“I moved out of New England to put some buffer between us. Otherwise, she would be dropping in for full-moon rituals every month. Naked. But, yeah, I love her. And my sisters, aunts, cousins. They’re just a lot more … magical than I choose to be. I mostly just like my books. And convenience spells. Like the one I am doing … right now,” she said.
Selene waved her hand in the air, writing something on the air that Iris felt breeze past her, making her hair kick up and a tingle move across her skin.
“What did you do?”
“Cast a spell for a bath that stays at the perfect temperature, no matter what. Go relax. I’ll get the bed all changed and comfy. Then you can get some sleep and look at this whole situation from the right side of morning.”
Some part of Iris wanted to stay and talk, to hear more about Selene’s upbringing and crazy family. To get to know her friend, sure, but also as a distraction.
But the siren call of an endlessly warm bath had her rising and making her way toward the bathroom.
She sank into the water, feeling it warm the muscles that ached from hours of swimming—not to mention pulling Finn along with her to the ocean floor.
“Ugh,” she grumbled, sinking under the water.
The bathroom swam around her, and pretty soon, all she could hear was the thump of her pulse in her ears.
It was the most peaceful she’d felt since the boat made it back to shore.
She stayed there in her forever-warm bath for what felt like hours.
Selene came in twice. Once, to drop off some clothes to wear. The second time, to brush her teeth before bed.
When Iris finally dried, dressed, and made her way back into the main area, Selene was passed out with one arm draped over her face and the other hanging off the couch. The book she’d been reading was on the floor, face down, holding her spot until morning.
Music drifted through the air, soft and sweet, like a music box, though Iris couldn’t find the source and had to conclude it was another of Selene’s spells.
After grabbing a glass of salt water, Iris made her way back toward the bed.
She hadn’t meant to look.
Truly, she hadn’t.
Her gaze just so happened to glance down as she moved past Selene’s altar. There, she noticed that the spell her friend had been working on had something to do with Arden. Because it was his name written on that paper she’d spotted earlier.
Despite knowing it was rude, she looked at the spell book sitting open on the tabletop.
Open to a page for a banishing spell.
To Douse the Flames of Desire.
Iris glanced toward her friend, who claimed love was a scam, but read romance novels whenever she had a spare moment. It was just then that Iris recognized the song that was playing. Selene played love songs to go to sleep.
It seemed like she wasn’t the only one with confusing feelings toward a particular man.
There was something comforting in that as she slipped inside the fresh sheets that smelled like nag champa and patchouli.
But sleep didn’t claim her until the sun was already creeping across the sky.
29
Finn
“Get the hell out of here,” Finn snarled as Henry made his way through the penthouse.
The empty penthouse.
Once Finn had untangled himself from the swarming, insensitive gossip reporters, he’d rushed back to Manhattan, rehearsing what he was going to say to Iris the whole way.
Only to find the apartment dark, the bed empty, and no sign that Iris had been back at all.