Total pages in book: 117
Estimated words: 109477 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 547(@200wpm)___ 438(@250wpm)___ 365(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109477 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 547(@200wpm)___ 438(@250wpm)___ 365(@300wpm)
Amber had probably been toiling away on that talisman, the feather, all this time, wondering why it had started showing up—if it was someone new killing people or another reason. This incident had supplied the missing piece and clicked everything else into place, clear as day. Damn it, that bitch was much too smart. This was why Daisy’s girl crush on Amber never, ever waned.
She ground her teeth in frustration, though a smirk of respect slipped into her expression.
The other woman’s lips tweaked slightly as well. This was payback for sneaking past Amber's radar the other week. Just wait until Daisy used that info. She’d regain the upper hand in their friendly battle yet.
“Nothing to do with each other except for the dove feather, yes,” Daisy said, pausing before the part Amber was prodding her into revealing. “The dove feather has always been for my benefit.” She took a deep breath. “You call me gremlin. He calls me dove.”
Someone sucked in an audible breath of surprise, though she couldn’t identify who. Magic raked through Daisy’s middle, like it was trying to rip out her very soul. She winced in pain—they all did. Lexi’s slip of control, no matter how minor, was terrible.
Amber nodded slightly. She’d been right. That fae had a personal connection to Daisy. Now they all knew it.
“Inside, now,” Kieran said as a thunderclap shook the ground. Dark clouds rolled toward the city. The weather would not be great for Magical San Francisco today. “You’re keeping information from us. I don’t give two shits why. That ends now. Someone get rid of that body. He got what was coming to him.”
“I call dibs on the body,” Bria said quickly, raising her finger as Kieran stormed into the house.
Jerry’s face crinkled in disgust. “You would. It’s the right amount of messed up for you.”
“You bet it is, buddy.” Bria clapped him on his back, making him jump. “That note and the shaved-off lips are gold! I’m going to stitch that dove feather in, too. That’s the perfect touch. It’ll make people nervous just seeing him out lurching around. Wanna help me?”
He retched, shrugging her off. He thought the whole situation with animated cadavers, the necromancer’s trademark, was gross. Bria found no end of entertainment in that fact.
“For such a big guy, you sure do have a weak stomach,” she told him, following him into the house.
“What you do isn’t natural,” he muttered.
“It’s just biology, Jerry. Before life, after life—it’s all just biology. Flesh and bones and— Don’t throw up in here. Lexi will kill you!”
Their voices drifted away as everyone else filed in behind them. Bria would be out later to magically seal the corpse into the ground, ready to be unearthed and animated should anything happen. She’d done it a few times before. They had a troubled past.
Jerry was right, though. The whole thing was pretty revolting. Daisy often wished for magic, but if that one was offered, she would probably turn it down.
She realized someone had waited behind with her, and it surprised her to learn it wasn’t Mordecai.
Dylan stood on the other side of the body, his hands in his pockets and his eyes studying her.
“What’s up?” she asked, facing him fully. “You okay?”
He didn’t speak for a moment. “Do you remember how we met?”
She frowned at him. “Of course I do. It wasn’t that long ago. You walked into the coffee shop and threatened us.”
A crease formed between his eyebrows. “No, after that. When you guys were all pulling out of town. You offered me your bank account, and all that was in it, to give me a fresh start.”
“Oh yeah, I remember. And you never paid me back. You’re welcome for not holding a grudge.”
His lips worked into a dazzling smile. The poor guy was just made to be noticed. “True. I kept the account as it was, hidden from everyone else in case something should happen. In case Kieran and Lexi were killed and my blood bond got released. If that happened, there would be more than a few Demigods swooping in to try to lock me into a new blood bond, probably against my will.”
“Yeah. Tough break having one of the world’s most special magics, along with one of the world’s most pleasing faces. What a heavy load to carry, being prized…” Her voice was deadpan, as was her expression, but she did know the very real danger he’d be in if Kieran died and Lexi wasn’t there to help. They all did. “What about it?”
“You were the reason I ultimately joined this crew. This family. Your selflessness that day convinced me that you’d always have my back. That I could trust you, and through you, that I could trust Lexi and Kieran. That I could trust you all.”
She turned toward the door and waited until he had walked to her side. “And?”