Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 105144 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 526(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 350(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105144 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 526(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 350(@300wpm)
“I’ve killed a lot of demons,” I go on, not knowing what else to say. “I’m really good at it. I have no idea how you’d feel about that or if witches even hunt demons, but, uh, I enjoy it.” I put my hand on the top of their tombstone. “I wish I could have met you. And you too, Aunt Francine.”
I stand there for another moment and then turn, going back to Xavier.
“How are you doing?” he asks.
“I don’t know.”
“That’s fair.” He puts his arm around me and I lean on him, taking comfort in his large body sheltering mine as we walk back to the car in silence. Once in the car, he gets out his phone to find a vampire-friendly hotel for the night. By law, no public place can bar a vampire from entering the establishment, but not all hotels have light-proof rooms.
I lean back, feeling the oddest sense of relief. This wasn’t the outcome I wanted, but I don’t have to keep looking. I can deal and live my life. Xavier’s hand lands on my thigh after he puts the car in drive. I lace my fingers through his, heart swelling in my chest.
Yes, I just learned that my parents and aunt are dead, but I don’t feel alone. I have a new family now, a family who is just as committed to me as I can be to them. In that moment, I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I’m not running away. Finally, I found where I belong. For the first time in a long time, I feel at peace. And if I’ve learned anything, it’s only a matter of time before something horrible happens.
CHAPTER 42
“Thank god for Taco Bell.” I bite into my burrito. It’s much later than I realized and this was the only thing open.
“Even if I were human, I don’t know if I’d eat that,” Xavier replies, watching me take another huge bite after smothering my burrito with hot sauce.
“You have no idea what you’re missing.”
“I’ll take your word for it.”
“Am I grossing you out?” I ask, purposely talking with my mouth full. Xavier just rolls his eyes and shakes his head. We’re sitting outside Taco Bell so I can snarf down some food before going to the hotel, which is a good twenty-minute drive from where we are now.
Hamden seems like a nice, quiet town. I look around at the dark street as I eat, unable to keep myself from wondering what life would have been like if I had returned after that trip to Italy. Do I have cousins here? Grandparents? Are there other witches around? I suppose I’ll never know. You can’t go back on what’s already happened, and wondering what if is a surefire way to drive yourself mad.
I finish my burrito, wash it down with an ice tea, and throw away my wrappers in the trash. A group of teenagers pulls up and gets out of their car, talking loudly and laughing. They eye us both, and I look like someone who was just fucked beyond recognition in a graveyard, which is exactly what happened.
My hair is a mess, I have bite marks on my neck, and Xavier’s jacket is draped over my shoulders. But Xavier—of fucking course—looks effortlessly sexy. The group of kids slows, eyes going right to him. They whisper to each other and hurry inside.
“Does that happen a lot?” I ask. Xavier opens the car door for me.
“Yes,” he says and speeds over, showing off for the teens, who no doubt were wondering if he was a vampire. “Kids are better at sensing whether we are vampires or not. More so than adults.”
“Interesting.” I pull my seatbelt over my chest and click it in place. “I guess it’s similar to how kids can sense spirits but a lot of adults lose that ability as they age.”
“It would make sense.”
I lean back, looking at the scenery as we drive to the hotel. It surprises me how tired I am when we get into the room. We’re at a bed and breakfast in a historic mansion, and the windows have the same metal shades as the house does back in Charlotte.
Xavier turns on the shower, and despite how exhausted I am, I get turned on by seeing Xavier’s body. It was too dark in the mausoleum to fully look him over and as he stands here, naked before me with hot water dripping down his body, I take my time appreciating him.
I run my hands down his chest and then drop to my knees, taking his cock in my hands, stroking him as he grows hard. Cocks in themselves aren’t pretty things, but this monster cock in my hands is a thing of beauty. Closing my eyes, I put my lips to the tip and flick my tongue. He lets out a satisfied breath as I start sucking him off.