Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 90630 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 453(@200wpm)___ 363(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90630 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 453(@200wpm)___ 363(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
“Yeah,” he says, confused as to why I’m bringing this up.
“Consider this me cashing in that favor.” I raise my hand, fingers going to Theo’s forehead. “Somnum.” He fights against the sleeping spell for a couple of seconds, and my heart is in my throat. But then the magic takes over and he slowly collapses to the ground.
“Holy shit,” Delphi says.
“I didn’t know if that would work on a vampire,” I confess.
“Wren,” Mabel starts, shaking her head. “You better hurry. He’ll wake up soon.”
I meet her eyes, thankful she’s not trying to talk me out of it. If the color could drain out of Zeke’s face, it would. But he’s already dead and pale and is standing there, looking at Theo with shock on his face. Bending down, I get Theo’s keys from his pocket.
“You didn’t drive, did you?” I ask Delphi, eyeing her bare feet again.
“Nope. I shifted and ran.”
“With your dress on?” Mabel asks.
“I carried it.”
“Oh, interesting. Good luck, Wren. Please don’t die.”
“I won’t,” I promise Mabel. “I’m sorry I had to leave early.”
“Come on,” Delphi urges and we take off, hurrying to the SUV.
“You’re going to have to direct me.”
“Go straight and turn right at the next light.”
“Okay.” I press my foot on the gas, accelerating as fast as I can without getting pulled over.
“That spell was pretty badass. I’ve never met a witch before. There aren’t many in the area, probably because there are so many vampires. Or maybe they’re closer to New Orleans because it’s like a magical city?”
“I don’t really know,” I tell her. “The Order wasn’t too keen on letting me know more than I needed to about witches.”
“That’s so fucked up.”
“I know.” I inhale as I slow to a stop, glancing in the rearview mirror to see if Theo woke up yet. The thought of a seven hundred year old vampire racing after me is terrifying.
“Thanks for trusting me,” Delphi says somewhat awkwardly.
“My gut is telling me I should. And recently I’ve been trying to listen to it more.” I tap my fingers on the steering wheel, waiting for the light to change. I press on the gas as soon as it does, holding my breath as we make it down another block. We’re out of the downtown area now and I risk going faster.
It doesn’t take long to get to Delphi’s neighborhood, and I’m taken aback when I pull up to a gate.
“Three-seven-four-two,” she tells me and I punch in a code.
“You didn’t strike me as the HOA kind,” I say, slowing as soon as we’re through the gate.
She shrugs. “I wasn’t. My ex-husband insisted we move here. Thankfully, I got the house in the divorce. He couldn’t have afforded it either. He’s a teacher and I’m a pediatrician.”
“Really?” I don’t mean to sound so surprised. “I wouldn’t have guessed that.”
“Not all werewolves are backwoods or poor, you know.”
“That’s not why,” I say and pull over. “You just look young.”
“Oh. It’s werewolf genes, I guess. I’m thirty-four. But, uh, why are you stopping?”
“I need to call Xavier.” I put the SUV in park and take in a steadying breath, getting my phone from my purse. He answers on the first ring this time. “Don’t be mad,” I start.
“So you’re going to do something that’ll make me mad?” he replies.
“Probably. Larkin only wants to meet with me. I cast a sleeping spell on Theo and I’m here. You sent me as a delegate or whatever because you know I can handle shit. You wouldn’t have married someone who couldn’t.”
“Wren, no. You could—”
“Please, trust me.” Wincing, I end the call. “Okay, where to?”
“Straight.” Delphi doesn’t take her eyes off me as we drive in silence. The street curves and all the houses in here are big and impressive, looking like she’s not the only doctor in this neighborhood. “The blue house on the right.”
I pull into the driveway, parking behind several other cars. Hurrying, I put the SUV in park, kill the engine, and get out. We rush up the sidewalk and into the house. Right away, the energy hits me, making me feel sick.
Delphi’s house is a fancy open-concept ranch. There’s a sitting room to my right, with a cute navy blue, velvet sofa and well-stocked bookshelves. The living room is directly in front of us, and it opens into a large kitchen. Larkin and several other wolves are seated at the dining room table.
“You brought a witch?” a man snarls, eyes glowing yellow.
“Not just any witch,” Larkin starts, smirking as she gets to her feet. “Meet Florence Malus, Xavier’s wife.”
Oh shit. I just walked into a fucking trap.
Chapter
Nineteen
Adrenaline surges through me, and I quickly go over my options. I’m not familiar with the area, I have no weapons, and I’m vastly outnumbered.
“This is my house and she is my guest” Delphi interjects, standing in front of me. “I asked her to come. She has information about the drugs and wants to help.”