Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 134501 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 673(@200wpm)___ 538(@250wpm)___ 448(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 134501 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 673(@200wpm)___ 538(@250wpm)___ 448(@300wpm)
‘Not with actions, no, but they’re good at lacerating people with words.’
The dude wasn’t wrong there.
‘My cousin told me they were hoping they could push you into convincing Paisley not to take the Change,’ he said as they strolled into the manor, the door closing behind them.
‘They gave it their best shot.’
He exhaled heavily. ‘They’re stubborn, I’ll give them that.’
Emberlyn walked down the hall and into the kitchen, where she set her purse on the counter. ‘Want anything? Coffee? Tea? Beer?’
Waving away her offer, Kage placed the carrier bag on the table. ‘I brought you this.’
She hummed. ‘What is it?’
‘Your grandmother’s Ouija board. I ain’t gonna use it, so . . .’
She snickered. ‘Can’t say I’m surprised that you’re giving it away.’ Removing it from the bag, she ran her gaze over it, nostalgia heavy on her shoulders. Wooden and classic in design, it featured letters of the Latin alphabet, several numbers and a small selection of various words – hello, goodbye, yes, no.
Emberlyn placed it on the table. ‘I can’t count the times Millicent had me use this, hoping we could communicate with my mother.’ Emberlyn took the planchette from the bag and rested it on the board. ‘Avery never came through.’
He sank onto a chair. ‘Don’t take it personally, Em. Not all spirits are strong enough to reach out like that.’
‘I know. I’m not upset with her, just disappointed that we couldn’t connect at all.’
‘She might have moved on straight away. It would explain why I never saw her near you. Some spirits cross over fast, others . . .’ Trailing off, he shook his head. ‘Let’s not talk about ghosts – I’m done with that. Tell me more about what my parents said to you.’
Emberlyn claimed the seat across from him. ‘In sum, they’re totally against Paisley taking the Change. They’ve convinced themselves that this is a new ‘interest’ for her; that she hasn’t thought it through. They truly believe that she’d regret doing it; talked as if she doesn’t know her own mind. Annoyed by that, I gave them a reality check.’
His nose wrinkled. ‘Oh, they don’t like those.’
Emberlyn snorted. ‘I noticed.’ She reached over and gave his hand a little squeeze. ‘I’m sorry that they’re being shits to you.’
He shrugged. ‘It’s nothing I didn’t expect when I decided to let the Change take me rather than use antivenom. They don’t have anything against werewolves, they just feel that witches are superior to them.’
‘It’s more than that. They feel rejected by you and Paisley.’
His brow pinched. ‘The only people round here rejecting anyone is them. They’ve shut me out, and they’ll do the same to her if she doesn’t dance to their tune.’
The planchette began to rattle and then slid across the board to hover over the word ‘Hello’. Then it moved to K, A, G, and finally E.
Emberlyn stifled a smile. ‘Seems like someone wants to talk to you.’
Kage wouldn’t even look at the board. ‘No. No, they don’t.’
‘The planchette just spelled your name.’
‘No, it didn’t.’
A snicker popped out of her, and then a knock came at the front door. ‘That’s probably Ripper,’ she said, her pulse kicking up as a thread of anticipation wove through her blood.
Kage’s mouth curved into a wicked smile. ‘I’ll head off, then.’ He pushed out of his chair. ‘Wouldn’t want to be a cockblocker.’
‘And you want to get away from the board.’
He looked appropriately confused. ‘What board? I don’t see no board.’
Rolling her eyes, she walked out of the kitchen and through the manor until she reached the front door. As she opened it wide, her hormones went wild at the delicious sight of the werewolf on her porch.
‘Ripper,’ Kage greeted as he shrugged past her.
The Alpha gave him a chin-tip.
‘Later, Em,’ Kage called out as he jogged down the steps.
‘Later,’ she said before switching her attention to Ripper. ‘I didn’t expect to see you until later.’
‘I was supposed to hold a clan meeting, but it had to be canceled,’ he explained as he walked inside. He flicked a look at a departing Kage. ‘Everything all right?’
Emberlyn closed the door. ‘His parents came here to ask me to pressure Paisley into not taking the Change. Kage’s cousin had given him a heads-up about their intentions, so he came to be sure they didn’t upset me. Which they didn’t.’
He let out a Good grunt.
‘So, what can I do for you?’ It was more of a tease than a question.
Ripper edged closer to her, his eyes heating. ‘The same thing you did for me last night.’ He swooped down and took her mouth like he owned it, the bold bastard.
Her magick rose up and turned the air static, drawn as ever to this werewolf who hummed with his own power.
She took a shaky breath when he drew back. ‘Do you think we’ll make it upstairs this time?’