Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 87185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Leo’s brows go up. “Worse than a demon being on the loose?”
“We hunt demons on the loose all the time.”
“Not ones like this,” he says, and he’s not wrong.
“There’s a first time for everything. We’ll figure it out.”
Leo rolls his eyes. “Your optimism is annoying, you know. And borderline delusional.”
“And I thought your other brother was the voice of reason,” Theo says, seemingly appearing out of thin air after moving into the kitchen at vampire speed without making a sound. “Maybe I like this one better.”
Theo’s teasing is a joke, but what he said holds a truth I don’t want to think about yet. Leo has always been more on my side. He’s been reasonable and has always questioned the Order. It would kill me to come to the realization that when things got real, he picked them over me.
“Maybe you guys will be best buds,” I say, falling back on using humor as a defensive mechanism. “Theo. Leo. Your names even rhyme!”
“Doubt it,” they both say at the exact same time, making Antonio and I chuckle. Leo looks at Theo suspiciously. Oh, right. He hasn’t been around any of my in-laws yet. In hindsight, Antonio adjusted pretty quickly and very well.
I guess dying has that effect on you.
Theo turns and says something in Spanish. He’s speaking quietly, but I know he’s talking to Xavier, who can hear him from wherever he is in the house. Without saying anything, Theo speeds back out of the room.
“I’m not sure I’ll ever be team vampire,” Leo murmurs.
“You don’t have to be in order to see the truth,” Antonio counters. “You gotta look at it logically, and right now, the Malus family has helped more than they’ve hurt.”
Leo looks at him like he’s insane. “They run a mafia.”
“I feel like that’s an antiquated term,” I try.
“It’s not,” Leo says back. “Everybody knows it and the hashtag mafiabutmakeitimmortal is trending.”
I snort- laugh. “Oh come on, that doesn’t prove anything. But yeah, I won’t deny it. Xavier makes sure everyone in the city gets along and follows rules.”
“His rules.”
“Look,” I start, voice raising. The light above us starts to flicker and I put my hands flat on the counter. “You don’t have to like Xavier or anyone else in this family. But no one batted an eye when I brought you here and they welcomed Antonio with open arms.”
“And mouths—full of fangs,” Leo mutters under his breath.
“That’s enough,” Antonio tells him. “Wren is right: you don’t have to like them but we need to deal with what’s at hand. We have twenty-eight days to find this demon sigil and break it so Wren’s soul isn’t consumed by the demon.”
His words hang heavy in the air.
“You’re right,” Leo finally relents. “But we can’t do anything sitting around here.”
“I’ve been thinking about that,” Antonio starts. “Right now, the Order thinks I’m dead and it’s smart to keep it that way. We need you to play double-agent.” He pauses and looks at Leo. “And I need you to be really honest with me: are you up for that?”
Chapter
Eleven
“Hey,” I say to Delphi. “Sorry I’m a tad late. It’s…it’s been crazy.”
“You’re like five minutes late,” she replies, waving her hand in the air. “It’s not a big deal. Is everything okay?”
“Eh, I’ll answer after I get a drink.” I pull out the chair and look down at the menu.
“That bad?”
“I’d say I’ve dealt with worse but I would officially be lying.”
“Damn. I’m sorry.”
I shrug. “It is what it is, right?”
“What can you tell me?” she asks, knowing I can’t talk openly in public.
Remembering what Xavier and I talked about right before I left, I pick up the menu and glance at Delphi. I want to tell her the truth. I want to trust her and just vent.
Because I’m fucking scared.
“The Order is messing with black magic,” I say. It’s not a lie, but it’s not the truth. “They’re behind these fires and weird earthquakes. And they used me to do it.”
“Holy crap. But, uh, what exactly does that mean?”
“It means,” I go on, Xavier’s voice echoing in my head. “They’re doing the very thing they promised to protect the world from. Making deals with demons and putting everyone at risk.”
“What did they need you for?”
“My blood,” I say quietly. “I’m not sure why, but maybe because I’m a witch.”
“Oh my god,” she says slowly. “Okay, that’s terrifying.”
“Yeah. But, um, this is what I do and I actually got my brothers helping.”
“Right. I forget that you used to hunt demons for a living.”
I laugh. “I never really got paid.”
“Given that I’m who I am,” she starts, raising her eyebrows. “It shouldn’t surprise me to find out about so many other things out there. We have our own legends and with so many members of our community choosing to live out in the mountains, we hear things.”