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)
“I don’t either. I used to hate when we’d get sent up north in the winter.”
“Are yetis real?”
“I’ve heard from other hunters to say yes. But not in the USA.”
“Weird, isn’t it? Monsters are like animals and only live in certain places.”
“Yeah, some definitely.”
We walk a few more paces, heading toward the woods. I’ve never ventured this far and there’s something calming about being under a canopy of trees. Mabel confesses she’s been planning a wedding since Xavier and I didn’t have one. I go along with it, knowing it will never happen.
Once we’re back inside, Mabel suggests going into the basement theatre room to watch a movie. There’s a popcorn machine in there that hasn’t been used in ages, and after cleaning it out, I make the most delicious extra butter popcorn. I’m snuggled under thick blankets, reclined in a cozy chair while Mean Girls plays. I fall asleep and have the weirdest dream.
I’m at the cape cod house again, but this time it’s like I’m watching everything unfold as I float above. A woman with dark hair stands in a kitchen, hands on her pregnant belly.
Mom.
“I don’t, David, it just doesn’t feel right to sit back and do nothing,” she says.
“You’re due any day,” David replies.
“Exactly. That’s why we have to stop—” She says a name but her voice fades, and then she looks up. “You have to stop him.”
I jerk awake, heart racing,
“You okay?” Mabel asks.
“Yeah. Bad dream, that’s all.” I stretch my legs out and pull the blanket tighter around myself. Was that just a bad dream? Or a warning?
I sip my iced coffee and lean back, book in hand. I’m downtown, at a coffee shop near the same place I met my brothers the last time they were here. It’s not far-fetched to feel paranoid, and I don’t know how freely we can talk. So far, I haven’t seen anything to make me too suspicious here. Then again, I don’t look like a supernatural assassin.
It’s been radio silent since I talked to Antonio three days ago. I’m here, at the right time and the right place. If it wasn’t raining, I’d be sitting outside, watching for him. I’m by the window and look up every now and then. The rain has let up, but the outside tables are wet.
Trying to actually read a chapter of the dark faery romance I brought with me, I make it two pages before I look up again. This time, I see Antonio, Leo, and—you’ve got to be fucking kidding me—Ryder. My heart skips a beat when I see him, but it’s out of habit, not because the sight of him does something to me.
Leo raises his hand in a wave, letting me know he sees me. They cross the street and come in, joining me at the table.
“Hey,” I say and give Antonio a hug. “Did you get all the ghouls?”
“Every last one. We coulda used you.”
“Of course. I’m the best.”
“Glad to see you haven’t changed,” Leo jokes and hugs me too. “You look good, sis.”
“Thanks. Mabel did my hair.” I smile and step back, awkwardly looking at Ryder. “I’m not hugging you,” I say bluntly. “I don’t know why you’re here. It’s really dumb to be here, actually. You don’t think they just forgot what you did, do you?”
“No, I know they didn’t,” he says, brown eyes filling with regret. “And yeah, I know the risk of being here. They tried to talk me out of it.”
“We did,” Antonio says.
“I wanted to talk to you,” Ryder says. “Alone?”
“Why?” I widen my eyes. “What do you have to say that’s worth my time?”
“Wren,” Leo says, giving me a look.
“Seriously?” I cross my arms over my chest. “After everything you think I owe a damn thing?”
“Of course not. But I do know how much you like closure.” He holds my gaze for a bit and then I let out a sigh. I do like closure. I like tying up loose ends and making things into neat bows, which doesn't happen in my life very often. Things ended so abruptly with Ryder. We never got to have a going away talk. The very last thing he said to me was, “you’ll be fine”.
For a long time, I wasn’t.
But now I am. I don’t owe him shit, but it would be a lie to say I wasn’t curious what he was going to say.
“You have five minutes,” I tell him.
“Want to take a walk?” Ryder asks.
“Not really, but sure. Only because it stopped raining.”
Leo picks up my coffee and takes a drink. “This is good.”
“If you finish it, you’re ordering me a new one,” I tell him and then go outside the cafe, getting choked by humidity immediately.
“How is, uh, the, uh…” Ryder starts.
“The guy you shot? His name is Devon and he’s undead now.” I keep my eyes forward as we talk. “I heard there’s rumors going around about how you shot a Malus vampire. You didn’t. In fact you created another. Devon would still be human if you hadn’t shot him.”