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)
“Other than every single person who stepped foot on the property,” Devon adds.
“Yeah, that’s a pretty big thing to miss.” I glance over the rest of the report and slide it across the table for him to look over as well. We’re sitting in the dining room, and Zeke and Mabel are in the parlor. Every once in a while, Zeke walks past, no doubt to make sure Devon doesn’t lose it and try to drink my blood again.
I miss him, the version of Devon who I could sit and talk to, who never made me feel uncomfortable in the least. No matter how much I want to trust him again, I just can’t. He seems emotionally unstable, bouncing between the Devon that I knew and cared about and a pompous entitled trust-fund kid with fangs.
Which is exactly what he is, really.
“Do you recognize that symbol?” he asks.
“It looks familiar, but a lot of demonic sigils are drawn that way.” I tap the paper in front of me. “It kinda reminds me of a Goetia demon, and if it is…we could be fucked.”
“What do they have that we don’t?”
“Legions of spirits serving beneath them.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah. They might be here, but not here, too. Which makes them really fucking hard to kill when they’re only astral projecting in a sense.”
“But they can be killed.”
“Of course. I’ve never come across anything that can’t be killed.”
Devon lifts his hands in question. “What are we waiting for then? Let’s go kill the motherfucker.”
“It’s not that easy,” I say. “In the Order, we had ways of doing things.”
“And that worked out well for you, didn’t it? Following their rules?”
I meet his eyes and make a face. “There are certain things that need to be done before we just rush out, looking for a demon to kill.”
“Like what?”
“Figure out who we’re up against for one. Know what kind of powers this demon has, how it kills, how I can kill it would be nice to know. Though, I do think we should head toward the camp. Going about this as a hunter, I would start by asking around and investigating the surrounding area before just showing up to the campsite.”
“Again, what are we waiting for?” He looks at me and narrows his eyes. “You’re waiting for him, aren’t you?”
“I’m waiting until I’m prepared enough to head out and fight a demon,” I immediately counter, not wanting to ever admit that I’m waiting to do anything because of a man, even when said man is my husband and having him with me would probably make things ten times easier since he’s a seven hundred year old vampire.
“And for him.”
“So what if I am?”
Devon laughs, shaking his head in disgust. “What happened to the girl who couldn’t stop dreaming about getting out of here? The independent one who talked to me for hours about running away?”
“She realized that running isn’t brave.”
“Or maybe you’ve just accepted your fate. It’s easier, isn’t it?”
“No. I’m done hiding in the shadows and shrinking myself to make others comfortable. I did want to leave when I first got here, but could you blame me? I didn’t know anyone. I was ripped from the only life I knew and then found out my entire personal lore was nothing but a huge lie. And don’t act like you didn’t want to leave either.”
“Oh, I did,” he admits. “And it’s funny how the second I stopped being beneath you, you changed your mind really fucking fast.”
“What are you—” I cut off, remembering that I never was able to bring myself to tell him that I didn’t want to leave. I wanted to stay here, with Xavier.
Because being with Xavier made me feel like home.
“I get, Wren, you like being a hero. You’re the high-and-mighty hunter who is better than anyone in the Order because you have powers, but boo-hoo, you’re so sad because no one likes you because you’re a witch. What makes you better makes you different, and in the Order, anything different is less than.” He pauses, waiting to see if I’m going to jump in and start an argument. When I don’t, he continues. “You saw something in me that you recognized in yourself. That’s why you even entertained the idea of running away together. We were outcasts together, but you liked knowing you were better in some way. I was your ego boost, and now…now we’re on equal ground.”
“That’s ridiculous to even say out loud,” I tell him. “You really think that little of me? I only cared about you because I saw you as a lowly, undeserving human?” There’s no hiding the hurt that flashes across my face. “You were my friend because you cared. Because you listened. You were there for me and I thought I was there for you.”
“Wren, I didn’t mean—”