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)
Emberlyn hadn’t thought she’d say it, she really hadn’t . . . but she had the honest feeling that the woman across from her genuinely meant her no further harm. Not that she now thought of Reena as anything close to an ally. This truce was situational, and it wasn’t likely to last. But it at least meant that she had one less person coming at her for now.
‘I’ll give you the names of those who came to me looking for the kind of magickal aid that you’d consider unethical. I advise you strongly to look closely at all of them. By that, I don’t mean question them. I mean watch them. Monitor their activities. Even follow them, if necessary. Feed false information, set traps, don’t share your suspicions with others. Trust no one, because they will have infiltrated your inner circle. You’ll have at least one spy in your camp for sure.’
Sighing, Reena rubbed her temple. ‘It’s ironic that, right now, I trust you more than I do my own people.’
‘You don’t trust me, but you trust that I don’t have my eye on your position. That makes me no threat to your status quo. You just sadly can’t say the same about those who’ve sworn fealty to you.’ And wasn’t that a bitch?
‘Are you going to keep glaring at my legs?’
Ripper forced his gaze upward to meet the pale-hazel eyes staring at him in mild exasperation. ‘Not your legs, your pants.’
Emberlyn’s brow pinched. ‘Why?’
‘I have an issue with them.’
‘What’s that?’
‘They hide your legs from me.’
She blinked. ‘You talk as if it’s their motive. Like my pants are purposely inconveniencing you.’
‘Feels that way.’
She rolled her eyes and turned back to the football game. Her tongue took a dainty lick of the ice cream he’d nabbed for her at halftime. His dick twitched in envy, so easy for her it was almost embarrassing.
Their sides were all but plastered together, since there wasn’t much empty space on the bleachers, but he was perfectly fine with that. The closer she was, the better.
Excitement rolled off the fans. Some waved flags or signs. Others ate or took pictures.
Ripper had never watched a live game on TV – there was no cable here. But he’d watched reruns, as well as movies that featured large events. The football games here might be smaller, but the fans were louder, rowdier and more prone to cause riots – likely because they were so personally invested in the games.
Little specks of magick skipped along Emberlyn’s skin, as if the anticipatory energy bounding around acted like a magnet to the power inside her. Throughout the game, his witch had let out the occasional cheer or boo but – as opposed to the screaming fans around them – she was her usual collected self. Not stoic, not uninvested in the game, just composed.
Her muscles were loose, her expression placid, her smile easy. But a fine line of tension – so fine he could have missed it if he hadn’t come to be so attuned to her – rode her spine. ‘You don’t like crowds?’ he asked.
She side-eyed him. ‘I don’t like the friction that’s building in the air. Shit’s gonna go down at some point.’
‘Probably.’ Shane’s team was up against Carver’s. The latter was losing, and the spectators could sense it. A shouting match would break out eventually, but no fights – people typically saved that for the parking lot.
Emberlyn didn’t seem to know it, but Ripper had never taken a woman to a game with him before. Not even one he’d dated. But he wanted his witch with him. And this way, he could be sure that she wasn’t being crushed by the crowd or forced to deal with more bullshit from her family.
‘Would you stop doing that,’ Paisley complained from beside Emberlyn, frowning at her twin.
Dusting a dead fly off of his palm with the other hand, Kage asked, ‘Doing what?’
‘You’re always killing flies.’ Paisley sniffed at him. ‘Insects deserve love, just like any other creature.’
Her brother raised a brow. ‘Even spiders?’
‘Fuck, no. Don’t talk craziness around me.’
Kage snickered. ‘Almost forgot to tell you. Mom called.’
Paisley’s lips parted. ‘Finally? What did she say?’
‘“Hello, Kage.” ’
‘And?’
‘And nothing. I hung up.’
Emberlyn’s brows drew together. ‘Why?’
‘I don’t want the silent treatment to end yet,’ Kage explained. ‘I’m not ready to have her try to stab holes into my happiness.’
‘She hasn’t called me,’ Paisley muttered.
Kage flicked a hand. ‘I’m her favorite. You know that. You’re a little too childish for her tastes.’
His sister glared daggers at him. ‘Childish? I’m not childish!’
‘You’re wearing sneakers that look like a fairy took a shit all over them.’
Paisley peered down at her glittery footwear. ‘It’s called fashion.’
‘Yeah, for nine-year-olds.’
Emberlyn sighed. ‘Could you two be nice to each other for five minutes?’
Kage blinked. ‘I mean . . . no.’