Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 89572 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 448(@200wpm)___ 358(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89572 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 448(@200wpm)___ 358(@250wpm)___ 299(@300wpm)
“Sounds like she’s worried about you,” Emery says. “You make it seem like the curse is contagious.”
I exhale slowly and gesture to her arm. “It kind of is.”
She scowls and yanks her sleeve up, staring at the pulsing green mark. “That’s not funny.”
“Wasn’t trying to be.”
The silence stretches, uneasy and charged. The Rider’s mark prickles beneath my shirt, a faint burn like static against my skin.
Emery tilts her head, studying me. “You okay?”
“Fine.” I shake it off and force a grin. “Lucy brings out my best side.”
“Uh-huh.” Emery’s lips curve. “And here I thought that I do.”
It’s meant as a tease, but her voice dips low enough that it hits deeper and spikes my pulse. “Careful,” I warn. “You’re already good at it.”
She raises an eyebrow. “At what?”
“Getting under my skin.”
Before she can answer, the lights overhead flicker—just once—but long enough for both of us to glance up and share matching what-the-hell looks.
Lucy calls from the back room, “If that’s the power again, I’m going home!”
“Probably just a glitch,” I call back.
Emery’s eyes stay on me, unblinking. “You sure about that?”
No. Not even close.
But I nod anyway. “Sure. It’s an old building. Happens all the time.”
She scowls but doesn’t ask any follow-up questions. “Maybe I’ll head out.” She turns toward the door. “And leave you two to your electrical drama.”
I take a step toward her before I can stop myself. “Emery—”
She pauses, glancing over her shoulder.
“Stay. I’m going to close up soon,” I say. “Let me take you to dinner.”
Her cheeks flush and she glances down as if she’s suddenly shy. “Now?”
“Yes.”
“I’d like that,” she says, still not looking up at me.
A knot of tension in my chest loosens. I don’t want Emery out of my sight. And not just so I can protect her from the Rider. She’s so damn stubborn, though, that if I tell her that, she’ll probably march right out the door and go twirl around in the cemetery just to spite me.
“Good. There’s a little place right down the street. Doesn’t look fancy from the sidewalk but it’s good. Real food.” I lift my chin at the bag of fudge in her hands. “Not sugar.”
“Sugar’s my favorite food group.” She tilts her head in an endearing way. “But you have my attention.”
Lucy reappears in the hallway, drying her hands on a rag. “You taking off?”
“Would you mind closing up?” I ask. “We’re going to grab dinner.”
Lucy flicks her gaze between us, one brow arched. “Sounds good.”
“Do you want to join us?” Emery asks.
I slide a glance Emery’s way but her attention’s focused on Lucy, her expression earnest.
Lucy’s gaze darts between Emery and me. Part of me would love for them to get to know each other but the big, selfish bastard in me wants Emery all to myself tonight.
“Another time.” Lucy nods. “Thank you, though.” She aims a playful smirk at Emery. “Don’t let him talk you into anything—that man’s trouble.”
Emery tips her head back, her eyes meeting mine. A spark of humor lights up her face. “I’ve noticed.”
Laughing, Lucy gives us a mock salute and disappears into the back.
I touch Emery’s shoulder. “Thank you for offering.”
“It’s not that I don’t want to be alone with you,” Emery murmurs. Damn, why does that sound like the best idea ever? “But she’s your friend...”
Her voice trails off almost as if she’s asking a question. Is she making sure Lucy’s just a friend? Or wondering if she should start caring about the people in my life—the way someone does when they’re thinking about sticking around.
Do I want her to stick around? I shouldn’t want more. Not with her. Not with anyone. Not with the curse threading between us like a live wire. But every time I’m in her presence, I hate the thought of her leaving.
I take her hand. “We’ve been friends for a long time.”
A soft, playful smile flickers over her lips. “She must be a very patient woman.”
The Rider’s mark beneath my shirt thrums in warning, stopping me from laughing at her joke. I clear my throat and reach for my keys. “Let’s get going. It’s a small place. Gets crowded fast.”
She steps away from the door and sweeps her hand in front of her. “Lead the way.”
I push the door open, the bell giving a single metallic ring that sounds more like an omen than an alert.
Outside, the fog has thickened again, swallowing the glow from the streetlamps.
Emery steps past me, her arm brushing mine. For a split second, the green mark on her wrist slips free of her sleeve and shimmers under the weak light, making my pulse stutter.
She glances back, eyebrows raised like she didn’t feel a thing. “You okay?”
“Yeah. Right behind you.”
But as I lock the door and follow her down the sidewalk, I can’t shake the feeling that something else follows too.