While demons are starting to seem like overdramatic teenagers to me, Ethan is worried more will follow suit. Not just to seek revenge on me, but to make sure I don’t carry out my aunt’s legacy of locating and binding demons. I was able to fly under the radar, thanks to my aunt’s binding spell, but now that everything has been unbound, I’m a sitting duck.
Right as I’m about to drift to sleep, something goes crashing to the ground in the guest room next to the owners’ suite. Startled, I jump in Ethan’s arms and then immediately groan.
“Romeo,” I grumble, meaning my ferret. “That was probably his water bowl. He has nothing else in there.”
“I’ll check,” Ethan tells me softly and gets out of bed. I watch his naked backside disappear into the dark hall, coming back to bed only a few minutes later. “It was the water bowl. I cleaned it up.”
“Thanks,” I say, voice thick with sleep. “He likes it better than a drip bottle, but he spills it every five minutes.”
Ethan chuckles and takes me back in his arms. “Maybe he needs a friend.”
Perking up, I lift my head so I can look at my handsome boyfriend. “You know suggesting getting another animal to the former vet tech is dangerous territory, right?”
His full lips pull into a half smile. “We already got the donkeys to keep the horses company—whatever that means—and we’re getting chickens this spring. I don’t see how one more ferret could hurt.”
Smiling, I wiggle closer to Ethan, feeling so much for him right now. “I’m going to search the different rescue groups in the morning then.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
I wake up to Hunter stretched out in Ethan’s spot, and my boyfriend nowhere in sight. He rolls over for a belly rub as soon as he sees I’m awake. Taking my time to stretch and cuddle with Hunter, I lazily grab my phone and get out of bed. It’s a little past nine and Ethan must have turned my alarm off. It’s my turn to get up and feed the horses this morning.
Bright sunlight streams through the windows, warming the day and melting what’s left of the snow from the last snowstorm. The weather in the Midwest is just as unpredictable as it is in Syracuse this time of year. It’ll be in the high forties today and tomorrow, and then the temps plummet again.
Pulling on a pair of sweatpants and one of Ethan’s sweatshirts, I grab socks from my dresser drawer, put them on, and go downstairs.
“Morning,” Ethan says when I get into the kitchen. The smell of coffee fills the air, and an empty mug sits on the table in front of Ethan.
“Did you feed the horses?”
“Yeah, and I let them out.”
“Thanks. You could have slept in.” I stop behind him, resting my hands on his shoulders, able to feel just how muscular he is even through the thick button-up flannel over his black t-shirt.
“I know.” He tips his head up so I can lean over and kiss him. “Sam texted me and I couldn’t go back to sleep after.”
“I’m guessing her text wasn’t just checking in then?” I let my hands fall from his shoulders and step over to the counter to pour myself some coffee. I flick my eyes back to Ethan, and the look on his face tells me everything. Sam wasn’t texting to see how we’re doing here in Indiana.
She was texting because of a demon.
CHAPTER 2
“No, she wasn’t,” he answers. “She was on a hunt and needed some advice.”
“And everything’s okay?”
“It is now. I couldn’t fall back asleep until the sun rose and she got back to camp.”
I pour myself a cup of coffee. “Was she hunting a vampire?” It takes work to keep my face neutral. I don’t know enough about vampires to make a judgment call, but Ethan’s made it clear where he stands when it comes to them—or rather, where he’s been told to stand. Not all vampires are bad, just like not all humans are good.
“No, a wraith in the woods attacking campers. I’ve dealt with them a few times.”
“You’ve mentioned them before. She got it, right? And everyone’s okay? Well, except the people who got killed.”
“Yeah, she got it and made it back to their cabin with minor injuries. It wasn’t a hard kill, I just couldn’t go back to sleep until I knew she was safe. Someone had to be alert to call for backup.”
I smile at Ethan. “You’re a good brother,” I tell him, knowing he worries about Sam going out on hunts without him. Demon hunting is in Ethan’s blood, coming from a line of hunters belonging to the Order of the Mystic Realm. He was taught how to shoot a gun before he could ride a bike and has had extensive training on everything from martial arts to picking locks and disarming security systems.