“I’ll help.” He gets out of bed and it takes me another few minutes to get up. A lot has happened in the last half of the day, but it wasn’t enough to make me feel so worn out like this. Which probably means I’m coming down with something. Ugh. At least I don’t have to worry about calling off work when I’m sick.
I hurry to the bathroom and then get redressed in what I had on before. Hunter is stretched out on the living room couch and has no intention of going out in the cold with me, even though as a spirit, he’s not bothered by the elements. I get my boots and coat on before Ethan and step into the chilly night air, stopping short as soon as I look at the barn.
“You okay?” Ethan asks, closing the door behind him.
“Yeah,” I say, blinking a few times. “I thought I saw something on the roof.”
Ethan rushes forward, automatically on high alert. “Where?”
“I’m just tired,” I tell him. Unless I’m hallucinating again, there’s no way what I saw is real. Because it looked like a small gargoyle just took flight.
I grab another tissue and blow my nose. Dramatically sighing, I toss it in the garbage and rub my fingers over my collarbone, feeling like a cold is coming on. I make a terrible patient and have long believed I can treat any illness with zinc and extra orange juice. I press on ignoring symptoms until I’m sick in bed for days, coughing with a fever and feeling miserable.
And at twenty-five, I still haven’t learned.
Though this time, there is a peppermint wellness tea in my book of shadows that I plan to make. Once I get peppermint root, that is. There’s an organic tea shop in Paradise Valley that I plan on stopping at after I meet Rene and Keith for lunch in Thorne Hill.
“Keep an eye on things,” I tell Hunter, looking out the window in the library at the barn. There is no mention of gargoyles in any of my books, and the dream I had last night was definitely a run-of-the-mill weird-ass dream. Because in my dream, the same gargoyle looked a lot like Ethan and I was very attracted to him.
But like I said: it’s a weird-ass dream.
The horses and donkeys are enjoying the sunshine today, shuffling around the limp, dead grass in hopes of finding something new. Not yet, guys, not yet. Though I might be overzealous myself, having put on my favorite green dress and new ankle boots with only a light jacket over top.
“Love you,” I tell Hunter, giving him a hug and a kiss before I grab my keys and head outside. Nik asked Ethan if he could come with him to the gym today, and Ethan eagerly agreed, saying it would help Nik further acclimate to human life. If you told me a year ago that I’d be madly in love and living with a rough-and-tough demon hunter, I wouldn’t believe you. And if you told me a month ago, said rough-and-tough demon hunter would befriend a faery, I would have been less likely to believe you. Still, I can’t imagine our life going any other way.
Locking the door behind me, I stop on the porch, extend my hands, and send a pulse of energy into the circles of protection I have cast around the house. Satisfied, I walk down the cobblestone sidewalk to my car which Nik haphazardly parked in the middle of the driveway last night. He’s not much taller than me but the seat is scooted way back, my mirrors have all been adjusted and somehow he changed all my programmed settings. I’m annoyed enough already to say he needs his own car.
It doesn’t take long to get into Thorne Hill and I park across from the Novel Grounds bookstore on purpose. I’m definitely going in before I leave. I should have asked Ruby if the blonde-haired girl who works there is a witch because there’s something about her that’s definitely familiar.
“Hey, girl!” Rene calls, waving at me from across the street. I go down to the corner and cross, meeting her in front of the restaurant. “You look cute.” She gives me a hug.
“Thanks, you do too. As always, of course.” I eye Keith. “Same to you. I’m making a mental note to dress up anytime we’re together since I’m usually in jeans and paddock boots.”
“It’s part of your charm,” Rene says with a laugh. “As long as you don’t have hay in your hair, we’re good.”
“Hah. That will happen, I promise you.” Closing my eyes, I turn my head up toward the sun. “This feels so good.”
“I almost forgot what it feels like,” Rene says.
“You two are so dramatic,” Keith huffs but pauses before going into Maria’s, standing in a patch of sunlight. “Though, I will say soak it all up because it’s going to snow this weekend.”