“I do love a good nap,” he says, looking into my eyes and I know exactly what he’s thinking, because I’m thinking it too: we are so taking a nap together later, and by nap I mean have hot, primal sex.
Swallowing my libido down into the cold, dark place it should be right now, since demons are after me, I go into my room and strip out of my clothes, changing into fresh jeans, a black tank top, and my favorite emerald-green cardigan. I saw it in the window at a boutique downtown and knew I had to have it. It was way out of my price range though, and I had to pick up two extra shifts to help cover it. But every redhead needs something this exact shade of green, so who could blame me?
I let Romeo out, do a quick cage clean, and then go into the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash off yesterday’s makeup. I swipe on some mascara before I leave, holding my hairbrush, and find Ethan outside throwing a ball for Hunter. Don’t explode just yet, ovaries.
Running the brush through my hair, I stand on the patio and watch them for a moment, a smile on my face. I lean back against the patio railing and realize that I’m at a huge risk—not just of being attacked by demons, but of falling for Ethan.
And I don’t know what’s worse.
“It’s nice to officially meet you,” I say to Julia, stepping inside the kitchen at Ethan’s dad’s house. “With pants on.”
“Pants are nice.” She rinses a plate and puts it in the dishwasher.
“We brought donuts,” I go on, as if it’s not obvious by the box Ethan is holding. “I think Ethan ate half of them in the car already.”
“I’m surprised he didn’t eat all of them.”
“Hey, I have some self-control,” Ethan says, setting the box on the kitchen table and pulling out another donut. We both sit, and I put my Book of Shadows on the table in front of me.
Julia loads a few more dishes into the dishwasher and closes it up. “I got the CliffNotes version that Pricolici are after you for unknown reasons.”
“That’s pretty much the only version I know.” I look at Ethan, who nods and grabs one of the books from the stack that’s on the table. “It would be nice to figure out how to stop them so I can, uh, not die.”
Julia smiles. “Yeah. That would be nice. Ethan’s been in a particularly good mood since he met you, so try to stay alive a bit longer.” She winks and goes back to the dishes.
“Thanks,” Ethan says dryly. “You make it sound like I’m usually awful to be around.”
“Your words, not mine,” she tosses right back, and I stifle a laugh. They may not be related through blood, but they sure act like siblings. “I was going to make breakfast, but if there’s donuts, I’m good with just that. Are you guys too?”
“Donuts are plenty,” I tell her. “Thanks.
“Same.” Ethan flips through a handwritten journal.
“Good. Save me trouble. Anyone want coffee?”
“Yes, please,” I tell her. “I can’t function without it.”
“Hah,” she says and opens a cabinet to get a bag of coffee grounds. “You’ll fit in around here just fine.”
I go through my Book of Shadows, trying to find the last page I left off on, while the coffee brews. Ethan’s dad joins us right after Julia serves us all coffee, coming to the table with an armload of books.
“Hey, Dad,” Ethan says. “This is Anora. Anora, this is my dad, David.”
“Yes,” David says shortly, flicking his eyes to me. “I remember. I saw her at the hospital.”
“Hi,” I say, probably a little too chipper. David sighs and picks up a book from the pile in front of us. Ethan’s hand lands on my thigh and a rush goes through me. I narrowly escaped caving to my desire last night. My willpower isn’t that strong, and the more time I spend with Ethan, the more I want him.
“Tell me everything,” David says, not looking at me. “From the beginning.”
“Um, well, I was riding my horse and what I thought was a freaky-looking dog jumped out at us and spooked Mystery. I fell, then, uh, tried to get on with my life until demons attacked me again yesterday.” I make a face, knowing that was a terribly-summed-up version of what actually happened.
“And before then, you’d never seen a demon?” David asks.
“No.” I shake my head. “I’ve always been able to see ghosts, but I didn’t even know demons were real until yesterday. I’ve always wondered but wasn’t sure.”
“Something is attracting the demons to you,” David says and eyes me like he’s waiting for me to fess up and admit I summoned them all on my own.
“That’s what we’re trying to figure out,” Ethan presses. “Why—all of the sudden—are demons after Anora?”