Page 43 of The Secret Life of a Witch

He gives me a suspicious once over. “Fine. But I still need to examine you first.”

“Okay. I’ll wait.”

I lie perfectly still as he taps his wand against his palm, causing the tip to pierce the darkness with a pale orb of light. Then he gradually spotlights the light across my face, down my neck, my chest, my abdomen, and my legs with his head slanted to the side.

Despite how much I want to despise him at the moment, my body reacts to his attention. My skin erupts with blistering heat and restlessness stirs inside me, begging me to move.

Finally, I can’t take it anymore.

“I think that’s enough.” I nudge the wand away from me. “I’m sure I’m fine.”

He studies me momentarily before reluctantly nodding. “Yeah, I think you’re good?—”

Without waiting for him to finish, I push him back, roll onto my stomach, and spring to my feet. Then I take off in a mad sprint.

“Eva, don’t!” Hunter shouts, chasing after me.

Quickening my pace, I barrel down the desolate driveway and toward the street. While it’s not that late, not a single vehicle is around, which is typical for this area, since nocturnal creatures mostly populate this side of town.

“Goddammit! Stop running!” Hunter yells over the sound of his hammering footsteps. “It’s too dangerous for you to be running off on your own, especially around here.”

“How do you know it’s dangerous?” I throw over my shoulder. “Is that part of another one of the lies you’ve been keeping from me?”

When he doesn’t reply, tears sting my eyes. Was anything real? Was everything a lie?

“If you’ll stop, I’ll try to explain what I can,” Hunter pleads as he races after me.

Conflicted over what to do, I continue to run toward the end of the driveway. Once I reach the edge of the road, I veer right. My legs ache as I move swiftly down the side of the street, heading toward where the fields shift into boarded up warehouses and older, rundown homes.

As I near the first building, I wonder if maybe I should’ve ran the other way. Sure, that way leads out of Mystic Willow Bay, but this side of town is so sketchy.

What makes the situation worse is that not a damn creature seems to be around. Yet, as I dash past grimy windows and closed doors, the feeling of being watched overcomes me.

“Eva!” Hunter sounds much nearer.

I try to quicken my pace, but I’ve never been much of a runner, and I’m running out of breath. Plus, my shins and lungs are killing me.

God, I really need to start working out more.

A hand lands on my shoulder as I approach the curb. I wrench forward in an attempt to escape, but all the running has weakened me, and I end up tripping over my own feet.

Fortunately, Hunter catches me before I faceplant onto the concrete.

For a snap of an instant, gratitude washes over me. Then he reels me around and backs me up against the warehouse behind us, and just like that, my gratitude flies away on a broom, which yes, we actually do use sometimes.

I sidestep to the right to get away from him, but he shoots his hands out and barricades me between his arms.

Warning alarms fire off inside my brain as he inches closer to me until I barely have any room left to breathe.

“Will you please calm down for two seconds and listen to me?” His low, cold tone sends a shiver creeping up my back.

I seal my lips together and stare him down, refusing to answer.

He arches a brow. “I need you to promise to hear me out all the way through. If you don’t, this is going to look worse than it is.”

I laugh hollowly, my heart splintering apart. “Look worse than it is? Which means what? That it’s bad, yet not as bad as I think?”

He searches my eyes, and then sighs. “Honestly, that’s probably how you’re going to look at it, regardless.”

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