Page 55 of The Secret Life of a Witch

He shakes his head with zero indecision. “Ryleigh’s death is an unsolved case. But before she died, she’d been working a few cases.” He scratches the side of his neck, fidgeting. “Including the one I’m working on with the demons. There is suspicion that her death wasn’t an accident.”

“But the police said it was.”

“The police aren’t part of the society, and therefore, don’t have access to the same info and magical technology we do.”

“Which makes them clueless?”

He nods. “More or less.”

My mouth sinks into a frown. “Kind of like me, I guess.”

He puts his other hand on my knee. “I…”

I swat both his hands away and spring to my feet. The second I stand upright, the room whirls around dizzily, the aftereffects of the sleep spell continuing to course through my bloodstream.

And just like that, it all crashes over me like a violent, powerful spell. I think about my parents, who aren’t really my parents. Ryleigh, who I thought was my sister. I’d been so upset when she died, and had been working so hard on that spell to bring her back. And while I still care for her enough that I don’t want her dead, my heart weeps over the fact that, even in her death, she never bothered to tell me the truth.

And then Hunter … My best friend Hunter … His betrayal might just hurt the most.

Hurt and anger current through my body as reality downpours over me. Slowly, I start to accept the truth. That almost everyone I’ve ever cared about has been lying to me.

That’s why I finally turn and run.

EVALEE

“Eva!” Hunter shouts, but I’m already barreling out the door and down the hallway.

All the lights are off in the house, which I find odd. Peyton is a vampire and frequently goes out at night, but Opal isn’t much of a party girl and usually chills at home during the evenings.

Could something have happened to her? Did Hunter maybe do something to her?

The last thought leaves me feeling guilty, mostly because the trust spell is telling me to turn off my stupid thoughts and quit being ridiculous.

When I hear Hunter’s footsteps sound after me, I focus back on running away from him. But by the time I reach the top of the stairway, he’s hot on my heels.

I take each step two by two, and by some divine miracle, I manage to make it to the bottom without eating shit. (I seriously have issues with stairs.)

“Please calm down,” Hunter says as he chases after me. “And please don’t step outside.”

I make a mad dash straight for the door, more for show than anything. Deep down, I don’t know what to do or where to go—who to trust.

“Why? What’re you going to do to me if I do?” I grab the doorknob, flip on the light, and glance back to look at him. “Come on; fess up and tell me how you’re going to punish me if I disobey. Because the old Hunter would’ve just come outside with me.” I allow my gaze to deliberately move up and down him. “I’m guessing this new, weird, Goth Hunter might not let me get away with so much.”

He stops at the bottom of the stairs, gripping the banister. “What does how I dress have anything to do with this?”

“Because you look different,” I state.

When he squirms, another crack ruptures across my heart.

“This is how you look when you’re not around me, isn’t it? You dressed like this tonight because you knew you were going to have to tell me the truth.”

He wets his lips with his tongue, his lips parting as he starts to speak, but I talk over him.

“Do I even know the real you?”

He gives a shaky nod. “You know me probably better than anyone …” He rubs his lips together, hesitating. “But truthfully, a lot of people don’t know the real me.”

I stare at him, wondering—and I mean,reallywondering—if I can even be in love with him. Is it even possible to love someone you don’t really know?

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