Page 86 of The Secret Life of a Witch

She rolls her eyes. “Sure, you don’t.”

He sighs exasperatedly. “Whatever. Your opinion doesn’t even matter. No matter what anyone says, I’m still not letting Eva leave this house. It’s too dangerous.”

She lets her head bobble back as she groans. “For the love of all vampires, does everything with you wizards have to be life or death?” She raises her head. “So what if Eva’s some hybrid that demons want to feast on? Who cares? You can’t just lock her away forever.”

Wait. What the shit?

“You know about that?” Hunter and I ask simultaneously. Well, I ask. Hunter kind of shouts it.

“Of course I know.” She stares at us like we’re idiots. “I have vampire hearing, and you guys are anything but discreet.”

My lips form anO. “So … you know what I am?”

“Yeah, but I still don’t get what the big deal is.” She opens up the middle drawer where I keep my pants. “So, you’re a freak of nature. Aren’t we all? Well, except for pretty boy right there. He’s about as ordinary as they come.” She pulls a disgusted face as she picks up a pair of pink jeans. “Ew, since when do you wear pink pants?”

Hunter’s lips part to say witches knows what—I’m sure something snippy that will only add more fuel to their continuous fighting—so I talk over him.

“Those aren’t mine. They’re Ryleigh’s.” I snatch the pink pants from her, toss them onto the bed, and massage my temples with my fingertips. “Peyton, while I appreciate the offer to go to the freak show, I don’t think I can go anywhere right now. Not until I find zombie Ryl …” I bite down on my tongue.

“You mean, until you find Ryleigh the zombie?” she finishes for me. “Because, if that’s the case, I saw her head out the front door right before I came up here.”

“Youwhat?”

Wait. Back up.

“Why don’t you sound more alarmed about seeing a Ryleigh zombie walk out of our house?”

She shrugs. “I just figured she needed some fresh air. Or maybe some brains … I’m not really sure if you’re allowing her to do that or not.”

I blink stupidly at her while Hunter shakes his head.

“So, let me get this straight.” He steps toward Peyton. “You see Ryleigh leaving the house, knowing she’s a zombie, and you’ve known she’s been dead for a while, and not once do you think,I wonder why Ryleigh’s a zombie and walking out the front door.”

She gives a nonchalant shrug. “I just figured the reason Eva’s been keeping Ryleigh’s body in the basement was so she could find a way to bring her back to life. And a zombie’s sort of that, so …” She shrugs again. “I figured she accomplished her mission.”

“How did you know her body was …?” I mentally smack myself. “You heard us talking about it, didn’t you?”

“A couple of times,” she admits. “And I smelled her.”

“Oh.” Well, damn, this entire time I thought I was being a sneaky, little, tiptoeing witch, when it turns out, I suck atsneakiness, too. “You don’t think I’m a weirdo for trying to bring her back?”

She gives me areallylook. “Eva, I sleep upside down in the attic, have a bat for a pet, and sometimes drink blood from my own arm. I’m a walking freak show.” Her eyes light up. “Which is why I need to get my ass to the freak show where I can have one night of fun without worrying about ordinary people judging me.” Her gaze strays to Hunter.

I sigh exhaustedly, tired of the two of them fighting. “You should go, then. I wouldn’t want to ruin your freaky, fun-filled night.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to go?” she double-checks. “We could dress you up so nothing, not even a freaky demon, would be able to recognize you.”

“I wish I could.” Which is the truth. I rarely get invited to parties, and almost all of my invites are as a plus one for Hunter or Opal. “But I need to find my sister before she does something she’ll regret. Or, well, the living version of her would’ve regretted … I’m not sure zombies really care if they kill.”

“Well, if you change your mind, give me a shout, and I’ll meet you at the front gates with the extra ticket.” She waves at me as she heads out the door. “Good luck finding your zombie.”

“Thanks,” I mumble through a sigh. After she leaves, I sink down onto the bed. “If I were a zombie witch, where would I go?”

Hunter scoops up his wand from off the floor. “Maybe to create other zombie witches.”

“You think she can do that?” I ask, fully aware that neither of us has mentioned anything about my trickery seductive skills I’ve been using on him. Unknowingly, of course, but still …

“I’m not sure.” He examines his wand then pulls a face as he plucks off a bit of flesh off the tip. “Since zombies can create other zombies, I’m guessing she can.”

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