Page 111 of Blue Moon Mistress

I slip into the hall bathroom and dig out my tooth brush. They could use a good scrub after all that soy sauce, anyway.

I leave my bag in the hallway. I won’t need it in the kitchen.

But on my way back, a chill brushes over my skin, and I stop in the foyer, trying to locate the source.

It’s not a draft.

Aside from the fact I highly doubt Joshua would allow that in their home, this feeling was like seaweed slicking over my skin.

Not evil in and of itself, but vaguely malicious, perhaps only in the recesses of my imagination. Its existence is not a figment.

I feel it tugging at me, a tiny coil pulling me closer…

If I hadn’t been looking for it, I would never have seen it.

A flat, carved piece of wood, half buried in the potted plant nestled against the window.

I yank it from the soil and my fingertips tingle with the magic spelled into it.

It’s a token.

And it has very clearly been placed here where it will stay out of sight. But it hasn’t gone unnoticed.

The phases of the moon are carved into the surface, an enchantment making the pale wood shimmer when turned at just the right angle.

I snap it in half and a cold slither finds its way down my spine.

Someone is keeping tabs on my wolves… and I’m not about to leave them unprotected.

Sixteen

The second footballgame I attended was much less eventful than the first—always a blessing. And this time, we waited for Thomas to leave the field before we piled into Johnny’s truck (the only vehicle of our five that fit us all comfortably) and went back to their place. It was strange how… whole the group felt.

Like something wasn’t right when I was with only three of them…

One at a time wasn’t strange, but two or three… I didn’t like it.

“What,” Joshua asks as he helps me out of my coat. “Are you frowning about? That expression should be outlawed in this house.”

“Nothing important.”

Thomas already has his coat off and has dropped to the floor and is unlacing my boots. “It’s movie time.”

“Is it?”

He nods and it’s Chase who steps in to steady me as I lift one foot and then the other, and Thomas sets my shoes in among theirs.

But when they lead me to the livingroom and we pile onto the couch, he puts on an old sci-fi flick from the early eighties that I’d bet we’ve all seen at least twice.

Joshua’s the one who pulls me onto his lap, but Thomas lifts my feet into his.

Thumb digging into my sole, Thomas’ eyes are on the screen, but I imagine he’s paying as much attention to the surface of mars as I am.

Joshua’s lips on my neck are a little too distracting

But when I turn to try to take those lips, Joshua shakes his head and with a single finger turns my face away.

“We need some head space if we’re going to get anywhere but the bedroom, little witch.”

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