Page 134 of House of Lilith

Ricky, I think as I keep brushing the grass with my fingers. Ricky could give me all the answers, right?

No, I warn myself. Won’t be thinking about it. I pull another blade of grass from the ground and I lift it up to my legs.

I stroke the skin with its tip, imagining actually putting my legs on his shoulders. And it makes a pang of desire shoot through me, making me bite my lip.

I take my phone off the ground, I sit up and I type, “F12 at midnight.”

I exhale, put the phone down and fix my eyes on my brother and Ricky still taking turns on the crossbow. Nikolay shoots and hits the bull’s eye.

Ricky comes to take the weapon and claps him on the back. “If you wanted to,” he asks as he turns to him, “could you use Mind Magic to make someone take a shot that’s just as precise as that?”

“Yeah,” my brother starts, beaming, “once I’m inside someone’s head.”

Then he turns serious, running his hand through his hair as Ricky waits for an answer. “It’s just…”

Letting out a nervous laugh, he hesitates for a second. Ricky nudges him to go on.

“I can’t always do it, you know. It takes a certain mindset, worming your way into someone else’s consciousness. Sometimes, I can’t just snap my fingers and get there.”

Wow, he’s not just bragging. He’s telling his new friend the truth as well. Must be a budding love, I think to myself with a smile.

“Well,” Ricky says as he adjusts the crossbow for shooting, “I actually think I could help you with that. I know I’m a shifter, but I’m interested in all Magic and I know quite a bit about the kind of problems you’re experiencing.”

And he takes his shot, the arrow landing far from the target.

“Really?” my brother beams at him.

Until his phone starts ringing and he rummages through his pocket, saying, “Sorry, Ricky, my man, gotta take this.”

“Sure,” Ricky says, lays the crossbow on the ground and walks up to the two of us. “Why don’t we go have lunch?”

“I’m ravenous,” I hear Hilde say as she starts getting up.

Ricky turns to me, wiggling his eyebrows.

“I think I’ll stay here for a bit longer,” I say with a smile.

“Suit yourself,” he hums and the two of them wave and start making their way back to the castle.

It’s almost at the very same moment that I hear Nikolay finish his conversation and see him rush over to me.

*

He’s throwing me such a wide grin, it makesmesmile as well. I look up at him, raising my hand to shield my eyes from the sun, actually feeling a little thrill as I ask, “What is it?”

He comes into a crouch next to me. “Remember that idea you gave me, sis,” he asks in a low, excited voice, “about becoming an investor?”

That makes me let out a little laugh. “Wasn’t mine, but sure.”

“Well,” he drawls teasingly, “turns out it was a really stupid suggestion.” I roll my eyes at him. “Do you know how incredibly boring that work is? And it goes on and on and on.”

“Okay, Nikolay,” I snap at him a little, but there’s still a smile on my face. “Will you just spit it out, please.”

He pauses for a second, looking deeper into my eyes as he wiggles his eyebrows at me. “The land sale. I’ve managed to save it, sis.”

For a second, I just look at him. “What?” I ask as I sit up straight.

“Yeah,” he continues with a smile, oblivious to the sobering tone of my voice. “So there you have it. I’ll be fixing things for the family after all.”

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