Page 75 of Elora and the Crow

“I can help, and I know Maisie and Kinsley will help when they return,” Elora said. “You’re not alone in this, honey, okay?”

“Thank you, Elora.” Cece sipped at her tea. “So, Jonah hasn’t heard a word from his brother?”

“Nothing,” Elora said. “Jonah texted him a couple of times, but Caleb hasn’t responded.”

She sipped at her coffee before saying, “I’m basically living with Jonah.”

Cece paused with her mug held in the air. “What?”

“I haven’t slept at my apartment once since we rescued Jonah that night.”

Cece gave her a careful look. “That was nearly two weeks ago, and you told me it was just a friends with benefits thing.”

“It is,” Elora said. “And there have been a lot of… benefits.”

Cece laughed. “Good for you, honey.”

“A lot,” Elora said. “Jonah has a huge sex drive to go along with his huge dick.”

Cece’s cheeks went pink as she glanced around the coffee shop. “Inside voice, Elora. Inside voice.”

Elora grinned. “Sorry. Anyway, I’ve tried a few times to pack up my stuff and go, but Jonah always has a reason why I shouldn’t. He even made a client come by his house yesterday so I could do a spell for them there rather than at the apartment.”

She dipped her spoon into her coffee and stirred it idly. “He says he likes having my stuff there. He says it makes it feel like a home.”

Cece leaned forward. “Elora, are you and Jonah falling in love?”

Elora shook her head. “No, of course not. You know people like him don’t do love, and I…”

“You what?”

“I can’t be in love with someone who kills people for a living,” Elora said. “And I know I’m being a hypocrite because of my sister, but with Sarina, it’s…”

“Different,” Cece said.

“Yeah,” Elora said. “Like, I know what she does for a living, and it upsets me, and I hate it, but as much as I know Sarina loves me, she also keeps a distance between us. She always has, and that distance makes it a little easier to pretend she isn’t a killer for hire, you know?”

“I get it,” Cece said.

“But with Jonah… I can’t stick my head in the sand and pretend what he does for a living doesn’t bother me. Not when I’m spending every day with him and in his bed every night. No matter how much I wish I could.”

“I’m sorry, Elora,” Cece said.

“Me too, because the hell of it is, Jonah is a fantastic guy with a golden retriever boyfriend energy that is not at all what one would expect from a guy who could kill a person with a rubber band and a push pin.”

Cece smiled faintly. “A rubber band and a push pin?”

“Probably. Although, he wouldn’t need to. He has weapons stashed all over the house.”

“Seriously?” Cece asked.

“Yes. In the front room alone, he has two guns and about seven knives stashed on the bookshelf and under the couch.”

“Holy shit,” Cece said.

“You have no idea how disconcerting it is to reach into a drawer for a spatula and bring out a switchblade.”

“I can’t even imagine,” Cece said before giving her a thoughtful look. “But maybe he would stop killing people and do something else for a living for you.”

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