Page 70 of A Witch-ish Guide to Protectors and Pendulums

“No need.” I waved my hand in the air. The next thing I knew, we heard pans clanking in the kitchen. The three of us walked in there, already smelling the mouthwatering aroma of meatloaf.

Lily Joy walked over to the stovetop. “There are mashed potatoes.” Then she pulled open the oven door. “And there’s the meatloaf along with dinner rolls. If there is a salad in the fridge, I’m never letting you go.”

“Why not manifest the food on the table?” My mate asked.

Oh, really? I rolled my eyes. “Because I can’t keep carrying you, Baghest. Now, be a good boy and set the table.” That could’ve gone one of two ways. He could have found me cute and endearing or I’d taken my life in my hands.

Thankfully, Connor walked over to the refrigerator, yanking the door open. “Oh, Lily Joy, FYI, you’re never letting her go,” he teased. Good. I really didn’t have the energy to fight with him right now. Okay, that probably meant I shouldn’t have started anything with him then, but exhausted or not, I still had to be me and few things gave me more enjoyment than giving Connor a hard time. “Thank you, babe,” he said. “You thought of me with the salad.”

“What does he mean?” Lily Joy asked.

I wrinkled my nose at the memory. “He only eats—healthy—food when I’m not around. Can you believe he left me stranded at his apartment with only fruit and protein bars? It was torture.”

Both Connor and Lily Joy laughed. I tried to laugh, but I still felt like crap.

“No more magic today,” Connor ordered. “The food smells amazing, but you’re as pale as a ghost. You need to rest.”

Yeah, I wouldn’t openly agree with him—no sense giving the man a bigger head than he already had—but he was right. I atemy body weight in meatloaf, mashed potatoes, salad, and dinner rolls. Lily Joy whipped us up some super yummy coffee drinks, the ones that tasted like dessert. And by whipped them up, I meant the traditional way. As in, she used her hands, corporeal ingredients, and a blender.

I offered to help clean up, but she and Connor refused. “You cooked, babe,” he said as he chuckled. Oh, he thought he was so cute.

“Then I’m going to go lie down.”

No one objected. I went upstairs, changed into a T-shirt that I manifested, causing my stomach to go queasy for a moment, and then fell face-first into bed. Although it took a lot out of me at the moment, I couldn’t help but smile at how easily the manifestation came to me now. Part of me couldn’t wait to find out every one of my powers, while the other part knew that these powers showing meant I’d need to use them at some point to save us, to save everyone.

We had so much practice ahead of us if I was going to feel ready enough to take on Beetle and stand a chance of winning.

Universe, please help us.

Chapter

Eighteen

The next morning, we took things outside. The weather was gorgeous. Bright sunshine and not too hot or too cold. I took off my shoes to let my toes squish in the grass, simply because I could. Poor Connor kept checking his texts distractedly.

“Do you need to leave?” I asked, knowing that Luc—or should I sayan incredibly pissed-off Luc—was the one blowing up Connor’s phone. He’d been sort of forbidden to go on this little adventure with me. And although he wouldn’t tell me what Luc had said back at the witches’ archives, I knew it couldn’t have been pleasant.

“Fallen angels don’t have mates,” he said rather than answering my question.

“Oh-kay.” I patted his shoulder. “Good of you to inform me of that.”

“No, Simone, I mean, he’s angry with me, but my mate comes before his hissy fit.”

“Your mate shouldcomebefore everything. It’s only the nice thing to do.” I pinched his cheek teasingly, causing him to swat my hand away.

“Woman.” He sort of warned me with that one word.

“Okay, okay…” I held my hands out in front of me with my feet shoulder-width apart, ready to fake fight off an attacker with witch powers. “It’s good to know my mate won’t slink back to work with his tail between his legs,” I mumbled, laughing as he stormed at me. He’d moved away when I’d gone all fighting stance. Connor flipped me up over his shoulder as he carried me behind Lily Joy’s house and I shrieked with laughter, kicking my feet and slapping his back until he dropped me to the ground, pressed me up against the plaster siding on the cottage, and proceeded to kiss me stupid.

“What’s between my legs?” he whispered, all sultry and turning me on like no one’s business, well, until we heard Lily Joy scream. The scared kind. We took off running to get to my cousin. That was when I stopped short, briefly taken aback by the three large, dark figures charging Lily Joy.

“What are they?” I shouted at Connor.

“Demons.”

Demons? What in the ever-loving Hades? How did demons find us? We were so careful. Demons shouldnothave found us here. “Luc?” I asked.

“No. I know all Luc’s minions.” That was the last he said in human form. He stripped down faster than I’d ever seen anyone disrobe, and dropped, his gigantic death-hound form stood in his place. Eyes glowing red. Baring razor-sharp teeth as he squatted forward, ready to attack.

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