Page 31 of Cuddling Sucks in Coffins
“Last night,” Sawyer began, his features twisted with regret, “the headache and the feeling and the sound peaked very suddenly, right around the time you called for us through our bites. We were already on our way, and then...suddenly we weren’t ourselves. I remember every thought Paul spiked into my skull about you, about all the ways I could kill you with my bare hands, and...I won’t ever forget.”
I could only imagine.
“It wasn’t real.” I touched his arm as a reminder thatthiswas real, right here and now, and his strained expression softened slightly.
“Which only makes me want to beat Paul once and for all,” Jacek said, his voice a low warning.
Eddie nodded, his lips quirking into an almost smile. “Nobody touches my Sunshine.”
“I’d like to beat Paul for good, too,” I agreed. “No other slayer after me should ever have to go through this bullshit.”
“Youshouldn’t have to go through this bullshit,” Jacek said.
“It worries me that he can just do his strolling right through our front door and into our heads.” Sawyer turned to me, his brow furrowed. “Everyone’s heads, including yours.”
I sighed. “Do you think he’ll try this again? Strolling through the whole town like this?”
“It didn’t work,” Eddie said. “You’re still alive, so he’ll likely do something else.”
Sawyer frowned. “The amount of power it took for him to barge into houses and take over everyone in the city’s minds had to have run out for us to beusagain. Paul likely needs to refuel.”
“Which maybe gives me a couple days before he attacks again.” Or maybe hours. No, let’s go with weeks, or the glass-is-half-full option. Whatever time I had, I needed to use every bit of it to the fullest.
A pounding at the back of the house sounded. I jumped in my chair even though I’d been expecting it. Jacek and Eddie tensed and surged out of their chairs, but Sawyer held his arms out to stop them as he shared a look with me. His expression gave nothing away, a show of his trust in me despite the cryptic instructions I’d given him.
I nodded. Time was already being used well from the sound of it.
“Is that...hammering?” Jacek asked.
Sawyer squeezed my shoulder as he stood. “I’ll go help as much as I can.”
“Help with what?” Eddie twisted in his chair to watch Sawyer walk out, then he and Jacek both aimed their questioning gazes at me.
“You’ll understand in just a bit.” I wanted that statement to be true more than anything. While I kept my face blanked, my insides squirmed and a cold sweat tracked down my sides. I had to keep it together, now more than ever. “Jacek, do you have time to teach me some stake-throwing tonight? Without my slayer powers, I’d like to do kill shots from as far away as possible until I get them back.”
He posted his elbow on the table and winked. “Only if we can use Eddie for target practice.”
I shook my head. “Negative. An Eddie without any extra holes is my favorite kind of Eddie.”
Eddie’s lips curled.
“Aww, one little extra hole never hurt anyone, right, Eddie?” Jacek stood and started toward the living room.
Eddie rolled his eyes. “Spoken like the guy who announced to everyone at the blood bank that type AB positive was climatic.”
Jacek stopped in the doorway and turned. “That was one time, Eddie.”
“He meant climactic.” Eddie stood and straightened his white button-up shirt. “Pretty sure the climate has little to do with your preferred choice of blood.”
Jacek jerked his chin for me to follow him to the living room. “Fun side note. You are also AB positive, Slayer.”
“I better alert the Weather Channel, then.” I rose from the chair and started after him.
A full smile cupped Eddie’s kissable lips, and his shoulders shook as I passed him.
“Hardy-har-har,” Jacek said, but I could hear the grin in his voice.
Eddie followed me into the living room and then waved on his way upstairs. “I’m going to research what slayer power looks like. Golden flecks?”
