Page 24 of The Book Reader
I look over at Mekhi, who has gone ramrod still, staring out the window. “Mekhi?”
He blinks. “Er… It just got dark?” I realize he’s right and join him at the window. It’s only just past lunch time, but deep black clouds crowd the horizon.
“Is it supposed to rain?” Lucy asks, wringing her hands.
“That’s going to be one hell of a storm if it is,” Mekhi answers
I scan the street, then duck my head to the side as I notice someone trying to look in. “Shit, there’s someone out there.”
Both of them scurry to my side, watching from our vantage point as a man moves closer to the house.
“Ari?” Lucy’s voice wobbles with worry. “It’s safe, right? He can’t get in?”
“The house won’t let him enter,” I answer mechanically, not bothering to remind anyone that while Aunt May’s spell is holding right now, it hadn’t exactly stopped three daemons from getting to her.
The stranger keeps trying to push the gate, but it’s holding firm. I sigh in relief. He glances up as if sensing that we’re watching.
“Red eyes,” I gasp, my hand flying to my mouth. A grin splits his face.
“It looks as if I won’t be coming in,” he calls, his voice edged with an evil that has fear pooling in my stomach. “But never mind, Iwillbe back. Trust me.” Somehow his words echo around us.
If his eyes didn’t have a murderous glint to them, he would be beautiful. His long blonde hair is pulled up into a knot, his sharp jaw and strong build give him the air of a Viking. For just a moment, his gaze shifts to Lucy's eyes, which flash yellow for a second.
Yellow eyes? Where have I seen those before?
When he turns back to me they are red again. He licks his lips, making me shudder. “You smell so sweet, Arianna Jay. I’ll make you a deal. Bring me that book, once you find it, and I’ll let you all live.” He gives Lucy one last look, something like longing in his eyes.
Lucy looks more shocked than I feel.Something about the way he looked at her…Mekhi starts to hyperventilate, and I shake the thought free. I slump down onto the widow seat, my voice shaky. “What book?” I ask, almost to myself.
“Who the hell was that?” Lucy gasps.
“His fine, scary ass had better stay away,” Mekhi adds through his deep breathing.
The light slowly returns to the sky. I close my eyes. I wish I could rewind the clock, though that bit of magic is lost to the world. If I could, there would be so many questions I would ask. I would stop my aunt from coming home alone. I would grab Gaelan by the collar and kiss him, dream man or no. And none of this would have happened.
Chapter 11
ARIANNA
The wind cuts into my cheeks as I make my way toward the club. Lucy said I should stay at home for longer, but I’m starting to go stir-crazy. I need to get back to normal—as normal as I can, anyway.
We buried what was left of Aunt May before we came back. It turns out that my family knew a guy who dealt with the kind of situation I was in—the dusty kind. He came to the house, wrote out a report saying my aunt had fallen down the stairs, and that was it. He’d apparently also dealt with my grandfather and parents’ deaths, which I’ve come to realize were also the dusty kind.
The funeral was small and brief. No one questioned our story. I guess falling down the stairs is a more common death than I had realized.
I walk around the corner and slow to a stop. Up ahead, the evening queue is already forming outside the club.Maybe I should have stayed home. I lift my head and take in the early evening sky. It’s dark again, and I wonder if another storm is coming. I pull my coat tighter around my neck and start movingagain. As soon as Manny sees me, he breaks out into a huge smile.
He pulls me in for a hug. “I missed you, boss.”
I look up and smile at him. “It’s nice to be missed.” His cheeks turn a slight pink before he ushers a couple of daemons into the club. “How are things?”
He shrugs. “Okay. The new girl is cute, though.” He grins.
I shake my head and pat his shoulder as I walk past him. “No hitting on the staff, Manny. Kat would be pissed.” I laugh to myself. He has no idea that Kat has had the biggest crush on him since she started. Opening the door to the club, I’m hit with the smell of sweaty bodies and sex, a scent I didn’t think I missed until now. I walk over to the bar and am greeted by a grinning redhead.
“Ari, right?” She holds her hand out to me. “I’m Eden. It’s nice to meet you.” She waits for me to take her hand, her smile unfaltering. She looks strangely relieved when I do. Her enthusiasm is a little unsettling.
“It’s nice to meet you. How are you finding everything?” I step away, pulling my hand back so I can put my coat away behind the bar.
