Page 32 of Bite of Passage
“Bad decision on my part.I said I was sorry.How was I to know vampires can’t do concentrated fruit?”He compressed his lips.
“Do I look like a fucking fruit bat?”
They both burst out laughing.
“I don’t know anything about the ring.What did she say about it?”Serish’s entire demeanor transformed.Moments of lucid gravity were rare with him.“I’m on your side, Skarde.Always will be.I’m excited to finally have this prophecy business at hand so we can get through it and figure it out.”
“She said the ring belonged to her parents.They died when she was young.She doesn’t remember them.”
“Maybe she wasn’t born on the other side of the glass.”Serish wiggled his fingers and then interlaced them.He glanced up from scrutiny on his fingers.“Maybe our world is pulling her back.”
“Why is she over there if she was born here?”
“Thatis a question whose answer may be important.It’s one you better figure it out.”
ChapterFourteen
“It barely looks like you.”Val pointed to the image of Gemma’s back on the laptop monitor.Val kept few electronics in her place.This computer was the one she used at the shop.“This is so weird, if that is you falling into the show.”
“That’s me.I swear.Just wait.”The wizard went down.Skarde laughed at her use of profanity.
“Sounds like you.”Val pointed at the screen when she stripped her pants and her jaw dropped.There it was on screen.The tattooed triquetra knot on her lower back, inked by Val’s tattoo artist friend while Val held her hand.Eyes wide, Val met her gaze.“Holy mother.Thatisyou.”She pointed at the screen.In an incredulous, hushed tone she asked, “How did you get inside the show?That’s impossible.”
Gemma released a shaky laugh as the tension she’d been holding inside released.Thank God, Val didn’t seem to think she was crazy.“You didn’t do it on purpose?”
“How could I do that?That’s some top-level magic way beyond my little spells.”
“If you didn’t, then who could do that to me?”
Val held up her hand to command silence as she watched the rest of the episode.“Skarde Blackmann is fully into you.In the episodes I watched he never looked at anyone like that.”
“You haven’t even seen the next episode,” Gemma muttered.
“A ticket into his world is way beyond anything I ever thought possible.”Val did a mind-blown sign by her temple.“Being able to cross means that show isn’t a TV show.It’s a view into another realm.Going between this world and another is called realm walking.That’s powerful magic.Let me watch the next episode.”Moments later, Val cursed.“Is that the dickhead, Dylan?”
“He planned to kill me in my apartment.If Skarde hadn’t jumped across to my apartment I’d be dead.”
“Did Skarde kill him?”Val didn’t glance away from the screen as Skarde dragged her into his bedroom and slammed the door, which ended the scene.Thank God.
“Yes.”
“The way he won’t let go of you is so romantic.So unlike him.”
“He can be a little dangerous and scary when he loses it, but I think he’s a good guy at heart.”
“No vampire is agood guy.” The witch’s tone sounded ominous.
The scene changed to the one with Cade, but Val pushed pause at the start where Cade had his back to Skarde in front of the fireplace.She slowly glanced up.“What happened behind the door with you and him?”
She nibbled on her lip.“In his bedroom?”
“Did you sleep with a vampire?”Val’s eyebrows rose as her gaze dipped to Gemma’s neck.
She shook her head.“He has this no-sex-with-humans rule.”
Val leveled her with a disbelieving look.“Come on,somethinghappened.”
“I might’ve fallen asleep and woken up with him next to me.There might’ve been some hot almost-moments.The guy is huge.Like, everywhere.”
