Page 79 of Ghostly Touches

Theo’s brows come together as he thinks over what I’ve said. Kwil grabs the bag and carries it past us to the bathroom. He opens the door and tosses it in for Viktor. Beside me, Jonah sits up with a large stretch before he flings an arm around my shoulders. When I glance over, he shakes his head subtly.

Rather than answer Theo’s question, I focus on the man beside me.

“Jonah, did the others tell you where we’re going?”

When I tell him, Jonah’s wide grin is full of excitement.

“A trip to your parents’ house, huh?” His tail whips around in excitement behind him. “Is this so I have a chance to ask for your hand in marriage? If so, we gotta stop at the jewelers so I can get you a proper ring, or your parents will never approve.”

Jonah’s comment throws me for a loop. My laughter shakes the both of us.

“I think the lack of a ring may be the least of my concerns when it comes to their approval.” I give a pointed look at his horns.

“Whatarethey going to think when we get there?” he asks me.

I grimace.

“Well, it’ll be just my mom. I don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing that my dad won’t be there,” I hedge as Jonah takes my hand.

Probably a good thing. Though, Dad has always been able to help rein in Mom when she gets upset.

Jonah’s thumb makes circles on my wrist, and I feel the pressure between my legs. My cheeks grow warm. Blinking, I try to force away the desire building at the innocent contact.

“But she won’t judge you or even ask too many questions about you guys,” I tell Theodon over my shoulder. “She’ll just be extremely mad at me. So my biggest advice is to stay quiet and let me do all the talking.”

“Don’t worry, mothers love me,” Jonah promises, pulling my attention back to him. His tail wraps around my waist. “And when she sees how infatuated I am with her daughter, she’ll have to give us her blessing.”

Kwil makes a noise that sounds a bit like disapproval, but I can’t be certain.

“You look exhausted,” I note when Theo moves towards the bathroom. I decide to test how far this ‘team thing’ will get me. “Want to let me drive the first leg today? You three can get some rest for a bit.”

Theo pauses with his hand on the bathroom door. Without looking at me, he nods.

“You can drive for the first few hours.”

My brows shoot upwards in surprise. I didn’t see this coming. He pushes open the door and steps into the bathroom just as the water turns off. Steam slips past Theo as he shuts the door.

“Yes! I call shotgun!” Jonah jumps out of bed. “Which means I get to DJ.”

“No. You’re in the back. No one can see your horns!” Theo’s voice booms through the door.

Kwil chuckles. “Good try.”

Chapter22

VIKTOR

Itry hard to fall asleep as we head towards our destination. It should be easy. The gentle lull of highway noise and the smooth ride should instantly put me under. Especially after a night full of fighting. It has been a never-ending battle of monsters coming after us. My body aches something fierce, and my eyelids feel heavy. Yet sleep doesn’t come.

And I know why.

“Fix this,”Theo’s biting anger echoes in my head.

Staring up at the ceiling of the van, I consider what I need to do to ease the guilt weighing on me so heavily. When was the last time I apologized for anything? I can’t remember. There’s a lot that I should say though, not only to the woman next to me, but to the men who have stuck by my side through thick and thin. A day may come when I’ve missed the opportunity to express my gratitude, and I know that would feel even worse than this.

I hate this. Feeling guilty and letting it make me feel off balance… It pisses me off. I shouldn’t feel any of this. We should be in the Third Realm killing monsters. My hands go back and forth between clenched and relaxed as waves of irritation and guilt drown me until I can’t stand it.

“I need to say something.” The words slip past my clenched teeth.

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