Page 100 of Blood that Burns
She yawns, and I know that I’m going to have to force her to sleep.
“Come here,” I say, positioning her back against my chest. “We need sleep.”
She nods, and I’m shocked she doesn’t fight me. We sit in silence as I think about this change between us and how it’ll impact her safety. There’s no going back. I told her we weren’t running, and I meant it, but damn if my concern for her hasn’t grown tenfold in a matter of minutes.
What were Reese’s motives?
“Why are we thinking of her right now?” I ask, placing a kiss on the back of her head.
She huffs. “Because she seemed so nice. She seemed like she was truly trying to help. And all of you trust Addy. How could she be so wrong? And Katina.” Her voice pitches.
“Calm down. Your heart is racing so fast. I can hear it thumping against your chest. That can’t be good.”
She ignores me, pushing forward with her concerns.
“If she had something to do with Marina dying and Julian turning her into whatever she is, I will find a way to kill her. I don’t care if she’s a powerful witch.”
“Simmer down, sunshine. We don’t know her motives. We don’t know why things happened the way they did.”
She remains quiet, but I know what she’s thinking. She’s questioning why I’m giving Reese the benefit of the doubt.
“I am concerned about her binding Marcellus, but you’ve been trying to convince me that his motives are pure, so until we are able to figure this out, we need to assume that Reese isn’t our enemy. No killing.” I smirk into the back of her head.
She grumbles under her breath. “You and I both know I couldn’t take on Reese.”
“I do,” I quip, earning a half-hearted elbow to the ribs.
I pull her in as tight as possible and kiss her head once more. “I’m going to reach out to Shante. She may not be willing to talk to us after what happened at the auction, but I’m hoping that between the news of the angels, rumors of a demon, and talk of dark witches, it’ll be enough to convince her to come, regardless of what her coven wants.”
Another loud yawn rushes past her lips.
“You’re tired and so am I. We need to get some rest.”
“I know,” she grouses. “But we just got together, and I—”
“Want to be salacious?” I jest.
She turns around to face me, pulling me to her lips, eager to show me just how salacious she can be.
“Lawrence,” Shante croons, as I walk into the library, where she’s set up for her readings. “I see you’ve brought your broody attitude to the table.” She leans forward, elbows on the table, her chin lying against her steepled fingers. “Care to tell me what has you tied up in knots?”
I huff. “I thought that’s why I came to see you.”
She grins and I return the expression.
“Thank you for coming,” I say, and she bows her head slightly. “I hear you’ve spoken to Julian. I’m glad you’re not holding a grudge.”
She shrugs. “I may not be, but my coven isn’t happy with his decision.”
I grunt. “That was obvious.”
“You and I both know they aren’t subtle.” She smirks. “Perhaps the reason you brought me here will provide them a reason to forget their issues with Julian’s decision?” I nod. “Tell me about my niece and how she plays into all of this.”
I run through everything Marcellus told us and Reese’s involvement. When I’m done, Shante’s dark eyebrow is lifted into her hairline and her hands are folded on the table she’s currently leaning over.
“Binding and cloaking spells? Reese has been busy.” She clucks her tongue. “Reese has never been drawn to the dark arts. It’s not the magic she wields. With the exception of that one time.”
Shante’s words stop my oxygen flow.