Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 108376 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 542(@200wpm)___ 434(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108376 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 542(@200wpm)___ 434(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
Peter stepped forward, his hand outstretched. “Hello, we didn’t get a chance to meet properly yesterday. I’m Peter, Darya’s boyfriend.”
Her eyes landed on me, her expression questioning. She clearly wondered about me having a boyfriend when I also carried Vas’ demon mark. I wanted to say, Listen, it’s complicated.
“Hi. I’m Carrabelle. You can call me Carra, though.”
They shook hands before Peter went to grab the box from the side table. “Do you like donuts, Carra?” he asked and she glanced at the box.
“Um, I have no idea.”
“If you liked the pancakes, then you’ll love donuts,” I said, linking my arm through hers as I led her back into the kitchen.
We sat at the table and made short work of the donuts. As predicted, Carra was a big fan. When we finished eating she was feeling a little overstuffed so she went to the guest bedroom to lie down. As soon as Peter and I were alone he was on me again, kissing my neck, his hands and mouth everywhere. I was turned on and overwhelmed, and though I loved being intimate with him, I had so many other things on my mind that it was hard to focus on just being in the moment.
He was kissing his way across my collarbone and telling me how much he’d missed me when his phone began vibrating in his pocket. Groaning, he shifted away and pulled the phone out. He frowned at the screen. “It’s Simon. I left him in charge of Conor and Arthur but with my luck they’ll have burned the house to the ground by now.”
At twelve, Simon was the eldest of Peter’s three younger brothers. Conor was ten and Arthur seven. They weren’t quite old enough to be left alone in my opinion, not when they were all little warlocks who hadn’t yet learned how to properly harness their magic.
When Peter finished on the phone he shot me an apologetic look. “I have to get back home. Arthur’s upset because Mum won’t get out of bed for him. I need to go handle it.”
“Want me to come with you?” I offered. I didn’t want to hang around my house all day. I’d just end up torturing myself over what might be happening to Vas, wondering if he was suffering.
Peter scratched the back of his head. “Sure, yes.”
“Great, I can drive us over. Just give me a minute to grab my keys.”
Mum was standing on the stairs when I took my car keys from the side table in the hallway. Her arms were folded, her gaze sharp.
“Can I go to Peter’s? It’ll only be for a few hours.”
She blew out a breath. “Okay, but come right back. No detours.”
I nodded then went to briefly check on Carra and found her asleep in the spare bedroom. When we reached Peter’s house his brother Simon was sitting on the front stoop bouncing a basketball off the ground. He stood when he saw us emerge from the car, looking relieved that Peter was home. I realised in that moment that Peter really had been holding down the fort for them. He was the one his brothers relied on to keep everything going and that made me sad, because Peter was only twenty years old. It wasn’t fair that he’d been saddled with all this, especially when he’d only just branched out on his own and gotten an apartment.
“Where’s Arthur?” he asked and Simon nodded towards the house.
“In his room. I’ve tried everything but he won’t stop crying.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll talk to him,” Peter said.
“Actually, um, there might be something that will work,” Simon went on and Peter paused. “I don’t have her number so I couldn’t call but he’s been asking for Angela.”
Peter’s eyebrows shot up. “Angela?”
“You know he’s latched onto her ever since Dad…” Simon trailed off, his attention landing on me for the first time. “Oh, hey, Darya. I didn’t see you there. How was your trip?”
“My trip?”
“Yes, your trip to visit family,” Peter explained and I quickly got the message.
“Right, my trip. It was good but I’m glad to be home,” I answered, still a little caught up on the whole Angela thing.
“There’s no need to bother Angela. I’ll deal with Arthur,” Peter told Simon before continuing into the house. It was quiet and spotless inside. Conor sat in front of the television watching a cartoon. I’d only been there a handful of times but I’d never seen it so clean. I couldn’t tell if it was Peter’s or Angela’s doing.
“Exactly how much time has Angela been spending over here?” I whispered to Peter. He didn’t answer for a moment, dipping his head into his mother’s room, which was completely dark, the curtains pulled. He quickly closed the door then walked further down the hall to the next bedroom. Pausing outside it, he turned and finally answered my question.