Total pages in book: 117
Estimated words: 109477 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 547(@200wpm)___ 438(@250wpm)___ 365(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109477 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 547(@200wpm)___ 438(@250wpm)___ 365(@300wpm)
“Stop getting involved in my love life,” he ground out, blocking the stairs.
“I’m not involved in your love life. I have nothing to do with your secret trysts. But maybe now you know how it feels when people won’t mind their own business, hmm? Move.” She pushed him to press the point.
He flexed to keep himself put. “You need to be reined in. I know the guy tonight dabbles in antiques sometimes, Daisy. It’s dangerous to meet him on your own. You’re only nineteen. You shouldn’t be doing stuff Zorn and Amber do. They have a lot more experience than you, and they are magical, Daisy. They are powerful. You are not. You’re in danger just living in this territory. You shouldn’t be making it worse by dealing with dangerous people.”
Her anger rose. Zorn had stepped up her training in light of the fae situation, pushing her as hard as she could take. She needed it if she planned to survive whatever that fae had in store for her. Mordecai’s worry about her had skyrocketed, though, and it had turned suffocating.
“I know what I am,” she said between her teeth. “I know what I am up against. I don’t need you mothering me. Now move!”
She fit her hands into the groove of his broad back, put all her weight behind it, and shoved.
His huge shoulders led the charge down the stairs, his legs running on air as they followed. He grabbed the banister with a “whooooa!” as he fell. His side hit the carpeted (and therefore soft) steps and bounced. His legs tried to fly over him. He tucked as much as he could. His back hit the banister as his body kept rolling, thunking and thudding down the steps.
He’d been down this road before. The best was when he was sleepy and she rigged a booby trap.
She made her way down after him, chuckling at his uncustomarily clumsy fall.
He reached the bottom and sprawled on his face. In a moment, he bounced up and spun. His fists were clenched, and the muscles on his arms popped. He stared at her angrily.
“What happened?” Lexi ran around the corner, her brows pulled together in alarm. She wore black leggings and one of Kieran’s wool sweaters that draped down her athletic frame. Her blond hair, with strategically placed lowlights, was pulled into a messy ponytail. She was planning on staying in tonight, it seemed. A gated community did wonders for privacy.
Lexi took in the scene. Alarm bled into suspicion.
“Daisy,” she said ominously, “what did you do?”
“Me?” Daisy blinked innocently. “Nothing. I’m not the one keeping secrets.”
Mordecai’s eyebrows settled low, promising vengeance. She narrowed her eyes at him, tit for tat.
“It’s nothing,” Mordecai gritted out. “I tripped. I’m fine.”
Lexi frowned at Daisy. “Don’t antagonize your brother.”
She stopped and put her hands out. “What did I do? He tripped. I saw the whole thing.”
“Is that because your foot was connecting with his ankles when it happened?”
“No.” It wasn’t a lie.
Lexi’s deadpan stare said she knew tomfoolery was afoot. She was only ten years Mordecai’s senior and probably less mature than Mordecai himself. An eighty-year-old was probably less mature than Mordecai these days.
“Are you sure you want to take the lead today?” Lexi said slowly. “I know everyone is confident, but so much can go wrong.”
A smug expression crossed Mordecai’s face. He crossed his arms over his chest in an “I told you so” way.
Daisy sighed, containing her frustration, both at the repeated questioning and doubt, and at her magic-lessness. She couldn’t blame them—she was the weak link in this family, after all. She was dead weight. They all worried about her because she didn’t fit into this world. She didn’t have all the tools to survive like they did. But hell, she’d been training her ass off for years. She had studied religiously since she’d moved into the magical zone, learning all the various types of magic, how they worked, and what their weaknesses were. She was at a disadvantage, but she wasn’t without strengths. She was far from helpless.
Still, she tempered the reaction. Lexi and Mordecai were worried. She wouldn’t shrug them off for caring about her. Lord knew not many people jumped on that train.
“We planned everything out, remember?” She reached the bottom of the stairs. “It’s a charity event with a lot of influential witnesses. Even if something goes wrong, there is security. But nothing will go wrong because I’m just making contact and talking. We’re not actually exchanging goods or money. It’s a meeting. That’s it.” She pushed past Mordecai. “Excuse me.”
He shoved her. “Not excused.”
“Mordecai, don’t push your sister,” Lexi admonished him automatically.
“No, no. By all means, Mordecai.” Daisy showed him her teeth, an aggressive thing shifters did. “Go ahead. See how that works out for you.”
“Would you guys please stop fighting?” Lexi put a hand out to stop Daisy. “I get that nothing will likely go wrong and that it is all planned out, but I don’t see why Amber can’t handle this. It’s in her wheelhouse.”