Total pages in book: 38
Estimated words: 34989 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 175(@200wpm)___ 140(@250wpm)___ 117(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34989 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 175(@200wpm)___ 140(@250wpm)___ 117(@300wpm)
But he wouldn’t…right?
Nolan had to know Sky had plenty of tricks to protect himself from vampires. He’d seen him face off against vampires twice now. He had Kevin and Bob, for Chrissakes! That crazy, self-sacrificing neighbor with the big squishy heart wouldn’t stupidly sacrifice himself and push Sky away in the name of protecting him. Would he?
Fuck, he would.
Nolan totally would.
Sky jumped to his feet and snatched up his phone as he strode over to the window. The strange car was gone, and there was no one outside on the street between their houses. Nolan’s house was dark, but he thought he could see a sliver of light as if a lamp were on in one room at the rear of the house. As he stared across the street, he dialed Nolan’s number and let it ring until the voice mail picked up. There was no point in leaving a message. Nolan wasn’t calling him back.
Instead, he texted.
I’m coming over there. If a vampire has killed you, I’m going to be pissed.
He shoved his phone into his pocket and grabbed his keys and jacket. This was what he should have done two days ago. He was marching over there and getting to the bottom of this mess. If he was wrong about vampires and danger, well, he was going to apologize and eat a little humble pie. This was a good chance for Nolan to learn that he was a touchy-feely, overprotective lunatic. If Nolan couldn’t handle that, maybe they didn’t have a shot.
Gripping the doorknob, Sky paused and forced himself to take a deep, calming breath. He hoped that wasn’t the case.
“Wait! Wait, Sky!” Grammy called out as he opened the door. He looked over his shoulder to see her frantically pointing toward the kitchen. “Don’t you want to take some bread with you?”
Chapter 3
Nolan Banks
The ring of the doorbell, followed by a brisk knocking on his door, jolted Nolan awake. He didn’t even remember drifting off to sleep. It must have happened the moment Christoph stepped outside.
With a grunt, Nolan shoved upright and stumbled over to the door, his brain still too sleep-fogged and sluggish to wonder who was on his porch. At least he knew it wasn’t the damn vampire. Christoph would have simply walked inside.
He jerked the door open and stood there blinking at Sky in confusion as his brain struggled to catch up with the gut feeling of panic and fear swamping him. A voice in the back of his mind was screaming that Sky wasn’t supposed to be there, that it wasn’t safe for him, but there was another feeling rising from deep within his chest that was just so happy to see the witch.
And why wouldn’t he be happy to see Sky? It had been days since he’d last set eyes on him. That was probably why he looked so pissed.
“Who’s that guy?” Sky demanded, his words coming out sharp and tight.
“What guy?” Nolan replied. He gazed past Sky toward the empty street, half expecting to see the man Sky was referring to.
“You know! The guy who left here two minutes ago. Tall, rich, and handsome. That’s the second time I’ve seen him over here. Who is he? Why is he allowed to see you, but I can’t?” That question ended in a sharp gasp and Nolan jerked his eyes to Sky in time to see him slap both his hands over his mouth, as if he wasn’t supposed to say that out loud.
“That guy…” Nolan repeated, and an image suddenly slammed into Nolan’s tired brain.
Christoph.
Sky had seen Christoph leaving Nolan’s place.
Christoph, the vampire who said that he’d kill Sky if Nolan dared to talk to him. Christoph, who had no problems getting through Sky’s wards. Christoph, who was terrifyingly powerful.
“No! You can’t be here!” Nolan stumbled back and grabbed the door with both hands. “You have to go home. Don’t come over here ever again!” Nolan tried to slam the door shut in Sky’s face, but the witch was both stronger and faster than he’d expected. Sky pushed, holding it open long enough to sneak in through a narrow crack.
The door slammed shut, but Sky was on the inside, seeming a mix of angry and triumphant. Part of Nolan wanted to pull Sky into his arms and hug him so fucking tight. The other part wanted to seize his arm and shove him outside.
“You can’t be here. You need to leave now,” Nolan barked. His hand kept wanting to sneak up to his neck and cover the fresh bite mark, but he couldn’t risk bringing attention to it. His hoodie and messy hair would be enough to hide it as long as he got Sky out of there quickly.
“I’m not going anywhere until I know what the hell is going on.” Sky didn’t wait for Nolan to answer. He continued through the house, peeking into each of the rooms as if searching for whatever or whoever he thought Nolan was hiding.