“After the zapping of our bodies?” I curved an eyebrow. “We might as well start picking out our kids’ names.”
The look on her face was totally worth it. “You’re…you’re…I’m speechless!”
I winked. “I can make you scream my name too.” Hell, I was even getting on my own nerves. I swallowed down the shame and said. “I’m sorry, that was a sleazy thing to say. I honest to God can’t help myself sometimes.”
Her face flushed red. “Are you always like this?”
I scratched my forehead. “All right, Izzie, no flirting with me. It’s time to get serious.” And there I went right back to being annoying.
“Just stop.” She palmed her forehead. “Does your mouth actually get you anywhere with the ladies?”
“We have a murderer on the loose and you want to ask about the ladies from my past?” I shook my head and turned away. “You coming with me, witch?”
“Do I have to? Can I just stay here?” She groaned like a child. She was short and reminded me of one of those dwarf hamsters that were as cute as a button until you tried to touch it, unleashing the gates of hell on your ass.
I shrugged. “You’re safest with me, but here is good too.”
“Sebastian.”
Her meek voice made me tilt my head back to look at her. She let her gaze slide over me with uncertainty.
“I can trust you, right? I’ve not run this long to fall into another web. I won’t hesitate to kill you or anyone that tries to use me.”
Use?I’d have to ask her about that later. Right now I didn’t have the time. And she said kill like she had forgotten I was an entity.
“You have the portal chip. You can leave,” I said even though I hated the idea of her actually doing it. I could help her with whatever this was with Harvest she was running from, but at the same time, I had to show her she could trust me. “Or stay and let me help you.”
“Why?” She frowned. “Why do you want to help me?”
“You aren’t curious about our touch?” She bit her lip, and I added, “I’m more than curious and since I’m on the subject, I really, really fucking want to touch you again.” I turned my head away. “And saving people, human or otherwise, is one part of my job.”
I turned back and winked, then left my witch to decide for herself. I hoped she’d decide to stay, but it wasn’t like I couldn’t watch out for her wherever she went. I just didn’t like the idea of not getting to her in time.
???
I re-faded into my parents’ ballroom, then slipped into the family room where we all gathered when we were all called here at once. I was the last to arrive which was unusual since it was normally August or Prudence.
“Sleeping beauty arrives,” August said as I stepped into the room.
“You actually let August beat you here,” Prudence said nonchalantly as she stared at her black nails. With her blue eyes, dark hair, and pale skin, Prudence could pass for Dracula’s wife since she was always wearing dark makeup and nail polish. I told her that once. She killed me. Literally.
“I’m hoping this is news about the whereabouts of our heart eater?” I sighed and dropped down on the sofa between Joy and Prudence. Joy was the mild-mannered one of my siblings. No matter how much Maureen chastised her kindness, Joy smiled and shrugged it off.
Everyone was here except Kitty. Maureen and Barron sat across from me on a large sectional. August stood alone, peering out at the window.
“Where’s Payne?” Joy asked in the same hopeful voice she had ever since she was a kid when mentioning Payne. I hated how desperate she was when it came to him. Over a hundred years later and she still crushed on a guy that completely ignored her. None of us even knew where Payne lived, and I had my suspicions that Joy was the reason.
All four of my sisters favored our mother for the most part. Same round eyes and small pointy noses. It was Prudence and Maureen that favored the Grim Reaper the most with their dark hair while like me, Joy and Kitty’s hair took the lighter side from Mom. Prudence was the quiet one. Sometimes I wondered if any of us really knew her.
“Probably paying for sex,” August joked from his spot by the window.
At August’s words, green bloomed on Joy’s arms. She pulled down her sleeves trying to hide it from us. “Probably not,” Prudence murmured, and I smiled. Prudence kept herself guarded around us, but she knew when to voice her opinion, especially if it might make one of us feel better.
“Yeah, that guy’s all work and no play.” Maureen snorted, casting a quick glance at Joy as she did it.
“Boring ass.” I had a creeping suspicion that August was smirking out the window while he said it.
“What the hell are we even doing here?” Barron growled. “Where are they?”
