I grab the herbs in each hand and hold them up, chanting while summoning the fire to ignite from my fingers. Smoke wafts up from each hand, and I let out a sigh of relief. I take the bowl of herbs to the living room and do the spell again.
Hasan comes back in after that and says he didn’t see anything outside, which is what I expected. I take the sage stick I had stashed in my purse and light it on fire, gently blowing the flames to get it smoldering. I walk through the house, carefully wafting the smoke around.
The sage stick is almost burned away by the time I get back to the living room, and this still doesn’t feel like enough. Jac still looks spooked, and a weird feeling hangs in the house.
“Want to watch a movie?” I suggest, setting what remains of the sage stick in a ceramic bowl and placing it on the coffee table in the living room. “Something funny?”
“Yes,” Gil says, knowing I need the distraction. I’m tired but way too freaked out to fall back asleep. And now that things have settled, the danger has faded…just a bit. The five of us move into the living room. I sit on the couch with Gil’s arms tight around me, and after a minute of trying to get comfortable, he gets up and leaves the room, returning with a concealment charm. Flashing me a grin, he slips it on over his head and watches his wings disappear.
“What are you doing?” his brother asks.
“Making it easy to sit on the couch with Ace.” Gil slides in next to me, bringing me to his chest and lying down, which isn’t something we can easily do on the couch with his wings. “This is better, isn’t it?”
“I wouldn’t say better,” I start. “More comfortable maybe, but not necessarily better.”
“You can admit it.”
“Admit what?”
Gil chuckles. “The wings get in the way. I miss feeling human.” His voice drops off at the end and he shakes his head. “So enjoy my body while you can.”
Being pressed up against him is comforting. We fit well together, and not just physically. He gets my weird sense of humor even with the thousand-year age gap between us.
I lace my fingers through his and close my eyes, a little surprised at how relaxed I am given what just happened. Though if anyone were to make me feel safe, it’s my guys.
* * *
I wakeup around seven a.m., alone of course. I’m still on the couch and am covered with a blanket. I sit up fast, heart already racing, and look around the house. Bright sunlight pours through the wall of windows, and the house has a better feel to it. Leave it to me tomakethis place haunted.
Stretching my arms out in front of me, I swing my legs over the side of the couch and notice the end table has been moved and a circle of salt has been drawn around the couch. I smile, silently thanking the guys for doing everything they can to keep me safe.
Getting up, I go and check on the runes before I do anything else. They’re mostly hidden under the guys, but I still worry about someone taking them and gaining control over where the guys are compelled to go every morning once the sun comes up.
I pull the string for the basement light and go down the stairs, wrinkling my nose at the musty smell. It’s gotten stronger since the last time I was down here, and I hope that doesn’t mean there’s a water leak somewhere. I walk past the guys in their stone form, putting my hand on each of their faces, and look around the basement. I don’t really know what I’m looking for, and when I don’t find any puddles of water, I go back upstairs to make some coffee.
Jac’s words come back to me and I know I should try to get more sleep so I can be rested up for whatever comes our way, but I can’t go back to sleep right now. I’m not freaked out with all the sunlight coming through the window, but as soon as I lie down, I will be. I don’t want to feel afraid. Not in my own house.
I get as far as turning on my coffee pot when someone knocks on the door. Shit. I forgot that guy was coming over this morning to measure the window. It’s too fucking early for this. Running my hands through my messy hair, I look down at myself and grimace. I’m not wearing a bra and it’s painfully obvious.
Pulling my hair over my shoulders to try and cover my nipples, I look out the window, making sure this guy is who I’m expecting. His van is marked with his company logo, and I open the door.
“Hi,” I say. “Roy, right?”
“Yes,” he answers, and holds out his hand to shake. “Beautiful home. Robert told me this place was a beauty, but seeing it in person…it’s breathtaking.”
“Thanks.” I step aside and show him into the front sitting room. He makes small talk while he measures the window. I offer him coffee to be polite and he accepts. Cursing myself for having manners, I go into the kitchen and put on a pot. While it’s brewing, I hurry into the laundry room and sort through the basket of dirty clothes I’ve been meaning to wash and pull out a sports bra. Quickly, I slip it on and go back into the kitchen, pouring two cups of coffee as soon as I can.
I give one to Roy and take a sip from my own mug. “Do you think you have anything that’ll fit?”
“Oh, I’m sure I do. The question is if I have the right type of glass. You see, glass from this time period wasn’t made like glass today.” His eyes dart past me to the dining room. “May I?”
“Sure.”
With excitement, he goes into the room and gently taps the glass on one of the windows. “This is original to the house and has a ripply effect to it. It’s beautiful.”
“Yeah. It is. I didn’t think I’d grow so attached to this place, given its endless fixer-upper to-do list, but it has its charm.”
“It certainly does.” He takes another drink of coffee and sets the mug down on the dining room table. “I’ll take a look in my storage barn and see if I have anything that’ll work for the house.”
