Page 24 of Kat Bethel

I recognized going through the motions.

“No,” she whispered. “Are you okay?”

Tears pricked my eyes. “No.”

His touch became more forceful, like he was trying to massage my pain away. At any point would this asshole tell me what he wanted? We both knew he could talk.

So why didn’t he?

“How about this?” She sniffled, but I could hear the goal-oriented woman who always put the next foot forward. “Finish the job and we both go home to recuperate."

The way she let home drag made it clear she didn’t mean our houses. She meant Aunt Jackie’s house. Willow’s house.

I nodded to myself. “Yeah.”

“You need anything?”

“What acts like a spirit, but isn’t one? Acts like a monster, but isn’t?”

Finally a soft amused chuckle vibrated around me. As if I’d never figure out how to kill him.

She went silent as she considered. Esme always knew. She was the fastest at identifying her opponent. “No clue. But I also recently found a blessing gone sour. Keep your mind open. Not everything is as simple as we’ve been taught.”

“A blessing? That’s a gnarly way to turn.” It didn’t sound like the makings of a monster, until I remembered most witches went insane with them. Esme included.

“Yep, and hard to kill.” I heard the ring of metal. “But not impossible.”

A creepy chuckle filled the line. A sound daring her to try. It sent a chill down my spine. The instinct of prey when a predator was near.

But all I heard was how her voice sounded almost normal as she threatened this monster. Like the Esme of before everything went to shit.

I blinked. Esme fell for the monster.

The great Rinah shame.

Not that we manufactured most of these things going bump in the night. No, that some of us fell for them. I rolled my eyes at the old judgment the elders passed.

All I cared about was that my cousin sounded like she’d make it through, instead of like she was mentally crawling over glass. She deserved anything that made her heart lighter.

It made me think of the way the shadow eyed me. The way he hovered. For a split second I let myself consider what it would be like for something so destructive and toxic to cement itself to my side.

A monster would never treat me like William did. They’d just eat me. At least I wouldn’t have to survive the fallout.

I shook that train of thought off.Don’t think like that.

The touches traveled down my arm as if he sensed where my thoughts were.

“I’ve got Willow on this, just thought you might have an idea.” I tapped on the table.

“You’re anxious.”

My fingers went limp on the table. “I got my ass handed to me last night.”

Static filled the line for a moment before I finally heard her,“Need backup? I can change course.”

I thought about the suicides plaguing the town. Especially the one from earlier. “No. It’s mostly my pride that’s wounded.”

Esme was barely holding on. She didn’t need another reason. I couldn’t lose her right now. Or the thread I was desperately holding onto would snap.