“He’ll come around .”
“I thought he had superior healing or something. Isn’t that a shifter thing?”
“It is. But he was beaten pretty badly. Even after I heard his ribs crack he kept going. He was desperate to keep them from you.”
I didn’t want to cry. It wouldn’t help anything – or anyone – but I couldn’t stop myself. “He should’ve let them take me.”
“Oh, don’t do that.” Booker made a face. “Don’t cry. That’ll drive me crazy.”
“I’m sorry.” His words only made me sob harder. “I just ... can’t ... stop ... myself.”
“Oh, geez.” Booker looked as if the last place he wanted to be was close to me. Still, he slid his arm around my shoulders and offered as much comfort as he could muster. “You’re okay. Galen will be fine. After a few hours of sleep, he’ll wake up and be the cranky sheriff we all know and love. Well, I don’t love him, but there are times I almost like him.”
Another sob shook me.
“Stop this right now. Galen wouldn’t want you crying over him.”
“He certainly wouldn’t,” a slurred voice said from the bed.
I snapped up my head and almost cried out in relief when I realized Galen was awake. I stood over him, squeezing his hand. “Try not to move. The doctor said you’re in bad shape.”
“I’m fine.” As if to prove it, he squeezed my hand. “Don’t cry, honey. Just ... don’t. I can’t take it.”
“Listen to him,” Booker prodded. “He’s an invalid. You can’t argue with an invalid.”
I buried my head on the bed next to him and allowed the emotions I’d been holding back for hours to wash over me. Galen couldn’t do much but pet my head, which he did as Booker filled him in on everything he’d missed. When he was finished, Galen looked relatively happy, which threw me for a loop.
“It’s not funny,” I protested.
“It’s a little funny.” Galen’s fingers were gentle as they brushed the tears on my cheek. “Please stop crying. I’ll be good as new in about eight to twelve hours. The crying hurts worse than the head injury.”
“How do you know you have a head injury?”
“Because they hit him, like, five times in the head,” Booker answered. “His head is too hard to crack, so I knew he would be fine.”
I shot him a quelling look. “It’s not funny.”
“Stop poking her,” Galen ordered as his fingers moved through my hair. “Everything is just catching up to her now. She’ll sleep like the dead tonight. That’s good, because I don’t know how long I’m going to last before I pass out again.”
“Then go to sleep,” I urged. “You need your rest. I’ll be here next to you all night.”
He chuckled. “Isn’t that what I usually tell you?”
“Well, now I’m the one in control. I get to be the boss.”
“I’m pretty sure you’re always the boss.” He made a face as he shifted on the bed, making room for me. “Come on.” He patted the bed, inviting me to join him, but I balked.
“You’re injured. You need to be quiet.”
“I can be quiet with you.”
“Oh, I don’t think that’s true,” Booker countered. “I’ve never once heard her be quiet.”
“Shut up.” I jabbed a finger in his direction. “I can be quiet.”
“Come over here and prove it,” Galen insisted. “If you expect me to rest, I’ll need you close to my side so I won’t have nightmares. You’re the only thing that will keep them at bay.”
I narrowed my eyes. “That’s low.”
“That doesn’t make it untrue. Come on.” He patted the bed again.
I really wanted to feel close to him, so I acquiesced. I was careful as I slid into the bed, making sure I didn’t accidentally jar him. His body was warmer than usual. He once told me that was a sign he was healing. I hoped he was right about being back to himself the following day. I wasn’t sure how much fretting I could take.
“There you go.” Galen pressed a kiss to my forehead and then focused on Booker. “What about your mother?”
“She was at the hotel suite with the incubi. She swears up and down she’s a victim in all of this, that she had no idea Darlene was purposely creating warrior incubi. I’m not sure I believe her. I think she had the same plan as Darlene. She just never got to put it into play.”
“What will that mean for the election?” I asked. “She won’t become president, will she?”
“I doubt it. I’ve already dropped an information bomb on the other council members. They’re well aware of what happened. They’re also aware of my mother’s plan. She was calling me a filthy liar when I left the council chambers to come back here.”
“What else did they say about the incubi?” Galen asked. “We know they were purposely made, but I still don’t understand the endgame.”
“They were. Darlene planned to make more as soon as she could. Most cupids don’t have the stomach to give up their souls, but some do. These incubi were essentially the worst of the worst cupids. Whenever someone got in trouble, threatened with jail time, she would interview them in an effort to see if she could bring them to her cause. She didn’t care what she was doing to them. Her only goal was to build an army.”
“Well ... at least they’re gone.”
“They are. We killed them and dragged the bodies to the medical examiner’s office. They’ll be disposing of them there.”
He talked about it so clinically that I felt uncomfortable. Of course, I understood the rationale behind his thinking. They weren’t people to him. Perhaps they had been at one time, but if they had the capacity to turn then they were probably never good people.
“What about the rest of Darlene’s people?” Galen asked. “What happened to them?”
“They scattered when we used the talisman. Your deputies are rounding them up. They’ve halted boat and plane traffic on and off the island. I gave them a list of the people I recognized. I’m sure they’ve got it all in hand.”
“I’ll double-check in the morning.”
“You will not,” I argued. “You’re spending the day in bed.”
“Hadley, I’ll be fine in the morning; maybe a little sore. In two days it will be like nothing ever happened. You won’t even remember.”
I thought of the way he’d hit the ground when Darlene’s men dragged him out of the shack. “I won’t forget.”
“Oh, geez. You’re going to be trouble, aren’t you?” He kissed my forehead again. “You need to unwind. A good night’s sleep will do us both wonders. You can stay in here with me.”
“I doubt the doctors will allow that.”
“You let me worry about the doctors.”
Booker’s chair scraped against the floor as he stood. “I think it’s time for me to call it a night. I’ll check back in with you tomorrow. I’ll keep an ear to the ground about the cupids until then to make sure nobody gets away.”
“I appreciate it.” Galen extended his hand for Booker to shake, the two men grinning at one another like idiots. “Thanks for making sure she wasn’t hurt. I owe you.”
“You don’t.” Booker was matter-of-fact. “She came to the beach by herself, in a purple golf cart, and she took down Darlene.”
“We took her down together,” I corrected. “That’s what the scene I saw in the memory told me was necessary. We all had to work together because we are ancestors of the four different branches.”
“You still did it by yourself.” Booker didn’t back down. “You were amazing. If you were afraid, I didn’t see it. You probably would’ve been smarter to call Galen’s deputies for backup, but I can’t argue with the outcome.”
“That’s probably smart,” I noted. “I’m not much in the mood to argue.”
“That makes two of us. Tomorrow is another day, though.”
Once he was gone and it was just Galen and me, I looked up at his face. He was sleepy. Bruises lined his cheeks and neck. He’d obviously put up a tre
mendous fight.
“You should sleep,” I whispered. “I’ll stay awake to make sure nothing gets us.”
“No.” His eyes were closed. “We’re going to sleep together. Exactly like this. All night.”
I had my doubts. “I don’t think I can sleep.”
“You can. Just let the worry from the day fall away.” He tightened his arms around me. “The incubi are gone. I guess we know why they were going after both men and women. There was more than one creature hunting on the island.”
“What if there’s still one out there?”
“I could get my handcuffs.”
I was confused. “To do what?”
“To make sure you stay right here all night. I could handcuff us together.”
That sounded a little freaky. “Or you could just sleep and I’ll watch you all night to make sure you’re okay.”
“Sure.” He moved his mouth to mine and snuggled closer. The warmth of his body and the steady beat of his heart was enough to lull me. “Are you asleep yet?” he whispered, causing me to giggle.
“No. Not yet.”
“Probably need another minute.” He exhaled heavily against my forehead.
“I thought of a name for Wesley’s horse,” I volunteered out of the blue. “It happened tonight when you were hurt.”
“Oh, yeah? What’s the name?”
“Potter – after May. She took care of you and Wesley. I owe her.”
“I don’t believe she feels the same way, but we can argue about it later. I think Potter is a fine name.”
“Yeah.” We lapsed into comfortable silence.
“How about now?” he asked suddenly, causing me to laugh. “Are you asleep yet?
“No.” His voice was so soft I found my eyelids drooping despite the kiss he planted on my lips. “Hey, Galen.”
“Hmm.”
“I love you. We’re going to talk about your self-preservation instincts tomorrow, though.”
He’d said something along those lines to me multiple times, and hearing it repeated back caused him to snort. “I can’t wait.”
“Goodnight.”
“Goodnight. Oh, and I love you.”
“I know.”
“We’ll have our official celebration tomorrow. I’m thinking we’ll move to your bed once I’m sprung from this place, and you can dress up like a naughty nurse and take care of me.”
“I can probably be persuaded to do that.”
“That’s exactly what I wanted to hear.”
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About the Author
I want to thank everyone who takes the time to read my novels. I have a particular brand of humor that isn’t for everyone – and I know that.
If you liked the book, please take a few minutes and leave a review. An independent author does it all on their own, and the reviews are helpful. I understand that my characters aren’t for everyone, though. There’s a lot of snark and sarcasm in my world – and I know some people don’t like that.
Special thanks go out to Heidi Bitsoli and Phil VanHulle for correcting the (numerous) errors that creep into a work of fiction.
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
For more information:
author@amandamlee.net
Books by Amanda M. Lee
An Avery Shaw Mystery
Who, What, Where, When, Die
If it Bleeds, it Leads
Buried Leads
Shot Off The Presses
The Preditorial Page
Misquoted & Demoted
Headlines & Deadlines
Misprints & Mistakes
Bylines & Skylines
Off the Record
Unwritten & Underwater
Extra! Extra! Dead All About It
On Deadline & Under Fire
Above the Fold & Below the Belt
A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Mystery
Any Witch Way You Can
Every Witch Way But Wicked
Witching You Were Here
Witching on a Star
Something to Witch About
Witch Me Luck
Life’s a Witch
Charms & Witchdemeanors
The Trouble With Witches
Murder Most Witchy
A Witch Before Dying
A Breath of Witchy Air
Witch, Interrupted
Flip the Witch Switch
A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Short
Careful What You Witch For
Wicked Brew
On a Witch and a Prayer
You Only Witch Once
The Christmas Witch
Bewitched
A Solstice Celebration
Witchdependence Day
Happy Witchgiving
Merry Witchmas
Four-Leaf Clover
Thistle While You Work
Landon Calling
I Dream of Twila
How Aunt Tillie Stole Christmas
A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Fantasy
Witchy Tales
A Witch In Time
Make A Witch
A Witchmas Carol
All My Witches
Close Encounters of the Witchy Kind
An Aisling Grimlock Mystery
Grim Tidings
Grim Offerings
Grim Discovery
Grim Reunion
Grim Expectations
Grim Holiday
Grim Rising
Grim Tempest
Grim Vows
Grimlock Family Shorts
Grim Like Me
Grim & The City
Grim & Bear It
Grim & The Dead
Death Gate Grim Reapers
Only the Lonely
Only the Quiet
A Mystic Caravan Mystery
Freaky Days
Freaky Lies
Freaky Hearts
Freaky Games
Freaky Places
Freaky Rites
Freaky Witches
A Charlie Rhodes Cozy Mystery
The Bigfoot Blunder
The Chupacabra Catastrophe
The Werewolf Whoops
The Megalodon Mix-Up
The Undead Uproar
A Moonstone Bay Cozy Mystery
Witchin’ USA
Witch Out of Water
Freaky Deaky Tiki
A Spell’s Angels Cozy Mystery
Bad to the Crone
Covenant College
Awakening
Whispering
Conjuring
Waxing & Waning
Graduating
Living Covenant Trilogy
Rising Covenant
Dark Covenant
Eternal Covenant
Dying Covenant Trilogy
Haunted Covenant
Desperate Covenant
Everlasting Covenant
2019 Shorts
Wolf on the Job
Luke on the Loose
Cupid in Crisis
Elemental Witches of Eternal Springs
Bat Out Of Spell
Spell on Earth
Hotter Than Spell
Spell or High Water
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