Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 71312 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 357(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71312 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 357(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
Fire sparks around my fingers and I ball my hands into fists, trying to keep flames from springing up around my fingers. Knowing I need to redirect the energy somewhere, I squeeze my eyes shut and quickly open my hands, letting go of the energy I was gathering.
“Ahh!” the officer holding the gun says and jerks back as if someone shoved him. He pulls one hand off his gun, looking at his hand. His palm is red and raw, and my eyes widen, realizing I accidentally sent the red-hot energy to him. Shit! This isn’t going to help our case when the victim of said murder was burned to fucking death.
The other officer, who is close enough for me to read the name Maxwell on his vest, reaches for his gun, eyes slitting suspiciously.
“Don’t even think about moving,” he tells us, and I look at Ethan out of the corner of my eye. Ethan still has his hands out slightly in front of him, showing that he’s not going to try anything. He’s wearing athletic shorts and a t-shirt, ready to go into work. I know for a fact he doesn’t have a gun on him today, thank goodness. He has his concealed carry permit for Indiana, so having his usual pistol isn’t illegal. It wouldn’t paint him in the best light in this current situation.
“No one is moving,” Ethan says calmly. “This is a misunderstanding but, as you can see, I’m going to comply.” He holds up his hands a little higher. “I’ll come down the porch steps now, if that’s alright with you.”
Officer Maxwell looks at his fellow officer and gives him a curt nod. The officer grips his gun again, grunting from the pain of his burned skin. How he’s going to explain that…I have no idea. Then Maxwell motions for Ethan to come down the steps.
My heart is in my throat, beating so fast that nervous sweat starts to drip down my back. How the hell is Ethan so calm? Nothing about this is okay, and the little voice in the back of my mind is screaming at me to keep my shit together. The voice is trying to remind me that guilty people often act out because they know they’ve been caught.
The police don’t have anything on Ethan because he didn’t do it. There just cannot be any evidence pointing toward him. There can’t be.
“Ethan,” I rush out, eyes wide in shock as Officer Maxwell roughly grabs his arms, pulling them behind his back so he can cuff him.
“It’s okay, babe,” Ethan tells me as tears start to fill my eyes. This can’t be happening. But it is. My breath leaves in a ragged huff and I move toward Ethan.
“Easy now,” the officer with the gun tells me. “Don’t make this any harder than it needs to be.”
“But this is wrong.” I look at him, shaking my head. “He didn’t kill anyone. You’ve got the wrong person.”
“Anora,” Ethan says again, hazel eyes locking with mine. “It’s going to be okay,” he repeats. “Just call my dad and he’ll get in contact with someone from—” The words die in his throat, but I know what he’s about to say.
He’ll get in contact with someone from the Order.
Someone who can pull strings and get Ethan’s record scrubbed clean again. But he’s not part of the Order anymore. They won’t help anymore…especially when I’m starting to think they were the ones to accuse Ethan of murder in the first place.
If they can’t have him, no one can.
Chapter
Two
“Nik!” My hands shake as I hurry back into the house. Hunter bumps his nose against me, trying to give me some comfort. “Nik!” I shout again, trying to wake him up. “Nik!” With trembling fingers, I grip the railing and put my foot on the first wooden step. It creaks beneath my weight and my knees feel like they might buckle.
Ethan just got arrested. For murder.
This is bad. Really fucking bad. I want to believe we’ll figure this out and I’ll go down to the station with evidence proving his innocence, but how?
“Yes, milady?” Nik asks, stepping into the hall. His brown hair is messy and he’s wearing blue plaid PJ pants and a black t-shirt. “If a demon is attacking, tell it to come back when it’s not so early.”
“It’s the afternoon,” I say, voice thin. “And…it’s…it’s not a demon. Ethan just got arrested.” I make it the rest of the way up the stairs, stopping at the landing. Nik blinks several times, looking at me as if he didn’t hear me correctly. “For Patrick’s murder. The hunter who was found burned to death.”
“By Kornath.”
I bob my head up and down. “But they arrested Ethan and I bet the Order is behind this. They’re pissed at him for leaving and they’re pissed at him for dating me: a witch.”