AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Ariel,” he grumbled my name.
“What if she does hurt them in some way?” I asked. I probably should have worded it better, because I was trying to make him feel less guilty here.
Shit and damn.
“I can take care of it.” He continued to grumble through his hands. “I have a plan.”
My eyes widened as I stared at him.
Was he crazy?
He had a plan? Aplan?
The chick had used freaking magic on other witches, himself included, to get them to do her bidding. She used sex like a damn weapon. She’d been able to pull the wool over the eyes of so many people it was downright frightening. She’d already proven she had no moral compass to speak of, and she’d happily mow down anyone who got in her way.
This was no job for Tyson. If anything, it was a job for Scary Dude Uncle Quinton. He had already proved he knew how to handle her crazy ass once, he could put her in her place again. Piece of cake. My blind faith in Quinton almost scared me, almost.
“Tyson,” I said, going for reasonable. I should have known he was past the point of reason. “I’m sure-”
“Give me a week, Ariel.” He said. “If I don’t have this taken care of in a week, then I promise to go to Uncle Quint with it.”
Hmm…
A lot could happen in a week. Entire lives could be destroyed in less than a weeks’ time. People could get seriously hurt if he handled this wrong.
He lowered his hands from his face and stared at me from across the limited space inside the Rover. His dark eyes were pleading. I understood why he felt the need to handle it himself. He was seeking redemption when there was no reason to. I knew I had to let him handle it his own way, but I had no intention of sitting out on the sidelines. Nope, not this time, buddy.
“Agreed,” I said confidently.
His eyes brightened as his mouth slowly curved upwards.
“But we’re doing it together.”
That stopped his lips mid-motion and they immediately flattened out into a hard line. Yeah, he didn’t like partnering up with me at all.
I ignored that, and said, “I don’t like the thought of you being alone with her and no one knowing about it. She’s dangerous, and who knows what scary, messed-up thing she’s just waiting to do next. You need a wingman, a partner in crime, someone to back your plays and be able to call in the cavalry when you are, Gods forbid, unable to do so yourself. Right now, I’m all you’ve got, and you need me. If you tell one of the others, you run the risk of everyone finding out, and you’ve already said how much you don’t want that. So,” I shrugged my shoulders, “looks like it’s you and me, Ty.”
I relaxed and knew I looked smug. He couldn’t scrape me off of this for fear of hurting my feelings and worrying about me running to his Uncle to tattle on him like a little kid. And I’d do it, too, if it meant potentially keeping everyone safe and out of that psycho slut’s clutches, himself included.
It might not have been fair, but I didn’t care. I didn’t have to know Annabell personally to know she wasn’t going to play fair; Tyson would need me to be a little schemer and slightly ruthless. I had never tried my hand at either, but I had grown up watching Vivian work it, and she’d been a pro at both. I had to have learned something along the way from her, right?
“This is a terrible idea,” he told me.
I agreed wholeheartedly. Not out loud, of course. I didn’t want to give him a reason to tell me no, not that it would do him any good, really. My mind was firmly made up, and I had zero intentions of budging.
After asking if I was okay, and promising to call me in the morning, he asked if I was okay with him taking the Rover so he could head back to the big house, because he no longer wished to go inside Dash’s. Big surprise there, I think he needed to escape me. He kissed me on the cheek, and I got out of the vehicle. I didn’t stick around to watch him drive off with my Rover. I hurried inside, not liking to dawdle in front of the house because, even though it was no longer there, I still saw blood on the walkway and front steps.
I made my way into Dash’s home with a bad feeling in my gut, and the need to turn around to see if I was being watched, because I felt eyes on me. I had been feeling eyes on me for at least the last week, but had dismissed it as paranoia.
I ignored both now and went inside. Chucky was with the Council, they wouldn’t let him harm me again, and he was the only threat I knew I had. I wasn’t counting Annabell.
Chapter Five
The phone ringing woke me up. Some days I loved having a cell phone. Other days, like today, I hated the stupid thing. I had gone years without it, and I had survived. Why did I need one now? Mr. Cole had bought it for me, but I think the only reason I charged it was so that the guys could keep tabs on me. Texting made it easy to know where everyone was at all times.
It kept ringing as I sat up in bed and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. A hand slid down my chest to land in my lap as I sat up. The arm it was attached to came from behind me. The arm was covered in freckles, telling me it belonged to Dash. He was the only redhead in our coven.
I had gone to bed alone the night before, so I was surprised to see him in my bed with me. This was a new development. Normally, he always kept to his own bedroom at night and left me alone to mine. Maybe he was giving me space? If so, then why change now?
