“Would that make you feel better?”
“I have a hole in my heart where Mom used to live,” Braden replied. “Nothing is going to fill it. If Mom is still out there, she’s not the woman who raised us. The woman out there now is not going to fill that hole. If she died twice, that hole doesn’t get any bigger. It doesn’t get any smaller either. It is what it is.”
“That was almost poetic, Braden.”
“Don’t get used to it,” Braden said. “I’m in a tranquil place right now. Dad is ordering pizza, by the way. The kitchen help was rattled, so he let them go home early.”
“What’s Griffin doing?”
“He and Dad concocted a lie about what happened to Amber,” Braden said. “They’re dealing with that right now. He seems okay.”
“I should probably be with him,” I said. “He’s been my rock for the past two weeks. I think I should offer him some support.”
“I think you two support each other every chance you get,” Braden countered. “I think you two are so sickly sweet I want to puke.”
“And you’re back to being a pain,” I muttered.
“Old habits die hard.”
I risked a glance in Braden’s direction and found him studying me with conflicted eyes. “What?”
“We are the most alike,” he said finally. “I’ve never wanted to admit it, but it’s true. Watching you on the phone with Everett made me realize that we have more in common than we probably should. I think that’s why I irritate you more than anyone else and I know that’s why you irritate me more than anyone else.”
“You say the sweetest things. I think you’ve been taking lessons from Dad.”
Braden pushed himself to his feet. “I love you, Ais. You’re my sister and I love you. You still frustrate the crap out of me.” He leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to my forehead. “You wouldn’t be you if you didn’t do it, though.”
“I love you, too.”
“I know,” Braden said, smirking. “Everyone loves me. By the way, I’m Dad’s favorite again thanks to the beatdown I put on Fox. We’re having an omelet bar for breakfast tomorrow morning.”
“Hmm. I wonder if I can convince Griffin to stay here one more night,” I mused.
“I think you’ll be able to twist his arm,” Braden said, moving back toward the house. “Don’t stay out here too long. The pizza will be here in about a half hour.”
“I just need a few minutes,” I said. “I … it’s a lot to think about.”
“I understand,” Braden said.
“If anyone does, it’s you.”
Braden left me to my thoughts.
I was just about to get up and join the party inside when a hint of movement on the back lawn caught my attention. I knew who it was right away.
“Are you here to insult me, Bub?”
The gargoyle rolled his eyes as he shuffled closer. “I was only seeing whether the rumors are true,” he replied. “I see you survived the fight.”
“There really wasn’t a fight. We outsmarted the Grimponds, and the main office sent reapers to take out the wraiths. Rumor has it that a good twenty of them died today. From what I understand, all of the gargoyles flew off the minute they realized they were outnumbered.”
“Yeah. They’re licking their imaginary wounds all over town,” Bub said. “You don’t look too bad for a woman who survived what should’ve been a bloodbath.”
“I’m okay,” I said. “I’m … really okay.”
“That’s good,” Bub said, forcing what I’m sure was supposed to be a smile on his face. “I have a present for you.”
“Is it jewelry? I love jewelry.”
“It’s better,” Bub said, glancing over his shoulder.
I followed his gaze, frowning as two figures detached from the shadows of the shrubbery. I recognized the first as the rogue reaper from the bar. His face was impassive as he stepped to the side to allow the other figure to move forward.
I narrowed my eyes as the dim silhouette took shape. She was dressed in a simple black dress and hair that was once dark was now completely white. Her face wasn’t exactly how I remembered, but it wasn’t grotesque or deformed. She looked ten years older … and yet parts of her looked exactly the same. My heart rolled.
“Hello, Mom.”
Author’s Note
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.
If you’re interested in my future works, follow me on Facebook, Twitter or join my mailing list. I do not believe in spam. I only announce new releases or free promotions.
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.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.
Books by Amanda M. Lee
Avery Shaw Mysteries
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 (February 2016)
Covenant College Mysteries
Awakening (Book One)
Whispering (Book Two)
Conjuring (Book Three)
Waxing & Waning (Book Four)
Graduating (Book Five)
The Living Covenant Trilogy
Rising Covenant (June 2016)
Dark Covenant (July 2016)
Eternal Covenant (August 2016)
The Dying Covenant Trilogy
Haunted Covenant (June 2017)
Desperate Covenant (July 2017)
Everlasting Covenant (August 2017)
Wicked Witches of the Midwest Mysteries
Any Witch Way You Can
Every Witch Way But Wicked
Witching You Were Here
Witching on a Star
Something to Witch About
Careful What You Witch For (A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Short)
Wicked Brew (A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Short)
Witch Me Luck
Witchy Tales (A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Fairy Tale)
On a Witch and a Prayer A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Short
You Only Witch Once (A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Short)
Life’s a Witch (November 2015)
The Christmas Witch (A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Short) December 2015
Aisling Grimlock
Grim Tidings (Book One)
Grim Offerings (Book Two)
Grim Discovery
Grim Reunion (March 2016)
Mystic Caravan
Freaky Days (Book One)
Table of Contents
Prologue
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
<
br /> Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty-One
Twenty-Two
Twenty-Three
Twenty-Four
Twenty-Five
Twenty-Six
Twenty-Seven
Twenty-Eight
Twenty-Nine
Thirty
Thirty-One
Thirty-Two
Thirty-Three
Thirty-Four
Author’s Note
Books by Amanda M. Lee
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