Boxed Set: The Ink Series Volume 1-4

by Holly Hood

  I moaned, coming undone, thankful for the release, glad I could feel something so amazing. Slade bit down on my shoulder following soon after. He dropped down beside me on the bed completely spent.

  I stared at him. “I love that you love me.”

  “Do you?” he asked breathless.

  “Yes. Nobody else could do it so well.” I took his hand in mine.

  Now was the time to come back to reality. I explained the entire story about my dad, and told him how angry he was at me. I even told him about my run in with the pastor at the grocery store.

  “So what do you think he meant?” I asked, stroking his chest. We were both naked and at peace after great sex.

  “It could mean Hutch knows more than we think he knows,” Slade said. “Or it could mean he is thinking of another way to get a rise out of you.”

  “I’m afraid my dad is falling apart,” I admitted. My dad wasn’t the strongest. And adding any more stress to his life I worried would make him crumble.

  “We won’t let that happen,” Slade promised.

  The truth hurts really bad

  With my earbuds in my ears and my yoga pants on I was on the prowl—for fitness. Nothing felt better than running away from life. Well, sex with Slade felt better.

  The sun was on my back and my music was at the highest level as my feet pounded the running trail, the water chasing after me always at my heels and always winning.

  I was making great time and putting all of life’s stresses out of my head and that’s all I could ask for at that very moment.

  My phone chirped ending my favourite song and stopping me in my tracks. I pulled one earbud from my ear and took my phone out of my arm band so I could see who was calling me.

  “Hello?” I was out of breath.

  “What are you up to?” Slade cleared his throat. “You never sound that out of breath without me being the cause of it. Who is he?”

  I took a seat on one of the many benches and smiled. “There is no he. There is just me and the running trail.”

  “Are you still stressing?” Slade asked.

  “Yes, of course I am,” I looked around at the thought of one of my many stresses. “In fact, I was just thinking. Why haven’t we seen any of them lately?” I was referring to Kenny and his brother and moody sister in law.

  “Maybe they left,” Slade offered. “Anyways. That’s not why I was calling. I called because I want to talk to you about something.”

  My ears perked up. “And what did you want to talk about?”

  “We’ve never been on a date,” he said. It was more a statement than something to discuss, although he was right, and it sort of bothered me I never noticed.

  “I-I really have never thought about it.” I sighed.

  “Well, I have.” I smiled into the phone thankful one of us could still be romantic. “It’s been a crazy year, now is time to appreciate one another.”

  “I’m pretty sure you appreciated me last night, twice,” I said.

  “I did. And I’ll probably appreciate you again tonight, but I want to take you out.”

  “It’s not a big deal, Slade,” I said. “I don’t want you to think I need to be wined and dined.”

  He sighed. “I don’t think that. So let me do this and quit being dramatic.”

  “I was being caring.” I furrowed my eyebrows. “You have always been good to me.”

  “Don’t get so emotional, this is just me trying to brighten your day and do something we have yet to do. I’m not worried about what kind of boyfriend I’ve been to you, people who worry about things like that are people who have something to feel guilty about,” he said, ending his call after telling me to be ready by five.

  I returned the earbud to my ear and started running again. If I was going to go on a date with Slade I needed something new to wear.

  I kept running until I found a new boutique at the edge of town. Closer to the part of town I once made the worst mistake of my life. I hadn’t realized how far I ran until I was staring at all the familiar signs of Hutch’s stomping ground.

  I moved past the people talking and laughing and stopped in front of the sale signs. It was more than a boutique; it was an entire shopping mall.

  I brushed past some teenagers and slipped inside the first store. I texted Karsen the news that there was another place to shop, she was going to be thrilled.

  I sorted through the first rack of clothes not finding anything incredible. Slade hadn’t told me what kind of date we were going on.

  “Can I help you with anything?” The girl at the counter asked, working a shirt on a hanger.

  “I’m not really sure. I’m looking for something to wear on a date.” I felt a bit normal for once.

  “What’s he like?” She rounded the counter.

  She seemed friendly enough. I pursed my lips thinking hard.

  “He’s in a band. And his favourite color is black,” I said.

  Instead of the usual glazed over expression her eyes softened and she turned around heading to a display. “This is new, the latest from a very sophisticated designer.”

  I watched her take down the white dress. She walked it over to me and smiled. “You can be the good to his evil.”

  I raised an eyebrow taking the dress. “I don’t know many good girls that wear such a plunging neck line.” The dress called for tape and lots of it.

  She smiled, pushing her dark hair behind her ear. “I think you can pull it off. Let me get you into a dressing room to try it on. Your boyfriend will be thanking me I promise.”

  I followed her through the store to the dressing rooms giving her a small smile before she closed the door on me. I lifted the dress pressing it against my frame as I stared at myself in the mirror. It was shorter than I liked but cute.

  I checked the price tag and nearly fainted when I saw the cost. It was more than I was used to spending. I forced myself out of my shorts and shirt and slipped into the dress.

  “Need any help in there?” She called from outside the door.

  I turned looking in the mirror at the zipper. “Possibly.”

  I wasn’t a contortionist and I refused to use magic in new territory, so I turned the knob on the door and waited. “I thought I could get it. Thanks for the help.”

  The zipper travelled up my spine and ended below my neck. A hand landed on my shoulder. I pulled away, I wasn’t into touchy feely girls.

  “Looks great on you,” Hutch said.

  I fell backwards into the mirror and screamed.

  “What the hell are you doing?” I shoved him away from me and searched the store for the girl that should have been helping me.

  “She’s helping another customer, doll.” He crossed his arms watching me. “Special occasion?”

  I swallowed. “Don’t ever touch me again.”

  “Always so angry. It’s not good for you,” he said. “It causes premature wrinkles. I’d hate to see such a beautiful face ruined.”

  He made me want to throw up. “Why do you always insist on bothering me? Don’t you have a church to brainwash?”

  I shut the door in his face, closing my eyes and thinking of a spell to get me out of the dress.

  “I’ve been thinking about your family lately,” he said. I hoped he took the hint and left. But he wasn’t that kind of person. “Ever since your little trip to Jersey it seems your father is falling apart. Aren’t you the least bit worried about him?”

  I returned the dress to the hanger. “It’s none of your business.”

  “He kind of made it my business when he asked for my help.”

  I opened the door once my clothes were back on and fixed my hair in the mirror. “He’s having a hard time. He’s not in his right mind…obviously or he wouldn’t have asked you for help.”

  “You seem to have forgotten who I am,” he said. “I’m the one who helped you learn what you were capable of. I’m the one who gave you that book of spells.”

  I wanted to go home now more than e
ver. But I wasn’t about to let Hutch know he was getting to me. “Yes, at one time I thought you were a good person. You fooled me.”

  His eyes softened at my words. He lifted his chin. “I’m no different than Slade. You don’t see it because you’re too caught up in what you think is right.”

  “You are the one who brought Kenny here and killed my dad,” I reminded him. “Don’t think for one second I believe anything you have to say.”

  The girl finally appeared again. “Are you interested? I wish I could have seen it on you. I’m sure it was beautiful.”

  Hutch smiled. “I did and it was stunning.”

  She smiled back looking at me. “Is this the boyfriend?”

  I shook my head quickly. “No, he’s just a shopper. Nothing more. And yes, I’ll take the dress. I think my boyfriend will love it.” I glared at Hutch, he enjoyed the mix up.

  She took the dress up to the counter leaving us alone.

  I finally looked at him. “You’re pathetic. And more and more every day I wish I never met you.”

  Hutch touched his chest acting wounded. “I refuse to believe it. I know you’re speaking from someplace dark. And I don’t blame you. I’d be mad to if my father was the one thing standing in the way of so many people’s problem and solution.”

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said. “Just because my father is having a hard time doesn’t mean everything we did to bring him back was a mistake.”

  Hutch touched my arm not letting me pass by. “You don’t understand, doll. Your father is what is keeping Carlo alive.” He searched my eyes for understanding. “I know about Carlo. I’ve always known about Carlo. What you need to know is there are two people out there wanting nothing more than your dad’s head on a platter.”

  I stared at him coldly. “You’re a liar.”

  “You read the book. In order to bring back the dead and a supernatural at that someone must be linked to them, someone who has passed on and came back themselves recently.”

  “Get out of my way.” I slammed into him trying to get away.

  “And the only way to sever the connection is to kill the link to make the supernatural weak enough to kill all over again.” Hutch finally backed off and let me go. “Did Slade tell you that? Now who seems like the asshole?”

  It’s the little things

  I stared at myself in my mirror making slow meticulous brush strokes as Hutch’s words danced around in my mind.

  His stupid words.

  I didn’t want to believe they could be true. If they were true that meant things could get worse. And I wasn’t sure how much worse I could handle.

  I set my brush down when Nona passed by my door. She didn’t say hello like usual. So I went to the door to see where she was and what could be so important she would ignore me.

  “Oh hello, Sweet pea.” She dropped her hand from the doorknob of Dad’s bedroom. “I didn’t know you were home.”

  “My music is playing and my door is wide open.” I pointed out.

  She looked me over. “What shoes are you planning on wearing with that dress?” She studied my toes. “Nice nail polish.”

  I wiggled my toes. “Black heels, just like you always taught me.”

  She barely smirked like she normally would have. “Good good.”

  “Nona?” I asked. “Is everything okay?”

  “Of course, why wouldn’t it be?”

  I pointed to her slippers. “Because you never leave the house without the most expensive shoes on unless someone is dying.”

  She gasped. “Nobody is dying why would you even say that!”

  I opened my mouth scrambling for words. She seemed frightened. “It was a joke. Is everything okay with Dad?”

  “Your father is going to be fine if it takes everything I have in me I promise you that.” She stroked my face just like she did when I was a kid and worried about something silly. “Go have fun. I will take care of your father.”

  “I’m worried about him too,” I said. “He’s never been this angry with me.”

  “Sometimes we say things we don’t mean,” she insisted. “It’s not about the big things. It’s about the little things.” She gave a small smile and disappeared into Dad’s bedroom.

  ***

  I couldn’t sit around all day and worry about something I had no control over. I applied a red lipstick and switched my black heels to red ones. And before I could recheck my hair Slade knocked.

  “Hey.” I shut the door behind me. It was like the first time I met him all over again and I wasn’t sure why. I rummaged through my clutch for the house keys, I wanted to lock the house after my run in with Hutch.

  “Hey,” Slade said back. I hadn’t even laid eyes on him yet. I fumbled with my keys to get them back in my purse and I met his eyes.

  “Wow, Slade you look great,” I said. He looked down at his jeans and cut off t-shirt giving me a weird look. He wasn’t wearing anything different, but something was different.

  “Thanks.” He pressed his lips into my forehead and pulled away so he could get a good look at me. “I’m still at a loss for words right now.”

  “Why?” I took his hand and followed him down the steps. He smelled amazing. And he wasn’t wearing a hat. For once the hair I loved to run my fingers through was on display for the world to see.

  “Because you keep getting better and better,” he told me. “You are without a doubt the most beautiful girl I ever fucking seen before.”

  I smirked, touching his face. He lifted me off the ground, his arms snaked around me and he kissed me gently. “Thank you.” Once he set me down I asked where we were going.

  “The first stop is dinner,” he informed me. “Because I am starving.”

  ***

  He pulled my chair out and let me sit before he took his place at the restaurant at the end of the boardwalk. The one I never had been to. It was a cute little place with a really welcoming presence.

  I looked over my menu feeling a bit nervous. Most of the time our lips were pressed against each other’s or I was listening to him belt out lyrics to songs about darkness and death.

  “How many dates have you been on?” he asked.

  I touched my hair. “Not many.” I counted in my mind. “Maybe five.”

  He nodded. “What are you getting?”

  I stared at the menu no longer feeling hungry. He was making me even more nervous. “A salad.”

  I couldn’t believe I told him I was having a salad.

  “Did you eat already?” His eyebrows met as he stared at me. “I’ve seen you inhale ten tacos. And you’re going to eat a salad?”

  I tightened my grip on my napkin and sighed. “I want the ribs.”

  Slade smiled. “That’s more like it.” He slid his finger down the menu and pointed, looking up. “I’m having the steak.”