Page 46 of Bewitching Her Monsters
“I’ve been getting this vibe lately that I’m being watched. All the time,” she confesses, glancing over her shoulder. “Rob must have seen me walking with Maxum, because he said: ‘You should be more careful who you go on dates with.’”
I sit up and go on alert. His language might suggest that he knows exactly who and what Maxum is. “Anything else?”
“No. He’s always cryptic in his threats, so I can’t use it against him with the cops or the courts.”
“Is he a physical threat as well?” I dare to ask… on a fucking date. So much for fun banter.
Jade bites her lip, and it’s all the confirmation I need. He’s hurt her in the past, and he will die. I’ll make sure of it. That will solve the stalker problem.
“Rob was more connected than I realized. So no matter what my complaints or reports I try to file, they all seem to be ignored or disappear into thin air.” Jade rubs her temples like a headache is coming on. “I wish I never fell for his nice guy act.”
He sounds like someone who can put a spell on the authorities. My best guess is he’s a warlock. But the guys and I will find out for sure. It behooves us to follow him as a lead, since he might be our enemy. Besides, if I know what he is and how to end him permanently, it will be easier for me to remove him from the realms.
“Would you give me his full name so my security buddies can run a background check? I don’t like leaving this alone.”
“Just a background check. I don’t want you entangled with this.” I nod, and she acquiesces, “Robert Holden. He’s forty-one. Lives in the city.” She waves her hands in a stop motion. “Okay, enough about him. I never go out, so I’d like to enjoy the little time we have left together.”
“That statement sounds ominous. Are you about to whack me?”
“Whack you?” She blushes. “Do you mean to smack, jerk off, or kill?”
I smirk, running both my hands through my short dark hair. I enjoy her playfulness. There’s been so little in my life in the last decade I have enjoyed. She is the sunlight after a never-ending storm. Sadly, Osen was often part of the storm.
I lace my fingers behind my neck, flexing my arms a bit to highlight my musculature.
Her eyes dilate, and her breath quickens.
My cock hardens, knowing I am tantalizing my witch. “What would youliketo do to me?”
She eyes me seriously for a moment. “Can we circle back around to that after the evening is done?”
“Fair enough.” I chuckle, drop my arms back to the table, and take another sip of my whiskey. “How long have you been writing?”
“Since I was a kid. But I’ve been an indie author for about ten years now.”
“Does indie mean you publish your own stuff?”
“Yeah. It also means I’m responsible for everything: from book covers to editors to constantly promoting. It’s a list so long you don’t want to hear it. And if the books don’t sell or people pirate our books, we eat all the costs of production and ads. On top of that, we can get our books banned on the online bookstore gods, if someone steals them and puts them up on pirate sites. I’ve been lucky to eke out a semi-comfortable living. But it’s always a hustle. I work twelve-hours a day, every day.”
I know that’s true. I’ve seen her spinning all her metaphorical plates. She doesn’t have time to be a spy.
“Sounds like you could do with some relaxation.” I waggle my eyebrows playfully.
Jade chuckles.
I ask, “It sounds like a lot, so why do you do it?”
“Because I love creating new worlds, new characters, and I love getting lost in my own stories. And when a reader connects with my work, it’s the best feeling. It sounds silly, but reading is true magic. When someone reads a book, they join me in my world. I tell them there’s a handsome man with a cocky grin sitting across from me, and they are there with me. They get to fill in everything else about you. In a way, the reader and I can become co-creators in that world. And then the characters really take on a life of their own. They become real. In a way.”
“It does sound magical.” I find her choice of words interesting. “The way you explain it, the mundane can transform into a mystical experience.”
When she sees I understand her, Jade’s smile lights up the room.
We talk for hours about life, her writing, and how she has a habit of rescuing strays.
It feels like she’s rescued me. Is that what we are searching for? Someone who will truly see us and take us in—into their hearts—and accept all the broken pieces.
When we finally walk out to the parking lot to our cars, she is practically dragging her feet, like she doesn’t want the night to end.
