Page 48 of Haunted Nightmares
But the look on Wraith’s face right now, the small and very evil smirk on his pretty lips, the strange flicker of light acrosshis ebony eyes, that all tells me there’s more to dropping Hecate than I could wrap my head around.
“No, not her. I don’t suppose she’s still holding a grudge now that my sire is dead.” Wraith comes around to stand in front of me again, his stare never wavering.
Which sends a ripple up my spine.
I see my future, my fate in those shrewd black as night eyes, and I have to make him believe me because of it.
One off-white eyebrow lifts as Wraith leans in close. “You look as though you wish to speak. Is that so, witch? Do you have something to say?”
Nodding, I gasp and pant as he removes the shadow from my mouth but squeezes the rest harder.He is super mad.
“Now then, you may speak.”
My mate’s condescending tone gets under my skin the same way it used to but it’s also a sign that I need to be careful with my words and use this time wisely. Wraith would never intentionally hurt me, never, but I’m not me to him right now. I’m a witch or a demon sent to make him more miserable than he’s making himself and he will not think twice about killing something he doesn’t believe should exist.
“I…” I try to take another deep breath but end up gasping again. “I, I know how crazy this is all going to sound but I’m asking—beggingyou to hear me out.”
Wraith leans back and adopts a nonchalant pose but I can feel his hate rolling off him in waves. “Good show, lass. I always did like to hear Zephyr beg. You’re really going all in with this little charade.”
Ass.
“It’s not a charade, I swear it. It’s me, really, and I need you to take a leap of faith and believe me.”
“Why should I, given I buy into this extreme brand of bullshite you’re trying to sell?”
Well, he’s definitely not going to make this easy but I’m going to try anyway. “Look at me.Reallylook at me. Do you think glamor or any othermyjakworks this well?”
“Strike one,” Wraith says as he holds up a finger before crossing his arms against his chest. “My gentle breeze knew nothing ofmyjak.”
Shit.
He got me there.
Still. “I didn’t, no, but I’ve been living with Lorna the past few weeks. I’ve learned a lot, and we both know a good glamor can still be seen through, especially if a Descendant is doing the looking. I could feel every time it cracked around you.”
He frowns. “How did you know I saw the glitch?”
“It doesn’t matter. Do you see me glitching now?”
Wraith scrutinizes me briefly before giving me a curt shake of his head.
“Becausethisis not my glamor. This is me and if you look hard enough?—“
“Zephyr had the mark. The brand on her neck here”—he reaches out and lightly drags his fingers over the spot on my neck—“signifying she was born after the war. You have no such monstrosity.” Then he slowly takes his hand away and holds up a second finger. “Strike two.”
Shaking my head, I strengthen my resolve against his shadows. “Because I died. I really, truly did die that day, Wraith. I went to Duat, I was in the afterlife but I came back, not necessarily reincarnated or anything but more or less… reborn? I don’t really understand it myself but the fact that I did actually die means the mark from when I was originally born is gone now.”
“I suppose you’ll use that same explanation for why your scent is different from hers, hmm?”
“My scent?” Damnit, I didn’t even know I smelled different. I assumed that was part of how Wraith found me in the first place but I guess I was wrong about that. Which is oddly sweet since that means there was literally nothing drawing him to me except our soul deep connection. Not that it's really helping me right now, though. “What do I smell like?”
Wraith tisks as he wags his two fingers at me. “What didZephyrsmell like, isn’t that really the question here? Not that it matters much,” he says as he cocks his head to the side. “Her scent changed when we mated therefore cannot be replicated, and you, my darlinglittle witch, bare none of the same elements.”
I’m going to die today.
Yep, he’s not going to believe me and once Wraith has enough of this back and forth crap, he’s going to lose it and kill me before I can do anything to convince him who I am.
“And since I’m beginning to lose my patience...”Not that he came here with any.“I suggest you hurry up and convince me before I do something you’ll regret.”
