“That’s what we need to find out,” I finished.
“Right.” Eryne nodded. “But this was three hundred years ago, B. There’s no way we can find any of these women now. Witches live longer than humans, but notthatlong.”
“What about their children? Someone might have passed down the knowledge to their descendants. We have to at least try, don’t we?”
She bit her lip, staring down at the photo and looking at the names before pointing at two of the women in the middle. “Cromwell and Hallow…. Those are Wendy and Rina’s last names. I think I remember something about Wendy’s ancestor being the town founder. That’s pretty far back, though. Maybe ten generations?”
“Do you think she knows anything?”
Eryne shook her head. “I doubt it. But maybe her mom or grandma does. Or…” She trailed off. “I can ask.” She looked up at me, some of the hope from earlier restored. “Either way, it’s a step closer, right?”
“We’re going to figure this out,” I promised. “It’s all going to be fine.” I pulled her in close, breathing in her sweet scent.
“I know it is,” she whispered, those gorgeous blue eyes holding mine.
I looked around us. “Come on, let’s get out of here. I think we’ve found all we’re going to in this mess.”
She nodded. “Probably a good idea.” Eryne stuck the newspaper article into her bag, then gave me a sheepish look. “They won’t even miss it,” she insisted. She was probably right.It had been shoved into the back, and the likelihood anyone would come looking for it was low.
“In this age of technology, you’d think all of this would have been scanned and digitized by now.”
Eryne laughed. “Don’t let the town elders hear that. They treat computers like humans treat magic.”
I snorted. “Sounds pretty familiar.” I couldn’t help but think about the push back Walnut Ridge had gotten.
We headed back upstairs, thanking her friend at the front desk for giving us access, and went back outside. The sun was out, and I tipped my head up towards it, enjoying the warmth on my face.
“I should talk to Rina and Wendy,” she said, looking at her phone. “I can see if they know anything, or if their families do.”
“I’ll call my friend, too.” I needed to loop Ezra in.
She worried her lower lip between her teeth. “Is he also a…”
“Hunter?” I supplied.
She nodded.
“Yes. He’s the closest thing I have to a partner, though he prefers to work alone most of the time.” I chuckled.
Eryne frowned. “Is that… common? To be so solitary?”
“For him?” I scratched my head. “As long as I’ve known him, yeah, I suppose.”
“Huh.” Her phone buzzed, and she looked up at me. “That’s Rina and Wendy. We’re meeting at the diner.” She typed a message back, and I shoved my hands in my pockets. It was getting harder and harder to keep myself from touching her, especially after last night.
My wolf was possessive, but I had to control myself. I’d seen her wince in pain a few times when she didn’t think I was watching her, and I felt like a goddamn bastard for hurting her. Not knotting her last night had been smart—I could only imagine how sore she’d be if I had.
But damn if I didn’t still want her, no matter what a selfish asshole that made me.
“Okay.” I tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Fuck it, I didn’t care. “If anything happens, call me.” I pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I won’t be too far away.”
She nodded. “Okay.” The word was hardly more than a whisper. Eryne stood up on her tiptoes to press a soft kiss to my lips.
Reluctantly, I pulled away, knowing that she needed the time alone with her friends as much as she wanted to ask them about the photo. I understood that perfectly. If I was home, I’d want to tell my sister about Eryne, too.
One day soon, I’d tell her about the redheaded girl who had brought me back to life in every since of the word—but not yet. Not when it was still thisnew.
I shot off a text to her anyway as I watched Eryne cross the sidewalk and disappear into the diner, knowing I’d barely be able to keep my eyes off of her while she wasn’t by my side. It was something I desperately needed to get control of.
