Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 62262 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 311(@200wpm)___ 249(@250wpm)___ 208(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62262 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 311(@200wpm)___ 249(@250wpm)___ 208(@300wpm)
“We lost our pursuers several days ago, so you don’t have to worry about Rosselin following us here,” Andy said. “We wouldn’t have come if we thought we were endangering you, and we’re only planning to stay a few minutes.”
Arden slid the bottle across the table to us as he asked, “Where are you planning to go when you leave here?”
I admitted, “We don’t really have a plan.”
“Then you need to stay here.”
Arden’s tone didn’t leave much room for debate, but I asked him, “Why would you open your home to us?”
“Because it’s just a matter of time before Rosselin finds you,” he said, “and we can’t let him get the formula. This is the safest place you can be, especially once the wards are beefed up.”
“Are you sure about this?”
Arden nodded. “I have plenty of room, and it would actually be nice to have some company. Plus, I know for a fact I can trust you. Like I said when you arrived, if you’d come here with bad intentions, the wards would have stopped you at the gate.”
Andy and I glanced at each other, and when he nodded I said, “Alright, we’ll stay. Thank you, Arden.”
His phone beeped, and he got up and read a text message. “My cousin is gathering his coven, but it’s going to take a few hours. I’ll make us some dinner while we wait.”
“Can we help?”
“Sure.” He pulled a bunch of carrots from the refrigerator and handed them to me.
The three of us got to work making soup and salad. After a while, I asked, mostly to make conversation, “Out of curiosity, why did you decide to have the house warded in the first place?” There was a panel for an alarm system beside the back door, so it seemed like overkill.
“It made me feel safe. It turned out to be a great call, too.”
“Why is that?”
“There’s a monster living in the woods behind my house,” Arden said, as casually as if he was talking about the weather, “and it really wants to kill me.”
CHAPTER 17
ANDY
I didn’t know what to make of the news about a monster, or the fact that it wanted to kill our host. Everyone knew there were supernatural beings in the world, vampires and more, but they were few and far between, and they generally kept to themselves.
When I asked Arden what kind of monster we were talking about, he shrugged. “I’m not sure, exactly. He looks like a big, muscular man with long, silver hair, but he’s not human. I’m sure of it. If I had to guess, I’d say he was some sort of forest spirit.”
“How do you know he wants to kill you?”
“I can feel his rage when he’s close. I have a handful of superpowers, and one of them is the ability to read what others are feeling. I’m also able to sense danger.”
“That’s useful,” I said as I transferred a bunch of chopped romaine to a large salad bowl. “Do you have any other powers?”
“I can fix minor injuries and ailments. We’re not talking about curing cancer here, and it doesn’t work on everyone. I’m sure you’ve heard the expression about two people vibing. That’s very literal in this case.”
“That’s amazing. I never heard of anyone with that power.”
“Want me to give you a demonstration?”
“Okay.”
When Arden turned to me and took my hands in his, I expected him to show me his technique, instead of actually curing me of anything. He exhaled slowly and closed his eyes, and after a few moments, a mild electric shock passed between us. Almost immediately, my vision blurred. “Something went wrong,” I blurted. “I can’t see!”
Arden grinned and took off my glasses. Everything came into sharp focus, and he said, “Turns out, you and I are completely in sync.”
“I don’t believe it! I’ve been wearing glasses since I was a kid.”
Sam looked confused. “What just happened?”
“He fixed my vision. I can see perfectly.” I turned to Arden and asked, “Is it going to wear off?”
He shook his head. “It’s nice when it works. I don’t advertise my services because people get their hopes up, and a lot of times nothing happens. Plus, like I said, it only works on little things. Your eyesight is the most significant thing I’ve ever fixed, and it’s probably just because you and I run on the same frequency.”
I had no idea what he meant by that, but I said, “Thank you, Arden. You just gave me an incredible gift, and I’m grateful for it.”
“It was nothing.” He seemed embarrassed and turned his attention back to cooking.
A little while later, we sat down to a nice dinner of salad and corn chowder. While we ate, the conversation turned to the field of genetic engineering. Arden explained Mercanti’s research in greater detail, and Sam asked him, “Why did you end up leaving your internship with Dr. Mercanti?”