Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 84072 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84072 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
He didn’t see the tears that streamed down my face as I lay in his arms, wishing that our futures weren’t different, wishing that The Matchmaker would take pity and just end the curse and knowing—it was all in vain.
Think, Luna. Think.
I fell asleep dreaming of spring in Ben’s arms with Malcom by our side.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Luna
The festival was in full swing, though we were on the mayor’s bad side since we’d lost our packet and needed a new one for the two booths we were supposed to be running.
I blamed all the sex in Benjamin’s bedroom.
A small smile spread across my face as I twirled my hair around my fingers, only to notice three more white streaks like a running tally mark of how many times we’d slept together for the world to see.
“Hey,” Sarah extended a cup of coffee to me. “Looks like you were up all night.”
Her grin was shameless.
“Aren’t you too young to ask about my sex life?”
“Very funny, and you know I’m not.” She grinned. “Sooooo… you and Benjamin Wells?”
“Me and Benjamin Wells.” I chewed my lower lip, my smile gone. We’d talked all night, talked through every scenario, and still weren’t any closer to trying to figure out what the cure was for the curse.
To make matters worse, I hadn’t seen the Old Crone since that last time, so I couldn’t ask for more hints, not that she was extremely helpful in the first place. All I kept wondering was if it somehow tied back to my mom’s disappearance? The cursed town? Was she shoved out of it? Did she disappear because time was repeating?
A cold wind swept up. I shivered and forced a smile for Sarah. “Have you seen Malcom?”
It was her turn to blush. “Yeah, he helped me set up, and then we went back to the orphanage and—”
“Spare me the details.” I was suddenly very uncomfortable knowing that my son was the one shacking up with my sister’s daughter. Oh, hell!
They were related.
They would be cousins.
Oh, God.
Sarah must have sensed my panic. “Hey, you’re super pale. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, yeah.” Voice strained, I frantically looked around for Ben. “I just forgot something in the booth. I’ll be right back!”
I power-walked back toward the booth and then circled around it. Aengus was hovering near the mayor, smiling like he was minutes away from seducing her out of that tight white pantsuit she was wearing.
“Ah, Luna.” He strutted over, leaving my sister in the dust. It was impossible not to think of her that way even though this wasn’t her, at least not really. “Lady of the hour and…” He sniffed the air. “Well, well, someone was mighty satisfied last night. Or is that scent from this morning?”
I gritted my teeth as he snapped his fingers, grin widening. “So, this morning, then… lovely.”
“I need to find Ben.”
He didn’t move.
“It’s important.”
“And why do you always need Ben?” He sobered, taking another large step toward me. I’d never realized how massive he was until this moment, and I wondered how many people he’d threatened or killed simply by disarming them with his endless charm and talking. Huh, enemies probably didn’t even think him capable of it.
But now? With him glowering at me, I knew he was, and I knew he had been a very long time ago.
The Spring Court was filled with seducers and lovers, not fighters, but there had been a time when they’d had no choice but to rise up.
And both brothers had helped lead the charge.
I shivered, wondering why that specific memory decided to pop into my head. I let out a heavy sigh. “Look, if Malcom’s my and Ben’s son, he can’t be sleeping with his cousin!”
I didn’t mean to shriek out that last part, but I felt horrible for them and hadn’t thought about it last night, even after the shock wore off. I had been too distracted by a wicked mouth, fingers, and toes—damn, that man knew what he was doing.
“Hey, up here.” Aengus snapped his fingers. “I know it’s hard, but could you at least attempt not to think about my brother naked when you’re standing a foot away from me?”
I gulped. “Sorry. Won’t happen again.”
“Good.” He threw an arm around me, leading me away from that tent and toward another where I could see Ben getting an earful, yet again, from my sister. He looked ready to decapitate her.
I wondered if, in her twisted mind, hate meant love…
“It’s not a concern,” Aengus said softly. “Because Sarah isn’t your sister’s…”
I did a double-take. “I’m sorry, what?”
“Shhh, keep your voice down.” He looked slightly guilty. “I may have gotten the good mayor drunk last night and found out she adopted Sarah when she was starting her political career, thought it might help her get voted in. Sarah was at the orphanage for the first eight years of her life.”